Pack Rat in the Sky - While at first, my colorful pile of nylon, plastic and down may seem like an eyesore of excessive baggage and consumerism, take a second look and consider that these are only items I will have access to for the next, indefinite period of time. What you see here includes a shelter, sleeping and cooking equipment, several cameras, a phone, inReach, solar panels, repair stuff, food, water and, oh yeah ..a freaking aircraft!

Looking at it that way, its life stripped of luxury, designed for survival and a representation of how far the paragliding and outdoor industries have refined their gear to make unsupported, ambitious goals like this a reality.

I will provide a complete list of my equipment in an article released this year.

Expedition Gear List

May 17th, 2021

Because I fly and hike with all of my own equipment, I am limited to what I can carry on an expedition like this. As a rule of thumb, everything I carry must be used at least once per day, have at least two uses, and be bomb-proof.

Camping


- Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 (Carbon) Tent
- Big Agnes Starfire 20 Down Sleeping Bag
- Big Agnes Insulated AXL Air Sleeping Pad
- Goal Zero Crush Light
- Jet Boil Stove, Pot and Fuel
- MSR 3L Hydromdary Water Bladder
- MSR 10L Dromdary Water Bladder
- USB Headlamp
- 10L Drysack

Camera & Electronics


- Goal Zero Nomad 7+ Solar Panel x 2
- Goal Zero Flip 30 Power Bank
- Garmin VIRB 360 Camera
- Sony RX100IV Camera
- GoPro Hero 8, 7 & 4
- Gimbal for GoPro
- Tabletop Tripod
- 3-way Selfie Stick
- Co-pilot GoPro Mount
- Zoom H1 Audio Recorder
- Lavalier Microphone
- USB Cables
- Battery Chargers
- Extra Batteries

Navigation & Communication


- Garmin InReach Explorer SE+ Satellite Messenger
- Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar GPS Watch
- Smart Phone (Samsung Galaxy S7)

Paragliding


- Ozone Alpina 3 Paraglider
- Ozone Ozium 2 Harness
- High Adventure Beamer 3 Lite Steerable Reserve Parachute
- Ozone Saucisse Light Concertina Bag
- Ozone X-Alps Backpack
- Helmet

Clothing


- Big Agnes Soda Peak Down Jacket
- Athletic Long-sleeve Shirt
- Prana Pants
- Hiking Boots
- Sunhat
- Sunglasses
- Work gloves
- Down mittens
- Athletic Tights
- Athletic Underwear
- Compression Socks x 2
- Merino Thermal Underwear

Food (Typical 14-day Ration)


- Instant Ramen Noodles (7 x 100g)
- Instant Mashed Potatoes (7 x 100g)
- Peanut Butter 3 kg (6 x 500g ziplocks)
- Coffee (250g)

Misc


- Banjo
- First Aid Kit
- General Repair Kit
- Extra Ziplock Bags
- Canadian Passport
- Cash & Debit/Credit Card
- Toothbrush & Paste
- American Flag

PREVIOUS DISPATCH

Monarch Butterfly Documentary

Check out this captivating nature documentary about the majestic Monarch Butterfly. There are many more out there, but this is a great place to start your journey of amazement. (NOTE: Low resolution, but High awesome-factor! See HQ version below if outside US)  [show:video:511] [b]NOVA/PBS:[/b] The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies  Higher Quality Version of same Documentary (Not viewable in the US and possibly elsewhere. Tested in Mexico.)  [show:video:512] [b]NOVA/PBS:[/b] The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies  Reference:[url=https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-the-incredible-journey-of-the-butterflies/]PBS[/url] (Official Page)

Read more..

NEXT DISPATCH

Facebook Live Q&A

[b]Saturday, May 22nd at 6 PM Pacific Time[/b] ([url=https://web.facebook.com/events/545529433115041/]Event Link[/url])  Benjamin Jordan and Lyndsay Nicole will be going live on Facebook for the very first time.  Come hang out and ask anything you want about the Fly Monarca Expedition and Film. Expect to laugh, learn and get inspired for your next great adventure!  [url=https://web.facebook.com/events/545529433115041/]Click here[/url] to join the event. Join ahead of time and you'll get a reminder beforehand. See you there!

Read more..

The Boy Who Flies

Adventuring into the heart of Africa, a paraglider instigates a young man's potentially deadly quest to release the weight of poverty, social taboos and self doubt, and take to the skies. In doing so, the traveler is confronted with unsettling truths about his own racial and cultural identity.

In a country where no one flies, two friends can inspire a nation by putting everything on the line.

Watch Now..

A Canadian Dream

Fly along as Benjamin Jordan sets a new World Distance Record (10,000 km) as he crosses Canada by Powered Paraglider. Along the way, you will land at summer camps and inspire thousands of children, while raising funds to send less fortunate ones to summer camp next year! The 71 minute, Documentary Feature contains 15 chapters chronicling the epic successes and failures of this unprecedented journey. Each chapter focuses on a unique aspect of Canadian geography, culture and the exact mix of team-work and blind optimism required to pull off such a daring stunt. Since it's release in 2010, A Canadian Dream (formerly "DREAM") has screened in theatres world-wide and, through it's proceeds, has allowed almost 100 children, from low-income homes, the opportunity to attend summer camp.

Watch Now..
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