'Essentials' for long trip?

imho you would be better off to buy/borrow/hire a small to medium fridge for the car. just for having that extra space, not only for food, but drinks and sandwich making stuff for those days without the van.
if you moving most days, dual batts are not needed, i survived many years without them. depends where you are going and how long you are static.
i have built my own storage system for my 4wd, but on a recent trip in a flatback f250, i made a temp system with several stacked plastic drawers, bound together with duct tape and, to stop the drawers opening, bungy rope around each unit. worked a treat.(oates plastic stackable drawers)
i would definitely go for the fridge (pref with dual batts for peace of mind).
welcome to the world of "how much can i spend".
how much have you got? LOL

PS must do a couple of fully loaded trips before the big one, even if its for a weekend.

G'day ozwrangler

It's a 'what's the meaning of life' question isn't it?

First thing - sense of humour and the frame of mind that says it doesn't have to be done in 5 mins, and another day here doesn't matter.
Second - plenty of folks will do it with no more than you have and probably much less.
Then the third and fourth etc etc.

Agree with the second fridge + dual battery system.
Water capacity - couple of jerry cans at least to supplement the camper
Fan belts + hoses spares at least
Puncture repair kit
Snatch straps + appropriately rated shackles
Aircompressor (we have one fitted in the engine bay). Certainly makes it easier to lower and raise tyre pressure as required.
Tarp or two to increase shade and for creek crossings
Snorkel

Check out www.campertrailers.org - I think they have a checklist for long trips. May also be one of this site too.

Safe travelling
John

Keep it simple and keep the weight out is my suggestion. I am not all that impressed with the 3 way fridge for touring (as opposed to being stationary) and would suggest a 40 ltr Engel or the like to ensure temperatures are properly managed. If you are using parks then the pressure is off a bit but if you are bush camping then buy jumper leads and have access to another battery to jump start should the need arise. You should have a good battery fitted to your van to run internal lights and also to serve as a jump start. Use 12v leds if you can given low power consumption. You can always run the engine for a while to re-charge or borrow a solar panel from a mate perhaps!! Just remember the ideal set-up has never been achieved!! Cheers

PS don't try and run the fridge off 12v if bush camped....too thirsty on amps.

We know lots of people love their portable fridges but we have stopped taking ours when touring and bush camping because it needs to be run on 240v at frequent intervals (ie caravan park) unless you also drag around a generaotor. Our three way friges have always worked well and an insulated bag with cool brick is fine for picnics and shopping when we leave the van.We love our solar panel which keeps our van battery well charged for lights etc if we stay in one place for a few days.(not enough for Engel in hot weather though).
We agree with the suggstion of Oates plastic drawers. We found them great when we had a Jayco camper which was short on space for clothes etc.
If taking dogs remember their vaccination certificates so you can leave them in day care or kennels sometimes if you want to visit a national park. Also keep up the flea and tick treatment.
Good luck with your plans. Generally less is more and there are shops along the way if you find you really need something.
John and Lynne

We have the same campervan as yours,
our 3 way fridge works well, all we take is a large esky for drinks and any snacks we need for the day. Most places have large blocks of ice that will last a few days.
Take a thermos and pack your lunch for the day as with all wind up campers it's a pain to access inside if you need things , even a cheap portable stove comes in handy the ones that run on butane can refills.
It may be a bit off topic but if you are going on outback roads I would be fitting stone guards , large mud flaps and rear wind shield cover to Pajero and some sort of guard to front of camper (have seen some good ones on some of the forums).
We did a lot of stone damage to our van on outback gravel roads, electric brake wires cut, blown shocker, damage to water tank cover, major sandblasing to chassi and stone marks on front of van. All could have been prevented if I had fitted stone guards.
Also take good spare tyres at least 2 for the van and 2 for the Pajero as they will cost a fortune to replace (if you can buy them) and there's nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no spare tyres.
enjoy your adventure, you can always ad extras on the road if you need too, cheers Butch 58

