So what makes a truck "Overland/Expedition" ready?

[Olazz]

I see more and more adds describing cruisers as Overland trucks, because they have a snorkel and roof rack, or a bull bar and spotlights.
We all know you can drive to Mongolia in a Lada without all the fancy gear we "think" we need and a std cruiser is more than capable without any modification.
So putting all that aside:

To describe a truck as such, what spec would you consider a proper overland cruiser to have?

 

[Chris]

Without getting into a long list, I would suggest that for me, Overland Ready would relate to the vehicle itself. Stuff like fridges, roof tents and the like are great if included, but have no bearing on the cars ability to drive long distances in sometimes poor conditions.

So

100 % mechanical and electrical condition - this would on a seller's list hopefully and relate to the age of the vehicle and common known faults
Suspension capable of taking fully laden truck
Certain electrical upgrades such as leisure battery and charging system
Some mechanical mods perhaps like twin fuel filters or long range tanks
Under body protection where necessary
Possibly a drawer or storage system and a safe

The point is that preparing the vehicle and kitting it out are different things, aren't they.

That sort of stuff really. Charlie and Nina went to the far East and back in their 90 in pretty much standard form other than that above.

I think that it's one of those slightly ambiguous claims like 'made from aircraft grade aluminium' - it sounds good but is meaningless.

Chris

 

[Paul]

The toyota badge on the front

 

[fridayman]

I agree with Chris on the 100% mechanical & electrical condition. Then after that it depends entirely on how long and where you intend on taking it, but I reckon a Landcruiser with extra fuel capacity, on-board food & water storage, raised suspension, AT tyres and a decent set of maps is good for a lot of trips.

 

[Ecoman]

If you were looking to buy a vehicle to do an overland trip but were a bit naive, then seeing one that claims to need virtually no extra money spent on it would seem very attractive. Either that or if you wanted to look like a seasoned traveller but never ventured further than the next county, seeing an advert for an "Expedition Truck" could be appealing.

IMO it comes into the same category as seeing a Pick Up with a 4" lift and 33" tyres classed as a monser truck. Its marketing to the naive and the ill informed.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Add to this list decent sturdy tyres that are readily available in your size. On 80's it's usually 285/75x16. Steel rims would be preferred I think

Extended range fuel tank to give 1000km range and an on-board water tank would be nice...

Decent GPS and a backup, as well as map-reading skills!

A safe to keep original docs in.

 

[vrecha]

Well maintained vehicle with decent tires is overland-ready in my opinion.

That doesn't mean I'm against some extras to help regarding the comfort or protect the vehicle etc. But in our last trip (report in a few days) we just saw too many ridiculously equipped vehicles that traveled exclusively on tarmac. Well, I'd chose Mercedes S-klasse for this job.

More and more I understand that overland-ready should mainly refer to the owner (driver, passengers ...). The right vehicle and the corresponding equipment comes after the right mindset.

Not a popular opinion, I know ...

 

[Chas]

Not a popular opinion, I know ...

Maybe not, but one I agree with. For much too long I put off doing things I now try to do, but with much less time left

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour and catch the trade winds in your sails, explore, dream and discover.~ Mark Twain

 

[Birder]

I agree with Chris on the 100% mechanical & electrical condition. Then after that it depends entirely on how long and where you intend on taking it, but I reckon a Landcruiser with extra fuel capacity, on-board food & water storage, raised suspension, AT tyres and a decent set of maps is good for a lot of trips.

I agree with you, but even a brand new vehicle can and will break down so tools and some spares.

However Overland, does not have to be offroad, and whats an expedition! These days it can be an expedition to get to Tesco's in some cities.

 

[Dave Docwra]

Confidence in the vehicle..

 

[Rob]

Confidence in the vehicle..

I would disagree, some people think that just because the vehicle is made by a manufacturer with a reputation for reliability its expedition ready (well for off road expeditions)

 

[Dave Docwra]

Hi Rob, My comment is Nothing to do with who made the vehicle, but more to do in how well maintained & checked the vehicle is prior to departure, some overland blogs I have read have include people who buy a vehicle with either no knowledge or thought about maintenance & then set off & a couple of weeks later run into problems. I also do know that you can check everything 110% & things can still go wrong, but until that point of failure you have tried your best..

 

[Rob]

Just making sure

 

[Paul]

So just to really throw the pussy amongst the birds, not counting items for comfort but more for overall practicality.

What is better

A perfectly serviced, totally up to date, no known faults standard vehicle, with all the little jobs done (like front axle on an 80, cooling sytem check on a 90 etc.) and just some water and fuel jerry cans in the boot.

