Navigation
My initial plan was to use a tablet with Locus Pro for main navigation. However, on the way to Halifax I met two other travellers and they told me about the app Maps.me. I tried it and loved it immediately. So much easier to download the maps I need and the turn by turn navigation works most of the time.
When in big cities I usually use Google Maps and download the area, the turn by turn navigation seems much better. In addition to that, I always get road maps for general trip planning.
What also didn’t work was the Garmin Compass 58, I never was able to adjust for the interference from the car engine, thus I tossed it out.
Another useful tool, especially in more crowded areas (cities, national parks) is iOverlander. If you are not in the mood or don’t have time to find a nice free camp site this app is a godsend. It’s also very useful when looking for showers and laundries. I also contributed a few spots, mostly in areas that haven’t had any entries at all.
The Garmin inReach worked as advertised. Fortunately I never had to use the SOS-feature but sending regular check-ins and messages keeps the people back home calm 🙂 I liked it so much, that I lost the old model and had to buy the new one… Garmin switched my subscription in no time and disabled to old device.
Worked:
- Maps.me
- iOverlander
- Garmin/Delorme inReach
- Paper Maps
Didn’t work:
- Locus Pro
- Garmin Compass 58
Car stuff
I am so glad I bit the bullet and spent the money on the Poptop! It is really nice to have a spot in the car where I can stand and cook when the weather is shite. Also it’s super fast and easy to open and close it. The only design flaw is that when the tent walls are soaked and you close the roof, the water will follow the seam of the tent windows and then drip into the car…
Another great addition was the filtration system for the water tank. I can now refill the water tank from almost any source without having to worry about the quality and it removes the funny plastic like taste from the FlexiTank.
I also wouldn’t want to live without the solar panel. Having two batteries and a solar panel gives you the peace of mind the stay at the same place for a few days and always have a cold beer 😉
Unfortunately I didn’t think of where to put the fridge when I was planning the build out of the Landy, thus it is now at a place where it takes away a lot of space :/
Worked:
- Poptop
- Flexitank, Waterpump and filtration system
- Solar panel, dual battery
- Engel MT27F Fridge
- Aux. heater, Thermo Top P, surprisingly it still worked at 3000m elevation. However since its using the standard blower it’s hard on the battery.
BFGoodrich AT KO2, an amazing tire!
Didn’t work:
- Spare tire carrier broke twice, don’t buy cheap…
- Tough Dog Shocks, one of the rear shocks started to leak early into the adventure after a few thousand km on paved roads, not replaced yet.
Not sure
- Tire size. I am using 285/75 R16. These tires give a good ground clearance but are super wide, I will probably switch to 265/75 when they are done.
Photography
I was planning on documenting the journey not just with phtographs but also with videos, made with my drone, the camera and my phone. Turns out making good looking videos is a loooot of work, thus I kept to what I know: Photography. On top of that, the DJI Go App wants you to have internet connection from time to time otherwise it stops working. Everytime I wanted to take some drone footage either the app didn’t work or the batteries of the drone weren’t properly charged… Thus I sold everything 🙂
Didn’t work
- Mavic Pro. I can count the times I used it on one hand. Too much work to keep it in running shape.
- DJI Osmos gimbal. Never used.
Cooking
The gas powered Coleman stove I have since years still works. It behaves a bit funny when starting it at sea level but apart from that I’ve had not problems with it so far. For cooking inside and hiking I also have a one flame propane powered MSR stove.