Hindsight = 20/20...what did you wish you had left behind? What did you need?

[DiploStrat]

Great points.

... It could have been nice if we would've waited until we got to Colombia to pick up those items, since we wouldn't really need any of it until then. Once or twice I've needed my down jacket in the highlands, but haven't put on my gloves, hat, or thermals since the Pacific NW in February.

Of course, the price differential might finance your whole trip. There is a reason so many Latinos simply fly to Miami to shop; they can often save the price of the air fare.

Being a tropic rat, I didn't even know that thermals, etc. existed - and I did cry like a baby, once my teeth stopped chattering! We weren't very bright when it comes to cold, the jacket my wife is wearing was bought in Algeria one very cold November.

Safe journeys!

 

[coydogsf]

A lot of great insights by people who were (or still are!) on the road a lot longer than we were. I had a couple more of our "favorite gear/best ideas" items I thought I'd mention. Not an exhaustive list, just some cool things that worked really well for us...

10L MSR Dromedary Bags
Easier to store and compress than hard sided jugs. Ours just rode like bloated leaches on top of our stuff on the rear deck of the truck. We hang one with the spigot attachment off the roof rack on the side of the truck for a gravity fed water source. Perfect for washing dishes or filling water bottles or brushing teeth. Could leave one on the roof for some warm water. Those “Alhambra” water cooler bottles are available everywhere and 2 10L dromedary bags swallow all 20L up!

DC Flood Light
We found one with a magnetic base that allows it to be mounted over the kitchen area or anywhere on the side of the truck and plugged into the rear cigarette lighter. Came with a 55W bulb which we replaced with a 9W LED bulb (superbrightleds.com) taking the draw from 4 amps to less than 1 which is a lot easier on your battery. Great for cooking or roadside repairs.

"A typical feast on the tailgate kitchen"

Gorillapod Magnetic Flexible Tripod
I thought the original Gorillapod was awesome but after replacing a lost one with a copy that fell apart immediately, I found this one, now with magnetic feet! With a small camera like our Canon s95, it’ll hold on poles, beams, the side of the truck, wherever in addition to being able to use the fingers on railings, trees, etc. Great for low light settings like churches or long exposures like stars or the moon. Also grab a couple extra tripod heads for your video camera or audio recording device to be able to click and go.

"Long exposure above Los Mochis before heading into the Copper Canyon"

Spot Tracker
I don't know if anyone mentioned it but we love having it. Transmits our location which can be displayed on our blog and can be used to send pre-set status messages to family. For $12 extra, we bought additional search and rescue coverage. Check the Spot site for details and info on the latest versions with 2 way messaging etc.

I also had a couple comments on vehicle decisions/prep...

Go low pro
We were really happy to be driving a vehicle that doesn’t get a lot of attention. We typically weren't given a second look by cops or anyone else as we were driving around. It’s already easy to a feel a little “exposed” far away from home in a different country. It doesn’t take much to feel pretty darn flashy down there and sometimes it’s nice to just blend in. That means minimal exterior mods. We had a rear tire carrier and the low pro AutoHome RTT that looks a lot like a storage box. Spend your energy tricking out the interior features like camp kitchen and gear storage.

"One of these kids does not belong here..."

Lock everything down/Make use of unlikely space (note, this is for the more paranoid among us... NOT necessary unless you - like me - need the peace of mind)
See above but that means minimize gear outside the vehicle and also, put things away on the inside. We built a custom "cabinet" in the rear cargo area that held our kitchen with the back hatch open and allowed access to our personal items by folding forward the back seats. It's not really about stopping a thief - they can snip padlocks - it's about not appearing to be a target in the first place and if you are, discouraging opportunists. For really valuable items, we buried them in unlikely places in the truck. Take out a few screws and look for hidden storage. We found a panel underneath the rear seat cushion that provided access to the fuel pump but also served as a well hidden spot for some extra cash and our prescription drugs (that we didn't want to explain at borders). Same with the space left under our kitchen when we relocated the factory jack and tools. We also found a couple ammo boxes and a thin, flat gas tank meant for ATV's that would subtly slide onto the roof between the racks and underneath the RTT. Finally, when we found that the spare wouldn't fit in the factory location with our new tire carrier bumper, we found an ammo box that could be hoisted into place using the chain that held the tire.

Kill switch
Yup, one final "peace of mind" item that I was really happy to have. While a battery disconnect is an easy way to go, it's pretty easily detected. I went to junkyard and found a factory switch that fit in a blank space in the dash and had a local shop wire it up to the fuel pump. The switch had a picture of the rear windshield wiper on it but, without being turned on, would cause the truck to just try and try and try to turn over but fail. Rest assured, a returned to the truck a couple times after a sunset cerveza and started to panic when it wouldn't start. Then I'd remember my failsafe... Again, overkill? Perhaps. A good measure of assurance your truck will be where you left it? Yep and worth it to us.

