The Overland Dream

Land Rover 109 - Overland Expedition Prepared

The Overland Dream, for me, needs nurturing and feeding.  The dream needs to grow... it needs to expand... to needs to be fulfilled.  It needs to be kept inspired, kept fresh and sometimes it needs to be shared.

One way I keep my overland dream alive is to admire photos from overland-related websites.  I first started searching independent overland expedition websites in the mid 1990's.  It was an extremely slow process of attemping to search via an internet dial-up connection.  The content was hard to find, and when I did, the photos were generally scanned using a low resolution.  However tedious the process seemed, each new website was inspirational and the photos I viewed made an impression on me.  I liked the grey sketched image (on the left) but have no idea where I found it.

I used the following quote on my first overland website...

The original websites have long vanished from web servers but a few remain... Here is one of my favourite websites:

In and Out of Africa - Derek Tearne

What inspires and keeps your overland dream alive?

21-Nov-12 Postscript:
Thanks to the wonders of the internet and image search features, I found the front of the Land Rover image (above).  The Land Rover turned out to be a Series II.  Unfortunately the person who took the photo is still anonymous.

Overland Trip Budget Planner

How do you budget for an overland trip?  That's a tricky question to answer and a question that majority of overland trips don't event attempt to answer.  Nick from Langebaan Sunset attempted to provide a full years worth of budgeting from his recent UK to SA trip.  It is worth visiting his website to get an insight into the costs.

Budgeting and planning is often the most important aspect of any trip, however, the multiple countries and currencies often play havoc on budget planning.  Francois, a member of the Overland Forum, kindly created this spreadsheet which allows for multiple countries and currencies to be integrated into a budget.  It's a fantastic tool which will be very useful for planning.

Here is the link to the Google Group page and the link to download a copy: Overland Forum - Overland Trip Planner.

Stimson Explorer Kit - expedition field kitchen

BigSky Adventures Cooking setup

The cooking setup of overland vehicles vary considerably.  Some vehicles have fantastic looking expedition kitchen units integrated into the vehicle - others have rusty old gas cookers or charcoal burners.  All do the job - some are just more efficient than others.

In my search for the optimum cooking setup, I stumbled across the Stimson Explorer kit. In summary this is a field kitchen build into a neat storage unit and would make the ideal expedition field kitchen for an vehicle based journey.

Unit Overview:

The unit comprises of a sturdy box with a lid that opens and is supported with an extending leg. The sides have supporting handles which are clipped in place during transit.

The interior comprises of the following equipment:

Gas cooker & cartridges

Cooler Box

Cutlery & cutting board

Wash basin

Stimson Explorer Kit - field kitchen in a box

Water Bottle & Pump 

Ease of Setup:

The benefit of this unit is the ability to open the lid and get cooking quickly or remove the unit from the vehicle and setup in a convenient location.

The lid is held on via two elastic bands whilst the water pump is hinged to a holder on the left.

The water tank is independent which means that you can use any water source rather than carrying an integrated water tank around with you.

Vehicle integration:
The unit is standalone so could be mounted on sliding rails or secured to the floor using straps.

Slight Improvements:
The unit, in my opinion, ticks many boxes for an overland trip - easy of use, integration into vehicle, best use of storage space.
However, there is one improvement that is needed.  The gas cooker is stored under the water basin which means that that after use, you will need to allow the unit to cool before packing away.  A neater system would be small drawer system so that the gas cooker can be packed away hot.

Summary: 
If you are planning your overland trip and are undecided on the cooking arrangements, I would recommend looking at this unit. It can integrate neatly into your vehicle and offers the benefit of a compact design which includes majority of your cooking equipment.

Additional photos:

Gabon Overland - May 2005

BigSky Adventures - Gabon 2005

Our route South from the UK to SA took us via Cameroon, into Gabon, over the equator and South through the Congo.

For our short traverse across Gabon, the country was and still is, awesome.  It offers the overlander a chance to experience the jungles of Africa in its full, plus the very controversial logging operations.  In the video clip below, you will notice the size of the trees that have been cut and loaded on the trucks.

When the roads get bad, they become adventurous.  We had seven sections of mud to traverse -  the first was the worst but luck was at hand.  Enjoy the video clip and selection of Gabon photos:




A selection of photos:

Unusual Overland Vehicles - From a Tractor to a Sidecar

Seen any unusual Overland Vehicles lately?  In this blog I list the most unusual types of vehicles which have been use for an overland trip. The vehicles range from an old French van, a tractor and even a Tuk Tuk.  Missing from the vehicle list is a quad bike!

