Hi all,
Just got back from my Simpson trip, thought I would summarise a few things before I forget
Things that went well (in no particular orders):
- ZCG fiber glass UHF antenna. Didn't move a mm.
- Oztent: not mine, but we have three Oztents in the group, I am impressed at the ease of putting up and packing.
- iPhone: great for taking quick photos, running MemoryMap with Hema maps, check weather maps when there was reception. MemoryMap is way better than the VMS maps I paid $180 for.
- Iridium sat phone. worked well, the external magnetic antenna sticked on the roof the whole time.
- GME 3540 UHF. Crystal clear, easy to use with the controller on the mike.
- Codan 9350 HF antenna: works well
- Gopro camera: Nice video, a bit of a hassle with the charging though
- SPOT satellite tracker: works very well
- RAM mounts: excellent, I had these for the SPOT and iPhone (windscreen mount), solid as rock. My cheap $20 mount broke within three days.
- Blackwidow drawers and cargo barrier: still fitting perfectly as new
- Blackwidow sandflag: didn't pop out like some others. I did put a cable tie to stop the ball bearing from moving.
- Brown Davis bash plate. Did its job, took some beating on the dunes, and save the car from a rock at Flinders Ranges.
- ARB suspension with the lift: Worked well.
- Geolander G012 tyres: worked well. I had a slow leak but that was picked up from the city (one nail and one screw).
- Mycube rooftop tent: nice tent, quick setup and pack up. It was a bit tight when new, but loosened up after a few days. Keep me dry and warm, and almost as comfortable as my bed at home.
- ARB fridge: didn't miss a beat. Kept my stuff frozen at -6
- Jetboil boiler: perfect for quick tea and coffee.
- Coles water bottle pack: quick and easy way to store water.
- Rear wheel carrier: I didn't have any, some others did. Worked well.
- Cryovac meat: worked well. I will have to invest in a Cryovac machine at the next Camping show.
- Tyre pressure monitor. I didn't have one but one other guy did, detected a leak 5 minutes from leaving the sealed road in Broken Hill, got it repaired at Copley, and another leak near the end of the trip. At $300+ per tyre, he already got his money back by saving these two tyres. Another group had a tyre blown-out during their trip, had to buy a brand new tyre for replacement.
- And the best would be the sandgrabber floor mats. Keep the dust out of the carpet for the entire trip. Shouldn't go to the Simpson without one
Things that did not go too well:
- ARB bullbar antenna mount for the Codan HF antenna: Broke just before crossing the desert.
- The Black Wxxx non-canvas tent: One of the other guys had it, and wasn't impressed with the wears and tears. The Oztent looked much easier to put up.
- Spare tyre inside the car: took up a lot of space.
- Warm clothing: I didn't pack enough. It went down to -4 at night early in the trip, before we got to the desert
- Extra battery: I brought one 12V 38AH battery for spare, this was not needed, and charging was a hassle
- Water Jerry Cans: I had these 10L and 20L from SCA and Rays, they all leaked at the tap connector.
- Warn winch controller: came loose at Birdsville, luckily was picked up in time before these massive non-fused live cables made contact with the body.
- ARB battery bracket: came loose but stayed tight after tightening the nuts.
- The butane gas burner did not work very well in cold weather. Could not even boil water
- Knoll track: good fun, but hard going, and caused most of the scratches on the paintwork.
- Lack of wide-angle lens for lanscape photos
- Soft rubbish bin. Get a reasonably tough type for your trip. Mine had holes in them leaking stuff everywhere
- MSA rear wheel bin: Too hard to secure on a Prado with factory rear wheel cover. had to use ropes and it still fell out twice.
- We came across a family with the camper and 4WD burned down to the ground just out of Marree, fortunately everyone got out in time. The fire started in camper, and they could not disconnect the trailer from the car in time.
Other notes:
- At Birdsville, the cost for the recovery truck to come and get you out of the desert is $300 per hour. The longest recovery they did was 27 hours! The most business for these guys though is tyre repair.
- Most expensive fuel was at Oodnadatta, $2.30 per L diesel.
It was an awesome trip, and I am looking forward to the next one!
