Ultralight enduro expeditions
The gear setup for Prometheus 19 is the lightest one yet, and compared to the Crimson Trail setup, there’s a pretty significant decrease in mass; from 11.9 kg to 8 kg packed weight. Also, what’s carried in the CamelBak, excluding water, has slimmed down from 3.1 kg to 1.5 kg. So a garnd total of 9.5 kg of equipment on board. And finally, the entire luggage, including riding gear, panniers etc. has been reduced from 30.5 kg to 23.3 kg. So all in all roughly a 25% decrease in mass.
Rethinking the bare necessities
Most of the weight savings have come through eliminating gear instead of replacing equipment with expensive ultralight versions. Camping luxuries such as a kettle and a stove are gone, and the electronics category has seen the greatest reduction in gear. All extra lenses for the camera, the tripod, action cams and the drone are gone. We are rolling on mousses during the expedition, which removes the need to carry a full set of extra tubes.
Double ten panniers
The bike itself has seen a transformation with the new ultralight build, and we have designed a new lighter luggage set with XCountry for the reduced volume of equipment. The Hobo Ten’s have a ten liter capacity each, with total volume of 20 liters for the set, which is on the money for the ultralight gear setup. I do’t have anything else mounted on the bike and carry a compact CamelBak with a few bits and pieces in it.
Panniers & GPS: 2.21 kg
Packed in panniers: 8.23 kg
Camelbak without water: 1.47 kg
Worn riding gear: 11.40 kg
Absolutely everything: 23.31 kg
Bike fully fueled and loaded: 130 kg
Full gear list breakdown
Green card, 1 pcs, 20 g
Insurance policy, 1 pcs, 2 g
Navigator, Garmin Montana, 1 pcs, 290 g
Registration, 1 pcs, 2 g
XCountry Hobo Ten panniers, 1 pcs, 1902 g
Sleeping Pad, STS Ultralight, 1 pcs, 382 g
Sleeping quilt Enlightened Equipmet Enigma, 1 pcs, 376 g
Sleeping quilt pouch waterproof, 1 pcs, 26 g
Tent bag, white, 1 pcs, 42 g
Tent stake Titanium 1 mm, 10 pcs, 14 g
Tent stake Titanium 3 mm, 6 pcs, 48 g
Tent stakes pouch, 1 pcs, 8 g
Tent, Terra Nova Laser Photon, 1 pcs, 724 g
Chain lube, 1 pcs, 200 g
Electrical wire, 1 pcs, 14 g
Fuel line connector O-ring , 1 pcs, 1 g
Fuse 10 A, 4 pcs, 4 g
Fuse 2 A, 3 pcs, 3 g
Fuse 20 A, 2 pcs, 2 g
Fuse 7.5 A, 3 pcs, 3 g
Grease, mini, 1 pcs, 20 g
Loctite blue 243, 5 ml, 1 pcs, 14 g
Needle, thread and safety pins, 1 pcs, 4 g
Puncture kit, 1 pcs, 44 g
Tape, gaffer, 1 pcs, 36 g
Camera lens, Sony 20 mm 2.8, 1 pcs, 69 g
Camera trigger cable, Oppilas, 1 pcs, 6 g
Camera trigger receiver, Hähnel, 1 pcs, 100 g
Camera trigger strap, 2 pcs, 4 g
Camera trigger transmitter, Hähnel, 1 pcs, 96 g
Camera, Sony A6000, 1 pcs, 282 g
Card Reader USB OTG, 1 pcs, 2 g
Earphones, 1 pcs, 10 g
Memory card 64 GB, SanDisk Extreme, 6 pcs, 3 g
Micro USB cable, 1 pcs, 22 g
Mobile phone, 1 pcs, 122 g
USB bike charger, 1 pcs, 80 g
USB socket, 1 pcs, 18 g
USB wall charger, 1 pcs, 36 g
Credit card, 2 pcs, 8 g
Driving license, EU, 1 pcs, 4 g
Driving license, International 68, 1 pcs, 20 g
Ear plugs, 24 pcs, 12 g
First Aid Kit UL, 1 pcs, 74 g
