Something I often get asked is where do I start with an overland vehicle build or what should I fit first? I’m Christoff, welcome to Get Out, Go!
Christoff; I’m joined today by Gavin who’s done 100’s of overland vehicle fitments and is, himself, a very experienced and passionate overlander who consults on overlanding vehicle builds and general overland topics. I'm often asked “where do I start” building an overland vehicle or “what order should I build it” so where do we start?
Gavin;
Before you can begin to decide what to fit you need to;
NB: Know that, by and large, you can overland without all the kit. Most 4x4’s are very capable without doing anything to them. This is a myth that all shops and magazines want you to believe.
1. Your thoughts must be on reliability, simplicity and ability to access.
2. If you’re going to have someone do this for you, then they should be willing to spend time with you, ask you all of the questions and then start. Most, not all, fitment centres are there to sell product as that’s where their money comes from – and they might not have YOUR best interests at heart. The best is to have someone independent working for you on this.
a. Suspension systems are not all the same
b. Roofracks are not all the same
c. Canopies are not all the same
d. Drawer Systems, dual battery systems, fridges, etc. etc. all have different strengths and weaknesses.
3. Know your vehicle. Whether you have one or are going to buy one, research your vehicle – what you can / can’t do with it.
4. Offroad driver training is a must. This should include at least an introduction to recovery techniques and tyre pressure management.
5. Know what you’re going to use this vehicle for. Trail driving or overlanding. The two requirements are often different.
6. Camping – roof top, ground or trailer camping? This has a big impact on space configuration and suspension requirements.
7. Bush camping or organised campsites?
8. Weekly, monthly, 6 monthly or annually? Your frequency will have a huge impact on what you decide to do and when you do it. Winter camping, summer camping, coastal or bush?
9. If at all possible – before you fit anything other than a roof rack, you should possibly look at renting or borrowing as much as possible to ensure that this is a lifestyle or a once off – especially if there is a partner involved.
10. In short, while the end results might look similar, there is not a once size fits all in deciding what to do and when to do it.
Christoff; okay
so now I have a fairly good idea of what I’ll be using my vehicle for and what
to look for before I start building, what’s next?
Gavin; Weight and high COG are NOT your friend.
11. Apart from ride stability and consumption, which is massively impacted by weight and weight distribution, there is a finite gap between Tare and GVM on your vehicle. If your Tare is 1000 Kg and your GVM is 1900 Kg then your payload is 900 Kg. That 900Kg encompasses everything you want to load;
12. Here is a “fun” exercise;
|
Items |
Kilos |
|
|
Driver and Passenger |
200 |
|
|
Bull Bar |
45 |
|
|
Winch |
40 |
With plasma rope |
|
Fuel 180L |
170 |
You have 10L included in Tare |
|
Rear Bumper |
50 |
|
|
Rear Wheel Carrier |
60 |
With Wheel |
|
80L Fridge - Full |
60 |
|
|
Drawer System |
70 |
|
|
Roof Rack |
15 |
|
|
Roof Top Tent |
70 |
|
|
Gas Bottles x 2 |
10 |
|
|
270 Awning |
30 |
|
|
Water 60L |
60 |
|
|
Bashplates |
30 |
|
|
Dual Battery |
30 |
|
|
|
940 |
|
13. You’re already 40 Kg’s over and you haven’t loaded anything, AND you haven’t factored in your heavy A/T tyres.
14. Overlanding is as much about what you need as what you want and remember, the guy fitting your kit will probably not tell you about this and your insurance company might not pay out if you’re overloaded.
Christoff; I know my load capacity and more or less what
I want to fit, what’s next?
Gavin;
Do NOT skimp on the quality of fitment – especially with the electrical work. It must be properly lugged, crimped, heat shrunk and the correct cabling MUST be used. Time is money and to do it properly will cost extra, but it will also save you. Specify how you want your cabling finished.
There is much that you can do yourself and save yourself a bomb, but if you’re not confident or competent, rather don’t. The good thing about doing it yourself is that you know exactly how it works and where it is. However, doing it badly means a world of hurt coming your way at some stage.
If you’ve answered all of the initial questions for yourself, or for the person arranging your fitment, then you can start to decide on what your vehicle is going to need to accommodate your packing requirements. While Pickups and SUV’s are different, the fundamentals of packing and requirements are very similar. Storage is storage – whether it’s in the back of an SUV or a Pickup. Other than the actual detailed design, in my view, the only difference is in the quality of insulation. If it’s in the load bin – you don’t mind a bit of rattling, BUT in an SUV, rattling is going to annoy your after a few hundred kilos – especially if some of those are dirt roads.
With suspension, if you are not prepared to spend the money to get a decent brand of suspension that has been specified for your vehicle, rather don’t make any changes. Anything other than doing this properly will be a downgrade – not an upgrade. Coil spacers, strut spacers, leaf spring spacers and extended shackles are NOT a suspension upgrade. They might make your vehicle look better and give you space for bigger tyres, but they will not improve your ride, your articulation or increase your safety – in fact it might well be worse.
