Coming soon: What tools to take?

Have you ever wondered what kind of tools you should pack into your tool bag when getting ready to set off to your overlanding trip. As you know I am still blogging dispite being home in Switzerland and there is a series on this blog called THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY, the GBUs of the blue truck. I am telling you what of my construction has worked well, what didn't and what I wouldn't do the same way next time. 

And soon I will tell you about what tools I took along, most of it I did not use, being and engineer by trade I would still not leave with less... 

At the beginning I have used a hard back toolbox, which eventually I have replaced by a soft bag. Not as practical to be organized but much more efficient when it comes to space management. 

And than, have you ever wondered what the blue truck looks like now? Here are some pictures out of my workshop. 

All the furniture and installations are removed for detailed cleaning.

Looks kind of spacey in here. 

Plumbing of the water system and heat exchanger is still in excellent conditions. I have used stainless steel plumbing for fresh water and aluminum tubes for the engine radiator water going to the heat exchanger which was installed at the left hand side. The picture is facing fwd through the rear doors.

My living room furniture.

If you would like to know more about the construction of the blue truck and how it all came about please visit my gallery HERE. 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A New Serie

As my trip is nearing it's end, I thought I share some information for those that are about to start their's. Here comes a new serie for the overlander. GBU: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the blue truck. Are you getting ready to prepare your car or truck for a larger trip? This is a guide to copy the good and, even more important not to make the same mistake I've made already.

o.k., o.k., I won't tell you how to do this, 'cause I am still working on that part myself.

In this new serie I will share some of the modifications I have done to my truck, things that have proven good, not so or even worse, that I would not do again. Things I bought, things I would not buy again and I will also let you know things that I would do different if I was to start all over again with getting my truck ready for a trip of over 4 years. Which I must admit, I did not plan. When I prepared the Toyota for my trip on the Americas I expected to travel for some one and a half, maximum two years, by now I am just ending the fourth heading into the fith year on the road.

But I'll tell you about that. The floor panel, an important part of your travelling vehicle, since you will attach most of the equipment that goes in your car on it. At least I did, because I do not like drilling holes in the original structure of my truck.

So, I will be working on some posts for the new GBU, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly serie and soon you'll find a link on the left hand menu on the blog that will take you exactly there, to those coming posts.

Rooftop tent vs. pop-up modification. You'll soon read about it on the GBU's of the blue truck.

Meanwhile if you want to see what I did and how the truck looked some years ago when I was working on it, click HERE to get to the photo gallery with comments on each picture.

All you really need for a bathroom, the OMG shower. 

So, if you are working on your future travelling car, or if you are not but interested what it would be like to do so, come back soon and read about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the blue truck.

Do you remember...

...this?

That was some time ago after I have covered roughly 18'000 kilometers travelling in America. It took many more kilometers until the blue truck was as good at counting "...123..." again, check this out : 

Do you want to see more of what kilometers covered with the blue truck look like?

`

Ever since I hit the road, starting my trip with the blue truck, I have pressed the shutter of my digicam, everytime...

...the odometer recoreded another 1'000 kilometers more, whether ugly...

...beautiful or...

...just long streches of road, you can see all those pictures HERE!

Enjoy!

The blue truck 4 years ago

It was in March 2010 when the blue truck got its roof chopped off at ORB in Thun...

...while I was working on...

...the floor panel with all the mounting rails...

...for the interior.

Interested in more details of the mods done to my Toyota? Visit the THE photo gallery.

A blue truck for beginners

And yes, this is actually a Land Cruiser by design.

You Don't Feel Like Waiting?

You don't want to wait until the Dakar pictures have finished up-loading? 

You want to see serious off-road pictures now?

Visit my German blog for a series of blue truck pictures or go directly to the Photo Gallery "The blue truck on the road" for hundreds more and come along on a bumpy ride. 

Dakar pictures are coming sooner or later nontheless.

There is a First for Everything

Heading from Asuncion, Paraguay towards Salta Argentina the blue truck was running hot for the first time ever.

We have come across millions of butterflies, which eventually...

