Spotted: Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy - unique roof conversion

Overland vehicle modification is big business. Just look at the number of 4x4 garages, retail outlets and online sellers.  Even with all of these professional outfitters offering similiar products and services, independent overlanders always tend to find a unique way of modifying their vehicle.  Take for example this Land Cruiser
HZJ75RV Troopcarrier (6 cylinder Diesel Aspirated 4.2L)

1994 Land Cruiser Troopy

Spotted on Gumtree Australia, this 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy has had an interesting roof conversion.  Unfortunately no photos of the interior were posted online, however, the exterior photos make it look interesting.

Here is the detailed information as posted on Gumtree:

Unique conversion . Pop top with flip over roof carrier creates platform for bed above ground giving full standing space inside, on top of full length pull out drawers.
Complete with winch, limited slip diff. Compressor for tyres and diff. Spots front and rear. Tow bar (unused). Two radios – vhf and other. Completely treated under side at last rego.

Cost 24k 8 years ago. Used only for holiday trips not as a main car. In excellent running order.

Source: Gumtree AU Owner: Guy Baker (unconfirmed).  Asking AU$14,000.

A few more photos from the advert:

What do you reckon?  Neat idea or to cumbersome to setup?  I will follow up with the current owner to see if I can get a few more interior photos.

Right Here, Right Now...

How do you keep updated with all the overland travel blogs?  Do you like current information: Right Here, Right Now? Or do you prefer reading historical overland websites? In this blog post, I mention the rise of RSS enabled websites...

Overland travel has certainly gained a lot of popularity in the last 5 years, and with that, the amount of dedicated overland websites have boomed...

I recall spending hours on The Africa Overland Network visiting each BIO page in turn, attempting to find which websites had been updated since my last visit.  I was looking for updates on current overland travel information, current trip reports and current photos.  

Google Reader

Thankfully, with the advances of the blogging websites, RSS feeds were introduced which allowed me to link all the RSS enabled websites into Google Reader.  I now had the ability to quickly glance through my "Overland Live" folder and view all the current updates from these websites. 

Google Reader then allowed me to publish all my subscriptions (currently 237 Overland websites in my RSS folder) to a webpage.

As a result of this, I launched "Overland Live" and started to display the latest blogs, videos, photos and Twitter feeds.

The website has been archived, but the feed is still available:

The invite...

Who did you ask to join you on your overland adventure?  Or did you get asked to join as a co-driver, navigator, bottle washer or simply as a paying passenger?

Initially I had been planning to do the trip on my own but after a friend initiated a blind date with Debbie, my plans started changing.  I quite fancied asking her to join me and had often hinted that I had a dream to drive across Africa.

I opted to present her with an invitation highlighting a few key facts and instilling some enthusiasm for a year spent in an overland prepared vehicle.

The challenge of owning your dream is making sure you can share the excitement, the fun and allow someone else, whose ideas might differ from your own to participate fully.

The day before...

Morgans Safari - Packing up

The day before you depart on your epic overland adventure: Excited? Anxious? Frustrated? Emotional?
Or, simply all of the above.

Over the last few weeks, I have been lucky to celebrate the departure of two trips from Sydney, heading to Africa...
First across the Sydney harbor bridge was Gareth and Kirsty from Aussie Overlanders and tomorrow it is the turn of Richard and Sophie from Morgan Safari.

I took the opportunity to pop down to the Mulgo Expedition vehicles workshop to catch up with Richard and Sophie.  A last minute glitch with the fresh water filtration system had Richard re-plumping a stronger pump into the rear of the Mitsubishi Pajero.

Mulgo Expedition Centre

Twitter: @africaoverland

The latest Twitter updates from @africaoverland


Tweets by @africaoverland

Spotted: UK registered Land Rover Defender: F974 RTW

It's awesome spotting a foreign registered vehicle in a different country... This morning, Sydney time (07:33am), I spotted a UK registered Land Rover Defender (F974  RTW) heading towards Sydney airport.

Took me ages to catch it up and only managed to get a poor quality photo via my phone:

It certainly looked neat with an Eezi-Awn rooftop tent, twin spare wheel carrier and side awning. Unfortunately I could not get close enough to see who was driving.

