Tag Archives: Offroad Riding Gear

Happy New Year from Ushuaia!

The New New Normal?

November 02, 2022

Things are still crazy out there in the world, but compared to the rollercoaster we’ve been on since 2020, it actually feels kind of stable. Just normal stuff like war, inflation, recessions, monkeypox, winter, rain, & muddy trails. We’ve got inventory in the warehouse, fresh ideas on the design table, new prototypes in hand, and we just got back from our Fall team ride.

These days I’m spending less time on management and financial stuff – thanks to Alistair, Ames, and our awesome team – and more time riding, testing, and making videos. Ash and I were on the road more than ever this year, sometimes for riding & camping and sometimes events & meetups. Now we’re home, winter is coming, and there are no more trips on the horizon. Being home right now feels great.

In September we crossed the 9 year anniversary of the Mosko blog. Here’s the very first blog post from September, 2013.

My buddy Andrew and I are on a mission to create the best adventure-touring motorcycle luggage on the market. This blog will track our progress.

This is partially about the bags, and partially about building a business.

The adventure begins!

156 posts later, the adventure continues! The team is bigger, our line is broader, and there are so many back-to-back trips that I can’t keep track. So much is happening all the time, and I’m only hands-on with a portion. Thinking back to some of the insanely long posts from the last few years, with 150+ photos and thousands of words, I was trying so hard (too hard?) not to miss anything. The quantity of ‘blog-worthy’ activity at Mosko was rapidly outpacing my capacity to document. Going forward with the blog, I’ll be focusing on a smaller number of salient highlights, and hopefully learning to make posts of a manageable length 😂

Content & media are changing too. I mean not just at Mosko, but in the world at large. This time last year my phone was full of photographs. Now it’s full of videos. Short-form videos took over everything this year. We’re adding them to the Mosko website, and I’m incorporating them into the blog and advrider too. Websites, blogs, photos, and forums seem like the old-school internet, while social media and short-form videos are still fresh and new. Soon they’ll be old too though, and we’ll be riding virtual motorcycles around a virtual world, talking about the good ol’ days when we had to lift a phone to make a TikTok.

Welcome Aboard!

Stoked to welcome Amy Garrison (CS) and Anna Farkac (Accounting) to the team!

Amy & Anna both love riding, and both work remotely – from Cashmere, WA and Portland, OR respectively – visiting Mosko HQ in White Salmon as needed.

Amy & Anna: welcome aboard!

The Sale

As of the last post, we had too much inventory showing up way too soon, as an aftershock from the supply shortages in 2021. We’d just kicked off our first-ever mid-season sale to help address the issue. Our expectations for the sale were modest: I figured we’d run it a few weeks, see a moderate bump in volume, and end the sale when volume tapered. The sale was one part of a multi-part plan to move through our growing inventory stockpile.

Instead of a short-lived, moderate bump in volume, we saw a substantial and sustained increase. It continued for months, so we kept the sale going. Between June and September we moved through almost all of our excess inventory. THANK YOU to everyone who participated!! We were happily surprised – and also a little mystified – by the response, so I posted this video online.

There was broad consensus in the video comments that free shipping was super important, so when we finally ended the sale, we kept the free shipping going. We’ll be offering that permanently going forward, plus we reduced prices on a few of our major items. That was possible because of last year’s price increase, and the subsequent return-to-pseudo-normalcy of our supply chain.

Now the riding season is wrapping up in North America, but lead times have shortened, bags are in stock, and apparel is landing. Next spring, we’ll roll into the riding season fully stocked, and with a more stable, predictable supply chain. That’s the plan anyway. A lot can still happen between now & then.

Dusty Lizard

In 2022, Advanstar Communications – parent company of the Progressive IMS Shows – announced that after 40 years of running the most recognized motorcycle shows in the United States, they were shutting it down. As painful as that was for the folks at IMS, it wasn’t a huge surprise. It opened up a lot of free weekends this summer though.

On one of those free weekends in August, we invited 50 people to our backyard moto campground (aka the ‘Bates Mototel’) in White Salmon for a weekend of camping and riding. Friday night we served tacos at Mosko HQ, on Saturday everybody rode, and on Saturday night we had a BBQ dinner and live music. Using our camp infrastructure from Burning Man and the UNRally, we built an outdoor lounge with some very dusty couches, and named it the “Dusty Lizard Lounge.”

That first Dusty Lizard was so much fun, that we did a second one a month later on our buddy Cam’s property near Park City, Utah. We loaded up two big trailers in White Salmon – one with the mobile Mosko showroom and one with the Dusty Lizard Lounge – and hauled them out. About 130 people came for Dusty Lizard #2 – some traveling long distances – and it ended up being every bit as fun as the first. We had big fires at night (it was chilly!), live music, and some awesome riding & GPS routes for different skill levels and bike sizes. Thanks for hosting Cam!! Let’s do it again!!

We want to do lots more of these. The idea is to keep it unstructured: no guides or seminars, just riding, chillin, and meeting new friends. If people want to see Mosko gear, it’ll be there on display, but no pressure. The Mosko team will all be out riding too.

With the Dusty Lizard, instead of setting up a booth at someone else’s event, we can create our own thing with our own vibe. We can move it around to different landscapes, different venues, and different types of riding to keep it interesting. For example we could jump from Death Valley, to Oregon, to Moab, to Idaho. Sometimes it could be at a campground, sometimes on private property, and sometimes on public land. Sometimes we’ll have catered dinners and live music, sometimes not. Each one can be unique.

We don’t have it all planned out yet, we’re just going to start doing it and see what happens. Stay tuned for 2023 locations, and please… join us!

New Products & Prototypes

Basilisk Jacket & Pant: The Basilisk jacket got a redesign in the latest version, with flaps on all the zippers and some internal construction changes, mainly around the zippers, plus some fresh design lines. Same thing on the pants, plus large “J” vents on the thighs that open directly into the wind.

Surveyor Jacket: I just spent a week on the WABDR in this jacket and loved it. I wore it every day, directly over armor like a heavy duty zip-off jersey. When temps got really cold or it rained, I wore a waterproof shell on top. The Surveyor has more abrasion, wind, and weather protection than a jersey, but it breathes way better than a typical hardshell. It’s great for high output riding in variable terrain, and trail riding too.

Surveyor Pant: The Surveyor Pant shares it’s main body fabric – a stretchy Cordura ripstop – with the Surveyor jacket. This is a three season trail pant, for athletic riding on smaller dualsport and trail bikes. Riders who aren’t worried about abrasion (esp pavement abrasion), may dig this pant for offroad touring too.

Kiger Mesh Pant: The Kiger is like a hot weather Woodsman minus the pockets, because pockets block airflow. Everything except the one pocket and two small patches of knee leather, is heavy duty stretch mesh. The airflow is awesome, and the Kiger has great abrasion resistance too. Folks in warmer/drier climates, or anyone looking for a summer offroad touring pant, should check this out.

Woodsman Pant: The Woodsman pant is finally back in stock! The current batch fits very much on the snug side, so if you’re someone who’s on the cusp of sizes, I’d suggest sizing up. We made a few small fitment changes, but mostly it remains unchanged. We love this pant. Everyone on the Mosko team has at least one pair, and many of us have several.

Rak jacket/Pants: On the team ride, I spent a long day in the new Rak Jacket and Pant, much of it in heavy rain, riding from the Canada border back to the gorge. When I got home, I took off all my outer layers and carefully inspected everything underneath for any trace of water. I was totally, 100% dry. In the latest version we added zipper flaps, a kangaroo pocket, a removable hood, and a snapback collar. Plus we made it so the side entry zipper doubles as a vent.

Nomax: The Nomax is getting an expansion zipper, so it can grow if needed. Also new & improved removable backpack straps, which you can kind of see in this video. Also we added additional cable organizers inside, some pockets under the beavertail, and a few other minor updates.

Cup/Can Holder: We’re messing around with the idea of a soft beverage carrier as a novelty add-on. Andrew found this interesting leather one in Mexico. It was designed for a belt, but it works on MOLLE too. It could tuck away invisibly, then pop out to hold a beer, soda, or energy drink while your hands are busy doing something else. Like for example: filling your gas tank, airing your tires, making lunch, or unpacking your bags.

New MOLLE Panels: We’re adding this strip of webbing down the middle of our MOLLE panels, so you can rig things both horizontally and vertically. This is super handy for strapping rolled up jackets to MOLLE panels, or when you have a multitool or knife sheath that’s oriented in the wrong direction. Especially with the rear MOLLE panels on the R80 and Backcountry Duffle.

Frontcountry Pannier?: The concept of a rollerbag pannier has been bouncing around at Mosko for a while. Our factory threw together this quick & dirty prototype for discussion purposes. Functionally it works, and it’s a super nifty idea, but it doesn’t work for the kind of riding we do, and it’s not something we would ever reach for ourselves. Purely from a design perspective though it’s kind of interesting, and we love stuff like that. Should we pull on this thread? Does the world need something like this? The internal debate on those questions has been at least as interesting as the bag itself 😂 What do you think?

I posted this video on my Instagram stories last week and it was the most-viewed story I’ve ever posted. Not sure if that’s because people loved it or hated it.

New Reckless 40: We’re experimenting with a composite harness on the Reckless 40, similar to what we’re looking at for the 80. We’re wondering if maybe a thinner – and lighter – version could work on these smaller reckless bags. A problem that’s already come up in testing, is that the thinner edge is so sharp, it might slice into your seat over time.

New First Aid Kit: The first aid kit is pretty much done at this point. We’ve sourced all the internal components, and the bags themselves look good.

Wildcat Backpack Raincover: We’ve had some requests for a Wildcat raincover. I want one too, because I’ve been carrying my drone and camera gear back there. Here’s a first sample.

New SM/LG Molle Bags: Our MOLLE bags have barely changed since 2014. They’re way overdue for an update, plus we have a few new ideas too.

New Pucks: Lee came up with a cool new low profile puck design for the Backcountry panniers. The original puck has a fitment issue on a small number of bike models and aftermarket exhausts, where the rack sits too close to the exhaust. Some riders address that by using only three pucks, while others grind down the current puck to fit. Both work, but neither is ideal. Lee set out to find a solution, and he ended up with a whole new puck design that will become our new standard. It works the same as the old puck, but fits tighter spaces and weighs less.

Reckless 80 Stuff Sacks: Andrew is working on these shaped stuff sacks for the Reckless 80 leg bags. It adds some layers of vertical organization to the R80 drybags, so you’re not just jamming everything into a long tunnel and then having to dig around for it.

Brush Guards: On the team ride, Dave and his T7 tagged a branch on the side of the trail. It pulled him and the bike down hard, breaking his collarbone. The brush guard tore but it saved the pannier. Wish we could ‘undo’ that test and give Dave his collarbone back, but in lieu of that, we’re happy the bag survived (and the crash wasn’t worse!!).

Videos and More Videos

Pretty soon after Andrew and I started Mosko back in 2013, we needed product videos for the website. I ended up in front of the camera, not because I was good at it, but because somebody had to make the videos.

Since then I’ve made more videos than I can count. In the past, when I made them myself with a phone (or a point & shoot in the early days), they were completely unedited, because I didn’t know how to edit. I mostly shot them in one long take and they were usually way too wordy, because I spent a lot of time on small features, and the dialog wandered. I love talking about our products in person at shows and events, but talking to a camera is totally different. It’s awkward, and I’m way too critical of the results.

This year I’ve been trying to get better at it. I acquired some tiny camera stuff that’s small enough to take on moto trips, and I learned how to make basic edits on my phone. I practiced on Instagram (@moskopete) and TikTok, and then eventually started making product videos for the website. My buddy Pierce (IG: @videokidproductions) helped with the editing. I shared a few examples of those in prior posts, now here’s a few more:

I’m basically always working on videos nowadays, sometimes for social media, sometimes for Mosko, and sometimes just for fun. It’s not a drag anymore, now I dig it. It’s cool how you can move components around (like closeups, audio, and riding shots) and then stitch them into something greater than the sum of its parts. In that way, video editing is a lot like writing, but way more visual. I’d love the ability to pull over on the side of the trail, make a quick video about a product, edit it in my tent that night, and post it the next day. That’s the goal.

Mosko Fall Team Trip

We’re just back from the Mosko team trip on the WABDR. On this trip we had 16 people, including Silke and Fernando visiting from Europe. Roel was out riding in Nepal, Beth was riding in Thailand, and a few other folks had other conflicts. Despite some injuries (broken leg, broken collarbone, broken ribs) the trip was a blast. The WABDR is a great route, and it was neat to leave right from the Mosko shop – no trailers required – and camp together every night.

Thanks for your patience when we close the shop and do these trips twice a year. I know it creates some hassles. The team rides are an important part of the Mosko equation, not just because it gets us out riding together – which is awesome – but also because we’re product testing, experimenting with different kits, trying out new prototypes, brainstorming ideas, etc. Everyone on our team participates in product development, so team trips are a week-long internal focus group. We’re using stuff, breaking stuff, learning stuff, and getting to know each other a whole lot better. Plus it’s outrageously fun. I just wish we didn’t have injuries. But it’s a big group, and motorcycles are dangerous.

See ya out there!

The Wild Ride Continues

1 Reply

July 1, 2022

This time last year, we completely ran out of bag inventory and we were scrambling to get more. We placed a bunch of production orders thinking it would be 10-12+ months before they arrived. Now they’re showing up way before we expected them, so instead of running out of inventory we’re actually overstocked. What a trip!

To move through some of the surplus we’re running a mid-season sale, with 10% off the entire line, 20% off on a few select items, and free shipping. We don’t do sales very often so it has been really neat to see the response. We’ll keep the sale live at least through July 4th weekend, and then we’ll reevaluate then.

At 10% plus free shipping (15-20% total discount), the sale reverses the price increases from last fall, when shipping costs ballooned and we were bringing everything in by air. We originally hoped to permanently reverse the price increase this year, but now all our other costs have gone up too. The sale is a way to temporarily reverse those price increases while we wait, watch, and see what the economy is going to do.

That’s what’s up with bag inventory. Apparel is a whole different story. We’ve been sold out of most apparel for most of 2022 so far, and the inventory we expected to receive this Spring has pushed out into Fall. The main culprit is the leather on the legs of the Woodsman and Basilisk. Only a few items use leather, but the entire order is delayed.

As of right now, leather is coming, sewing has started, and the first styles – Workhorse Jerseys, Jackalofts, a new soft-shell jacket called the “Surveyor” – will be on a boat next week. More items will ship in July and August, and the entire line should arrive by Black Friday. It’s not a great time to get moto apparel but at this point, we’ll take what we can get. Instead of viewing it as ‘late’ for 2022, we’ll just call it ‘early’ for 2023.

Until everything is back in stock, we’re going to lay low, travel less, cut spending, and scale back events. We’ll use this temporary pause in the calendar to test a new event format we’ve been thinking about, that’s more riding & camping than shopping. We’re going to do the first one the weekend of August 13/14 at our HQ in White Salmon. If you’re interested in that, stay tuned! Or reach out to Ryan directly at ryant (at) moskomoto (dot) com.

In the meantime, we’re seeing all the news headlines about inflation, rising interest rates, shifts in consumer spending, a bearish stock market, and the possibility/probability of a recession. Now feels like as good a time as any to lay low, regroup, focus on new products, and see where this wild ride goes next.

New Apparel

Pre-production samples are trickling in. Here’s a few pics of what we’ve received so far.

Rak Jacket: Rak v1.0 grew from a design experiment into a sleeper hit. Now it’s back in v2.0 with a bunch of improvements and some badass new colors. We added a big kangaroo pocket, a removable hood, a snapback collar, a front zipper flap, and side wind-flap control. After 3 years of riding with the Rak myself and collecting input from lots of other riders, this new version has everything I wished it had. I love this kit.

Surveyor Pant: We love the Woodsman, but sometimes it’s hot. On the Surveyor, we lightened the main body fabric, removed the waterproof/breathable membrane, added micro-mesh venting to the knees and butt, and added a sportier waist closure and pockets. The Surveyor is designed for three-season athletic trail riding and offroad touring in hot weather.

Kiger Mesh Pant: The Kiger Mesh takes Schoeller micro-mesh concept to it’s natural extreme: all-mesh-everywhere. It’s a super abrasion-resistant – even for pavement – super-stretch, in-boot pant for touring and trail. This is a pant you could easily wear on a longer ADV or dualsport trip in summer, and use for trail riding as well. You can’t see much detail in this pic since it’s all black, but it looks really cool in person.

Surveyor Soft-Shell Jacket: This is a stretchy soft-shell jacket for trail riding and enduro-touring, with an over-armor fit that works off the bike and around town as well. It’s like a tough, windproof jersey you can remove with a front zip, which also doubles as a thin mid-layer under a shell.

Jackaloft: The Jackaloft is getting a few small pattern revisions, and a color update.

Workhorse Jersey: the Workhorse Jersey stays pretty much the same, with color updates.

Graph Base Layer: Just color updates here. This is an awesome little shirt, I’ve been wearing it for everything from riding to mountain biking to kayaking.

Mesh Jerseys: These mesh jerseys are already in the line, but we’re suddenly wearing them a lot because it’s warm out!

The New Basilisk: The new & improved Basilisk is delayed till October, which is a bummer. In the good news department though, I’m very stoked on it. We added zipper flaps – something we waffled on for a while and then finally adopted. There’s a new collar that’s less likely to rub your adam’s apple (inspired by the Rak collar, which we all like), and the pant gets new j-shaped vents that allow a ton of airflow. I rode with the jacket a few weeks ago and loved it.

The Barfly: This kit is now slated for Fall 2024. I rode with it a bunch this spring and loved it. It’s an emergency rain layer with a removable hood, that works great both on and off the bike, packs tiny, lives on your handlebars, and doesn’t flap in the wind.

New Bags

Backcountry Brush Guard: these are looking great. I’ve been using them the last few months and they really work. The brush guards accomplish three things 1) they put a disposable/removable surface between your pannier and the sagebrush, 2) they protect the leading edge/corner from crash abrasion, and 3) they close the gap between the beavertail and the bag, making it less likely to catch on things. Anybody riding narrow tracks on a wide bike with a rack system, should consider these. We don’t have final pricing yet but we’ll make them as affordable as possible to encourage adoption. As a bonus, they look super cool too.

Wildcat Backpacks: Packs are on the way, preorders start next week. This tan is a future colorway, not what’s on the way, but it’s super cool!!!

Gnome & Nomini: Tank bags are on the same boat as the packs, finally!!

Gnat Handlebar Bag: These are finished and about to be ordered for delivery this winter.

Backcountry Pannier: Andrew and DT have been working on some new design concepts for the front of the BC panniers.

First Aid Kit: This is looking good, almost done.

New Rackless Concepts: We’re still playing with different ways to use composite materials in our Reckless bags. It’s a way to mix hard and soft components. We have a bunch of things ready to test in the months ahead.

We’re also adding a helmet hook to the Reckless 80 beavertail.

New MOLLE Layout: Andrew came up with some cool ways to make MOLLE panels work both horizontally as well as vertically.

