On the road again

by Lauren Eaton

This isn’t a new thing for me of course. Short trips really don’t do it for me, I like the fully immersive experience of spending considerable amounts of time on the road and away from it all. That’s not to say I don’t spend weekends or short periods of under two weeks Landy camping. That’s the joy of being kitted out at all times, if I like a place or simply fancy it, I can stay wherever I find myself, even if that’s just for the night, at the drop of a hat.

But, I now have another opportunity to spend many months living in Ralph. Where and why is not something I’m going to divulge for now. To be honest the details aren’t concrete yet anyway so I couldn’t share them if I wanted to, but what is for sure is that I will soon move into the L322 for a considerable amount of time. This time though, it is far more likely (although not yet definite) that I will be based in one place for a change rather than moving on each day.

While I might be 'living' in one rather awesome location for months, I will want to do a lot of exploring further afield during that time, and this will include overnight or several night stays away. So how will my things need to differ from my current tried and tested setup?

There are things we all need in life. Being a psychologist, I immediately thought of Maslow and his well known hierarchy of needs. It certainly helps break things down into digestible chunks.

This month is Chunk One: Basic Physiological Needs.

Food, water, shelter, excretion (going to the loo), comfort, temperature, clothing, rest & sleep, and personal hygienewithout these no trip will be successful.

This step usually includes reproduction too, but I’m not planning on detailing how to get it on in a Landy, you can have fun working that out for yourself!

Shelter, rest, and sleep, are going to all depend on your choice of sleeping arrangements. In-vehicle, roof top tents, ground tents, and awnings are all popular choices, but which one is 'best' really depends on many factors:

• your budget, personal preferences

• how long you’re travelling for

• where you will be staying

• how often you plan on moving

• how many people are on the trip

• the laws of the land you’re travelling in/camping on

• the local weather

• how much gear you’re carrying in the truck, etc.

As a solo traveller - and someone who has travelled with a partner many times, always with a dog, usually wild camping, moving on each day or after a maximum of a couple of nightsI’ve made in-vehicle camping my main choice, but I usually carry a ground tent and have an awning fitted, so I have options.

In-vehicle camping is, once you’ve nailed the setup, really easy. You just park and sleep with no to minimal setup time, except for shifting a dog off the bed so there is space for you to get in.

It’s also great for wild camping (which in-vehicle sleeping doesn’t fit the legal definition of, more on this later), because you can pull up and sleep in many locations legally (local laws dependent), but may not legally be able to put up a roof tent or awning, and, for longer periods in one place, I can see how it may not be ideal or the most comfortable option.

I’ve even done it with two passengers, two of us sleeping in the vehicle, one in a ground tent, so it can be done with considerable, but well thought out (less is more folks!) gear in the back, but again, when you’re setting up a base camp, there are far better options.

I’m still not considering a roof tent. While I may not be travelling daily for a change, I’d still have to setup and pack away each time I wanted to move the Rangie, the same goes for an awning.

Both, particularly the awning, have a lot of merits, and I will be using my current 270° awning that’s for sure, but my plan is to add drive-away awning. That way my bed and other essential stuff can remain permanently, with no need to mess about with them just to go out for the day or a weekend, plus I can return and just fall into bed. I’ll keep the onboard bed though for those weekend trips further afield.

Food is one of my favourite subjects. As an ex-chef and qualified diet and nutrition advisor, my camp cooking tends to be rather involved too. I value good food for more than just the taste.

I have camp cookers of all descriptions - from the basic stalwart, the Campingaz canister one burner, the compact throw-into-arucksack meths and gas Trangias and Alpkit Brukit, to a cast iron two burner that requires a gas bottle. I use all these on my pull out kitchen unit.

I also have a variety of solid fuel options, a Rocket Stove wood burner and a fold flat fire pit/grill, coupled with a dutch oven, cast iron skillet and sandwich toaster, plus a tripod and grill to hang over the solid fuel options. I expect to use the two burner and the fire pit a lot more often during this trip than I do while constantly moving.

The joy of carrying a gas bottle is that I can use it for my hot water solution from Joolca too. While I am not averse to cold water bathing, and in fact want to do a lot more on my next trip, I will have access to onsite facilities for a change, and hot water on tap is never a bad thing.

Keeping food fresh is more of a challenge while on the road, but with my on board dual zone fridge freezer this is a lot easier than it was before I upgraded to a compressor unit. They are expensive, which is why I held out so long, but they are a game changer.

