Pack List

[dhackney]

I've been corresponding with Mike Woods, who is building a Fuso based rig.

I sent him an email last week with some sketchy thoughts on what we carry on the rig in the way of tools, spares, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to post up this quick stab at a list so others could add some thoughts to it.

The concept here is to build a pack list of what you actually use when living full time or for extended periods in an expedition rig. The purpose is NOT to create a huge dream list of every possible thing you might need to fight off left handed aliens with 14 fingers in a night battle in the rain, just what you actually have experience using with your rig.

I know from personal experience how big these lists can get. The pack list for unsupported travel in developing countries on our BMW GS1150 Adventure was 1,406 items. My wife currently has a pack list for her areas of responsibility on our rig that is 570 items. But, I thought that this could get things rolling for those considering what they actually need to bring.

Here's the short start at a tools and spares pack list I banged out for Mike off the top of my head at an internet cafe:

Winches
If I had it to over again I’d probably leave the winches off and just put a European tow bar and European truck hitches front and rear. With our setup we could use the bikes to go find help. YMMV.


Blocking
You will want to bring blocking for leveling your rig, repairs, jacking, etc. You need enough to block 3 corners. I carry 2” and 4” thick material. You need lengths long enough to reach across the rear dualies.

LP/Propane
If you are using LP you will need a variety of ways to fill it. So far, POL has worked at all the plants. POL is the left hand thread down the inside of a standard US ACME connector used on RVs, grills, etc. You will also want to make up a POL to POL jumper hose so you can fill from another POL tank. Argentina uses POL for all tanks. Chile uses a special consumer fitting on small tanks. You can buy the connector and hose to make a jumper at any of the big Lowes type home centers down here. The large Chilean tanks use POL.

Outside of the big cities there are NO fill stations for Propane. All the tanks are filled at the main plants in the big cities then trucked out to the market towns and rural villages. They are sold from independent retailers on an exchange basis. In a few places you can get your tank filled from a large tank at those facilities (Puerto Natales for instance). Elsewhere you’ll need to buy a small tank, hook up your POL jumper hose, elevate it, invert it, and warm the upper (source) tank and/or cool the lower (receiving) tank, then return the empty source tank for your deposit.

If you have a large fixed tank with a fill manifold, get a variety of fill connections for it. At a minimum include the large USA ACME and a POL fitting for fill. Either one will require a mobile propane delivery truck for the fill.

So, it would be a good idea to carry things to make up new input hoses, jumper fill hoses, etc.:

• Several nipple to thread connectors for your regulator
• Several POL to nipple connectors
• 3 to 4 meters of gas rated hose
• Plenty of stainless steel radiator clamps of appropriate sizes

Tools
I posted our repair log on our web site. It is below our route map here: http://www.hackneys.com/travel/index-routemap.htm (scroll down). Scan through it and get an idea of the tools you will probably want to bring along.

Minimums:

• Vice grips large and small
• ½” and 3/8” drive sockets metric and inch
• Full sets of combination (open and box end) wrenches metric and inch
• Full set of allen wrenches, metric and inch
• Full set of nut drivers, metric and inch (Sears sells a nice Craftsman set in a zip case)
• 2 lb. hammer
• Very large channel locks
• 10” channel locks
• Very large crescent wrench
• 10” and 6” crescent wrench
• Full set of Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers
• Special connector drivers, i.e. square drive
• Voltmeter
• alligator clip lead assortment (Radio shack sells them, clips on each end, various colors)
• 12VDC circuit test light
• 110VAC test light/polarity tester
• needle nose pliers
• wire cutters
• jewelers screwdriver set (small Phillips and flat blade)
• craft knife / utility knife / razor knife
• wire crimper, wire stripper
• caulk gun
• ¾ or 1” very long handle ratchet for tire changes
• Budd impact socket for rear studs and lug nuts
• 6” ¾ or 1” impact extension
• Leatherman tool
• A funnel or two
• Bottle jack twice as big as you need to lift your rig
• Oil filter wrench
• OBD II code reader and code book (use with vehicle service connector to read trouble codes)
• Special tools required for your systems, i.e. water filter wrench, network testers, systems diagnostics
• 3/8” cordless drill and charger
• Full set of best quality drill bits. Spray the entire set with WD40 to protect them from water and put them in a zip lock.
• Spring punch (to center punch a marker hole for drilling)
• Tap oil (to lubricate the metal while you drill - keep your drill speed low and keep the bit cool by keeping it lubed with oil and you can drill through anything, be patient)
• Files (flat, half round, rat tail)
• Drift, at least 8”, 12” is better
• Extendable handle window squeegee
• Four step ladder (don’t leave home without this)
• Water bandit – definitely don’t leave home without this, you can’t take on water down here without one
• Service manual for your vehicle on CD

