OK you saw the pictures of the truck and trailer so it has probably crossed your mind… “Did Markus pack enough stuff for 3 or 4 months of life on the road in our wide brown land?”
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In answer to your question let me say “Only the essentials!” Our Odyssey camper comes complete with queen size inner spring mattress (we added a memory foam topper), gas hot water service, stainless steel kitchen, 3 burner stove, fridge/freezer, ensuite bathroom, solar panels and 2 large batteries to run everything. I installed a diesel cabin heater to keep my lady cosy on the chilly evenings. A quick scan of the extra contents reveals a second fridge (for the beer and all those fish I intend to catch), lots of food & a range of beverages to aid relaxation, dining chairs & table, reclining camp chairs, a pair of folding bicycles & helmets, snorkelling gear, lots of fishing gear, a generator, off road recovery equipment, spare parts, tools, air compressor, 2 spare wheels, maxtracks, the BBQ, a camp oven, a portable spit roaster, 2 cameras & lenses, tripod, small video camera, 12v TV & outback arial, sand flag, winch, shovel, inflatable boat, 15 HP outboard, life jackets & navigation lights, GPS gear, night vision equipment, heat beads, fire starters, chainsaw, first aid, a professional stunt kite (no I am not kidding), a compound hunting bow with arrows, 2 laptops, iPad, iPhones and a satellite phone, maps, tour books, binoculars, 2 fire extinguishers, 2 way radio kits, espresso machine & coffee grinder.
As you can see I have packed the bare minimum in keeping with my minimalist approach to most things! Can’t really understand though why the back of my Land rover is sitting a little lower than usual? I suspect it is that portable yoghurt maker and hair dryer that Virginia brought with us.
As we drove through Warrnambool I noticed a sign saying “public weigh bridge” so I thought I would see what my rolling home-away-from-home weighed in at. The weigh bridge was located at the “The Big Cheese” (a cheese factory & tourist spot) which seemed a fitting name for me. The guys were keen to help and revealed we had a total gross weight of 4.66 tonne divided as follows: approx 3.02 tonne in the truck and 1.64 tonne in the trailer. My truck has a tare weight of 1740kg and the trailer is about 1100kg dry so that’s only 1.82 tonne of toys… I mean tools. Anyway, the guys at my Landrover Parts place were very helpful, they have a branch in Adelaide and a set of the heaviest rear springs I can get for my Defender is on it’s way to them ready for me to pick up and fit next week. Problem solved!
Next time I reckon we will live without the hair dryer!
MARKUS
markusandginnie 
The trick to such planning isn’t imaging everything you might need but rather, using it. Total preparation takes all the fun out if improvisation. As for getting away from it all, once word gets out of your stash, you’ll be the most popular man on the road. Tim the Toolman meets Harry Butler!
Good to know your only slightly above GVM. LOL
It will not surprise you to know that I only know what some of those essentials actually are. I mean, what is a sand flag and why is it essential??
Hi Gaynor. A sand flag is a tall flag you fit to the front of your 4WD so that as you come to the crest of a sand dune in the desert oncoming car s can see you coming. Believe it or not, head on collisions are common on the single lane tracks of the desert regions in Australia. Markus
What? No straightener? Sounds to me like Ginnie’s travelling light!
Hi Linda, actually she HAS got the straightener but I forgot to mention that. No wonder we are a tad overloaded!
MARKUS
You make me laugh Markus!!!! Just as well Ginnie has a kindle cause there wouldnt have been room for her books with all your toys. Ginnie, Glad you squeezed in the yoghurt maker tho, thought it migh have tipped the scales 🙂
Silly me asking about the kitchen sink! Can’t imagine you’ll be caught short on anything. You didn’t mention the most important of all – the Porta–Pot. I’m amazed we survived for 5 months in Europe in 2005 with no working battery hence no frig, lights, heat, gas or phone. Hey Ginnie, – how about a photo of the camp set up one night?
Hi there. Actually we do have a small chemical toilet which I forgot to mention. Haven’t needed it yet as a quiet bush spot makes our folding “thunder box” perfect. I won the toilet in a competition through a magazine called Australian Campervans. They give a prize each month to the best “camping innovation/invention” and I sent an entry about my little BBQ made from an old gas bottle!
The photos are great – thanks for sending them. Hope the Sydney side trip goes well. Love you both.