Nice camper, but .......

[ThreePointFive]

...and to think my car gets accused of being monochromatic.

 

[Nonimouse]

2 hours ago, Anderzander said:

There is also the bit where people can just follow their enthusiasm?  even if they are not making wise - or even good! - decisions.

I suppose giving people the freedom to make choices we don’t agree with only changes if you think they are making choices that put them or others in danger? 

That's the biggest issue with all of this. Bling up and you make yourself a target to folk who earn in a year less than what you paid for a tyre. Overload stuff and it breaks - generally in the wrong place. Get spendy and when you lose your vehicle to the Azerbaijani police, that's a big hole in your travel plan budget - or even if you want to get into Mali or Egypt, then find that the import duty is eight times the value of the vehicle, at market value

One of my earners, when I was a self employed chap, was bringing people's vehicles back from foreignshire - I've never counted how many times those vehicle were death traps, but it was a fair few. MInd, in the 80's, when I moved sailing boats down to the med and adriatic, I used to think the same thing

[Nonimouse]

53 minutes ago, Stellaghost said:

Sure am pleased this statement did not crop up on my Mog axle thread.............lol

regards Stephen

Weight's in the right place - little chance of a roll

[Badger110]

16 hours ago, Anderzander said:

There is also the bit where people can just follow their enthusiasm?  even if they are not making wise - or even good! - decisions.

I suppose giving people the freedom to make choices we don’t agree with only changes if you think they are making choices that put them or others in danger? 

The internet put a stop to that, every bugger’s got an opinion that needs to be put forward.

 

On the flip side, it’d be a boring place ( if not quieter ) if no one did put forward their thoughts 

 

 

[Bowie69]

15 hours ago, ThreePointFive said:

...and to think my car gets accused of being monochromatic.

 

Needs some orange.......? 

[FridgeFreezer]

17 hours ago, Stellaghost said:

Sure am pleased this statement did not crop up on my Mog axle thread.............lol

Buy you're doing that because you can & for the hell of it - which are perfectly valid reasons in themselves. Much like going on holiday in a V8 ambulance is less practical but more fun than going in a regular camper van. The key point is we're not persuading anyone (ourselves included) that it's the best / most practical way of going about things.

With some (nay, many) "overland" builds it seems that people truly believe they are somehow building the most practical answer to the problem at hand when the reality is a stock panel van with a set of BFG AT's thrown on it and a £100 bash-plate under the sump would probably be better in almost every way for the actual use they eventually put it to.

[Nonimouse]

Ealry Merc Sprinters hav an electric, non ecu controlled LSD in back axle

[Retroanaconda]

Vans are boring as hell to drive though. 4x4s are fun.

[FridgeFreezer]

58 minutes ago, Retroanaconda said:

Vans are boring as hell to drive though. 4x4s are fun.

On a 1000+ mile trip the novelty can wear off pretty quick, much like the fun of a loud exhaust... true you're not going to get the smiles & waves driving a van but you're also saving fuel, sitting comfortably & quietly, cruising easily, and probably getting more space too.

[Nonimouse]

47 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

On a 1000+ mile trip the novelty can wear off pretty quick, much like the fun of a loud exhaust... true you're not going to get the smiles & waves driving a van but you're also saving fuel, sitting comfortably & quietly, cruising easily, and probably getting more space too.

Loud induction noise from the snorkel is my bug bear. It's got a Chinese Donaldson copy. I need to experiment with other snorkel heads

Try driving a badly loaded Sprinter V6, with enthusiasm, along a wet back road. Even the old 2.7 was entertaining

[deep]

5 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

On a 1000+ mile trip the novelty can wear off pretty quick, much like the fun of a loud exhaust... true you're not going to get the smiles & waves driving a van but you're also saving fuel, sitting comfortably & quietly, cruising easily, and probably getting more space too.

Couldn't disagree more.  I've loved my long trips in slow, noisy Land Rovers more and more as the miles have built up - to the extent that arriving home is always a bit sad, because I have to stop driving.  They turn the dull and mundane into something interesting and exciting.  Maybe some of us just need more stimulus in our lives than others?

Also consider that the point of view that a normal van/bus/whatever becomes as capable as an over-modified four wheel drive completely falls over when you realise that the disease that causes the over-modification will make that van even worse on a wet lawn let alone anywhere adventurous!

[Bowie69]

Recently came across this bunch of nutters, driving Series one's around with all manner of engines in them, cross-europe:

 

 

I think I know what I would rather be driving  

 

[Anderzander]

I’ve talked to him (Stephen) a bit over the years - he’s part of the inspiration for me to use mine.  On his trips - one thing he does do … is lots and lots of planning.

[Ed Poore]

9 hours ago, Retroanaconda said:

Vans are boring as hell to drive though. 4x4s are fun.

Not all of them

 

[Badger110]

3 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Recently came across this bunch of nutters, driving Series one's around with all manner of engines in them, cross-europe:

 

I think I know what I would rather be driving  

 

 

I posted about these guys awhile back during lockdown due to a video they had put up

 

To me, it sums up the spirit of the brand as it was, and how much i want to have a series with a v8 inside!

