Every pack job is specific to the length of the trip; however, these are the essentials that should go on every trip to Baja: (Printable Pack Checklist Click Here).

1. Registration:  For your travel vehicle, off-road vehicle, trailer, or anything else that is plated, you must have valid registration papers. If you do not have registration for an off-road vehicle, bring any papers you have with a matching  VIN #.  If all else fails, bring a certificate of sale or bill of sale with your name & VIN # on it and make sure it looks professional - this may or may not pass inspection and you can be turned away.  Also, make sure to bring your US proof of insurance.

2. Identification: AS of January 2009, you must present a current passport or military ID with a picture to cross Mexican borders.  A driver's license is no longer accepted. 

3. Mexican Insurance:  It is illegal to drive in Mexico without Mexican Insurance.  All vehicles that are plated should be insured; insurance is not required on vehicles that are not being used on the paved Mexican highways.  Off-road vehicles that are not plated cannot be insured.  So far, we have not had issues in Mexico riding off-road vehicles on the pavement without plates.  We offer the Mexican Insurance we use and trust on our site (best policies for the buck).

4. Safety Products: Be prepared for the worst.  Baja is remote, a 3rd world country, and does not provide us the kind of hospitals, doctors, and emergency help we get in the United States.  Be a member of the BEMCC.  This is your only option for emergency evacuation from remote Baja rescue to the United States.  What ever you need (flight-for-life, transportation, emergency medical teams, etc.); a membership with BEMCC will focus on your needs as soon as they are notified.  The fastest way to aid is by calling; you will need a satellite phone.  We offer the BEMCC membership ($45 annual fee) and satellite phones (own or rent) in our safety section! We have many options.  Please make sure to read the entire safety section on this site for different ideas for emergency necessities in Baja.

Medical Kits:  We offer several off-road specific first aid kits: one basic kit to pull cactus, clean cuts & abrasions, bandage and sooth.  The other kit we offer has all the tools you need for disinfecting & stitching cuts.  In Baja, there aren't many options for hospitals to care for you, and remotely, there are no options at all.  At minimum, make sure you carry: non-stick pads & medial tape, band aids, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, gauze or an Ace bandage, and Aspirin or Tylenol.  Something we highly recommend but cannot sell is Arniflora Gel (sooths breaks, strains, sprains, and bruises). You can get it at any health food store and this stuff is the BOMB on any NON-OPEN wound! An emergency bivvy is also important for unexpected overnights, the injured, and for emergency evacuation teams to locate your bright orange location.

5. Items to Pack: There is no substitute for having a water bladder with a hose accessible for drinking on the fly. We recommend larger bladders (100 oz. or more).  We also recommend purchasing and bringing an extra hydration bladder bite piece.  You'll laugh when you need or loan it; you won't laugh when you need it and don't have one.  Stay hydrated!  And, always bring a snack just in case you spend more time out than you planned.

6. Overnight Items:  Always carry a headlight.  It is a good idea to pack for the possibility of getting stuck overnight.  Our light-weight bivvy sack is designed for rain, warmth, and a descent night's sleep at 3.5 oz.  These bivvy's can also be used for the injured and their bright orange color can aid in rescue (small to pack an only weigh 3.5 ounces). Pack matches and a lighter for fire warmth & emergency visibility plus a knife (swiss army/leatherman/buck).

7.  Personals: Change of clothes like light-weight pants or sweats, t-shirt, shorts, and small light rain jacket depending on the season (nylon/quick-dry/poly clothes are light & easy to pack), bathing suit, light sandals, and minimal toiletries.  Important items not to forget: Camera, sunblock, sunglasses (in a protective case), and any personal vitamins or medications.

8. Tools: Everyone has their favorite extras to bring, but these are the basics we include: Tire changing tools, pump (always bring an archaic pump even if you have air), a spare front tube (can be used in the back as well), patches, and make sure you have plenty of glue (check to make sure it's not dry if you have not used it in a while). Bring a spare spark plug and the plug remover. Sockets, open-end wrenches, philips & flat-head screw drivers, vise-grips, needle nose pliers, crescent wrench, allen wrenches or sockets that fit your bike, duct tape, bailing wire, and a ton of zip ties (multiple sizes). I like to bring a small bag of nuts, bolts, washers, that typically become useful. On more technical rocky terrain we bring JB weld. The guidebook recommends specifics like this for each ride when necessary.

9. Guidance: The Baja GPS Guidebook, of course, and a 5X7 course holders for the course description charts. A GPS, Mount, invisibleSHIELD GPS protector and enough batteries for the trip (check out the AA E2 Lithium batteries lasting up to 7 times longer or have it hardwired to your bike).  Email us for more information on hardwiring if you are interested. And, don't forget to place a Lizard Lady sticker on your ride!

For a printable checklist list including all suggested items, click on: Printable Packing List.  Most pack items are available at discount on this site 'one-stop-shop'.  We only offer items that hold up to our torture tests!

Our Set-Up:

Baja Designs HID Lighting System, Dunlop D739 A/T tires front & back with Dunlop heavy duty tubes, Garmin Map76CSx on a RAM Mount with screen protector, heated grips (for the Lizard Lady in December), 5X7 mapcase clipped to handlebars. IMS 4 gal. desert tank (135 mi. to a tank on an XR400), IMS Superstock foot-pegs, stock jetting with an A16 needle and 408 slide, 96' Honda baffle (no matter what yr. your XR400 is), Moto-pannier saddle bags (all available on this site), and a Mountain Smith Pack stuffed with an Amrel Ruggedized Laptop, a toothbrush, and some clean underwear.

 BAJA & THE LIZARD LADY TOURTURE TEST:

My first Honda was an XR400 named Stella. She's was a 1996 that I bought from a race promoter in Colorado, so you can only imagine what it looked like when I skipped home smiling with my new toy….. it wasn't pretty. Just by the looks of the frame, you could tell she had been ridden every day of her life - hard. With me she endured dozens of 120-day rides in Baja (riding almost every day) with minimal maintenance in the high heat months (June, July, Aug., & Sept.) plus 6 years of searching for single and two-track routes for the Baja GPS Event (life is rough) stopping & starting in high heat constantly, not to mention my non-work related rides. For those who knew Stella, the comments were funny to everyone but me. I've been to Baja with many friends on brand new "other" types of bikes. What's funny to me is that Stella never broke down and my mechanical skills continued getting better on "other" bikes all the time. Stella rocked the house on some of the toughest rides available without ever letting me down!  In 2004, Stella still rocking strong, I purchased a new XR400 (StellaB *see the story in volume 2). Nothing has changed; I'm still riding long days in a multiple-month kind of way, changing oil and cleaning air filters when it's convenient and yet, still always the person with the tow rope behind me!  XR400's ROCK!!

We wear FOX & Troy Lee apparel, FOX knee cups, and of course Alpinestars Stella chest protector, Arai Helmets, and Alpinestar Tech 8 boots. We ride RED; we've tried others and it never pays.  We couldn't be happier with the equipment we use and abuse; nothing else has withstood our thrashing. Torture testing with all that equipment is exactly what we do and then we do our best to offer it to you at discount prices!

Stella thinks it's funny trapping my foot & pouring gas all over my leg!  Kinda reminds me of my brothers tricks when we were kids; I still scream "MOM", but she never comes.