Just got back from my Simpson trip, thought I would summarise a few things before I forget
Things that went well (in no particular orders):
- ZCG fiber glass UHF antenna. Didn't move a mm.
- Oztent: not mine, but we have three Oztents in the group, I am impressed at the ease of putting up and packing.
- iPhone: great for taking quick photos, running MemoryMap with Hema maps, check weather maps when there was reception. MemoryMap is way better than the VMS maps I paid $180 for.
- Iridium sat phone. worked well, the external magnetic antenna sticked on the roof the whole time.
- GME 3540 UHF. Crystal clear, easy to use with the controller on the mike.
- Codan 9350 HF antenna: works well
- Gopro camera: Nice video, a bit of a hassle with the charging though
- SPOT satellite tracker: works very well
- RAM mounts: excellent, I had these for the SPOT and iPhone (windscreen mount), solid as rock. My cheap $20 mount broke within three days.
- Blackwidow drawers and cargo barrier: still fitting perfectly as new
- Blackwidow sandflag: didn't pop out like some others. I did put a cable tie to stop the ball bearing from moving.
- Brown Davis bash plate. Did its job, took some beating on the dunes, and save the car from a rock at Flinders Ranges.
- ARB suspension with the lift: Worked well.
- Geolander G012 tyres: worked well. I had a slow leak but that was picked up from the city (one nail and one screw).
- Mycube rooftop tent: nice tent, quick setup and pack up. It was a bit tight when new, but loosened up after a few days. Keep me dry and warm, and almost as comfortable as my bed at home.
- ARB fridge: didn't miss a beat. Kept my stuff frozen at -6
- Jetboil boiler: perfect for quick tea and coffee.
- Coles water bottle pack: quick and easy way to store water.
- Rear wheel carrier: I didn't have any, some others did. Worked well.
- Cryovac meat: worked well. I will have to invest in a Cryovac machine at the next Camping show.
- Tyre pressure monitor. I didn't have one but one other guy did, detected a leak 5 minutes from leaving the sealed road in Broken Hill, got it repaired at Copley, and another leak near the end of the trip. At $300+ per tyre, he already got his money back by saving these two tyres. Another group had a tyre blown-out during their trip, had to buy a brand new tyre for replacement.
- And the best would be the sandgrabber floor mats. Keep the dust out of the carpet for the entire trip. Shouldn't go to the Simpson without one
Things that did not go too well:
- ARB bullbar antenna mount for the Codan HF antenna: Broke just before crossing the desert.
- The Black Wxxx non-canvas tent: One of the other guys had it, and wasn't impressed with the wears and tears. The Oztent looked much easier to put up.
- Spare tyre inside the car: took up a lot of space.
- Warm clothing: I didn't pack enough. It went down to -4 at night early in the trip, before we got to the desert
- Extra battery: I brought one 12V 38AH battery for spare, this was not needed, and charging was a hassle
- Water Jerry Cans: I had these 10L and 20L from SCA and Rays, they all leaked at the tap connector.
- Warn winch controller: came loose at Birdsville, luckily was picked up in time before these massive non-fused live cables made contact with the body.
- ARB battery bracket: came loose but stayed tight after tightening the nuts.
- The butane gas burner did not work very well in cold weather. Could not even boil water
- Knoll track: good fun, but hard going, and caused most of the scratches on the paintwork.
- Lack of wide-angle lens for lanscape photos
- Soft rubbish bin. Get a reasonably tough type for your trip. Mine had holes in them leaking stuff everywhere
- MSA rear wheel bin: Too hard to secure on a Prado with factory rear wheel cover. had to use ropes and it still fell out twice.
- We came across a family with the camper and 4WD burned down to the ground just out of Marree, fortunately everyone got out in time. The fire started in camper, and they could not disconnect the trailer from the car in time.
Other notes:
- At Birdsville, the cost for the recovery truck to come and get you out of the desert is $300 per hour. The longest recovery they did was 27 hours! The most business for these guys though is tyre repair.
- Most expensive fuel was at Oodnadatta, $2.30 per L diesel.
It was an awesome trip, and I am looking forward to the next one!
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