“4×4: an IQ test for the driver”
When I was in my early 20s I spent a year of my life driving down through Africa – from Manchester to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania – in a Series 3 Land Rover. The Land Rover was more than just a means of transport – it was a home that carried with it all the provisions necessary for long stretches away from civilisation during crossings of desert or jungles where shops were nowhere to be seen.
On an expedition like this the Land Rover becomes a key focus of the trip – with it you can go almost anywhere and carry all you need to get there. But, if it breaks down, or you get stuck, it becomes nothing more than a big metal box with far more stuff in it than you can carry.
There is also a psychological aspect to travelling in this fashion: the car is like a cocoon, a safety zone from the unfamiliar, that creates (a sometimes welcome!) barrier between you and what is beyond the windscreen… whether this is a good or bad thing will depend on what you want from the experience.
There are some interesting parallels between expedition travel by car and the ultralight backpacking approach:
Heavy loads require heavy duty carriers:
Expedition travel with a vehicle means you can bring in more ‘stuff’ (which is good), but a lot of the ‘stuff’ you need to bring with you is for the vehicle itself (spare parts, tools, recovery gear, fuel etc) and it all mounts up until the car springs are groaning under the sheer weight of all this ‘stuff’ you’ve got. As a result you need a heavy duty vehicle that can cope with this heavy load.
In the same way, those who carry in heavy camping equipment need a more rugged (and heavier) rucksack than can cope with the load. Equally, if you are carrying a heavy rucksack you will probably need to use stout walking boots to give your feet and ankles more support – with a lighter load you can get away with light shoes.
The temptation to over spec
We are all prone to over-spec the equipment we need – a Land Rover isn’t necessary for an expedition that, in reality, never leaves the tarmac (a camper van will suffice). I’ve come across overlanders here in Asia in super-kitted out Land Rovers who have never gone properly off-road. Why? – because you can cross Asia without going off road (did no-one tell them?), but maybe it’s just as well, as their cars are generally so overloaded that they’d break down under the strain of any real punishment off road.
In the same way, military spec equipment isn’t really necessary for a day walk into the jungle on a well used trail.
Expedition planning evokes the ‘what-if?’ factor: what if the car breaks down and there’s no garage around? What if I get stuck in the mud? Or have to cross a river where there’s no bridge? Before you know it, the car is kitted out like a camel-trophy Land Rover and loaded down with everything but the kitchen sink (sometimes with that as well!).
The same ‘what-if’ fears plague the jungle trekker. What if my lighter runs out of fuel? What if my tarp rips? What if I run out of food? …and this is where a little junglecraft can avoid the need to carry all those spares-of-a-spare in the knowledge that, even without all this gear, you can still light a fire, find water or food and build a shelter. Junglecraft skills give you the confidence to travel a little lighter.
The best off roaders I came across here in Malaysia are masters of bush mechanics and find ingenious ways to fix vehicles that have broken down in the jungle – a broken fuel pump? Rig up a jerry can on the roof and gravity feed the fuel. Radiator leak? – time to break out the eggs. They carry less spare parts simply because they have the skills to repair a vehicle with less.
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The lighter you travel the further you can go.
The more you overload a vehicle the more it will struggle off-road – not only will the weight of the car sink it into the mud , but the weight of the vehicle will strain suspension and shocks and force the engine to work harder (creating overheating issues). A stripped down Suzuki Jeep (what is called the Jimney over here) can outperform a kitted out (but overloaded) Land Rover, simply because it is so much lighter.
The same is true of the jungle trekker with a 50 kilo back vs his companion who is carrying a 7 kilo pack….the latter can go further and will tire less.
A scrambler can go where a 4X4 cannot; a mountain bike can cross obstacles that the scrambler can’t (you can simply pick the bike up); you can climb a hill that would defeat you on a mountain bike…but of course, like every rule, there is an exception and that is elephants who weigh the most and go pretty much anywhere they like but are not, unfortunately, a mode of transport that is available to the majority of us.
