At the time of our big lap, both of us had driven Mitsubishi vehicles for so long, it was only natural that we took a Pajero for the trip. The Pajero was fitted with a few accessories to help with towing and the long distances – we added a long range fuel tank, the suspension was upgraded, and an extra battery fitted, a roof rack platform added, bullbar and driving lights, a snorkel, UHF, and an awning. Inside the Pajero, we carried two Engels – a 39 litre which we used as a freezer, and a 29 litre as a drinks fridge.
Buying our caravan for our big lap trip was the best thing we ever did. Not only did it mean we travelled with a level of comfort, but we found the caravan lifestyle kick started our desire to be a part of the RV industry when we got home. This is something we’re very passionate about still today.
Before hitting the road, we made a few caravan mods as Grant’s pretty handy on the tools. Take a look at what the A frame looked like when we were ready to take off! He made a bracket for this, a bracket for that, and before we knew it, we were bursting at the seams! Bikes, extra gas bottle, boat motor…you name it, it was there. And this is just the front of the van! At the rear, we carried a portable boat trailer and a satellite TV dish.
Looking back, and with all the research we did buying our caravan as newbies, we clearly didn’t spend enough time learning about weight. Needless to say, we did a short recce before doing the big lap and common sense prevailed. With a flick of the grinder, the bike frame was removed and the bikes stayed home. We also took a good look through the van and off loaded a heap of gear to reduce weight before finally taking off again. Here we learnt a lesson to only carry gear that has multiple purposes, otherwise we considered it as unnecessary weight.
