Overland Journey

Here is another sweet Tray Top Camper from Australia. Sure wish we could get more of these options in the US.

Footage of the latest Heaslip Slide-on Camper trailer taken at the Queensland Caravan and Camping Show 2008. www.welovethiscountry.com.au

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Magellan Announces Exclusive Sponsorship of Geocaching.com’s 2010 Cache In Trash Out (CITO) Events

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (March 22, 2010) Magellan, a leading GPS brand, today announced the launch of the Magellan eXplorist GC, the first dedicated GPS device for geocaching that includes out-of-the-box paperless geocaching, pre-loaded with the most popular geocaches in the world, a brilliant color screen, rich graphics and an easy to use interface all packed into a rugged and waterproof device, that connects seamlessly to http://www.geocaching.com. The Magellan eXplorist GC will ship in April.

Geocaching is a high-tech version of a “treasure hunt,” where adventure seekers use GPS technology to hide and find physical objects, solve location-based puzzles, and share experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people of all ages and promotes a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

The Magellan eXplorist GC GPS receiver is made exclusively for geocaching with an intuitive interface and the ability to sort and search thousands of geocaches. The device has multiple fun and familiar graphics, such as smiley faces for logs and merit-based awards to show off your geocaching expertise.

“Magellan, a leader in GPS and navigation for more than 20 years, is pleased to introduce a dedicated GPS device for geocaching that exceeds the expectations of both novice and seasoned geocachers,” said Justin Doucette, Director, Outdoor Product Marketing for Magellan. “The Magellan eXplorist GC offers an amazing geocaching experience that includes a full end-to-end solution, from accessing geocaching.com to finding hidden treasures all around you to documenting your adventures and sharing with a growing user community of enthusiasts.”

Powered by two AA batteries, the device can provide up to 18 straight hours of outdoor adventure along with a highly-sensitive SiRFstarIII GPS chipset that provides 3-meter accuracy. Geocachers can easily mark finds and quickly add field notes. Additionally, the product comes pre-loaded with common outdoor GPS features such as waypoint creation, a worldwide basemap, active tracking and trip odometer.

The Magellan eXplorist GC GPS device will be introduced at an M.S.R.P. of $199.99. The unit will ship with a USB cable and 2 lithium disposable AA batteries. With the purchase of a Magellan eXplorist GC GPS device customers will receive a 30-day free premium membership to http://www.geocaching.com. Details and conditions of this offer are available at http://www.magellangps.com/exploristgc.

Magellan, the exclusive 2010 sponsor of Geocaching.com’s Cache In Trash Out (CITO), will host a CITO event in the San Francisco Bay Area in the month of April. CITO is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community, dedicated to cleaning up parks and other cache-friendly places around the world to help preserve the natural beauty of our outdoor resources. Details will be available soon at http://www.magellangps.com.

Units for review can be obtained by emailing rfinelli@magellangps.com

About MiTAC Digital Corporation
MiTAC Digital Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation and promotes and sells products and services under the Magellan brand name. Magellan assists people to travel, work and play their way with leading portable navigation and positioning solutions across multiple consumer markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the company is the producer of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate, and Maestro series portable car navigation systems, as well as the Magellan Triton outdoor handheld navigation devices. MiTAC Digital Corporation is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information on Magellan, visit http://www.magellangps.com.

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For years I have been in search of a really tough expedition type cell phone- The Perfect Expedition Phone.  I have used several phones, including some of the greatest smart phones out there. I have made several trips using the Google Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Blackberry Pearl, Casio, and many more. I wanted a phone that could handle all the weather, dirt, debris, and water I manage to find. While I was down in Baja, I filled my phone with sand while on the beach. Sure was fun spending time removing all that! While in Iceland, I managed to have several close calls while playing around in their many waterfalls.

I am sure you have had similar situations. I wanted a phone that I didnt have to worry about. I also wanted a phone that had a great battery life. What good is a mobile phone if your always in search of a plug in because the battery is dead. The new Samsung B2100 is what I found. It has a great battery life. It can easily go a week between charges.

Why The B2100

No doubt about it, there are some nice phones out there. Smartphones are nice, but too delicate and ridiculous lack of battery life. All those cool toys come at a price-SHORT battery life. Casio G shock phones would be a great option, but they chose to go with Verizon. Big mistake in my opinion. Due to Verizon network, these are not usable in most parts of the world. I didn’t want a flip phone, as the hinge can be a weak link. So a candy bar phone, Quad band capable, waterproof, with bluetooth. That makes your choices very limited. That is when I found the Samsung B2100 Xplorer.

