Robert Pepper
Just got back from a camping trip of about three weeks. Our trips are somewhat unplanned; we pretty much decide where to stay late each afternoon, and typically move on after one or two nights. Everything our family of four needs is carried by the D3, either inside or on the roof rack. Fully loaded, the D3 might surprise many, as it looks a lot less ‘loaded’ than many other 4x4s, yet has everything a family needs for four days of remote bush camping. There are a few tricks to the packing, and I’ll share some here.
First up is buy all your gear from hiking shops, because that’s where you’ll find the lightest, smallest and best quality kit as every gram counts when on foot, whereas car people tend not to care. But you should, because weight and bulk add up. For example, down sleeping bags are warmer and compress more tightly than polyester bags, and quality inflatable mats pack down smaller than cheap self-inflators. Two, or even three small hiking stoves work very well and give you more space, better than lugging around a huge gas BBQ with a heavy gas pot. You probably don’t really need that big, heavy director’s camp chair – a smaller, simpler, lighter one often works well. Modern LED battery-powered camp lights are small and light, so ditch the big, bulky 12v electrics. Hikers also have collapsible buckets and dual-purpose cutlery, again cutting the weight and bulk. Take this minimisation approach throughout your gear and it’s amazing how you can cut the bulk and the weight.
SPEC
Make: Discovery 3
Mileage: 82,745
MPG: 23.3
Recent costs: Nil
Arrived: March 2012
You can read more about this Discovery in the March 2014 issue of 4×4 Magazine – available here