Here are a few examples:

Citroën Hy
What an interesting vehicle... “Sur les chemins du monde” (The world is your oyster) opted for this 1969, 3 gears, 70 horses power, original 1.9l fuel engine to complete a world trip.

Quoted from the website:

Hachille, a real 1968 Citroyen type HY72, is going to be Géraldine’s travelling mate during this world tour! It used to be France’s most used utility vehicle. Used as national police vehicle, on the one hand, or transport van for small businesses, on the other hand, the famous Type H, which is often called Tub, experienced its hours of glory between 1948 and 1981.

Tractor
If you have time, then crossing Africa in a Tractor is the way to go. Manon drove her tractor from NL to ZA and wrote a book and a website about it. Her aim was the South Pole.  Very impressive.

TukTuk

This is another unique vehicle choice for an overland trip.  Tuk to the Road, was the name of the website about the trip from Bangkok to Brighton driven by Jo & Ants.

We stopped for lunch at a roadside café and pulled up next to a wedding party. They spotted TT and came over to have a photo shoot with her. The bride was wearing a flowing white gown and TT made her look even more stunning. We went inside the café and ordered a pretty basic lunch...

Ural Sidecar

Dating back to 2000, a couple departed South Africa with a Sidecar - an Ural Sidecar to be precise. Mullie & Nobile created a website to record their trip via East Africa.  A quote from the Zambian diary:

The bike is still running flawlessly, despite the off road adventures we had in Zambia. On our way from Livingstone to Lake Kariba, we had our first flat. Luckily, it happened right when we entered a small village called Choma. Luckily because my jack died when I tried to use it (stripped threads). I was able to lend one from a local garage, but immediately one of the locals who happened to be passing by in a car brought his own jack and helped us through the entire tire fixing process. In addition, it looked like it was not only the first flat for us, but also for the entire village considering the amount of people (esp. children) surrounding us when we tried to fix the flat. BTW, the Russian glue and patches didn't work that well, so I simply replaced the tube with a spare one.

Beach Buggy
Tom & his Red Buggy - a unique combination as pushed the Red Buggy South from EU to ZA.

Penny-Farthing
Bicycles are often used for adventure cycling and overland trips.  Tandem bikes included.  However, a Penny-Farthing is unique.  Joff headed around the world on his!

Mercedes 300TD
This unique overland prepared Mercedes W123 300TD popped up on the Africa Overland Network website.  I liked the way Jurgen had prepped the vehicle with a rooftop tent and all the additional expedition accessories. For more information see Jurgen's weblog.

Quad Bikes

Thanks to a comment posted by Alex, I can now add an overland trip by Quad bike.
Josh and Anna completed their trip in 2008 and set a Guinness Record for the trip.

Even as I type this, I am amazed how many different vehicles people have opted for. All of them have a story to tell along with plenty of adventures.  Enjoy your reading!

Feb 2010 update:
Updated the Quad trip after a comment from Alex

If you enjoyed this article, perhaps these vehicle related posts might be interesting:

• Expedition Land Rovers
• Land Rover Discovery
• Mercedes Benz W124 

Accidents & Bush Mechanics

Accidents happen.  Unfortunately, that is.  Adding people into expedition prepared vehicles and vehicles onto roads can lead to accidents occurring.  When they do occur, injuries and damages to the vehicle often cause major stress, or in the worst scenario, an urgent rush to the nearest hospital.

I don't want to write about accidents that involve people and the difficulties that arise from this.  In this blog, I want to share a few vehicle related stories and the lessons learnt from those experiences.

My old Land Rover Defender (currently on her 6th trip) was recently involved in an accident whilst in Guinea. Noel, the current owner, was heading down a deserted road then the vehicle seemed to hit a major hole and ended up in a ditch.  See Noel's website for more of the story: Nomad Adventure

Bush Mechanics to the rescue.

That's the beauty of Africa.  With very little equipment, the local mechanic has the ability to fix anything and everything.

If, on your next adventure, you feel that you are slightly underprepared for the mechnical challenge - fear not, a mechanic is ready and waiting in the next village.

Overland with Kids...

I have been actively following Andrew & Ann as they prepare for their overland trip from the UK to Oz.