Mosko Mule Gear Hauler: This bag is progressing fast despite the size and complexity. The biggest problem now, is that it costs too much to ship because of the size. We’re looking at some foldable designs as a possible solution.

Laptop Cases: The composite laptop cases look great!

Shows & Events

In 2022, the IMS tour – a traveling circuit of US motorcycle shows – was canceled, never to return. It has been struggling for years, but COVID was the final straw. That opened up a lot of weekends in our 2022 event calendar, which we immediately filled with other outdoor events and meetups.

Desert 100

This year, instead of setting up a vendor booth, we built a lounge with couches and fire pits, and invited anyone who wanted to camp with us to join. The weather was great and it was a total blast. If you’re interested in the D100, come camp with us next year!

We’ve been to a bunch of other events this spring, including the BMW MOA, Overland Expo, Revzilla GetOn @ Rawhyde, March Moto Madness, the 49er Rally, the One Show, and a bunch of other smaller shows and meetups, mostly around the Western states. We’ve racked up a ton of miles in trucks and airplanes. Taking a little break, will be nice.

Asia Trip

Andrew & DT traveled to Vietnam for the first time since 2020. It’s so nice to connect with people in person again. Here are some pics from their trip.

Assorted Pics

Trailside swim break.

New website on the way.

The Bates Mototel (our free backyard campground for travelers) is open for the season.

Ryan & Donzi’s son Roland, napping in the Mosko show trailer.

Jenn broke her arm at a race in Bend. She’s healing fast, after surgery and lots of metal.

The guys from True North Motos stopped by for a visit.

Ash got a new 501!

Our buddy Pedro made 9 of these awesome light-up Mosko signs, which we’re going to put up for sale on the website.

Wade learned to ‘pong’ (i.e. measure the volume of) a bag.

Fernando joined the staff meeting from his bike.

Reels & Shorts

I’m spending any spare time I can find, learning to shoot and edit videos. Here are a few of my reels/shorts from the last few months. There are many more of these on my personal Instagram (@moskopete).

Mosko Videos

I’ve also been making some longer-format Youtube-style videos for Mosko. Here are a few from the last few months. There are more on the Mosko Youtube channel.

Hope everyone’s summer is off to a great start with lots of riding!! It has taken forever for the weather to dry out and warm up here in the Pacific Northwest but now the snow is melting, the trails are open, and the season’s happening!

Mosko Media

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March 30, 2022

It’s 2022! Belated happy holidays and happy new year to all!

It’s been a long break since the last blog post. This happens every winter. It’s because we’ve been riding a lot. Our advrider ride report from Liberia & Sierra Leone is here. We’ve also been on the SoCal BDR and in Baja recently. The days at home between trips have been a frenzy of laundry, stacks of mail, bill paying, email/phone catchup, work stuff, household chores, packing/unpacking, bike maintenance, and playing with our dogs.

Now we’re home for a few days before the 2022 event season kicks off with the Desert 100 race in Odessa Washington next week. We won’t actually setup a Mosko booth on vendor row like we have in the past. Instead we’re making a rider’s lounge with heaters, speakers, and couches, and a group camping area for anyone who wants to be part of it. There’s no charge to camp with us, just the entrance fee for the D100 itself. Many of us will ride and race. If you’re interested in joining please email Ryan Turner at ryant (at) moskomoto (dot) com. The weather looks great this year!

After the D100 we have meetups and shows one after the next through the rest of the spring and summer. Ryan, JC, Azure, and Wade are managing the US roadshow soup-to-nuts this year, while Roel is managing Europe as always. Ash and I will attend as many events as we can. Hope to see you out in the world somewhere this year!

New Team Members

We have some new team members to announce!

Alistair Nicol

Alistair joined our team in January as Director of Sales and Marketing. Alistair spent 14 years at DaKine – most recently as CMO – where he worked with Andrew and many other folks on the Mosko team. After DaKine, he spent 4 years as CMO and then GM of an exercise equipment company in Hood River. He’s been advising Mosko on a range of marketing and brand-related projects since we started Mosko. We’re so stoked to now have him on the team full time. Alistair has a KTM 500 for touring and a KTM 300 for trails. He’s a badass on the track and trail, good luck keeping up. Welcome aboard Alistair!

Wade Olsen

Some of you may already know Wade (far left in pic above) from shows and meetups, or maybe you’ve chatted with him on advrider (@Wade-O). For the last 12 years Wade’s worked in intelligence for the US Marines in San Diego. Between overseas deployments, Wade spent as much time on his BMW as possible, plus he spent lots of weekends helping Mosko with events. He recently setup an internship at Mosko through a special program offered by the Marines. Wade rides a BMW GS1250 Adventure. We spent New Years together on the SoCal BDR. Welcome aboard Wade!

David Wells

David joined our team from Immersion Research, a drysuit manufacturer based in the Gorge (he actually sold me my kayak drysuit). Previously David worked in a variety of roles in the whitewater and hospitality industries, including three years as a kayak instructor and raft guide at Wet Planet Whitewater in Husum. In 2014 he lived in Uganda for two years working as the operations manager of a whitewater kayaking operation in Jinja, where he did some two-wheeled exploring in his spare time. David is a photographer, he knows how to swim backwards, and he rides a KTM 250 XCF-W for trail and a WR450 for dualsport. Welcome aboard David!

Supply Chain Situation

Currently we have most of our major bag items in stock. Apparel should start arriving June, with shipments extending out into August. Black Friday preorders are expected to ship on time.

Everything is taking longer than before, but our forecasting and purchasing processes are adapting. Our first water freight shipments are scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks. After that we should have additional shipments arriving every 2-3 months, barring any additional surprises. It will take a minute to climb out of the financial hole we dug with our big airfreight bills last year, but a new supply chain equilibrium is in sight. Again: assuming no more surprises.

We’re closely watching the Russia/Ukraine situation, China/US relations, and the dockworker negotiation coming up in June. We’re a little jumpy after the last few years. Right now though, today, at this exact moment… things look better. Not like before, but better.

Mosko Media

If I had to pick one word for the last 3 months (besides ‘Riding’) it would be ‘Media.’ Not only social media, but the process of generating, capturing, editing, and posting media content. I talked about this a little in the last post, and it’s only gotten bigger since then.

Back in September I bought my first GoPro (Hero 10), and since then I’ve added 360 cameras (Max 360 and Insta360), and a small drone (the DJI Mini 2). I also started engaging with Instagram (@moskopete) more than ever before, and last week I opened a TikTok account too (also @moskopete). I’ve gone from being the guy who groaned every time we stopped for photos, to a guy the old me would’ve rolled his eyes at.

Part of me still lives in a world where blogs were a cool new thing to do, enthusiast communities revolved around bulletin boards and forums, phones were for talking (not internet and pics), and Myspace was a new new thing. Back in the day, I awkwardly got on Myspace just to understand it and to start sharing travel pics, and then later I switched to Facebook when that became the obvious thing to do. Since then I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching as Instagram and TikTok blew up. Now suddenly I’m the the old guy playing catchup: me on TikTok is like your grandparents fumbling with VCR buttons in the 80s.

Ash is kicking off a new department at Mosko called Mosko Media. The idea is to create more and better media (mostly video), take full advantage of the many opportunities for media creation at Mosko, and more fully leverage all the major media distribution platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, plus any new platforms that pop up in the future. This is in addition to – not instead of – the blog and advrider. I’ll be blogging till they pry the keyboard from my cold dead fingers.

The new media projects are shaking up my existing workflow for the blog, which is based on using a single device (cell phone) to capture a single type of media (still pics) for a single platform (blog). Now I have 4 devices (phone, GoPro, 360 camera, drone) capturing four types of media (still photos, portrait video, landscape video, 360 video) for multiple platforms (blog, instagram stories/reels, TikTok, and YouTube videos/shorts). Sorting, managing, editing, and uploading video is much more complicated than still pics. That part is a work in progress, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Learning new stuff is fun.

Here are some videos from the last few months.

Brand Video: Big thanks to our buddy Jesse Rosten aka @onelostmoto for this awesome new brand video to kick off the new year. We’ll be making more of these in 2022.

Studio Product Videos: Thanks to our marketing manager Jack – the star of these new product videos – and also our friends at Workhorse Collective in the gorge, for bringing the Backcountry 35 and Reckless product videos up to date.

In-The-Wild Videos: now that we have cameras, we’ll be making some kind of product video on pretty much every ride. Because, why not?

Shorts: We’ll also be making a lot more short clips for Instagram and TikTok.

Tips & Tricks

Travel & Riding

IMO, these new ways to capture and distribute media fit great with Mosko’s transparent business model. In the beginning it was just me running around with my camera or cell phone, snapping blog pics. Now lots of people on the team have phones or cameras out, filming meetings, visitors stopping by the shop, events, new products in development, and rides. Sometimes they’re capturing media for our Mosko pages, and sometimes for their own personal pages. On the team trip in Baja there were at least 6 GoPros, 3 360 cameras, 5 drones, multiple DSLRs, and plenty of iPhones and Androids. Almost everyone on our team is on Instagram, and most are also on Facebook. A few are even on TikTok. The more the better.

We’re just getting started on this Mosko Media thing. We’re learning a lot. More coming!

Mosko Mule Gear Hauler

We’re building a beast of a gear hauler. We want this to be the most kick-ass, multi-use gear hauler you’ve ever seen. We’re focused on three primary use-cases:

Singletrack day riding from a trailhead – grab the bag, throw it in your truck or van.
Drive-in trips (i.e. Moab, Death Valley) – pack your riding gear and your personal stuff in the same bag, throw it in your truck or van.
Fly-in trips (i.e. Africa, Asia, South America) – pack your personal stuff, riding gear, and Reckless 80 in the bag, check it as luggage on an international flight.

The Mule will be a modular system that splits into two completely separate standalone bags, plus 4-6 internal organizer bags, each of which is removable and also functions as it’s own standalone bag too. This is a big, complicated, sprawling project… but man, when we get there, it’s gonna be awesome. We were amazed that the first prototype we got from the factory is actually a fully functioning bag,

I took the first prototype to Africa in February. Everything for the trip – including all my riding gear, a folded-up reckless 80, and all my clothing and gear – fits inside, using my Stinger 22 and the Mule’s helmet insert as carryons. I split the bag in two at the airline counter, and checked each bag individually. Each bag maximizes the full 62 linear inches and 50 pounds allowed on international flights. The two bags then quickly re-attacher when we landed in Liberia, so we could roll through customs and out to a taxi, past all the touts at the exit door.

For trailhead riding closer to home, you can use just the bottom half of the bag, which even on its own is still one of the largest gear bags out there. You can leave the top half in your garage, storing any items you don’t need on that particular day.

Packing for Africa, I realized how handy all the insert bags are. In addition to using the helmet bag as a carryon, the two little packing cubes came with me on the bike for the entire trip: the medium one for clothing and the smallest one for cables and electronics.

This insert bag was intended for tools, fluids, and stuff like that. The first iteration doesn’t work how we planned. The pockets are either too big or too small for the stuff we wanted to store there. This will be reworked in the next iteration.

This little cube is great. On a BDR-style trip this would fit all my clothing.

The helmet bag doubles as a handheld carryon. You can take your helmet on the plane, or you can check the helmet and use this bag for other stuff. It’s a top-opener, which makes it easy to access under the seat in front of you. We’re adding a shoulder strap to make it easier to carry through the airport as well.

This happened on the way to the airport. The total weight of the bag was around 100lbs. The wheels folded into the sidewall. Amazingly, it still made it all the way to Africa and back. We’ll fix this in the next go-round.

This bag is AWESOME for travel. I am very very stoked. I’m going to stick a 2×4 between the wheels and keep using it till P2 shows up. That’s how much I like it. For such a huge, unwieldy, and unusual bag, it’s incredibly functional.

Now we’re at a point where we start adding pockets, straps, handles, and features. Got any special requests? If you have an opinion on gear haulers, please share it! The best spot to post is in our advrider thread. We’re all ears. Thank you!!!

Scout 25 Panniers

We have a new concept for the Scout 25. Instead of a meal backing plate, this system would have a harness that connects directly to the rack with no pucks. A welded-seam drybag would then get snugged up to the rack by the harness. This saves a few pounds (and dollars) without sacrificing durability.

We’re still just messing around with this idea. Might go somewhere, might not. So far though, I’m digging it.

The Barfly Microshell

We love the first prototype of the Barfly. It packs tiny and fits great. Scottie found a nice 3-layer fabric to try on P1. This will replace the now-discontinued Deluge. Compared to the Deluge, we’re adding:

Color options
Better packability
Flap control
Hood adjustment
Wrist cuffs
Snap vs zip-off hood
Stretch

We’re subtracting:

eVent branded membrane (reduce cost)
Hand pockets (reduce size)

This is the packed size of the current version. We want this jacket to live on the handlebars so you don’t have to get off the bike to put it on. This is about the max you could fit, so we’re limited in terms of what else we can add.

The Barfly has velcro cuffs that cinch tight around your wrists to keep the water out. That was a miss on the Deluge.

Above the hips in the middle of the torso there’s a tunnel going all the way around the jacket with an elastic drawstring for flap control. You can cinch it down to remove slop from the middle of the jacket, to prevent (or at least reduce) the hunchback ‘ballooning’ effect at speed.

We’re using the same main zip as we did on the Deluge: the YKK Vislon Aquaguard. This adds bulk and cost, but we’re not comfortable going smaller due to issues of dust and clogging on the trail. Big zippers add a lot to the packed size, but zippers are also the #1 source of failures, so it’s not a great place to make cuts.

We’re using use a much smaller zip on the chest pocket, which is protected by a flap.

This is what the inside tricot looks like on the P1 fabric. It’s comfortable next-to-skin.

Snaps vs zippers on the hood. We’ve yet to test these in wind. If wind pulls the hood off, we’ll go back to a zipper.

Built-in venting.

The direction of this project from this point forward, mostly depends entirely on fabrics. Originally I hoped we could make a $99 waterproof shell, but now we’re feeling like the materials sacrifices we’d have to make to hit that price, would result in a kit we wouldn’t want to put our name on. We could get there on a windbreaker, but not on a waterproof/breathable shell.

Our current options are as follows:

Make it a nice 3-layer, 20k waterproof jacket that packs to about 2/3rds of the Deluge in size, and costs ~$200.
Make it a less-nice 2-layer, 20k waterproof jacket that also packs to about 2/3rds of the Deluge in size and costs only ~$150, but feels clammy when it touches your skin, and loses it’s waterproofing gradually as it rubs on your armor.
Make it a non-waterproof DWR windbreaker jacket that packs to maybe 1/2 of the Deluge in size and costs ~$100.

My personal feeling is that #1 and #3 are viable products that I would love to add to my kit, whereas #2 is not. #2 is basically every cheapo rain jacket ever, so there are already plenty of those out there for people who want one. Most of us have owned one before. In fact I probably have a few in my closet right now with the membranes peeling off. Ultimately I could see adding both #1 & #2 to the line, but we have to start with one. Given that the Deluge wasn’t a great seller, it doesn’t make sense to add two jackets in the same category in the next iteration. For me, if I had to pick one, it would be the waterproof version. It costs a bit more, but it stops both wind and water, whereas the windbreaker only stops wind.

I gave away one of my two Deluge’s in Africa and now I only have one left. So for personal reasons I really want to see this project get across the finish line. I know others on our team feel that way too. There’s strong internal momentum for a waterproof version. But then again… that’s the same line of thinking that produced the Deluge 🤣

Your thoughts?

Other Stuff

Keep an eye out for these cool new booth displays that Lee is working on. These are based on a type of camp furniture we see at Burning Man a lot. People call it ‘playa-tech.’ Everything disassembles and packs flat without screws and bolts. These pieces will be made from aluminum not wood, but it’s the same concept.

Our buddy Pedro in Mexico made a couple of these awesome ‘Wildcat’ light-up signs. Wildcat is Andrew’s nickname, and also the name of our new backpack.

The Backcountry brush guard project is nearly done. We’ve settled on a design and materials. It’s a small add-on, but if you ride in the desert a lot (which we do) it’s a substantial upgrade. I really want these. The sooner the better.

The Stinger 22 backpack straps need an upgrade. This was on my list of gear notes from Africa. I wish they had more padding. They dig into my shoulders after a few minutes.

We had a major snowstorm over the holidays here in the Gorge. This is the view from our kitchen door. We lost power and our well pipes froze and cracked. We were running on a generator, wood stove, and water jugs for a while.

Ryan, Azure, and JC have been plotting the spring/summer roadshow. We’ll visit most of the major west coast cities in 2022, and many eastern cities as well.

Andrew is developing a new dirtbike tailbag similar to the Reckless 10, but minus the removable drybags. It’s not waterproof, but it’s smaller, lighter, and fits tighter to the bike.

Here are some recent packing lists from two different trips. The first is from a Reckless 10 & backpack ‘minimalist’ overnight singletrack trip. The second is from a fully-loaded week-long ‘comfort’ trip on a BMW R1250GSA with Backcountry 35 panniers and 40L duffle. Together they represent two bookends of the packing spectrum for riding dirt, at least from my perspective. I’m sure there are other people out there pushing those bookends further than I do.

This is Rachel. She’s our part-time controller. She and Ames worked closely with everyone on the Mosko team this winter, to make the most detailed operating budget we’ve ever had. Things have been tight since the supply chain chaos. First we didn’t have inventory, then we got some but it came with massive air freight bills. Cash is tight because we have so much inventory in the pipeline, and profit is tight due to all the added freight costs. We’re sharpening our pencils, putting on green eyeshades, breaking out the 10-key calculators, and working toward a more sustainable bottom line for 2022.

Our friends Paul and Patric from Rheon labs in the UK came over to the US for a visit to talk about armor. Andrew snapped this pic. Unfortunately Ash and I were out of town for these meetings. We arrived just in time for dinner on the final night.

Bear found an ingenious use for a torn Backcountry 35 pannier. He converted it into this awesome shoulder tote. This could be a Mosko product.

Brandon, Chris, and Chad from Upshift Online stopped at the shop last week to review some new apparel designs. From left to right: you can see the back of Chris, Chad, and Brandon’s heads. Awesome seeing you guys, thanks for making the trek!

Riding Pics

If you’re interested in Ash & my trip to Liberia and Sierra Leone, check out our advrider.com ride report here. Otherwise, here are some riding and travel pics from the last few months!

All We Want For Christmas is Shorter Lead Times

2 Replies

December 20, 2021

Happy holidays, happy new year, and thanks for all the support!

What a rollercoaster it’s been. We’re so stoked for 2022. Lots of new products are in the pipeline, we’re adding many new events to the show calendar, and we have the same new year’s resolution as always: ride more, camp more. See you out there!

Supply chain-wise things haven’t changed, except that Black Friday came and went and we still have inventory, which is great. Because of the supply chain situation, we shortened the BFCM sale to 4 days vs 10, offered smaller discounts on in-stock merchandise, and offered discounted preorders with future delivery dates. The preorders shifted about 50% of BFCM demand to March, when our first water freight shipment will arrive. That inventory is in transit now, entering the far end of the long, dark, mysterious tunnel that is the world’s supply chain.