(wiper button at far left in the pic is the kill switch)

Yup, lots of different ways to hit the road. I'm sure everyone who's done it to one degree or another would say that the most important this is just to DO IT!

Dave

 

[Christian P.]

Skip the fridge - big investment that gobbles storage space in the truck and makes you electrically dependent; thus running the engine or finding a way to plug in. Costs nothing to stop by the shop every couple of days for food and gives you a reason to mingle with the locals. You can throw away tonnes of spoiled food before you match the price of an engel fridge....


Ultimately I am reconsidering the way I chose a vehicle. Choosing a vehicle and then planning and doing the upgrades and add-ons kept me nicely occupied during the dreary days of work before the grand depart, but in the end it was a waste of time and money (only valuable in terms of my entertainment). I should have picked up a $2000 vehicle, filled the tank and put it in drive. This way I can 'Shoot the horse' (and replace with another) when mechanical problems and mechanical worries redirect the focus of the trip. I am currently too invested in my ride to let it go peacefully. Every day becomes stress waiting for the 'next' thing to go wrong.

You see, every day I see people without 4WD, in beat up rustbuckets with way less maintenance problems and old retired Europeans in tiny 2WD campers arriving at the very same 'secret hideout' as me... the moral of the story is JUST GO and forget trying to fabricate the 'perfect overlander machine'. These exist only in our dreams and in Europe as North American car companies do not even have a basic concept in this market. A controlling communist plot if ever I saw one!

other ideas on gear check this:
http://bipbipamericas.blogspot.com/2012/09/gear.html

Excellent post. While I disagree on the fridge, I have been preaching that approach for a long time about the vehicle. It has worked very well for us - we fly to Sydney and bought a Land Cruiser there, and more recently just flew in London and bought a pristine Benz for 2800 pounds. We also got a Land Cruiser all tricked out to drive down to Panama last year - someone had spent a fortune on it and never took it anywhere.

As I said many times over, before driving to Central/South America, learning Spanish is going to procure you a much better experience than learning to install a winch.

 

[Christian P.]

Dave - great to see you again on the forum! where is this picture of our vehicles next to each other at the camping in Mexico...

 

[coydogsf]

You mean this one where ours looks like a toy next to your Landcruiser?

Oh, and another point I forgot to make is that for us, Mexico served as an ideal "warm up" for Central America. Campgrounds, wifi and reasonable hotels were quite easy to find as were Walmart's and huge supermarkets so it was possible to be on the road for quite some time just getting a feel for it. I would recommend leaving a lot of the "extras" of stuff (batteries, lighters, propane canisters, pretty much duplicates of anything but the hardest to find parts and do dads) at home and picking them up in Mexico if you find you need them. We even picked up a cheap screen room thing at a Walmart after deciding it would be nice on buggy nights. Bring your basic comfort items and essential spares but know that you can easily acquire anything you need in Mexico.

Dave

 

[Bip Bip]

RTT

Let's talk about the RTT idea. Next to the volume of discussion regarding the fridge idea, the RTT is a close runner-up.

Note that all this is predicated on the PANAM and not Africa- Ruined Adventures started the post and is not far behind us.... thanks for the nod and congrats to you on the wedding too.

Every Overlander spends tonnes of dream-energy in selecting and designing his rig. In this battle -considering the very limited North-American vehicle market - the choice very quickly narrows to three: a RTT on a 4runner/landcruiser/Xterra; a microlite pop-up camper slid into a Toyota/Nissan/Ranger pickup or a van like the VW. All have advantages and a few limitation often based on initial purchase, perceived presence or absence of available parts, available 4WD, gas or diesel (not! in NA) motor, reliability (boo VW), interior living space during crappy weather, portability and stability(ie camper top) for off-piste driving and finally stealth (as coydogsf alluded) and security.

The RTT is a very good option and opens a whole bunch of space inside the vehicle for stuff. The are cool in hot climate with nice air flow, get you off the ground and away from animals and bugs (more important in Africa, I think) and my friends tell me that the bed inside are more comfortable than the super expensive mattress in their home.

Bip Bip decided against the RTT and went for the van idea for a couple of reasons. While the RTT has been proven many times over in Africa, this is where we believe it should stay. Central and South America is a different environment. We were concerned with having to fold up a wet tent and having everything inside become wet and soggy and mouldy. In higher elevations when it is cold, heating and staying warm is difficult. On the beach the high evening winds cause structural problems and some of our friends have had to relocate to a regular ground tent in the mid of night for this reason. Finally there is the security element. A popped tent clearly indicates that you are inside - and a canvas wall does little to protect its occupants, and this makes it difficult to 'camp' in the center of town.

We sleep inside Bip Bip more than 70 percent of the time, mostly for free, (the rest of the time has been spent in apartments rented or with invitations to local accommodation by friendly locals) and more often than not we park in the zocalo, or on the street under a streetlight. Appearing as a 'parked car' we have never had any hassle by the natives nor by the police (except in the good ol' USA). We are secure behind our metal and glass. Our mirror tinted windows means no one can see in while we have many times have ring-side seats for watched men and women piss on the curb hiding behind the van. No kidding!

We like our stealth and security mode of operating very much and only miss the inside living when it is raining or snowing. Thus our experience has led us to thinking about a short-body Merc Sprinter camper -they are truly globally available (ie parts) and I see that you can now get them complete with shower and toilet and even 4WD too!

Or a 1500 dollar, 15year old bare bones Isuzu Rodeo (without a RTT)...

BTW I agree with the others -
*bring your down jacket cuz it is cheaper in the states,
*forget all the spare parts since you can get them anywhere and if not someone somewhere will jury-rig something,
*leave behind the second spare tire (the PanAm is NOT Africa) you can get new Bridgestones or Yokohama everywhere even in strange sizes
*forget the drugs - you can get anything everywhere (except tampons in Columbia!). A visit to a Mexican doctor is under $10.
*MX is great for shakedown as everything you need can be found in Walmart. Besides, the food is great.

Go light or STAY home

To avoid hijacking this posting, see here for more discussion on NA vehicle choices: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...nd-thru-Pan-American-Toronto-Ushuaia-Jun-2013

 

[coydogsf]

+ 1 on your choice of a van. For some reason, we didn't even consider it but commented several times on the trip, particularly in the cold mountains of Mexico or while feeling like we were in the middle of a warzone during fireworks displays in the month of December, that we'd drive a van if we did it again. Those four wheel drive Astro vans are pretty cool on the smaller side. Actually, what we said is that we'd drive across the border with a stock van, travel for a couple weeks and then stop in a furniture building town like Patzcuaro to have a local craftsman fit out the interior based on what we learned about how we wanted to camp/travel.

In hindsight, for a low pro set up (not a camper), I'd say: Tent on the ground < Sleeping inside an SUV < RTT on top of SUV < Sleeping inside a van.

Dave

 

[1leglance]

this has to be one of the best threads on Expo as the info is coming from folks who are actually doing the real kind of trips that they rest of us can make happen.
No mega media trip here with a long list of sponsors.
Just everyday folks who made the right choices to travel....and are kind enough to share some thoughts about how to do it better.
This thread is worth big bucks if you think about how much money can be saved and used on the trip itself instead of prep.

Huge thanks!

 

[Ruined Adventures]

That reminds me, we'd like to thank our sponsors: Checking & Savings :coffeedrink:

Bip Bip, hijack away. Vehicle choice is such a hot topic for folks planning for the Pan-Am. I think they would appreciate reading about 'hindsight' in that arena too, so I'd consider it on topic.

I didn't really put much thought into the van concept before we left, mostly because I was adamant about bringing our $2300 old-school 4Runner...looking back, I think it had something to do with that desire to fabricate the ultimate overland vehicle like Bip Bip had mentioned. The need to take something and repurpose it for our specific needs.

I now think that a van would be a great way to do the trip. I love sleeping in the vehicle for the same reasons coydogsf mentioned, but if we could gain a little more interior room we'd be even more happy. About six months before our trip, my uncle's loaded 2001 AWD Safari van went up for sale. It was super clean, well maintained, with a new engine and transmission because he had driven it cross country several times. He sadly sold it for somewhere around $2500, and I know he would have sold it to me for next to nothing.

I know people comment about how great a full-size Econoline or similar van would be, but those vans are typically beat to hell, oversized, and overpriced for a trip like this...not to mention the poor fuel economy. Smaller vans (dare I say minivans?) are more fuel efficient, and much easier to find for a decent price considering the cultural stigma that many associate with them. Most minivan owners see their vehicles as wimpy and undesirable, often overlooking the true potential.

We would have no problem choosing a stock AWD Astro/Safari van for the next big trip, just tear out the rear seats throw a bed in the back and a fan for those balmy nights then probably call it good. Maybe even replace the front console with a smaller Engel since it wouldn't eat up any sleeping space. Let me tell you, it is a HUGE benefit to be able to sleep inside of your vehicle with no one suspecting it, whether it be in an SUV or van.

For folks who really want to crazy modifying their rig, the Astro/Safari vans have plenty of available aftermarket options to make them more offroad worthy or more comfortable for camping. You can add a 2-4" lift kit (even on 2wd models), and if you wanted to drop another $5,000 you could even add a Westfalia/Sportsmobile style pop-top for some interior standing room. Some models even came with a rear locking differential. There's some very impressive van builds on Expo, like T.Low's Astrolander.

I would prefer these vans over a Sprinter van due to the lower overhead clearance, which can make life easier when you need to find parking in a garage or sleep in a parqueo/estacionamento.

*Dave, how is sleeping in a RTT more low-profile than sleeping inside of an SUV? :shakin:

 

[Bip Bip]

I did consider a AWD Astro van but declined for two reasons - hard to find in Canada to buy and it is not a full-fledged 4WD. Furthermore in the space between USA and Colombia I have rarely seen one so I wonder on parts availablity. Stick to the classic 4Runner....

check this as an ASTRO experiment in process: http://www.anywherethatswild.org/?page_id=33

Again I wonder about the utility of having 4WD for the PANAM as I keep ending up 'lost in the wilderness' next to folks driving cars and RVs (and Aussie surfers in really decrepit E150's!). The Sprinter van is universal and so 'stealth' camping and moving is possible (you look like a collectivo) but you can hide comfortably inside, with no issue on parts. I have no concerns of a hi-top Sprinter fitting into Colombian underground parking. Finally the Sprinter has good natural ground clearance- not so with say ROADTREK or SAFARI CONDO or PLEASUREWAY or larger RVs. Besides all these camper options are on NA chassis and are thus automatically discounted anyway.

VW Westfalia have proven too fragile. SportsMobile similarly fragile and way too expensive with a poor layout. Options running out.

 

[Wiley]

The astro is the perfect size for tight spaces, but get yourself a cargo...I never use my rear AC, though the plumbing is right where I could have put a rooftop vent, which is a must in the summers! I have had a few miserable nights in that furnace.

 

[Ruined Adventures]

For folks buying a vehicle in Canada it often seems that there are more 4WD options that we don't have in the states, like vans, double-cab hiluxes, and more diesel options. I think people planning for a Pan-Am trip should keep their eyes on the used car market in Canada as long as it's feasible to travel up there, simply because the EPA doesn't seem to affect their vehicle choices. I've met several travelers who have flown from other parts of the world into Canada, spent a month or so there, found a decent vehicle, then headed south. This approach fits very well with the 'hit the road, then outift the vehicle' philosophy.

I intended to link a reference to them but I forgot to...I love their simple set-up! We've actually seen plenty of Astros and Safaris in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador but I can't comment on anywhere south of here. I'm constantly on the lookout.

I completely agree about the need for 4WD vs. need for clearance. The only times we've used our 4WD so far is to take advantage of the 4-LO gearing when going up very steep grades, which the primary reason is that we are driving a 4 cylinder vehicle that weighs 5,000 lbs with slightly oversized tires and stock gears. Good clearance will get you there 9 out of 10 times and as long as you have a tow strap and a little patience (which you need no matter what for the Pan-Am), you'll get pulled out of any sticky situation by friendly locals.

You bring up an interesting point about the larger RV's. I've seen a few posts on here, asking about larger options for big families who are prepping for the Pan-Am. Since I've taken my fair share of Guatemalan chicken-buses lately, I can't help but wonder about the feasibility of driving a shorter Blue-Bird bus. The retired US school-buses that are constantly sold for cheap, are being brought down south in massive numbers and sold as "extra-urbanos" throughout Central America. This means that they're the primary transportation in the majority of the country and parts or mechanics should be plentifully available as long as you choose a popular model. We had an interesting conversation with a cab driver today, who used to drive the retired school-buses down from the states, and he confirmed my suspicions that many of the Blue Bird buses with standard-transmissions are popular down here because certain models are lighter, and more powerful for carrying passengers in the steeper highlands. These buses are obviously not 4WD, but they have excellent ground clearance (although many are seriously lacking when it comes to departure angle). Of course the longer the bus, the longer the wheel-base, and the worse it's capability on difficult roads.

For a large family, or someone who wanted to bring all the comforts of home, I feel like this could be a worthy contender for a drive to Panama (but no further south). If you were thoughtful about interior modifications, you could possibly even sell the bus down here for local transportation, although it sounds like the market is flooded right now. If you didn't care about selling the bus down south, you would have cavernous interior space to work with, room for a whole family, not to mention you could get a sweet chicken bus paint job in Guatemala. Obvious downsides would be turning down narrow streets, fuel economy, overhead clearance, and the fact that everyone would be flagging you down for a ride...but it could be a great way to chat up locals and help out folks who need a lift. Fuel economy could be offset by a veggie system, but that obviously gets complicated, expensive, and not always feasible for refueling.

check this as an ASTRO experiment in process: http://www.anywherethatswild.org/?page_id=33

Again I wonder about the utility of having 4WD for the PANAM as I keep ending up 'lost in the wilderness' next to folks driving cars and RVs (and Aussie surfers in really decrepit E150's!). The Sprinter van is universal and so 'stealth' camping and moving is possible (you look like a collectivo) but you can hide comfortably inside, with no issue on parts. I have no concerns of a hi-top Sprinter fitting into Colombian underground parking. Finally the Sprinter has good natural ground clearance- not so with say ROADTREK or SAFARI CONDO or PLEASUREWAY or larger RVs. Besides all these camper options are on NA chassis and are thus automatically discounted anyway.

VW Westfalia have proven too fragile. SportsMobile similarly fragile and way too expensive with a poor layout. Options running out.

 

[Ruined Adventures]

The astro is the perfect size for tight spaces, but get yourself a cargo...I never use my rear AC, though the plumbing is right where I could have put a rooftop vent, which is a must in the summers! I have had a few miserable nights in that furnace.

Just gut the plumbing! I can't say enough how awesome our rooftop vent has been...

 

[JRhetts]

Again I wonder about the utility of having 4WD for the PANAM as I keep ending up 'lost in the wilderness' next to folks driving cars and RVs (and Aussie surfers in really decrepit E150's!).

We drove the PanAm as far as Panama City in 2009 in a 2008 Jeep Wrangler with RTT. There should be no "need" for 4x4 on the PanAm even in rainy season; unless you intend to go way off the highway on very small rural roads, you probably wont "need" it even in the rainy season. We have a friend who commutes to Guat from Denver 2x per year in an old two-wheel drive toyota — never had a road problem in 20+ years.

The only times we used it were where we intentionally set out to test the drivability of some section of road; we used it because we had it, and that was fun and an adventure, but we were pretty far off the PanAm — intentionally.

 

[Bip Bip]

I reiterate:

As I said many times over, before driving to Central/South America, learning Spanish is going to procure you a much better experience than learning to install a winch.

We will soon see if the 4WD is worth it as we approach Bolivia and southern Argentina. So far our uses has been to pull locals out of the mud (Mompos Columbia) or out of the sand (Mexico). We did profit from our 4WD by driving long distances down various beaches to find tranquil free camping. Oh yea some of the volcano climbing in Guat and Nica we needed 4low, as you say.

It is a compelling argument that locals go anywhere and EVERYwhere in 2WD pickups and 12pax Hilux minivans.

However we met 'on the trail' two interesting families. First, a Canadian family in a short-bodied Bluebird bus. Their issue was trying to cross the USA ... the US customs 'profiled' them as 'hippies' and required extensive documentation from them to prove they would not become refugees in the US that that obligation cost them 3 weeks of preparation (they had to return back to Canada and engage a lawyer) and almost killed their trip. Bummer. Finally Bluebird buses in Canada are gasoline and the mileage killed em in Belize! However a cool chicken-bus paint job is alone worth all the stresses....

The second family was a French family who flew from France to Canada and purchased a Dodge Hemi 1500 4x4 and stuck a HUGE 5th Wheel with slide-outs on behind. Turns out it was longer than the average bus and was a real pain to drag through the narrow streets of Latin america; let alone make a U turn! They eventually dumped the trailer in Panama... but not before learning that fixing a Dodge is next to impossible in Central America. Ouch.

I am not convinced that Canada has more vehicle options than can be found in the US. I think that simply more PANAM travellers simply fly into Canada to START their adventure.

Canada and USA have all the same stupid rules on vehicles - lack of diesel power (or a diesel motor smaller than 6l), inability to buy Landrover, California emission regs.... We do not have diesel motors on our pickups either. There is ONE rule difference and that is the importation regulations on foreign vehicles. Whereas in USA importation of foreign vehicles is limited to vehicles 25 years or older, in Canada the limitation is 15years. Thus Bip Bip is imported in from Japan to Canada and is the rare 4WD van. So you can get a 4WD diesel powered van with a bunch of great features EXCEPT the steering wheel is on the RIGHT side. Nothing is free.