you'll struggle to repair this in the field!! I had 2 tyres do something like this in Mauritania (this ones actually from my van in the UK, but you get the idea!!), my fault for taking old tyres, but couldn't afford more than 4 new ones. 2 punctured so I fitted the old spares for the road section from Nouadhibou to Nouakchott. Running on tarmac heavily loaded in high temperatures they didn't fare well.



This is my one man set up!! One of the jerry cans leaked making everything stink of diesel, so now I carry them on the roof.

This is a great point and something I've already considered, a few trips will be great beforehand because like you say, until you try it no theoretical setup is likely to be perfect for you

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Jacob James: Humanitarian, Travel and Cultural Documentary Photographer
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Some excellent advice on here from all concerned. Having carried professional photographers on expedition, I would suggest that having a twin battery split charging system with a good PURE SINE WAVE inverter would be best for charging any audio/visual equipment as this is the only way to avoid interference from the charging circuit finding it's way into your images. Quality is everything if it's to be your living! The split charge relay does not have to be anything flash, just a 60A relay switched by the alternator charge light wire will do. This automatically separates the batteries when the engine's not running. Long term, faffing with manual switches just gets tiresome.
Long term living on the road, it's surprising how expensive bottled water can become! Invest in a sureflo 12v pump attached to a Doulton Ultracarb ceramic water filter and keep 2 jerrycans, one of clean water and one unfiltered, or just use the surflo pump for on demand water.
My last twopenceworth: Good Discovery 300tdis can be found cheap. The tricky part is knowing what a good one looks like! The occasional Merc or Ford transit 4x4 van appears for sale now and then, which would be much nicer to live in long term (cooking, eating and sleeping space out of the wind, rain, dust...) and as has already been said, would aid incognito incursions into local life. Toyota does generally equal reliability (and I'm a LR man!) but there are some dogs out there too. Good luck with your search, sorry if I've muddied the waters,
Simon.

Hi Simon, thanks for the contribution I really appreciate all advice, especially the details on the split charge system. Originally I was set for a discovery but I have been told a Toyota may be much easier to fix in sub-saharan africa? How are the Merc or Ford transit 4x4 vans for spares out in Africa?

Thanks

Jake

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Jacob James: Humanitarian, Travel and Cultural Documentary Photographer
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Transit 4x4 tend to be a bit "fragile" , suffer corrosion , and parts availability isnt that good. discovery V land cruiser , you have to weigh up what you are getting for the money . A well prepped discovery is no less reliable than a well prepped land cruiser.

Unless you are intending to travel "difficult" steep tracks in wet conditions a van is a better bang for the buck . Preferably rear wheel drive with good ground clearance. A set of tyre chains can hugely increase traction in mud as well as their primary use which is snow .

Agreed.
Merc vans seem to be pretty much ubiquitous whereas Fords are easier to get in the UK but I've not seen so many abroad. A 2wd leaf sprung Merc with good commercial heavy duty tyres, a set of chains and maybe some longer spring hangers to give a bit more clearance, and the world's pretty much your oyster I think. Really heavy mud, really steep slopes, or dunes would stop you, but realistically most of us in 4x4s would only drive such terrain for the fun of it rather than because it was the only way to get to where you're going!

Thanks for the advice again guys!

Another car I have been suggested by a friend who is driving in Africa currently is a Hilux, seem to be able to pick up a mid 90s Hilux Surf 3.0td for 1.5-2k in the UK. Any reason to not consider one of those?

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Jacob James: Humanitarian, Travel and Cultural Documentary Photographer
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certain models are prone to head gasket failure which will be exacerbated by use in high temperatures.

An excellent forum for both hilux and surf is www.hpoc.co.uk

Thanks to the exporters older hiluxes are now going for crazy money, you would get more for your money getting a surf

There have been many words of wisdom from very experienced folk. You cannot prepare for every event and I am always amazed at the amount money and equipment people throw at a vehicle.

5 years ago I took my bog standard 1994 4runner on a 9k mile trip around Morocco with no problems. Saw a lot of the all dressed up and nowhere to go trucks deliberately going off the beaten track to wade through a pond, I guess to justify prepping their vehicles to the n'th degree.

Hopefully it's Magadan this year with replacement alternator, batteries, brakes, shocks, springs and timing belt. Have changed all the oils and will replace my tyres for BFG ATs. Have made my own roof box, 2 diesel jerry cans on the roof will spend most of their time empty. 1 spare on the roof and 1 underneath and we are sleeping inside.

We had a roof tent on the Morocco trip but got fed up with sleepless nights when the wind blew and condensation wetting our sleeping bags.

Anyway I am feeling confident, but of course the proof of the pudding is trying it all out. We will see.

Just thought I would add my thoughts.

Boycie

I was in a similar position to you about 10 years ago and went for a Hilux pickup, which I still have. It was a cheap option at the time, extremely simple and robust and never broke down. I did very little preparation, and travelled for 4.5 years without ever coming back.

Yes, you can go most places in a normal car, but firstly, they are not as tough, and secondly, their low clearance means some roads may be difficult. 4WD is only really useful in fairly difficult situations, but the robustness and ground clearance are always good to have.

Some people love preparing for Armageddon, but at the end of the day mods are often expensive, almost always less robust than the car, add weight and I dare day are often not used. I had a normal tent which I put on the back of the pickup (I had an aluminium cover made), some tools, an extra fuel tank and and extra spare wheel. Even that was more than I really needed.

A 3 litre Surf / 4 Runner or Land Crusier Prado are also good, but make sure you give them a good inspection and service before leaving.

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4.5 years around Eurasia in a Toyota Hilux|http://eurasiaoverland.wordpress.com/
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Really it doesn't matter what vehicle you bring, though I'm a fan of Toyotas of all kinds pre 1997.

They are pretty simple machines and easy to work on, they are also easy to get parts for the world over.

I have a HDJ81 landcruiser, but you want to see the abuse I have given and still give the humble diesel carinas I use as daily drivers and tow cars in rural Ireland as a farmer. They have a great ground clearance, can take a serious bang to the sump and will stay driving for ever. I'm driving one at the minute that has been puking oil for the last 20000 miles from the back of the head and I only top it up once the oil light comes on (about every week to 10 days). It has 250k on it and is perfect.

The key thing in your case is to pick something and then get on the net and forums and find out what the weaknesses are and check them out before and after you buy it.

Then service the life out of it on top of those and your good to go.

Here you find anything to build a cheap dual battery system by yourself:

4x4tripping: Batterie-Trennsystem günstig selber machen - so geht's

Cheap and the same function than these expensive devices...

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

oi, RTW, hey up!!

How is the Bison Grass, Captain? Fancy pouring me 100 grams?

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4.5 years around Eurasia in a Toyota Hilux|http://eurasiaoverland.wordpress.com/
Pictures Here|https://picasaweb.google.com/113619413612674951960

Spend the majority of your budget buying the correct type of vehicle that will allow you to do the trip you want without causing you undue problems from being the wrong type of vehicle. A 4x4 with good ground clearance.

Spend the rest of your budget making sure it is mechanically as sound as possible and buying common spares parts and tools.

Most mods and extras are about comfort, time saving and reducing risk. A standard Defender (for example) driven really sensibly and not overloaded is fine and allow you the freedom to explore all areas.

Then use the time you have to accumulate 2nd hand/new bargains for:

- sleeping
- cooking/eating
- filtering and storing water
- GPS - Garmin 276 or 278 is good and worth the costs for a 2nd hand one.

And away you go...