Gear

So a few people have asked what I packed, and what I wish I packed (or left at home) for this kind of trip.  I´m no expert on all the gear out there, but this worked out pretty well!

Most importantly - the motorcycle:

2010 BMW F650GS

The criteria was something light, powerful, and capable of surviving dirt roads.  The KLR650 or Transalp were my other options.   A KTM would also have been great.  On the lighter side, the Honda NX4 (a 400cc bike) could have also worked - it also has the advantage of being much simpler (no fuel injection, no cooling system, and more widely available spare parts).

I thought about the big adventure series bikes - like the BMW 1200GS.  But to be honest, those bikes are just too heavy.  I ride an 1100GS in the States and the idea of having to pick one up after losing it in sand or gravel.... [shudder]  That extra power didn´t outweigh the weight issue to me (no pun intended!).

Spares - not a ton.
 - Two tubes
 - Drive chain
 - Pump
 - Chain lube
 - Jumper cables (electrical wire in my case)

If I was going longer I would have taken the regular maintenance parts with me (extra rear tire, air filter, oil filter, fuel filter).  Spare parts are almost impossible to get in Latin America outside of the biggest cities... and even then it can be hit or miss (forget about finding spares in Bolivia.)

Clothes - one pair of everything for all weather conditions.  Using different layer combos I was pretty much always comfortable - from below freezing at 15,000 feet to 90 degrees and 100% humidity in the Amazon.

Top
- 3 cotton t-shirts
 - 1 synthetic t-shirt
 - 1 pair long synthetic top
 - Patagonia R1 Hoodie (expensive but worth every penny - it is extremely warm and versatile)
 - Mountain Hard Wear Primaloft puffy jacket (likewise - featherweight and compressible but very warm)
 - Held Insulated Riding Jacket (not crazy about it - I´ve broken a few zippers and torn some pockets.  I have the BMW enduro jacket in the States which is lighter and more durable)
 - Patagonia Rain Jacket (better than a rain suit because you can wear it anywhere - and its a wind layer)

Hands
 - Off-road riding gloves (for 90% of the time)
 - Black Diamond Primaloft Mercury Mitt - these are lifesavers when the temperature drops below zero.   The are rated -29/-12 Celsius.  It is awkward to drive in them, but your hands will literally never, ever be cold.
- Smartwool glove liners (light and easy to slip on when you don´t want to wear the others)

Head
- Neck Warmer
- Held Enduro Full Helmet
- Boston Red Sox hat (critical)

Pants
- 3 pairs synthetic underwear
- North Face TKA 100 Fleece Pants (HUGE fan - extremely warm and breathable)
- North Face Apex Summit Series Hiking Pants (HUGE fan - very durable, wind resistant and dry quickly.)
- Patagonia Rain Pants
- Swim trunks

Feet
- 2 pairs Smartwool socks (medium and heavy)
- Asolo Moran GTX Boots (really versatile with great ankle support, and they are indestructible)
- Flip Flops

Mini-Pharmacy
 - Immodium
 - Neosporin
 - Aspirin (OTC pain killers are widely available just about everywhere, however)
 - 2-3 servings of antibiotics (in case I got really unlucky with food more than once)
 - Malarone for malaria
 - Ambien for long flights / overnight bus rides
 - Band aids
 - Compression bandage
 - Hand sanitizer (also usually widely available)
 - 4 servings of oral re-hydration salt (didn´t have to use)

Everyday stuff against the elements
 - SPF 45 sun screen
 - Desitin (surprising I know... but it is great for preventing and treating windburn!)
 - Chapstick
 - Bug cream with DEET
 - Water purification tablets (never used them, but they are small and JIC)
 - Camping towel (very handy)
 - Mosquito net (didn´t use, but small and JIC)

Other gear
 - Swiss Army Knife (mostly useful for opening beer and wine... and cutting cheese / salami)
 - Plastic Spoon (you never know when you´ll need it)
 - Head lamp and small flashlight (with spare lithium batteries - these are HARD to find)
 - 500ml thermos (huge when you want a hot drink in the middle of nowhere)
 - 1L Klean Kanteen (to be honest, would have gone with a Nalgene)
 - Mountain Hard Wear sleeping bag, rated -22C (might be overkill, but it is not a lot of extra weight)
 - 2 person tent (I actually haven´t used it yet... lodging is so cheap!  But again, JIC)
 - Scissors
 - Sewing kit
 - 8 pocket plastic folder to keep documents organized
 - In-ear headphones (for the long rides...)
 - Spanish/English pocket dictionary
 - Personal hygiene kit (toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)

Personal spares
 - 2 pairs eyeglasses (you never know...)
 - Contacts
 - Copies of passport, insurance, etc.

Electronics
 - iPhone (music, dictionary, Kindle, email, Skype... amazing)
 - Netbook (for the internet, photos, blog :)
 - Local cell phone (just in case)
 - Chargers, adapters, etc.

Photos
 - Canon Rebel XS SLR Camera
 - 55-250mm lens
 - Small Canon Pocket Digital Camera (for when you don´t want to lug around the heavy artillery)
 - Case Logic holster (loved it)

Country Intel
 - At least 2 maps of every country (again, you never know when that extra village listed in one but not the other is going to come in handy)
- Lonely Planet for each country.  Useful because they cover all the places in between tourist spots, where you might get stuck.

And that´s it!  In the bigger cities in Chile and Argentina you can find most of the basics, but once you are in the boonies just about the only stuff that´s available is food and toiletries!