Kitting out an overland vehicle can cost a surprising amount of money – in some cases nearly as much as the vehicle itself. When my husband and I started kitting out our Hilux for our year and a bit round-Africa trip, we decided we’d rather save the money for doing fun stuff while we were away. After a bit of DIY and penny pinching, we got our Hilux ready for the trip on a very small budget, but eight months and 38 000 kilometres into the trip, our setup still works and there is very little we wish we’d spent more on.
We don’t have any ammo crates, having opted for plastic boxes from Westpac for a third of the price, our drawers and sliders are homemade, and our centre console is a convenient-sized plastic bread box. Compared to some of the fancy, expensively set up vehicles we’ve seen on the road we’re like a slightly scruffier, but infinitely cooler, budget version. If you’re in the process of kitting out a vehicle for a trip, these tips may help keep the costs down.
1. Take only what you need
First of all, decide what you really need for your trip, rather than being lured into buying every nice-to-have gadget. This way you won’t waste money on kit that just takes up space and never gets used. Before we set off on our trip, we agonised over whether we would need a winch and sand tracks, imagining spending days stuck in the bush if anything went wrong. In the end we didn’t get either of them, and we haven’t needed them. If you’re really worried, it would probably be better to spend money on a good 4×4 driving course which will teach you how to avoid getting stuck in the first place. We also ummed and aahed about getting a built-in water tank, but at a total cost, including installation, of a couple of thousand rand we decided to skip it. We bought some plastic jerry cans which we carry in the back, and haven’t regretted it. On the other hand, there are a few things that we really wouldn’t want to be without – including long range fuel tanks, a high lift jack, and a very comfy set of chairs.
2. Build your own
If you have time and enjoy a bit of mucking about with a set of tools you might be able to save yourself a lot of money building a drawer system yourself. For an excellent guide to how to get started, read Evan Haussmann’s article on how to build a 4×4 drawer system. Our Hilux bakkie came with a rickety set of old drawers in the back for carting fishing gear around. We rebuilt the drawers and added two sets of heavy duty sliders on top to store all our boxes of gear, clothes, food etc. The whole drawer and slider system cost us a total of around R600.
3. Look for secondhand equipment online
The various 4×4 forums are a good place to start (www.hilux4x4.co.za , www.landyonline.co.za, www.lroc.org.za, www.4x4community.co.za, www.nissan4x4.co.za and www.landcruiserclub.co.za are just some of them). You can often find bargains on fridges, tents, roof racks etc as well as being able to get loads of ideas for your trip on these sites. Sites like Ebay and Gumtree are also worth a try.
4. Shop around
When buying really expensive items like roof tents (which can cost around R12 000 for some of the fancier designs with skylights and extra sections over the ladder), be sure to check out all the options. There are simpler makes that are several thousand rands cheaper and do the job just as well.
5. Ask for a discount
When spending a lot at one store (or paying cash) ask if they will give you a discount. We bought our tent, awning, recovery gear, and a bunch of other goodies from Tentco in Boksburg. We chatted to the manager and got a 10% discount because we had bought so much from them. It’s well worth a try at the bigger stores, and if they say no you haven’t lost anything.