There blog updates have been very informative and offer valuable information.  This one, linked kids schooling, with overland travel.  A subject very close to my heart after I became a dad.

Education

We brought a small box containing reading materials, spellings and maths for both Jessica and AJ. We also brought a journal for Jessica to fill. But, what we failed largely in doing was to have was a set daily structure. We did regular reading each night and Jessica’s journal was completed most days but spelling, maths and any special topics and plans were non-existent. Just the daily journal writing with Jessica we found a struggle at times (e.g. to make Jessica concentrate - to make us concentrate!) As parents, we were as bad as the children (or worse!) in terms of preferring the sun, bikes, beach, sight-seeing, lazing or eating - as precedence over any educational need. We know our faults and are now doing some pre-planning and research into home schooling to ensure we have a more consistent and structured approach to daily educational requirements.

Well worth reading the rest of the blog.
Source:

http://www.overlandwithkids.com/2009/12/reflectionslessons-learned-since-summer-trip-2009/

New Trip Added... Global Gallivanting

New trip added - Global Gallivanting - overland on a motorbike - http://bit.ly/6AE9CA

Lois on the Loose

Just met Lois Pryce - inspirational lady. Check out 'Lois on the Loose' - http://bit.ly/45H3hL

Expedition Land Rovers through the Generations

What is it about the image of a dusty Land Rover parked on the rolling savanna of Africa?  Is it the thought of exploration, freedom, and adventure? In this blog, I link to a few Land Rover expeditions that have been used through the generations. Since the very first Land Rover rolled off the production line, these vehicles have been used on expeditions across the world.  Here's a quick reference of overland trips which have used the Land Rover as the vehicle of choice throughout the Land Rover Generations.  I have not included any of the new generation Land Rovers, namely, the Range Rover, Discovery and Freelander.  This blog focuses on the original design and the various modifications that have enabled the vehicle to be the perfect choice for a vehicle based expedition. Land Rover Series I - 1948 to 1957 George Adamson drove from the UK back to Kenya as part of his honeymoon with Joy. His book, Bwana Game, tells the short story of his trip in his Series I Land Rover. The following photos are scans from his book. Apologies for the binding getting scanned in! The Great 1953 Trek - a family of four drive from Bath, UK to Salisbury, Rhodesia (as it was known then). Additional scanned photos from the various books I have sourced the information from.  See the list at the end of the blog. Wandering Star I spotted a number of articles written about this Series I, however, I have never been able to track down the owner.  Here is one of the articles, including a number of scanned photos. Land Rover Series II - 1958 to 1970 Series IIa - the primary difference between this model and the previous was the introduction of the diesel engine and eventually the headlights moved to the fenders. My first Land Rover was a 1968 Series II.  It was fully kitted for overland travel - this included a rooftop tent, fridge, 2nd battery, two diesel fuel tanks, an overdrive and a noisy 2.286L diesel engine. Fully loaded, the vehicle could cruise at 50mph but lacked power to even attempt a normal incline.  Engaging low range, via the red knob lever, was the only way the vehicle could tackle any obstacle. Land Rover Series III - 1975 to 1985 A few additional modifications took place however the base chassis and body shell remained unchanged to the average person.   The model varied from a three door, to five door 109" chassis or the alternative short wheel base 88". In recent years, overlanders have purposively chosen the Series III based on its rugged ability to endure all types of terrain, along with the basic mechanical knowledge required to keep the vehicle mobile. A few websites are listed on The Africa Overland Network. Under African Skies by Derek Lean African Snail - Murray & Moira head South from the UK to South Africa via West Africa.  Their vehicle had already completed a full Trans-Africa trip prior to them starting their expedition.  A few more photos from the Archives: Series III Lightweight I can't seem to find any trips across Africa which have used the Series III Lightweight (which was effectively the UK military version of the Series III 88").  The one trip, Dollars and Chocolate, used a lightweight from the UK to Nepal. Land Rover 110 - 2.5 (non Turbo) The first version of the iconic Land Rover Defender shape. In and Out of Africa - Derek Tearne (Flickr Photos) Land Rover 200 Tdi With the development of fuel injection and the stability of turbos integrated into diesel engines, Land Rover released the 110 Defender fitted with the 200Tdi engine.  The base engine was a 2.5l turbo diesel. I choose this vehicle for my most recent Trans-Africa trip based on the reliability, and maintainability of the engine.  This vehicle, like its 110 predecessor was permanent  four wheel drive.  