I am not rich so don't have the funds to spend a lot on equipment and bikes. Good gear is nice to have though. Of course, anything you take on a long journey can and has fallen off the back of the bike or been left in a guesthouse. It is much less painful to lose things that didn't cost much. Which is why I buy top quality gear for a fraction of the price. The thing is, there are loads of dreamers who think they might like to take up camping or motorcycling around the world only to find out that they haven't time or focus to do so. After some time their gear is on ebay, craigslist, at garage sales, or in the classifieds. Every day. Want a 400.00 Shoei helmet size medium? Let's see. Here's a fellow whose wife left him and he hates the maroon Shoei that reminds him of her. It wasn't until they got married that she told him she hates motorcycles and he rides too fast. Good riddance. He sells it to me for 50.00. I wonder if she was a babe? It still smelled like her perfume and fits perfect. Not a great color but it's like brand new, who cares? Same thing with riding jacket and pants. Here's a fellow who did some asphalt surfing and is embarassed to ride in his lightly roadrashed Firstgear jacket and pants. Waterproof breathable with cozy polarfleece zipout liners. Probably cost hundreds new. I offer him 100.00 for the pair and save big for decent gear with a scuffed elbow and a small hole in the butt. Nothing some black duct tape can't fix. Same with boots. An anal-retentive fellow who has a pair of Sidi riding boots with a slight flaw in the leather that he finds unsightly but can't return. Size 10, fit like a glove. He's a bit nuts and they are worthless to him. Surely they cost him more than twenty bucks? But that's what he sells them for. Or the top of the line down bag that the fellow slept with a little too close to the campfire and has an ember hole and hasn't used since. In fact he hasn't been camping since. It turns out he has a bad back and can't sleep on the ground. Who knew? Duct tape comes in colors that match and soon I have a killer bag with compression sack. Black Diamond tripod bivvy same deal. Anything you want is available for a fraction of the price used if you don't mind waiting until something pops up in the classifieds.

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against folks who have the money to spend on expensive bikes and outfitting them with expensive new gear. I turned minimalist out of necessity and have come to enjoy the freedom from worry that having nothing expensive to steal on the bike affords.

The thing is, if you are poor, you have to be creative and patient. Spending less is an art. Not everyone can tolerate used gear, bikes and clothes. It requires a certain amount of flexibility. And if you like shiny new things or are fixated on finding a specific brand of something then this method probably isn't for you. But there is a certain amount of freedom to be had by not bringing anything you can't walk away from on a long journey.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

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South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831076