In my search for an ideal vehicle for a long surf trip Lee V. raised a good point about what to bring on the journey. I obviously want to bring only essential gear and supplies, leaving the rest at home. I’m hoping to tap into the knowledge here concerning this question. You can only pull so much info from books…other people’s experiences and wisdom are priceless. What is essential for a long trip where supplies may be hard to find? What would you bring? Any responses are greatly appreciated. Thanks, og
Always bring an extra spare tire. Some type of shade canopy is essential in Baja year round. Long sleeve light shirts and a hat to protect you from the sun. Dont over surf. I have seen people over due it and get hurt or sick. Good books and a fishing pole for the flat spells that you will have. Go without any expectations about anything and you wont be disappointed!! Buena Ventura Roger
Roll of clear packing tape for dings, roll of duct tape for everything else. Two boards, one for 0-1 meter and another for 1-3 meters. Surfmat and flippers. Face mask and Hawaiian sling. Sunscreen and a really, really good knife. Tow strap, jumper cables. Vice grips, screw drivers, hammer, adjustable wrench, socket set (be sure its the right kind for your car), X-tra spark plugs, hatchet/ax, folding shovel. Couple of UV resistant longsleave rash guards. One of those travelling shower things; a black bag with a plastic hose and nozzle (hang it up during the day and take a nice hot shower just after sunset). After a week in Baja that shower will be worth more than a case of beer! A heavy guage expanded metal grate for the cooking fire. Saves butane. Rock ring with the grate on top you’ll be stylin’ big pot o’ water boiling for the bugs, fresh halibut searing, you’re all fresh and clean from the shower whatching the moon come up and the wind shift offshore, a new south just showing at the tip of the point. A little Bob Marley and… Ooooh baby, Gotta go, Gotta go, Got to go south, Down Mexico way. Dusty dirt, Dusty shirt, Winding road, Clean cold sea. Run away, Run toward, Rocky long point Beckons me…
Nice start Lee, Hi Og, first good Mexico travel tip. DON’T drive at night, the truck drivers take their half out of the middle, and if you don’t hit one of them, large cow standing in the road will also hurt. A good pair of sneekers, sandles/tevas get old after a while A cash stash in case you get ripped (it happens), you can’t buy fuel with credit cards. If you can, camp on beaches where there are other people. In Mexico, Baja or Mainland Mex. be prepared to be stopped by Mexican military checkpoints. When you least expect it there they are blocking the road, dressed in all dark green, machineguns slung over the shoulder, smiley and all. Shut your engine off and get out. “Are you on ‘vacacion’” “any drugas or guns” just answer “no” smile and be happy,read a book/mag/AAA map,and let them look. They will sit in your the front seat,look under the front seat, look at all your traveling crap on the front seat. Just remember they are out there in the hot sun doing this all day long, so whatever mode they are in ,just smile be nice. Our last trip we went through 7 of these check points from Ciudad Constitucio’n back to the boarder Tijuana. Lately they seem to only check going back to the boarder. Buy those big plastic cantainer to pack your stuff in, they stay cleaner and are easy to get stuff in and out. If you sleep out under the stars (only way), sleep on a cott(buy a nice one) this will keep all the critters out of your bed (scorpions). Bring more than one surfboard, longboard and short. I can think of more later if you need . These are just some things you won’t find in the books. Stay solid cfp
Thanks again for the help guys. A few more things I was hoping you could expand on. Water: where do you get it, how much do you get, how often, and what do you put it in? How do you know it’s safe unless you boil or filter? Ice: assuming I have no propane fridge like Kokua suggested (which would be great), it seems like keeping food cold may be a problem in the heat. Just keep refilling the cooler with ice, or maybe go times without cold food (and beer)!? Safety: obviously a traveling partner would make things safer in and out of the water. How safe is it traveling alone if my buddy backs out? Mainland: looking into ferrying across to the mainland. I’ve heard and read baja and the mainland are quite different; what would I add to my list for the climate change? Again, I want to thank you guys. Your advice is invaluable. og
The Mainland is another world away from Baja. The weather this time of year is unbearable. Hot and Humid,rain and bugs,and an occasional hurricane. Camping out is tough. I would bring a small electric fan and stay in small hotels. The ferry ride is great, but service used to be unpredictable, so call ahead. There is a lot of poverty and I never felt as safe there as in Baja. Stay clean–no guns or drugs. I always had a big dog with me that I would chain to my truck at night. This brings back a lot of memories. Roger
also- a Hi-Lift jack, tire plugs, sand ladders or strips of carpet(i have that astro grass stuuf as a front porch for my tent, but it can help you gain traction in sand too if needed), first aide kit, batteries, extra fuel, a shovel, a rake,lighters,(burn your tp).in baja water and ice are the big issue,especially if you are in a remote area.one way to do it is buy a case of sport bottles of h2o and freeze 'em good before you leave.you can then put them in your ice chest along with some ice.they will keep thing cold for days and as they thaw you have water to drink.we’ve used 5 gallon bottles with a hand pump which works great.lately we have just been buying cases of the sport bottles, as they are easier to pack than the 5 gal. bottles.there are some propane powered ice chest/freezer products out there that are a bit pricey but if your out in no man’s land for more than ten days it would be worth the cost.for sure my next camp purchase.be cool and have fun.make sure you get insurance as well.check out one of the baja travel clubs, as you can get insurance through them for an entire year for the same or less cost if you buy it at the border for a 10-14 day trip…good luck!
oh yeah- an air compressor for sure.
depending on your vehicle either a fan belt or a extra serpentine belt. better than trying to rig somthing out in the middle of nowhere.
Yep, that’s a must. Made it from the Wall to Punta Prieta using a cut up wetsuit once. Couldn’t do it with today’s wettys though…Oh yeah I forgot a good one…Cutters bug repellant…both the spray (for your clothes) and wipe-on for your skin. Won’t keep the flys away but the buzzies at night will keep their distance. Cutters is the ONLY one I’ve found that really works.
Howzit Matt, Good call on the insurance. I say buy 1 or 2 days worth before you cross the border than find an insurance agency that sells the mexican government auto insurance. I think I paid about $100.00 for a whole year. Aloha, Kokua
yep-it costs me 125.00 for a years worth of coverage, and when we go down for 10 days or so, my friend ends up paying about 100.00 at the border for insurnce to cover that one trip…
All good advice, stuff to take care of your car, stuff (FIRST AID KIT, water) to take care of you. As far as a great natural alternative to heavily chemicaled Bug Repellent (Deet based) Apple Cider Vinegar in a spray bottle works awesome. We were able to camp Northern Washington State where the Mosquitos are as big as hummingbirds (lol) and we were bite free as long as we smelled like an Italian salad! Good Luck and have fun
All good advice, stuff to take care of your car, stuff (FIRST AID KIT, water) to take care of you. As far as a great natural alternative to heavily chemicaled Bug Repellent (Deet based) Apple Cider Vinegar in a spray bottle works awesome. We were able to camp Northern Washington State where the Mosquitos are as big as hummingbirds (lol) and we were bite free as long as we smelled like an Italian salad! Good Luck and have fun