...closed up the radiator air intake entirely. So you can't really blame the old Toyota for feeling a little heated up.  

After having cleaned out those suicidal insects it was running like a pro again, at ideal engine temperatures. 

Finally!

Finally, after almost three years on the road and a year of workshop time before that, the blue truck "business" cards are in the making.  -  Are you gonna be the first one I meet on my trip to get one?

Wanna see all the ones that got handwritten unique ones? - Click HERE to Meet And Greet the Roadies.

100'000 Thank You's!

Thank you!

 

THANKS!

Thank you for having been one of the over 100'000 clicks on either my english or german blog since I started blogging and travelling in fall 2010. Or one of over 180'000 visitors on the on-line Photo-Galleries. Thank you for hopping aboard the blue truck for a while and cruising along with me in the old Toyota. 

Cruising along in the blue truck

For the coming days you can join me on looking in the rear view mirror for a while on my german blog, come along and see where the blue truck brought us to during the past 34 months. Or come back soon to my english blog, right here to see some statistics in the up-coming posts. Which blog post is the most visited, which one the fastest climbing up the stats on popularity? How many flat tires? How many light bulbs replaced? 

THANK YOU! - GREAT HAVING YOU ABORAD! 

The blue truck on the road

The photo gallery with the transformation of a Land Cruiser Troopy to the blue truck is still your 

favorite and most visted of all the blue truck photo galleries. 

And since the readers of the blue truck blog seem to love to watch pictures of my Land Cruiser...

...there is now an up-date in progress of the photo gallery...

THE BLUE TRUCK ON THE ROAD.

You'll find pictures of the blue truck in the Andes...

...on small roads...

...lonley...

...in the desert...

...or at the edge.

Enjoy!

The Blue Truck Or The Blue Taxi?

What do you think? Do I need to rename the blue truck? Even more than in other latin american countries the blue truck has become a taxi here in the Andes of Peru. 

Once I have taken a young woman with here huge package hidden in colourful handwoven fabrics on her back. When she asked to get off, she unpacked the package a 25 liter plastic barrel was hidden in there. She told me to get a cup and poured some fresh cow milk in my cup. She said that it was very good and healthy for me. I did take a couple of sips, but must admit I did not like the cow warm drink too much. I waited until she packed her load on her back again and waived me good by from a little side track going to a small group of houses. I took another sip, still did not like it too much. Climbing up on the seat of the Toyota heading South without having finished my cup of milk.

Another time I took an old couple. They squeezed on the seat with many bags and packs on there knees. After we took off I noticed a very strong, goaty smell and thought, holy sh... this woman is smelling strong. Not long and the bag that touched my knee a little bit, since the cockpit of the blue truck was well loaded, started moving, a little head of a baby sheep or Alapaca streched out of the bag. The lady tenderly stroke over the head while the baby animal was making its neck as long as it could to see something out of the windshield. The woman was smilling at me, kind of getting my approval for having her little animal with her. I smiled back. The old couples eyes were focused on the screen of the GPS where they were totally fascinated that the little TV knew us, showing us as a little blue arrow in the landscape. They asked how it worked, but as I mentioned the word satelite it was all over their faces that they had no idea about it. I explained it was an electronic map, that would guide us through the landscape. They were hooked to the little screen for the next hour until they got off. 

Many more interesting encounters with locals in Peru that took a seat on the passangers side in the blue truck. Soon I will be heading to Bolovia. Let's see if I get as many passangers as in Peru.

Surrounded by German Boxers

Even when surrounded by two Generations of German Boxers, the blue truck feels quite at home at Hitchhikers Hostel in Lima, Peru.

Still Need A Little More Practice

Hey my Toyotero Overlander friends, try this: 

Source: Zeit Online

Source: Zeit Online

Source: Zeit Online

Source: Zeit Online

Source: Zeit Online

Source: Zeit Online

  

Source: Zeit Online

Apparently a new hobby of Saudi Kids, called Sidewall Skiing, click here to read an article in German in Zeit Online.

To see Toyotas I have seen on my trip, mostly on four wheels, click here.