Land Rover vs Toyota: Which overlander?

Any idea what percentage of independent overland trips use Land Rover's vs Toyota's?  Read on to see what percentage of overland trips use Land Rover's vs Toyota's vs other vehicles.

Here are a few interesting statistics from The Africa Overland Network pages.  

Please note that these stats are generated from the independent overland websites listed on The Africa Overland Network.  Although they offer an interesting read, please keep in mind that not all overland travellers keep an online journal and I certainly have not captured all the overland websites that have been created to remember an independent overland trip.

Total Trips currently listed on the website (In-active websites excluded):

Total Trips	546
Africa	409
Americas	24
Asia	56
World	57

The trips are split between the following vehicle types:

Africa Overland - security and safety

Africa is fantastic continent for the overlander to travel and explore!   However, the question everyone asks: Is Africa safe for an overland expedition?   The quick and easy answer is absolutely yes!

The UK FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office) http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/ provides a good overview of various threats related to each country – however, and this is the big point: It is very generic and covers areas that sometimes independent overlanders don’t travel to.

Here’s my thoughts on security and safety in Africa.  

Personal Safety First…

Personal Safety realistically comes down to the roads you are travelling on.  The roads in Africa vary considerably and can often lead to accidents occurring.  Driving, were reasonably possible, should be confined to daylight hours only.  This is not always possible but as the verbal roadbook for Africa states ‘Don’t drive at night’.  Here's a short video clip showing the various roads the BigSky Adventures team drove...

Additional elements of personal safety include the usual anti-malarial advice, health & hygiene and safety when working on vehicle.  Each of the last few points can lead to severe consequences and sometimes in a repatriation service back to your home country for treatment.  Examples of this are severe cases of malaria, dysentery and major injuries related to vehicle accidents.

Security whilst travelling…

Security on an overland trip extends the personal safety element to the next level – being aware of the country you are travelling in and the security risks associated with it.  Africa is a country made up of major cities and many small villages.  The big cities understand the concept that travellers (and esp. the weekly tourists) have money, camera equipment and are easily duped into handing them over – usually via theft related to distraction i.e. one person distracts you, whilst the other thief grabs what he wants.  Overlanders can all relate to how one member of the party stays with the vehicle and whilst the rest of the team are doing chores, someone knocks on the window to distract whilst another person attempts to pinch something via an open window or from the rear of the vehicle.

On the positive side, the more time you spend travelling, the more your in-built security radar will begin to alert you of uneasy situations – i.e. driving through a part of town where you know you don’t want to stop ; buying food in market when people are giving you threatening looks.

Small villages:
In my opinion, human beings are generally friendly and more curious about who you are, where you have come from and where you are going.  As a result, the security element in villages is relatively low, and if an incident occurs, local justice is swift.  In the late 1990’s a friend was travelling and his portable radio was pinched.  The village chief arranged a thorough search – they found the culprit and then gave him a good lashing.  My friend was asked to watch the punishment, which made him feel rather guilty that his radio had caused such harsh punishment.  A tough call to make if something like that is stolen and the culprit caught.

Summary:

In summary, personal safety and security are two different topics – look after your personal safety in all you do, especially whilst driving.  Accidents occur very quickly and often lead to severe injuries.

Security is different – be aware of your surroundings and be willing to take advice from locals, other overlanders and your inner voice.  I have been actively reading overland websites and can only state a handful of times where overlanders have been harshly treated with violence. 

Look after your safety and tread lightly…


Suggested Reading:
Expedition Medicine

Toyota Land Cruiser - Gaining traction as an overlander's vehicle

The Toyota Land Cruiser - reliable, comfortable, sound proof and above all, available on the 2nd hand market at an attractive price point to modify into an expedition vehicle.

Land Rover might have truly opened Africa, but currently Toyota are the preferred vehicle of choice.

Here's a quick overview of the various Toyota model's that have crossed Africa, Asia and South America).  Similiar to the Land Rover article, the criteria is an overland expedition and website detailing the trip.

Six Overland Trips - One Land Rover Defender (Called Maggie)

Once a vehicle has been prepared for an Overland expedition, it is often resold and reused for a similiar trip.  Scrolling through previous trips on The Africa Overland Network reveals a number of websites which have used the same vehicle.