As we work on kicking our air freight habit, we’re incorporating 10-month water freight lead times – including production – into all our planning. In other words, we’re ordering inventory now that we plan to sell over Black Friday weekend in 2022. That’s twice what our lead times were before Containergeddon, so we need twice as much inventory in production (and twice the deposits) at any given time. New products will also take twice as long to get to market. It’s not ideal but what can you do? We’ll be happy just to have a warehouse full of water freight like we used to in the old days. That should happen by March.

Here’s one way to speed things up (thanks Silke!) 🤣

Apparel & Protection

Ectotherm Jacket!

The Ectotherm 12v heated jacket finally landed. Our Mosko Models went straight to work. Check out Andrew’s Blue Steel, it’s 🔥.

I love this jacket. It’s been fun to see the response so far. We’re learning a lot about power draw, stator capacities, connectors, adapters, and batteries.

If you’re interested in the Ectotherm but you’re unsure about sizing, go big. Some riders are reporting they fit tight. Personally, I’m 6’3″ and 190lbs and I wear an L, which seems about right to me, but if you’re any bulkier you should definitely size up. It’s meant to be snug for an under-armor fit, but not to the point of feeling restrictive. For the next round, we’ll move the entire size grade down a notch so the current L becomes M and the current XL becomes L. We offer free shipping and returns on apparel so don’t be shy about doing an exchange to get the size you need.

Here’s a video we made in the desert a few weeks ago using the Ectotherm.

Some riders have asked why the Ectotherm doesn’t have heated glove/pant connectors. The answer is that we eliminated those to make the jacket more comfortable and packable. All those extra wires and plugs are part of what makes old-school heated gear feel so weird on your body, and most of us never use that stuff anyway. I really love heated jackets and vests and I’ve been using them for well over a decade, but I’ve only ever tried heated pants once, and my grips are already heated so I’ve never needed heated gloves. A 42w heated jacket is warm enough for the coldest temps I’d ever want to ride in.

With the Ectotherm, we wanted to make a heated jacket that’s so comfortable you hardly know it’s heated until you need it. Most of the time you can just wear it around like a normal jacket, but on long cold pavement stretches, in shitty weather, on chilly mornings, or after dark: plug in the jacket and bam! The six carbon fiber panels extending from your neck down through your torso, back, and arms will light you right up. In 30 seconds you’ll have your own private sauna. It’s an awesome feeling.

The second question we’ve been getting about the Ectotherm is whether it can run off a separate battery pack when you’re not on the bike. The short answer is ‘yes.’ At the SoCal IMS show, we bought a few Antigravity batteries to test.

The two obvious choices from the Antigravity line are the XP1 and the XP10. The XP1 is smaller, but I opted for the XP10 because it has 50% more capacity and it weighs about the same. I hooked it up to the Ectotherm in the office and ran it on low (green) – which is still really warm if you’re not on a bike – and got 2.5 hours of heating. The XP1 should get about 1.5 hours. If you wake up freezing in your tent in the middle of the night, it’ll warm you up enough to get back to sleep. Plus the battery doubles as a jump starter and USB power bank. It’ll recharge from the bike while you ride.

Standing in the security line at the Portland airport, I suddenly wondered: is a jacket with cables an issue? It doesn’t matter, nobody cares, no problem.

Here’s Scottie giving the CS team an overview of the Ectotherm at Mosko HQ.

On the subject of cold weather riding, here’s what I’m taking on the Southern California Backcountry Discovery Route next week. We’re expecting lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s. I’m riding a BMW R1250GSA, but this kit would be the same on a 500.

Hands: Heated grips, Rev’it waterproof gloves, Hippo Hands
Upper Body: Ectotherm 12v heated jacket, Basilisk jacket, Workhorse Jersey, Strata long underwear, Graph Base Layer
Legs: On the wind-facing part of my legs, I’m already wearing shin-high offroad boots, knee armor, warm socks (Pearly’s Possum), and Woodsman ITB pants. On chilly mornings I’ll add Strata long underwear and a Rak overpant – both of which will come off as I warm up.

As we get further south toward Yuma and the temperatures get warmer, I’ll be riding with just the Woodsman pant, Graph base layer, Workhorse jersey, and armor. The Woodsman vents will all be open, and my jacket will be rolled up on the back of the bike. That’s one of the great benefits of separate body armor: layer up when it’s cold, strip down when it’s warm. You get optimal comfort in a huge range of riding conditions – cold, hot, dry, wet, technical, easy, fast, paved, etc – with better impact protection throughout.

The Rak Hood

We’re experimenting with removable hood designs for the new Rak jacket. This hood is mainly being designed for off-bike use, although it will work under a helmet too. We’ve received this request from other riders, and we’ve experienced the need ourselves too. It’s something you might not think you’ll need until you wake up on a cold, rainy morning and climb out of your tent to break camp. At that moment: a hood is really nice (although a helmet works too).

The hood pics remind me of the Frey sons in Game of Thrones 🤣

We’re captivated by this neat anorak for distance running from Patagonia, which opens from the chin and zips down the front. The appeal for runners is to access the water that’s stored on their shoulders. We’re wondering if there’s an application for this style in moto, if we turned the access zippers into vents. We ordered one to try on a bike. If nothing else, cool jacket!

Basilisk Kit

Here’s a prototype of the new Basilisk, which we nicknamed the ‘Flapalisk’ due to the addition of zipper flaps. This kit is a size too big for Scottie, and the color is what they had on the shelf for sampling (not actual colors), but you get the idea. We want to step up the storm-proofing for 2022, the new zipper flaps are part of that.

New Labels

Along with the updates coming for 2022, we’re making new label art as well. These labels feature original art by our graphic designer Dan Cox. Nice work on these Dan!

Barfly Microshell Pants

Here’s something fun we’re looking at for the Barfly ultralight rain kit: a full-zip waterproof bib overpant. A lot of times water gets in from the waist and wicks its way north and south from there. A bib could resolve that.

Armor: Shorts

These are looking good. Minimal changes needed.

Armor: Elbows

These are also looking good. Simple, flexible, comfortable.

Armor: Knees

The knees are getting close. These are a bit more complicated.

The knees are hinged at the top, to prevent them from sliding down the thigh. The latest prototype has a different shape to the hinge, with less of the lighter material showing than what you see here. You can see in this pic that the lighter mesh is already pilling from contacting the velcro after just a few days of testing.

These no-slip bands will also help with thigh-slip. We’re trying to avoid a solid silicone band, which causes rashes for some riders (including several of us) over long periods in hot weather.

Armor: Inserts

The armor inserts you see in the armor above are just placeholders. The actual Rheon pads are shown below. This is our first look at a full CE2 shoulder pad mad by Rheon. It’s so light, flexible, and ventilated that you’d never guess it was CE2. That’s a lot of protection in a very unique, compact package. Can’t wait to get the full kit and ride with it.

Armor: Chest/Back/Shoulder Harness

Here are models of the chest piece mold. The chest and back are a significant undertaking, both in terms of creating the harness itself and also in terms of the investment in molds. Every size will need a separate mold, which is why most armor companies (including us, at least at first) offer limited sizes. A mold like this takes special machinery to make. Once made they can’t be altered, so it’s important to get it right.

The harness will be neck brace compatible.

Surveyor Trail Pant

Before the snow came, I spent a day in the latest Surveyor trail pant. It was cold out, and this is a highly ventilated pant, but I didn’t freeze. I was already sweating from the ride, and the ventilation felt great. I wouldn’t want to go any colder than that in this pant though, plus I was carrying an overpant in my backpack just in case.

The Surveyor’s ventilation is neat. The knees and butt are made from the same Schoeller mesh as the Kiger Pant (i.e. the black material in the pics below), so all the high abrasion material is mesh. Having mesh in the knees and butt feels great, especially over the highly-ventilated Rheon armor. I could feel the air coming through the knees of the pant, through the ventilated armor, all the way through to my skin and across my thighs. Which is exactly what we’re going for.

Our experiments with waist adjusters continue. This one is pretty good. You see this same closure on a lot of motocross-style pants. That’s actually our least favorite thing about it (ie that so many other companies use it). On the bright side though, that also means it’s been thoroughly tested.

Other Stuff

These Pearly Possum Socks are awesome for cold weather riding. Highly recommend. The owner Duke and I started an email dialog a few months ago. He sent a few pairs for Ash and I to try. We really dig them. We’re not affiliated, I just like the socks. We’re getting some for the entire Mosko team.

This is what happens when you don’t roll up your jacket tight enough and the sleeve flaps loose and catches in the chain. This was our last size large Rak in red 😭

Luggage, Bags, Mounts, and Cases

BC Pannier Assembly

After importing a large shipment of unassembled panniers in October (due to COVID-related factory closures), we spent several weeks putting them all together. Here are some pics of Team Germany hard at work on the EU portion of the shipment.

Here’s what our assembly line in White Salmon looked like. Our buddy Reynaldo managed this, training an awesome crew of local helpers who absolutely charged the project. Thanks all, on both sides of the ocean!!

Colors, Wildcats, & Gnomes

The first samples of the new ‘Stargazer’ colorway (the blue color below) are arriving and we dig it. It’s pretty ‘far out’ by moto luggage standards but that’s kind of the point: i.e. to break out of the classic ‘airline luggage,’ ‘OEM coloring,’ and/or ‘caution color’ framework that we’ve all been seeing for years. Holding physical samples of Stargazer really brought this colorway to life for us. Will it sell? The initial response on social was positive, but we won’t know for sure till we make it.

Making interesting colorways is no small task. Everything gets more complicated, from purchasing and materials to inventory management. That’s the hard part. The good part is that color is awesome! We’re working towards having three year-round colors: classic black, treeline/woodland/mountains (green), and desert/sand/dune (tan). We’ll introduce flashier stuff like Stargazer in limited-edition seasonal runs. That way we’ll always have variety in the line, and we can still try riskier colors without overcommitting.

Outback Motortek Hard Boxes

Lorry at Outback Motortek has some cool new hard boxes in the works. OM makes the pannier racks we sell on our site, but this is Lorry’s first foray into making his own luggage. He’s using our frame/wedge mount to connect the boxes to the bike, so he stopped by last week and we looked at some ways to incorporate soft bags and MOLLE accessories. With Lorry’s setup, you could easily switch between his hard boxes and our soft bags using the same mounts. Your MOLLE accessories would transfer back and forth as well. If you have ideas for Lorry, please post on OM’s social feed. He’s keeping a close eye there for feedback.

We talked about adding some tool storage and maybe a magnetic bolt tray to the underside of the lid.

Lorry designed this cool internal divider system.

Maybe he could add MOLLE webbing or cutouts to the dividers.

We thought some rigid MOLLE panels on the outside would be cool as well. That orange bag on top is a prototype of our new MOLLE first aid kit.

New Heat Shield Designs

Lee is working on some new heat shield designs that are longer, taller, interlocking, and modular. We would offer this in two lengths, which can be combined in various ways to achieve the right amount of coverage.

Our buddy Joel (Sammy’s BF) always comes up with awesome carbon things. He made some samples of our current shield, but in carbon with a heat-resistant backer. They’re so cool!!

Backcountry 35 Pannier Brush Guards

We’re working on a ‘brush guard’ for the Backcountry 35 panniers. This is to address a recurring issue we’ve seen and experienced when riding a larger bike on tight doubletrack. The trail forces you to pick one track or the other because the median is too soft or rocky, while the pannier sticks off the side of the trail and slams into every bush, stump, and rock it can find. This is going to be pretty hard on any type of pannier, hard or soft.

In these pics you can see how the brush guard has progressed, from a cardboard cutout to a rough-sewn prototype.

Concept 1

Concept 2

Concept 3

Concept 4

Concept 5

This will be a tough, sacrificial, removable panel. It can get destroyed and replaced, or removed and repaired. A few weeks ago we took some mockups to the desert for sagebrush testing on a T700 and 1250GSA.

The hard plastic polyethylene version, which we thought was the toughest, was the first to fail. You can see where it’s broken in the pic below, plus the hardware is coming out and the threads are frayed.

The fabric guards performed a lot better than the plastic. Focusing on this one specific issue all day, really opened our eyes to just how insanely abusive this specific riding situation is. Full-grown sagebrush is tough on bags!! We took tons of videos which we’ll upload to our Youtube channel shortly.

Euro Mount

We’re working on a new latch for the Mosko BMW OEM pannier mount we’re working on. BMW hard panniers come with a large and expensive latch that you can buy directly from BMW, but the cost is really high (~$200 with locks) and the latches seem like overkill. We messed around with a few of our own ideas to see if we can come up with something simpler and better.

I ❤ wood prototypes.

Reckless 80

We ordered some of the longest straps Voile makes to try on the R80 legs. They work great, as long as you keep them away from the exhaust.

Also on the R80, I tried this new way of mounting a tool roll in the harness on a recent desert trip and it worked out well. The only downside is that it puts the weight of your tools directly over the back of the bike, but at least they’re secure and accessible.

On the R80 beavertail, Andrew came up with this interesting way to apply MOLLE both vertically and horizontally. A lot of us have been strapping our jackets here, so the vertical MOLLE would be super handy.

The idea of a rigid R80 harness is progressing. We’re expanding this concept to include the legs, and adding some center stiffeners to beef it up a bit. This bag is a Frankenstein but we think it’s a neat idea.

Here you can see the double thickness with the stiffener.

Maybe we can use some of this for heat resistance.

Juan’s Laptop Case

I’ve been using the aluminum version of the laptop case in my backpack. The corners bent ever so slightly, and now it’s a bitch to get my laptop out. The aluminum looks totally badass but we can’t have it bending like that. Thin aluminum bends too easily, thick aluminum weighs too much, and carbon is too expensive. Next up: composite.

Patch Kits

We’ve been working with No-So to make a custom Mosko repair patch. These patches stick to anything. They work great on PU and ballistic nylon and should work well on apparel too.

Wildcat Chest Rig

In my last post I referenced the challenges we faced with magnetic buckles on the Wildcat chest rig. We were adding some velcro panels for additional support and we were pretty sure that would hold.

Update, it didn’t hold. We rode more and it popped off more. Glad we kept testing.

Here’s another buckle we tried and rejected.

And another we tried and rejected.

In the end, we went back to a simple side release buckle. They’re easy, reliable, and tested, plus they’re on every piece of outdoor gear anyone’s ever owned, so we can practically operate them blindfolded. Which is important because we’ll be operating this buckle while wearing a helmet and gloves.

First Aid Kit

Here are some ideas for a waterproof, MOLLE-mounted, easy-to-access first aid kit that Andrew’s working on, based loosely on the Hood tank bag. This thing looks pretty cool so far. We’re working on the medical kit that goes inside too.

Events & Marketing

Event Tour

We wrapped up a busy 2021 event tour with meetups in San Diego and Ventura, and the SoCal IMS in Orange County. SoCal IMS was a great show, the busiest of the entire IMS season, and a nice way to close the tour.

Now we’re planning next year’s tour. We want to try meetups at some of the famous – but mostly non-ADV – biker gatherings like Sturgis, Bike Week, and Moto GP. We’ve never been to any of those events and we want to check them out, so why not do a meetup? We also want to try new formats like multi-day pop-up stores and overnight ride-to-camp events. We’re also talking to a few OEMs about teaming up for demo rides. Omicron aside, 2022 should be a big year for events. Right now, a little time off the road to regroup is nice.

Ryan’s birthday happened during the SoCal show. Happy birthday dude!

More Videos

We have a goal to make more and better videos in 2022. Better product videos, better brand videos, better educational videos, more stop motion, more social reels, more inside-the-Mosko-shop captures, more documenting our rides, more engagement with Youtube, and so on. A total video facelift. Our videos have always been pretty low-tech, dating back to when Andrew and I made our earliest product videos, which were shot on a little cheapo handheld point & shoot. A ‘360 degree product view’ back then consisted of hanging a bag from a bungee cord and spinning it by hand. I’d never even used a GoPro until a few months ago. Time for that to change. Follow Mosko on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube to be part of it!

Content ain’t easy 😂

To further our future video dreams, Ash and I are also learning to drone.

Also on the video front: Jack, Ash, and Paulina, plus our friends Jonathan and Luke, joined pro-videographer and all-around awesome guy Jesse Rosten (@onelostmoto) in the desert in October, to work on Mosko’s first brand video. Jesse is a total pro. I saw a draft of the video and it’s awesome. It’s a minute long, and it captures the sights, sounds, and experiences of a multi-day moto trip, presented in a short-form format to satisfy the tiniest of attention spans. We’ll release it in the new year. Thanks for the awesome video Jesse!!!

DirtyBird Sale

We had our annual DirtyBird blemish sale in the US and Europe a few weeks back. These pics of boxes are from the EU. Last year we got some backlash for over-marketing the DB sale, so this year we didn’t do any advertising at all and that seemed to work fine.

Team Europe: working late!

New stickers!!

Other News

Accounting Team

Mosko has a new accounting team: welcome aboard Holly & Rachel (front row, 3rd and 5th from left)! Rachel and Holly worked together at DaKine. Now they’re helping Mosko part-time, and boy did we ever need it. This had been a long time coming.

EU Team Visit

Roel & Fernando – 2/3rds of our Europe team – visited White Salmon for the first time since COVID. We see each other weekly on video but it’s not the same. As soon as they arrived in the PNW, we immediately went riding. Check out the Ectotherm video to see some footage from that trip.

Ryan and Donzi’s son Roland has a knack for epic photo-bombs 🤣

With Roel and Fernando in town, we also had our first face-to-face staff meeting in two years. Even though we’re back in the office, staff meetings seem to run a lot more efficiently online. Many of us (including me) join by video even though we’re sitting only 50′ apart. Doing one in person was fun though, I’m sure we’ll do it again sometime.

Shop Improvements

Our buddy Geoff has been making improvements to the Mosko shop.

He painted the downstairs hallway and showroom walls.

He also expanded the downstairs door so we can roll larger bikes through. We were hesitant to replace the original door, but if a bike can’t fit it’s gotta go.

New Credit Line?

We had a nice meeting with Eric from First Interstate Bank. We’re talking to FIB about a new line of credit for inventory. The new line is significantly larger and less expensive than what we have right now, and it’ll be the first real credit facility we’ve had that isn’t SBA guaranteed. Eric’s a rider too, which is great because he understands our business.

Vansgiving Weekend

Ash is recovering from carpal tunnel surgery. She can’t ride for a few months, so we spent Thanksgiving tooling around the desert in the van. It’s not quite as exciting as exploring on two wheels, but it sure makes turkey dinner easier.

Ryan & Donzi’s New Spot

Ryan and Donzi moved into their new place on a few acres just outside White Salmon. It’s a beautiful spot. They invited us all out for a campfire and housewarming party a few weeks back. That night marked our first snowfall of the season!

Mosko Holiday Party!!

Thanks for setting this up Paulina & Jenn, and thanks to all who came! Best one yet.

Mom’s Are The Best

My mom wrote this awesome note and apparently left it on a bike with hard cases that was parked on the street somewhere in Philadelphia. She has been researching all things adventure riding and Mosko. The note made it full circle back to Sammy on our CS team, who posted it on Slack, where I saw it and recognized Mom’s handiwork. She does all her ‘posting’ and ‘commenting,’ with pencils, staples, and index cards ❤ Whoever sent this: thank you! It totally made my day. Mom thought it was pretty great too.

