One of the biggest challenges a Long Rider faces is the weight of ones pack saddle. Although it cannot be heavy for your horse’s well being, it must carry everything you will use during your trip. My pack saddle, the Canadian adjustable pack saddle, lent to me by The Long Riders Guild, is the best one in the market!
It is light weight and can fit any horse due to its adjustable tree. It is definitely the most important tool I use. This pack saddle is currently part of a 10 year test to prove that it is the best one out there. Read more about it here.
Inside my packsaddle are other tools that I depend on everyday. Here is a list of things I have carried from Canada to southern Mexico, and how they have helped me.
After my almighty pack saddle, the tool I use most is my riding saddle. My lightweight, reigning saddle specially made by Circulo R Saddles in Brazil, is perfect for a Long Ride like this. It has a memory-foam seat which makes it the most comfortable saddle ever, and was crafted with my horses health in mind. The second riding saddle I use was donated by Mexican Television Personality, Tono Aldeco. He created a saddle especially for the cabalgantes of Mexico. It’s a hybrid of the traditional Charro saddle and a western saddle. See my Brazilian saddle in Dispatch 7 and my Mexican saddle in Dispatch 42.
My Leatherman Wave is always attached to my belt! For the past 11 months I have used it to cut wire, pull horseshoe nails and to prepare peanut butter sandwiches. I have used it everyday, several times a day. It contains many tools necessary on the trail all in one sleek design. It’s super light, easy to carry and easy to use. I love my Leatherman Wave!
I have slept many nights under the stars since I left Calgary. Thanks to my lightweight tent from Mountain Equipment Coop, I have always woken up warm and dry. This little beauty is a two person tent that sleeps one comfortably. It’s super easy to put up and take down and its weight is perfect for a trip like mine. Check out the MEC Tarn 3 Tent & watch me build it in Disptach 17.
While crossing places like Yellowstone National Park and the Chihuahua desert, my coleman single burner propane camping stove, was essential. The propane tank is relatively lightweight and lasts around 2 months cooking a couple nights a week. I use it to cook rice, pasta and to toast bread in the morning. While in Yellowstone I even used it to thaw my boots which froze at night. Watch Dispatch 14 for my ride through Yellowstone in order to thaw my frozen boots.
In order to capture every second of my journey, OutWildTV has provided me with the best shooting equipment for the road. I travel with a GoPro2, the Canon XF 100 and the Canon XA 10. I also use two wireless microphones for interviews and a portable iphone mic to record voiceovers. My main camera, the XF 100 shoots with two cards all the time. This allows me to backup everything I shoot in case a card gets damaged or lost while being sent to the editor. I send the cards to my editor via Fedex every 2 months or so.
This brings me to my last tool, my iPhone. I have used this little thing of beauty a million times a day for the past 11 months! It wakes me up in the morning, tells me if I’m on the right road, allows me to share photos and tweets in seconds, and keeps me in touch with family & friends. Its amazing. The iPhone has an amazing camera and it is super light weight. It is also very durable. I don’t have a case on mine and have taken it over mountains, through rivers, in the jungle and it still looks like new. Thanks you Steve Jobs.