Here is one such vehicle - a 1991 Land Rover Defender 200tdi

Here's a quick history of the Land Rover Defender 200tdi called Maggie. She was called Maggie based on her colour blue and the famous statement about Maggie Thatcher that as Prime Minister of Britain, she was 'Not for Turning'.  Hence, Maggie the Land Rover, was not for doing U-Turns and returning home with unfinished business.

Her specifications are:

• Year: 1991
• Engine: 200Tdi Diesel (2.5L Turbo Diesel)
• Current Mileage: 225 000 (roughly)
• Fuel capacity: 80Ltrs + 40Ltrs extended tank + 2 x 20L Jerry Cans
• Tyre Compressor mounted inside the engine
• 40L Engel Fridge with AC/DC cables
• 2 x gas bottles + 2 ring stove
• High lift jack + piston jack
• Eezi Awn Roof tent
• Portable rear mounted vice on back ladder
• Garmin GPS with external mounted antennae
• Brownchurch water filter
• 3 x 20L water bottles
• Sand Ladders & Spade
• Dual Battery system - Optima
• Internal side mounted cupboards for easy out of the way storage.

The First Trip:

Richard & Jo Hepper - 1998

The Second Trip:

Colin & Wendy Clements - 2000 to 2004

In South Africa, Colin was introduced to a store full of overland and 4x4 equipment.  He quickly made a few changes which included a new Eezi Awn rooftop tent, Hannibal side awning, Engel Fridge and tyre compressor.

The Third Trip:

The biggest change Colin did to the vehicle was a total chassis strip-down and rebuild.  This rebuilt, undertaken in Kenya, modified the 90 into a 110 model.  The only new parts added were the rear tub.  The doors, engine and roofrack remained the same.

The Fourth Trip:

Martin & Debbie Solms - 2004 to 2005

I purchased this vehicle after chatting to Colin about the merits of the Defender 110 compared to my LR Discovery.  Buying a fully kitted vehicle for our trip meant that we only had a few mods to do.  I added sidelockers, and rear cupboards to the interior.  I opted to remain with the tried and tested Michelin XZL tyres.

Trip Four B

Sam Watson - Kenya & Tanzania

Sam borrowed the Land Rover called Maggie for a month of overland travel in August 2005.  His destination was Kenya and Tanzania.

The Firth Trip:

Jamie & Charlene Davies - Dec 2005 to July 2009

As you begin approaching Kubu Island you are unable to see very much as you travel through very tall grass and some trees, but all of a sudden the grass and trees disappear and all you see is another dried up pan with this small (from a distance) cluster of rocks and baobabs in the middle of the pan.

The Sixth Trip

Noel Peries - November 2009 to current

Departed the UK heading South on 5th November 2009.

Meeting the Owners:
The four generations of owners meet up:

From Left to Right: Martin, Jo, Wendy, Charlene, Colin, Jamie and Richard (photo excludes Debbie)

Website Creation - Free Tools to get your Overland Trip online

Do you need a website for an overland trip?  What are the benefits that a website and online media offer to the overlander?

In this blog, I outline my thoughts on the matter of creating a website, social media (facebook & Twitter),digital media (video & audio) and concepts like Geotagging and RSS.  In essence, the tools that will enable you to create your expedition website whilst keeping your financial costs low.

Land Rover Discovery - A reliable Overland Vehicle?

Is the Land Rover Discovery a capable trans-continental overland vehicle?

Throughout decades of overland travel the Land Rover Series and Defender have been successfully crossing continents. In this post, I provide examples of the Land Rover Discovery and its role in Trans-Africa overland trips. I focused specifically on independent overland websites which opted to use a Land Rover Discovery as the preferred vehicle.

  Wikipedia describes the vehicle as:

The Land Rover Discovery is a mid-size SUV, with off-road capabilities, from the British car maker Land Rover; a subsidiary of Tata Motors. There have been three generations of the vehicle, which was first introduced in 1989.