Samsung B2100 Explorer was released after an endurance test standard IP54 (International Protection Rating). This means that Samsung B2100 resistant to invasion of dust and spray water. For the water, dipped B2100 Xplorer hold for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.

It features:
- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz)
- 7 MB internal memory expandable upto 8 GB via microSD

- GPRS, EDGE,Bluetooth
- 1.3 MP camera
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- Noise cancellation with dedicated microphone
- Flashlight with dedicated key
- MP3/e-AAC+/WMA/WAV player
- MPEG4/3GP/M4V player
- Voice memo
- Stopwatch
- T9

I did a quick video, kinda just playing with this new toy I found call Jing. Anyway, check it out. It really is a great phone for basic Overland communications.

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While shopping around Home Depot the other day I found some very cost effective overland storage bins. I got wind of these on another site, but didnt think there would be any left. They are manufactured by Best Plastics and only sold through Home Depot. They are called the Strong Box.  It was sure nice that the colors matched The Badlander too! They came in at just under $12 each. I promise you for what they are, they are very durable. I tested them out, loaded them, dropped them from the top of The Badlander, stacked them, strapped them, etc. I even sprayed them with water. Although they ARE NOT waterproof, no water entered during the water test. I am impressed at the amount of space you get for $12. They are 27 gallons of beautiful overland storage capacity. They stack nicely and actually lock into each other. You can even mount them lid to lid and they stack lock. They have 3 slits on each side so you can run straps through and tighten them down. They claim to be able to load up to 750lbs. I did NOT test this, and honestly, I kinda doubt it. I did load one half full with ammo. It was super heavy, and more than you would want to load into during an overland trip. It held together just fine.

This lids have a grid design that really helps with sturdiness. The bottom and walls of the container are designed with similar grids to help strengthen the unit. My only concern, since I wasn’t able to get a hold of the company, is whether they hold up to UV. Mine will be mounted on the roof rack, and I just want to make sure they will hold up over the years to come.

If you are in the market for  cost effective storage containers that would work for overlanding or around the house, these are it!

Here are a few more pics:

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I have been on the search for a heavy duty radio to handle the rigors of travel in the Badlander. There are not many out there, but more are coming on the market. My favorite so far is by Clarion. I found this one on a recent boating trip with a friend. I was impressed at the quality build. I also like the bigger buttons in case I have gloves on. It was easy to opperate and navigate through the options. The screen is a little small, but no big deal. The only concern one might have is mounting. If you are limited on dash space, this can be an issue. It fits in a regular stereo slot, but the larger front face might cause a fitment problem. We got it wet and it held up just fine! If you are in the market for a weather-proof radio, give this one a good long look.

Here are the dimensions:

Clarion’s Description
Watertight Marine DVD/CD/USB Receiver / CeNET Control

3.5″ Monitor for Comfortable Viewing The large 3.5″ monitor allows easy viewing of a variety of digital audio/video sources. Playback and enjoy DVDs, DivX encoded discs, as well as iPod Video. Enjoy the latest wave in marine entertainment — the same digital sources you like to enjoy on land! * To connect iPod, please use the USB cable included in your iPod. For video playback , optional CCA723 cable required Please see the Clarion website for iPod models that can be connected. Comprehensive Audio and Video Entertainment CMV1 is Clarions first model in the marine category to offer visual entertainment capabilities. It is compatible with a wide array of formats such as DVD and DivX for audiovisual, and WMA/AAC and MP3 for your audio pleasure. Its able to offer a comprehensive AV entertainment experience.

24-bit D/A Converter for Richer Natural Sound Whereas the digital realm is made up of unnaturally square sound waves, Clarions 24-bit D/A converter takes digital signals and recreates the smoothly undulating sound waves characteristic of the real-world environment.

