Simpson

Submitted: Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 21:08

ThreadID: 67773 Views:6140 Replies:10 FollowUps:10

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Member - Greg T (ACT)

Hi gang,
the wife and i are planning to do a trip with friends (in their own 4wd) for 1 month. yes i know it sounds like heaven.

We are planning to go from Canberra to Adelaide, to alice (doing the must sees like kings canyon, and airs rock etc...) then to Dalhousie springs, the Simpson (doing all the tracks, the same as the trek on this site) strezleki, then down to broken hill and back to Canberra via a couple of other places.
being away from home for just on 1 month and not having done this before (away for that period of time) i thought i would ask on

the must haves for traveling in the outback.
First these are the things we have:
Full recovery gear inc winch
ARB roof top tent.
80ltr fridge
2 inch lift
80 ltr fridge
UHF
full camping equipment for self sufficiency
cooper 285/75/16 STT
netbook with USB GPS and ozi explorer
air compressor

and the things we are getting before the trip:
getting rear airbags fitted very shortly
cargo barrier
tinted windows
water tank
long range tanks
full roof rack, so we can put the roof top tent on the rear and have spare space on the front.
2 spare tyres
epirb

For long range communication, we are going to hire a satphone
also we are going to share spare parts and tools

Is there anything im missing??? im trying to think of everything that is a need and if there is room, cater for our wants.

the most i have been away traveling for is 2 weeks and lessons learnt from that is dont take as much clothes, as we only used half of our clothing that we took.

hearing from experienced people would be much appreciated.

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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 22:08

Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 22:08

Regarding the gear you've listed:
Winch is unnecessary.
Recovery gear: shovel, snatch strap, equaliser strap and two shackles. Maybe a highlift jack.
All the rest sounds good.

I take it you have a tyre plug kit, patches etc

Cheers
phil

AnswerID: 359246

Reply By: Member - William H (WA) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 22:19

Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 22:19

Don't forget the First aid kit, you can get a good one from ExplorOz,then add what you need to it.

Cheers for now...William H...Bunbury...WA

AnswerID: 359248

Follow Up By: Member - John and Val W (ACT) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 08:56

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 08:56

If you have not done so already do a good first aid course so that you can use your kit effectively.

Make sure that you have sturdy boots as the burrs and spiky vegetation will go right through footwear with light soles. Also fly veils for your hats.

Remember the rule about burning toilet paper!

Cheers

J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein

Lifetime Member
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FollowupID: 627252

Reply By: Member - Rick P (NT) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 22:27

Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 22:27

As well as the items above, just a couple more to weigh you down. These are just some of the items we take on a big trip.
Spare coolant
5L engine oil
1L gearbox oil
1L power steering oil
1L Brake Fluid
Bug Screen
Jumper leads
Fan belt & hoses
2 x spare tubes
nuts & bolts container
work tarp
electrical bits & peices
and the list can go on and on

AnswerID: 359250

Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic) - Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 18:19

Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 18:19

Diff oil suitable to use in the Nissan LSD while you are talking oils

FollowupID: 627388

Reply By: Willem - Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 23:25

Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 at 23:25

Airs rock....that's a first I reckon.....Geeeezzz!!

Strzelecki and not Strezlecki

Never mind yer'll learn over time

Not sure if you need to hire a Satphone but if it pleases you...why not?

Enjoy your trip

Cheers

AnswerID: 359255

Follow Up By: Richard Kovac - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 01:06

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 01:06

There should be a law against it...LOL

Richard

FollowupID: 627238

Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 05:27

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 05:27

Hmmmm...better not...otherwise you might be out of pocket on a regular bnasis.....ROTFLMAO

Cheers

FollowupID: 627240

Reply By: Travelling Pixie - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 07:09

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 07:09

my family and I id a 3 month trip last year and we took this you-beaut $300 barbecue with lid and fold-out shelves (and legs) and burners and grill. It's an awesome barbecue and when I bought it I had visions of cooking up a great meal on it, all burners blazing!!

Used it once in 3 months. A slight breeze would blow the heat away too quickly and it was a pain in the ass to set up for one meal. We carted that BBQ from Brisbane to Broome and back!!

Our most effective cooking item (when we din't use electricity) was a cast-iron 3 ring burner which pumped out the heat under all conditions. Was about $30 and well worth it.

AnswerID: 359267

Reply By: Member - Greg T (ACT) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 07:18

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 07:18

Apologies for the spelling, I didn’t realise it was a spelling forum. But I am sure my question got across.

First aid kit- always forget about getting a good one. iv got a crappy first aid kit with a couple of bandages and stuff , which would get laughed at if I brought it out. Note to self, must get first aid bag.

WRT the spares. Would you double those figures with two 4wds, or would the likely hood of both cars needing it would be minimal. Just thinking of packing space.

I have one of those three ringed burners, and agree they are great in all conditions.

Why wouldn’t a sat phone be necessary?

AnswerID: 359270

Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 09:08

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 09:08

Greg

No need to apologise about spelling. We all make typos and have poor spelling from time to time.

This forum however is a bit upmarket from general internet speak where phonectics are used ad nauseum. There are lots of technical questions answered as well as places to visit and so correct spelling is important.

We do have a lighter side to all of this so it's not all that serious. A lot of comments are TIC or poking fun at.

