What makes a Land Rover Expedition?

[Yorker]

I guess I'll be hanging with the Toyota and Jeep crowd:friday: . I didnt realize there were requirements to owning a Rover. White table cloth in the backcountry just seems wrong. But then again I use my truck for access to the things I love to do, kayaking, rock climbing, skiing. My truck is used to get me to adventure, not be the adventure.

It is a mixed bag for me- I've been hiking and canoing less and less and making the journey the adventure in itself. It is all a means to escape the creature comforts of home though so I tend to have a minimalist approach when it comes to the camping style used with the vehicle.


You could contrast that with the British campaign lifestyle

In 1837, when George Eden (1784-1849), Lord Auckland, the governor-general of India, and his two sisters took a trip "up the country" from Calcutta, they had at their disposal 60 horses, 140 elephants, 200 to 300 baggage camels, and "bullock carts without end." [1] They also had 12,000 camp followers. [2] The amount of campaign furniture that would have accompanied an officer and a gentleman such as Lord Auckland was on a scale worthy of the British Empire itself. As the nineteenth-century scientist and travel writer Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) rightly observed:

The luxuries and elegances practicable in tent-life, are only limited by the means of transport. Julius Caesar, who was a great campaigner, carried parquets of wooden mojaic for hum floors!

The campaign furniture of British officers during the Victorian period represented more than the comforts of home while abroad; it became a visual symbol of the splendor of the empire. Why, after all, should an officer in an empire befitting Caesar's not proclaim his identity as a conqueror in his dress and furniture?

 

[Yorker]

It seems I'm the minority here. I think you're good.

There is nothing wrong with your philosophy- it is just different. Perhaps it typifies the upmarket image that Land Rover has tried to develop at the expense of their utilitarian roots. That doesn't invalidate your ideal when it comes to LR expeditions- indeed your ideal is in keeping with the "campaign furniture"* British style of adventuring. "Just because you are in the bush doesn't mean you must forgo the better things in life."

I can understand and appreciate your standpoint- it just differs from mine.


*for lack of a better term.

 

[overlander]

Thanks. My philosphy was developed way back before Ford or BMW-I am not a victim of marketing. I wanted a Land Rover back in the 80's, and settled on a CJ7, which served me well, but was never a Land Rover, despite my having constantly tried to make it one.

To me it is the celebration and appreciation of achievement through adversity blended with my strong military cavalry heritage. In military armor, we ride hard all day, but live well and treat ourselves when the work is done with a few luxuries to celebrate our achievement. For me, Land Rovers embodies that mindset.

and yes, I am definitely of the campaign lifestyle.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Perhaps that's the common thread- a very British outlook on things. I may be dirty and otherwise miserable in a climate that is hostile, but I will have some comforts and elements of civility. From TeriAnn's tea rack to the white tablecloths of the more genteel folk, elements of comfort seem to be requirements instead of niceties. I certainly saw that with the British troops I dealt with in the desert. More than willing to dive in and get dirty, but always with a little element of refinement (and luxury). In some way, they were always very British.

I tend to veer towards TeriAnn's realm, enjoying the clunkier aspects of an old vehicle. You feel as though you control your destiny, and you can deal with whatever the road throws at you. A good tool set, a few spare parts, a solid head on your shoulders, and you're ready for an adventure. While I often cast covetous glances at more modern vehicles with climate control and cupholders, I often feel a sense of "what if" when I drop the nose into a water crossing or mud pit. Can I diagnose and repair what is wrong with the vehicle on the trail? Too often, the answer (for me) is no. Unfrozen Caveman Mike knows nothing of traction control. Although I must admit, as I age and I tire of hunching over the steering wheel, trying to stay warm, I see the beauty of technology...

I think trail comfort to me in my wheeling experience was a cold bottle of Coke, a full bag of beef jerky, Smartfood close at hand, and maybe a hotdog by the fire (kosher- I'm not a complete barbarian). Now I have to completely redefine my packing priorities.

