Get an Earth Roamer (http://www.earthroamer.com/model-overview/).
A bit left field but absolutely brilliant is the trusty old 2CV. Probably the car that's been more places than any other, ever.
Honda Element with a platform on top. . Unfortunately 2012 was the last model year for the Element.
Subaru Forester & a tent?
Honda Element with a platform on top. . Unfortunately 2012 was the last model year for the Element.
I love the platform idea.
Funny... they've been doing this very thing in South Africa for over 25 years (the roof home).
Never seen a Volvo Laplander until a few seconds ago. Those are REALLY cool!
Look in here (http://www.yotatech.com/f2/show-me-your-safari-rack-your-3rd-gen-4runner-158095/) at about post 18. That's the kind of rack I'm thinking about. Something to sleep on, not in and a platform to set up a tripod.
Peter, that's a good list! Very similar to the requirements I was searching for. I guess there is no perfect vehicle but some are definately better than others.
I do use an Engle cooler in my van
Van is also not too secure. I had wanted something with a real trunk then decided I could just make a box that's going to be really hard to get into and mount that in the van. When I'm hiking, I store stuff in the "lock box". Safe from smash and grabbers but not going to stop a serious crook with time at the remote locations I'm usually at..
I just want to get in go on the cheap.Used Sprinters are out there. Fifteen large would get you a reliable ride and you'd never pay for a motel again. They are a bit of a princess, though. The older ones are better, but the current models are loaded with drivetrain management computers, anti-pollution junk and tons of stuff nobody can fix unless they have the proper diagnostic tools. Something to think about when you're parked somewhere miles from anywhere else.
Spare parts and service could be a problem in remote areas. Where does my sleeping bag fit, and where do I lock up my cameras?
Never seen a Volvo Laplander until a few seconds ago. Those are REALLY cool!Used one at work. Oilthirsty little beast.
There's no perfect vehicle, but there is a perfect vehicle for you. (and me, since you agree with my list) There's just not one perfect vehicle that suits everybody.
I wore out three Asstros and two E250s before I finally found the perfect vehicle for landscape photography. : ) It just wasn't available back then. But it is now. It's a European LCV "Light Commercial Vehicle" made by Mercedes Benz. The Sprinter carries Dodge badging, but it's a Merc, through and through.
You get a lovely little five-hole diesel and a six-speed tranny that combine to deliver great performance and nearly 30 miles per USG, if you treat it really nicely. It has really long legs. I can easily go a thousand kilometers (600 miles) on a tank.
It has quite high ground clearance and the view out the windshield is without peer, and that's the point, isn't it?
Maybe best feauture of all, you can stand up and walk around inside. Six feet of headroom. Imagine!
You can see it in this thread:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=73877.0
and you can learn all about them here:
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/index.php
On my list. So far, I just use a very well insulated ice box, but I can see the need. Being able to make ice would be a good thing, especially on those summer evenings in the desert.
Always a problem. I hate even leaving it for a minute, especially in urban areas. I trust that the kind of people that frequent the remote sites are honest. Elsewhere, there's nothing much you can do, other than get a really big, loud dog. Fortunately, people seem to ignore me. I've slept in some pretty weird places in cities and it seems you're just invisible.
Used Sprinters are out there. Fifteen large would get you a reliable ride and you'd never pay for a motel again. They are a bit of a princess, though. The older ones are better, but the current models are loaded with drivetrain management computers, anti-pollution junk and tons of stuff nobody can fix unless they have the proper diagnostic tools. Something to think about when you're parked somewhere miles from anywhere else.
I'm off to the desert with two new cameras and two new lenses in about a month. Can't wait.
This is what works for me.
What do you carry for camera gear and your average weekend road trip? I've been trying to consolidate a little but haven't consolidated enough yet. Now if I had a Sprinter... I might not have to consolidate! (-:}
Everything is a compromise, but a truck camper maybe the best of the lot.
One thing I noticed in another post was a vehicle project with a vehicle that had advertising graphics on the side. That may well be necessary for that person's work, but I wouldn't recommend that...
$30K for the truck and another $20K for the camper was too steep for me, even if it did have a fridge.
Frito's invisible. Nobody sees us. Nobody cares.
Frito - it's such a friendly name.
... you know that there's a "road" that goes behind the dunes and winds its way over the terrain into the Saline Valley and comes out at the hot springs? Definitely a 4wd road.
My ideal vehicle is no longer made, a VW Syncro:
Watched the latest Top Gear show last night; partly worth watching if you can get beyond the greying juveniles, and you'll see an interesting new Range Rover.
BMW R1200GS Adventure motorcycle. ;D
Actually, it is far from perfect, but it sure makes the trip out there more fun. I ride it when I can.
I think an F800GS is a smarter move. The 1200GS is to me too big. I with they made an 800 airhead.
... new Range Rover. It's rather expensive...
They did make an 800 airhead. In fact, it was the original GS. I owned the R100GS and always wished for the 800. Smoother and without the dreaded Valeo starter.
The Suzuki V-Strom currently fills all my tick-boxes. Huge flat-topped tank for long range and space for a tank bag for the cameras. Excellent rear rack, too.
How many times have you seen a perfect image while driving, only to find that there's absolutely nowhere to pull off the road? A motorcycle on board solves this perfectly.