Spares
This will be dependent on your final configuration for all the camper stuff, but in general, here are the things you should not leave without:

• 3M 5200 Marine adhesive (fast cure) small tubes and caulking gun size – bring lots of this miracle substance
• Water repair tape/miracle tape (you can find this at boat shows or marine supply centers;
• 3M top quality electrical tape – not the cheap stuff;
• Ancor marine grade electrical crimp connectors – all sizes from 22 to 10 – unions, terminals, etc.;
• spare marine grade wire – some #18, #14, #12, #10 – you don’t need ton, just enough for a bush repair
• The best quality duct tape you can find – a couple of rolls;
• 2 or 3 best quality ratchet straps;
• 2 to 4 best quality tie downs – no cheapos on these straps and tie downs, your life may depend on them
• 4”, 14” and 14” heavy duty 150 lb rating wire ties – lots, don’t scrimp on these or on their quality;
• Heavy stainless steel safety wire – you can get this at any quality motorcycle dealer – one can;
• assortment of hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, etc. – stainless steel and grade 8, metric and inch, this will be heavy, don’t scrimp on it and don’t forget an assortment of washers for each size, i.e. lock, flat, fender, etc.
• LockTite medium and full strength
• Crazy Glue, Goo and other adhesives
• Graphite lube for locks
• WD40, several cans
• Brake and parts cleaner, several cans
• Auto wash soap
• Vehicle Oil filters
• Vehicle air filters
• Vehicle fuel filters
• Vehicle fan belts
• Vehicle wheel studs and lug nuts (front and rear) , at least one each for each side (note that on Fusos the driver’s side is left hand thread)
• LED, incandescent and headlight bulbs (I forgot to bring headlight bulbs), especially for aftermarket lights, keep in mind the trucks down here are mostly 24 volt
• Filter sets for any other motors you have, i.e. genset, motorcycle, etc.
• Tire repair kit
• Keys. We have four sets. I carry two at all times, Steph has a set and we have one in reserve.
• Documents. Passport, driver’s license (intl and US), inoculation record, vehicle title, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, etc. We have about 10 sets. Never give original docs, always color copies.
• Water filters for your water system
• Full set, at least 10 each of Vehicle fuses (mini type)
• Full set, at least 10 each of auto blade fuses if you use them in any of your systems
• Spare breaker, one each size, for your DC/AC distribution panel(s)
• Spare high amperage fuses (200 or 400 amp) for your house batteries (you did include a high amp fuse in that system, right? 8^) )
• Stainless steel hose clamps, good assortment, including any very large sizes you need for your sewer or other large diameter hoses
• Spare water hose or plastic pipe used in your water distribution system; if you used plastic pipe, then spare connectors, i.e. unions for repair, clamp end to thread connection, etc.
• Water hose washers
• O rings

 

[Mobryan]

One obvious miss: Grease gun and lube the compact ones take up next to no room. Definatly need a long (10"+) flex hose and a needle adapter.


I'd also add a length of heater hose. improvised siphon, wiring conduit, grommet material, spare for the potable water system, lots of uses.

BFH. 2 lb is a VERY handy size, but sometimes, you just gotta break stuff
I've got a 10lb doublefaced fiberglass handled sledge from Collins Axe, LOVE it.


Matt

 

[dhackney]

One obvious miss: Grease gun and lube the compact ones take up next to no room. Definatly need a long (10"+) flex hose and a needle adapter.


I'd also add a length of heater hose. improvised siphon, wiring conduit, grommet material, spare for the potable water system, lots of uses.

BFH. 2 lb is a VERY handy size, but sometimes, you just gotta break stuff
I've got a 10lb doublefaced fiberglass handled sledge from Collins Axe, LOVE it.


Matt

Matt,

Great catch. This is one downside of banging out the list under the gun in an internet cafe.

We actually carry everything you added except the needle adapter, wiring conduit (don't know exactly what you mean by that) and the 10# sledge. Agreed that I may rue the day I don't have the sledge.

Doug

 

[Mobryan]

Matt,

Great catch. This is one downside of banging out the list under the gun in an internet cafe.

We actually carry everything you added except the needle adapter, wiring conduit (don't know exactly what you mean by that) and the 10# sledge. Agreed that I may rue the day I don't have the sledge.

Doug

I was just listing all the stuff I've seen done with some extra heater hose. :elkgrin:

Matt

 

[Tress]

Awesome!!!! Cant tell you how good it to see this list, makes me feel a lot better about what we had thought of already but this will be a great post to follow for a complete list of important items. Oh and the info regarding propane is great! We are leaving in July to drive from Alaska to Chile and we need all the help we can get, and the info regarding these regions is critical, so thank you guys!
:clapsmile

 

[dhackney]

Pack List - The Female Perspective

This is one of my wife's lists. It is based on living full time in our rig for over 10 months.