 

[TeriAnn]

No matter how the question is asked it seems that the answers will inevitably digress down an all too familiar path.

Sorry, I didn't mean to say anything derogatory about coilers or coiler owners. The person who started the tread is rebuilding a Series rig so I thought his question was a Series based question.

While I don't think that green and black oval badge Land Rovers share much beyond the name I think that Land Rover owners who actually spend time driving their Land Rovers off the pavement do share a lot in common.

Owners of Land Rovers that actually go off road tend to be very individualistic with lifestyle & camping styles that tend to vary from minimal to gourmet. What owners of Land Rovers that actually go off road tend to have in common is that they love their vehicles, love nature and tend to follow a tread lightly lifestyle... I kept saying Series because that's all I know. I would not have the audacity to talk for coiler owners. I didn't mean to put them on the other side of fence, I'm just not qualified to talk for them.

I just think the Land Rover lifestyle perpetuated by BMW & Ford marketing folks is largely a myth believed mostly by people who do not take their Land Rovers out into the bush.

No insults intended.

:friday: :chef: :campfire: :steak: :chowtime: :chowtime: :chowtime: :friday: :coffeedrink:

 

[Yorker]

and yes, I am definitely of the campaign lifestyle.

You need one of these then:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Victorian-Picnic-Tea-Set-Biscuit-Tin-Wicker_W0QQitemZ360035871908QQihZ023QQcategoryZ1217QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

Sorry, I didn't mean to say anything derogatory about coilers or coiler owners. The person who started the tread is rebuilding a Series rig so I thought his question was a Series based question.

While I don't think that green and black oval badge Land Rovers share much beyond the name I think that Land Rover owners who actually spend time driving their Land Rovers off the pavement do share a lot in common.

Owners of Land Rovers that actually go off road tend to be very individualistic with lifestyle & camping styles that tend to vary from minimal to gourmet. What owners of Land Rovers that actually go off road tend to have in common is that they love their vehicles, love nature and tend to follow a tread lightly lifestyle... I kept saying Series because that's all I know. I would not have the audacity to talk for coiler owners. I didn't mean to put them on the other side of fence, I'm just not qualified to talk for them.

I just think the Land Rover lifestyle perpetuated by BMW & Ford marketing folks is largely a myth believed mostly by people who do not take their Land Rovers out into the bush.

No insults intended.

None taken. My comment wasn't directed at you as much as it was directed towards how I felt the thread was heading. Believe it or not I agree with you and the other Land Rover folks (coilers and leafers) on many, many things. It just seems that there have been many posts that seem to put us at odds with each other when in fact I feel we share many of the same philosophies (and passion for our vehicles), despite the fact that our choice in Land Rover machinery is different. I would wholeheartedly extend you and any other like minded outdoor person all of the courtesy and camraderie I had to offer, and not because of the kind of vehicle you drive.

Do I agree with what has happened with Land Rover? Not really, but we are not THOSE Land Rover owners, we are THE Land Rover owners. We are a community and I think we should act like one regardless of vehicle.

Anyways....I'm finishing up this beer and a red and was about to have this can of beans. Care to join me? The fire is warm. :campfire: :friday:

 

[K2RVR]

Here's a question for you. I'm new to the Land Rover world, and seeing how my Rover is just a pile of parts and a dream, I have plenty of time to sit around and plan incredible adventures. So, what makes a Land Rover Expedition a Land Rover Expedition? What puts that indelible stamp on a trip sets it apart and makes you think it wouldn't be the same in any other marque (no brand-bashing please)?

Obviously there's the endless games of "what's that smell?", "what just fell off (and do I really need it?)", and "find the Whitworth" (among others), but can anyone quantify "it"?

For me it is a trip where planning is as important as execution. Where there is a sense of concern of the unknown elements. Where your equipment is of vital importance. Where you setup and break camp daily continuing the journey. Where every look past the trail makes you appreciative of where you are and where you are not. Where you feel like you are making an accomplishment not many others can. Where you learn a little or a lot every day. And where the journey is markedly more important than the destination. In my opinion day trips qualify, but multiple days are best.

