the ultimate Pan-American Expedition vehicle

[jlit]

Hello all,

My name is jeff, and 4 associates and I are putting together an expedition from the top of Alaska to the southernmost tip of Argentina. 2 guys will be riding bicycles, I will be filming a tv show, 2 others will be conducting research, and together we will be filming 3 documentaries along the way about the needs of humanity and the environment in Latin and South America. I'm here because we need the perfect expedition vehicle.

We need ample space for 3-4 people, film equipment, expedition gear, bikes, batteries, and 2 irish wolfhounds. As many of you know, the roads through South America will require rugged 4x4 capabilities. In addition, with the threat of armed radicals, theives, and corrupt policia, the vehicle needs to be armored.

Any advice and assistance is most appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Blair G]

Hello all,

My name is jeff, and 4 associates and I are putting together an expedition from the top of Alaska to the southernmost tip of Argentina. 2 guys will be riding bicycles, I will be filming a tv show, 2 others will be conducting research, and together we will be filming 3 documentaries along the way about the needs of humanity and the environment in Latin and South America. I'm here because we need the perfect expedition vehicle.

We need ample space for 3-4 people, film equipment, expedition gear, bikes, batteries, and 2 irish wolfhounds. As many of you know, the roads through South America will require rugged 4x4 capabilities. In addition, with the threat of armed radicals, theives, and corrupt policia, the vehicle needs to be armored.

Any advice and assistance is most appreciated. Thank you.

Por supuesto.... it will be have to be armored.

 

[Plainsmuse]

Check out Feral Green...it's for sale

Hello all,

My name is jeff, and 4 associates and I are putting together an expedition from the top of Alaska to the southernmost tip of Argentina. 2 guys will be riding bicycles, I will be filming a tv show, 2 others will be conducting research, and together we will be filming 3 documentaries along the way about the needs of humanity and the environment in Latin and South America. I'm here because we need the perfect expedition vehicle.

We need ample space for 3-4 people, film equipment, expedition gear, bikes, batteries, and 2 irish wolfhounds. As many of you know, the roads through South America will require rugged 4x4 capabilities. In addition, with the threat of armed radicals, theives, and corrupt policia, the vehicle needs to be armored.

Any advice and assistance is most appreciated. Thank you.

Dude, check out http://www.feralgreen.com/feralblog/?p=31
It's in country, you won't have to ship it or pay import duties. As for armor, read their blog and glean a little. If you're serious about armoring, you'd be better off with an APC. Trailer the Wolfhounds.

 

[Lynn]

Trailer the Wolfhounds.

Shoot, pull a trailer with the wolfhounds.

 

[jlit]

wow. thank you guys for the replies. unfortunately right now I'm heading out shooting for the weekend, but I'll be back in communication on monday. Thank you guys very much, and have a good weekend.

 

[mauricio_28]

For reasons too numerous to list, a turbo diesel engine is what you want.

 

[Trogdor]

Just get an older unimog :REExeSwimmingHL:

 

[Martinjmpr]

I'm with you on everything except the armor.

If you truly believe you need an armored vehicle maybe you'd better rethink the whole trip. I drove plenty of armored vehicles in the service but none of them would make a good expo vehicle.

 

[viter]

A couple questions that might help others give you better advice:

1. Do you want to sleep inside vehicles or in tents (either mounted on top of vehicle or on the ground)?

2. What is your budget for vehicle + modifications?

3. Are you planning to plan your route mainly on paved major highways or do you plan to seek out "fun" off-road tracks?

4. Are you experienced mechanics and if so on what vehicles?

traveling with dogs will probably add complexity to your border crossings, so I wouldn't bring them unless it was absolutely necessary.
cool head and knowing where not to go might be more usefull than armor.
check out this website - this guy just completed the trip you are talking about, mainly solo too - http://www.expeditionamericas.com/ there are others too if you have time to search

 

[jlit]

The expedition is going to be about 30 months from Alaska to Argentina. For most of which, we will likely be staying in tents, except through cities where it makes more sense to stay in a hotel with storage for the vehicle. We will be making this journey with guys on bicycles, so moving 25-50 miles a day on average. For route, we will be sticking mainly to highway 1, but certainly a bit of both main and side roads. Unfortunately, we have little/no vehicle repair experience, so we're looking for the most reliable and functional option. For this reason, as well as the fact that we're going to have a lot of equipment both film and expedition, a land rover or land cruiser is pretty much out of the question. We think it would be be better to stick with 1 newer vehicle that won't need a lot of repair work.

We're looking for something capable of handling rough roads. Both riders will be crossing the darien, so after we in the vehicle arrive in cartagena, we will travel west through columbia to meet them south of the gap. To my understanding, this area is made of unmaintained old logging roads that pose a challenge/threat with both security and road conditions.

 

[viter]

as far as reliable statistics say toyota would be best...

as far as brand new most-offroad worthy toyota available in US and best suited for transporting a bunch of cargo and a couple people I would say - tacoma (trd off-road option that includes lockable rear locker) ... the only bad part is that tacoma's are not sold in central and south america so parts might be a problem (but with airfreight these days the world is one small place relatively) and they run on gasoline, so cheaper and easier to find diesel fuel would not be an option; however, I still believe it might be your best choice.

I would also highly suggest taking 2 vehicles instead of one - they can share spare parts and if one get's stuck you have another one to pull it out. plus if one breaks down beyond repair you could always get to safety in one.

oh and I would also highly suggest learning at least basic repairs for the vehicle you choose or bringing me along to fix it just kidding as I am not that great of a mechanic anyway...

there is a guy on this forum, Cell4Soul, who took a new style tacoma all the way to Panama and back, maybe he would chime in...

 

[viter]

plus with 2 vehicles you could have 2 roof-top tents which might be enough for 5 people - that would greatly reduce tent set-up time and would keep you away from the possibly wet/muddy/rocky ground and any animals crawling around.

maybe something similar to Cell4Soul's set-up - http://rides.webshots.com/album/555403102oBBSWD?start=36
http://rides.webshots.com/album/555403102oBBSWD?start=48

 

[Colorado Ron]

First things first.

Whats your budget?

 

[haven]

"...we will travel west through columbia..."

Please -- the name of the country in South America is Colombia.

Chip Haven

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

"...we will travel west through columbia..."

Please -- the name of the country in South America is Colombia.

Chip Haven

That bothers you too?

Seriously guys... do some research. I'm doing the trip from Louisiana to the Darien Gap by way of motorcycle in a month. Wow, a month... creeping closer.

If you guys are sticking to Hwy 1... you wont need much more than a standard 4x4 with upgraded suspension to handle your load.

Having touched the soils down there, it really wont make much of a difference in the setup of the vehicle, but get you some mud terrains and a nice winch.

If you don't do two vehicles, a good trailer with roof top tent on it and on the vehicle might be the way to go.

When are you guys going?