Online presence
The good thing about the Internet is that it makes the world a smaller place (some might say thats a bad thing) but it does allow you to share your experience with people, share knowledge, stay in touch and provide links to forums and other sources of information. It also gives you a central point for friends, family and travellers to visit and see what you are up to. We use 1 & 1. They are the UK's leading hosting and website company. For £38 you get an "Instant Website" package which includes a website domain name of your choice, an 8 page website, email, guest book, feedback forms, CGIs, online software to build your website and 24/7 support. You can then upgrade as you see fit. I have been impressed with the service!!! For more info click here.
Planning (be flexible)
Time - Most of the people we have met spent approx 6-9 months (minimum) planning and researching their trip). Its hard to make comparisons as a rule because no one trip is ever the same. For example we have met people who are pretty much driving back to re-settle and have set fairly strict time lines to do the trip, while others are taking a longer period of time and have a much bigger travel plan in mind. We fall into the latter camp. Also, since we started the planning for this trip back in 2006 our circumstances have changed (career wise) and we have decided to delay our start by a couple of years - which makes for a departure date sometime in 2009 (watch this space).
Budget & costs (be realistic)
mmmmm - this is the BIG question and perhaps the one we spent several months researching. So far we have decided to go for a pretty standard vehicle with pretty normal equipment (see below) which is being refined. The overall budget will change based on duration, route and level of comfort - discomfort you are willing to endure. We are budgetting for a 12-14 month trip and where we go from there is unknown. In summary (as a rough guide) we are looking at the following costs and getting quotes as we write this:
- Base vehicle (unmodified): £3,500 - £5,500
- Overland vehicle equipment, prepration, labour & VAT: £10,00 - £12,000
- Mechanical work, service, MOT, misc repairs, preparation, labour & VAT: £1,000 - £2,000
- Visas, medical, fuel, tourist stuff, food, camping, consumabales, misc: £10,000 - £13,000
- 2 x return flights & shipping vehicle back to UK: £2,500 - £3,000
As you can see, costs add up quickly, but they are realistic and based on real quotes / research. Labour and VAT are a big factor if you are getting a lot of new parts and someone to fit them for you but we are shopping around and trying to be realistic. One thing we have observed is that many overlanders do comment (retrospectively) that they wish they had spent more £££ upfront and not cut corners or bought a vehicle already prepared with all the gear. A full list of our actual costs / budget will be posted here later.
We would have done the latter but as we have time on our side we are trying to get exactly what we want and to get familiar with off-roading, mechanical issues, equipment before we go. From a vehicle safety point of view we are NOT compromising (Vicki lost a very dear friend in an accident in Namibia) so we are spending a little more on things like a cab roll cage and the normal / basic vehicle upgrades. Our view was if you roll your the car the trip might end there and then and you can forget about all the time and effort you spent worrying about saving a few ££ here and there......it all adds up but some basics are inescapable. The current list of planned modifications and equipment is shown below.
Vehicle Choice & vehicle preparation
Well, if you are thinking about a trip like this you quickly find out (from overland sites, forums, books and vehicle specialists) that people have their pet favourites and debates rage about what vehicles you should go with, Land Rover Vs Toyota appears to be the most common debate but there are some strange and wonderful modes of transport being used to cross Africa ranging from camel, push bike, motorbike, 2CV and ambulance, as well as some pretty full on 6x6 vehicles / high specification trucks with integral quad bikes and radar !!! Either way, the choice is a personal and practical one with your destination and budget playing a big part.
We plumbed for the good old Land Rover and after some research chose to go for the Defender 110 Hard Top 300 TDi. As a quick note here - the naming of the Defender marque is a little confusing to newbies like us so here is a summary on which ones are which:
- 2.5 (1984 to 1986)
- 2.5 T/D (1986 to 1990)
- 2.5 Tdi 200 series (1990 to 1994)
- 2.5 Tdi 300 series (1994 to 1998)
- TD5 (1998 onwards)
Many overland sites and books recommend the 200 or 300 as the best, later model choice as the TD5 is a more complex beast. Also, these models are still "electrically simple" and parts easy (ish) to find - famous last words eh!! Noteable words of caution seem to focus on gear box, timing belts and body condition. There is also debate about available power from a 2.5L engine and dust in turbos - but we decided that there is never going to be an "ultimate" vehicle for this trip and there is a certain romance associated with the Land Rover - ask us that when we are stuck in the sand and its 35oC ;-)
Our pride and joy, Dassie, is a 1997 Reg, Ex-Environment Agency vehicle that was bought from a nice chap called Steve who bought it from The Land Rover Man for a trip to Morocco and Europe. When we took delivery it had 133k miles (not 100% service history) and was in pretty good order. We had it checked by a local Land Rover dealer who pointed out a few normal faults, like seals, gaskets and oil pipes as well as the universal leaking door!! But the body work was OK and her belly was pretty much rust free.