 

[Chris Davies]

Big fan of team faff too, love their videos. Must resist looking at series 1's on ebay

[FridgeFreezer]

14 hours ago, deep said:

Couldn't disagree more.  I've loved my long trips in slow, noisy Land Rovers more and more

We enjoy our trips too, but my point continues to be that people do not *need* a 4x4 dripping with expensive gear to go out and travel overland, and often it's a very expensive and impractical way of achieving what you want to.

Indeed, bimbling round Europe in a Series 1 looks glorious fun in itself - but for folks who want to get where they're going with minimal hassle and bring their collection of bikes & surfboards with them, a LWB sprinter is probably the better answer.

[Snagger]

It has been shown time and again that standard vehicles are very good for the vast majority and overlanding only benefits from moderate mods and accessories - the more that is added, the more the vehicle suffers, while the more that is modified, the harder maintenance and repair become when away.  But modest tweaks can be beneficial if thought through and appropriate.  For some, though, they enjoy the technical challenge of the work and aren’t that worried about how necessary it is.  Those people will generally enjoy the adventure of driving their vehicle, even just down to the supermarket, so the tinkering is justified.  There are some who seriously hobble their vehicles, though, and don’t understand when to stop.  Some vehicles  are worse and are a liability, endangering the occupants and others, but that is uncommon where people spend significant money.

The trick, as always, is to think about the pros and cons of each change, especially the cons.

[Daan]

If I were going overlanding, I would take this:

https://tripnuts.de/produkt/campal-estate/

Based on the Dacia duster, has 4x4, diesel. does 50mpg and can do a ton if needed.

Very reliable and can be serviced at any renault or nissan dealership. From the videos I saw, it does more offroad than most defender owners ever do.

That would be my take on it.

Daan

[rusty_wingnut]

the only Land Rover that is any good for "overlanding" out of the factory is the 107" SW. The fact the back seats make a bed shows the intention Land Rover had for those vehicles.

 

 

[Anderzander]

There is a super talented chap in the series 1 club built a 107 camper just recently - and has already put many thousands of miles on it. It’s pretty inspiring.

[Anderzander]

Don’t know if it’s an open thread .. but here is the build:

https://www.lrsoc.com/forum/index.php?topic=35425.msg275522#msg275522

[deep]

9 hours ago, rusty_wingnut said:

the only Land Rover that is any good for "overlanding" out of the factory is the 107" SW. The fact the back seats make a bed shows the intention Land Rover had for those vehicles.

 

 

I knew some people who had travelled the world in theirs and would never ever consider letting it go, even years after the travelling finished.  Wonderful design.

Pretty much any long wheel base hard top Land Rover of old did the job though.  My campers have included normal hard tops, one soft top (waterproof but not really lockable...) and one station wagon (back seats removed).  The most used one (31,000km of Australian exploration) was a 1982 Range Rover - you'd say it wasn't any good out of the factory but the rear seats come out easily and, conveniently, there was room between the front seats to extend the sleeping platform and room behind them for five jerry cans.  You just have to love the thinking that went behind Land Rovers for the first four or five decades!

[deep]

11 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

We enjoy our trips too, but my point continues to be that people do not *need* a 4x4 dripping with expensive gear to go out and travel overland, and often it's a very expensive and impractical way of achieving what you want to.

Indeed, bimbling round Europe in a Series 1 looks glorious fun in itself - but for folks who want to get where they're going with minimal hassle and bring their collection of bikes & surfboards with them, a LWB sprinter is probably the better answer.

Yes, you have made your point many times in this thread.  Because you are so committed to that point of view, I suppose you had better get rid of your modified Land Rover now and put a mattress in the back of a Sprinter?  Meanwhile, other people will get the vehicles they want, modify them the way they want them and use them to do whatever restrictive rules allow them to do, without being at all concerned about what you drive.

[ThreePointFive]

I think the point was right to be made for letting people do what they want/enjoy. Today I saw a fully kitted up Land Cruiser that really did seem to have every toy possible and an expedition trailer to match, and I instantly thought of this thread. Clearly that guy isn't going to Africa any time soon, so it was definitely a 'because he wants to' car. It was being driven around the outskirts of a Wiltshire suburb, which looked faintly ridiculous, but no more so than the Challenge-spec truck cab 90s rolling around on beadlockers with obligatory rope-around-bumper aesthetic and a paint job that ensures they never see mud.

Would a standard campervan be a more livable, more comfortable, better-in-every-way vehicle for the UK? Yes. Does he want to role play the explorer and a large part of the appeal is an amount of fantasy? Also yes. Doesn't bother me though. It really does not effect me or anyone else, so let them do it.

However, as much as I get all that, there are some hard facts/truths that need to be acknowledged for overlanding or real harm can occur. It is a sad truth that a lot of overlanding destinations are classed as fragile environments by the FCDO - I am sure that lack of infrastructure is part of the appeal. As others have said, setting out for anywhere like that in a vehicle that looks like it is worth too much money or, worse still, appears to be a military vehicle is just a very bad idea.

The irony for me is that means Mr Land Cruiser's car would only really be suitable for the UK, western Europe or the US, and thus massively over-specced for anything it will ever be used for. When you think about it, it actually renders such an expedition vehicle pointless as it can never be taken anywhere you need that kit. I think others have made that point better than me already.

But the point remains, if people want to role play as survivalists on campsites that have toilet blocks and a swimming pool, so be it.