Preparing your vehicle for travel into remote areas
If you plan on venturing into remote areas, preparing your vehicle is of the utmost importance. You have to make sure that you and your fellow travellers travel safely and that you will be able to survive the ordeal if you do get into trouble. Basics You will have to be a self-sufficient and preferably experienced camper. If you have never done an overland trip before, we recommend that you consider renting camping equipment and try it out closer to home first. That is the best way to figure out if you and your travel companions really like camping and what you need and what you don’t need. Camping equipment is expensive, and one
can easily be lured into buying a lot of unnecessary paraphernalia that will cost you dearly, not only money wise, but also in terms of space and weight. Make sure you can use all your equipment. Don’t take off with stuff you’ve never used. When the day of reckoning arrives, you don’t want to find out it doesn’t work for you, or is defective or missing some essential part.
When preparing your vehicle for a trip, the first and utmost important point is to make sure that the manufacturer’s services are up to date. If your overland vehicle is kept in storage, you will have to make sure that it is used and serviced regularly. Ensure that the tyres are of good quality, in good condition and prefer-
Preparing your vehicle well is of the utmost importance. (Johann Groenewald)
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