Update:
Five days after spotting the Defender and asking a number of people and plenty of website searching, Daniel (Mulgo Expedition Vehicles & equipment) found the link to the website.

Check it out via: http://www.fourwheeltravel.com

Trip Report: Family Long Weekend

"It always rains on the Easter weekend in Australia" stated a friend of mine as we discussed the various options for the long weekend. Traffic chaos was guaranteed if we opted for the rural campsites along the NSW coast line, so we decided on a route heading inland towards the Blue Mountains, in particular, the Newnes State Forest bordering the Wollemi National Park.

There are not many roads left in Australia that the Google Street car has not visited and I wanted to make sure we evaded those roads and followed alternative routes inland.
4x4 Earth Australia was my starting point. The website allows people to upload and download GPS routes across the country. I spent a few hours searching all the tracks until I had successfully downloaded a few that intersected my journey to the remote campsite. The route I opted for covered unsealed roads, fire tracks and potentially a few minor tracks linking the various fire roads.

30-Second Kitchen by Piranha Offroad

Time for a cuppa?  The freedom of overland travel is the ability to stop anytime, anywhere.  Having the ability to make a quick cuppa tea or coffee makes the experience that much worthwhile whereas faffing about in the rear of your vehicle to find the dual fuel stove, kettle and cups can often lead to a rather frustrating experience.

Introducing a neat idea from Piranha Offroad in Australia.  I first saw this product advertised during a 4WD TV show and immediately liked the concept.  I will admit that I have not seen it, or had the ability to test the durability however the concept is unique and makes life on the road that much easier.  The concept is fairly clear:  a small kitchen and table mounted next to the fridge which can be setup in minutes allowing for easy access to the cooker, crockery and cutlery.

Piranha Offroad advert below:

Piranha Offroad - 30 Second Kitchen

The 4WD TV advert:

Link to website: Piranha Offroad

I think this type of kitchen will only work well with vehicles that either have a tailgate or a full rear door (like a Land Cruiser or LR Discovery).  My feeling is that a LR Defender and Jeep won't have sufficient space due to the size of the rear door i.e. access to the rear will be cramped with the fridge and table taking up more than half the available space.

In summary, I think its a unique idea and would consider adding a unit to the rear of my Discovery.  If you own a 30-second kitchen and have any feedback, please let me know.

Additional Reading:
Stimson Explorer Kit - Expedition kitchen in a box
Tea Time

Book Review: Wollongong to Woolwich by Will Wilkins & Kate Macdonell

Wollongong to Woolwich is the overland motorcycle adventure of Will and Kate.  Departing Australia and heading for the UK via Asia.

The book is an interesting read.  It's not melodramatic, self-confessing travel book, and not technical for the avid motorcyclists. This overland ebook is styled as a personal diary, often highlighting blog entries to enhance the mood of the moment.  The pace is quick, which often leaves you wanting to know more details.

You will enjoy this book if you are considering an overland trip using motorbikes as it highlights aspects of travel that make motorcycle travel interesting and challenging.  One simple example is the daily endeavour of finding accommodation whilst on a motorbike compared to simply pulling over in your overland camper.

Visit the website: Wollongong to Woolwich and follow via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Austigirl and https://twitter.com/WillWilkins165

A few interesting paragraphs from the book:
Re. the City of Kathmandu:

The whole city was fantastic. I won’t go into a long-winded description to rival a tourist guidebook, but I will use some key words to paint a picture: Noisy, Hectic, Crowded, Vibrant, Friendly, Safe, Polluted, Ancient, Crumbling and yet so ALIVE

Oisin Hughes - video updates

Oisin Hughes

A quick update on overlander Oisin Hughes - he completed two epic overland motorcycle rides across the Americas and Asia and has published two ebooks detailing his trip.  The reason for the mention is that he has been uploading new video content highlighting his adventures.

As I write this, his blogs and photographs are currently unavailable however the videos are enjoyable and give a real sense of the adventure and journey of overland travel.

The most recent videos from his 'Not Dead Yet' trip:

His two books are available from Amazon: