IHANA.COM big trip - preparation

Vehicle Equipment

ihana.com - big trip - preparation - vehicle equipment

Fitted to the outside of the Landy

Item	purpose	end of trip rating

Brownchurch roofrack	the dogs bollox of roofracks, with bulkhead bracing	indispensable
Eezi-Awn roof tent	the wickedest one around, made in South Africa	indispensable - but has some slight design faults as do all the roof tents we've seen
raised air intake	so we can drive in rivers up to our eyeballs, also reduces dust going into the engine by sucking in cleaner air	indispensable
rear wheel carrier	takes the weight off the back door hinges - well made with greaseable pivots	indispensable
underbody protection	Southdown steel steering, front and rear diff guards and a Safety Devices alloy fuel tank guard	indispensable - saved many a smashed diff - fuel tank guard never got hit though
A bar	not a drinks bar but a big bar thing to protect the radiator in the inevitable event of bashing into things	good - saved some damage when hitting things
light guards	these are double hard bastards and should protect the headlights against everything	indispensable - saved the lights many times
high-lift jack 48inch	on the roof	indispensable - used and abused - tendency to stick and seize though
waffles	tasty sand and bridging ladders made of fibreglass	indispensable - but heavy when muddy and wear away very quickly - would have been in serious trouble without them
spotlights	two 100W incinerators on the roofrack to light the way forward	ok - although the also light the bonnet and ruin your night vision - need to have small lights on roof mounted far back
worklamp	on the back, for reversing, searching out campsites or blinding drivers behind	good - used a fair bit
twin air horns	get out of the way! - died after filling with ming, replaced with toyota horns!	died quickly but some kind of horn always absolutely indispensable
soundproofing	fitted in the footwells, under seats, bonnet underside and anywhere noise comes out	indispensable - but better systems evolved since the trip
heat shielding	underneath around gearbox, transfer box and exhaust plus a bit in the engine bay	good - better if fitted in the right places!
security for rear door	rear window of welded steel, steel mesh over windows and padlock hasp on the door	indispensable - window replaced with welded steel sheet in nicaragua - rear of landy never broken into

Fitted to the inside of the Landy

load guard	Steel mesh load guard makes the rear of the Landy totally secure, reinforced in Nicaragua	indispensable - a secure rear end is very important ;OP
2nd battery and split charge system	necessary to run the stereo from so we don't flatten the main battery after an all night beach party!	indispensable - but a better battery would have been good, was replaced twice
240V inverter	connected to 2nd battery for powering all sorts of stuff	indispensable - fantastic bit of kit, even came back to life after jungle river crossings in Venezuela
battery cut out switch	makes working on the electrics a lot easier, has other advantages too	indispensable
flourescent interior light	connected to 2nd battery - well bright and uses minimal power	indispensable
Coleman twin burner stove	mounted on rear door - runs on unleaded petrol carried in a 10 litre jerry can, washing up brush sits on the lid	good but the pump is literally a pain - body tends to rust away too - died after 18 months
2*fire extingisher and blanket	in case the stove decides to have a fit	never used - fortunately
1000W stereo Mini Disc	important kit! a 600W amp powering 6 speakers and a 480W amp sorts out the subwoofer and the full range bass tube	ok - we should have taken normal cds and a changer, went through 3 head units - all killed by dust
curtains	made by T's doris, stops sun and thieves peering into the side windows	indispensable
steel cubby box	wicked steel box - keeps scallys thieving mitts off our stereo!	indispensable - kept theives at bay twice
steel safe	hidden away for passports and super secret agent type stuff	ok but we never really used it due to its madly inaccessable position