Kitchen:

• Bins for Storage (plastic for weight and easy of cleaning)
• Shelf/Cupboard Risers (metal and strong, with rubber foot protectors)
• Rubberized Shelf Liner (bring an extra roll with you for replacement and repair needs)
• Bread Bag or Net (keeps bread fresher longer and can be hung out of the way)
• Wine Bag/Carrier (can be used when buying wine for transporting to the rig, and for storing it under the dinette)
• Mesh/Wire Basket (smooth bottom so it does not scratch counters; keeps produce not in the frig fresher)
• Baby-Proofing Cupboard Latches (we use these for securing cupboard doors when driving; could work for drawers too)
• Silverware Caddy (I prefer having the silverware standing in a caddy than taking up valuable drawer space; our is bamboo which is lightweight)
• Under-Cabinet Lighting (we installed a fluorescent bar above the main counter area; we also installed battery-operated touch-lights under cabinets, inside cabinets, under the dinette, etc.)
• Paper Towel Holder (installed under cabinet above main counter area)
• Towel Bar/Ring (for dish towels)
• Wine Opener (we love our ScrewPull gadget - so quick and easy!)
• Can Opener (two)
• Bottle Opener (2; magnetic, if possible)
• Peelers (at least 2)
• Refrigerator Thermometer (I have one that hangs on the shelf and I can easily see if there is an issue with the temperature)
• Ice Cube Trays (bring extra sets in case the first set cracks or gets contaminated by bad water)
• Ice Cube Bucket
• Blue Ice Packs (I have several, all stored in the freezer; they come in handy when going shopping a distance away from the rig, and are great for injuries)
• Shopping Bags (Trader Joe's plastic handled totes are awesome and work well for shopping, carrying things to and from the rig when staying outside the rig, or in the event of repairs, etc.)
• Kitchen Utensil Holder (ours is made of bamboo and stands next to the sink; it is stored in the sink when we drive)
• Spatulas (one large, one small)
• Tongs (we like the restaurant supply style, lightweight metal with the loop that slides up and down the handle to open and close them)
• Spoons (I have both silicon and wooden spoons of varying sizes and style; I also have one silicon ladle)
• Plastic Containers (with snap-tight lids, like Tupperware or Ziploc reusable containers; shallow containers work well in the refrigerator)
• Good Knives (we have a set of Henkel's)
• Knife Safes (for the above knives; keeps the edges safe from damage and keeps the knives from damaging cupboards, drawers, etc.; we keep the knives, in the Knife Safes, in a plastic bin that slides out from under a shelf riser in an upper cupboard, handy for quick access while cooking)
• Cutting Boards (we have one large one and one small, bar-sized board; and, I have thin cutting mats for use with meat and fish)
• Good Pots & Pans (we have a set of Calphalon-they cook very evenly and are so easy to clean!; I brought a variety of different sizes and three lids which work on more than one pot or pan)
• Silicone Trivets and Pot Holders (they are lightweight, can be washed off easily and weigh nothing)
• Plastic Pot Strainer (crescent shaped with a handle and lip for grabbing onto pot edge)
• Splatter Screen (this looks like a pot/pan lid, but is made from screen; I prefer the style with the handle in the center, like a lid on a pot, rather than off a side, like a pan handle)
• Collapsible Collander (we have two styles: one is silicone and has a handle off one side; the other is flat and folds open like a collapsible dish drainer)
• Collapsible Measuring Cups (they take up less space and are silicone so clean-up is easy)
• Electric Tea Pot (low wattage; great for making tea, and coffee French press style, and for boiling water for use in making pasta, etc. very quickly-saves on propane use!)
• Tea Kettle (for the stovetop, just in case the above breaks or we have limited electricity)
• French Press (good coffee is not readily available everywhere)
• Toaster (low wattage)
• Crumb Tray (our is actually a bamboo serving tray, but works well for sliding the toaster around, and for catching crumbs)
• Stovetop Toaster (flat panel with a handle and available in most stores in Chile)

General

• Dyson Hand Vac-Animal or Root 6
• Fly Swatters (at least 4: one for dinette, one for truck cab, one for outside and one for bedroom)
• Dust Broom & Pan (we have two, one for use inside and another for use outside)
• Entry/Hall Rug (this can be a short one for just inside the door, or a longer one that runs the length of the whole hallway; we have a spare so one can be washed while the other is being used)
• Floor Mats (we use these on top of the above rug when we are in bad weather - great for keeping mud and/or wet grass off the rug and floor!)
• Shoe Bucket (this is a high-sided, plastic bucket, that sits just inside the door, where we can stash shoes, flip-flops, bug spray, etc.; I would have preferred a permanent shoe shelf or cupboard, but we had no room for such and this has worked well)
• Shoe Bags (these are made of nylon, plastic or lightweight cloth and are great for storing shoes when not being used; I have 6 or more of these)

Office Supplies:

• Small Plastic Caddy (with handle for moving around)
• Zippered Pencil Cases (I have two: one holds pens, pencils, Sharpie Markers and highlighters, etc.; the other holds scissors, small stapler and staples, tape, paper clips, rubber bands - these sit in the above caddy)
• Pencil Boxes (these are tall and open at one end, and snap shut; I keep extra batteries [all sizes] in them for easy access and these are stowed in a small cabinet under the dinette seat)

Dinette:

• Power Strip (installed over dinette table; at least 6 outlets)
• Cushions (for adjusting one's height to the table, or for extra cushion on days when sitting for a while!)

Bathroom:

• Bins for Storage (plastic for weight and easy of cleaning)
• Shelf/Cupboard Risers (metal and strong, with rubber foot protectors)
• Rubberized Shelf Liner (bring an extra roll with you for replacement and repair needs)
• Storage Trays (these slide above the riser in the narrow spaces and are perfect for storing extra tubes of sunscreen)
• Counter Caddy (this is a plastic, handled caddy in which we store tubes of things, like sunscreen, that are used daily)
• Shower Caddy (if you are bringing along bottled products, like shampoo, conditioner, etc.) OR
• Shower Product Dispenser (like the kind hotels have in showers)
• Shower Squeegee (helps keep the shower clean and keeps moisture from building up)
• Bath Mats (I have two so one can be washed while the other is in use)
• Bath Towels (we like the REI pack towels as they dry quickly and have a loop for easy hanging; we have the largest ones and have extras so we can have some being washed and still have towels to use)
• Hand Towels (we have 4)
• Washcloths (believe it or not, these can be hard to find outside the US! I have a small bin with 20 or so in it)
• Electric Toothbrush (we use an Oral-B and brought along a lot of extra brush heads; the brush can be left unplugged for a week and still work well)
• Clothesline (Doug installed a SS wire that runs across the ceiling of the shower stall, and back again; this enables us to hang wet clothing out of the way, and works well for a place to keep our washcloths after use)
• Fan (essential in the bathroom!; our is in the ceiling)
• Tank Powder (we use a powder by 5 Star Happy Camper and it works very well!)
• Toilet Paper Holder (we are in the process of hanging a net for this purpose, but a more permanent holder would be preferable)
• Hand Towel Ring (we have one next to the sink which makes it very handy for drying hands after washing them)
• Towel Bars or Hooks (we have hooks on the back of the bathroom door, but I would suggest a bar as well, perhaps on the wall behind the toilet, high up?)
• Toilet Paper Holder (we have ours in the cabinet under the sink; keeps the toilet paper cleaner and it doesn't unroll when we are on rough roads! )
• Universal Drain Covers (I have two; one for use when doing laundry outside the camper, as in a campground restroom; and, one for placement over the shower drain in the camper as water sometime splashes up from the trap when driving on rough roads)

Closet:
(You'll need to decide whether it makes more sense to have everything hanging up, or on shelves or in drawers, or in some combination of one or more of these options; we have some hanging space for nicer clothes, and the rest of our clothes are lightweight plastic drawer units; weight can be a factor so it's important to think about this BEFORE designing the closet!)

• Rubberized Shelf Liner (bring an extra roll with you for replacement and repair needs)
• Shoe Bag (I bought one from Lillian Vernon that zips shut and has room for 6 pairs of dress shoes)
• Door Latches (we use them to secure the doors so they don't fly open should the drawers slide out on rough roads - ask me how we knew this was necessary )
• Small Bars of Soap (like hotel soaps; we use these in shoes when they are not being worn as it keeps them smelling fresher)

Bedroom:

• Collapsible Storage Bins (we have cloth ones that are lidded and that sit on the sides of the bed; we use these for extra clothing, books, etc.; they can be collapsed and stored when not in use)
• Extra Blankets (we have two that are super soft; one is a single size and easy to use at the dinette, and one is large, for when we are hanging out together)
• Extra Sheets (we have two full sets so one can be washed as one is being used; one is super soft cotton and one is flannel, for colder weather)
• Body Pillows (we have two of these, with covers on them, for use behind our heads when reading in beds or for lying across the bed and against the wooden sides)
• Reading Lights (above each of our pillows and they work well for reading or detail work [like crocheting, etc.])
• Fans (awesome FantasticFan above the center of the bed; Doug also installed two Hella fans [like ones used on boats] in each corner of the head of the bed - all have been used A LOT!)
• "Nightstand" Baskets/Trays (we have a small, flat area on each side of the bed that is meant to serve as a nightstand; I put a snap-together leather tray and small basket on each of these to hold our stuff)
• Hamper (I found a snap-lidded tall trash can, in beige, that fits perfectly on the riser on the left of our bed, and I put a large laundry duffel inside to make accessing the laundry easy; it is tucked next to the closet so it's out of site; it holds appx. 3 weeks worth of laundry and has yet to move at all even when we are driving on very rough roads)

