Rig
Upgrading from a Subaru XV to a vehicle that suits my purposes:
- I want to drive in more rugged terrain than the XV can carry me.
2. Need more storage space, as I have been taking a rooftop basket full of firewood and the car is not powerful enough to take that load. Also want to upgrade to a more permanent bed rather than rolling up a wet swag every morning.
3. More power and torque = more enjoyable ride.
4. Something that might link me back to my old life and shift those continents a bit closer together.
Options:
Troopy?
$80K+ before fitout etc.
Spent many hours and months sifting through ex government auctions and car sale websites. These vehicles are very expensive to buy and already have clocked more than 100K. They are not economical on the diesel and when it does require a rebuild will I have that cash lying around? Then I need to fit it out with drawers, kitchen, and bed.
This vehicle will get me anywhere.
This vehicle will be very uncomfortable to live out of due to having to get out and reshuffle everything to do everyday tasks.
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Damn they look good though.
Tow or carry a camper?
Tvan — recommended by Dad who has seen these in isolated areas. Looks tough and from all research can go anywhere a 4wd can go. Experienced drivers are going through the Telegraph Track dragging this beast. It is expensive. The kitchen is outside so it is good for roadside smoko, not good in rain and wind. To access the bed the floor must be folded down and the hatch lifted up, simple to get in to a good bed and minimal setup, not good for an urban area where one might want to go unnoticed. This whole set up is supposed to be for very remote camping so urban stops will have to be in caravan parks for security reasons, I am a heavy/noisy sleeper and will either scare intruders away with the wild animal sounds, or invite them with the apparrent apneic coma. This rig isn’t perfect but it does tick a lot of boxes. I will compare it with other slide on or camper trailers..
Crossover XV — Comfort of indoor kitchen. Will not go offroad at pace without shaking to pieces.
Ultimate — Over engineered with the electric flipping open function. Need to open the whole show up to have smoko. Way outside budget. If this was affordable I would definitely consider it though as I’m sure it would be up to the tracks I want to do and it looks like luxury once opened up.
Trayon — Great for overnight stops. Longer stops might be uncomfortable with lack of indoor space and the effort of creating a room with canvas. This is an excellent option because I don’t have to tow and worry about parking and it suits my purposes of camping remotely and carries everything I need. But I ultimately decide against this when I buy my new vehicle because converting the tub to a steel flat tray completely changes the aesthetic and I need my ute to look good.
Active Campers — The goosneck bit goes over the cab and creates a lot of wind drag = more diesel.
Tommy Campers — Same like trayon. Easy and functional, but if I wanted to settle in to the one place for a while this could get a bit clostrophobic or a lot of work to set up a room for just litteoldsolome.
Outback Campers — same same.
Tvan is the pick. Now to find one for the right price… Caravan and camper sale websites. Gumtree. Facebook marketplace. Dealerships. I keep my eye on all of the options just to see if i can score one for a reduced price as resale could be a future concern.
The oldies were telling some friends about my plans over a few cold drinks at the club one friday evening. This lady had a quick search to see what this rig they were banging on about looked like.. and came up with an ad that I had not yet seen. Not for a lack of searching, but for a lack of searching with a spelling mistake. This Tvan was selling a massively reduced price and unfortunately the vendors had not seen any interest as yet. Dad began the negotations and discussions, we had found the one. Dad and I drove 2 days to pick up the Tvan. She was a perfect beauty. At 10years of age every inch of her was solid and ready for … me. Poor Dad had to sleep in the same room as me on the trip though and came up with some interesting pitches for competitive snoring reality television. He is still breaking that story.
This is not life I want, this is the best I can muster up for now, it is long drives, loud screaming on an empty road or into the wide open night sky. It is abstract thoughts and disbelief. It is a search for meaning.