Ames’ Foot Break

Ames broke his foot in the desert when we were out there riding with Jenn, Roel, and Fernando making the Ectotherm video. His foot caught on a rock and crunched up inside his boot, dislocating toes and breaking a bone. He had surgery to fix the break a few weeks ago, and he’s recovering now. It should all work out fine, no permanent damage.

Bear and Ames are both on crutches, and Lee has been recovering from his latest leg surgery too. Injuries are contagious.

Even Kade hurt his paw.

Mototel Packup

We packed up the Bates Mototel (our free backyard campground for travelers) for the season. The Mototel saw a lot of upgrades in 2021 including a tent platform, an outdoor kitchen, and an enclosed shower. If you’re riding through the gorge next year and you need a place to crash, we got you covered. Contact the main Mosko email/phone to reserve a spot. The Mototel will be up and running again mid-Spring, although we always have free tent space anytime.

Other Stuff

This is our graphic designer Dan Cox. He took me kayaking a few weeks ago. I walked around this part.

If you still have any attention span left after all the above, here are some videos from the last few months.

Happy Holidays! Stay Classy ADV!

Boats, Planes, & Preorders

3 Replies

October 6, 2021

Our little Mosko micro-multinational ship is getting tossed on the large and stormy seas of international trade. It has not been boring.

In Vietnam, the southern area around Ho Chi Minh City (which includes four factories we work with) was completely locked down due to COVID until October 1st. Factories and transportation were idle and we lost about a month of production time. Now businesses there are reopening, but they’re hampered by a lack of vaccines, and we’re not sure what the raw material situation will look like when the dust settles. Production is also delayed at our main fabric welding factory in China, where they’re experiencing shortages of both labor and materials simultaneous with a surge in orders. In Bangladesh, we’re about to submit our 2022 PO while waiting on several 2021 styles that we’d hoped to introduce back in April.

Shipping from Asia to the US is also problematic. As you may have seen on the news, there’s a large backlog of containers and container ships on both sides of the ocean, as well as a shortage of the containers and ships themselves due to that backlog. The price of water freight has risen 500%, plus it takes 2.5x longer to move a container from Asia to the US than it did before. In the rush to get inventory, many companies are moving to air freight, bidding those prices to record highs as well. Normally we allocate about 5% of our product cost to cover shipping. The last shipment we received by air cost 35%. We just booked a second one at 55%. We received quotes as high as 85%. It’s nuts.

An alternative to air freight is to deal with the much longer shipping times of water freight, which means we’d be out of inventory for a while. Even at the current unheard-of cost of $20k to move a container, containers are still a bargain compared to air. With containers, we could start collecting preorders in November/December for delivery in February/March 2022. What I’m not crazy about, is the idea of putting our shipments at the end of a long line of international trade goods, and nobody knows whether it’ll get better or worse while we wait. Once a container is delivered to the port, you can only cross your fingers and start counting down the days. That’s what we were doing all last summer. My feeling after that was ‘never again,’ but freight at 50-80% of FOB is not ideal either.

While we noodle through these manufacturing and freight issues, we’re also doing final assembly on our last shipment of panniers. That shipment arrived only partially assembled because our factory was closed. Here in the U.S. and Europe we’re adding logo plates, locking bars, and mounting frames. The mounting frames are especially challenging. At the factory, they punched six holes in the back of each bag, through all the various layers of plastic, fabric, and foam. When the bags get packed for shipping, the different layers all get misaligned. It takes a surprising amount of effort to realign the layers and connect the six bolts with the tee nuts inside. It’s a very tight squeeze. Last I heard the record time for a single bag – not including the locking bar and logo plate – was 8 minutes. The average is more like 15 minutes. A brand new worker averages 30-60 minutes, and still requires occasional rework by a more experienced hand. At $25/hour plus taxes, management, rent, and trucking to/from White Salmon, it’s all adding up.

We spent about a week assembling panniers at our warehouse in Portland, but we had a hard time finding helpers there due to the tight labor market, plus the 1.5 hour drive each way is a downer. So instead we rented a small warehouse space in White Salmon for a few months, and trucked all the inventory here. We have 4-6 people working over there now, and we estimate it’ll take another 3 weeks to finish. In the meantime, the Vietnamese government is loosening its COVID restrictions and our factory is reopening. It’ll take a minute, but there’s a light at the end of this tunnel.

These pics are from the initial assembly week at our contract fulfillment warehouse in Portland.

This is at the new location across the street from our shop in White Salmon.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get these 6 bolts, washers, and tee nuts through a mounting frame and bag…

… including 6 of these misaligned holes.

Ames made this funky wood jig for mounting the locking bars.

One day when we’re old and grey, our grandkids will sit on our laps and ask what we did during ‘the great supply chain crisis of 2021.’ We’ll have so many stories to tell them. Stories of freight and logistics, factories, and viruses. Stories that will put them directly to sleep 🤣.

Donzi Kater: Welcome Aboard!!

Donzi Kater – far right in the pic below with Sammy & Jenn – recently joined our CS team. She’ll be working mostly from home with occasional office days. Before Mosko, Donzi spent 5 years at the outdoor retailer REI as a Sales Lead, Visual Merchandising Specialist, and Outdoor Instructor. She has an AA in geology and is certified in wilderness first aid. Donzi and Ryan (Mosko’s Field Sales Manager) are married. When their son Roland is old enough we’ve got a spot for him too. Welcome aboard Donzi!

This pic from the last post, is Donzi and Roland in the desert last summer.

New Products

Rak Jacket

Here’s Andrew testing the latest Rak prototype on a trip we did a few weeks ago. This jacket is nearly ready. It’s getting a kangaroo pocket and a hood, and the side zip extends higher up the torso. The Rak pants are staying the same.

Barfly

I took my Patagonia Houdini shell as a proxy for the direction of the new Barfly jacket we’re working on to replace the Deluge. I was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive experience of committing to such a light jacket for the trip. No holes or tears so far, and it did a great job of cutting the wind. Plus I love the way it packs away on my bars. The Houdini isn’t waterproof, whereas the Barfly will be.

I’m also wearing a prototype of our new Surveyor trail pant in this pic. The knee panels and butt are a stretchy Schoeller mesh, which we love.

On a second trip where it did rain, I rigged my Deluge on the handlebars with a larger Voile strap, which also worked great, although it’s bigger obviously.

The Wildcat Backpack

We have a new prototype of the Wildcat. Man this bag has been a long time coming. We’re more than ready. I just used it on an ultralight overnight trip. I especially loved the expandable beavertail, which significantly increases the carrying capacity. Also the chest rig, which keeps things like snacks, phone, battery pack, and InReach close at hand. When you’re all bundled up and armored, it’s great to grab a Cliff Bar on the trail without removing your pack.

These are set-it-and-forget-it backpack strap adjusters inside the pack. There are also on-the-fly adjusters on the chest straps themselves. This is our way of addressing the challenge of fitting a huge array of different body shapes both with and without body armor.

We’re looking at some alternate logo applications to replace this basic screen print. Possibly a sewn-on label.

This little bungee stops your InReach or other beacon from flopping around when you’re not using the chest rig, and you want to mount the beacon directly to the shoulder strap.

Andrew’s little InReach carving. Isn’t it so cute?

The tool holder pockets and straps work great for an air pump and tent poles.

An issue we’ve been tracking on the chest rig, is that the magnetic buckle we’re using has a tendency to attract metallic particles and dirt and then – when impeded by those things – not to fully engage. You can see the tiny rock attached to the nipple in the pics below. I just rubbed the nipple in the dirt and the magnet found the rock.

I’ve personally had a few situations where the chest rig disconnects while riding. It dangles awkwardly and you have to stop to fix it. Now I blow out the nipple after it touches the ground, but it’s easy to forget to do that. We’re at the point of placing a PO and we don’t have a good backup, so it’s really just a question of whether we order the chest rig or not. The chest rig is something we’re all loving, and it’s a major design feature of the pack. It would be weird to make the Wildcat without it, so we’re planning to move forward with the buckle. We’re looking to add a secondary velcro attachment to support the buckle. If the nipple is only partly engaged, the chest rig will stay attached with the velcro. The partly engaged nipple holds it in place while the velcro keeps it from dangling.

This is not the first time we’ve run into this metallic dirt issue with a magnetic buckle but it’s the first time we’ve pushed past it. The velcro should fix this. Magnetic buckles… the struggle is real. When they’re working, they’re great.

Here are some shots of Andrew riding with the smaller 8L version of the wildcat.

Scottie mounted the chest rig on his DaKine Seeker pack, which is something we might develop further in the future: ie the ability to apply the chest rig to any pack. He has also been using it with a neck brace with no issues.

Gnat Handlebar Bag

I’ve been using the latest Gnat prototype to carry tools on my trail bike. I’m still running a Voile strap over the top, which keeps it solidly anchored. Andrew is testing a built-in strap on the next version to make it feel a little less tacked on.

We’ll be offering two sizes of the Gnat. Here’s the small one.

Here’s the big one. I was happy to see it fits on my 500 next to the Gnome.

Reckless Mounting & Construction

We’ve been gradually building toward what may ultimately become a v4 Reckless update. The new version would incorporate Voile straps on the legs, the Knob mount in the center, and a stiffer construction for the harness. We may release these upgrades individually as they become ready, but if we do them all, the finished version will justify a v4 designation.

I’ve been using the Knob and Voile straps for a while now. It’s a significant improvement to the stability of the bag. On the exhaust side, I run the strap to a cleat that tees off my subframe bolt with a small spacer. On the non-exhaust side I go straight to the frame. Ultimately we would make these Voile straps in custom lengths but for now I’m just using two of our larger straps connected together. Anyone who has a Reckless bag currently, can try this.

On my 300 I bolted the knob directly through the plastic fender.

This is what the latest version of the Knob looks like (left). It’s smaller.

The Knob mount looking top-down.

In this version of the R80, we changed the centerpiece to aluminum. It looks super cool. However, it’s also heavy, which is the opposite of our intent. It also has the potential to deform in crashes. Still, it’s a cool idea and potentially workable.

A second possibility is to make the harness from composite, like this prototype I tested a few weeks ago. It’s light, tough, and has a high level of heat resistance, while still providing more structure than the current Reckless. Also it can be thermoformed. We’re really digging the look and feel of this one.

BMW Mounts

We’re reviving an old project, to develop mounts for the Backcountry Pannier that click directly into the BMW pannier rack mounts with the little tabs. Here’s the current status of that prototype. The latching mechanism is the final riddle to solve.

Low Profile Pucks

We have three different prototypes of a low profile puck design for the Backcountry Pannier. The main difference between them is how the threaded insert attaches. This puck will start as a limited run for riders who need just one or two of these to clear their exhaust. If it works well, it might ultimately replace all the Backcountry pucks.

Navigator Update

The Navigator cell phone pocket is ready for an update. I’ve personally been using it for navigation on every kind of trip from trail riding, to dualsport, to big bike, to international travel for several years. It’s still my favorite way to navigate (vs a hardwired GPS or a handlebar phone mount) but there are some things that could be better. For example, glare from the sun obscures the screen when the sun is high and/or when the vinyl gets old, scratched, or dusty. Also, operating the touchscreen through the vinyl is imprecise at best. We’re looking for ways to eliminate the vinyl altogether. One thing we came across is this rubber cell phone holder I’ve been using to hold a phone while fishing. It fits any smartphone and is quite secure. If we retained the phone with something like this, maybe we could get rid of the clear vinyl. You’d be viewing and touching the screen directly.

New Scout 25 Update

The Scout 25 is up for a redesign. We have an idea to do something like the pics below, to eliminate the aluminum plates and pucks. This would reduce weight, complexity, and price, and also make it easier for folks who want to swap back and forth between hard and soft bags. We’ll pull on this thread and see where it leads. This could be cool. Andrew’s on it.

Gear Hauler Bag

For the gear hauler, we’re narrowing in on a concept that’s nearly ready to prototype. It’s a two-piece, plane-and-truck-friendly roller bag with a separable top and bottom, and a variety of smaller insert bags for boots, helmet, etc. This is a large and complicated bag with a lot of moving parts and many experimental features. It’ll take a minute. Can’t wait for this though: we definitely need a gear hauler.

Laptop Cases

The current aluminum version of the laptop case is too heavy. We’re lightening them up a bit. We lost some time to researching alternate protective foams, but we’ve come back around to the Poron XRD.

2022 Apparel

Last week a crew of us got together to discuss the 2022 apparel line. Scottie & Julia put together a presentation and we walked through each item including forecast quantities, design features, materials, colorways, and pricing.

Most of the new and updated apparel items have been covered in prior posts, but there was one internal debate that was particularly interesting. It has to do with the mesh pant. You might remember the green and black prototype on the far right in the pic below, which Andrew used on our team ride in Moab last Spring. We all liked it immediately, there was an instant visceral reaction to the main body mesh. It’s dense, abrasion-rated, and burly, but also stretchy, well ventilated, and comfortable. Since then we’ve tried three other materials packages and we’ve come back around to the Schoeller.

The problem is that the Schoeller is expensive. Schoeller is a Swiss company with European manufacturing costs. Their products are nice but pricey. Using this mesh pushes the price of this pant higher than the Woodsman, which also uses Schoeller and has a waterproof membrane too. We were shooting for $250 but with the Schoeller mesh it’ll be around $350. We could easily substitute a different mesh and shave off $100, but none of us can muster any joy in that. We like this material: we like the durability and stretch, and we like the higher density. It feels like it would widen the range of weather and terrain scenarios where we would reach for this pant, from singletrack day rides in the desert to multi-day trips and even pavement. It’s like an equivalent to the Woodsman, but mesh.

Things like this test our internal policy of not designing to a price point. Because we still need to make sure every feature, construction element, and material justifies its cost. Is a pant made from this mesh really worth $100 more? Is a $350 mesh pant even viable? We think ‘yes’ on both. There are other mesh pants out there at this price point, so we’re not alone, and we’d definitely pay more for a pant that we’ll reach for more often. We’re moving forward with the Schoeller. Hope it’s the right call.

Arcade Belts

Our ongoing internal debate about belts vs waist adjusters continues. We have yet to find a waist adjuster we like. Over the last 6 months we’ve tried 3-4 different styles on prototypes and none of them worked. We just got a ratchet-style that’s ok, but then we realized it’s the same one used on a popular trail pant made by another apparel company, which feels weird, although we’re not exactly ruling it out either. We also have two seasons of experience with the Woodsman pant, which has a waist adjuster that never really worked the way we wanted it to.

Several folks at Mosko have been wearing these elastic belts made by Arcade Belts. Sammy convinced Bear and I – the staunchest old school leather belt fans at Mosko – to give them a try. I’ve been wearing mine for at least three weeks now and I haven’t gone back. I checked with Bear yesterday and it turns out that he’s still wearing it too. A belt like this would be sportier and lighter than leather but will still keep your pants up. We could skip the waist adjusters, add belt loops and snaps like the Woodsman, and offer a belt like this as a $30 upgrade option.

Fender Bag Attachment

Scottie and I were looking for a way to attach gas bottles to our trail bikes. Here’s what we came up with. First we used a hand drill to make slots in the ridgeline of our KTM front fender. Then we connected a 5L aux pox drybag using two large voile straps. This system worked great. Maybe someday we’ll make a purpose-built bag that mounts here. I’m just sharing this in the meantime, in case anyone else wants to try it.

First Aid Kit

Andrew is brainstorming ideas for a waterproof MOLLE first aid kit. I saw a draft of the drawings earlier today. It’s awesome. More on that soon.

Mosko US & EU Roadshow(s)

Ryan, JC, and Azure have been leading the charge on the Mosko roadshow, with the rest of us dropping in as needed to man the booth. Since that first Portland meetup in June, followed by the BMW Rally in Montana, we’ve been to Sonoma, Chicago, Loveland, Pennsylvania, Flagstaff, and Dallas, with meetups in Reno, Kansas, and Santa Fe. Right now JC is in Little Rock, AR on the way to Nashville, TN for IMS. Nashville is the first of three stops in the SE, with the other two in Atlanta and Florida, plus meetups in Miami, FL and Charlotte, NC. After that, we’ll return to the west coast for the So Cal show and then a much-needed break.

Here are some pics from Chicago. This year the IMS moved from the indoor convention center to a spot called Goebertt’s Farm (aka Goebertt’s Pumpkin Patch) about an hour outside the city. When we learned we were doing a show at a pumpkin patch we had a good laugh about that, but actually it was an awesome venue. Attendance was excellent. Here’s a map.

We were next to the pumpkin train, down the road from the pumpkin eating dragon. I never made sense of it on the map but maybe trains and dragons move around. We had a great time on the jumping pillow.

We ordered these awesome heavy-duty inflatable couches made by the rafting company Aire. You can actually float rivers on them. We’ve been leaving them around for people to sit on, and occasionally pulling them into the booth for seating during presentations. They’re popular. If we were selling these they’d be a hit.

This action figure for kids will be available in toy stores soon. It’s called ‘Ashley: Motorcycle Show Warrior.’

This is our new ‘Stimulator’ jacket with patented ‘fun button’ technology. It keeps you awake on long pavement stretches 🤣 Actually, it’s the new Ectotherm heated jacket, which we are still waiting to receive.

Our booth in Chicago.

We heart lizards.

Teardown takeout dinner, a new Mosko tradition.

After Chicago, the team and trailer headed to Loveland, CO for Overland Expo Mountain West, while Ash, JC, Lee, Bear and I headed to Nevada for a prior commitment on the Black Rock Desert.

Just before we hit the road for Nevada, we got a late-night call from Ryan. Disaster had struck. A strong windstorm blew through the Loveland venue with 80mph winds, and our fancy new trailer awning was broken, torn, and flapping in the wind. This was I think around 9-10pm. He texted these pics.

Aww man, bummer! Another twist in the rolling truck, trailer, freight, and flight adventure that is our traveling Mosko circus. Ryan, Scottie, Jack, and Forest packed up the broken pieces, setup our two old EZ-ups, and quickly reset the booth, so that by the time the show opened the following morning only somebody who’d actually seen the carnage would know the difference. I’m proud of how our team took that setback in stride, rebuilt the booth, and pulled off a killer show anyway. Nice work all!

The next event we needed the awning for was Overland Expo West in Flagstaff. It’s a big show and we booked a big booth, assuming we’d have the trailer and awning. Looking at those pics from Loveland I thought the awning was done for. Plus the trailer ran over a railroad tie that fell off a truck on the highway and broke an axle coming home from Pennsylvania. But JC found a vinyl shop to patch the awning. Then he found a metal shop to weld the rafters. Then he got the awning manufacturer to overnight replacement parts. Then he consulted a trailer manufacturer on the mounts, and made new ones. Then he welded the broken axle back together himself. This was in the week before OX. It was an impressive sprint.

By OX, we had our awning back. It lives!! Amazing. Thanks JC!!

