Re: Building an Expedition Vehicle Quote:
Originally Posted by vkiran_2000 Hi
I have been perparing and researching best ways to do overland trips in India. The idea is to go whole hog and get a proper overlanding vehicle with roof top tent and camping gear.
I am still yet to finalize a vehicle to do it up. Booked a petrol Thar to speed up the process 8 weeks ago.
First basic question is : If one has to make multiple trips in a year to the north and east india, how to reduce the trip duration days? Every trip ex bangalore will mean 3 to 5 days to reach the first point of interest. E.g. A trip to ladakh effectively starts at Kulu or srinagar. And a trip to Sikkim is from Siliguri ����
I didn't find easy or cost effective ways to transport the rig to this start point by train or lorry. Is slogging ot out the only way??
Regards and do interact pls |
Even I used to contemplate - Is it possible to book railway transport in the same Shatabdi and move the car just like they do army trucks and tanks?
I used to watch many videos on YouTube and obsess about going to Ladhak too then I realized how foolish it is when so many quick 4-day options exist around the hidden backroads of Chikmagalur and the green patches on the map in the surrounding geographies of Coorg Agumbe etc. Given the 21day logistics, I find it stupid only to see and experience mostly dusty roads in the immediate 50m line of sight in Ladhak and pretty mountains very far away - when I've enjoyed extra-ordinary rides nearby in forest roads! Sure its worthwhile when you are in between jobs and nothing to lose until the next job but not otherwise for a resident of South-India. Ladhak is a great choice for those living around Jaipur Chandigarh Delhi etc. Today my line of thinking is - Why not experience the riches of the Western Ghats and Sahyadris regularly starting monsoon while we live here and postpone the North trips to a more apt time? Check out the videos of Malshej Ghat in the rainy season on Youtube for ex. I made a plan last year do one trip a month to CKM and surrounding areas beginning monsoons and already started the lifestyle. Loving it to the 'T'.
Yet another idea that I kicked out of my head is that tiny cramped 2 man rooftop tent costing almost 1lac. I think much prefer a 3-4 man ground tent with a porch even for 2 people and mesh doors and a wide awning over my car to enjoy some cooking etc with all luggage neatly stowed in the corner - all at 1/4th the price. After giving it some consideration - I realized that these rooftop ideas are just fancy stuff that we watch people in California and other cold places with great views enjoying their 15-20 degree Celsius sunny but cool weather - and then try to imitate. Try doing that in above 40 Celsius weather for a casual vacation... or in a heavy unpredictable downpour of Indian monsoons... Umm... no thanks! Its a different thing when overloading for more than 6 months and facing the weather come what may. Not great for leisure short trips. For a close to 1lac investment how much are you going to really use it per year?
Yah I know I am beginning to sound pompous, preachy and arrogant (pardon me for that, but let me say it anyways), but please do pause to consider this line of though - Possibly, a person will not realize some things because he or she has been driving a nice enclosed car with climate control. I know that sense of feeling immune to the heat while steeping out of a chilled AC car in the hot sun for a few minutes just to fetch something - it can fool you. I drive a Gypsy and have faced the heat every day every hour I drive for a decade and so with a next-to-useless aftermarket AC and so I know better than to suffer Indian weather. Unless you have been a passionate cricketer standing and playing in the hot sun at the playground all day - if you are like me living in an AC office for more than a decade you are likely not going to have the tolerance for it. Don't we all recall that moment we step in to a hot car that was parked in the sun for an hour - with utter agony?!! And if we camp all day somewhere the roof is almost good to fry an egg even at 5pm so we will have to pack and unpack daily and setup our tent only after 6:30pm.
I think designing a really large DIY awning (using fabrics easily available on Amazon) that extends over the roof rack in an inverted 'V' to shade both the car and ground tent makes better sense! Unless you think you will drive absolutely every single day and never camp in the day post 7am.
Me? I decided years back that I love AC! Screw climate change - let that change begin with large international corporates that drive pollution and climate change world-wide at an industrial scale with close to a 100 AC's per office building!
Cynical but true! Quote:
Originally Posted by smsrini Check this video for some interesting mods for overlanding on the 2021 Thar. |
I saw that few weeks back - I am really keen to get those flat roof top water tanks and planning to import wide beam lights for the roof after I build a roof rack for my soft-top Gypsy.
Last edited by Ragul : 20th August 2021 at 18:04.
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