Cleaners, Etc.:

• Febreze (we brought along several aerosol cans for use when cooking or other odors permeate the space; and we have two small spray bottles of the liquid for use on clothing [for times when we end up in smoky environments, sit by a fire, etc.])
• Dawn Dish Soap (Although I was not crazy about buying apple-scented soap, it was all I could find in a small bottle; as it turns out, I love it because it removes even onion and fish smells from one's hands!)
• Method Anti-bacterial Hand Soap (I found this at Target and bought a clear dispenser for the kitchen and bathroom; I brought a large bottle of another brand to refill the dispensers as needed)
• Windex Wipes (OK, I'll admit it - I LOVE WINDEX! So, I brought along 20 packs of the wipes-we use them in the cab, for the windows, for wiping down dust, for cleaning mirrors, etc.)
• Lysol Wipes (I use these in the bathroom for everything, and in the kitchen after cutting meat and fish, and stocked up just as with the Windex Wipes)
• ScotchBrite Sponges (for the kitchen and cleaning)
• Scrubbing Bubbles Spray (for the shower, sink and toilet)
• OXO Kitchen Sponge (this is a long-handled wand which can be filled with dish soap; the sponge heads are replaceable and I brought along 20 or so and one extra handle)
• Veggie Brush (This has gotten a lot of use as produce is not washed well, if at all, outside the US)
• Nail Brush (This has also been used a lot, especially by Doug after working on the rig)

Misc:

• Slippers (ok, when Doug picked up these North Face down slippers, I thought he was nuts-they were $50 and I had no idea where we would stow them; well, he wins the award for best purchase with these as they are very warm and are worn every morning by both of us!)
• Shower/Beach Thongs (these are essential when taking showers in campground bathrooms, which is sometimes necessary)
• Extras of Every Product! (I stocked up on everything from face soap to haircolor, from razor refills to cold medicine, from baby wipes to Ziploc bags - I advise keeping a list of all the products you use every day, or at least every week, and make sure you bring along enough for the time you'll be gone; some products are available outside the US, but they might not be, or could be very expensive or not the same formula!)
• Bump Guards (these are the small rubber feet that adhere to the inside edge of a cupboard door or drawer that keep the door or drawer from rubbing on the wood around it; heat will eventually loosen the adhesive and these need to be replaced from time to time)
• Adhesive-Backed Velcro (this comes in so handy for so many things!)
• Weather Stripping (we had to do some additional sealing of our screen door and the compartment below the camper door; it's not that easy to find good quality stuff outside the US so I would bring some quality stuff along)
• Lots of extra batteries! (we have a charger and have rechargeable batteries in every size, but we also have non-rechargeable AA and AAA batteries; I would also recommend checking all devices to see if you need any other battery sizes/styles, such as watch or calculator batteries)
• Packing Tape (this has come in handy more than once!)

 

[dhackney]

Camper List

Here's some thoughts I had on camper requirements/items from my dialoge with Mike Woods on his build. There will be some overlap between this list and Steph's.