Overland Expo was a blast as always. Incredible how this event has grown. Most of the attendees are there for the 4x4s, but many also ride, so there’s a lot of crossover. We did several in-booth presentations on topics like ultralight moto packing and motorcycle apparel tech. We also did a packing presentation in the main tent.

We all stayed together in an Airbnb 10 minutes away. After a long day in the booth, a sofa, takeout food, and a movie is about all I can handle these days. Side note: the Evel Knieval documentary is awesome.

On Sunday it rained, and we finally got to unfurl these cool fabric rain gutters, which I was secretly looking forward to because I think they’re cool. The rain wasn’t great for show traffic but by then we’d already had two very busy days.

Taking advantage of the slow start, Ash and I went wandering. Out of 400+ vendors, there was one thing we were looking for, which was a nice shovel to keep in our 4×4 van. There’s a company called DMOS Collective that makes these really badass folding shovels for offroaders. I’d read reviews and seen pics/videos online, but I wanted to see one in person. We found the DMOS booth, walked in, bought a shovel, and returned. About 30 minutes later Susan Pieper, the owner of DMOS, randomly walked into the Mosko booth and introduced herself. It turns out we went to the same school and have friends in common. She just stopped by to say hi, no idea that we’d just been in her booth. Small world.

Nice to meet you Susan! The shovel is so cool!!

Overland Expo was a big success. We wrapped up Sunday, packed up the booth, and had a chill post-teardown takeout dinner with Mike Spurgin from Taco Moto and Eric Waterfall from Ruby Moto. Our companies all have punchy two-syllable names followed by ‘moto.’ It’s a trend. How could we not be friends?

The next morning, Ryan loaded up the company GS to ride to Santa Fe for a meetup. JC hooked up the trailer and headed off in the same direction with Azure riding shotgun. Ash and I boarded a plane home. This was our 7th Overland Expo since starting Mosko, and it’s still a major highlight of our annual circuit.

Europe SKOG 2021

Silke shared these pics from the SKOG event in Sweden, with the caption: “Some pics from our last weekend in the “Swedish Rainforest.“ Great people, great event, great time!!! SKOG 2021”

I can’t wait till we can all reconnect again in person. It’s been nearly two years since any of us went to Europe, or any of the EU team visited us here. That will change soon. Last we heard was that restrictions will ease in November.

Also from Europe, this awesome pic of the EU team replacing a wheel bearing on the side of the road, while Silke responds to customer emails from her laptop. Nice one Silke. Full commitment!!

Bear’s Crash

A few weeks ago, Bear, Sammy, and Jenn went on a quick overnighter, leaving from White Salmon and heading north into the mountains. They had a lovely night under the stars and were coming back, when Bear entered a turn hot, slid off the road, and wrapped himself around a tree trunk. The result: a broken Fibula, 7 cracked vertebrae (the wings not the spine), three broken ribs, and a swollen liver. He spent two nights in the hospital. Now he’s scooting around on a 4-wheeled scooter. The prognosis: 8-week recovery and no surgery.

There are 20 of us on the Mosko team. Everyone rides, and we all do other sports too. May the injuries be as few and small as possible. Bear: it’s great to see you up and about. I’m just so glad it wasn’t worse.

Ultralight Trip

Last week Scottie and I consolidated our camping kits down to the bare essentials and headed out for a two-day technical singletrack loop on dirt bikes. The last time Andrew, Ash, Alistair, and I tried this we took Reckless 40s, but the gear slowed us down to the point where we had to continually help each other get through the technical bits. On that two-day trip, we covered less ground than we would typically cover in a single day of trail riding.

This time we weren’t going to make the same mistake. We consolidated everything into Reckless 10s and backpacks (12L pack plus beavertail for me, 15L pack for Scottie). We wanted the bikes to handle as close to normal as possible, but we also wanted to enjoy the camping experience and not be up all night shivering under a safety blanket. I was on my KTM 300 and Scottie was on his 350.

Here is what I originally planned to pack. No change of clothes, no tent, no stove, no water filter (water treatment tabs instead).

Here’s what it looked like all packed up.

Food for exactly two days. When the trip was over I had one tortilla and one piece of string cheese left.

We packed our Strata long underwear and Jackaloft Jackets in zip locks. We knew there’d be some cold/wet weather.

A few days before the trip, we realized it was definitely going to rain. We swapped our bivy sacks for 1p tents. I also swapped the Patagonia Houdini for a Deluge jacket, and replaced the plastic collapsing cup with titanium. Scottie brought a stove since it was too wet for fires. I also shrunk the first aid kit by removing duplicate and unnecessary items, and took a lot less TP than what’s shown in the pic above. I also brought a small squeeze-bottle water filter. Overall, considering we ended up with tents and a stove, I was amazed at how much we were able to fit into only 25-30L of space.

We van-camped in the woods Wednesday night. Thursday morning it was cold and rainy but we went anyway. Bad weather makes for good gear testing. We figured that if we could enjoy it in those conditions then we could enjoy it anytime. It rained all day and well into the night. We were tired, wet, and cold. We made camp at 4, climbed into our tents and sleeping bags wet, and spent 16 hours waiting for the storm to pass. The next morning was beautiful. The trails were tacky and fun, and the bright fall colors were on full display. I cannot wait to do more of this, just without the rain. The thought of exploring large, challenging, technical singletrack networks as thru-trips rather than day loops, gets me all fired up. Oh the places you’ll go!

Here Scottie is wringing out his gloves. ‘Waterproof’ in the sense that they hold the water in 😂

In Other News

We’re so proud of Ash for completing her 2.5 month executive education program! Instead of mountain biking and kiteboarding, a huge part of her summer was spent on accounting, finance, statistics, and economics for managers through this course offered by Harvard Business School. It was intense. Congrats babe!!

Also: congratulations to Paulina on her new bike! A Honda CRF450L. The 450L is rapidly becoming a popular bike on the Mosko team. Ash and Andrew both ride them too, plus we have one as a show bike. Paul drove all the way to Montana to find this gem. Stoked!!

Foot-dragging small bike wheelie practice in the desert.

Ash and I visited my family in Maine this summer. Yes we ate lobster. Because I literally cannot get enough lobster inside me. It’s that good.

Removing samples from the Basilisk for CE testing.

Tough summer for our truck.

Ash and Dave, shooting product videos in our now ‘nearly complete’ showroom. I’m not sure it’ll ever actually be complete. It’s more of an ongoing work in progress. A lot has happened there since I snapped this pic, and more is happening now.

We met Johnny & Camille in a parking lot in Hood River. They were passing through the gorge on their way south, searching for a 17″ tube when all the dealerships were closed. Turns out that Lee had two 17″ tubes sitting in his garage: one for the tire and one for a spare. Back on the road! See you two out there in the world again sometime, somewhere.

These cool hardware bags are now included with puck kits and miscellaneous hardware shipments. What should we call this lizard? The Wrenchy Lizard?

Like Hunter Thompson said: when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. It’s a weird time. We gotta’ stay weird to keep up.

Thanks for all your patience and support!

May You Live in Interesting Times

3 Replies

August 11, 2021

Man has it ever been an interesting time.

If you visited our website recently looking for a product, you may have noticed that – aside from a brief period in late May when we got a small air freight shipment that lasted about a week – most items were continually out of stock until now. The water freight shipment we expected in July (which I mentioned in my last post) didn’t materialize until early August. Maybe you’ve read in the news about the supply chain issues that so many companies are experiencing. Here is the story of how those issues have recently manifested for us.

In normal (aka ‘uninteresting’) times, when we want to rush inventory from a factory, we send a small portion directly to Portland by air freight. The rest gets loaded in shipping containers, stacked on one of those big ocean-going container boats, and sent to the US by sea. Air freight is significantly faster than sea freight (10 days vs 30) but it’s also insanely expensive. It can easily cost 30-40% of the manufactured cost of the product. Typically we would send by air just enough inventory to cover the time difference between the two shipping methods, which is usually 30 days minus 10 days, or 20 days worth of inventory. Right when the air freight inventory runs out, the shipping container with bulk production should be landing at the warehouse, and we avoid a stockout. We might lose a little money on the air freight but we still do OK overall, because it represents only a small percentage of the total shipment.

On our most recent shipment, the one that’s in the warehouse now, instead of taking 30 days, the sea freight portion took 77 days. First, we couldn’t get space on a boat. Then one of our containers got transferred to a bigger boat. Then the containers got stuck offshore in the lineup to get unloaded in Seattle and Portland. Then one of the containers was flagged for customs inspection while the other got left in a ‘dark area’ of the port and couldn’t be moved. This is what we and many other companies have been experiencing with international shipping lately. It looks like it’s about to get worse not better.

For the last two months – despite having more inventory in production/transit than ever before, and with customer service calls/emails up 70% – we had nothing to ship. It was a weird feeling. Expenses carried on like normal, just without the revenue. Things got tight. Every morning started with the same question:

‘Beth, any news on the containers today?’

‘Nope.’

Finally, we got some apparel from an order we’d expected in May (3 months delayed). Then the bag containers arrived at the warehouse last week (on my birthday, best present ever). As soon as the inventory populated on the website we received about a month’s worth of orders in only 24 hours, and now we’re shipping all that inventory out. In the next few days we’ll run out of inventory again and the whole process will repeat. It’ll be 3-4 weeks before the next shipment arrives, depending on some factors I’ll describe below.

We mostly source from three Asian countries: Vietnam, China, and Bangladesh. China is doing ok compared to the other two (despite some significant delays caused by staffing issues), but Vietnam and Bangladesh are in the middle of their own COVID surges. They’re right where the US and EU were last year: cases are spiking, hardly anyone is vaccinated, and the governments have implemented widespread lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. Bangladesh is on full lockdown with factories closed, while Vietnam is on partial lockdown, with some factories closed but others (like ours) still operating under special restrictions.

We have the largest production order we’ve ever placed sitting in Vietnam right now, and it’s almost ready to ship. It was held up by two things: 1) we sent some washers (the ones connecting the Backcountry Panniers to their mounting frames) out for black oxide treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, then the HCMC lockdowns trapped the washers at the now-closed factory, and 2) we shipped the welded liner bags from our factory in China to our factory in Vietnam, but the shipment got trapped in the kerfuffle at the port and got delayed. The last news I heard as of a few days ago was that the liners had been freed but the washers were still trapped.

Next week we’re taking the entire order – including the unassembled panniers, frames, and washers (if we can get them) – and loading it onto a plane. A rough estimate is that it will be 29 tons of air freight, which is enough to fill about 1/5th of a 747 freighter. The cost at current shipping rates, which are more than double pre-pandemic levels, will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a big investment. We will need to temporarily raise prices to partially offset the added cost. It won’t be a huge increase, probably only around 5%. When that inventory lands, we will also need to assemble the panniers with US/EU labor, but at least we will have the inventory. The lockdown situation is changing so fast that if we don’t ship now, we might not get another chance for a while.

With all the delays, shutdowns, and port issues on both sides of the ocean, it seems like this chaos is likely to continue for a while. We’re taking it one shipment at a time. We’ll keep doing the best we can, bringing in whatever we can however we can. Another day in the life of a micro-multinational. Thanks for your patience.

Deluge Question

We are selling the last of our Deluge rain kits online right now at 50% off. They’re almost gone. It’s the first apparel item we’ve cleared out this way although I’m sure it won’t be the last. We’ve done some other discount sales but usually just on a prior season’s odds and ends. This was a new experience and we’re learning.

It would be awesome to get some feedback.

Why did/didn’t you buy a Deluge?
If you own one, what do you think of it?
If we redesign or reinvent it, what would you like to see changed?

We can accumulate answers here on our advrider.com thread. Feedback much appreciated!! Don’t pull punches, give it to us straight. We have our own opinions and ideas but we really want to hear yours.

Almost everyone at Mosko has at least one Deluge, and we use them all the time for everything from trail riding, to desert trips, to wearing to work. It’s a great all-around 3-layer rain kit, although that wasn’t what we originally designed it for. The original concept was to pair the Deluge with your primary ADV kit for two layers of waterproofing in a multi-day downpour. Because on a long trip, when it rains hard enough for long enough and you’re riding straight into it, water eventually finds a way in. For the most part though, we ended up wearing the Deluge more often as a standalone rain kit than as an accessory to another kit, and it turned out to be really great for that.

Exhibit A: here’s a pic of Roel and Silke all bundled up in their Deluges (with Fernando in his Jackaloft) at our EU mobile outdoor headquarters last week.

Personally, I love the Deluge and I would hate to see it fade away. I feel like we need a stashable emergency rain layer in the line, and I definitely need one in my own riding kit. If we missed the mark the first time, there’s got to be something we could do better. Was it the price? the color? The features? The sizing?

What would it take to make the most kick-ass packable moto rain layer out there?

What would your ultimate emergency moto rain kit look like?

Here’s my take. I wish the Deluge packed even smaller. This feels a little sacrilegious to say, but maybe for this particular piece I don’t really care if it’s made from a $20/yard branded membrane. Maybe I don’t even care if it’s breathable. Given the short amount of time I’m wearing it, I might be happier with a $99 jacket made from a no-name $5-6/yard fabric that keeps the water and wind out and packs small enough to fit in my fist. I’m still using the Patagonia Houdini jacket in the pics below for mtn bike and moto and I love it. It’s just a windbreaker, not waterproof, but it’s so small that I can stuff it in my tank bag, plus it’s priced at exactly $99. If I tear a small hole I’ll patch it. If I tear a big hole I’ll replace it. Neither has happened yet.

I’d love to see a reinvented Deluge kit that’s similar to the Houdini, but waterproof. A front zip, velcro flap closure on the sleeves to keep out the wind, drawstring at the bottom, removable helmet-friendly hood, and killer price. Maybe with some hand pockets too, which the Houdini doesn’t have. That’s my vote.

New Products & Colors!!

Despite all the delays, it’s so awesome to have new stuff coming in!!

Basilisk Jacket & Pant: the new lichen colorway is so cool!

Workhorse Jersey: This is a really nice 3-season technical jersey designed for higher speed riding and light-duty abrasion protection (light-duty compared to a jacket, it’s heavy-duty compared to another jersey).

Jackaloft: New colorways, plus we loosened up the shoulders and armpits, and stiffened the collar a bit.

Graph Base Layer: This is our superlight graphene wicking base layer, that packs tiny and dries out super fast. This is a great crossover piece, I’ve been using mine for cycling, moto, hiking, etc.

Woodsman ITB/OTB: New colors, plus we increased the rise in response to the many requests.

Strata Base Layer: I am really excited about this one. I realize everyone already has one or several warm base layers that they like, probably something designed for a different sport (like skiing or snowmobiling), and that they tend to last forever. The Strata has some special features for moto travel that make it really unique. For example, the top turns into a cozy and presentable off-bike everyday travel hoodie (i.e pull it over a riding base layer and proudly walk into a bar for that Tinder date), and the bottoms zip-off down the sides so you can remove them without taking off your moto pants and boots (also handy on your Tinder date). Not having to strip on the side of the road to ditch a layer when temperatures rise? Priceless.

New Woodland Colorway

The Woodland colorway production keeps getting delayed. We’re currently expecting them sometime in late September. Man do they ever look cool though. We got final approval samples of the dyed ballistic items a few weeks ago and now we’re in love. They’re not even on the site yet but I already think we should reorder. If the response is as positive as we think, we’ll keep this colorway around for a few seasons.

Here’s what it looks like up against some different bike colors. I didn’t have a big ADV bike around at the time, but you know it’s gonna look cool on a GS or 1290. It’s refreshing to step out of the traditional moto gear colors for a change.

Wildcat Backpacks & Stargazer

We’re adding a colorway to the packs and Reckless bags for 22. We’re (temporarily?) calling it ‘Stargazer.’ It’s another sort of ‘out there’ colorway combining a matte outdoor blue with an intense hit of lime green.

We used some parts and pieces from old DaKine packs to mock it up.

I’ve been using the latest prototype of the smaller Wildcat pack. Between moving to a Tubliss system on my trail bike (no need to pack tubes) and storing tools in the new Gnat handlebar bag (no tools on the back), I’ve reduced what I’m carrying on my back a lot. It’s great. The smaller pack has just enough room for a pump, tow rope, water filter, SOL shelter, snacks, leatherman, and InReach.

New Jerseys Coming!

We have a ton of new jersey designs on the way. These are the ‘quick turn’ jerseys; that’s what we call them internally as a group, although they each have individual names based on the art and neckline. This is our basic, stretchy, summer-weight jersey with fully sublimated graphics that we change out frequently.

Here are a few pics.

We also have a sample of this super cool, super light, hugely open, hot weather mesh jersey. We love it. I love it. The only one small problem is that I took it out riding and it ripped on the first ride. And not in a crash either, I just looked down and there was a hole. I probably caught it on a passing branch. Maybe it was a fluke or maybe not, but I sure wish it hadn’t happened.

We should probably take the rip as a message and drop this style. It’s a bummer to buy something new and rip a hole so soon, even if you knew it was lightweight when you bought it, and even if the company will repair it for free. On the other hand, a super lightweight ventilated jersey like this is really nice on a hot day, and we all kind of intuitively understand that lighter things are generally more fragile. We were riding trails that were overgrown with bushes when this happened. In the desert the jersey might have lasted years. Even with my new wrist vent it still might. I could sew that hole up by hand with a needle and thread in 5 minutes.

Hmmm… what say you? Keep it or kill it?

The Gnat Handlebar Bag

The main challenge I see with the Gnat right now, is how to stop it from bouncing around. Strapping it to the handlebars is convenient but when you load it with something heavy – like tools – it wants to bounce, partly because the straps rotate on the handlebars and partly because the bag itself flexes, even when the rear wall is held still. It sags a little downward and then flops back up, which adds to the bounciness.

I transferred the full contents of my Pinner (which I use for trail riding) into the Gnat.

It’s kind of a shit show inside with all the tools jumbled up. We’re working on a possible solution for that. In the meantime, the handlebars sure are a convenient spot to stash tools on a trail bike, and that’s about the heaviest thing you’d ever use it for which is a good thing for testing. What else are folks storing in their handlebar bags? Snacks, sunglasses, phone, wallet, inreach…

Here’s the old prototype (top) I’ve been using, and the newest prototype (bottom).

Here’s the rear view, with the new version on the right. We added vertical slots so you could attach a Voile strap around your handlebar mounts or risers, running perpendicular to the main straps. I was thinking that would quell the bounce, but it didn’t really work out that way, although maybe it helped a little.

Eventually, I did find something that stops it from bouncing: wrapping a Voile strap around the middle of the whole bag like a belt. Yeah, it’s one more step to get into the bag, but man that thing stays put. Maybe this is something we could build into the bag with an over-strap. I don’t even think it has to be a Voile strap necessarily, it could be just a velcro cinch strap with no elasticity. If you just have a few cliff bars, or if you’re touring not trail riding, you wouldn’t need the strap. This would be an option for heavier loads and more aggressive riding on a smaller bike. I mentioned this to Andrew and he has some ideas.

Body Armor P1 Samples

We got first round samples for a few items of the new Rheon body armor (black in the pics below). This is something I was really excited to get my hands on and I gotta say that although they’re not much to look at right now and they’re still pretty rough, they did not disappoint. To me, that’s further evidence that we’re finally working with the right armor partner.