Bashing about inside the Landy

big piece of plywood	strapped down over the boxes to keep everything in place	ok - bits of wood not very exciting - was reduced to a minimum size after a while
Brano 1.6 ton hand winch and 20m cable	indispensible for when we get stuck	indispensable, true, but a pain to use - saving a bit more and buying an electric or hydraulic winch would have made trip life massively better
3 metal ground stakes	for killing vampires	indispensable the one time we needed them
Griptrax flexible sand ladders	a pair of these with the waffles make a tasty meal when stuck in the mud	pants - weigh a ton and only used twice - waffles would have been equally effective
12 Rako boxes	wicked stackable boxes for putting our crap into (see below)	indispensable - turned out to be dust proof despite lack of rubber seals
4 20 litre jerry cans	in the side lockers	indispensable
4 20 litre water cans	in the landy behind the bulkhead. black ex army ones.	indispensable
syphon tube	for getting the water out of the jerrys	indispensable
solar panel	for charging the 2nd battery while we chill on the beach	pants - dunno if it ever worked, then it smashed - a real big proper one is the only way to go
padlock and chain	so the solar panel isn't nicked while we're on the beach
2 MSR waterbags 6l	for jerry can drinking water	indispensable - brilliant bits of kit
1 MSR waterbag 10l	for any old tap water - used to shower, wash up	indispensable - as above
2 medical kits	for the inevitable injuries caused by working on the landy	indispensable, obviously - luckily not many of the things were used
flag	giant ihana.com st. georges cross, well wicked	just wicked
12V rechargeable torch	for investigating those strange jungle noises at night	indispensable - although the charge connecter broke
tyre levers	to take the tyres off the rims (combined with great deal of effort)	never used, fortunately
plastic bucket	useful to keep fresh vegetables in until they turn to stinking liquid	handy for throwing crap in then forgetting about it
dustpan and brush (without the dustpan)	for sweeping the desert out from the landy	ok - too lazy to use it very often
boiler suit	in stylish orange, north sea oil rig stylee	indispensable if you want to preserve your clothes
rain ponchos	conveniently behind the front seats	good in the rain
2 machetes	1 long one and 1 huge long one, for chopping stuff up	great - used regularly
3 rucksacks	1 for Bs stuff, one for Ts stuff and one with climbing stuff in it	climbing stuff never used until Peru!
laptop computer	for doing this stuff on	indispensable, obviously
2 overnight bags	one each for everyday clothes	indispensable - stored just behind the rear door for quick access
spade	for digging stuff up and burying poo	indispensable - for the poo and getting unstuck
2 foldy camp chairs	poor quality but still working with the help of some string	indispensable
tarpaulin	well useful - procured by Marty Mar in Costa Rica	indispensable for the mechanic
cordless rechargeable drill	for making holes	great for making holes with
puncture kit	in case of punctures	never used, puncture repair blokes are everywhere and they actually know what they're doing
spanner roll	with spanners in	indispensable
fishing tackle box	with tools in (see below)	indispensable
socket set	with sockets in. small rachet breaks easily	indispensable
landy service book	for looking at when something won't go back together	indispensable
Haynes manual	essential nighttime reading	useful at first but then the workshop manual was used
small cool box	keeps stuff cool	pointless
windscreen sun shield	stops the cab feeling like an oven and stops people looking in too	good - bought a newer one somewhere on the trip

Fishing tackle box

zip ties	small and medium size, well useful
screwdrivers	various sizes, philips and flat head
long nose pliers
normal pliers
wire stripping tool
wire snips
nuts, bolts, washers, fuses, wire, connectors, split pins, clips etc	always run out of these bits!
araldite	for glueing stuff
flat file	for filing the glue off
circuit testing screwdriver	broken!
electrical tape	for hiding the bodges
vaseline	for battery terminals, honest.
feeler guages	for feeling things
allen keys	Alans lost his

In the Rako boxes...

Tools box

huge adjustable spanner	for doing the valve clearances and general bashing of things
soldering iron plus solder	just about works with the inverter
rivet gun and rivets	get the best quality one you can find
more screwdrivers
wheel brace plus locking nut attachment	wheel brace snapped in Argentina, socket set provides answer
circlip pliers
junior hacksaw
g-clamp
round file
pipe wrench	helps remove shock absorbers
oil filter remover
thread lock	to stop the chassis bolts and other stuff rattling loose
copper slip grease	essential
bits of metal/wood, brackets, bushes etc	useful for mending all sorts of stuff
zip ties	bigger ones, well useful
knife sharpening file
WD40
spray paint	red, white, blue, black - used up painting the flag on the back
lacquer	for all the stickers
spare padlocks
silicon gasket
masking tape
bonnet lock	not got around to fitting it yet
box spanner	to get the wheel bearing lock nuts off
gaffer tape

