I want a refund (Please)…
Submitted: Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 10:01
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The Landy
If you had the opportunity to take one (yes only one) modification or accessory off your vehicle that you once thought you could never do without what would it be?
Now the key here is that maybe you have more than one, so you need to “force-rank” to only one item, and maybe you could tell the
forum why!
Questions frequently pop up in the
forum asking…
“What modifications should I do or accessories I should add to the vehicle I have just purchased?”
And usually by the end of the thread we have rebuilt the vehicle and outlaid four times its original cost.
Well, okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a touch – but you get the picture (Mrs Landy has just said that sounds about right as she raises an eyebrow to the “New Landy”)
But I often think to myself, do we ask the question in the right way, and should we turn the question around and ask…
“What modifications or accessories shouldn’t I do?”
Hey, in the least, the bank balance might be in a healthier state!
In my blog
Vehicle Mods & Accessories (Just Swipe the Plastic) I took a light-hearted look at the topic…with emphasis on the light-hearted aspect!
So if you took an honest look at what you’ve bought, can you think of one item that you’d take off tomorrow, if you could get a refund…
Cheers, Baz – The Landy
Reply By: Idler Chris - Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 11:46
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 11:46
75 litre
water tank. Too big and not practical. When travelling you have access to water at various
places but its quality varies. If you have a half full 75 litre tank and you have access to water that is only good enough for washing your don't put in your 75 litre tank as you spoil the good water that is in it. I now carry 3 to 5 15 litre old liquid clorine containers with a
hand pump in the lid of one of them, plus a few 1.5 litre Liptons tea bottles and some times I might buy water bottles in the
supermarket. This way I have water everywhere in the truck filling up all those blank spots that nothing else fits in. The water bottles are good to put in the fridge as it get empty to keep it full. If I am driving during the day I will
check the fridge and fill it up with some of the water bottle and turn the fridge up so when I stop the fridge is nice and full and cold.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: The Landy - Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 12:34
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 12:34
Thanks Chris…
I’m a fan of more containers than less given it provides a level of water security if one develops a leak. Plus as you suggest, more containers allow the separation of varying grades of water.
Yep, send for a refund,
Cheers, Baz
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Boobook - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 06:36
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 06:36
Geezuz Baz, you are a hard task master. I have a garage half full of such equipment. Having moved from tent camping to a camper changed things considerably.
I do have different equipment for different trips but quite a bit of stuff seems to sit in the garage collecting dust.
I think my
Southern Cross tent gets the gong. I have only used it a couple of times, usually for friends. For me it is too heavy and bulky. No wonder they last forever. If I have my time over I would probably get a $250 Rays outdoors special. It would still last 10 years with the use I have now and would be appropriately priced for my use.
Thanks for reminding me... now what is my ebay password...
I think if I add up the price of the 4wd, mods, tents, fuel, camper, damage etc etc I could have spent more nights at the Hyatt Hotel than camping. Only 5 stars though.
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Follow Up By: The Landy - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 07:16
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 07:16
Yes, I'm hearing you precisely - our shed is the same.
I must say we do have a
Southern Cross Tent, that is mostly gathering dust these days, but over the years has done plenty of work.
Now a roof-top tent, that is another thing altogether!
cheers. Baz
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 11:39
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 11:39
Know what you mean about the cheap tents, Boobook.
Needed something to use on a trip to Cooinda, so bought a Jackaroo 3 person dome tent from KMart in the Isa. About $150 from memory?
Did 2 trips to Cooinda, as
well as trips to
Lake Eyre and Ayers
Rock, in 2011. Probably find a place for it for the trip this week.
Still seems like new........we just have difficulty in remembering "is it the
grey poles on the inside, or the black ones?"
Bob
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 16:36
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 16:36
Ha Ha Bob, but i dunno if I would go as far as one of those dome tents with flexible fibre glass poles again. I have bad memories of putting those dammed things up, especially when the kids broke a pole playing sword fights.
.....the cover goes this way, no no no no this way...hmm must be this way.. ahh this way... must be inside out... FIIK
China's revenge on the west.
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 at 08:31
Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 at 08:31
That's worthy of a gong in Friday Funnies, Boobook! Loved it........
Almost like you were watching us trying erect the dome on Georgina River, back in 2011. Glad we camped away from the other campers.....probably would have ended up on YouTube! :-)
Bob
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 at 09:27
Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 at 09:27
Ha Glad to see I'm not alone.
What about packing it up? I'm also convinced those people on the manufacturing line in China take 2 inches off every dimension of the bag so no one can ever put the dammed tent back in it without a 10 ton press.
Mind you, do the economics of it.
$160 in your local camping store.
that is $16 in GST
$65 wholesale price
$10 in transport to the
shop
$15 in transport from China
$15 to the China wholesaler
That leaves about a $25 factory sale price.
That is a miracle.
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Reply By: Ron N - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 12:17
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 12:17
Baz - An exhaust-operated air bag jack. Bought it around 1980 I think, and have never used it.
Maybe it's because by the time I bought it, I'd been bogged to the makers name often enough, to gain enough wisdom, to know when the ground ahead was utterly and totally treacherous!
That, and the fact that I usually had an item of earthmoving equipment, or another 4WD handy, to pull me out!
The thing is - if you sink your vehicle to the makers name, you can't get under it, to position an air bag jack, anyway!
They might be of use, in perhaps 1 in 500 bogging events.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a tally of the billions of unused, under-utilised, and unwanted 4WD accessories lying around peoples properties or in sheds?
I have at least 6 roobars/bullbars I need to get rid of.
Cheers, Ron.
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Follow Up By: Ron N - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 12:18
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 12:18
Meant to write, "billions of dollars worth of unused" ...
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Follow Up By: The Landy - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 13:12
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 13:12
Hi Ron
As you highlight, the application is difficult, and I sometimes wonder if a touch dangerous...
Cheers, Baz
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Follow Up By: Member - shane r1 - Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 23:39
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 23:39
We can all save money by carefully considering purchases. 4x4 , Rv, motorcycle etc all the industries have a multitude of "good stuff" to Aquire that is probably only going to help the retailer, that's the way it is tho isn't it. I have spent money on some useless stuff over the years and probably will again, but hopefully less often with experience.
My worst buy was a portable "pressure washer" which I could pee twice as hard as!
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Follow Up By: Bosun Broome - Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 at 08:36
Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 at 08:36
If you do finally use it - good luck in getting it back in its carry bag!
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Reply By: The Landy - Monday, Oct 26, 2015 at 09:51
Monday, Oct 26, 2015 at 09:51
Thanks to all for taking the time to respond with your thoughts.
There were a couple of items that appeared more than once, but no-one stand out piece of equipment.
For me, it would have to be a Roof-top tent, ours has had little use over the years as we either prefer to tent it, or take the TVAN camper trailer.
Once again, thanks to all for your thoughts, hopefully it helps others gain insight into “what you shouldn’t buy”.
Cheers, Baz – The Landy
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