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20.04.2011 - Mali – Home

Our time in Africa was short now; in a few months we would be back in Europe, back in the UK, back home. Read more..

Equipment/Preparation

An extremely long and extensive list is beginning to take shape including all the bits great and small that we will need to take with us. The final list is likely to be extremely tedious and page upon page, however the list below should give a flavour of what we expect to carry with us so that we can comfortably camp and live out of the car for weeks or months on end.

  • High Lift Jack
  • Shovel
  • Pick axe
  • Sand Ladders
  • Bow saw
  • Hammer
  • Camp lantern
  • Torches
  • Head torches
  • Clothing
  • Cooker and fuel bottles
  • Foldup camp kitchen
  • Folding table
  • Tow ropes, shackles and winch gear
  • Jerry Cans (Water, Diesel)
  • Fridge
  • Cutlery
  • Pots and pans
  • Water container and purification filter
  • Roof Tent
  • Air Compressor
  • Duct Tape
  • Sleeping bags & pillows
  • First aid box
  • Fly, mosquito, snake and scorpion spray
  • Sun cream – Factor 95 for Tom
  • Battery recharger
  • Laptop
  • GPS
  • Folding chairs
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Tools
  • As many car spares as we can fit, principally filters, belts and wheels.
  • Engine, gearbox and diff oils

Cost: £10, 000……each!

During the course of the last 6 months when the prep has really stepped up a gear, we’ve been contacted by many people wanting to do similar trips but wanting advice. As we are now about to set off, we want to share with you some of the many lessons that we have learnt during the prep phase over the last 6 months. This is by no means a bible, and only really focuses on the car side of things rather than the trip as a whole, but will hopefully steer some of you away from making the same mistakes that we made.

To Hel And Back – Novice Overlanders Top Tip List

  • The biggest lesson we have learnt is to always allow more time. Simply getting all the parts you want to fit a couple of months before you want to leave isn’t enough – you need lots of time to actually fit the bits, test it all out and then time to sort the inevitable issues which arise having changed so much in the first place! Problems will emerge which you hadn’t allowed time for so prepare for this so you don’t find yourself delayed like we did when we attempted to refit and leak-proof the refurbed Turbo.
  • A close second in our lessons learnt is to expect to spend more than you ever originally imagined. Whatever your budget – and everyone works to their own – make sure you build in about 30% contingency for the prep. This will mean your entire plans aren’t at risk when you discover the inevitable ‘big problem’ which only comes to light as other jobs are completed. If you have done your sums correctly then hopefully you won’t need it, but if you are slightly naïve about how much work is involved as we were, then it will save you countless sleepless nights and having to keep begging people for help!
  • Whilst cheaper alternative parts are almost always available, a good rule of thumb is that if the part is safety critical (e.g. brakes) or you really don’t want to have to do the job again any time soon (e.g. crankshaft rear oil seal) then use original parts.
  • There are many options available when it comes to vehicle choice. Taking a Land Rover into the unknown is a fairly nostalgic for many of us and this is sufficient to justify its selection. The image, the experience, the community and the character are all fantastic, but be aware if you take a Landy you will learn mechanics – either by choice or necessity! This in itself is very do-able, but it doesn’t happen overnight and you will make mistakes.
  • Buy the best base vehicle you can afford – possibly our biggest regret. Whilst you will change some items irrespective of age (e.g. shock absorbers) a slightly more expensive base is likely to reduce the chance of hidden surprises such a dead crossmember or very tired engine. Also, service history is underrated.
  • If you are planning on taking a fairly standard base vehicle as we did and building it up then you will have lots of parts to fit. Whilst you want to try and do certain jobs at the same time (e.g. clutch and crank rear oil seal), beware that the more you change in one go, the harder it is to diagnose a faulty if a problem arises. We had this issue with our faulty brakes having changed master cylinder, callipers, pads, discs and brake lines. Unfortunately the only way we figured out what was wrong was by exchanging parts until something fixed the problem.  This leads nicely onto the next point…
  • Always keep old parts. Whilst this takes up space (which will already be limited with the amount of kit you have purchased) many old parts can serve as spares but more importantly give you options to exchange if the new part doesn’t work properly. The most obvious example for us was holding onto our old callipers and intercooler when issues arose with the new units. This keeps you mobile and helps diagnose the problem quickly. Also useful for comparing with the new unit to see how the old unit was calibrated and set up.