The pads themselves (shown below) are just for approximate sizing, they were 3D printed not molded. The final version will be cupped to shape, and it will have a similar second layer of finer honeycomb, like what you see in the blue samples below.

The final CE2 pads will look more like these Rheon back protectors, which are SO cool.

This is two different sample sets of knee pad concepts plus one sample set of elbow pads.

Knee concept #1: this is the direction we are leaning, a zip-off tube.

Knee concept #2: this one we really liked the look of as a drawing, but functionally we’re not as crazy about it now. It’s more of a classic moto knee pad design, but made from soft, flexible materials rather than hard ones. What we don’t like is that there’s too much going on with this sample: straps, zippers, seam binding, etc. That is a lot of things adding bulk, potentially rubbing on your skin, and bunching up. It does look cool though.

Just for fun we pulled out some old D30 armor samples we have sitting around to compare the thickness and weight. The Rheon is obviously way lighter and thinner at this stage, although it’s not a fair comparison yet as these 3D printed Rheon prototypes aren’t the final CE2 product, and I’m not even sure D30 still sells these old Xergo pads, which were especially large and bulky. That said, you could double the thickness of the Rheon pads and they would still be substantially lighter and more flexible.

It’s pretty cool how pads made from non-newtonian liquid turn hard on impact. You can slowly push a hammer into the soft pad (which is what we’re doing in the pics below), but when you actually hit the pad with a hammer, the material turns hard. Both Rheon and D30 use the same technology to accomplish that, Rheon just uses a higher percentage of that technology in a smaller, more ventilated, more flexible package. It would be cool to have a little ‘testing center’ in our show booth where riders can play with all this stuff at events.

These are the impact shorts. They fit surprisingly well for a P1. The pads seemed a little low and forward, but that’s an easy fix.

Between the new Graph base layer, the new elbow and knee pads, and the impact shorts, it was pretty cool to be totally kitted in Mosko gear for the first time including armor. Everything but the socks.

After 7 hours on the bike I had some feedback. Mostly it was normal stuff you’d expect on a P1. The fact that these prototypes were even test-ridable at all, was a notable victory from my perspective.

I had some issues with the elbow and knee pads binding in the crux of the joint on the inside, and also some issues with the tops of both pads slipping. There are some sizing issues, and strap placement issues, and materials issues, and trim issues. Normal stuff, most of which we were already aware of before riding. I took lots of notes and pics. But overall my first impression was surprisingly positive and the issues were minor. One thing I really loved, was the materials package we’re using.

Here you can see the thigh band slipping down and working its way under the pad while riding. The armor pad itself stayed in place even as that was happening, because the calf portion of the tube had a solid grip and didn’t budge.

A Gear Hauler

It’s time to tackle a gear hauler. Everyone has one, everyone needs one, most of us aren’t entirely satisfied with the ones we’ve owned before, and the assortment of available options doesn’t change much. It’s a fun bag to think about. I took this pic of what I personally take to the trailhead for a ‘normal’ afternoon of riding on our local trails. It’s a LOT of stuff, way more than other sports.

The gear above easily packs out this 145L duffle I’ve been using as a gear bag. That’s a huge duffle, and that’s just for a day of trail riding. What about a week in Moab or Baja? What about fly-in trips? What about airline checked bag size (62 linear inches) and weight restrictions (50 lbs)?

We reached out to a pro named Graeme that Dave, Scottie, and Andrew know from DaKine. Roller bags and gear haulers are his specialty. Graeme: welcome aboard and thanks for helping! The project already feels like it’s off to a great start.

We found ourselves resuscitating this ancient DaKine split roller from my garage, which was created way back before airlines started cracking down on their weight and size restrictions. This bag was ahead of its time. There were some minor technical problems but maybe they’re solvable now. It was a super cool concept that never fully caught on. The bag splits in two: both sides can be checked separately or tossed in a pickup, then reattached at the destination for transport.

Heavy duty rollers.

We like the idea of multiple insert bags that velcro in place but which can be removed and packed separately if needed. The idea is that for trailhead use, the bag can be like a normal gear hauler with a natural spot for boots, helmet, goggles, etc. But for longer trips (ie Baja/Moab) or fly-in trips, it splits and expands into a cavernous space for all your stuff, and takes full advantage of every inch of the 2 x 62 linear inches that’s included with your international flight. You can shuffle things between the two bags to keep each one under 50lbs.

Laptop Cases

For over a year now, we’ve been talking about creating some kind of moto-specific adaptation of our buddy Juan’s cool carbon fiber laptop cases. The project hadn’t progressed much until recently, because both Juan and we have been distracted. A few weeks ago Juan visited the shop, and we got excited all over again.

A sticking point previously was the high cost of carbon fiber. As cool as it is, we felt like a $350 case was bound to have limited adoption. Many of us are carrying older, beat up computers and/or smaller netbooks or iPads for moto travel. We felt like the cost of the case shouldn’t exceed the value of what’s in it. Last week we received some aluminum prototypes that look great. Aluminum reduces the cost by approximately half, while the original carbon cases will still be available from Juan directly on his website.

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We have all the parts and pieces now to assemble three different sizes for testing.

One thing about carbon, it sure is light! The aluminum cases currently weigh about 1.6kg (compared to .9kg) but we can reduce that by using a thinner aluminum sheet and adding cutouts. The current aluminum panels seem a bit thicker and heavier than we really need.

Basilisk & Rak Updates

The Basilisk & Rak are both back on the design table, so if you have any special requests please chime in. Especially if you own one of these already!

One of the challenges with redesigning the Rak, is that simplicity is the goal. Yet we feel like now that we’ve been riding with it for over a year there are a few things we want to add. One of them is a kangaroo pocket. We didn’t include this on the first version and we wished we had. It’s a partial nod to the top-down storage pockets on ADV jackets, and also a partial nod to the classic Anorak styling. Plus we pick up an extra layer of waterproofing on the front of the jacket, which shouldn’t be necessary but never hurts. The coolest thing about this pocket is that it’s so big, that you can easily grab dinner at your last gas stop of the day, or a couple beers, or whatever and stuff it in there. It’ll be the largest pocket you’ve ever had on a moto jacket guaranteed: it’s a large, functional storage spot and I have no doubt that it will get used in ways we haven’t even imagined.

You could even do this, although I’m not sure why you’d want to.

We’re also adding a removable hood. After using the Rak on several trips when it rained, we missed having a hood around camp, and if we’re adding a hood for off-bike use then we might as well make it helmet-friendly too. The first version you see here was a serious storm hood, like something you’d take to the ski hill. This was overkill, plus it doesn’t play well with helmets, so we’re taking it down a few notches on the next round.

The Basilisk pant is getting a massive forward-facing thigh vent, although we’re still working on the details. It’ll probably have a sizable storm flap, and the top flap will probably snap back when open. Here you can see Scottie testing two different styles.

We tried this cool magnetic waist closure but it doesn’t grip very well.

The Basilisk jacket is in for a complete overhaul.

We added a radio/inreach loop.

We added forearm vents in addition to bicep vents.

The wrist cuffs are huge. Too huge.

We’re using this awesome heavy-duty tricot on the inside, which unfortunately the mill is saying will be very hard to get in the small quantities we need, but we’re pushing for it anyway.

We added a little hidden money/ID stash pocket behind the label.

It seems like a lot of zippers, but there’s nothing here to delete. We might storm-flap the two main chest vents to reduce visual clutter and provide additional grime/water protection. The main center zip already has an internal flap with double gutters, but those vent zips are pretty exposed and they go all the way through. On the other hand, flaps block a lot of airflow and make the zippers a bit harder to operate. This needs testing.

I took the Basilisk – in this epic ‘salmon’ colorway that eVent supplied for our samples – out for a 4 night solo trip on the KTM 1290. It was summer and very warm outside.

This is how it looked with all vents and the main zipper open. After a while of riding like this to test the full extent of the airflow, which is considerable, I did what the jacket was designed to do and stashed it on the bike. It stayed there for most of the trip except in the chilly mornings and some brief periods of rain. The Basilisk doesn’t roll as small as the Rak, but it has a lot more abrasion protection and it still gets pretty small compared to most other moto jackets.

The leather on the pants had some major scuffs after just a few days. This is a known issue. We’re working on sourcing a new leather for all our pants. It doesn’t wear all the way through, it just surface-scuffs too easily.

The trip itself was a blast. It was a mix of woods and desert, high speed pavement and dirt. I came back really stoked on all the revisions. The Basilisk is an awesome kit. I love it now like I did the first year it came out. It’s a good clean shell for enduro touring made from the best materials, with just the basic features you need and nothing else. The eVent breathes better than anything on the market, and with the superfabric overlay on the shoulders, arms, chest/back, knees, and butt, it can take a serious hit.

Trail Pant & Softshell Jacket

We have so many versions of the new trail pant either in-house or on the way that I can hardly keep track. We ultimately decided this should become two pants: one for extreme hot weather and desert riding, and the other for 3-season athletic trail riding and mountains. It’s a little confusing, because for trail riding – which is sportier than touring – even a 3-season pant will have some mesh. Trail riding, we run hot.

This pant is getting closer to the right shape and fit, but almost everything else needs to change. The blue is hot and itchy, the black at the calf feels like lingerie, we’re eliminating a pocket, and the waist cinch is still a place-holder. We’re inching toward a pant we like. The end is in sight.

These are a size too big for me but you get the idea. I wore them until I couldn’t take the itching.

This is another version of the same pant, which Andrew wore in Death Valley last year. We like the materials package on these much better. The black is a sturdy, stretchy, dense mesh from Schoeller. It’s tough and breathable. We think that mesh is a winner, and could be great on a 3-season trail pant.

We’re still working on the softshell trail jacket. It has two hand pockets, a lumbar pocket, and a chest pocket, all of which transform into vents. You can use them as either vents or pockets but not both, since stuff would fall out.

IR Pant

I have these pics of the updated prototype of the IR pant. “IR” stands for “Integrated Removable,” because it’s a shell kit (no inside liner) with the ability to quickly and easily add or remove Rheon’s soon-to-come armor pads. I only got to play with them for a day before they were sent to Brittany up in BC, but I liked what I saw. When we get them back we’ll take them riding.

Back on the Road!

After an exceedingly weird and stationary year in 2020, the Mosko road show is back. We thought we’d be back in April but some early events got canceled, while others were moved to later in the year.

The first event was a meetup in Portland at the legendary See See Motor Coffee Co. Most of the Mosko team participated, and a ton of our friends and fellow riders from the area showed up. It was awesome to see everyone in person finally! Thanks to all who came and made this event a success.

Ash and I did a brief presentation on Mosko’s “Year of the COVID.”

From there, after a week with friends in the desert, we headed to Great Falls Montana for the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association rally. This event is always killer. It was packed and so, so busy. We were out of stock on nearly everything so we didn’t take orders, but it was great to see everyone and show off the new gear. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the 2021 show season.

It rained hard one day so we packed up the booth and went inside to check out the other vendors. Everyone was happy and busy.

This is our buddy Eric in the bottom right (in the cap) with his new business Ruby Moto. They make badass accessory lights, and the BMW MOA was his first event. His filthy GS display got lots of attention.

Takeout dinner with the Mosko team on the last night; this is after setup, three days in the booth, and tear down; squeezed between rigs at the Great Falls fairground RV park. It was a great show and a great feeling. This team works hard!!

After BMW MOA, we headed to the Northern California IMS show at Sonoma Raceway. This was the first of 9 outdoor Progressive IMS shows, and the first of their new summer format. In the past, IMS shows always happened indoors in the winter. Last winter they were canceled due to COVID, so the organizers did something they wanted to do anyway: changed the IMS to an outdoor summer show, which is better for bike demos.

This was our first opportunity to setup our new awning, which arrived in parts & pieces just days before leaving. JC installed it just in time. It’s a legless awning made by EIDE Industries; the kind of thing you might see at a NASCAR race. It’s a sweet piece of show kit and remarkably compact to transport and easy to setup. The awning held up great in Sonoma’s strong afternoon winds, and the booth looked better than ever.

This is the Sonoma show from above.

The foot traffic in the vendor area was not what we’d hoped, although we heard the OEMs were happy because their demo rides were fully booked. Attendance was around 14,000 people, which is a large number of people no matter how you look at it, but it’s still only about half of the attendance at the last NorCal indoor IMS. It felt much slower on the vendor booth side of things. Maybe people were doing demos and leaving right after, maybe there was an issue with the flow and layout of the event, or maybe it was the wrong weekend, wrong location, insufficient marketing, COVID, or whatever. Who knows. The IMS planners are some of the most experienced operators out there, they’re working on it, and I think we’ll see better outcomes for the rest of the tour.

In Sonoma we had plenty of time to tinker with the booth, chill, watch movies, brainstorm ideas for the next show, take naps, shoot the shit with friends in nearby booths, etc. We had a good time and it was cool to test the new setup even if it was sort of a disaster financially. Being outside is a lot nicer than being inside, so we really want the outdoor format to work. We’ll do everything we can to make that happen.

After IMS we headed to PJ & Co in Reno, NV for our first-ever Reno meetup. Man this was such a blast. The owner of PJ’s is super cool, and he already knew Mosko and had some of our gear. We offered free drinks and appetizers on the Mosko tab, and about 50-60 folks came through over the 5 hours we were there. There was plenty of one-on-one time and we made some great connections with Reno riders. As soon as we get some inventory, we want to pack the calendar with meetups.

Rather than riding in the main Mosko rig, I followed along with my van and stopped to mountain bike and car camp along the way. That was a nice way to break up the road trip and squeeze some extra summer out of the summer.

The smoke in Northern California and Southern Oregon was bad. It almost reminded me of last summer in the Gorge, although not quite as bad as that yet.

It’s weird to do shows without inventory. A lot of other companies backed off on their show and marketing plans for the year. We briefly discussed that, but decided to get on the road regardless. Shows for us are less about actual sales and orders and more about the connections we make and the product feedback we collect, plus spreading the word about who we are and what we’re up to. If all goes according to plan we should be fully stocked soon, and we can finally get these supply chain issues behind us.

Next stops: Chicago IMS (Aug 20-22), Overland Expo Mountain West (Aug 27-29), and Carlisle, PA IMS (Sept 10-12). Hope to see you out there somewhere!

Harley Davidson Pan America 1250 & Mosko Moto Backcountry Panniers

Big thanks to the rider who arrived in Reno with his new Harley Davidson Pan America setup with Mosko bags. He answered a question we’ve been getting a lot lately, which is this:

‘Will the Mosko Moto Backcountry 35 panniers fit the Harley Davidson Pan America pannier racks?’

The answer: ‘Yes’

I’m trying to use all the right keywords here so that if someone googles that question they will find this post and pics. The stock Harley Davidson racks are made by SW Motech and they have the classic SW Motech shape, which our Mosko pucks were designed to fit. There is no special adapter required. Plug & play. Looks great.

Assorted Pics

Here’s an assortment of other pics from the last few months. Some even have captions. Enjoy!

Welcome lunch for Bear.

Bear took the company truck & trailer out to Jackson, WY to get all his stuff and relocate it to White Salmon. He picked up a new bike for Jack on the way.

Here’s Donzi and Roland, the other 2/3rds of Ryan’s family, in the desert a few weeks ago.

Jesse Rosten aka @onelostmoto

The new showroom is coming along well. This should be done in the next few weeks.

HVAC upgrades. Thanks Jonathan! It’s awesome to have friends from other parts of our lives pop up in the Mosko story. Our good friend Jonathan did all the HVAC work in the new-to-us (but otherwise quite old) building.

We have this awesome old door, which could be an original from the early 1900s construction, but you cannot fit a GS through, so unfortunately it’s got to go.

Minibike maintenance

Proto as fuck. Another of Joel’s DIY carbon creations (Joel is Sammy’s BF).

Ash’s 30th birthday dinner was roadside iced tea and tacos in Madras, OR on the 8 hour drive to the desert. This is not everyone’s idea of an epic 30th, but we made up for it later.

Our graphic designer Dan Cox donated a couple new chairs to the marketing office. These will also be used in his upcoming wedding (congrats Dan + Jo!). They help class-up the place, but that carpet’s got to go.

Our buddy Russ patented this cool new inflatable awning design for vehicles using kiteboard technology and materials. It can be mounted anywhere on any vehicle: car, van, or truck, on the back, side, etc. It packs small and deploys with magnets, no fixed mounts are required. You can easily move it between vehicles or connect it to your buddy’s vehicle. It’s a neat system. This is his first prototype. The company is called ‘Daylodge,’ but there’s not even a website yet. Keep an eye out!

New graphics kit on the Mosko T7. It was a puzzle to apply. Nice work Ryan!

More Joel creations.

Photo credit for this and the desert shots above @traceymac99. Thanks Tracey!!

Elephant in the Room

2 Replies

May 21, 2021

I’ll start with the elephant in the room: we are still sold out of almost everything.

We’re about 45 days from remedying that situation, although we’ll receive a small shipment by air later this week and then run out again. From the first week of July forward, things should look a lot more normal. In the history of Mosko we’ve never been sold out of so many things for so long. We don’t like disappointing riders who want our gear for upcoming trips this summer. Nor do we like having operating expenses without revenue.

This is happening because – back in 2020 – we were too conservative with our 2021 sales forecast. At that time we had modest expectations for the year ahead. Starting in February, we saw a huge spike of orders that has not let up since. We quickly used up all the inventory we’d built for Q1, plus we used up all our safety stock as well. When we saw what was happening we ramped up production, but that inventory won’t arrive until July.

The whole outdoor market is heated right now. After a year of being cooped up, everyone is back outdoors with their bicycles, motos, vans, campers, boats, tents, 4x4s, etc. Sooner or later things are bound to return to normal, at a level that’s higher than before the pandemic but lower than the peak. We don’t want to have a mountain of inventory, credit, and overhead when that happens. We scaled up a lot already to get here.

The business hustle of the last 12 months, combined with less show travel and more time to brainstorm, design, and ride, has given our product development a major boost. Ideas are flowing, and we’re awash with new prototypes and samples. Nearly everyone on the team is vaccinated, and we’re all back in the shop together for the first time in over a year. It’s a great feeling.

Lots to catch up on, and many pics to share.

Welcome Ryan, Azure, Fernando, and Bear!

We have some new team members to announce.

Ryan Turner )@eatsleepmotobeer) is joining our team as Field Sales Manager. If you visit us at a show or meetup this summer, you’re bound to meet him. Previously Ryan worked for a beer distributor in Colorado, and he recently relocated to the Northwest to join Mosko. He rides a KTM 890 and he’s about to get a KTM 300 for trail. Here’s Ryan on his first day, just seconds after walking through the door at the old shop.

Azure O’Neil is joining our team part time, working remotely from Florida, to help plan, schedule, and produce our annual event tour. Azure previously spent 5 years living off her 1989 Honda Transalp XL600V and traveling all over the world. She’s part of the core team that puts on Overland Expo. Here’s Azure on Day 1 in White Salmon, ready to dive into our show schedule with Ryan and Ash.