• Plenty of 120VAC and 12VDC outlets all around the camper. Whatever they think is enough is not nearly enough. Double it. You will especially need these at the dinette, since that will be your primary work space. I’ve got an outlet strip and a 12VDC distribution block mounted on our dinette and they are both fully utilized.
• Battery chargers, data drives to backup your laptop, electronics, etc. all need power sources. So do the cooling fans for spaces you have electronics installed.
• If at all possible, try to find space for an all in one color printer/scanner/copier. We have gotten a lot more use out of ours than I anticipated. Extremely handy to be able to scan temporary import docs you get at each border and then print out a copy for each vehicle. At some borders they will just give you one document with all three vehicles on it (less work for them). It is a VERY good idea to have a copy on each bike and for the rig.
• Make SURE you have a place to hang up jackets & coats. You will wear multiple layers. A minimum set is a fleece and a separate GoreTex layer. You need a set of those for each occupant. The take up a lot of room in a hallway.
• Check your designed dinette seat cushion to table ergonomics. Re-create that relationship and spent six hours sitting there working on your laptop. Adjust as necessary.
• Berth fans. You will have condensation issues without a lot of air circulation.
• For the stovetop, Steph says two burners separated work better than three. We never have all three burners going. A better design for day to day use would be two.
• Bring top quality cookware and knives. Have a storage space strong enough to support the pans. Have a safe place for the knives (we use snap on plastic covers). We use Calphalon cookware and Henkels knives. They make cooking a pleasure. We have one big drawer (reinforced) for the pots and pans. She uses bubble wrap to protect them and says it’s really a great system.
• Steph wishes our sink was one big sink instead of two small basins. Get a sink big enough to wash your big pans. Make the sink deep if possible.
• We use our microwave a lot, a lot more than we expected to or ever did at home.
• Put in supplemental lighting for the stove. The stock light in the vent hoods is worthless.
• Think about food storage, i.e. small drawer for spices laid down, etc.
• Think about a bookshelf with a retaining strap/bar such as on a sailboat. You will want books in the berth and some in the galley area.
• For clothes, we split the closet into half hanging and half drawers. You don’t really wear that many clothes on the road. We basically never use the hanging clothes unless we’re in a city and need some decent “go out” clothes.
• You will need plenty of towel hanging space in the bathroom.
• You also need space to store toilet paper.
• We have mirrors on our closet doors in the hallway and that works perfect. The huge mirror in our bathroom is 70% bigger than it needs to be.
• Get the Dyson dustbuster. Ours is the Root 6. We have it mounted on the wall under our dinette so it is out of the way. Fantastic little device with tons of power.
• Mesh or open weave basket for fruits & vegetables.
• Storage tube or bag for shopping bags (you will use a ton of these).
• Basket & bin everything.
• Use rubber shelf liner everywhere you don’t need to slide a basket or bin.
• Ensure you have storage space for tons of ziplock bags.
• Ziplock everything you put into an exterior storage area. Double bag anything susceptible to moisture.
• Smoke, propane and carbon monoxide detectors appropriately mounted.
• You will need a place to store dirty clothes. A duffel bag will not work. You need a permanent solution for this. We used a trash bin with a pop-open, spring loaded lid which works great.
• Magazine & newspaper storage near dinette.
• Single lever faucets are more practical for camping.
• Steph wishes we had an intercom between the cab and the camper.
• A weather station with remote temp transponders for outside temp, genset compartment temp, etc. is essential. Make sure it has a low and high temp alarm capability. I know you plan to stay in warmer climates. We did too. 8^)
• For sewage, you either need a macerator like we have or a cassette toilet (there are NO sewer dump stations outside the U.S. & Canada). In either case, you need storage for tank powder or treatment. We’ve had great luck with 5 Star Happy Camper powder. What a name, eh? Have storage space for two of the 130 oz. tubs. Ship them with the rig as getting them shipped in will be very expensive, plus it’s a white powder and that can sometime raise eyebrows.

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>>> REQUIRE an as built schematic of your wiring, plumbing, etc. <<<

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[dhackney]

Overall Thoughts

I’m going to expand the scope of this thread with some overall philosophy, rig comments, essential characteristics, capabilities, common issues, etc.

I get a lot of email from people dreaming about, thinking about, planning for, designing or constructing expedition rigs. In one way or another, my responses have been one form or another of a pack list of sorts.

Here are some thoughts from a few of those exchanges, lessons we’ve learned on the road and things we’ve been taught by long-term overlanders.


Overall Philosophy
I spent over two years researching, training, getting certified, testing and selecting a blue-water, ocean-crossing sailboat. I had the details down to what type of adhesives were used in obscure parts bonding. Click here for the gory details: http://www.hackneys.com/sail/ .

In the course of that chapter I made a very good friend, John Kretschmer, while sailing across an ocean. As a sailboat delivery captain, he’d sailed the world for years and probably held the world record for sailing over 1,000 miles in the most diverse collection of boats. At the end of another hours long marathon session discussing TUB (The Ultimate Boat), John fixed me with a long look and said, “You know Doug, when you talk to the people who are out doing it, and the people finishing a circumnavigation, they never, ever, talk about their boat. They talk about their experiences.”

As Americans, and especially as guys, we get very consumed by our stuff. We are indoctrinated to believe our stuff tells the story of who and what we are. That’s probably true in your local mall parking lot.

When you get out here, none of that matters to anyone who counts. The only thing that matters out here is what and who you are as a person. The only people who judge you by your stuff are other people who have stuff. They aren’t that numerous and if they judge you by your stuff they are terminally shallow.

What matters are the experiences. What matters is who you are as a person.

So, while you go down this path of designing your overland expedition vehicle, keep John’s comment in mind. Try to avoid investing huge amounts of energy projecting an image via what you are in. What counts is what you are inside. Inside yourself.