BBE® MP for Better Sounding MP3/WMA/AAC Files BBE MP (Minimized Polynomial Non-Linear Saturation) Process improves digitally compressed sound such as MP3/ WMA/AAC by restoring the harmonics that are lost through compression, thereby reproducing the warmth, details and nuances that you would otherwise miss. BBE MP enhanced harmonics even serve to make regular CDs sound better.

features •
1. DVD-Video/DVD±R/DVD±RW/CD-DA/CD-R/RW and DivX® Ready •
2. MP3, WMA and iTune® AAC Compatible with ID3-TAG Display • Official DivX Certified product •
3. Plays all versions of DivX video (including DivX 6) with standard playback of DivX media files •
4. 18 FM/ 6 AM Presets •
5. USB Audio for iPod (Rear) •
6. 24-Bit D/A Converter •
7. BBE MP for Compressed Audio Sound Improvement •
8. Watertight Flip-down control panel with 3.5-inch TFT Color LCD Monitor • SAT Ready •
9. 6ch RCA Audio Output, and 2 Video Outputs •
10. RCA Video Input •
11. 50W x 4 Built-in Amplifier •
12. Built-in IR Eye •
13. Bluetooth® Interface Ready (Optional BLT370) •
14. Meets ASTM B117 (Salt/Fog Exposure) •
15. Meets ASTM D4329 (UV Exposure) •
16. HumiSeal Coated PCB •
17. Sealed Stainless Steel Chassis •
18. iPod Video Control (Optional CCA723) •
19. Fixed Audio Output •
20. New Wired Remote Control (Optional MW1/2) Ready •
21. Sirius SSP Direct Connection •
22. XM Satellite Radio Ready •
23. Wireless Remote Included

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I am a big fan of Eezi Awn products. They do great work. The new 2009 tent trailer, called the Globe Trotter, is no exception to their quality. Manufactured of heavy duty ripstop canvas double stitched throughout and stretched onto powder coated steel bows which are fixed to an imported polyurethane coated plyboard with anodised aluminium hardware and stainless steel hinges. Unique in design – step up into the bedroom section from inside the tent.

• Features include:
  A bag awning (attached to the front profile of the trailer tent) which extends 1500mm.
• A thick high density foam mattress with cover (85mm) made with South African Bureau of Standards conformed fabrics.
• Suspended flysheet of lightweight reinforced PVC.
  A zip-up window along the full length of the tent with sewn
  in flymesh and privacy panel.
• Side windows and zip-up privacy panels with sewn in Mosquito nets.
• Unique internal bungy mechanism to aid opening and closing of rooftent.
• Two elongated internal storage pockets.
• Large clip on add-a-room manufactured of heavy duty ristop fabric includes a rear panel and groundsheet, with a full opening weather proof window and mosquito net to door opening. The Add-a-room and groundsheet comes complete in a sturdy canvas storage bag.
• Anodised aluminium ladder.
• Heavy duty reinforced PVC rain/dust proof travel cover with quick release ratchet assist closing mechanism.
• Manufactured to suit trailers with heights from 1500mm and up.

Here are the dimensions:

Sizes Closed:
2100 (L) x 1500 (W) x 185mm (H)
Open: Sleeps 3
2100 (L) x 1500 (W) x 1500mm (H)
Add-a-room: Sleeps 2
2100 (L) x 1400 (W)
Weight:
Approx. 50Kg

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This product has the potential to launch the new epic for the auto-home world.

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Tim Dennis and his RamblingRat Overland Expedition puts Cooper Tires through its paces along Canadian gravel roads in remote Newfoundland. Tim uses Cooper S/T Tires supplied by John Cradocks in Cannock UK.

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Open Sky Rooftop Tents and Awnings are built strong and sturdy while offering one of the best prices on the market. The Bushranger Blue Gum Inflatable Tent is strong, simple and easy to use with a quality that you can rely on.

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Now having hot water while on your next adventure travels might be just the ticket to convince the wife to come along. I must admit, I purchase several items “for my wife” only to find that I like it just as much. Constant supply of hot water would be just such an item. So if you are planning your next expedition trailer build the ultimate Unimog camper, tankless hot water heaters should be at the top of the list. Here is some info I found on one that runs off a 12 volt system.

“The Eccotemp L5 tankless propane water heater is ideal for portable use.   It includes a gas hose and regulator to connect to a 10 or 20 pound BBQ type LP bottle.  The intake adapter connects to a standard garden hose.  It works great with a 12 volt demand pump when a pressurized water source is not available.  Two “D” cell batteries provide automatic ignition, so no wasted gas on pilot lights.  Burners come on when water flow starts and turn off when the water is shut off.  Multi pattern shower nozzle with on / off gives you control while showering.

Delivering up to 1.5 gallons per minute of continuous hot water, the L5 is perfect for camping, houseboats, RV’s, expedition vehicles, food concession, pet grooming, washing off by the pool or hot tub, emergency use and cabins.”

MORE INFO HERE!

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