  • Buy 5 litres of WD40 with a refillable bottle. As many of you will no doubt already know, when you need to work on the car start soaking bolts a couple of days in advance to reduce the potential for bolts to snap, threads strip and so on – all fixable problems but it takes up yet more precious time. If you only work on the car at the weekend or in the evenings, you need that time to be doubly productive.
  • Turn into a bit of a scrounge. When stuff doesn’t line up or you need to fix one of the cupboard doors you will need materials. Therefore a supply of old wood and bits of metal is essential. If someone else doesn’t want their offcuts, take them – you’ll need them.
  • Get to know a welder and make sure they are always well lubricated with a steady supply of good beer. Offer to mow their lawn, lend them your Melinda Messenger DVD collection for the weekend – do anything to get them on side! At some point something will break, something unexpected will be snap off, rust patches will be found or brackets will need attaching to the roofrack and welding will be involved. It’s important that you have somewhere to turn when you are in that hole, otherwise you are facing those two old enemies Time and Money once again.

  • Don’t be afraid to ask – we came into this project knowing nothing about Land Rovers or Overlanding and asked some pretty daft questions on reflection. However most people are incredibly helpful and want to be involved in unusual projects such as an overland trip. In our experience a willingness to listen and acknowledge that you are a novice will mean people are far happier to explain things. That said…
  • ….you will be given conflicting advice! We had different answers from leading Overland companies on whether to mount a spare wheel on the bonnet. Additionally the need for a fridge is debatable. Similarly, you need to decide on a ground tent or a rooftent, a liquid or gas cooker, air or oil shocks, tyre choice, extra fuel tank versus jerry cans, number of spare wheels/tyres, the necessity of a winch – the list of items where advice differs is endless. Ultimately you must make a decision on all of these items and you are the one that will have to live with it. Don’t be a passenger with some of these issues – ‘I told you so’ won’t be worth much in the middle of the Sahara. Get involved with the forums, but remember to have a barrelful of salt within reach when you read some replies.
  • As we have been very fortunate to discover, there are many generous companies (both large and small) out there who will help people on trips such as this. Everyone wants sponsors but you must be honest with them – putting their sticker on your car which only your Mum and Auntie look at isn’t going to result in a media campaign of such epic proportions that it enables them to take over the world. So be realistic about what you really can offer them and you are much more likely to get a positive response. Not everyone’s a mercenary. None the less, respect peoples businesses and their profit margins; no one gets into Land Rovers to make them rich.

Our amazing sponsors – without them this trip wouldn’t be happening.

  • Buy more WD40. The first lot will have run out by now.
  • Learn to be mechanically sympathetic – change gear smoothly, let the car warm up before driving, don’t floor the throttle and stamp on the brakes. The vehicle is an Overlander, your home, not an off-road toy. It’s no exaggeration to say that your lives could depend on its reliability at times so look after it. We’ve found the Land Rover to be a stubborn mistress and if you don’t treat her well, she won’t look after you!
  • Something we haven’t done but would advise you is get to know how the vehicle handles fully loaded offroad. We were given a fantastic tuition by the experienced instructors at LRE, but whilst this taught us the basics there are significant differences between their ‘09 Defender 110 and our ’97 Defender 110.

  • If you are going with someone else, it may sound obvious but make sure it is someone you like and can trust i.e. not Piers Morgan. Travelling with Jeremy Clarkson would be a laugh, but would pretty quickly get tiresome – you get the picture. Throughout the prep you will be sharing meals, expenses, space under the car – in a sense the trip will have already started – not just when you leave the UK. From our own point of view we’re both waiting for Cheryl Cole to agree to come along, but in the meantime we’ll cope with each other.

Would you go travelling with either of these two?

  • Buy a wide selection of quality tools. We started off working on the car with one small socket set and a very limited assortment of cheap tools which had been acquired over the years. We were incredibly lucky to be given much of the Draper Expert range, but it is completely true to say that many jobs were completed quicker and with less stress. Yes you don’t want to weigh down your truck with a hundred and one spanners, but a reasonable selection really does make life easier. Also good tools last. A closely guarded To Hel And Back top tip is that drill bits cut better when they are sharp – so spend the £3 for a new pack when you know you will have a lot of metal drilling to do.
  • Seriously consider begging or borrowing workshop space. There will be a lot of work to do on the car and many jobs are not one day jobs meaning the car will have to sit, immobile, for periods. Having a designated work area where the car can be left on axle stands without incurring the wrath of neighbours or the inquisitions of the local constabulary will help you sleep easier at night when you already have a lot on your plate. Additionally, unless you are a goldfish, at times rain will stop play so to keep the project moving and keep meeting deadlines you will need shelter. Whilst renting space is not cheap, we wouldn’t want to work in the street again.

Which would you prefer?

  • Finally, whilst you are devoting all your time, money and efforts to the trip there will seriously depressing moments during the prep and this will give you umpteen reasons to give up. Be aware of this, unfortunately sh*t happens at very inconvenient times (like our crossmember, or a brake union leaking as we left for our practice expedition) so try not to get too downbeat, instead persevere and focus on how you are going to get out of the situation. As the old adage goes, you don’t know you’re in a trough until you’re climbing out of it.
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