My comment re the Satphone is that you are travelling public roads where there is heaps of traffic, yes, even in the Simpson Desert and a Satphone and the cost thereof is not necessary. But if you feel safer with one then its your choice. In saying that own a Satphone but I do go to very remote places on my treks and it is of value as an emergency back-up system and good for calling in home or calling a friend to keep in touch and to give travel reports.

Cheers

FollowupID: 627253

Follow Up By: Ozrover - Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 09:57

Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 09:57

Re: the Sat phone, if crossing the Simpson, hire one from either Mt Dare or Birdsville for the crossing, cheaper than buying one & not needing it for 99% of the time.

PS. Spell check is gr8!!

FollowupID: 627348

Reply By: stevesub - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 07:35

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 07:35

We have done most of your trip except the Simpson in a standard Troopy, no winch, no sat phone and with no problems. If the spares are compatible between the vehicles, why double up. Same with cooking stuff, take one set and do joint meals.

Newish AT Light truck tyres (70 + tread) and spare tubes will help. Make sure your jack works well and have a base plate for it to stop it from sinking in soft sand. We carry 2 jacks as we travel by ourselves.

Get a major service done before you go which includes dismantling, checking and repacking wheel bearings, plenty of meat on the brakes, any dodgy steering/suspension items replaced, etc and you should have no problems.

We use 15L of water per day for 2 people for drinking, cooking, dishes only when in the desert. We do not take enough for showers.

Have a good time

Stevesub

AnswerID: 359273

Reply By: Member - John and Val W (ACT) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 08:04

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 08:04

Greg,

For most of the trip a 2WD will be adequate.

For the Simpson though best to have 2 4WDs and know how to use them, how to snatch safely, and how to use lower tyre pressures so you don't need to snatch! (Sorry if that sounds patronising, but if you know how important this is, you'll forgive me!) Obviously this then leads to needing a good compressor and tyre pressure gauge.Check out Jol Flemming's site here for advice from one of the most knowledgeable people out there.

I'd agree with Phil's comments on recovery gear, though you'll probably find the highlift jack and winch are only useful as ballast. Rick's list of spares is good too, and I'd economise by carrying only one set of consumables to cover the 2 vehicles.

Sat phone? I wouldn't bother myself, other than for the desert where it's good to have either a sat phone or hf radio - I prefer hf. Everywhere else you've mentioned you'll either be in 3G range or there'll be passing traffic.

Other places - Rainbow Valley, not far south of Alice, is spectacular, and the gorges east and west of Alice are too. Those to the west are very easy, to the east less so, though in my opinion they are more impressive than the western ones.

Have a great trip

Cheers

John

J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein

Lifetime Member
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AnswerID: 359276

Follow Up By: Member - Rick P (NT) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 09:45

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 09:45

I agree with you John, if you are going that way East & West McDonald Ranges are probably the most speci you are going to see around, but then where do you draw the line. Greg don't forget to put some Lanolin in your kit, you won't ever use WD40 or any of those ever again.

FollowupID: 627258

Reply By: geoffp48 - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 17:23

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 17:23

My 2 bobs worth would be to include lake ayre in your circle. We looked at the simpson 2 years ago and head back in 3 weeks for the full crossing, with lake ayre as a specific destination. Might be a once in a life time opportunity. The simpson is a bit of a tourist park nowadays with 20 plus vehicles aday crossing during winter. So I agree with satphone being unnecessary. UHF relays work well outback. I do however subscribe to the theory that you can never have too much stuff, and of course murphy will determine you will only need what you don't have anyway. One great product we picked up from a grey nomad in Tasmania during January was a milk bottle lid. He had a dozen in a drawer with about 6 small holes punctured in them. They were handouts for tourists like us, and screwed to the top of a 2 litre milk bottle full of warm water we had a shower with a handle, that amazingly would shower the missus and 2 young boys. We now have halfadozen of our own for the upcoming crossing. Just lucky they fall within our budget. Have a great trip

AnswerID: 359317

Follow Up By: Member - William H (WA) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 18:39

Sunday, Apr 12, 2009 at 18:39

Put a tin of Rawlies in the glove box, good for lots of things.......you will find an agent in the local phone book, and have a safe trip.

Cheers for now...William H...Bunbury...WA.

FollowupID: 627295

Follow Up By: Member - Greg T (ACT) - Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 08:10

Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 08:10

ok you have stumped me, what are Rawlies?

FollowupID: 627334

Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic) - Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 18:28

Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 18:28

Greg, just a place where spelling is important if you wish people to understand - Rawleigh's ointment

FollowupID: 627389

Reply By: Mark - Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 17:17

Monday, Apr 13, 2009 at 17:17

Its also a good idea to have a high visibilty flag on an old fishing rod or similar when crossing the Simpson as you often meet other vehicles coming the opposite way & you sometimes don't see then until the last minute when cresting the same dune! we had one near miss but thankfully we were chatting away on the CB & the other party knew we were close & let us know they could here us which meant they were close by, we slowed right down & it paid off as we were actually about to meet at the top of the same dune. I think the channel to monitor is UHF Channel 10 in the Simpson & its generally only good for a couple of KM's in the dunes so useful to alert you of nearby traffic. It's also worth taking some heat beads along as it gets very cool at night & frost are not uncommon, not much wood in the desert.
Cheers
Mark

AnswerID: 359393