Overall Vehicle

• Add lightness.
• Think very seriously about getting custom springs and aftermarket shocks.
• Think very seriously about adding a rear roll / sway bar. This, the springs and shocks completely transformed our truck. Handling, ride, compliance, etc. are totally different and a vast improvement.
• RE: Single Rear Wheel (SRW). We were too heavy for single rear wheels (SRW), the tires don’t have enough weight capacity. SRW is definitely better for off-road, mud and rocky terrain. I think you’ll find, like almost every other overlander out here, that almost all of your travel will be on paved, gravel or dirt roads. I don’t think SRW will be an issue out here unless you get into a lot of fist sized rock. When we’re in that type of area we just stop occasionally and check the rear wheels for stuck rocks. We had one during testing in the high desert in California. We haven’t had any since we rolled out the finished rig.
• RE: MegaÜberCapableRigs. People buy and build go-anywhere-over-anything. Mogs/MAN/etc. rigs are generally more for egos than for actual real-world overlanding use.
• Don’t take a passenger for a ride until you install air seats.
• Redundancy of systems, i.e. more than one energy source to accomplish the same goal: heat water, refrigerate food, cook food, heat the cabin, make electricity, etc.
• An auxiliary mode of travel. Bring a scooter or a bicycle, it really opens up a lot of possibilities for you.
• Quality constructed camper using good design, materials and excellent assembly quality control (Q/C).
• Dry head (separate shower) has numerous advantages of a wet head (toilet shared with shower). In my opinion and our experience, it is well worth the space allocation.
• Fixed berth (not having to make up a bed and take it down every day). This doesn’t sound like much of a big deal, but at the end of a long, hard day, it is a very big deal.
• 3 point pivot frame.
• Lots of fuel range. We have 1,000 miles and I wouldn’t want any less down here.
• Lots of water capacity. (Long hot showers are a really, really good thing.)
• Lots of LP capacity.
• Aux small (standard camper size) LP tank. Some countries you can only hand them the tank, very challenging to fill the big tank.
• Speed is not a big issue. Real world speeds on most roads out here are 100 kph / 66 mph tops. Expressways are faster, but we try to avoid those whenever possible.
• Six months of full-time testing and living in the rig before you ship it out is a very good idea. I’d recommend at least two months. Our six month test gave us the chance to work out some kinks, finish the last to-dos, and most importantly, work out the lifestyle.
• If you are going to subcontract everything on the project you will need a proven fabricator and, in my opinion, need to keep the project very simple from the systems integration standpoint.
• We haven’t missed a camper to cab pass-through. Well, maybe one night. But, I would still rate them very low on the priority list for a design now. When we started out it was at the top.
• There are a lot of advantages to buying something turnkey in terms of timeline and systems integration.
• Absolute ground clearance is less important out here than departure angle. We have relatively limited departure angle and we have yet to touch down anywhere, including lots of ferry loads and unloads.
• 4x4 is less important out here than you’d think. We’ve used ours a few times but I’m not certain that we actually needed it, I just engaged it before I thought I might and never had to worry about it. Check out Stephen Stewart’s excellent summary on expedition vehicle requirements for details of traveling overland with English factory RVs. Other than towing out the 2WD people he traveled with he barely used his 4x4 in something like 40k miles of overlanding. Stephen’s summary is here: http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/equipment/choosevan.htm
• One time ground clearance is important is if you are traveling soft surface market roads. Then you’ve got to deal with the ruts the big trucks make. Our Fuso is at a significant disadvantage there, while a larger chassis, with larger wheels, has similar or identical base ground clearance.
• If you want factory service support, you cannot go wrong with a Mercedes chassis. They’ve got dealers everywhere.
• Regardless of what chassis you are in, you’ll probably still end up having to air freight in parts. Many parts are market specific, so a German truck master cylinder may not be the same as one sold in Brazil. Even more so for a North American chassis.
• If you build it yourself you will definitely underestimate the time required for the build, probably by a minimum of 33% to 50%. Everything you look at, even the simplest little thing, takes a day. Every system you consider takes at least a week, usually weeks. Every subcontractor and supplier will take longer and cost more than they promise. Since you’re doing everything for the first time, you usually need to do it two or three times to get it right. If you care at all about quality, reliability and durability, it all adds up pretty quickly.
• If you subcontract the entire job or any portion of it, the last time you will control anything is the millisecond before you sign the contract. Use your time in control wisely.
• Once you subcontract any portion of the project, from that moment forward, everyone involved will be working as hard as they can to dilute the final product, compromise your vision and undermine your standards of quality. Seek subcontractors that will do those things to the minimum extent possible.
• For camper passenger to cab communication I would probably wire in an intercom system. I recommend a simple baby monitor or other over-the-counter wireless system. Simple is good. We use our VHF hand held radio to communicate with the cab VHF unit.

