Overland Journal – August 01, 2019

OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 2019

24

FIELD TESTED CHRIS SCOTT AND BRYON BASS

Ubcois theworld’sfirstproduction2x2electricmotorcycle,a light-

weight,go-anywhere muleaimed at ranchersand rangers,but just as

suitedtourbandutiesandtrailwrangling.Conceivedanddevelopedin

NewZealand,theroad-legalexportmodelfeaturesLEDlighting,smart-

phoneconnectivity,a 75-milerange,anda topspeedof 30 mph—anyone

witha licencecanrideit.Witha weightofjust 144 pounds,it’lleasily

perchona truck’sfenderrack.

I wasguidedrounda NorthIslandMTBtrailbyUbco’sCEO,Tim

Allan,andfoundthetwo-wheelute’slearningcurvenosteeperthana

loadingramp.TheoversizedMXfootrests,lowsaddle,5 inchesofwell-

dampedtravel,anda 48-ampere-hourbatterysetlowin thestep-through

trellisframemadewhizzingthroughthetangledundergrowtheasyand

fun.Unlikemorepowerfulelectricmotorcycles,Ubco’stwo1-kilowatt

hub motorsareinthewheels,eliminatingmessychainsor drivebelts

whilelendingthemselvestoAWD.Withsmooth,near-silent,twist-and-

gopropulsioncoupledwithregenerativebraking,you’refreetofocuson

thetrailwherethetrials-blockKendatiresensuresecure traction.On

loosedirt,initiallyincongruousfront-wheelspinsaretheonlytimeyou’ll

noticethe2x2.TheUbcomayhavethetopspeedofa moped,butit de-

livers 90 Newtonmetersoftorqueas soonas poweris appliedmakingfor

a livelyride—whetherto town for provisions or off the beaten path. (CS)

$6,999 | UBCOBIKES.COM

Electroglidein white—anoiseless

and efficientway to travel, both on

and off the pavement.

Ubco 2x2

Triple Aught Design’s development

teamdefinitely ponders backpack nuances

andheeds input.Lackingmostoftheex-

ternal webbing on the larger models,the

Scout runs lean with compression straps.

TAD’s usual Hypalon rubber reinforce-

The art of less.

Triple Aught Design

Fast Pack Scout

ments, svelte yet padded shoulder straps,

andsuperiortailoringarepresent.Topshelf

ITW GhillieTEX hardware,MIL–SPEC

Cordura 1000D fabric, and YKK zippers

keepit uptoanytask.Withallitsbuilt-in

quality,I stillfeltthe15-liter-capacityScout

appearedunder-equipped.

Some continentsandmanyfieldhours

later,andI findit refreshinglySpartan.The

administrativecompartmentprovidesslots

forpens,a smallflashlight,and a Rite-in-

the-Rain,withtheremainderopenallthe

way down.Themaincompartment zipper

circumnavigatesthepack,savethebottom,

instantlyrevealingallcontents—superbfor

airportsecurityandfield.Twointernalmesh

pocketsorganizelooseitems,andthereis a

hydration bladder sleeve. The unpadded

waist belt can be secured or removed. Anin-

verted,Velcro-securedgearstashis accessed

from the pack’s base.If two compression

straps can’t hold your kit, the detachable

TransporterTail(notshown)will.Shoulder

andwaiststrapshaveamplelengthforwin-

tergearormotorcyclejackets.

The über-minimalist Scout presents a

subtle rucksack paradigmshift.It necessi-

tatescontemplationofbareessentials,pro-

moting systematic less-is-more efficiency.

Wool beanie,13-inch laptop,water,extra

Merino layer, bag of gorp, small camera,

field notebook, maps, binoculars, survival

tin, compass, copy of Overland Journal—

no problem.Various colors (foliage green

shown).(BB)

$195 | TRIPLEAUGHTDESIGN.COM