Gear for an RTW Overland Novice
 

Hi All,

Recently discovered this forum and enjoying all the good info.
Having looked around the forum here I would like to know of peoples experience of what gear is best to bring along to ease journey

I'll be driving a 2008 Toyota Lancruiser Prado 3L Diesel

Thanks for your advice in advance

Rule 1: Less is more!

Each additional bit you take .. is another bit to worry you with weight, cleaning, maintenance, storage, cost and risk of loss.

For inspiration read Leisure / Business Travel Packing List - Travel Light (One Bag)!

Don't take cotton clothing .. Jeans take too long to dry, ..
Modern synthetics are light, hard wearing, easy to clean and quick drying.
Take thermals ... at least 2 pairs .. they pack small for the warmth they give.

There is lots more.. too much more. Best to ask on an individual topic.

:welcome: to HU.

If you really find you need something .. buy it locally and you now have a souvenir of the trip.

I have not travelled in a 4WD but have travelled with several and the best advice I was given was do not overload it with too much additional equipment and extra water/fuel supplies that will rarely or ever be used. This was from a Land Rover driver who was nearing the end of a RTW trip in a vehicle that had standard suspension and needed nothing but a set of rubber bushes replaced a month from the end of his trip.
He carried jerry cans that were only filled if there was a large distance to the next supply or it was really cheap as in Iran, water was carried in 20 litre plastic containers but again only one filled unless it was going to be needed.

Thanks for the advice
I've been reading more since and the general rule seems to be less is more. I usually travel light for my personal gear so will focus on not going overboard with spare parts and water/fuel unless necessary.

I might get more specific once I narrow down the list of things I think I'll need

Spare Parts?

Most people include the 'consumables' here .. air filters, oil filters, brake pads, etc. These things you can roughly schedule.. though it is an idea to have one set on hand just in case.. brake pads can ware out quickly in mud!

Spare parts for a breakdown? Unless you know it is going to fail (and then it might go into the 'consumables' category) why bring it? If you know it is going to fail .. replace it before you leave. If the part may fail randomly, is know to be a weak point and is light to carry .. then ok. But if it is heavy, seldom fails .. then don't.

The part you may well want is probably not the part you brought with you .. make good contact with a firm that can send parts to you anywhere in t he world and leave your details - vehicle make, model, engine number etc .. even your credit card details as you may not trust the connection between yourself and them at the time you do this.

--------------------
Good luck.
The less you take the less ware on the suspension, the less the fuel consumption, the less strain on the drive train.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xV9pMZbtxV...-weltreise.jpg


Try to travel light. Use a car where you have a good chance to get spares for your destination. Get a mechanic who helps you out abroad - like others mention here.


Use your place and weight better for travelling comfort, than for spares...


Some years ago I did wrote more about the weight issues:


English:
4x4tripping: the buildup of the verhicle: Winch, Frontbar, Sparetyreholder


German:
4x4tripping: Geländewagen-Umbau Seilwinde, Stosstange, Ersatzreifenträger, Zusatztank




Surfy

Thanks for the link Surfy

I see the general advice is to keep it simple silly which is fine with me.
I think I'll just take consumable and make some simple mods to the car like a snorkel, roof rack and proper tow points.

why do you need a snorkle? I used a roof rack only for fuel because it always smells in side the car, and usually leaks (although having managed to get 2 kids since my last proper trip that might change now. I might have to carry more on the roof, the kids for example!)

A roof rack shouldn't be necessary for 2 people except for fuel. If it is, your carrying too much.

Good recovery points deffo useful.

if you change parts like rad hoses before you go, take the old ones with you as spares, then you know they fit.

carry bodging kit rather than specific spares, apart from the obvious like hoses, filters and belts. So things like wire, cable ties, nuts and bolts (or threaded rod, even better) radweld, block repair, an inner tube for the tyres, even if you run tubeless (I used one to make a shock absorber bush!) in case you wreck a tyre or rim and it won't hold air. If you don't want the weight and expense of 2 spare wheels, carry an extra tyre in addition to the normal spare ( I got through 3 tyres in Russia in 2 weeks, and 3 driving to the Gambia and back, and replacements were suprisingly hard and expensive to get, despite deliberately running 7.50x16s because they are a common size)

I would also say carry enough oil for one complete change. Having said that, I've never needed it, but dump all your gearbox oil because the sump plug came loose and you may wish you had. Don't use it for a service though, buy some more, just keep it for emergencies.

In general terms, very little is truly 'needed'. Most of the stuff people carry is for comfort, much of it, especially early on until you fine tune it to your needs, is just for ballast!!

The idea behind the snorkel is to help limit the dust entering the engine, but you're probably right thinking its excessive.

The roof rack was for emergency fuel and spare tyre out of the way. I'm conscious about the weight as mentioned already as well as center of gravity.

Good info on the oils and bodging kit stuff Moggy thanks

I have read elsewhere talk of steel vs alloy rims i.e. steel bends, alloys crack. Does anyone have experience with that kind of issue?

Overlanders Handbook
 

hi
I brought this book which has helped me with planning my RTW Trip called : Overlanders Handbook by Chris Scott brought online from Amazon.
I found it very helpful and worth buying. It has every detail you can think of.
Ray

A snorkel is useful for dust if your travelling behind other vehicles, but only if it has a cyclone style precleaner on it, but it's not really a necessity, you can just clean your filter regularly. It cracks me up when I see forward facing ram type tops on snorkels when people are overlanding. All thats going to do is hoover up more dust!!

Thats pretty much what I use my rack for, fuel because I don't want spillages in the vehicle and a second spare wheel.

my mate managed to bend a steel rim into a U shape when he hit a washout at speed in a landcruiser. We just boshed it back into shape with a lump hammer, re-inflated the tyre and off we went.
I have broken a couple of alloys on cars just hitting potholes in the UK!! Top Gear had a few problems with the alloys on their cars in Africa!!

Forgot to mention, check the forums for the type of vehicle you have because some have known problem areas which may mean carrying vehicle specific spares, like if your taking a landrover you might want to tow a spare one behind (joke, IT'S A JOKE FFS!)

Washing machine
 

I take a similar container to thishttps://www.inoxia.co.uk/products/ba..._8cRoCBN_w_wcB

As a washing machine. Fill with clothes , water and washing powder and drive.....rinse and dry. Not a new Idea but still relatively unknown


Graeme