Key Points
In my opinion, gone are the days where the dominant 4x4 vehicle was the Land Rover Series or Defender model, as a result there are a number of key points on why the Discovery is becoming more popular with the independent overlander.   The Discovery offers the following:

• Superior comfort compared to the Land Rover Defender.  Majority of Discovery's include sunroofs and air conditioning.
• Similar size to the Defender (physically less rear load space but extra width is beneficial)
• A raft of overland equipment - roofracks, fuel tanks, bullbars and every other possible modification available
• In the UK, the Discovery is very affordable compared to the Defender. 

In each of the examples below, the Overlanders have opted for various modifications -  from the standard roofrack and tent, to a fully plumbed in fresh water tanks and long range fuel tanks.  

Land Rover Discovery 200tdi

First introduced in 1989, the Land Rover Discovery launched in a market that was ready for a medium size 4x4. Similar to the Defender, this vehicle offers excellent offroad capability plus the interior offered comfort and airconditioning.


My first Discovery, as pictured below, was a 200tdi (2.5 Turbo Diesel), five door model.  The vehicle had a five speed gearbox, with a central locking diff in either high or low range.  

Here are a few overland prepared examples:

Scott and Renee

In April 1999, Scott and Renee headed South from Spain en route to South Africa.  The Discovery chosen for the trip was the 200tdi, 3-door edition.  

The additional benefit over the LR Defender was the wide rear door which enabled easy access to rear of the vehicle as seen in this photo.

Andrew & Jacqui

Prepared to the n'th degree, Andrew and Jacqui spent plenty of time and effort in kitting the perfect vehicle.  The Discovery had access to the rooftop tent (via the front sunroof).  The rear seats were removed and cupboards fitted to contain all the travel equipment.  A long range fuel tank, and two water tanks were fitted.

Additional photos from an afternoon spent at the UK Land Rover Billing show:

Land Rover Discovery 300tdi

Launched in 1994, this Discovery had the new 300tdi engine (2.5L TD), facelift headlights and interior.  Additional changes included a new gearbox and a few extra chassis modifications.

A few examples of trips...

CaTs Itchy Feet

Taniya and Clive are currently heading South from the UK and have a good website with excellent photos and videos.  

A short YouTube video clip shows the vehicle:

Camel World

Peter Strong bought a fully kitted Camel Trophy Discovery and headed South and eventually North again.
Peter journals:

The Camel. 300TDi Discovery (P244 KAC) that was factory built for the Mongolia Camel Trophy Competition in 1997. I found the Camel in the care of Simon Pitchford in Gibraltar. Simon was gutted to lose one of his favourite toys - I was delighted to find a vehicle that was capable of taking the journey on.

Driving Home

Colin and team headed South from the UK in a Discovery.

SA Overland

Wayne and Tracy write the following about their Discovery 300tdi:

We decided on a Land Rover for our trip and bought a 1998 Land Rover Discovery 300TDi in early 2008.  The Landy was partly modified from a previous trip but we felt that it was not adequately prepared for our needs and still needed a lot of work and TLC to get it ready for our trip.

Land Rover Discovery II -  TD5

Launched in 1998, the Discovery II was the first vehicle to use the new 5-cylinder diesel engine (TD5) plus the new 'fly-by-wire' electronics which controlled fuel injection, traction control, and Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) which prevented body roll. 

Disco Everywhere

Paul and Jacinda headed North in their TD5 - their website offers an excellent vehicle prep page, including updates on equipment used.  

Quote from the website:

The most important accessory in my opinion for a diesel 4wd is a snorkel. Get water in a diesel and given the high compression ratio you can say goodbye to your engine. Apart from keeping water out they do a reasonable job of keeping the dust out and suck cooler air to boot. Combined with a K&N air filter, Truckasaurus breathes at its best.

Land Rover Discovery 3

This Discovery launched with a totally new design, including the innovative Terrain Response system and 6-speed gearbox.


The World Off Road
Akis and Vula have a superbly modified Discovery 3.  They are yet to reach Africa (Nov 09) however as they are currently travelling, I will include them.  As stated above, the criteria to be included is an independent website detailing their Trans-Africa overland trip.

Big Adventure
Jen & Noam are heading around the world in their overland prepared Discovery 3 (2.7 diesel)

Land Rover Discovery 4
Launched in September 2009, this Discovery introduced a new 3.0l twin turbo diesel engine, smoother body lines and new interior trim levels (to match the Range Rover).  This Discovery is still relatively new and attracts a price point that most independent overlanders tend to avoid.