BEFORE
This is our Landy in its bought state
AFTER
This is our Landy after a trip to Foley SV (more photos in the album)
So what did we have done....Vehicle Equipment & Preparation
The vehicle had already had some prepration performed like bonnet cross plate, side cross plate, running boards, roof rack, side awning, rear ladder, rear work light and centre storgae box. The engine seemed sound enough (no black smoke) and there were a few very small oil leaks. In terms of interior, there was no preparation and we had a blank sheet of paper to work with. The roof rack had to go (not strong enough) and all the wheels wheels / suspension were upgraded. We are broke the work into 2 sections:
Mechanical work
The list of items below were completed by Foley Specialist Vehicles
- Service including new air, fuel, oil filters
- New oils all round
- New steering box
- New Radiator
- Fuel sedimentor
- 4 x new brake discs & pistons
- Remove ERG & new down pipe
- New cam belt & kit
- New P Gasket
- 2 x rear hub assemblies and drive shafts
- 1 x front left hub assembly and drive shaft
- New drop arm BJ
- New drag link BJ
- Remove sump, new seal
- 2 x ball joints
- 1 x steering UJ
- Repair to seat
- MOT
We will be performing one final check with Foley before we go to check everything is in order.
Vehicle equipment list & fitting out
The final list of kit we are going for is shown below - there is a fair old bit of stuff to stick on the old girl !! We got quotes for both supply and fit from 3 leading UK overland preparation companies. Now who you choose is up to you, but we ended up going for Foley Specialist Vehicles They were prompt to respond, offered very sound and honest views on our trip, our needs and problems we might encounter. They have a lot of experience and were able to point us in the right direction. We would highly recommend them. Its approx. a three to four week job for them to kit out the vehicle with the items below. We had discussed doing some of it ourselves, but to be honest, the research and our own conclusions (especially with respect to safety) were the same - let the specialists do it !! ;-)Body protection
- Steam clean & under body wax treatment
- Warn bumper winch (2nd hand)
- Bumper, with winch fitment, 2 x D Shackle towing points (2nd hand)
- Bull bar
- Underbody protection - front diff guard
- Full cab roll cage ½ internal ½ external roll cage over drivers and passengers compartment
- Safari Snorkel raised air intake (modified to fit with roll cage)
- Raised transmission breather kit
- Rear door, inside cross plate liner
- Rear step
- New driver door hinge
Power, Lights & Electrics
- Auxillary deep charge battery
- 2 x front 12 volt aux sockets
- 2 x rear 12 volt aux sockets
- 1 x external 12 volt aux socket
- Fuse box under the seat
- Split charge relay
- New starter battery
- Spot lights x 2 on the front 100w
- 2 x inside lights - low voltage
- Wiring consumables
- New stereo unit (speakers already fitted)
Suspension upgrade & Wheels
- 4 coil springs, 4 shocks. Land Rover
- Extra pair of shocks x 2 for rear
- Suspension mounts
- BFGoodrich All-terrain 235/85 R16 x 6
- 7x16" steel modular rim x 6
- Locking wheel nut kit
Other Equipment
- Expedition roof rack to be modified to fit roll cage
- Side awning with swing out arms (free standing)
- Hi-lift jack 4” & mount
- Defender 90/110 Hi Lift adapter
- Rear door swing away mount for 1st spare wheel
- Roof rack wheel clamp for 2nd spare wheel
- 20L Jerry can (Fuel) x 2 - this is emergency fuel
- 20L Jerry can (water) x 2 - back up water in addition to **
- Jerry can spout
- Ezi-Awn roof tent for 2 plus mattress and ladder (front mounted)
- Auxiliary fuel tank: 37L under RH rear wheel arch auxiliary fuel tank
- **Water tank & system: 35L under LH rear wheel arch water tank
- Water purification system and shower (Brown Church)
- 40L Engel Fridge, fridge fitting kit & cover
Recovery & Repair Accessories
- Steel Sand Ladders (small set) 1 x Pair
- Recovery kit (to include straps, towing rope, shackles, strops, gloves)
- Puncture repair kit and tyre levers
- Hub spanner, Fan Spanner, Circlip pliers
- Air compressor (includes pressure indicator & inflation kit)
- Haynes Manual and associated user guides. NB: we also found a few useful Defender Manuals in pdf format on the web.