Or

A vehicle as above, but with all the common extras like winch and bumper, bash plates, suspesion lift blah blah blah

While all the extras may "help" you, maybe the standard vehicle performs better generally.

And yes, i have been drinking quite a bit tonight

 

[Birder]

Oh, I also forgot, if its a Land Rover you need a camera to take all the photos of the repairs you make.

 

[Cptsideways]

Having travelled fairly extinsively down through Africa in several £200 shonky cars, I'd say reliability & serviceabilty is key. It has to be fixable in the desert, keep it simple.

Next I'd say keeping weight down & keeping the whole thing simple, no point adding 500kg of winch bumpers & roofracks, rocksliders etc this just adds weight & adds to future problems. Plus you should'nt be doing 4wd off road stuff if your doing a long trip just in case you don't come back.

On my trips I met plenty of French & Germans in pretty standard 4x4's & even soft roaders with simple basic kit, out enjoying their trips without the faff. Then you meet the brit Landrover crew, with all the bells & whistles in grossly overloaded vehicles looking like complete idiots.

If a fairly standard Volvo 240 Estate & a Mercedes 500 SEL can make the Atlantic route across the Sahara without much bother driven sensibly then a boggo LC will do the job fine. We had everything we needed for 6 weeks away in our cars.

 

[Cptsideways]

ETA: I meant you should'nt really be doing extreme offroading on an extended trip


Anyway, here's a pic of the Volvo 240 we drove down to the Gambia, it made it the whole way without much bother & we only got stuck once in the campsite in Senegal of all places We took the Atlantic route with some adventures into the desert proper along the way.

And that was towing a caravan too!!! it was a flat pack one which had been converted into a Pub

 

[Lorin]

Next I'd say keeping weight down & keeping the whole thing simple, no point adding 500kg of winch bumpers & roofracks, rocksliders etc this just adds weight & adds to future problems. Plus you should'nt be doing 4wd off road stuff if your doing a long trip just in case you don't come back.

Whilst I agree with the premise of the first statement in terms of keeping it simple and only fitting what you really need, I completely disagree with the second.

I bought and am prepping an 80 specifically so I can at every opportunity get off the roads and onto trails only possible with a well prepared 4x4. Whilst you can never plan for every eventuality it is possible with well thought out preparation/planning, and the right equipment and training to challenge yourself and your vehicle. I have little interest in driving the easy way but I also do not intend to take ill-thought through risks or put myself into unnecessary danger. However, I do intend to go places only possible in a well prepared 4x4 and acknowledge that this comes with certain risks.

In 2000 I landed in Perth (Oz), bought a 1975 FJ45, prepped it properly, got some instruction/training and proceded to drive 28,000Km including some of the most difficult 4wd trails in Oz. We had numerous breakages, got stuck several times and were often 100s if not 1000s of Km from the nearest town. In all situations it was possible to effect a self-recovery as a direct result of good prep and training. Overlanding for me is about getting off the beaten track and into the wilderness.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Interesting split developing here between 'overlanding' which may or may not involve going off-road, and 'expedition' which I would suggest is much more extreme. Both are vehicle-dependent but have vastly different requirements.

For pure overland travel, help, assistance and supplies may usually be reasonably accessible.

For expedition work, which I'd class places like some Oz areas (Simpson, red centre, mountains etc) and some of Africa sub-Sahara (Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, moz, Zim, bots and nam) there are some extremely remote, dangerous areas where there are only tracks and any form of assistance is days away.

These demand two completely different set-ups I reckon. The overland could be done in most anything. The expedition I wouldn't want to go in anything but a properly prepped, kitted Cruiser or Unimog with proper crew training, more so if I was the only vehicle. For eg I would not go through southern Congo without a winch and more than one set of ropes and spare wheels and a pretty comprehensive spares and first aid kit!

Just my 2c worth

 

[Lorin]

Interesting split developing here between 'overlanding' which may or may not involve going off-road, and 'expedition' which I would suggest is much more extreme. Both are vehicle-dependent but have vastly different requirements.

I reckon you're right and I hadn't thought about the difference. I tend to think of 'overlanding' as encompassing 'expedition' but it is probably better to keep them separate. In which case my little rant was really referring to expedition and not overlanding.

If there is one thing that is mentioned time and again on blogs about overlanded trips done in a 4x4, it is that with hindsight they wish they'd had a car or a van instead as 99% of the driving was easily do-able with 2wd, and there is the benefit of better fuel consumption etc...