Hang pouch, 1 pcs, 28 g
Head torch, Zipka, 1 pcs, 66 g
Lock, titanium, 1 pcs, 92 g
Pants, Millet 3/4, 1 pcs, 296 g
Paper handkerchiefs, 2 pcs, 20 g
Passport, 1 pcs, 40 g
Pen, 1 pcs, 10 g
Shoes, Decathlon, 1 pcs, 362 g
Socks, MTB, 1 pcs, 30 g
Stickers, 1 pcs, 61 g
Sunglass case, Cebe, 1 pcs, 70 g
Sunglasses, Julbo, 1 pcs, 28 g
T-Shirt, 1 pcs, 166 g
Tooth brush, 1 pcs, 14 g
Tooth paste, 25ml, 1 pcs, 34 g
Underwear, 1 pcs, 62 g
Wet wipes pack, 1 pcs, 20 g
Base layer pants, 1 pcs, 154 g
Base layer shirt, 1 pcs, 210 g
Body armour, 1 pcs, 1856 g
Boots, Sidi Crossfire, black, 1 pcs, 4228 g
Camelbak Chaos, 1 pcs, 878 g
Goggle spare lenses and pouch, 1 pcs, 164 g
Goggles Klim Oculus, 1 pcs, 184 g
Klim Dakar Gloves, 1 pcs, 94 g
Klim Dakar ITB pants, 1 pcs, 1190 g
Klim Dakar jersey, 1 pcs, 274 g
Klim Dakar Pro Gloves, 1 pcs, 122 g
Klim F3 Helmet, 1 pcs, 1226 g
Klim Forecast gloves, 1 pcs, 122 g
Klim neck warmer, 1 pcs, 50 g
Knee protection, 1 pcs, 1026 g
Rain shorts, Hobo ghetto, 1 pcs, 135 g
Socks, MTB, 1 pcs, 30 g
Backup capacitor, 1 pcs, 22 g
Brake pads front, 1 pcs, 178 g
Brake pads rear, 1 pcs, 146 g
Chain master quick link, 1 pcs, 18 g
Clutch friction plates, 1 pcs, 392 g
Counter shaft repair kit, 1 pcs, 82 g
Fuel filter, 1 pcs, 16 g
Fuel hose clamp, 4 pcs, 8 g
Fuel injector, 1 pcs, 16 g
Fuel micro filter, 4 pcs, 4 g
Fuel pump, 1 pcs, 178 g
Ignition / fuel pump relay, 1 pcs, 28 g
Lever, brake, 1 pcs, 70 g
Lever, clutch, 1 pcs, 68 g
Oil drain plug, 1 pcs, 20 g
Oil drain plug washer, 4 pcs, 4 g
Oil filter + O-ring, 2 pcs, 80 g
Oil sieves + O rings, 1 pcs, 8 g
Pedal, brake Hammerhead, 1 pcs, 234 g
Pedal, shift Hammerhead, 1 pcs, 156 g
Shim kit, 1 pcs, 10 g
Spark Plug, 1 pcs, 38 g
Tube 18 Pirelli, 1 pcs, 580 g
Bit hex 3 mm, 1 pcs, 4 g
Bit hex 4 mm, 1 pcs, 5 g
Bit hex 5 mm, 1 pcs, 6 g
Bit hex 6 mm, 1 pcs, 7 g
Bit hex 8 mm, 1 pcs, 6 g
Bit Screwdriver, Flat 5.5 mm, 1 pcs, 5 g
Bit Screwdriver, Philips, 1 pcs, 5 g
Bit Torx 15, 1 pcs, 4 g
Bit Torx 20, 1 pcs, 5 g
Bit Torx 25, 1 pcs, 6 g
Bit Torx 30, 1 pcs, 8 g
Electric multimeter, 1 pcs, 126 g
Feeler gauges 0.05 -0.35, 1 pcs, 6 g
Fuel tank hose connector plugs, 1 pcs, 6 g
Leatherman Crunch, 1 pcs, 196 g
Magnet, 1 pcs, 36 g
Pressure stick, 1 pcs, 16 g
Pump, Lezyne Mini, 1 pcs, 88 g
Seal Doctor, 1 pcs, 33 g
Socket 1/2” 17 mm, 1 pcs, 64 g
Socket 1/2” 19 mm, 1 pcs, 76 g
Socket 1/4” 06 mm, 1 pcs, 10 g
Socket 1/4” 08 mm, 1 pcs, 12 g
Socket 1/4” 10 mm, 1 pcs, 16 g
Socket 1/4” 11 mm, 1 pcs, 20 g
Socket 1/4” 12 mm, 1 pcs, 22 g
Socket 1/4” 13 mm, 1 pcs, 26 g
Socket 1/4” Bit adapter, Bahco, 1 pcs, 16 g
Socket 1/4” T45, 1 pcs, 18 g
Socket adapter 3/8” Motion Pro, 1 pcs, 33 g
Socket adpater 3/8” => 1/2”, 1 pcs, 44 g
Socket adpater 3/8” => 1/4”, 1 pcs, 20 g
Socket spark plug KTM 500, 1 pcs, 30 g
Spanner 10/13 KTM, 1 pcs, 52 g
Spanner 6/10 KTM, 1 pcs, 48 g
Spanner ratchet extender, Bahco 1/4” , 1 pcs, 44 g
Spanner ratchet, Bahco 1/4” , 1 pcs, 136 g
Spanner spoon Motion Pro T-6 27 mm, 1 pcs, 90 g
Spanner spoon Motion Pro T-6 32 mm, 1 pcs, 82 g
Tool roll, Hobo, 1 pcs, 79 g