A point of departure for doing it properly – as high as you have to, as low as possible. Anything over 2.5 to 3 inches and you need to change a whole lot more.
Recovery Points, Hi-Lift Jacking points – Do them. The order is irrelevant
Bull Bar – Frontal Protection, approach angles – if you’re going to tour anywhere in Africa, especially in rural areas, with donkeys, goats and cattle it is definitely worth considering. Make sure that it has built in fog lights – to provide the extra lighting that you might need. Be very wary of locally manufactured bars – purely from a safety point of view. There is NO local bar that has been airbag tested or certified, so check with your insurer.
Bars also come in “urban” (no loops) and “bush” (normally 3 loop) derivatives. The urban bars look great, but the bush bars deliver far better frontal protection.
Compressor and deflator – It’s a must have, the deflator is nice to have.
Snorkel – lots of wading and dust – Completely unnecessary for tar roads, or solo and short gravel roads. It’s a great idea where you’re going to do a lot of wading and long gravel roads, especially in convoys. Remember, once this is done, in most cases it cannot be undone.
Radio - For short trips with others, a handheld is fine. For longer trips a vehicle mounted one with decent range is a distinct advantage.
Dual Battery System – If you’re going to have a fridge, then this is a must. You can choose between expensive or cheaper – depending on your requirements. If bush camping is in your future it’s well worth considering solar input. If you can, it is preferable to put the second battery as near to the point of use as possible. The heat in the engine bay is not good for batteries, and some of the chargers do not handle those temperatures either.
Cargo Space and Storage – This is probably the most important part of the whole equation, and this includes the fridge size that you choose. The fridge size might well be what determines the design of your storage setup in the boot or load bin.
This is an area where you can really consider building or fabricating your own. While the bought ones come in a variety of sizes and designs and tend to have really good finishes, you can save a lot of money doing your own – especially if you have a pickup.
Fridge – There are those that will tell you to use a cooler box with ice. It is true – these will work on trips of shorter duration. Experience has taught us that a fridge is your second most important choice for longer durations. You cannot buy ice everywhere. Ice is like your wife or rifle – you simply do not make it available to your fellow travellers. On long overlanding trips this is a very valuable item.
Think carefully on the size, make and configuration of your fridge. If you’re prepared to practice fridge management on a daily basis, you can go smaller. This helps with your space and weight. A fridge slide is a must.
Roof rack – Unless you have a pickup with a canopy, a roof rack is almost a must for the extra packing space that you will require. If you’re considering any sort of roof top tent and awning, this makes up your mind for you and a roof rack is in your future.
Canopy – With Africa’s security situation and theft, a canopy becomes as serious consideration for a pickup, especially for extended touring.
You should carefully consider which you choose – remembering that the aluminium is lighter than stainless steel and seals better for dust than a fibreglass canopy. Remember, you MUST fit a tailgate dust kit – irrespective of whether the canopy has a positive pressure vent or not.
Winch? – This one of life’s bigger questions. In a convoy, not everyone needs one, but there should be at least one winch in the group. For solo travel it is arguably a must.
Spotlights – Unless you’re into night driving, these are definitely optional. In Africa, it is really not advisable to be on any road – tar or dirt – after dark. This is from security and safety perspectives. Rather upgrade your driving and fog lights to provide the extra brightness. If you really want them, then don’t go for the biggest surface area you can find – big spots play havoc with your vehicle’s cooling system.
While small, thin LED light bars make far more sense from a cooling and lighting point of view, be aware that they are illegal in many sub-Saharan African countries and might not be worth the hassles you might run into. There are some things you can do around this, but they might not always be successful with the local law enforcement.
Long range fuel tanks (for long range touring) – If you’re a long range tourer who needs extra fuel to safely reach and return from your destination, carefully consider a long range fuel tank – if your vehicle can have one. If you can get at least an extra 40L it becomes worth it. It is far for convenient, better packing and far safer than having jerry cans on your roof rack. For short tourers, it is probably not worth doing.
Extra Spare –This is worth having a separate heading for. It’s more than a nice to have on long trips into nowhere, but it does impact on your space carrying capability and the weight that your vehicle has to carry. If you can get a swing arm for this, without adding a steel bumper at the rear, this is a real win. Remember, adding it to the rear extremity of your vehicle can easily add 100Kg to your vehicle. If possible, consider carrying this on your rack, or in your load bin.
Underbody Protect – If you’re doing long range touring on bad roads, a sump and gearbox plate are worth considering.
Nice to have or worth
considering (but not necessary)
Rocksliders
Brush rails
Christoff; quite a lot of info to consider but not to
worry, in subsequent episodes we’ll be tackling each of the sections we
discussed today, separately.
Please feel
free to add comments and questions below. Thanks for watching, please like and
subscribe. Until next time, Get Out There!
