ADV Gear | ADVENTURE & OVERLAND MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

by WorldCrosser Admin | Sep 22, 2015 | ADV Camping Gear, ADV Gear, Food

A Time Magazine Invention of the Year winner, LifeStraw contains no chemicals, no batteries and no moving parts to wear out. It features a high flow rate and weighs only 2oz. It is perfect for the Ultralight backpacker, camper, hiker, traveler, boy scout, hunter or for emergencies. Unlike many similar filters on the market today, LifeStraw has met EPA standards for water filtration in independent testing. LifeStraw has been used around the world under extreme conditions for humanitarian relief. Does not filter chemicals, salt, viruses, heavy metals, taste. Please NOTE: It takes roughly 3-5 seconds of sucking to start the flow of water through the filter.

Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System

by WorldCrosser Admin | Sep 22, 2015 | ADV Camping Gear, ADV Gear, Food

The Sawyer Mini Water Filter is a second generation filter that is the lightest and most versatile personal filtration system from Sawyer. With a total field weight of 2 ounces it fits in the palm of your hand. This tiny filter does the same job that the Sawyer PointOne filter does but now in a more compact, personal size. The Sawyer Mini filter is perfect for everything from camping with the kids to traveling abroad where tap and bottle water cannot be trusted. The filter removes 7 log (99.99999%) of all bacteria (like salmonella) as well as other harmful bacteria which causes cholera and E. coli and 6 log (99.9999%) of all protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium. These removal rates equal or exceed other filter options. EPA guidelines allow ten times more protozoa left in the water than Sawyer PointOne filters allow. The Sawyer Mini Water Filter is backed by a manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty. Since 1984, Sawyer Products has offered the best, most technologically advanced solutions for protection against sun, bugs, water, and injuries — everything from first aid kits developed for wilderness to point-of-use water filters that filter contaminated water to levels cleaner than U.S. bottled water.

Motorcycle RAM Mount Configuration for iPhone

by WorldCrosser Admin | Sep 16, 2015 | ADV Gear, Adventure Tech

Let’s start out by saying it is awesome to have your phone on your bike, and in a spot that you can see it easily. The RAM mount does the job and does it well. I wouldn’t trust some other phone mounts I have seen. They look cheap and if you ride like me a little bump may send your expensive phone flying. Your phone onyour bike is almost a must have in today’s connected world. Some may disagree and say they want to be removed from the “connected” world while riding- I understand! But sometimes reality of the day and expectiation you need your phone while riding. Anyway that is a topic for another post – but for now having your phone on your bike -> The RAM mount is where it’s at, along with a bluetooth headset for your helmet. (See Sena bluetooth headset post).

There are lots of configurations for the RAM product line there is even a cup holder and a handgun mount you can get. But for your adventure motorcycle basic iPhone mount setup you want a few parts:

Need to mount the ball to the handle bars with U-Bolt Mounting Base with 1 inch ball.
Then you need the “Double Socket” connector, that supports the 1″ ball on both sides, this can be purchased in a few different sizes – short, long, and I think there maybe a medium.
Finally you need the X-Grip Cell phone holder with 1″ ball, you can get larger ones for the larger iPhones 6 and maybe the ipad mini.

It is not only great to be able to talk on the phone while riding, it is also great to be able to see your phone for navigation (and hear Voice Navigation too), see your playlist as you are listening to some great music all the while having it right there in front of you.

If you are considering a quality RAM Motorcycle mount for your adventure bike, please support WorldCrosser by clicking through this Amazon link, it will give us a little coin and not cost you a dime extra.

Thanks for reading and ride safe!

Compact Water Filter Adventure Motorcycle Camping – Sawyer vs Lifestraw

by WorldCrosser Admin | Sep 8, 2015 | ADV Camping Gear, ADV Gear, Food

So you are looking for the perfect water filter for you overlanding or adventure motorcycle riding exploration. There are many filters out there ranging in price from very cheap to very expensive. If you are doing couple day or week long adventures you may be in the market for a personal small water filter. You have a couple choices here but the two to that most gravitate towards:

The Sawyer Mini Filter or the LifeStraw Personal

The Sawyer Mini Filter

This unit is rated very high by many users all over the internet. In short, people just love it, it can filter over 100,000 gallons and come with a plunger for backwashing it. It is small, light and compact, it costs around $20 and you can even pick it up at Walmart. The package contains 16-oz squeeze pouch, drinking straw and cleaning plunger. Comes is number of cool colors and only weighs in at 2oz, but after you use it for the first time, it will have water in it increasing the actual weight. Packaging states it can filter 100,000 gallons of water. More details on the Sawyer Mini Filter.

