How a gear junkie rides the Maah Daah Hey trail

[Dakotaranger]

Had a good set of radios which came in handy, a Topo map, lensatic compass, Dakota 10 Garmin GPS, SOG Sealpup, Leatherman, spare water in the Blackhawk LRRP buttpack attached to the Camelbak Delta 5, Casio Gzone Ravine, and my Springfield Loaded 1911

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85306610@N02/with/7815378864/#photo_7815378864  I had three major breakdowns but got 55 miles of the trail done this time. I WILL complete it one way or another.

[Magoo541]

Here I thought you were doing your own version of "A Car too Far (But its a Jeep  )" and I had a fellow rock crawler in our midst.  Turns out its a fellow mountain biker 

Looks like fun but what do you carry and were? 

[Dakotaranger]

That's why the Camelbak Delta-5 vest.   Since the Maah Daah Hey trail is a bucket list item a camera was a must I have a Kodak Easy share, and the Dakota 10 Garmin in the Condor I-pouch, compass and topo map along with a trowel in the 6"X 8" pouch.  The black pouch was my IFAK (it probably was bigger than what I would have needed if something happened), the Casio Gzone is a mil-spec phone that I had in a 5.11 phone pouch right above the IFAK and next to the SOG Seal Pup, which had an extra pouch where I kept a Leather man Wave.  I had a bottle on the bike and two in the Blackhawk LRRP buttpack along with jerky and granola bars.), and my 1911 in a Serpa holster.

I decided to get a couple combat shirts because of the ability to shove a couple elbow pads in.  I told the bike shop what I wanted and they looked like I was nuts, but if I were to tell the tactical suppliers I wanted blaze orange they'd look at me like I'm nuts too (having been hit a few times hi-vis and padding a good idea).

Next time I need to make sure I have a chain tool, but the problems I was having and the fact TWO SHOPS failed to fix the issue they knew was there I don't know if it would have helped.

[Dakotaranger]

The TriSquare eXRS radio I mounted on my back with a head set with another 5.11 cellphone pouch which makes sense since mounting biking you want both hands on the bars.  cell reception is shaky at best so if I had problems the primary connection with my support team was with the radio.  It worked better than any of us suspected.

The reason I set up the vest this way is when I bike in town I have my cellphone on my pack where I can hear it when I have my IPOD in.  And similarity with gear is always a good thing and if it was important I wanted to be able to grab it without taking the vest off so the map, compass and binoculars made sense going in the long pouch. I've tried to teach myself to do more with my left hand so I can keep my gun hand free. the IFAK on the right so as to balance out the weight on my back with all the water in the bladder and the buttpack.