IT'S A ME - MARIO!
"What vehicle are we going to get?"
"What vehicle are we going to get?"
"What vehicle are we going to get?"
This was the question long-suffering Caroline heard for about 8 months while we were trying to decide what vehicle to do the trip in. We knew there was no perfect solution, at least not without spending about £100,000 on something from Azalai or bimobil. No, whatever we were to get would be a compromise, it was just a case of deciding where the compromise would be.
I'd always dreamt of doing the trip by motorcycle. Proper adventuring, sleeping rough, growing a beard, that sort of thing. Alas, Caroline had other ideas. Her requirements, although limited, were quite specific. Whatever vehicle we took, it needed a fixed bed, a shower and a toilet. Although this precluded the motorcycle option, to be fair, these were very wise requirements.
Taking motorbikes were never really an option - when we had previously toured Europe by bike, we used the long days in the saddle as an excuse to book into 4 and 5 star hotels - but our budget would not stretch to that this time! We then toured the UK with just a small hiking tent as accommodation, which was cosy. However, one night Caroline managed to cocoon herself in the sleeping-bag and woke-up with her face against the side of the tent. Unable to move, she had quite a looney-fit and we decided then she may be a bit claustrophobic.
We had also toured Europe in a VW T4 campervan and done many trips in a Land Rover Defender 110 with a Howling Moon roof-tent. Although being in a vehicle rather than on one removes you from a lot of the smells, sounds and temperatures of the places you pass through, having everything to hand is a great benefit. But we couldn't imagine doing a big trip in a vehicle where you couldn't stand up properly and had to make the bed every night, so we knew we needed to go bigger - which obviously means better! A fixed bed, a shower and a toilet were Caroline's necessities and to that list I added sufficient head room for me (at 6'1'') to stand up properly.
We considered vehicles with pop-top roofs but were concerned about the longevity of the mechanism and the potential lack of security of having a partly fabric roof. Whatever we were going to get, it was going to be tall, probably too tall to go in a shipping container, which would increase shipping costs, but we decided the extra day-to-day comfort would be worth it.
This resulted in us wanting either a panel van converted in to a camper, or full on motorhome. As we were planning on sleeping wherever we could and not wanting to stick out like tourists-on-tour with all our worldly possessions, we decided a converted white panel van would be the way to go. With parts availability, reliability and suitability to rough roads in mind, we soon decided upon a Mercedes Vario van. A long wheelbase version with a high roof would provide us with sufficient room for a fixed bed, kitchen, shower/toilet and seating area. The 6'2" internal width would also give us the opportunity to sleep widthways, if need be.
After months of discounting various Varios, mainly due to cost, high mileage or unsuitable layouts, we finally found Mario, an ex-Heathrow Police van, converted to a camper by a yacht builder. He wasn't perfect, but had potential. Most importantly, he had low mileage - 90,000 miles on the clock, when these vehicles will do 500,000 miles easily - and also a 7.5 ton chassis. This means it can carry a load of 3.5 ton, nowhere near what we would be loading it with, so it wouldn't be too stressed on bad roads. It also had an air-brake, so we can go PU-SSSCHT to announce our arrival - proper trucking! A deal was done and it was ours. Finally the dream was to become a reality - after a year of umming and ahhing, WE HAD BOUGHT A VAN!
All the basics for the living area were in the vehicle, but were not ideal for what we wanted. A list of jobs was drawn up to include:
- Reduce the size of the sitting area, which was basically just a single bed. This would allow us to
- Move and rebuild the kitchen area, which would allow us to
- Extended the bed area to take a super king size mattress (this may seem excessive, but we already had the bed, so were simply going to stick the mattress in the van - this would also give us the choice of sleeping in any direction on the mattress, so uneven ground would be less of a problem)
- Lower the bed area for more headroom so we can comfortably sit-up in bed
- Build a partition with lockable door between the cab and the living area. This was for extra security, but also to keep heat from the cab (which is a greenhouse) away from the living area.
These were the main jobs needed to rearrange the interior, but we also planned on upgrading the electrical charging systems, replacing the fridge with a more efficient one, replacing the shower and water boiler and adding a big winch on the front! The thought behind the winch was that it could get us unstuck or help others we may come across - but basically, it will look cool!
In total the work carried out between April and May 2014 was:
Move kitchen, build partition and cabin door, fit generator, move and enlarge bed, fit new fridge, fit new gas system, fit new sink, fit SOG filter to toilet, fit mains charger and 24v to 12v battery-to-battery charger, fit inverter, rebuild seating area and have cushions made, fit winch, replace boiler and keep original as spare, fit new shower and tray, fit water purifier, replace water pump and keep original as spare, fit dash-cam and reverse camera, fit CB, upgrade stereo and speakers, fit reverse / work light and reversing buzzer, fit new rear lights, replace horn, replace floor, ceiling and wall coverings, fit blinds and fans to roof lights, fit fan to cab, upgrade interior lights to LEDS and replace engine batteries.
At this point I must give a special mention to John & Geraldine, parents of my good friend Kev. They generously allowed me to keep Mario on their farm while I did the work. As if this wasn't enough, everyday Geraldine would bring me tea and delicious home made cakes to keep me going. I was very well looked after! The benefit of doing the build in a field means should - or when - something goes wrong, at least internally, hopefully I'll be able to sort it.
We also bought spares for the starter motor, alternator, brake compressor, brake pads, loads of filters, fan belt and a spare spare wheel - just in case!
It was then a case of getting a full service and new MOT, sorted by the excellent Emlyn Hughes (not that one) in Welland, near Malvern - a very good recommendation by Kev's Dad, John. Emlyn, who has a Vario as a works van, went over Mario and sorted anything he thought may cause problems, and also gave us advice on what to look out for. He even gave us his mobile number and said to ring anytime if we had any problems!
Next was a shake-down trip to Scotland to test all the living area and systems, and meet up with the lovely Mike and Maria in beautiful Inverness. This went very well, everything worked as we hoped but we came back with a list of "tweaks" to make day-to-day life easier. These done, Mario was set for his big adventure!
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