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| HOME | PREPARATIONS | TRIP DETAILS | PICTURE GALLERY |
| THE VEHICLE | STORAGE | OTHER EQUIPMENT | OFFICIALDOM | BUDGET |
A white station wagon 110 200tdi Defender. Our choice because of the simple mechanics and cheapness of parts and the good loadbay size. We bought the vehicle well ahead of our departure date to give us a chance to get to know the vehicle, fix any defects that show up, learn some off-road driving techinques and give us a chance to customise the loading system.
The vehicle was bought in July 2004 (2½ years ahead of departure) and has been regularly serviced according to the Haynes manual service schedule by ourselves. This has enabled us to:
A few new parts over and above regular service items have been required. New balljoints on the steering system, a new starter motor and a UJ joint on the rear propshaft. We have also invested in new foams for both front seats and Trakkers canvas seat covers. Although this was an expensive option we felt it was worth it for the comfort value. We're going to be spending a long time in those seats!!
The Landrover had a factory fitted spare fuel tank under the driver's seat, 2 spare wheels - 1 bonnet mounted , 1 rear door mounted, side steps and a steering guard. We have added a few bits and pieces for comfort, convienience and practicality.
We have been adding to our toolkit as we need to for each task we do and will be carrying some spares. We are trying to limit the spares we are taking to service items and essentials to keep us moving. If anything major breaks we will resort to sourcing spares locally or using mail order. For recovery we have decided to invest in a hand winch as we feel this will be more versatile and is a cheaper option - hopefully that is one bit of kit we won't need to use. For a full list of the tools, spares and recovery equipment we are carrying click here.
Inside the vechle we have inserted a platform at the height of the wheel arches to divide the load bay into two levels. We have also made two plywood boxes to fit on top of each arch. The 18 litre 'Really usefull box' fits underneath the platform perfectly so we have 3 of these and a selection of other sizes to fit in other nooks and crannies around the vehicle. We decided to use this product as they seem really sturdy, have well fitting lids and are plastic so will keep things dry in a leaky Landrover. We have also invested in a cooler box that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket. This was a cheaper option than a proper fridge and although we don't expect the motor to last it is a well insulated polystyrene model that will serve its function.
We have a full length Front Runner roofrack that will carry the tent, awning, camp chairs, table, jerry cans (usually empty) and hi-lift jack. We don't want to carry much else on the roof to avoid the well documented stability problems with the Defender.
We will be carrying a full range of camping and cooking gear in order to be self-sufficient. We are using the Coleman range of petrol operated stoves and lanterns because they are pretty simple to operate and repair and fuel should be available in most places. Apart from the roof tent we will be taking a second tent and backpacks for when we might want to leave the vehicle for a time. We will also have a basic medical kit, various books and maps, photographic equipment, a laptop and a GPS. We have decided on the Garmin GPSmap 60CS as it is a hand held model and is map enabled. This means we can use it away from the vehicle and load the map for the area we're in from the worldwide basemap. For a comprehensive list of all the equipment we are carrying click here.
The usual assortment of Carnet, visas, insurances, passports, injections - required in bucket loads for Africa.
We have set ourselves a budget of £20/person/day. Hope this will be enough in light of recent oil price rises. Our predeparture costs are £13 726 (including the car) and are broken down as follows:
For a spreadsheet of all our expenses click here.