In summary, the first Discovery offers a fantastic overland vehicle - engine reliability, ability to easily modify and the 'Good Look' feel about it.  The benefit this vehicle has is the 2nd hand price point, the expedition kit availability and the lack of electronics.
Moving to the TD5 version introduces the electronics - however, with the right computer, diagnostics will be a breeze.  Additional spares will also need to be carried in advance of any breakdowns as remote areas will probably not have the latest diagnostic equipment.

As time moves on and we look back in ten years, I expect to see more electronics in vehicles and easier diagnostics which should make the newer Disco 3 & 4 available as an overlander.

Additional Reading:

10 Reasons why the Discovery makes a good overlander

Video clip memories from Mali

I have just finished catching up on the latest YouTube videos which have been posted on Overland Live.  CaT's Itchy Feet are currently in Mali and have posted this video clip:




Mali is a wonderful country and watching the above video clip brought back many memories.
Here are a few photos from the Mali diary pages of BigSky Adventures:

The photo below was taken after we spent an evening in a remote village on the banks of Senegal river.  We wrote the following after the event:

The next morning 'Ne Ne' served us more porridge and invited Debbie & Sameena to join her at the river to see how she washed the maize. This was a daily social gathering of women - first they washed their clothes, then dishes, then the maize, then themselves ... all in the same river. It was lovely to experience their way of life and see how content they are with life.

Early Land Rover Expeditions - the 1950s

When Land Rover introduced the Series I, advertised as the vehicle choice for all roles, expeditions started popping up.  A few were well funded and even sponsored by Land Rover.

Here are a few books and photos written about the expeditions:

Starting with the most famous of all the 1950's expeditions:

First Overland - Tim Slessor

Why not? After all, no-one had ever done it before. It would be one of the longest of all overland journeys, from the English Channel to Singapore. Several expeditions had already tried. Some had got as far as the deserts of Persia; a few had even reached the plains of India. But no-one had managed to go on from there: over the jungle-clad mountains of Assam and across northern Burma to Thailand and Malaya

Source: http://www.firstoverland.com/

A few additional photos from Google Images:

The Land Rovers are driving next to the Nairn Transport Co. truck.

The Impossible Takes a Little Longer - Eric Edis

Eric Edis, described as a real life Indiana Jones, set out from London on October 28 in 1957 with a team of 10 men and five women to attempt the overland journey across the world and back. Only one woman and one vehicle made it with him as far as Australia, as the harshness of the expedition took its toll. On the road for 18 months and five days, Edis finally arrived back on home ground 0n March 21, 1959, having endured and achieved more than the most intrepid Rider Haggard hero.

Source: http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk/feed/991900.php

A few photos from the above link:

Earth, My Friend - Peter Townsend

Over the thousands of miles I had driven alone across the plains and mountains, the dark forests and deserts of the world, in the great cities and mud-hut villages, I had seen not only humanity but all kinds of living things unfolded in their infinite diversity...

A few photos from the hardcover book:

Gipsy Doctor - Wendy Carnegie

"This story tells of my adventures whilst driving a Land Rover and a a twenty-two-foot caravan from England to India. I believe it was the first journey of its kind, and it covered two-an-a-half years of travel" - Wendy Carnegie

An extract from the book:

The desert, as well as producing great, great heat, produces a series of shocks as well, for until he or she actually saw it, who could envisage a desert full of stones like small dark eggs instead of sand? That was what I found in the Black Desert, where I also encountered mirages that had to be seen to be believed.

The First Overland - Four Wheels & Frontiers - Roy Follows
Not to be outdone by the Land Rovers, Roy Follows equips an old WWII Jeep found on a scrapheap in Singapore and drives it back to the UK.

In 2002, Roy Follows (the author), sent me the first chapter of his book Four Wheels & Frontiers.  On first glance, the book immediately inspires you to get reading as the photos in the book entice you into one of the first overland journeys from Singapore to England!
The book includes the authors journal and all planning letters, mileage and even GPS reference points for border crossings! Well worth buying a copy!

Additional links:

Expedition Land Rovers through the generations

1950's Land Rover Expeditions

1960's Expeditions