I’m all for travelling light and on a budget, but I totallyl recommend one of these. Not only will they keep your food fresh, they are clever. Mine has two zones, each can be operated independently; off, fridge, freezer, or any mixture. It has a lithium battery (sold separately) that will power it for 24 hours, and a voltage cut off, so it won’t keep charging until it has killed your truck battery.

I installed a second battery to help power gadgets and am definitely looking into solar power for a trip where I won’t be driving everyday for most of the time as I usually do, but my alternator deserves a rest!

Temperature and weather are going to be big considerations. I’ll be staying in a temperate climate in temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 30°. I’ve never used a diesel heater, and I’m not 100% sure whether to invest in one either as I’m OK with the cold, and I am set up with suitable clothing, bedding, and a fire pit to sit by, but I am looking into these.

When it comes to clothing, layering is king. Layers trap air which helps to keep you warm, you can also remove them when being active, or add to them as the temperature drops. This helps with washing too, easy-drying base layers keep mid and heavy outer layers useable for longer between washes. Although with being in one place with facilities, this won’t be as big a concern as it usually is when I’m on the move.

Washing isn’t always the difficulty, but drying always is, so I carry a mangle. It may seem old fashioned, but it is a reliable and efficient way of drying clothes, it also needs no electricity to work which is a bonus. This will definitely be coming with me!

A good sleeping bag is also an essential, with the right bag, you won’t need to carry as much, but spare blankets are still a must. I love my outdoor duvet, as does the dog! She also has her own expedition coat.

Water won’t be an issue on this trip, but it often can be when I’m always moving, even in the UK. We like to gatekeep water over here, and there can be a considerable charge for it. I usually carry between 20 and 40 litres of drinkable water, I’ll use rivers and lakes for washing, and try and keep my stash for rinsing and drinking. The Joolca system will pump water from 30m away as well as filter it for safe washing, but not drinking, so I also carry water filters just in case.

My go-to is a Lifestraw gravity bag, because it’s light and small, but there are tons of products that do the same thing. I plan to check out the jerry can options soon as an upgrade to my basic plastic water carriers. Remember water does go off and can cause some really nasty illnesses. If I get the opportunity of a free top up I always fully empty, wash out and refill, even if I only filled up the day before. Chlorine tablets can be useful to carry too, particularly in warmer environments.

Toilets are something I won’t need to worry about for a change, they’ll be there for me to use. For nights away I’ll stick to the tried and tested alfresco methods. A simple trowel is your friend, but isn’t always suitable depending on when and where nature calls. You could carry a bulky chemical loo, but it will take up space and need proper facilities to empty. The best option I’ve found is bags, a bucket, and some wood pellet cat litterlight, simple, and easy to get rid of.

Comfort is a subjective one. I’m pretty comfortable with what most find uncomfortable, in fact I work on this all the time, the Wim Hof Method courses I’m doing are aimed at increasing our resilience by purposefully making ourselves very uncomfortable and overcoming this discomfort.

Being completely alone for long periods, the cold, kipping in cars or tents, and being challenged by surroundings (or Land Rovers), are things I genuinely enjoy experiencing or overcoming. I do take things I enjoy, or get joy from, on longer trips, while ensuring that I have everything I need, but nothing significantly extra.

It’s the extras that will start to annoy you, they take up much needed space, add unnecessary weight, and they need looking after too. If you don’t rely on them, they can quickly become a burden to nomadic existence, but that doesn’t mean that on long term trips that you can’t have any luxuries or comforts.

Mine are:

• always an onboard library which invariably increases as I find bookshops on route (a Kindle would help and I do own one, but I’m unapologetically old school)

• I stick some mementos on my dash that make me smile, and make the truck feel like a home

• my outdoor duvet and Dry Robe, because they’re cosy as well as useful

• great food

• tea, and coffee

• luxurious natural body products - they are non-toxic to the environment and make me feel and smell fab even in a field

• Celyn, my dog, of course

• and sometimes a person, even if they’re only connected remotely and can’t join me.

Your comforts may be a TV, a group of friends, an onboard bar, or even the odd night in a hotel, you do you. When it comes to your joy, this is what it’s all about!

That’s all from me this month folks. Next month we’ll look at steps 2 &3 : safety and social connection in even the most remote locations.

Drive safe,

Lauren and Celyn x