Storage & Security
- Rear windows / door window security grills
- Cab / rear guard/separator
- Lockable cubby box with side nets, radio compartment, cup holders and cups
- 2 x Foley side lockers (jerry cans for water and fuel fit exactly in these and this helps keep centre of gravity low. Putting jerry cans on the roof / spare fuel inside the vehicle was something we wanted to avoid)
- Misc storage and boxes to be fitted by us - still working on the internal layout
- Padlock hasps on all 3 doors
- Spare sets of keys
Misc items
- We intend to make a rear door roll out sun shade made out of a 2nd hand awning
- Will also look to create a light weight front windscreen roll down sun shade
- Will also take a spare tarpualin, poles, guy lines and assorted pegs
Navigation, Maps, Guides & Books
Navigation - This is is a complex area as there are many "gadgets" you can take BUT they have to serve a useful purpose and you need to know how to use them. We are going to take a range of maps as well as a Garmin GPS, a set of binoculars and a Silva compass as we want to be able to use both methods to get about and "know" where we are - rather than relying on a GPS until it fails!!!
We will be using the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx: Its a very rugged / waterproof (it floats) unit that has a colur screen, map and way point capability with autorouting. It can store 1000s of way points and has track back facility. It also has a baramoeter and altimeter and has trip time, speed and odometer functions. It is shipped with a base map of the World and the Mapsource Trip and Way Point Manager software. It links to your laptop via a USB and has mini SD cards for extra memory. The key advantage with this unit is its dash mountable and can be used hand held for walking. You can buy a range of more detailed maps for it for a range of uses depending on your needs. For more details go to:
http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/garmin-gpsmap-60csx-description.html
We will also be using GPS and Map data from Tracks 4 Africa 
http://www.tracks4africa.com/ T4A supply more detailed GPS maps and data on Africa (not all countries are covered as yet) and the database is constantly being refined and updated by overland travellers. The data is easily transfered to any Garmin unit via the Mapsource Trip and Way Point Manager software and there is a useful forum you can join. GPS maps for Africa are also available from Garmap. We have also spent a bit of time gathering way point information from other Overland Sites. Two good sources of way point data that are worth a look are:
Big Sky http://www.bigsky-adventures.com/route/gps.htm (useful summary of GPS waypoints for several countries in Africa)
Dutch Courage http://www.dutch-courage.net/index.php (these guys have provided a really good summary with comments on a wide range of camp sites and related way points - very detailed)
Some of the overland websites such as http://www.overland.co.za/ also have various GPS data posted on them.
We also got a freeware product called GPS Utility Version 4.20.5 http://www.gpsu.co.uk/ This software allows you to abstract way point data from a variety of GPS file formats and re-save them as Garmin Map Source compatible .gdb files. This is really helpful as it allows you to quickly build up an archive of useful way points (like campsites, bush camps, sites of interest, fuel stops etc...). The website also has a links page for all the GPS data you can handle !!!
NOTE: ALWAYS remember to check the GPS datum and way point format for any data you acquire. There are a many ways GPS data can presented to the end user....make sure you know which is which.....could make a big difference when trying to find a water well in the middle of the desert! (DD MM SS Vs DD MM.MMM is one to watch out for)
Maps - we are taking the Michelin National Series for Africa: 746, 741, 745 as well as the National Geographic Adventure Atlas (which has maps, stats and guides within it - its pretty big - but coveres things like the Game Parks and things to see along the way).
Guides & books - we have found the following useful:
- Bradt Africa Overland by Sian Pritchard-Jones and Bob Gibbons
- Vehicle Dependent Expedition Guide by Tom Sheppard
- Africa on a Shoe String by Lonely Planet
- Sahara Overland by Chriss Scott
- Haynes Manual for Land Rover 110 Defender
- Travel Health for Africa (pocket book) by Lonely Planet
In addition - a great historical read on overland travel is First Overland by Tim Slessor (London to Singapore in the 1950s!!). We also picked up a couple of books on Land Rovers and Green Laning in the UK. There are also a load of tips, down loadable files and guides on various topics located on various Overland websites (see links pages).
Communications
Again, this is another area where it's gadget heaven!! We are adopting a pretty straight forward approach that will involve:
- Internet cafe: Skype, MSN and email - as well as our own website Guest Book
- Normal mobile phone from UK (buy local sim cards when needed)
- Personal communications - 2 x Motorola short range radios 3km range
- Satelite phone - still not decided on this yet as it would only be used for emergency calls. The Thuraya system appears to be the best / economic option for Africa (they take normal SIMS and some have GPS on them too). From reading forums - we have heard that most GPRS phones with local SIM card work fine in more populated areas.
Health & Medical
Visas & Paperwork
Weather considerations
Personal equipment & packing list