The Lifestraw Personal

Lifestraw personal was the original, small, chemical free water filter. Lifestraw donates clean water to developing countries through a program they call “Follow the Liters”. It also weighs in at 2 oz dry and filters up to 1000 liters

The Lifestraw is the original but it is larger and the specs seem to give the Sawyer Mini Filter a leg up on the Lifestraw. But this could be just marketing, as it should be duly noted that there are claims that are considered over the top marketing, and at one point Sawyer changed their marketing from claiming the device is good for 1,000,000 uses to 100,000 — but either is plenty for a $25 product. More details about Lifestraw Personal.

Most of the time when I am traveling on my bike, I can get fresh water from a gas station, store, campground where ever, but I have run out of water or didn’t 100% trust the source. So I always keep a water filter as part of my travel kit. I personally use a filter on all my primitive camping outing which is real camping in my opinion. LOL!

In conclusion, both are great affordable products and take away the need for chemical and the need to carry large purifying systems. You won’t go wrong with either one, but I think the Sawyer has a leg up due to it’s size and ability to connect to any standard water bottle. It is simple to use and convenient.

Let us know which water filter you use and if you are not already remember to sign up for our newsletter, it will keep you up to date with great content and helpful info that will keep your overlanding the best it can be.

Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet Headset

by WorldCrosser Admin | Aug 31, 2015 | ADV Gear, ADV Product Review, ADV Riding Gear

Bluetooth for Adventure Motorcycle riding is becoming standard.

So you want to listen to Pandora, and talk to you friends while riding, oh not to mention voice navigation for Waze or whichever GPS app you fancy on your iPhone or Android. Well you are in need of a bluetooth headset for your helmet and today we are discussing the Sena SMH10.

This bluetooth helmet headset installs with a bracket or with an adhesive mount, both worked very well it just depends on the thickness of your helmet. It links up easy with your phone or other Bluetooth device by pressing the two buttons simultaneously. I am amazed at how long this device can hold a charge, it is wonderful in that respect. Also,you can always plug it in and charge while riding your bike, assuming you have a power outlet on your bike. I never have had the need since this device holds a charge so well, but I still keep my cable handy for the day I just may need it.

It has good sound, although I do wish it could go a little louder. Talking back and forth with your buddies works well too. The one downside to the SMH10 is that if you are listening to music and connected to a friend, the music stops and friend talks, it is not smooth transition or overlay from one to the other. You almost need to decide if you want to talk or listen to music. Sena recognized this limitation and have put a fix in the 20S model. For me this is not worth additional $100 for this feature but for some it may be worth the extra cash.

Couple tips:

Use the foam pads to bring speakers closer to your ears
When you first get it it is wise to charge fully and then let go all the way down, then do the same thing again. Maybe this is why mine holds a charge so long.
Make sure your headset is running the latest firmware – Click here to see latest version available from Sena. I have heard of people having issues with other models, but these were older ones when technology was not as good. But overall I highly recommend this unit and use it all the time.
Be careful of which one you buy! I wish Sena’s site or resellers would explain a simple difference between two unique models of the same model number – SMH10 – One has boom type mic that is connected to unit itself – this is used for open face helmets. the other one goes inside the helmet and is for Full face helmets. I know one person who bought the wrong one. It should be better defined on their packaging as it is easy to over look. Take a look at pics below to see what I’m talking about and make sure you get correct one for your helmet.

The Sena SMH10 is good companion for Adventure motorcycle riders as it does it’s job very well. For the price point I think it is fair, there are cheaper products out there but not sure if quality is the same. As technology improves maybe there will be better alternative at this price point but for now I think this is best bang fo your buck. With that said, if money is a non-issue I may suggest or opt for the SMH20, but this post is about the SMH10 and it is a good value and product for Adventure riders.

If you think you may be in the market for this helmet headset, please be so kind as to support WorldCrosser by clicking through Amazon banner below to check out the product. It does not cost you a penny more if you click through, but can help us continue to provide reviews like this one.