Outback Travel.

Equipment Suggestions for Off Road Trips.

This list is not exhaustive and certainly not authoritative. It has been put together using suggestions from Police, Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), offroad journals, other offroad drivers and our own experiences and requirements. We are biased towards diesel vehicles and our own knowledge of petrol / gas engines is by result negligible.

I will break the list into segments: (1) Spare parts and tools. (2) Recovery gear. (3) Camping gear. (4) Other items - including long distance travelling with children.

Section 1 (spare parts and tools).

A - Tools

Spark plug spanner for petrol engines.

Adjustable spanners - small and large.

Locking wrench

Combination pliers.

Long nose pliers

Set of screw drivers - flat and Phillip's head.

Small hammer.

Cold chisel.

Rivet gun and selection of rivets.

Hacksaw

Crimping tool and assorted connectors

Soldering Iron (12 volt) and solder.

G clamp

Filter wrench

Jack and base board (40 cm square for use in soft sand)

Wheel brace

Air compressor or Tyre pump

B - Spare Parts

Full set of alternator, air conditioning and power steering belts.

Radiator hoses- top and bottom (+ worm drive clamps to fit)

Length of fuel pipe.

Length of heater hose

Assorted fuses to fit your vehicle - check manual or fuse box to see requirements

Fuel filter ( inc. In-line filter if twin tanks)

Oil filter.

Wheel nuts and studs.

Two complete spare wheels. + 2 heavy duty tubes.

Puncture repair kit and tyre levers, valve tool, valve caps.

Spare valve stems if tubeless tyres

Bead breaker.

Light globes.

Set of points, spark plugs and ignition coil for petrol engines.

Distributor cap- petrol.

Gasket goo.

WD40 spray.

Hand cleaner and rags.

Wheel bearings and seals.

Assorted nuts, bolts and screws.

Loctite, Superglue and silicon gel

Radiator stop leak

Muffler bandage

Engine oil, gear box oil .

Plastic emergency windscreen

Two spare ignition keys kept on person!

Work shop manual.

2 - Recovery Equipment

A good shovel - long handled makes life easier.

9 meter snatch strap - from reputable supplier (Opposite Lock, A.R.B., O.R.E.)

D or Bow shackles- These MUST be rated by D.O.I. to at least 3.5 tons

Tow points front and rear.

Axe

Winches, Hi-lift jacks and related equipment are useful. One member of the convoy should be so equipped.

Radio - UHF CB (AM/SSB second option) for short distance communication only. H.F. radio should be carried by one convoy member.

Fire extinguisher- an absolute must.

Good torch

Jump leads - good quality.

Overalls and gloves.

Syphon hosing for water.

Tie downs

3 - Camping Equipment.

A - Accommodation.

Small tent or swag. (Big tents take a long time to erect and pack up. Fine if staying in one place for several nights - but a nuisance if moving regularly.) Quality is of importance. The tent must be waterproof!! Good to have one for the kids - and one for yourselves.

Pillows - small down pillows are available. They save space and pack in with the sleeping bags.

Chamois towels dry easily and take up minimal space. Carry one big towel for swimming.

Mosquito net

Spare blanket if you feel the cold.

Small chairs - with strength.

Tarpaulin and two tent poles - (with ropes and pegs) makes a sun shade for lunch breaks, repairs etc.

Table if you need one.

Lighting - Recharge lanterns are preferable.

Mozzie coils.

B - Cooking.

Gas stove and cylinder - some areas ban open fires.

Billy cans and kettle

bar-b-q plate

Camp-oven

Oven glove.

Cooking irons - tongs, barbiemate, fork etc

Fry-pan

Plates. Bowls, cups etc.

Chopping board and knife

Mixing bowl.

Sieve

Washing up bowl - Our crockery container doubles as a wash bowl.

Cigarette lighter and lighter fuel -- you can start a fire easier.

Matches

Fire lighters.

