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Best / Worst piece of kit ??? Best / Worst piece of kit ???
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Equipping the Overland Vehicle Vehicle accessories - Making your home away from home comfortable, safe and reliable.
Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  #1  
Old 7 Aug 2005
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Best / Worst piece of kit ???
This posting should be interesting and hopefully useful to those newbies (that's me) to overlanding.
What's the "must have" piece of kit that you found made all the difference and what was the "total waste of money and space" item ?

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  #2  
Old 7 Aug 2005
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Worst piece of kit = superwinch.

Didn't buy it, rather just 'left it on'. Pointless and heavy.
Maybe handy in CA mud, but all it did for us was bust a spring.

Best bit of kit = Coleman petrol stove.

Thing I wish we'd brought = deckchairs!

Less is more. Know your vehicle and concentrate on the essentials. A lot of the fancier overland kit is there just to reassure the nervous (and empty their pockets).

Happy travels!
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  #3  
Old 8 Aug 2005
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Best:
1.Rear Bumper (disco 1): used it for cooking and writing my diary.
2. Rooftent (Magiolina Xtreem. A bit short though)
3. Rubber mat and plastic thee pot for showering before I got into the tent.
4. airbags in the rear springs.

Useless:
Camp shower (black plastic bag that is suposed to heat the water).

On lazy days I wished I had an electrical pump to filter water, or just soms Micro pur tablets would have done as well.

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  #4  
Old 8 Aug 2005
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Best is a good compressor,don't skimp;a few extra dollars gives security plus spare time and effort.

Worse:much more in the eye of the beholder!To much cooking kit is always a failing for me!
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  #5  
Old 8 Aug 2005
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One of my favorites is the Ortlieb folding wash up bowl, handy for washing dishes, clothes,hair, etc also if you put a karabiner between the 2 handles, and attatch some paracord to it- it makes the perfect well bucket, just hold the bottm centre and drop it down the well (tie the other end to your wrist to avoid embaressment !- the weight of the Krab helps it fill and then just haul away- they pour well as you can pull 2 sides in to form a spout. Lightweight and folds to nothing - available in 3 sizes, you can also make up big salads in them too for a group of people.
For water purification I use Micropur powder by Katadyn - quick, and easily to use in the water tank - if the water is not so good a few drops of Iodine too - gravity feed works best for tanks - it never breaks !
Cheers
Grif
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  #6  
Old 8 Aug 2005
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Hey grif,

Where do you need to wash your hair for? Or isn't it your hair that needs washing?

;-)

Rob
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  #7  
Old 9 Aug 2005
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I don't think it was his own hair he was referring to, as I recall Grif did the intelligent thing before setting off and shaved his head. (a genuine water saving measure)
I didn't, but then my camper had a bigger tank.
Useful kit; I'd go for the compressor, and split rims if, like me, you set off with tyres that have already done 80,000km...
Or maybe I can blame the guide who let down my rear twin wheels so much that the tyres touched, heated and burst.

Thinking about the folding tub, for 10 euros you can get an inflatable baby's bathtub which is a good size for doing the laundry or washing up. My little girl (3months) adores it. I hadn't vendured into a babycare shop before the trip so I didn't know they existed.
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  #8  
Old 9 Aug 2005
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Yep, the compressor, but that's really a Sahara thing. Once trought the Sahara you don't get your compressor out that much. (I didn't at least, or I don't remember, which can be because it was so good that I remember as much of it as of brusshing my teeth (I don't remember I brushed my teeth, do you? I'm pretty sure I did though)).

And again, how much time would you gain an a trip with a 700W compressor over a 200W compressor?

Compare that with what you get from your two burner camping gas stove, or caféterra.

Yep, I never leave without a caféterra, and my good old mug. That's probably the best equipement I have.

;-)
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  #9  
Old 9 Aug 2005
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Not as sexy as some of the things previously mentioned but I would recomend a radiator upgrade. On my 4Runner (which has a particularly indifferent rad) I upgraded from a 3 core to a 5 core nearly doubling the volume.

Even with the vehicle at 2900 kg (400 over GVM) and pulling a one ton trailer we had no probs between SA and Zim. Then we dumped the trailer and carried on up to Nairobi - still not a flutter!

I had alrady cracked one head in the clay pits of Leeds and didn't want the expense and inconvenience of it happening again.
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  #10  
Old 10 Aug 2005
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bundubasher:
Not as sexy as some of the things previously mentioned but I would recomend a radiator upgrade.
Good idea, but trying not to rain on Jeremy's parade, it isn't necessary on all vehicles.

Many people consider that UK spec 80 series deisel Landcruisers are actually over cooled for the UK climate and are better suited to the African/Asian climate.

I know of one or two people on the Euro owners mailing list that run with the rad blind down in the UK.

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[This message has been edited by JulianVoelcker (edited 09 August 2005).]
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  #11  
Old 10 Aug 2005
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Most desirable bit of kit after a sound lightly loaded vehicle sitting on 5 or 6 excellent tyres -

A powerful and reliable compressor. If you are travelling over different surfaces in the desert including of course sand - soft, very soft and firm as well as rocks and tarmac, and checking your tyres after altitude changes and you want to make your tyres last you need one.

Also very useful - Ortlieb folding washing bowl. Permanently mounted strip light in rear of vehicle is good and can be left on at night for general area lighting. I found a built in bed with a mattress permanently attached in the back of the 110 very nice, no fiddling with tents etc.

Andrew.

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  #12  
Old 11 Aug 2005
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Deckchairs! chilling inside the vehicle just isn't the same.
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  #13  
Old 11 Aug 2005
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Jules...me old chap...

The OP said was asking about kit for overlanding. Like you said, it's all about where you are going and it really depends of the vehicle you are going in, but, unless you're going north where a Webasto heater would be of more benefit, then I am afraid I'd have to stand by my statement - at the very least have it overhauled if you can't renew or upgrade.
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  #14  
Old 12 Aug 2005
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Still an overland virgin (preparing for a trip), but my old man had a good idea. Imagine breaking a key into the ignition in the middle of Africa.. drilling out the barrel, re-wiring hassle, not to mention the security issues (anyone could then start the car and drive off). So why not take a coupl of spares, and drill a small hole at the top of the key, leaving a weak spot so that, were the key to be snapped (say by your knee), it would break with enoug sticking out that it could be easily removed by a pair of pliers? Sounds daft at first, but could save a lot of hassle, particularly if you're not good with wiring...
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  #15  
Old 12 Aug 2005
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Best kit...
Awning
Draper mini shovel
Folding shovel
Fluorescent light stick

Worst kit
probably going to buy something useless tomorrow...


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