So, one of the points I am trying to get across in this video is that, before you spend a huge amount of money on an off-road vehicle, ask yourself whether that is really the way you want to travel. Is your real interest off-roading or is it being out in the jungle and getting ‘close to nature’?
None of which is to say that I have anything against off-roaders (after all I am one myself) and it certainly has a lot of advantages…but these days I prefer to walk.
Nor do I have much time for the argument from bushcraft ‘snobs’ who complain that those who camp next to their cars are in any way camping in an inferior fashion…as far as I am concerned everyone is free to camp exactly the way they like and there is no ‘way’ that is more right than the next. The fact that people get out into the jungle and develop an appreciation for the outdoors is good enough for me and how they choose to do so is entirely up to them.
Which, finally, brings us to the subject of damage to the environment and all the flack that off roaders get from the green crowd. I have met off roaders who have absolutely no respect for the environment nor for the other people around them – but then I have also met backpackers with an equally disrespectful attitude to nature. On the other hand I’ve met off roaders who are passionate about saving the forest. It is not the activity that determines a person’s attitude to nature (unless they’re poachers!) and the damage done to the forest by off-roaders is much less than people think.
But let me put this into context…
As I write this the haze outside my window is so bad that visibility is less than a km. If I go outside my eyes will smart and I’ll be coughing in minutes. What is going on?
In Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra a massive slash-and-burn operation is in progress that has resulted in forest fires that are now out of control.
Land was being cleared of the shrubbery that was left (the large trees had already been cut down) in preparation for more of the rain forest’s arch nemesis that is the palm oil plantation….the easiest way to do this is to pour petrol on the ground and set it alight (which is, apparently, the Indonesian definition of an ‘accidental forest fire’). The result is more eco devastation and clouds of smoke that have choked Singapore and Malaysia. Perhaps we deserve to choke and suffer alongside nature for allowing this to go on, year-after-year, for nearly two decades.
My point? It’s all relative…any damage done by off roaders is as nothing compared to the wholesale destruction of the forest by palm oil companies. What the forests here needs are allies and friends who will hopefully (one day?) lobby the governments on behalf of the forests….and off roaders should form part of that lobby group as they too have a vested interest in protecting the forest.
The other point about off-roading is that off-roaders (despite what the name implies) need roads – they’re not charging through virgin rain forest but are, instead, using disused roads left by the timber companies. The damage, if you like, has already been done and the culprits were the timber companies. These disused roads present a far greater eco-problem than the off-roaders in that they create easy access for illegal poachers. The more they’re used by recreational visitors (be they off roaders or trekkers) the less easy it is for the poachers to operate with impunity.
So, while the outdoor community factionalises and debates which is the right ‘way’ to enjoy the forests, the forests themselves are literally being burnt down.
And here’s the thing, if you are a trekker who doesn’t like off-roaders being in the vicinity, the solution is easy: simply trek up a hill, somewhere without a path, and camp there…
The off roaders might want to follow you… but they can’t.
Really enjoyed watching/reading this edition. Thanks
Hi Bill,
Many thanks for the support and very glad you liked the video.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Interesting article! (can’t watch the video now)
The main thing I learned by watching your videos, is the more outdoor enthusiasts, the more outdoors will be preserved.
I was in Penang the 24, (to see Nadir!) and there was a enormous haze, I had no clue about where it came from or what it was, I took pictures as it was really strange and massive.
Penang is really far from Indonesia, can’t imagine what it was back there…
Keep it up Paul!
Wawa.
Hi Wawa,
Many thanks for the comment and good to hear you linked up with Nadir – he’s a great guy.
You’re right that the more outdoor enthusiast there are the better (for the forest at least). Environmentalists are very familiar with the concept that ‘nature must pay its way’ – i.e. that it’s no good saying that the forests should be left untouched and for the animals alone as, if they are, the general public will not feel that they get any benefit from the forests and are less likely to complain when they get concreted over or burned down.
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Excellent video. Ive been waiting for this since spotting your 110 in your Sharpening vid.