Great post mate! Ditching the stove saves alot, I ditched mine quite some time ago, I just cook food in the fire now, even in wet conditions we have always managed to get a fire going!
Also noticed you dont take a spare 21inch tube?
Cheers, Simon
Thanks Simon. I usually try to get a hot meal with the daily refuel, and only eat a sandwich or fruit at camp during the evening to avoid the mess of cooking.
Regarding the tubes, we’re riding on mousses so only carry a single set of tubes between the two of us; so I have the 18″ and my buddy carries the 21″. We’ll see how the mousses last in the heat…
A good meal at refuel is the way to go. I too hate cooking clean up , most of my food cooked in the fire is the canned kind, so only clean up is a fork or spoon.
Interesting running mousses, hope they hold up for you guys, best of luck mate!
Thanks Simon and ditto on the canned food. And here’s to hoping the mousses hold 😉
I am really interested in the mousse! If this works, it would be perfect. But till I get a positive feedback from you (and not any factory publicity) I stick to my old fashiond inner tubes and bikersdream.de footpump. Keep posted!
Will do. Still rolling strong after 2000 km.
Publishing the full gear list breackdown,looks like you declared a challenge,who will go lighter and lighter !? Interesting challenge, I would say !
I’d be delighted to hear what others are doing with their kit. Should we set the bar at six kilos to begin with? 😉 IMHO it’s doable quite easily, by ditching the tube and relying on the mousses, making sure not to toast the clutch and ride without the clutch plates. Of course, if you’re happy with mobile phone pics, all the camera gear is gone. BTW even the 8 kilos on the bike noticeably decreases its stability. Another approach to address the stability issue is to somehow lower the center of gravity of the luggage…
This is awesome.
With the advent of multilense smarthphones and sophisticated camera apps, I’d say the need for heavy camera equipment is already minimal if non-existent. Unless of course if you go for print quality photos. I have found myself using heavy SLR less and less on my trips and just go for GoPro and smartphone these days. Stove I’ve found to be useful in Nordic countries where food is expensive and clean water plentiful.
I strongly disagree on the mobile phone being the new standard for photography. The only upside they have is that everyone already carries them. However, they are nowhere near the image quality of even a basic mirrorless digital camera, let alone a DSLR. Mostly due to the tiny diameter of the lenses and and the physically tiny sensor. A mobile phone will produce a decent pic for social media if there’s plenty of light, but other than that it’s uses for photography are few. Especially if you intend to publish the pictures in printed form, as you correctly pointed out.
Have to agree with you mate, it may be the heaviest item in my kit but I never go on a trip with out my full frame nikon and a couple of primes!
20,000 kms and only one spare underwear.
Merino can easily be washed and dries overnight. No need for more.