We are sorry if our last post was unclear. Yes our Engel is an excellent fridge/freezer but we found that when we run it on 12v in hot weather we need to recharge our battery often. This is no problem if we are doing a lot of driving each day but annoying if we are camped somewhere for a few days and not driving anywhere much. What do other people do? (We have met lots who use generators but that is just another thing to cart around)
The Engel is heavy and takes up space in the vehicle so we often leave it at home. A properly installed 3 way fridge does a good job for us, supplemented by an Esky or cool bag.
Cheer
Lynne and John

Some sugestions for setting yourselves and vehicle up for extended outback touring.

LINK 1

LINK 2

OzWrangler

Things we have found with our family over many years.
Can't comment on your Jayco camper/ caravan as I am unfamiliar with what they offer
IF you are NOT going to have dual batteries, make sure you have a good (400A ?) set of jumper leads.
IF you are going to get a 2nd battery for a 2nd fridge, you also have to fit heavy wiring to back of Paj. Then fit 2 outlets (Navra for fridge) + cigarette lighter for accessories
$100 stubby inverters are fantastic for recharging Laptop, I Pod and NI MH batteries when you are driving along (stress driving along if you have 1 battery)

Despite the higher costs, two 4.5kg gas bottles are much better than one 9kg (always have one full) also enables you to use a separate 3-4 burner ring for cooking outside than inside. Keeps smells, heat, humidity outside, heats quicker and also very good when you buy a good fold up BBQ plate.
Ditch the old gas lanterns, 12V LEDs are the way to go.
Handheld 2W UHF for $100-130 will suffice instead of $500 fitted for in car ones, buy a 2nd one so you know where the kids are when they go "off exploring"
Make sure you take spare trailer 12V plugs, you are sure to have rocks smash them somewhere on gravel roads.
This is in addition to what others have said (snatch strap, fan belts, shovel etc)

No matter where I'm going this is what I take away.

snatch strap
2 bow shackles
compressor and pressure gauge
a kit containing fuses,electrical connectors, needle & cotton, pens, safety pins, a small spool of fishing line, etc.
toolbox with applicable spanners, screwdrivers, shmammer, etc. Crimping pliers and wire stripper
large knife (made from a power hacksaw blade - the teeth make a good fish scaler)
crate with spare hoses & belts, silicon spray, RostOff (like CRC but better), small spray can of primer, emergency windscreen, Rag On A Roll, snap seal bags, oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steer fluid
Uni Filter snorkel filter (never used it)
A 12m cable & a 6m rope
2 tarps
a football & tennis ball

All this fits in a small area in the rear under my home made shelves

Car has the following

UHF + a laminated card with channel uses
Spot lights (bit of a WOFTAM because I don't drive at night)
Spare wheel carrier on rear + spare under car
Swing away jerry can holder for 2 x 20L cans
Snorkel
Wind deflectors on the front doors (a bit grandpa'ish but keeps the sticks from poking you in the eye)
Dual battery
Wiring in the back for when I borrow the in-laws fridge

Took a high lift jack with me to Fraser Island and never used it. Bashed my leg on it a few times though. Happy travelling.

Louie

One important thing is that I always separate the cargo from the passengers.

I would go along with the above post.

It might be a good idea to look at what is needed for safety, then vehicle support and finally comfort items.

No matter what the setup by the time you cover safety and vehicle requirements the comfort items will be struggling to find a place on-board. Some people make the mistake of doing it the other way round.

Thanks for the advice.. much appreciated.

Point taken about finding space for luxuries last.
Still mulling over the car fridge idea...likely need that space for water/ jerry cans at some stage.

ozwrangler,
I believe you *need* much more 12v Deep Cycle battery capacity, you suggest you have "100mA battery" which I assume is meant to read '100ah battery' ??

With a 3way fridge I would think a 200ah capacity would be much more efficient, you would not be running down the battery so far or as often but just skimming off the top of the it.

Maîneÿ . . .