I agree with all your points, especially your view on off roaders. As much as i enjoy driving and traveling with the 110…I enjoy the pre-trip prep and destination more. Also like you I have learned that over preparing for any possible event, loads down the truck….and now has that additional burden to carry, making the trip that much more difficult, requiring more fuel and thus giving you less range. The same can be said in backpacking. When i first started, i used an old surplus ALICE pack that when packed-up weighed close to 60lbs. I have wonderful memories of those youthful trips. Though now i wonder how much easier those trips could have been..or better yet how much farther i could have gone.
The only place i have not parred down the gear is in my Survival gear. Here in the desert i still carry 2x5gallon jerry cans of emergency water. That doesn’t include our trip drinking water. Also i carry 2 tarps. 1 shade cloth tarp and one standard tarp. I use both at the same time, rigging both over the same spot. That air gap creates a insulation effect. A real help in the 45C+ heat.
Vehicle setup is essentially the same here. Rear lockers, rock sliders and a compressor. I bought a Puma 12v compressor its super fast for fill ups and powerful enough for moderate air tool use.
What about Communications ? I did not spot any in your truck.
We use UHF Motorola commercial radios in the 70cm band ..around 460mhz. That includes everything from the cheap bubble packed FRS radios …to our commercial jobs. Not legal in the US but here in the Middle east, its fine. Chinese handhelds have become very popular. For example the Baofeng uv5 are everywhere….considering they cost 40 US dollars on Amazon is why. They work well …they are cheap….and to talk radio to radio (simplex) we get a couple miles range, out here in the open.
Finally i guess when it comes to offroading, one of my main tenets is….I dont have to prove how tough my truck is to anyone. Ive noticed most people breakdown when they want to show how their truck can do something better than mine. Im an US expat in my 40s, I already played those games back home 20 years ago…now I just nod and watch them break something on their truck.
anyway thanks for that video.
rob
Hi Rob,
Many thanks for the comments and very interesting to hear about your set-up over there. I remember crossing the Sahara well and the importance of tarps to give you a bit of shade….the two tarp idea is a bit like the Safari roof concept on some of the old series 2/3s which had an air gap between the two layers of the roof. I also remember how surprisingly cold it got at nights!
I can fully understand the need for survival gear in the desert – not having water out there is not a situation you want to be in! I watched an episode of Survivorman where he was stranded in a vehicle in Nambia or somewhere and it was clear that the whole situation defeated him very quickly indeed simply because he couldn’t get enough water and started to severely dehydrate.
Also agree with you about the reduced desire (perhaps as we get older?!) to take on obstacles that are going to wreck the Land Rover…if those obstacles cannot be avoided then fair enough but I don’t go looking for trouble these days as I can’t afford to fix the car if it gets really trashed and, as it’s a daily use vehicle, having it off-road (in the sense of ‘in the garage’) would be a real pain.
I did use a radio when I was going in off-roading with friends (borrowing one of their’s) and the wiring is still all there however, because of the hills and trees, the reception is not fantastic in the jungle and you need a licence to legally use the UHF frequencies.
The point about overloading a Land Rover is something a lot of overland drivers don’t appreciate (mainly because they never really go off-road so don’t experience the problems of an overlaoded vehicle). When I was crossing Africa we would come across guys on motorbikes that were so overloaded you couldn’t help thinking that it would detract from the joy of riding a bike in the first place and their back wheels were forever getting bogged down in the sand.
Anyway, very glad you liked the video and thanks again for the comments.
Cheers!
Paul
One last thing….V8 or Tdi in the Jungle ?
Before i heard your glorious exhaust note… i would have bet that you had a Diesel because of water crossings, MPG etc….
What are your thoughts on motor choice in a Jungle environment ?
thanks again,
rob
Hi Rob,
A very interesting question! – All three Land Rovers I have owned have been petrol and, throughout, I have had a nagging doubt about that choice (a case of the ‘grass is greener’?). I have driven a lot of diesels in my time but never owned one so I’m not really qualified to make an informed comparison. However diesels do have a lot of advantages – mpg, the fact that there are less electrical elements to go wrong (particularly when wet), lifetime mileage is usually higher, good low end torque etc. As for petrol the only thing I notice is a quicker response to the accelerator.