Summary:

• Pursue your dreams and make your expedition a reality. Nothing stands between where you are right now and where we are except a collection of small to large fears. Some are justified and worthy, but most are not that significant. Talk about them openly and you will discover they are not that threatening.
• Have patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day. We didn’t go from Ultra-Type-A successful entrepreneurs/professionals living a go-go top-tier world business life to tramping the outbacks of the world in a day. Or a week. Or a month. Or a year. Keep pushing. Keep moving the ball forward a little bit every day. Before you know it you’ll look up and you’ll be meeting us on a mountain switchback in the wilds of the world.
• Think less about stuff. Remember John’s quote, “You know Doug, when you talk to the people who are out doing it, and the people finishing a circumnavigation, they never, ever, talk about their boat. They talk about their experiences.” We almost never talk about our rig unless someone specifically asks about it. We spend all of our time talking about our experiences.

 

[Tress]

You guys are the best, cant tell you how perfectly your posts match my daily thinking? You hae detailed out just about everything we have gone through, i only wish we had read this stuff a year ago, but i think so far we have done a decent job for first timers but man tis been hard, and more importatnly we are not even done and we are supposed to be leaving in two months, wish us luck and thanks for the info!

:victory:

 

[dhackney]

Additional Camper Thoughts

Here's some additional Camper thoughts I missed:

Some big things, camper-wise:

• Fixed berth; queen size or as close to it as you can get; fixed in place, no setup or take down work in order to utilize or get underway.
• Dry head, meaning shower stall separate and divided from the rest of the bathroom. You will never regret this. If you put some stainless steel 1/16” wire up across the top of the shower it makes an excellent wet locker for wet foulies, jeans, general laundry line use, etc. You can’t do that if you have a wet head - you will have nowhere to hang your wet stuff. And you will have wet stuff.

Thing I miss the most:

• We have no hang-out, stretch out space. We have no couch or comparable area. It was a conscious choice, we figured we’d use the outdoors for that. On a boat, you are on the deck or in the cockpit all the time, where you can stretch out. We don’t have that space and I miss it a lot. The outside is not as accessible or available as we thought it would be (weather, location, etc.)

Advice:

• Make every space accessible; that means you can get at every single interior segment or space easily; maximum effort required should be to remove some screws to take off an access panel. This is important for storage but even more important for repair/inspection access.
• Include dedicated personal space. We’ve got storage boxes next to our berth, down the sides and those work great for this purpose.
• Include a hidden lock box big enough for backpacks, camera bags, etc. Reasonably easy to access.
• Good fit and finish and a cozy, comfortable space will go a long way to making this a good adventure. You will spend more time in your camper than you think you will. Make it comfortable.
• Include plenty of BTUs of heating and cooling capability.
• Include vents (with covers so you can open them in the rain) in all spaces, i.e. galley, berth, head.
• Have a dedicated place for shoes. We missed this and they are in the way every single day. Most of the German rigs have a locking compartment outside next to the entry door for shoe storage. That, along with an interior space for the same purpose, is ideal.
• Put 3M conspicuity tape, the type used to mark truck trailers, on the side and rear corners of your rig
• Line your exterior storage boxes with interlocking garage floor matting
• Ensure that the camper is well insulated with zero dead air spaces, especially in the area above the berth. If you have any dead air space you will suffer condensation in areas where the outside temperature is below that of your berth area.

 

[dhackney]

Tree/brush saw

One to add to the pack list:

• Tree/brush saw

We carry two, one a standard bow saw and the other a fantastic Corona pro pruning saw. The Corona is the best tree/brush saw I've ever used, bar none.

We've also got a small folding brush saw in the cab which is very handy for clearing overhanging small stuff.

 

[dhackney]

One for the general systems:

• Weather station including low temp alarm

Two for the pack list:

• Overalls (insulated type come in handy for cold weather work)
• Tire chains

 

[mog]

Major Necropost for towbar question

Winches
If I had it to over again I'd probably leave the winches off and just put a European tow bar and European truck hitches front and rear. With our setup we could use the bikes to go find help. YMMV.

Yes a major necropost, but there is a lots of very good information in this thread, so I figured posting here and not starting a new thread.
Also I could ask Doug my question via PM, but I'm sure many could benefit from his knowledge and experience.

I am laying out equipment positions on my Fuso FG and have one of these style towbars. Since you suggest them, I wonder the reason behind that. Mine is the single bar style like in the photo composite below (I hope it is OK to re-post those here), so for any distance towing, I would still need a &#8216;driver' in the towed vehicle. The V-style military towbars that would not require a second driver are crazy huge and heavy.

Are you think about recovery only using the European/Military style towbar such as your 'Green 911 incident' , or ?
Wouldn't these put the recovery vehicle too close to 'the action' (in the get stuck zone). Mine is ex-US Military so is about 7-8 feet long.

Worse case, I could always use it as a cheater bar to undo Fuso lug nuts. :sombrero:
Thanks,

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