Garbage Run riders guide

Midge repellent - a good idea for up in Scotland. Can be bought locally.
Midge head net - as above.
Razor ++ - or grow an adventure beard.
Specs - yep, for certain, and I would bring specs even if you also use contacts.
Phone - yep, and put my number in your phone 07562729672.
Camera - bring whatever you need.
Satnav - the route will be messaged out as a GPX file prior to run so is handy but
not essential, especially if you have a smart phone.
Road atlas - a miniature one will be provided.
Toilet roll - not essential. Toilets en route.
Cereal bars - good to have snacks to nibble on. Easy to pick up at petrol stations.
Bin liners - a few would be handy, or carrier bags picked up on route.
Pen and note book - yes if you want to keep notes.
Headlight bulb - not a bad idea, although we don’t ride at night and we do pass
various Halfords/bike shops etc
Tail light bulb - as above
Exhaust gasket - as long as it’s okay when you leave it should be ok
Puncture repair kit - if you have tubeless tyres bring a plug kit. If tubed tyres and
you don’t know how to repair, get breakdown cover
Tools - basic tools handy, but don’t bring more than you know how to use
5 litre petrol can - unnecessary but bring if it gives you peace of mind
Tent - a minimum two man tent is advised
Sleeping bag - a three season bag should do it
Self inflating mattress - essential for a good night’s sleep
Torch - handy in an evening, unless your phone has a torch
Cooker and fuel - useful but not essential, depending on budget
Matches - see above
Water bottle - a litre bottle is handy
Swiss army knife - certainly handy if you have one
Mug/bowl/plate/KFS - only necessary if planning on cooking
Head torch - one torch should do it
RAC card - it’s not a bad idea to have breakdown cover
Cash/cards - plenty of cash machines on route
CAMPING GEAR
Part of the Garbage Run is the camping element. Camping is something
not everyone does, certainly not the act of carrying your camping gear
on a motorbike trip, but it does two things: It reduces the cost of the
trip, and it increases the sense and feeling of being on an ‘adventure’.
Sometimes it’s wet, sometimes you’d rather be in a hotel, but the feeling
of being on a bike and having everything you need on the bike to survive
is one of the great joys of motorcycle travel (at least to my mind). Here’s
what you need:
TENT - The most essential item for this trip. I would advise going no
smaller than a two man, and one weighing no much more than 6 kilos.
A porch area is handy, especially if it’s raining as you can dump all your
wet gear in it; saves bringing it into the actual tent. As with anything,
prices vary. The more you pay the lighter and more compact the tent and
the overall quality increases. But for around £60, even less, you should
be able to get something that will last a good few trips. You’re looking for
something with two layers; the inner and the outer. This just helps keep
the rain out.
A dome tent – which generally have a square footprint and forming a
dome in the middle – are the easiest to put up and often the cheapest
option. Tunnel tents offer more room but can be more time consuming
to put up. If you really want to go all out then you can even get tents big
enough to run your bike into – such as the Lone Rider and the Redverz
– but they’ll run into £400-£500 and the pack size is fairly big. But they
do give you a lot of room. It’s basically the compromise between pack
size, the weight of the tent, the size of the tent and the cost of the tent.
Don’t agonise too much; it’s just a tent, as long as it keeps you dry then
that’s all that matters. Personally, I just wouldn’t buy one weighing more
than six kilos, as they’re just a bit cumbersome to mount on a bike.
SLEEPING BAG – A three season sleeping bag should do it quite nicely.
It might get a bit chilly up in the Scottish Highlands but we can all
snuggle in together if it gets too chilly.