I find myself writing a third chapter in my saga of expedition vehicles. I never intended it to work out that way. My first expedition vehicle was supposed to be "the one". But a couple of things had happened......
In July 2024 I took an Armenian-registered vehicle from Georgia to Bulgaria on the Batumi to Burgas ferry...
It is said that to drive a Land Rover Defender safely you should imagine that you are driving a soft-top; that is to say that the aluminium body construction doesn't provide much strength should you find the vehicle inverted and the weight of the chassis/engine/axles hovering above you...
Land Rover tends to have a history in connection with great expeditions. Need I say any more about Camel Trophy and the G4? These days they're still trying to get their vehicles out there being used for what they were designed to do, by putting on no expense spared romps in the desert....
After you get your first Land Rover Defender and you're starting to learn about where you can save money by doing things yourself, you realise that for every task there is something you lack. Namely, tools....
I've finally started the journey towards my own Land Rover expedition. In June 2009 I purchased this 1992 Land Rover Defender 110 Hardtop 200Tdi from eBay. I've already found myself trawling catalogues and websites for things I can buy to upgrade it with. My journey to make the ultimate expedition vehicle has begun....
I've been watching Ray Mears Extreme Survival recently way back from the year 2000. Despite his shorts hiding not nearly enough flesh, he has some great pointers about preparing yourself and gathering the right equipment for heading into the Australia Outback....
So I find myself a year later in 2010 going back on my previous thoughts about what I want from an expedition vehicle. I've just bought a 1997 300Tdi 110 Station Wagon and am feeling quite pleased with myself....
Well the time has come where I thought i'd better get back out into the wild places of the world in a Land Rover. I've booked a Defender for November this year with Bushlore, so and me and the missus will be jetting off to South Africa where we'll pick it up and head into Botswana for a couple of weeks...
The large debate to have with yourself when planning any expedition is "what should you take and what should you leave?". This inevitably encompasses spare wheels as they're bulky and heavy. If you're planning on going remote, then a spare wheel is absolutely essential in the event of a puncture....