Spares box 1

oil filter	2	only one needed, plenty available in garages
fuel filter	2	all used but plenty available
clutch master cylinder complete	1	not needed
clutch master cylinder seal repair kit	1	not needed
clutch slave cylinder complete	1	not needed
clutch slave cylinder seal repair kit	1	not needed
rear brake cylinder repair kit	2	not needed
propshaft universal joint	2	not needed
fuel lift pump	1	not needed
stop solenoid	1	not needed
oil pressure switch	1	not needed
speedo cable	1	broke and replaced in Chile
hub oil seals	3 sets	all used and had to get 6 more sets
hub plastic cap	2	both needed
hub bearing lock washers	4	all used and had to get lots more
wheel bearing set	2	all used and had to get two more
hub gaskets	4	all used, old ones reused lots with no probs
fan belt	2	both snapped, but crap quality, better ones sourced and didn't snap
spare bulbs	8	not needed, only headlight bulbs needed
set front brake disc pads	1	all used and two more sets too
radiator cap	1, old one used as spare	1, old one used as spare, not needed
fuel cap	1, old one used as spare	1, old one used as spare, not needed
high lift jack maintenance kit	1	1, not needed
old man emu shock bushes	1 vehicle set	1 vehicle set, all used on rear lowers
tin of celeste blue paint	1, left over from spray job in Mexico	1, left over from spray job in Mexico

Spares box 2

engine, gearbox and axle oils	10-40 or 50, Dextron 3 ATF, EP 90
grease	big pot
distilled water	for battery top ups
DOT 4 brake fluid	very hard to find in Mexico and Central America
exhaust bandage
red and blue gasket seal	tube of each
hose repair bandage
silicon grease	spray can
light stick	found in the landy after the army had finished with it
brake bleeding kit	homemade using a plastic bottle and a bit of tube
engine degreaser	spray can

Spares box 3

5 spare inner tubes	from the old army tyres left in England, all used at some point
set rear brake shoes	1, used and two more sets too
injectors	2, acquired after the injector broke in Baja, Mexico, not needed afterwards
rear radius arm bush	2, used in Argentina
spare mirror arm	1, not needed
velcro	5m of it...no use found so far
head gasket	used when took off the head during timing belt probs in Guyana

Kitchen box 1

tea bags in plastic air tight box	more tea, vicar?
MSR pan set	2 pans, lid and handle in stainless steel
cutlery and cups	going rusty inside the pans
plastic army dishes and cups	used for breakfast cereal
steel plates
mini plastic chopping board
super sharp chopping knife	sharp rusty blade, up to date with your tetanus?
Swarfega and washing up liquid
leatherman multitool	usually only called on for opening cans of corn

Kitchen box 2

olive oil	of the extra virginal variety
salt 'n pepper	salt 'n peppers here!
spices, garlic
dried chillies	in an air tight box
plastic air tight box	full of pasta
coffee	original jar of minging coffee filled with wicked local coffee
rice	in air tight jar

Kitchen box 3

Kitchen box 4

Old Recovery box

recovery rope	for towing broken down cars with tasty birds in
lump hammer	for hitting the stakes into vampires
axe	for chopping stuff up
12V air compressor	easy way to pump up the tyres
surf board stuff	repair things and wax
spare sound insulation	not got around to fitting all of it
2 ton jack	for jacking off. 6" travel
foot pump	in case the compressor goes on strike
various rachet load straps	well useful
B's climbing stuff	well unused
2 spare OME shocks	cuz they leak, the two old ones from Panama
2 warning triangles	not needed as everyone uses tree branches instead
spare headlight	accidentally procured in Belize
jerry can extension nozzle	never used as landy has one built in
solar shower	never used

New Recovery box (easier to access when axle deep in a river)
2 webbing tree strops	to protect trees when winching off them or as tow rope too
shackles	loads of various sizes for connecting stuff
swing away snatch block	odd sounding device, looks like a pulley
gloves	essential hand protection kit during landy extractions

Camping box
2 man tent	super light Ultra Quasar tent for trekking
2 karrimats
barbecue grill	not used it yet
MSR multi fuel stove	well wicked, runs on everything
MSR water pump	also wicked, purifies water from rivers and muddy puddles
water bottles	not used them yet either
thermos flask	for tea, like
repair kit for tent	pole sleeve to fix broken pole in Costa Rica and nylon patch
2 mosquito nets	for mozzie fishing
hose pipe and funnel	for filling up the water jerrys in situ

Library box
books, like. Various guide books, manuals, dictonaries, maps, novels and a London A to Z (which has been well handy).

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