What I have already thought of is detailed below, most of which I have already bought (and linked to my choice, just for your interest of course) but I am sure I will have forgotten about something. So use the comments box and advise me!
*** Snow Chains
As I am driving in March and driving across several countries where they are a legal requirement (some all year round, some only between November and the end of March) I have had to buy some snow chains. I have already got some for Thomas and am waiting for Julian to get back from the garage so I can buy them for him.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pair-Snow-Chains-Husky-16mm/dp/B0055UBP7W/
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| The snow chains I bought |
As above there are certain countries where it is a legal requirement (specifically Germany and Romania) to have snow tires on your vehicle. I am going to get this sorted out when both vehicles go for their MOTs which are shortly before we depart.
*** compressor
In case of a flat tire, particularly if it is a slow, I have bought myself a high specification compressor which can cope with the larger tires on Thomas and the pressure required on Julian. It attaches to the main battery terminals and is very very good indeed. I have used it a number of times already and it puts air in the tires quicker than any other I've ever used.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000W08QZY/
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| The compressor |
Again for such a long journey it is important to have a jump start kit in case you become unable to start your vehicles. Most of these jump start kits are rubbish but, after a lot of research, I found this one which is heavy duty and should carry enough charge to help out even if both Thomas and Julian had a problem.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004M3V8X4/
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| The jump start kit |
We are going to take about seven days for our journey and will be staying in Julian at night. A lot of my worldly belongings will be contained in the trailer attached to Thomas. I am a little concerned, to say the least, about it being easy for someone to come along and unhitch the trailer and tow it away in the night. To stop this happening I have bought a lock which goes over the hitch and means it cannot be easily unattached.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Streetwize-swtt114-Coupling-caravan-lock/dp/B002WBJYUC/
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| The hitch lock |
The previous item will stop the trailer being unhitched and pulled away from our camping sites however what is to stop someone from cutting the tarpaulin and removing things that way. I have bought two of these little vibration alarms which are normally used to stop a motorbike being tampered with. If anyone should take too great an interest in the trailer a very loud alarm will sound, scaring them away and alerting me to their presence.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007FD1XAQ/
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| Vibration alarm |
*** european travel kit
One thing you must be aware of when planning a trip like this is there are very different requirements for gear which you must carry at all times (separate to that which becomes mandatory in the winter). You can buy ready made kits from various places, cheapest being on eBay. I am not purchasing this until much closer to the time, unless one of the countries changes something shortly before I leave.
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| What you need in a european travel kit |
You normally get these bundled with the travel kit, but I have decided to get myself one earlier, as I do a lot of driving. I'll have one of these in each vehicle.
*** multi adaptor for cigarette lighter
A simple thing, but really important. I have the satnav, my mobile phone, charger for the walkie talkie and the iPod to attach to the 9v in Thomas, and there will be equivalent in Julian too. These fit very simply to the dash board or like I have can be wedged into a gap so they don't vibrate and rattle. As I am a bit strange I also bought some little sticky backed cable guides and have superglued them (yes, the sticky back is rubbish!) up and round the inside of Thomas so that all the cables are tidy and don't get caught in anything.
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| Multi cigarette lighter adaptor |
This is something which I am building up as I go, as I don't have a car based toolkit at all at the moment. A couple of things which I have bought already include WD40 (for spraying on the ratchet straps to make sure they are easy to undo when the time comes) and a multi-pack of ratchet spanners, which I can use to take the back off Thomas and turn him into a real pick up truck, should I need to. I will also need a torch. Any other ideas for kit I should pack, please note it down below?
*** two way radios
This is a luxury item but I also think it'll make the whole journey much more enjoyable. I have bought a cheap set of walkie talkies so we can have one in Julian and one in Thomas. This way we can talk without incurring massive telephone bills and, if one of us gets lost, for example by being left at a set of lights, it will be easy to contact the other and ask them to wait. We can also pretend to be in the army and have a laugh with them :)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003Z11QTA/
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| Walkie Talkies |
This last item is both for the journey, and also to tide me over when I arrive. I will want to be updating this blog every evening on the journey, and I'm sure my parents will also both want to do things online on the evening. A Mifi is the perfect solution for this in that it allows up to 8 devices to connect to it using wifi, and takes a standard SIM card which it connects to the internet over 3G or 4G. I picked one which was unlocked so I can put any SIM in it as we're dashing across Europe.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Huawei-E5331-Speed-21-1Mbps-Unlocked/dp/B00ARFVTKS
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| The MiFi I bought |
Cheers
I know this is probably an obvious one and already in your list, but what about a car jack to lift up the car/trailer etc if u are changing a tyre?
ReplyDeleteAhh yeah, I have them with the vehicles already :) though you are correct; I forgot to list that I was thinking of getting a more substantial one which would cope with a fully laden vehicle :)
DeleteTools. A good socket set with extender bars, etc would pay its way now and forever more. A hammer is always handy! A cheap multimeter to diagnose any electrical faults. Spare fuses for the vehicles. A pair of coveralls for that roadside wheel change! Also a box of latex gloves - handy for diesel filling as well - for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteAnd a healthy dose of chutzpah!
Brilliant thank you :) I knew I could rely on you...
DeleteDo you have any solar powered chargers. Perhaps not useful for the journey but in the future?
ReplyDeleteI had one for when I went to Thailand but it broke :/ I was talking to the specialist who came to look at Julian and he suggested that. We agreed it may be a bit over the top. Certainly am looking at solar power for the actual house though :)
DeleteLarge snow spade for just in case you get utterly stuck in snow despite the chains and snow tyres.
ReplyDeleteThank you - excellent point :) and will be useful for clearing the balcony when I am living there...
DeleteFood. You will need food. And water. Consider yourself advised. ;)
ReplyDelete