Sorting and Packing
We finally got the Triton back from Alexander Bodyworks, having being almost completely rebuilt and repainted after our accident at Cape York! They did a massive job in a very short time and we are extremely grateful to everyone there, and highly recommend them!
 |
| The Triton in all it's newborn glory, new panels & shiny new paint job! New Swifty in the background too |
We have learned a lot since our Cape York trip and one of the biggest lessons was efficient packing.
When we rolled the van and had to pack everything we could salvage from it into the Triton, it was a case of just get as much in as possible. Now that we've had time to review what we take and where put it, we've come up with a slightly altered methodology!
So to start with the Triton. This time, we are travelling with two dogs and a teenager, so space is at an absolute premium, without comprising on safety or comfort.
There are basically three storage areas in the Triton; the boot, the roof and the interior. For obvious reasons, the humans and canines travel inside (sometimes we could be forgiven for thinking otherwise!). And whilst it is good to have certain things handy for long driving stretches, you don't want to have too much stuff which, at best gets in your way and becomes annoying, and at worst, could fly around and become missiles in the event of an accident.
Similarly with equipment and other "stuff" you want some things handy and others not so much.
So, we came up with the following plan:
BOOT:
The things we will need most often and/or urgently are packed right at the front where they're easy to get to. Other items less used are packed progressively towards the rear of the boot.
The other thing we found out (like everybody else who's ever driven on the infamous Australian red dirt!) is that the dust gets EVERYWHERE and is virtually impossible to get rid of. We checked all our boot seals this time around - it's a lot easier to stop the dust getting in than cleaning it out!
1. FRONT: Comprehensive Trauma First Aid Kit - it's enormous and weighs 20kg but it has everything you could possibly ever need, even flares! (more details on this in a separate post). We believe everybody should be First Aid qualified - you never you know when you might be called upon.
2. FRONT: Chainsaw & 5L of ULP - used for cutting away obstacles when we're off road, and cutting firewood.
3. MIDDLE: Annexe matting, folding camp table & chairs plus solar panesl - used every time we set up camp.
4. MIDDLE: 15L clean drinking water (emergency reserve) - extremely important when travelling especially when the ambient temperature is likely to be above 35 degrees in the shade!
5. BACK: Tent & inflatable mattress: We have chosen to always travel with an alternative means of camping, just in case we lost the van again!
6. BACK The Black Box - a large sturdy plastic trunk containing a jumpstart battery pack, air compressor, spare filters, oils, car & van parts, radiator coolant etc (more details on this in a separate post)
 |
| Boot packed carefully as detailed above with often used items at the front & lesser used items at the back |
ROOF:
Another thing we learned from our Cape York trip was not to overload the roof racks. Our Rhino Racks have a basket on top and are rated to carry a maximum of 70kg.
The other things to be aware of is wind resistance & keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible. This time, we packed in such a way to reduce drag and therefore lessen our fuel bill, plus our profile was as low as possible. We also packed more efficiently this time, so that things that are needed most often and/or in emergencies are the easiest to access, whilst other less often used items are further in.
1. OUTER: Pioneer tools (ie: pick, axe & shovel); used for digging holes in all kinds of circumstances...!
2. OUTER: Recovery gear (ie: winch extension straps, snatch straps, block & tackle, tree protector etc)
3. INNER: On the fuel cap side of the Triton we have two fuel jerries, each containing 20L of Diesel. Yes definitely Diesel!
4. INNER: On the opposite site of the Triton we have four Treds recovery tracks. It is not a coincidence that they are located on the same side as the shovel - for those times when you inevitably get bogged!
 |
| Roof Racks - taken from the front of the vehicle - everything packed as low profile as possible |
INTERIOR:
Travelling with two dogs and a teenager presented a challenge. Safety and comfort plus having things to hand as and when needed, were our main goals.
The dogs travel in a crate which is raised up so they can see out of the windows (to prevent car sickness) and is restrained with one of the rear seat belts for safety. The space underneath the crate provides room for two storage boxes with lids, in which we keep non-essential items, spare food etc.
Inside the pocket on the back of the driver's seat we keep a large adjustable spanner, a hammer and the remote control for the winch. Underneath the driver's seat we keep a small general purpose toolkit.
We have a small Esky in the centre of the footwell, which contains bottles of frozen water, which keeps our brunch cool and can be drunk as it progressively melts during the day.
The teenager also has his own space, equivalent to 50% of the back seat, with drawing materials, electronic games, water etc within easy reach but stowed in pockets on the back of the passenger seat. We chose to seat him on the passenger side so that he would have a view of the landscape out the window, instead of the road.
In the centre console, we have a multiple outlet 12v adaptor which plugs into the cigarette lighter and allows us to charge our mobile phones, games, laptops etc whilst we drive. We also keep our multi purpose battery recharger and our handheld radios here.
In the front cup-holders we have a 150w Inverter that we use to charge the laptop, plus the UHF car radio. On the front windscreen we have a GPS module.
In the driver's side door pocket, we keep our PLB (Personal Location Beacon) in case of emergency. Everytime we go away on a camping trip, we upload our itinerary and contact numbers to the appropriate authorities, so that if we disappear off the radar, hopefully somebody will come and look for us!
In the glove box we keep toilet paper, vehicle manuals, small snacks, maps, insect repellant, torch and cigarette lighter.
The remaining space is used as per the following pics;
No comments:
Post a Comment