5 SMALL, CHEAP & ESSENTIAL items for long term overlanding

Welcome back to another episode of the road, pick me up and today I'm going to do something and talk about a topic that's not at all glamorous and this is the kind of stuff you'll never hear about on the Overland shows. Never read about this in Overland magazines because these are not products made by big companies that can sell your stuff and make a lot of money, so what I'm going to go over today are five simple, inexpensive little things that you don't want. forgetting to take with you once you're done transitions from weekends and week-

long

trips to

long

er trips, so if you're on the road for months, especially if you're on the road for years, these five little things that will they will help keep your vehicle running optimally, they will help keep you running optimally and all your equipment in optimal condition as well and these little things may seem a little insignificant because here in North America or in Australia you can just go to the store and buy them very easily, but I can tell you from experience that this is the kind of thing that is really hard to find once you travel internationally.

In fact, in the Congo I bet you could go a week and not even find these things, so if you're thinking about taking the Pan-American Highway, if you're going to cross Central Asia or Africa, think about these five little things you want to take with you. . because they will make your trip much more enjoyable and you will be able to spend more time having fun and less time running around town trying to buy little things so you can repair your equipment, so let's get into it here. five

small

items

that you won't want to leave home without once you go on a long

term

expedition so the first item on my list is some sort of knife sharpener and you know I love to cook all my own food that's why I built Throughout this kitchen I have my kitchen knives here, but after a few months on the road I realized how useless they are when they are not sharp and when I cut vegetables and meat I love having sharp knives.

I find cooking much more enjoyable and I actually spent a lot of time in Senegal, Guinea and Mali trying to buy a knife sharpener or even a whetstone and I just couldn't find one. I don't really have the skills to use a sharpening stone properly, so this thing is really easy to use, just slide it across the knife about 10 or 15 times and it actually makes it very, very sharp. I've had this thing since almost the beginning of Africa, it's called accusharp and I really like it, I'll post a link in the description where you can buy it on Amazon, but don't forget to bring a simple

small

knife sharpener, it will make cooking much more enjoyable with the second article.

I really don't want to forget that on a long-

term

trip there's a little bit of graphite lube that you're going to put on your locks so you know we're going through deserts, going through really dry environments, there's a lot of dust. on all your equipment and the locks on your vehicle are going to suffer from it, so the first little jeep I drove to Argentina I put this on the door locks every three to six months and it made a big difference in how well they worked. It worked, I actually used the key on that jeep to lock and unlock the back door, especially this jeep has keyless entry so I don't really use the locks that are on the jeep except all the ones I added, the glove box, the lock. boxes, the hood lock, the cable lock, I have all the equipment in the back here, they all get a lot of dust so they dry out and this graphite is designed for locks and it really keeps them running smoothly and it prevents them from getting stuck and in fact by the time I arrived in Benin, some of the locks on my safes were already starting to get stuck until I put this on them and then made it part of my regular maintenance every ten thousand kilometers or six thousand miles when I was rotating tires and changing oil, I lubricated all the locks that are around the jeep, something so simple, small and light.

A couple dollars again I'll put a link on the bottom, but the graphite lubricant for your locks will stay put. that work properly next on the list I'm going to get even less glamorous and I'm going to say don't forget some nail clippers so you can trim your fingernails and toenails and yes, when we go out for a weekend or one week we obviously packed the toothbrush but the nail clippers is not something you think about but it really becomes important when you are traveling for a long time and I actually lost mine when I was in Argentina and it was very difficult. trying to buy them partly because I don't know how to say those words in Spanish, but also because it's not a common item that they expect foreigners to look for, so it's starting to be a real pain in the ass to have to buy them.

Try to buy small things like this, so nail clippers, obviously, is something you need when you're on the go for months and months, throw them in your toiletries bag, don't forget to bring them. Next on the list is a small sewing kit. so you can repair your clothes and anything else that needs to be sewn, so in this little kit I have a variety of needles and threads, I have twine, I have safety pins and a bunch of things. I've collected it over the years and again you know you're in the middle of nowhere, your clothes are going to start to wear out and it's really nice to be able to repair them.

I clearly remember the day before seeing the gorillas in Uganda. I sat in the afternoon sun and sewed up a large tear that had developed in my sleeping bag and without my little sewing kit all the filling would have come out of my sleeping bag and that would be a big problem because even if you can finding one in Uganda, it will be very expensive, so being able to repair your own things again is very important, it will save you money and bring you some happiness. You know you can repair these things instead of just throwing them away. so it's definitely worth carrying a little sewing kit along the way and then the last item on my list of five is a couple of things to try to keep fit and healthy and you know, the reality of over landing is We're spending a lot of hours driving our vehicles, I try to only drive an hour or two a day, but when that extends to years on the road, that's a lot of time just sitting in the driver's seat, so what I have here is a small foam roller.

I really like to stretch my back in the evenings after driving and I just have a little elastic resistance band, you know, the kind you can stretch and stretch behind my shoulder blades. I find it very nice and I also use my towel to lie down on. on the floor so I can roll and stretch. I know a lot of people also like to bring a yoga mat and that's probably something I would bring next time, so these things are lightweight, unfortunately the foam roller is a little bulky and takes up a lot of space. a little room inside, I found a good place to store it, but given how light it is and how much it makes me feel better to extend my back after a day of driving, I will say that it is

essential

to have a couple of things you can try and stay fit, strong and healthy because, after all, if you don't feel good on the road, you're not going to enjoy the trip and there's no point in traveling in the first place, so what do you do?

Think about my five little articles. Would they forget some of them when they set out on their great journey? I know I did and it was a pain trying to get them so I hope this helps you guys and makes your trips. It's a lot more enjoyable and you'll be able to have more fun instead of dealing with all this annoying stuff, so let me know in the comments if this type of content is useful to you and what else you're looking to learn about in the long run. landing trips again I want to say a big thank you to my followers on patreon, they are helping these videos come to life without them, I couldn't do this so I really owe them a huge thank you if If you are thinking about supporting, check out the link given in the description you can see the benefits you get and you will help me do this and teach you what it takes for big overland trips so until next time stay safe and maybe me.

I'll meet you on the way.