Fernando Engui joined Mosko in Customer Service last week. Fernando is based in Munich, Germany, and he speaks Spanish and English fluently, plus he’s learning German. He’ll be working closely with both our US and EU sales/service teams. Previously he was Area Sales Manager at BMW in Mexico City. He rides a BMW F850GS and a Husky 250 for trails. Since Fernando’s in Germany, we did his ‘welcome’ over Zoom.

Bear (aka Tom Hoffman) started this week. His first job is to build our new showroom in White Salmon – including hosting customers when they visit – and he’ll be managing the Bates Mototel (Mosko’s free moto campground) as well. In addition to many other projects. For the last 10 years Bear has been living in Wyoming, running a snowcat at Jackson Hole Resort in the winter and spending summers in his ambulance conversion project the ‘Overlandulance.’ Bear rides an Africa Twin for touring and a KTM 530, which he’s about to swap for a NW woods bike.

Welcome aboard all!!

The Wildcat 12L & 7L Backpacks

We’re so stoked on the new pack. We got a box of prototypes just before we left for the team ride in Utah, and several of us used them on that trip. Here are some pics of the 12L version. We’re actually one generation beyond this now, but these are the most thorough pics I have.

These shoulder adjustment straps have moved inside the pack itself. They’re no longer visible on the shoulder strap. Set it and forget it.

The Wildcat carries 3L of water. An internal debate we had recently, was whether to stick with the lumbar hydration reservoir or change to the standard vertical torso reservoir. After experimenting with the lumbar for several months, we decided the torso shape was better. Some of the reasons are: 1) it allows for more functional space in the main pack compartment, 2) it keeps the weight closer to your body (although higher), and 3) it opens up more pack volume as you consume water throughout the day.

This MOLLE panel can be used for things like a first aid kit, fuel bottle storage, lash points, etc.

The beavertail expands with this side zip.

Also a mesh drain panel.

These are tool holders. For a manual air pump, loppers, etc.

This pocket will have a bunch of internal organization.

There will be a small clear pocket inside of the beavertail, for an ID tag with ownership info.

The back panel will be made from compression-molded EVA foam.

The construction will be similar to this panel from another pack Andrew designed at DaKine.

It will come with a waist strap, which is easily removable with a gated clip.

The harness is extremely adjustable to fit many different size torsos, From little Ash at 5’5″ up to me at 6’3.”

The shoulder harness connects to this removable chest rig. We’ve gone back and forth on the chest rig. We all like it, but it makes the fitment challenging for folks on the outer edges of the size spectrum (large or small). It doesn’t get wider or thinner for different body types. We’re continuing with it anyway, since so many of us dig it.

We’re also introducing a smaller version of the pack, the Wildcat 7L. It has the same shoulder harness on a more streamlined bag with less volume, fewer features, and a smaller reservoir.

These packs were a long time coming. Andrew designed many packs at DaKine, so it’s neat to see that experience in action on our own designs. I can easily see more packs, hip bags, and possibly a tactical vest as natural extensions. All of those have been requested at one time or another. Most of us have at least 3-4 different packs, hip bags, and vests for various sports in our closets, so this will be a fun (albeit crowded) category to play in.

Mosko/Rheon Body Armor

After years of frustration with body armor, we’re embracing the inevitable: it’s time to make our own. All the armor companies are so focused on track, race, and mountain bike that nobody (other than us) seems all that interested in travel and trail. Plus most body armor flows through the traditional MX supply chain superhighway, with factories selling to importers selling to distributors selling to retailers. Everyone takes a bite. The retail price of a typical roost guard, kneepad, or elbow pad has so much distribution cost built into it, that it would be hard for those companies to do anything super interesting design-wise.

We’re not tackling this solo. We’ve partnered up with a company called Rheon Labs, a relationship that emerged last year from an advrider.com connection. Rheon is a relatively new company (2017) with patents on a cutting edge new technology that we think will be the new gold standard in protective gear. Their patents cover a higher percentage of non-Newtonian liquid than D30, formed into auxetic shapes that compress in a specific way for a specific outcome (like a shoe sole). They can use less material for the same amount of protection, with better ventilation and less weight. It’s more protective, more breathable, more flexible, and a hell of a lot more comfortable than anything we’ve ever seen.

These pics are of a Rheon CE1 Type A, whereas our pads will be CE2 with more coverage. Scottie brought these samples to a team dinner at Ames’ house so we could all inspect them in person. The reaction was strong and visceral. The material itself, the auxetic shapes, the flexibility, the light weight, the huge ventilation holes: this is the armor we’ve been searching for.

We froze one of the pads and, like other non-Newtonian pads, they do get brittle and eventually snap if you bend them back and forth a few times frozen. However because of the open shape, they also warm up very fast once they’re close to your body. Like <30 seconds out of the freezer.

We’re working with Rheon to develop a chest, back, & shoulder harness combo, plus separate knee, elbow, and hip solutions. We want something vaguely similar in shape and concept to MX armor, but more protective, not as stiff, and not as hot. Something you can live in all day for weeks/months/years. It has to be tough enough for countless get offs, easy to clean, compatible with apparel layering, and we don’t want to look like gladiators.

This project is still in its infancy. Stay tuned.

New Apparel Designs

This is the first sample of a new design we’re calling the “IR” jacket and pant. IR stands for ‘Integrated/Removable’ and it refers specifically to the body armor. The idea is to make a liner-free shell jacket, with some (but not all) of the classic ADV touring features like storm flaps and top down pockets, plus an integrated version of Rheon’s badass armor technology, applied in such a way that it’s extra easy to insert or remove when you want to switch between separate & integrated armor. On hotter, mostly dirt trips, you’d run it with separate body armor so you can roll it up small and stash it on the bike. For commuting and/or cold weather pavement trips, you’d leave the integrated pads in.

First impression, first prototype: it looks amazing. I would wear this jacket. There are still a ton of details to sort out though. We’re hoping this one will be ready for 2022.

We experimented with this zig-zag tightening strap in a tunnel on the sleeve. It doesn’t really work – too much friction, too many bends – but it looks cool. It might work with a few minor edits.

A key to this jacket is the idea of laminating armor pockets to the inside of the shell, rather than suspending the pads in a loosely fitted, hanging inside liner. The armor pockets in this first sample are just for illustration, they’re not to actual size. We’re still waiting for insert prototypes from Rheon.

We’re also playing with this stuff called ‘Block Tapey’ to hold the armor pads in place, and make it possible to adjust their position. Block Tapey is like big chunky velcro strips. Funny name, cool stuff.

I have a finished-looking sample of the new Woodsman OTB (over-the-boot). Hopefully I can test it this weekend. It looks and feels great, like a finished product.

In Moab a few weeks ago, Andrew was testing a new mesh trail pant concept. This was a first round proto but he wore it for the entire week, with mostly positive feedback. I’m digging this mesh material. It feels super tough. The pants are in my hands now and I’ll be testing them as soon as it’s warm enough.

This is a prototype of a new soft shell trail jacket, sort of a ‘top half’ to go with the ‘bottom half’ Woodsman. The jacket itself looks great. Some of us are really into it, while others are questioning where it fits in their riding kit. The idea is for a warm but not too warm, non-waterproof, stretchy outer layer designed for desert and trail riding. It’s windproof, and would work great under an outer shell or as an outer layer on its own. Thoughts? We’re still moving forward, we like the jacket a lot.

Along similar lines, I’ve been digging on Scottie’s Patagonia Houdini windbreaker that has been sitting in the shop these past few weeks. It rolls up so small that you can literally stick it in your pocket. It’s not waterproof, just a wind layer. The only trouble for moto is that it wouldn’t hold up in a crash. Still, it’s only $100 retail which is a pretty good value. I just ordered one for mountain biking. Something like this but a bit tougher is something I’d love for trail. Tiny, inexpensive, ultra-packable.

Woodland: New Bag Colorway

We have a new bag colorway called ‘Woodland’ on the way. The orange colorway we introduced earlier this year was popular, and maybe we will bring it back in the future. This new colorway is a little less of a crowd pleaser, and a little more eclectic, but we love it too. We want to start messing with more nuanced colorways than what you’d normally expect from moto luggage. Most moto bags with color follow the same simple formula: swap a PVC/PU/Vinyl fabric panel to a basic color – often a motorcycle OEM color like red, blue, orange, green, or caution yellow – and/or change the color of the webbing. That’s what we did on the orange colorway and it worked out pretty well, but it wasn’t all that unique.

Now we’ll be experimenting with some more interesting outdoor and natural colors. The Woodland is actually a sort of green, with orange hits (but not caution or KTM orange). On the sewn seam bags we’re not only swapping the PU but also dying the Ballistic as well, which is something we haven’t done in the past. We don’t expect this to sell as fast as the orange, but hopefully it marks the beginning of a new direction for Mosko color wise. Is it too much of a departure from what people are used to? I guess we’ll find out.

New Tank Bags

We got new samples of the Gnome, Nomini, and Neco, as well as a new handlebar bag we’re tentatively calling the Gnat. All look great, and have been getting used a lot on our own personal bikes these past 4 weeks. These are basically ready for production.

Lee’s Knob

In Moab, a bunch of us tested a new mounting system Lee developed for the Reckless 80 (and 40 and 10) that we’re affectionately calling ‘Lee’s Knob.’ The idea is a metal knob that mounts on the bike, and a horseshoe-like connector on the harness that slides onto the knob. There’s a set screw on top to stop it from coming off, and the whole system is tensioned by the front leg straps, entirely eliminating the need for rear straps. It keeps the bag firmly in place, and makes it impossible for the harness to list to one side or the other (always an issue with rackless bags).

This is something that could be included with new R80s and retrofitted to old ones, or offered as a standalone upgrade depending on the cost. We tried it on 5 different bikes and it was crashed on and abused without a single issue. Lee is making a few more tweaks, but even as it stands right now I’m super into it. A bunch of us are also using Voile straps to replace the webbing on the legs, which is also working great and pairs well with the Knob.

I feel like our next round of improvements to the R80 should be on the mounting system more so than the bag itself. The nylon straps we currently use were a good way to get the ball rolling, and it’s great how easily they transition from one bike to another, but we all feel like there’s still an evolution yet to come, which is long overdue.

The Bates Mototel

The Bates Mototel is open! Come visit us in White Salmon!

This is our free backyard campground for moto travelers. This year we have more parking, so we’re also opening it up to friends-of-Mosko who are van, truck, and car camping. It’s a steep hill to get up there, so 4×4 is preferred although not always necessary. There’s no trailer turnaround, and not enough space for RVs although we do occasionally make an exception. If you want to stop by, contact Mosko customer service at moskomoto (at) moskomoto (dot) com.

This spring we made a number of significant improvements to the Mototel, with the help of our good friends Geoff and Reynaldo. First Geoff built this badass cedar platform for the wall tent (aka the ‘Dusty Lizard Lounge’).

Then Reynaldo built an outdoor kitchen and shower, also from cedar.

The end result looks awesome. Nice work and THANK YOU Geoff and Rey. You guys are the coolest.

The first early season crew came through while I was in Utah. Sorry to miss you guys!

If you want a Mototel sticker, you gotta’ come and get it. There’s a stack on the bar in the tent.

If that layout looks familiar, it’s from this:

Mosko’s New-To-Us HQ

Back in January, Mosko acquired a new HQ in downtown White Salmon. Since then our buddy Steve has been inside with his construction crew clearing out old walls, painting, and getting it move-in ready. The building was last improved in 2009 and it was vacant for over a year, so it needed some love.

Here’s what it looks like now. This is the upstairs. There’s a downstairs too, which is where the CS team lives and where the new showroom will eventually be. We’re still moving in, hanging pictures, etc. This building will be a long term project.

It’s exciting to have a permanent home, for the first time in the 8 years since we started Mosko. We came back from Moab fully vaccinated, moved into the new building, and all moved back into the office after more than a year of mostly working from home. Plus the mask requirement was lifted, and we can hug and shake again. It’s a great feeling. Like before but better, because we’d missed it so much.

The building was built in the 1920s and it has at various times been a bar, restaurant, and aerospace company. At one point it was even a Safeway.

Other Stuff

Here’s a collection of some other stuff from the last few months.

New box stamps.

Here’s a useful way to rig stuff like fuel bottles or a camp chair on a Reckless 80 harness. Maybe we can build this into the bag somehow, like with a passthrough for Voile straps.

We’re getting back on the road no holds barred, starting in July. We’ll be at every sizable event that’ll have us, including all the IMS shows, BMW Rally, KTM Rally, Overland Expo, and a ton of meetups. Ash, Ryan, Azure, JC, and I are ready to roll. Our first meetup – kind of a shakedown run – is June 9th at the famous See See Motorcycles in Portland. Stoked for that!

With so much new product to display, we’re also redesigning the booth. We’re adding a 40′ awning to the show trailer, so the trailer will now be part of the display, and it’ll also be a changing (and break/nap) room.

JC built a sick new tilt trailer (starting with an old steel deckover flatbed from craigslist) to haul the you know what(s) to that thing and that other thing in the desert.

Most of us did this.

This was sitting on my laptop one morning. It’s a banana protector. For camping. Turns out everyone at Mosko got one. Unfortunately our bananas don’t fit inside very well, but it’s the thought that counts.

Our buddy Enrique got one of these sick Sur-Ron electric bikes. Man these things are fun to ride. It’s neat to see a new category. It’s not an e-bike but not an electric dirt bike either. It’s something new. Don’t you just want one? Man, I do.

Jesse Robinson – formerly ‘Jesse the Intern’ and now ‘Jesse the Design School Graduate and Freelance Designer Who Lives a Block Away From HQ’ – is working on an update to the large MOLLE pouch. He has some cool ideas.

Roel’s new van wrap!

Time to choose some colors! The person on the right side of the table with Dave, is Brittany Crook. She’s a freelance designer based in Canada, who worked with Andrew and Scottie at DaKine, and before that at ArcTeryx. She’s the mastermind behind the soon-to-be IR jacket. She rides too.

In Sweden: R80s for snow travel!

Azure, traveling on her way out to meet us in Grand Junction, CO for the team ride, stopped to attend a wedding. In her moto boots.

Beans. Lots of beans. This is how we measure the volume of a bag.

New box inserts arrived.

Mosko Spring 2021 Team Ride

Here are some pics from the Mosko team ride. To Moab and beyond. It was a blast. Except for Lee breaking his leg (again) and Forest tearing his ACL/MCL (also again). We had 17 people on the ride, so a few crashes were inevitable, but all of us really feel for the two guys reliving past injuries. That could’ve been any of us: you took one for the team. We owe you. Heal up fast!

Also, here are some shout-outs to people who really made this trip special.

Our friends Alex, Penny, John, Barak, Michael, Jeff, & Crew at Motodiscovery Tours & Training in Grand Junction, CO. They provided training for those who wanted it, a guide for the ‘green trail’ group, and backup support for the entire trip. Including evacuating Lee when he broke his leg. You guys are the best!!
My buddy Mike aka ‘Taco Mike’ from Taco Moto in Las Vegas who, when my bike started acting up just days before the trip, said ‘stop by Las Vegas on the way to Utah and I’ll take the engine out of my bike and put it in yours.’ And then he did just that, so I had a bike to ride. That’s a friend indeed.
Our new friend Eric Waterfall from Ruby Moto lighting in Ogden, for surprising us at our campsite near Moab with his converted school bus overland vehicle, and coolers full of drinks, food, and cooking supplies for 17. No freeze dried backpacking meals were eaten at that camp. We are getting soft.
Our new friends Scott & Julie at 3 Step Hideaway, a super cool stopover on any Utah ADV trip. What an epic spot and great people. The woodfire hot tub, the dinner and breakfast, the killer location, the friendly owners, and sleeping in a teepee were memorable.
Cheers to our buddy Ned Suesse from Doubletake Mirror for rolling in with coolers full of beer, for the wheelie demonstrations and advice on White Rim trail, and for being such an epic dude and big personality.

It’s hard to find people you travel with well, especially a whole company full of people you also happen to work with. The experience of building Mosko has been like one long awesome moto ride in some wild place. I’m happy the team trips are still so fun and organic despite the larger size. Everyone splits up, most of us navigate for ourselves, and everyone rides their own ride at their own pace. Somehow we all meetup at night (usually). Minimal logistics, minimal drama. Love this crew.

To Mexico & Beyond!

1 Reply

March 11, 2021

Ash and I just returned from a month in Mexico on our KTM 1290s. We staged in Borrego Springs, crossed the border at Mexicali, rode down Baja to La Paz, took the ferry across to the Mainland, and returned to Borrego via Copper Canyon and Bahia Kino. After an exceptionally stationary year it was awesome to cross a border and ride.

On the trip, I thought a lot about gear (as usual), and also about Mosko as a whole and how much things have changed over the last 8 years. Below is our first blog post from 2013. At this point Andrew and I had been messing around with design ideas for about six months, and we had just decided to get serious about starting a business. This is the whole post:

“My buddy Andrew and I are on a mission to create the best adventure-touring motorcycle luggage on the market. This blog will track our progress.

This is partially about the bags, and partially about building a business.

The adventure begins!”

We’re still on that same mission, except now I would add the product categories of apparel (launched in 2019) and protection (coming for 2022). Because there are 19 of us, I would also expand the sentence “This blog will track our progress” to include “as seen through my eyes.” These days our team is working on many different projects simultaneously, but what you see in the blog is just my personal perspective. This is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a diary.

I’d still call Mosko an ‘adventure’ even though it’s not exactly life threatening. It’s an adventure in the sense that we don’t know what’s ahead, the outcome is uncertain, and there’s a lot on the line. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and I’m so stoked on our team. Everyone works hard, everyone gets along, and everyone rides. We all use the products and we all help create them. I can’t imagine anything I’d rather do, or any crew I’d rather do it with.

In terms of where we’re headed on this adventure, the Mosko product line is still expanding. In 2019 we added riding apparel, and in 2022 we’ll be introducing our own line of CE2 body armor in partnership with our friends at Rheon Labs. We’ll also be introducing trail riding gear, because most of us have a dirt bike in the garage. That’s in addition to expanding and upgrading the things we’re already doing. The point is not to get bigger, we just want to make cool products, stoke out the riding community, and have fun.

Product Availability & Timing

For anyone who is waiting on product: I’m so sorry for all the stockouts. All our major bag systems should be back in stock next week. The whole motorcycle industry has been bonkers since last summer because of COVID, and we’re caught up in that too.

Black Friday 2020 was much bigger than we expected. That’s what totally cleaned us out of inventory. We sold more on Black Friday weekend than we did in the entire 90 days of Q1 2020. The inventory we received since then has not been enough to satisfy the people waiting, so it sold out in just a few days. At the moment we have two more ‘normal size’ shipments arriving soon, one next week and one in May. Then we have a huge shipment arriving mid-summer (July-ish). I wish we could speed all that up, but our lead times are ~5-6 months right now.

If you are waiting on a product, be sure to click the ‘Notify Me When Available’ button on the product page on our website. We don’t have any products that have more people on the waiting list than we have in units coming, so everyone who gets a notification should be able to purchase. After that it just depends on sales.

Apparel is also delayed for 2021. Last year, because of COVID, it took forever to turnaround prototypes, and we lost approximately two months of development time. We didn’t finalize our PO until December. Apparel should begin arriving in June assuming no further surprises.