Also, the hot weather here removes a lot of the issues with preheating and the like that can be a problem in colder weather for diesels.
So, if I ever got another Land Rover I would probably go with a diesel …. but then, years later I might end up with a list of things that I don’t like about diesel engines!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Have you seen or heard of this place ?
I think I might visit sometime…. A jungle trek and old Rovers sound like a great vacation.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/features/web-originals/malaysias-secret-land-rover-graveyard
Take care
Rob
Hi Rob,
thanks for the post and link – I’ve been to Cameroon highlands a few times and there are indeed many Land Rovers there (most look like they need a bit of TLC). There’s a hard core fan base of LR Owners here in Malaysia and they really know their stuff so if you are interested in doing some Land Roving in Malaysia then thay are well worth contacting and are a friendly lot. Here are two websites that they run: Land Rover Owners Malaysia, X-Men.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I was wondering if you could show us the type of roads that go through the forest from a Trail mbk / Montain bk point of view.
I think I’ll try some solo trips in the jungle on my mtb next time.
Do people use mbk on human trails?
Also, I’d be interested to know what do you bring for mbk repair – kit. It would be off topic (unless you give it a complete article :D) but really good stuff to know.
Thank you and have fun!
Hi Wawa,
Thanks for the question and I will try and do a bit more filing on trips in the future (I usually enjoy them too much to get the camera out!) to give people a better of idea of what different types of trails are out there.
Trails in the jungle that are well used are fine for bikes and I know a few people who take in Mountain bikes on trails around KL. It all depends on how well used the trail is – but if there are too many branches across the trail (i.e. if it gets overgrown) then it is a bit of a pain as you keep having dismount to clear the path ahead of you.
I have a mmini repair kit on the back saddle of my bike but it’s very minimal indeed (pliers, screwdrivers, spark plug tool etc) and the truth is that unless it’s a fairly straightforward job I would have to abandon the bike and go and get the right spare or whatever is needed. This happened to me at the beginning of the year (carb problems) and I had to leave the bike in the jungle for a night and pull it out the next day with the Land Rover as I couldn’t fix it myself.
Cheers!
Paul
Thank for the all intel Paul!
It’d be greatly appreciated to see some differents sorts of trails, in secondary forests as well as in primary ones.
I’ll give it a try on jungle mbk next time! 😀
Hope to hear from you,
Keep us posted.
Hi Wawa,
Many thanks for reply and I will try and do some trail filming in the future!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi, just discovered your videos and website today.
Just waving hello from Sarawak 🙂 I’m also an ‘orang putih’, from the UK. Been here about 10 years now – and yes, I love taking my scrambler through the mountains and forests!
I’d love a Landy but too much money for a hobby 😉
Hi Alan,
Great to hear from a fellow Orang Putih and glad you liked the video. You are spot on when you say that a LR and off-roading can get very expensive! What’s ironic is that off roaders spend so much getting their 4×4 kitted out and then bash it to hell in the jungle to see what breaks (and something eventually always does!).
Cheers!
Paul
Paul, you can see some of my off-roading bike adventures on liveleak.com, user name ‘Bigs’.
Just back today from an overnight “camping” trip. Not really camping as we had the use of a very basic wooden lodge. Would have preferred my hammock and tarp, as the roof leaked and we got soaked. Great fun though 🙂
Hope to meet you if you’re ever in Borneo?
Hi Alan,
Many thanks for the comment and I’ll be sure to check out your videos. Sorry for my slow reply but I’ve been away and just catching up o emails and stuff now.
Anyway, I know exactly what you mean about hammock vs lodges – if I ever have the chance to us a hammock I far prefer it any sort of cheap/structured accommodation as it’s usually far more comfortable (and no bed bugs from previous travellers to cope with!)
I would love to come over to Bornoe sometime but fear it is unlikely as it is difficult for me to get away for too long.
Cheers!
Paul