Washing up liquid and sponge.

Tea towels.

Soda bicarbonate- to clean burnt pans.

Alfoil

Gladwrap

Heavy duty rubbish bags and a few carry bags. The latter make good

over-night rubbish bins.

Clothes line, pegs. Washing powder.

Food - Remember interstate quarantine regulations affecting fruit, vegies and fruit boxes. As required. Remember tins are heavy. Desiccated food requires water. Frozen meals require a fridge. Vacuum packed meat can be arranged via a good butcher. Always carry 2 days spare food and water. If in trouble help can take a long time coming. We find it helps to pack breakfast items together and evening meal items together. It saves rummaging through boxes in the dark. Square containers pack easier than round. Items like flour are best put in 'decor' type containers. They are less likely to burst!! Glass is heavy and fragile, try packing sauces etc. in plastic bottles.

A.R.B. do folding plastic crates, they work well but don't settle for the lighter imitations - they break.

Water container 20l. to fetch and purify water.

4 -- Other Items

A - Survival.

We all carry a small survival kit comprising:-

1. pocket knife

2. compass

3. whistle

4. 2 Micropur tablets

5. band aids

6. water bottle

7. space blanket.

Carry a good first aid kit (St. John's style) and a book on how to use it. Read the book before you travel.

B - Travelling with children.

Many of our trips involve a long drive for two or more days - the distances can be upto 1200kms in a day and have on three occasions been over 2000kms.

• Each child has a day bag filled with small, quiet past-times e.g. crayons, cards, squish-balls and books. They pack this themselves and keep it by them on the journey.
• We record music onto blank cassettes and this is done from C.D.'s on random play. The choice of music is wide and the cassettes are labelled "holiday-1" etc. This initially means the pieces played are not predictable. By the end of the trip the tapes need re-recording! The kids choose the tapes as we travel.
• Leave early in the morning. The worst part of most journeys out of Perth is the first three hours. We leave about 0500hrs and plan to have breakfast at a truck stop. Most kids sleep this part of the journey. We consider this the start of the holiday. Wubin heading North or Southern Cross heading East are favourites. We hit the interesting part of the drive shortly after this break and the sun comes out.
• Rotate seating positions, this means each child can sit in the front seat and see. The C.B. Radio means we can talk to other vehicles on the road. The friendly banter can break up a journey well. If using the "road-channel-no.8" ,switch channels after making contact. The trucks use no.8 as a safety channel and don't appreciate it being blocked by general chit-chat.
• "Game boys" are frequently used. They keep the kids quiet most of the time.
• Games such as "I spy" pass some time.
• Frequent stops to look around break the monotony of wheel noise and enable sight -seeing.

Every parent has their own method but these have worked for us.

C - General Tips.

Good maps - "Street-Smart" tourist maps are a good source of information and main roads and tracks. More detailed maps are available and essential if heading into the outback.

Talk to other travellers, they may know of places that are not on the regular tourist routes. Caravan parks are a good source of such intelligence.

Always leave something unseen at a good destination. It encourages you to go back.

Try and have 1 or 2 days luxury on each long journey. You appreciate the pampering and you can get the clothes washed.

Don't pack more than you need. Dirty clothes aren't noticed in the desert, but have a good scrub before you enter a 5* restaurant. We carry one set of smarter clothes for civilisation.

D - Entertainment.

Camera.

Binoculars.

Books.

Game.

Fishing gear.

Have a good hat, good shoes, 15+ sun block, tropical `Rid' (or equivalent) and maintain a good intake of water. Don't go to bed without having passed urine - this means that you really are fully hydrated.

Always carry out your rubbish. If you can carry it in, there is less volume to carry out! Wash away from water sources and remember that animals need water to live. Soap lingers for days. Bury all toiler matter deep, and at least 20 metre from any water course.

Take nothing but memories and leave nothing but foot-prints.

Nigel Buxton.

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