Some riders were also peeved about the DirtyBird sale selling out so fast. We were more surprised about that than anyone. We had over 300 things to sell – way more than in prior years – and they were gone immediately. That’s not what we expected and I apologize for anyone who was disappointed. We’re looking into ways to manage it differently next year.

Dave Trenholm, welcome aboard!

I want to welcome Dave Trenholm to our design team. Dave joined Mosko from DaKine in Hood River, where he worked with Andrew, Scott, Beth, & Julia. Dave spent 10 years at DaKine, most recently as Product Line Manager for technical packs, luggage, and snow. At Mosko he’ll have a split role: part Product Line Manager and part Product Developer.

Dave recently picked up a new Beta 430 to use for both trail and touring. Our trend of one-small-bike-to-do-it-all riders at Mosko continues. Welcome aboard Dave!!

Mexico Gear Notes

We always come back from a trip with a laundry list of thoughts on gear, some about things we liked and some about things we didn’t. Here are a few of mine from this trip.

Locking: We used the light duty combo locks on this trip, which we both prefer over the larger heavy duty keyed locks. They pack small, don’t require a key, and work awesome. The lock rolls up and tucks into the little neoprene pocket behind the beavertail. It takes just a few seconds to setup, and it locks the pannier both closed and also to the bike so nobody can walk away with it. Super handy. These don’t sell as well as the heavy duty keyed locks on our website, which I don’t really understand. I’m not sure if it’s because people prefer keys to combos, or if they want the thicker cable, or if maybe it’s just the name.

We even left our bikes and gear on the beach overnight in Agua Verde while we spent the night on a boat with some friends.

The cable locks are also great for locking your helmet & jacket to the bike.

They also work well on the top-loading Scout 30&50 duffles.

It works on the side-loading Backcountry duffles. We have an improved metal locking system coming for those soon too, that will look something like this.

Workhorse Jersey: I wore the Workhorse everyday but one. It has abrasion panels on the arms and upper back, so it’s ideal when you’re traveling at speed on dirt. It’s not meant to replace the abrasion safety of a jacket, it’s just better than having no abrasion resistance at all. I ride without a jacket a lot, even on the pavement (don’t try this at home kids). In that situation, it feels a little safer to have a heavy duty jersey. The trade-off is that on hot days it gets pretty warm when you’re not moving, but it’s still way more comfortable than a jacket.

Scott sent me off with two different systems for keeping the jersey from sliding up the forearm at speed: a plain thumbhole and a cuff thumbhole. The plain thumbhole (my left hand) would barely fit under a glove, and the material bunched up between my forefinger and thumb causing that area to get really sore. The cuff thumbhole (my right hand, left side of pic) worked much better.

Another issue with an over the glove thumb hole is that it’s really tough on the fabric underneath the palm. You’d have to use some kind of really heavy duty fabric there, like a glove palm fabric.

I also had some cracking on the logo screen printing, which will be fixed in production.

Ash wore her summer-weight jersey the whole time and loved it. This is one of our Upshift colab jerseys.

The Graph Base Layer: This new base layer is the best riding shirt I’ve ever owned. It’s the only riding shirt I wore for a month. We made it small enough that you can pack two on a trip, but we only had one prototype. I wore it every day.

Both sides of the Graph are made from a loose weave that allows a lot of air to pass, but the front (grey, facing the wind) is just a little tighter than the back (where you get hot). We want this to be the least insulating, most moisture wicking, least smelly, quickest-drying base layer you’ve ever owned, without actually using a mesh fabric that shows skin. The nice thing about the Graph is that it looks and feels like a tee when you’re off the bike grabbing lunch or chilling.

It packs tiny.

Our test for ‘quick-dry’ base layers is whether we can wash them in a hotel sink and dry them by morning. In this case, yes, regardless of whether it was inside or outside the room (it helps that we were in the desert, but this base layer will dry fast anywhere).

Strata NuYarn Mid/Base Layer: We didn’t really need long underwear for riding, but we brought the Strata anyway in the interest of product testing. We found ourselves wearing it to lounge around at camp. The Strata top easily passes for a casual hoodie when you’re off the bike.

The Rak: The Rak was awesome on this trip because it spent most of its time rolled up and strapped to the back of the bike. You can see them rolled up on our duffles in this pic from our buddy Ray’s moto shop in Los Mochis.

The one issue I had was that, rolled up tight in the sun for a month, some of the logos are starting to peel. We’re looking at some different logo applications for 2022.

Another thing I would like to see on the Rak is some kind of wind control on the sides, similar to what we have on the Basilisk.

New Backcountry Cinch Straps: About a year ago we quietly changed the BC Cinch straps to 2 cam buckles instead of 1 cam and 1 ladderlock. The ladderlocks were the weak point in the strap, so when you used them as an emergency tie down, there was a chance the ladderlock would break. With two cam buckles they are now sturdy as hell. We used them on the ferry, since we’d forgotten to bring other tie downs. They’re also great if you break down and need to hitch a ride on a truck or trailer.

Valeo Laptop Case: Maybe you remember from posts last year that our buddy Juan makes these badass carbon laptop cases (https://valeocases.com/). I used mine again in Mexico, and it reminded me how awesome this would be as a Mosko product. We’d love to order some of these in smaller sizes for moto travel. It’s carbon fiber on the outside with non-Newtonian foam on the inside. You can drive over it in a car and not break your laptop. I feel like this belongs in our line somewhere.

Nomax Revisions: The Nomax hydration reservoir loads from the top now, which is it a lot easier. Actually I was fine with the old way too, but we got a lot of feedback that it was too difficult for some folks.

An issue we both experienced with the Nomax on this trip, was that the sternum strap on the backpack straps is sewn and not adjustable, which made it pretty useless. We’ll delete this on the next production run, and probably reintroduce it later as an adjustable strap.

Backcountry 40L Duffle: We added this cool helmet clip on the BC 30 and 40 duffles. It’s super handy at gas stations or when you’re just moving your bike a few feet or a few blocks. I used it every day.

Also on the BC duffle, the backpack straps came in handy constantly on this trip, for getting gear to a hotel room or campsite, for carrying spearfishing gear when we hiked into dive spots, and for carrying stuff upstairs on the ferry. I know some people don’t use them but for us they’re indispensable.

Knee Armor: Ash and I experimented with different kinds of knee armor on this trip. She took the Leatt Airflex and I took the Ion K-Pact zip-off. The Ion pads were too hot, although I like the zip off feature, and Ash got some pretty wicked rashes from the silicone on the Leatt. Mountain bike and/or trail armor doesn’t always translate to touring, where you’re wearing them all day everyday. The very simple Forcefield Pro knee armor on our website is still my favorite for long distance riding. We keep experimenting with other things though, because there must be something better out there somewhere. The FF is just a standard OEM armor pad slid into a stretchy sheath. It’s simple, but comfortable.

BC Pannier Corners: Andrew is making an edit to the corners of the BC panniers, adding an extra strip of webbing that stretches all the way around the back. There’s so much stress on these corners, that if there is a lot of weight in the Aux Pox sometimes you can actually see the individual threads exposed. We’ve seen a few warranty returns from these corners. The new webbing solution should solve it.

New Building

Our team has grown since COVID started, and we don’t really have space for everyone anymore. We expect the work-from-home situation to end soon so we needed to deal with the space issue now.

We currently rent about 4,000sf in downtown White Salmon divided over two buildings, one for offices and one for storage. The offices are in a shared building with several other artist studios. We’ve gradually expanded over the last 3 years to take over more and more studios, to the point where we’re now using over half the total building. The flexibility to grow has been great, and it’s nice to not be in a long term lease, but it was always a temporary home. Plus, it’s expensive.

There aren’t many commercial buildings in our little town. Even fewer are available for rent or sale. When a 7,000sf building came up for sale last year, we made an offer that was eventually accepted. There isn’t a lot of demand for retail/office space at the moment so the price was reasonable. We financed it with an SBA loan through US Bank, which allowed for a small down payment and reduced interest rate. The monthly payments are a little less than what we were paying in rent for much less space, although the utilities and maintenance will be more.

This is at the signing. I’ll be 71 when the loan is paid off.

The building was built in the 1930s and for most of its life it was a bar or restaurant (we think). In 2009 an aerospace company moved in. They divided the interior space into a lot of small private offices, so we’re removing most of those walls to create an open workspace. It will be so cool to finally have a long term home. We move in April.

I’m sure we’ll be tinkering with the building for a while. Eventually we’ll have a showroom downstairs and plenty of bike parking out back. Stop by this summer!

In Other News

There’s a lot of exciting stuff coming soon on the product front. I’ll cover that in future posts, when I’ve been home for a while and I have more pics on my phone.

Our buddy Joel (Sammy’s boyfriend) works for a carbon bike frame repair company in Portland. He surprised us with these cool handmade parts last week: some handguards for my dirt bike and a replacement fender for one of our UNRally minibikes.

This fender is probably worth more than the bike 🙂

We’ve been running into bikepackers more and more when we’re out traveling. That sport is exploding, and they’re using a lot of the same routes as ADVers. It so cool: lots of gear inspiration, and an awesome example of extreme minimalism. Bikepackers and moto travelers have a lot in common.

Andrew did a presentation at his son’s kindergarten class last month on what he does for a living. Here’s what he had to say:

“It was so cute, the questions they asked. It was like a mini Mosko meetup. The questions were like this: can you carry water, how much weight can they carry, how do they strap down, and how much do they weigh. All good questions! It was helping me get ready for rally season.”

Here’s Andrew breaking in his new Sidi Crossfires around the office.

And finally, here are some pics from Mexico!

Goodbye 2020 & Welcome Sammy and Silke!

6 Replies

January 8, 2021

Happy New Year!

2021 will be our 8th full year in business at Mosko. This is my 149th blog post, which is pretty wild to think about. In my mind we’re still a startup. I can’t thank you all enough for being part of this. We’re having a blast, and I hope you are too. THANK YOU for the support!! We couldn’t do this without you. Truly, we’re just getting started.

Welcome Sammy & Silke!

First I want to welcome Sammy & Silke to the Mosko team.

Sammy will be working with Jenn, Paulina, and Silke in Customer Service. Maybe you’ve already met her on the phone, or via email or chat, or out on the Alvord with us. We’ve been friends with Sammy for a while, so when the CS position opened up she was a perfect fit. Sammy is an avid rock climber and ADVer. Prior to joining Mosko, she studied and worked in massage therapy. Sammy spent the holidays at the Oregon coast, van camping at the dunes and riding with a paddle tire on her DRZ400.

Welcome aboard Sammy!

Silke will also be working with Jenn, Paulina, and Sammy in Customer Service. She lives in Munich, Germany, and speaks English, German, and some French. Her background includes more than 10 years of experience designing trade show displays and managing event tours for major international brands. Silke holds a degree in Architecture & Design from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich. She’s also an avid ADVer, frequently exploring the Alps and the TET on her BMW R1250GS HP.

Welcome aboard Silke!!

Our COVID Experience

Ash and I spent the holidays sick with COVID, quarantined in our camper in the desert in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge about 30 miles south of Quartzite, AZ. Catching COVID was a fittingly weird end to a very weird year. We’re still mystified as to how it happened: we were working from home, and hardly leaving the house. We only interacted with a few people in the week before, none of whom got sick and most of whom later tested negative. Someone we interacted with must have been asymptomatic. The fever, headaches, and exhaustion lasted about 10 days for us, after which Ash recovered quickly. I still have no sense of smell, limited taste, and some lingering fatigue but it seems to be getting better.

Catching COVID while not at home creates some special challenges. After getting a positive test, we bought several week’s worth of groceries with contactless delivery – i.e. without having to leave our truck – and headed out into the desert to isolate.

The red arrow points to our camper. It was beautiful but we hardly noticed. We were sick. We spent most of the time laying around the camper watching movies and reading books with the blinds closed, waiting to feel better. When we tried to do anything active, we were instantly exhausted.

When I took this pic it was 80 degrees in the camper in the middle of the day. Still shivering, covered in blankets.

As soon as we felt better and were no longer contagious to others, we headed straight home. Catching COVID sucked. I’m glad it’s (mostly) over. Now we have some natural resistance to the virus for a while, which is the next best thing to being vaccinated. That’s the silver lining.

Reckless 80 Mounting

In December, right before the holidays, we met to brainstorm a more secure mounting system for the Reckless 80. We’re picturing some kind of quick release, hard-mount system, with as few straps as possible. We would still offer the strap option too, for fly-in trips and for swapping between multiple bikes. If anyone has any hacks or mods they’re currently using, or knows of an awesome quick release fastener that would apply here, please share. We’re specifically looking for something that works on <500cc enduro bikes, in addition to the larger ADV bikes.

There are two spots where the harness connects to the bike: the three straps on the rear of the harness, and the one strap at the end of each harness leg. We’re want to add some fixed mounting points that a) make it impossible for the harness to shift to one side of the bike or the other (esp the non-exhaust side) and b) try to prevent the ends of the legs from moving up and down because there’s too much slack or throw in the leg straps. We’re probably looking at one or two fixed mounts on the rear of the harness, and a single fixed mount on each leg.

For the rear harness mounting point(s), we’re picturing something like a channel on the bottom of the bag, that slides or clicks onto a nub that’s mounted to the bike, like this one we borrowed from a Fidlock fastener.

This would then slide into a keyhole slot or channel on the bottom of the harness, maybe like in one of these sketches.

For a fixed mount on the legs, one option we considered was something that brings the connection point closer to the end of the leg. Maybe we could create a hard mount sort of like StegPegz. The mounts would have to be bike specific, which is a hassle, but maybe unavoidable. Maybe we could even reach out to StegPegz about a partnership, since they’ve already developed all the mounts.

We made a really rough mockup that tees off the subframe bolt.

Another idea would be to have a bolt-on nub like the one from the Fidlock above, that mounts where the subframe connects to the frame, or in pretty much any bolt hole on the bike, like maybe the footpeg bolts on a larger bike. Then there would be a hard mount on the harness that clicks or slides onto the nub. In that scenario the whole setup would have to be tensioned by a rear strap.

Another idea we’re playing around with, which Jenn tested on a trip to the Mojave in December, is using Voile straps instead of webbing. I’m not sure whether this actually solves the problem, but it’s certainly worth experimenting with. Jenn said it was very stable on her trip, and she preferred it to the webbing straps.

We’re still at the outset of thinking about this. Lee is working on a first round of drawings and garage-made protos.

Again: if anyone has any ideas for this we’d love to hear them (thank you in advance!!).

Woodsman Over-The-Boot

A lot of folks have requested an OTB version of the Woodsman. We currently have a sample in house that we like a lot. We should have these ready for the 2021 riding season. For anyone who has been asking for these: stay tuned!

The Strata Base-or-Mid Layer

I spent a bunch of time wearing the Strata NuYarn insulated layer in October and November. I was just wearing it around everyday, using it for mountain biking, etc. In fact I am wearing the bottoms right now. I’m really stoked on how this kit is coming together. Normally I have itching issues with wool, even Merino, but I found that after washing the NuYarn a few times, it felt as smooth as a synthetic. Wool is great for longer trips, because it still keeps you warm even if it gets wet, and it doesn’t stink like synthetics. Another thing I dig about this kit is that it’s great for just lounging around, like at camp for example, or for sleeping.

Originally we designed the pants without a fly, with the idea that for lounging around it made them feel a little more pant-like. After wearing them around for a while, for a lot of different activities, I missed having a fly. We added one on the latest protos.

This is the latest proto of the quarter zip top. I used the removable hood on a very cold desert trip back in November and it was great. The temps were below freezing in the morning, with ice on the ground, and I was wearing a well-ventilated trail helmet with goggles and no face shield. Putting the Strata hood up under my helmet, was the difference between being comfortable and not. Mid morning when the temps warmed up and I didn’t need the hood, I snapped it off and put it in my backpack. It works.

We’re also working on a NuYarn neck gaiter from the same material to go with this kit. We tried out a few different sizes, and settled on the middle one below (the black one). If that camo pattern looks familiar it’s because this is the same factory that makes Kuiu’s NuYarn base layers.

Jackaloft

We’re making a few minor edits to the Jackaloft for 2021. First: we’re adding some material across the back and under the armpits, as we’ve had a few reports that it’s too tight in those areas. Second, we’re stiffening up the collar a bit.

I really love this little shirt-jak. I have two, and I wear them all the time for riding, for outdoor stuff (like mountain biking and hiking), and also around town and to work. Here’s what the new collar looks like.

Gnome & Nomini Tank Bags

We got our first factory samples of the Gnome and Nomini tank bags and they’re awesome. Up till now, all our samples were ones we sewed locally with the help of our buddy Reynaldo. These factory samples definitely take it up a notch into a near production-ready version. These are going to be two very cool little tank bags when they’re done. They will both fit on smaller enduro-sized bikes with peaky aftermarket fuel tanks.

First here’s the Gnome. This is our half-size version of the Nomax, which comes with a 2L lumbar hydration reservoir, and which turns into a hip sack (rather than a backpack) when it’s off the bike. There’s a die-cut hypalon MOLLE panel on top, designed to hold the Navigator cell phone case (or any other MOLLE add-on).

This is the Nomini. It’s an even smaller version of the Gnome, which doesn’t come with hydration. It’s a little bigger than the Pico, with the capacity oriented horizontally rather than vertically.

A spare key hook.

This is what the Navigator looks like mounted on top.

Both the Gnome and the Nomini come with a rain cover, similar to the Nomax.

Here’s something else pretty cool: our buddy Mike at Tacomoto in Las Vegas is making these vents for aftermarket enduro tanks, which enable you to put a tank bag directly on top of your tank cap without pinching the tube.

The pic below is of an early prototype that’s on RTW Paul’s KTM 500. The red section of the vent tube is a one-way valve to prevent gas from leaking. I have a couple units of the production version at home, but I haven’t actually installed them yet.

If this works as well as we think it’s going to, it will solve a big problem with mounting tank bags on small bikes. Fingers crossed. Cool idea Mike!!

Bates Mototel: Closed for Season

When the cold/wet weather arrived in November, we stopped getting visitors at the Mototel, so we packed it away until spring. With the help of our buddy Trent and his excavator, we also cleared and leveled a dedicated space at the edge of the parking area for the tent (see pic below) so we won’t have the tent in the middle of the parking area next year.

For anyone who missed it in earlier posts: the Bates Mototel is our free backyard campground for travelers. If you’re passing through the Gorge next summer, stop by! You can find it on the Tent Space map on advrider.

Misc Pics

Here are some random pics from the last few months:

We pulled off the highway to camp one night, and woke up under a boulder that had this all-time epic epitaph bolted to it.

“Desert Steve – Born June 16th 1882 – Founded Desert Center Sept 21 1921 – Worked like hell to be an honest American citizen – Loved his fellow men & served them – Hated booze guzzling – Hated war – Hated dirty deal damn fool politicians – Hopes a guy named Ragsdale will ever serve humanity at Desert Center – He dug his own grave – Here are his bones – I put this damn thing up before I kicked off – Nuff sed – Steve”