In my defence; I wear the underwear only when I’m not in riding gear and wash them regularly. For the majority of the time I’m in my riding gear and long base layer. That’s what gets really nasty 😉
Good day
I was wandering about the mattress. My experience with air mattress is that are not very good protecting one from the cold,eg personal experience. So how is the insolation on this mattress you are using. For reason of sleeping nice and warm we got the self inflatable mattress with the insolating foam inside. Does not pack away as small but also very light. Thank you for your articles. Got some very nice info from them
Hi Keith, the Sea to Summit ultralight does not have a lot of insulation so good for warm weather. But I like it due to its low weight and volume, and I’m generally quite resistan to cold, so haven’t had a problem with it. I guess for late fall expeditions in the arctic I would bring something with more insulation.
Hi and thanks for an awesome blog.
I’m probably going to buy a set of x-country hobo bags but there’s hardly any information about them on the web. I know where to buy them but I would like to see how you mount them to the bike and so on.
Best regards
Joakim
Hi Joakim, thanks for your feedback. I’ll try and get an tutorial on the mounting out soon.
I ordered a Honda themed set for my xr650r 😉
Took some time figuring out how to mount it but was quite straightforward in the end. I just used the straps, no additional mounting hardware on the bike, rock solid and amazing bags.
If you need to fill the GL gas bladder, where does it hide out?…how do you secure it?
Thanks for sharing!
The one gallon Gas Bag fits perfectly between the XCountry panniers.
Hi Hobo, great bags and thanks for the great blog. I am learning a lot!
Do you have a comparison between the Xcountry bags and the Enduristan Blizzard? The system appears to be similar. The price is similar too.
I would be interested in a comparison regarding the materials (durability) and stability. Unfortunately I can’t speak Polish (the english-button on the page does not work) and Google-Translator doesn’t tell me whether the “normal” 20l bags weigh 680 g per side or in total.
After all the use: Do the loaded bags still stay in place properly without wobbling?
Thank you for your time to share this blog with us. Wish you an awesome trip! Greetings from Germany
Hi Orson, I have no experience on Enduristan bags. I did look into them, but I think there was an issue with not receiving communication from them at the time, so I didn’t look into it further. Either way, they seem well built. However, what I really like about the Xcountry’s is the versatility; the bungees are really handy for strapping extra water or fuel bottles or for just getting trash out of camp. Also, the new outside pockets are great for carrying gloves for easy access or keeping any fluids e.g. engine oil outside of the bag itself. Not to mention they colours are fully customizable. The Xcountry’s are IMHO also very well built and can be secured fine on a 500 for rough terrain. I recommend sending Mirek an email with your questions. He’s a great dude, and will surely answer.
Hey there, thanks for your feedback. Sounds good. I will follow your advice and email Mirek. greetings
I have the same dilemma regarding Enduristan Blizzard or Xcountry bags ?
Hey Ivaylo! Please check the reply to Orson’s comment above.
I am wondering about your thoughts on dropping a little electronics weight by eliminating the stand-alone GPS unit and simply using your phone and the various mapping apps available that work without cell coverage. I did that a couple of years ago, mostly driven by the cost of replacing an out of date GPS at the same time as a need to replace a phone that was no longer supported. I purchased a ruggedized phone (Kyocera Duraforce) along with a handlebar mount with wireless charging and touchscreen compatible gloves.
I’ve been quite pleased with the system. The phone is waterproof and quite sturdy. It even survived a drop from the handlebars to the road at 50 kph because I forgot to tighten things down. The screen is easier to see than most GPS units and with multiple apps I’ve always been able to locate whatever road or trail I’m on along with tracks, directions, and routing capabilities. The downside is the lack of redundancy for mapping hardware which could be a problem with a broken or stolen phone.
Hi Wayne, sounds very interesting. I’m actually in the process of looking into using an Android tablet as the main navigator instead of the Montana. Having said that, I’d probably still hang on to the reliable Montanan 600 I have, because for the most part it just works.
BTW for a reliable mounting system, have you seen the Universal Navigation Clamps and the Universal Digital Bracket by Rally Moto Shop? I’ve been using the clamps since 2014 and have been really happy with them. I’m currently looking into using the above combo for the tablet. Haven’t got a round to fitting them yet tho. Will post my findings eventually.