That'd be a landscape photography support vehicle support vehicle. : )
When I'm traveling, I find motels to be the answer, even if I have to get up early or stay out late. If you're not fussy, you could spend half a year in motels for the cost of $10,000 in mods or upgrades to a stock vehicle, and you would be paying the motel costs over a space (probably) of years, rather than up front.
I was going to put "Pete's Diaper Service" on the side of Frito. Nobody's going to want anything that's in there. :)
Arlon, the diaper bag idea is great. I wonder if it would fool bears as well?
If I don't need a 4X4 vehicle I would buy a VW Jetta wagon with a TDI motor or Audi A3 wagon with TDI motor (I think AWD option is available). Both gets close to 40 miles per gallon of diesel fuel. This may be the perfect photography support vehicle for me...a good combination of utility and fuel economy. I can put a Yakima or Thule roof-mounted hard shell cargo box so I can use the rear seats and truck and sleeping area if I need to resort to car camping.
I believe AWD is not an option with TDI :( OTOH my Jetta Sport Wagon TDI gets about 50 mpg in highway driving. Ground clearance isn't one of its strengths.
... 50 mpg on your Jetta Sport Wagon TDI? Wow!!! That's crazy amazing.
I got similar mileage with a TDI Passat wagon I rented for two weeks. The mileage was so good that at first I thought the car might have a defective fuel gauge!
But no AWD as noted; if only the VW syncro camper would return as a TDI version.
Syncro TDI camper would be awesome :)
Subaru has diesel engines, but only for sale in Japan and Europe. Diesel engines made to the specifications required for clean air regulation states (California) or countries are not so easy to make. I don't know if Subaru engines didn't make the grade, or Subaru had a clean diesel but thought that the US had no interest in such an engine.
Dang, folks! I thought I had a bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, but this automotive stuff is GAS squared. This certainly makes my purchase of a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens (everything else I have is ~ f/4 or slower) seem positively economical.
You are reading one of the stingy, and non-car-obsessed, folks.
... I know that the rest of the world gets to buy Toyota 70 series Landcruisers with diesel engines, but we can't in North America...
...Subaru was going to bring the diesel to the US and I was waiting with check book in hand. Then after a lot of publicity saying it was coming they backed out... )-:}
...
Mercedes Benz UNIMOG modified :) Unbreakable (This is not mine, just an example).
Actually I bought a BmW one series 120D, very eco and easy to drive on big distances (big distances in France are not as big as USA distances !).
(http://img.autojournal.fr/news/2010/05/28/1411576/diaporama/450|300|581a8451c20c7e20a75036a6.jpg)
Which size and type tent did you get and what sort of cross bars did you use? I am considering buying a Forester, and might want to install one of these rooftop tents.
What about old Range Rover? The good thing is the sitting position is quite high so even when the elephant grass gets (almost) as high as the elephants you can still see enough to keep going :-)
Which size and type tent did you get and what sort of cross bars did you use? I am considering buying a Forester, and might want to install one of these rooftop tents.
Nothing wrong with rooftop tentsA big advantage is that you are well above the crocodiles.
A big advantage is that you are well above the crocodiles.
A car roof will hold a static load of much more than it can hold while driving. Under load and at speed it a different set of forces. Fortunately, you won't have the roof tent deployed with one or two sleeping up there while you're driving.
... I also drive a dodge diesel pu a lot. I love that truck but you can't get it within half a mile of any wildlife
That's a great Bald Eagle photo.
Subaru is going to have an XV Crosstrek hybrid vehicle in September. I am not sure how I feel about hybrid and all-wheel drive.
... Hybrids will be much better for photographers in this regard.
The Mercedes Sprinter is still Landscape Photography Suppor Vehicle King, IMHO. Here I am on the Burr Trail last month, browsing the web at 4G on my iPad mini. For landscape photographers, you just can't beat these accommodations. : )
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8675847452_5d2199b5ec_b.jpg)
My month-long, 10,000 km photoadventure took me to six western states. My hotel bill was zero. My fuel bill, however, was non-zero. : ) Even at nearly 30 mpg, I burned a lot of diesel.
All DIY. Probably less than $1K invested in the interior.
100 litres of water, propane stove, icebox, major sound insulation, good stereo, LED lighting, single bunk. Visitors sleep on the floor. : )
This thread on Sprinter-Forum outlines the first steps I took from the bare van.
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14166&highlight=Frito%27s+Bulkhead
It was a noxious environment at first - like driving a circus drum. Now, Frito is Merc quiet. An absolute delight to drive on the open road.
For me it's the one you have, which is currently an '07 Prius. It's been through Death Valley and the Pinnacles several times
Impressive. I turned back from the Pinnacles in my AWD Asstro. Too rough.
For me it's the one you have, which is currently an '07 Prius. It's been through Death Valley and the Pinnacles several times(including Ballarat and the campground above the kilns, the Carrizo Plain, as well as many dirt roads through the Sierras. The first mod I did on the Prius was a skid plate. Camping is always a tent(usually my backpacking one), and try and backpack around 10,000' at least once a year. Nothing like watching the sun come up miles from anywhere and the whole place to yourself.
The last thing I want to do is drag as many trappings of 'civilization' with me as I can into a natural setting.