I'll be sure to share some pictures of my future adventures. And I'll let you know what works and what doesn't and share any tips I find along the way for rockhounds who intend to do something similar in the future. The milk crates on my rack are bolted down solid and I just drop the 5 gallon buckets in there. The buckets stay in place pretty well but I throw a bungee over the top just to secure them. Things can easily bounce out though, especially the longer tools sticking out the top. I'll continue to revise the system as I go along. Still need to add holders for longer tools (shovels, picks, bars, etc) also.
As for emergency preparation, well I'm an Eagle Scout and I have always lived by the scout motto..."Be Prepared". I have been shopping pretty intently for a quad for about a year. I looked at a lot of used machines over that time but in the end I decided to buy new just for the simple peace of mind that I knew exactly how the machine had been treated and taken care of for its entire lifespan. Reliability is one of the biggest factors to me as I will often be in remote areas and I will almost always be alone. And before I ever even took the machine out on its first run I had already set myself up with a good tire repair kit and foot operated air pump, a micro jump-starter, a spare spark plug and a tool kit. Eventually I will add a winch and a manual pull start mechanism (in the event of a failed starter even the micro jumper wont help). And I will carry a full spare tire for long runs or in areas where I will be rough on tires (you tear out a sidewall and no repair kit will help). I intend to be able to always get the machine back to camp.
In the event I can't get the machine back to camp I never go anywhere without supplies. I reckon the farthest I would ever find myself from camp is maybe 20 miles, and thats probably extreme because I get deep in to remote areas to set my camp in the first place. Most often I figure I'll be 5 to 10 miles from camp. When I'm out on the quad I wear a day pack with lots of water and some easy food like trail mix and jerky. Water is the key though. I try to anticipate how far away I plan to ride and carry enough water to easily make the hike back if I have to. I carry a minimum of a gallon whenever I leave camp. I also have a custom designed emergency survival kit that I designed years ago when I used to hike and backpack a lot. I keep that along as well (but in all honesty it is best suited to finding yourself dropped in the mountains with no supplies at all).
As long as I get back to camp I'm golden because I am always set up at my camp to survive for an extended period if need be and the wife knows where to send rescue to start searching if I don't come home. I would never abandon my camp and try to hike out if, say, my truck broke down and I was a long way from a road or cell service. I'd settle in, enjoy the extended camping trip, and wait for the cavalry. But now that I have the quad I could actually ride out to get help on the quad. Whats the chance I break both the truck and quad at the same time? And the road out from camp to get help would be smooth going on a quad.
All that said, theres always the unknown or unseen factors. All you can do is prepare yourself and have a set of survival skills to fall back on in any emergency. I've spent my whole life enjoying solo outdoor adventures and until my body won't let me anymore I will continue to do so.
But I'll admit, I wish I had a Gergis of my own sometimes!
