Overland To Egypt

I'm really proud to wear my Barbour International jacket. The jacket has been in production since the 1930s when it was used by a succession of British teams in the International Six Days Trials. The jacket took a hammering when I crashed in Pakistan in 2008, but Barbour even offer a repair service. They patched it up beautifully then rewaxed it!

Alt-Berg Original Hogg Lite boots were one of the real success stories of my ride to India. Designed as a dual purpose bike and walking boot, they are ideal for touring. The beauty of these boots is that they are made to measure, giving a supremely comfortable fit. Even after 16,000 tough miles, mine look and feel like new.

I went straight to Draggin Jeans for my motorcycle trousers. I use a pair of Kevlar-lined Draggin cargo pants; the perfect combination of safety with easy to wear trousers. They look great and are especially good in hot climates. When I was flung off the Bantam in Tobruk, the kevlar knee protection certainly proved its worth.

Lewis leathers have a proud heritage of making clothing for motorcyclists. Their quality is just as legendary as their styling. I have always owned thick, chunky biking gloves, which would be far too hot for this journey. The Lewis gloves are unlined and made from the softest hide imaginable. A surprise bonus is an increased sense of feel of the handlebars.

Until now I have bought bottled mineral water when travelling. The amount of plastic bottles used to provide this water is a real environmental hazard. For this trip (and futures ones too) I used an Aquapure Traveller purification system that produces safe, clean drinking water from taps, stand pipes, rivers and mountain streams. It's simple, highly effective and affordable too.

I thought the ride to Egypt would be baking hot and dry all the way... thank heavens I packed a Jofama Wet Stop Rain Suit just in case. I comfortably rode through snow, hailstorms and torrential rain in it! The suit has zippers that come up to the knee for ease of getting on and the main zip runs diagonally across the chest.

I wear Icebreaker pure New Zealand Merino wool clothes just about every day year round. Icebreaker are especially good for motorcycling. The beauty of Merino wool is that it's super warm when layered yet remarkably cool in hot climates. It naturally breathes and resists body odours; you can wear it day after day in tough outdoor conditions without getting whiffy!

Once in North Africa I had to drink at least 6 litres of water a day. Finding room to carry that volume of liquid, as well as stopping frequently enough to drink it, would have been problematic.
Camelbak backpack hydration systems are made for motorcyclists, bicyclists and general sports use. As on my ride to India, I used a 3 litre Classic supplied by Zyro.