A centre diff was available to lock the diagonal wheels should the need be required. BigSky Adventures My first complete Trans-Africa trip was undertaken in this vehicle.  My trip was the fourth Trans-Africa that this Defender had done.  I, inturn, sold it to another overlander who completed an additional trip.  I believe the vehicle is being sold and is ready for its next trip through Africa. Land Rover 300 Tdi Increased power, modified turbo were the upgrades to take place ont this Defender.  An immaculate example of this vehicle is the website below. Africa Wanderer Land Rover TD5 Firstly, let me be honest here - I am battling to find anyone who has a Trans-Africa overland website based on the Defender TD5.  I got close when Charlie Mouse Adventures wrote the following but later changed their minds and sold the TD5 for a fully prepared 300Tdi. With this in mind, we purchased a 1999 Land Rover Defender Td5 which we lovingly called “Bertie” the blue Land Rover (can you seem a theme developing here??) and immediately got to work researching what would need to be done to transform Bertie from a rather “pimped”  Land Rover from Eastborne into an overland vehicle that would get us safely across Africa over the course of 11 months. Unfortunately, we were not wise in our initial choice – the newer Land Rover Td5 engines have an electrical control unit (ECU) the complexity of which, for most mechanics in Walthamstow, never mind sub-sahara Africa, would cause a sharp intake of breath. Still – having learnt this rather vital bit of info a bit too late, we thought we would persist with Bertie – although it would be a nightmare if anything did go wrong (requiring diagnostic computers not available in much of Africa), the Td5 engine is generally considered more reliable therefore less likely to go wrong … we would pray our way across Africa! So, my hunt for a fully Trans-Africa website using a TD5 continues...  If you know of a website, please let me know. Land Rover Defender 2007 (Puma) Introducing the latest edition to the Defender family was the 2007 model, named the Puma by LR enthusiasts. The website Gapyear4x4, are currently travelling in a fully modified Puma. Click here for a video clip of the vehicle Gap Year 4x4 I liked this page from the Gap Year 4x4 website - Boys side vs Girls Side Land Rover 127 & 130 The vehicle was aptly named after the wheel base was stretched from 110" to 130".   Les 4 O Land Rover Ambulance Although not a new design, the Ambulance body has been fitted to a number of Land Rovers over the years.  As early as the Series II, various Ambulance rear bodies were built to provide support to the British Army. The benefit of these vehicles is the benefit to modify the interior as a camper. Here are a few sites that have used a Land Rover Ambulance: Crossing Africa  Crossing Africa Land Rover Forward Control - the Land Rover Forward Control only lasted a few years in production. It offered easy camper conversions with plenty of space as described in this photo: In recent years, David Visagie, drove from South Africa to Germany via East Africa.  He added the following comment to an earlier blog (overland with kids) entry: Not sure if the registration is the same in the Uk but in SA the Forward control is registered as a vehicle not a truck, we had to argue the point at most border crossings but always won in the end as it states this in the vehicle documents and carnet, the difference in taxes and "insurance" is huge. I fitted a 300tdi motor and did a few upgrades, true to Landrover nature the forward control is so universal, the size of the ambulance is perfect, not to big and not to small, you can fit everything you need inside the vehicle even a shower and toilet (important for the little one) and still have enough space to move around. Park and go the next morning without having to get out of the vehicle is a big big advantage. Land Rover 101 Forward Control - 1972 to 1978 Once again, Land Rover produced a vehicle for the British Army that had limited success.  Fitted with a petrol V8 engine, the 101 was noisy and heavy on fuel. Overland trips in a Land Rover 101 are very rare - this could be due to a number of factors - limited numbers for sale, the perceived expensive of a V8 vs diesel and the age of the vehicle.  In the last decade, only two Trans-Africa trips have used 101s and recorded their trip via a website. Enable Africa Africa Total In summary, the versatility that Land Rover brings to overlanding has enabled it be widely used throughout the generations.  Its simplicity, functionality and ruggedness allow the driver to have confidence that the vehicle will cope and the expedition will reach its goal. Endless debates can be heard around campfires ranging from reliability, bolt-on bits and if the vehicle is the 'Best4x4xfar'.  I will end with this one thought:  Land Rover has enabled thousands of individuals to enjoy the concept of overlanding and will continue to do so. Comments always welcome. Books Referenced: Bwana Game - George Adamson Trans-Africa Motoring - Colin McElduff Overland - Peter Fraenkel

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