I love the http://www.kurviger.de App – way better than BaseCamp and any expensive Garmin device. But there is no mobile phone with a fully legible screen in sunlight. Besides my top of the line Samsung S10+ gets too hot al-ready in Greek mountains in September and the battery is too small. To my knowledge there is only one An-droid device planned that will fulfil these requirements https://sailproof.shop/rugged-tablet/. But it still lacks the necessary bracket. I use the Givi S957B https://www.givi.de/produkte/zubehoer/halter-fuer-mobilgeraete-und-stromversorgungskit/s957b, but it lacks the wireless charging. Did you find the solution for that?
Hallo Steff, the sailproof rugged tablet looks pretty interesting.
Check out Greg Villalobos’ excellent review on the new Montana 700i, where he goes through many of the questions the ADV crowd might have. He also mentions the Thork Carpe Tab as a possible option to the Garmin Montana 700i.
Many thanks! The Carpe Iter Pad https://carpe-iter.com/carpe-iter-pad is exactly what I need including the bracket https://www.thorkracing.com/en/produto/tablet-fixation-bracket. The battery should hold for a day and there is no need for induction charging. This will be my next device!
Not sure how much this is applicable to riders in Europe but the best phone mount for single cylinder enduro riders is the Perfect Squeeze with a 10W wireless charger.. The vibration isolator works well to protect the electronics.
https://shop-hondogarage.com/products/juiced-squeeze-wireless-charging-phone-mount
As far as heat being a problem, the wind keeps everything cool so long as you’re moving.
Cheers
Thanks Wayne! I had a similar metal bracket with induction charging and lost my expensive Samsung S10+ on some agricultural track in Moldova. Luckily, I found it again with just a few bruises. The phone was in a silicone case. Maybe without silicone case, I could have tightened the bracket a bit more, but would the phone have survived it? This is why I changed to Give case https://www.givi.de/produkte/zubehoer/halter-fuer-mobilgeraete-und-stromversorgungskit/s957b.
Saw a 19mm in your tool kit, where are you using this?
Hey Paul, it’s for removing the hollow bolt under the seat, through which the seat bolt goes.
That’s strange on my 2016 six days it’s a. 17mm
Mine too. It turns out the 19mm is for the swing arm. Had forgotten about and had to review my cheat sheet.
A 19 mm socket is also needed for the nuts on the bottom of the forks. I was on a longer ride last year when the nut on my buddy’s fork loosened and fork oil slowly leaked out soaking his brake pads. Neither of us had a 19 mm socket at the time for a quick trail fix so he had to quit the ride and find a mechanic that could re-fill the fork and clean the pads well enough to use. Now we both added a 19 mm to the kit.
Thanks Wayne, I carry a 1/4″ TX45 socket for the shock bolts, but it’s good to know the 19mm fits them too.
Sorry for the confusion. I was commenting on the compression dampening fitting on the bottom of the WP open chamber forks under the rubber cap. If that 19 mm nut gets loose the fork oil will leak out.
Ok, thanks. It turns out that I carry the 19mm socket for the swing arm, not the seat bolt 😉
Hey Jussi,
Awesome overview, yet again. I’ve starting documenting and weighing my kit as well. And thanks to your information lost many kilograms in the process. Still not there yet, but getting to a point where killing comfort and options are the real big savings (besides spending hundreds of Euro’s per gram saved…). For example you left out your stove and I still have a kitchen large enough to make a proper meal for 2/3 people. I wont reach your 10kg if I don’t alter my travel style drastically, so I going to aim for 15kg of kit with bags, excluding riding gear.
Here’s my packing list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17JFr4OD6rzrjincelFFhfO5xJbg8JU9ibYiVJ0blTCI/edit?usp=sharing
Cheers, Janus
Jussi,
Greatly appreciate the detail! I have completed many long distance ultralight backpacking trips and agree 100% with your philosophy of lighter = more agile = safer. That being said, in your experience what first aid would be wise to take if we are doing 1-2 solo, remote wilderness trips?
Thanks for your expertise and time!