Bilbo the Land Cruiser
Our car, a Land Cruiser 76 Station Wagon, already had some useful modifications on board. Firstly, there is an OME-suspension, a drawer system, a pull-out for a fridge, a large fuel tank, and finally a roof rack.
We deliberately chose a 4-door wagon over the long 2-door Troopy, Land Cruiser 78. The two extra doors allow us to reach our luggage more comfortably and stow it differently.
When we had found the right Land Cruiser, we decided to travel separately.
Guido still organized the various conversions and modifications from Switzerland. He traveled to Namibia twelve days earlier to take over the car, to register it and to have it modified for the trip.
Sonja used the remaining time before she left to clear the external rooms in Schaffhausen and to do the necessary things at home.
Bilbo gets the travel conversion
In Windhoek, everything went smoothly. We chose the Offroad Center in Windhoek as our Company for the conversion! Christian Heydenreich and his crew were the perfect choice. The communication was already perfect in the run-up and all conversion work was done to our complete satisfaction and within the agreed time.
We can recommend Christian without reservation! Among other things, the back seat was removed and a platform was installed. Thanks to several airline rails, we can lash all things dirt road-proof. We have also installed an intelligent power solution. This allows us to connect a mobile 180 watt solar panel in addition to an external 220V connection. This way, we should never run out of power for the utilities while we are in one place for a longer time.
In the dashboard of the vehicle, all relevant things can be charged via 12V and USB ports. In addition, we have a built-in inverter to charge, for example, the MacBook with 220 V connection while driving. Things like a fixed LED work light in the rear and a good quality roof tent complete the conversions. An external compressor and sand plates are obligatory helpers while driving in the sand more often.
The final equipment of our Land Cruiser 76
Finally, we have a capacity 160 liters of diesel and 95 liters of drinking water. For longer stays we supplement the water supply with 5 liter canisters from the supermarket.
Guido added boxes, chairs, table and whatever else was needed within one week at various stores like Bushwhackers and Cymot. The Land Cruiser was ready as planned one day before Sonja’s arrival, freshly filled with diesel and stocked with all imaginable food, to take us through our adventure.
