Mounting an expedition like our "Big Lap" requires a tonne of gear - literally!
Below is a summary of the major gear we used on our Big Lap and continue to use.
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Portable Power
Portable power is essential for keeping everything running away from mains power - after all, finding peace and solitude away from civilisation is the name of the game.
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Refrigeration
An esky full of ice is fine for the cricket or a day at the beach, but for long term touring or even short trips, nothing beats having your cold stuff kept that way in a camping fridge. We chose two for the expedition. The CF-80 lives in the car permanently while the smaller TC-32FL lives in the camper so that frequently used items like milk, butter and of course beer are always at hand.
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Communications
Getting away from it all is a big part of the appeal of travelling around Australia but the need to stay in touch is very real. We use handheld and vehicle mounted UHF radios for short range communications between ourselves and other people and we use a satellite phone for long range communications when we are out of normal mobile phone range.
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A Satellite Phone can be a potential lifesaver on a remote expedition. Watch this video for an insight into how they work and why you may need one.
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Recovery
Despite all the best intentions, if you leave the black top then getting bogged is inevitable at some point (or many points!) on a trip around Australia. No two situations are the same so we chose a range of equipment from the humble shovel to a bullbar mounted winch to cover almost every scenario.
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Traction & Suspension
Staying in control of the vehicle in every situation is essential for safety. The right tyres and wheels make a major difference to the degree of control and comfort you have with the vehicle and being able to lock the front and/or rear axles for maximum traction when needed is also a major benefit.
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Boating
There are just too many fantastic opportunities for launching a small boat to take off around the country without one. Our aluminum "tinny" lives on top of our camper trailer when we are on the move but with our Real Ezy collapsible boat trailer we are able to setup the boat and tow it to and from the water from our camp - perfect!
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Fuel Storage
Carrying spare fuel in jerry cans not only uses valuable storage space but it is dangerous & inconvenient. A long range fuel tank underneath the vehicle is safer and more efficient and enables us to travel up to 1800km between fuel stops.
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Engine Management
Looking for ways to ensure our engine keeps running at peak levels, we have installed a fuel cleaning device called a "De-Bug". This unit kills the bugs commonly found in diesel fuel before the fuel passes into the fuel cleaner, therefore keeping them from clogging the system downstream.
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Water Storage
If you have a different view on this I'd love to hear it - please email me.
Camp Lighting
Rather than carrying 12 volt and 240 volt lights, we just carry 12 volt lights and run them off of our Bushranger Maxi4000 battery pack. When we have 240 volt power available we use it to keep the battery pack charged at all times. We've tried cheap 12 volt fluoro lights and they neither give out enough light or last very long so don't waste your money.
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Vehicle Lighting
Standard vehicle headlights are not enough lighting for the complete darkness you encounter on country roads. We use a combination of upgraded headlight inserts and spotlights to give us night vision and avoid hitting those furry creatures that seem to love hanging out on roads at night..
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Camp Toilet & Shower
Some of the best places to camp are away from civilisation in National Parks or bush camps. Toilet and shower facilities are often non existent so we are equipped to BYO toilet and shower. We use a Porta Pottie toilet and under bonnet shower which gives us the independence to camp pretty much anywhere with a good water supply.
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Equipment Storage
We have a LOT of gear on board - heaps of it. Every available space is used for storing something. Keeping everything organised and easily accessible is a challenge made easy with some help from the following gear.
Call Tradesman Engineering on (03) 9761 7466
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Bars
Front and rear bars on the Landcruiser not only provide protection for the vehicle from the inevitable encounters with flora and fauna, they also carry a lot of gear like winch, spotlights, spare wheel and water container.
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Navigation
Australia is a massive country with plenty of remote places to visit. Fortunately there are maps available from HEMA that cover everywhere we are likely to want to go. Our Garmin GPS is also a great navigation tool whether driving, hiking or boating.
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Compressed Air
In order to adjust tyre pressures to the varying terrains we encounter from sand driving to the black top, we carry two compressors. The ARB RDCKA is mounted under the bonnet of the Landcruiser and is primarily used for activating the ARB Air Locker diff locks but can also be used for tyre inflation. The Bushranger Max Air unit is portable and fills tyres much faster.
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Dual Battery System
Phil at Boronia Auto Electrical Service in Melbourne has fitted our Landcruiser with the ultimate dual battery system. A Pirahna isolator unit is teamed with an Optima combined deep cycle / starting battery. Day to day the battery runs the Waeco CF-80 fridge when the engine is not running but in the event the main starting battery ever goes flat, we can use the Optima battery to start the car - good insurance. Call Boronia Auto Electrics on (03) 9729 7299
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Entertainment
I reckon we'll spend over 500 hours in the car on our 15 month expedition so having some in-car entertainment is a luxury I think is well worth investing in. We've installed a roof mount DVD system and have 50 or so DVD's with us to keep the family entertained on the long haul drives where there is little change in the scenery .
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