My .02

 

[gjackson]

I think we could get Graham to add a bit of S African accent to some film voicework...

"When I was in the Congo the rotting salisbury went south! Couldn't get the rudding bolts out! We had to get a native to wollop the spanner with a log while we had a spot of tea . . ."

I think instead of wine you should be thinking gin and tonic. And no wine and linen, tea and linen. With silver service.

Honestly, the coiler vs. leafer argument is a lot like the jeep vs. land rover argument or the land cruiser vs. land rover argument, or the locker vs. articulation argument, or the diesel vs. petrol argument etc. ad infinitum . . . They both have their place. For people who want a modern Defender with leaf springs, consider the Santana.

It doesn't matter what you drive, it's the experience that counts. From inside a car with a LR oval that experience just includes a superior attitude, and an our-empire-is-bigger-than-your-silly-little-country outlook. Doesn't matter what color the oval is. Heck, you could have used the Ford oval until recently!



And don't forget:

cheers!!

 

[KevinNY]

Actually a pink gin would be more proper than a G&T Graham.

 

[gjackson]

Actually a pink gin would be more proper than a G&T Graham.

Nah, doesn't do squat against malaria. Think colonial here. That's where a lot of the LR legend comes from.

cheers

 

[overlander]

I think after dinner cocktails is definitely keeping in line with the colonial approach to Rovering...

 

[Alaska Mike]

See, I'm learning all kinds of new things about Land Rover ownership from this thread.

 

[Michael Slade]

See, I'm learning all kinds of new things about Land Rover ownership from this thread.

One thing I hope you've learned is that most LR owners (on this site...) seem to do things their own way and not be swayed by popular opinion.

ME? I don't own any linen, had a turkey sandwich yesterday with Dijon mustard on it for the first time in XXXX??? years, wouldn't know a gin'n'tonic from a rattlesnake, eat off of paper plates and most of the time sleep on the dirt.

There is a counter-culture within the counter-culture that fits snugly within the counter-culture that LR has marketed to us for the past 15 years.

Personally I still stand by the license plate I had on my first Range Rover, a 1990. It said, "PRE-BMW". No one except LR folks got it.

 

[TeriAnn]

Although I must admit, as I age and I tire of hunching over the steering wheel, trying to stay warm, I see the beauty of technology...

I've learned the joys of a kodiak heater, good door seals, interior insulation & winter thermostat. And starting in 1967, heated windscreen glass was a factory option that can retrofit to 1958 through 1966 Land Rovers. I have a set on my 1960 & they are much better than a defroster.

Now I have to completely redefine my packing priorities.

This must be the point where I admit to:

- Using reusable cloth napkins instead of disposable paper ones as part of my minimum impact camping style

- Having stemmed glass wine glasses for my wine (the glasses used by bars are thick & sturdy)

- Matching plastic plates & bowls with a lovely pattern from an oriental supermarket (plastic allows hot food to retain their heat longer)

- Matching pattern flatware from a second hand store (including both dinner & salad forks)

- Cloth place mats. My refrigerator is my inside dining table and it helps keep everything clean.

- When I expect wild flowers I pack a small bud vase so I can have flowers at my dining table.

My Land Rover qualifies as a Class B RV and I like to play house whilst on the trail.

Oh and I should mention that now that you have a British vehicle you should learn to speak English when referring to car parts and to learn how to incorporate other words such as "whilst" in everyday speech.

As a starter:

American - English
Hood - bonnet
transmission - gearbox
firewall - bulkhead
windshield - windscreen
area between windscreen bottom & bonnet - scuttle
Vents below windscreen - scuttle vents
gas - petrol
trunk - boot
soft top - hood
soft top hoops - hood sticks
wrench - spanner
adjustable wrench - adjustable spanner
radiator support - radiator bulkhead
drive shaft - prop shaft

That should be enough to get you started.