Ten things I’m glad I had in the Sahara...
- Anti-septic spray. Lived on the dashboard and used every day for hand-cleaning, cuts, grazes, bites.
- 230 litres of fuel capacity in fuel tanks and jerries. Made it possible to cover the long distances between fuel sources in Algeria, and saved money too.
- Water Tank. Great having 70 litres on board, enough for several days of camping and even an occasional shower.
- Air compressor. With the weight of the car it was essential to let down the tyre pressures on sand, sometimes several times a day. And I’d hate to have to use a hand pump.
- Fridge. After a day of heat and dust, nothing better than a cold beer.
- Swarfega heavy duty wipes. Perfect for cleaning up after car repairs, and saved on water.
- USB compatible radio. Allowed me to put over 100 albums on USB chips and they handled the bumps and dust without problems. So, never bored with the music, but can´t say the same for my co-drivers.
- Postcards of Irish Farm Animals. North Africans know how to appreciate a fat cow or shaggy sheep.
- Side Awning. Used just about every day, very quick to pull out for instant shade.
- Percolator. No excuse not to have a decent coffee.
And ten things I carried but could have done without.
- Winch. Never used it. Always quicker to use hands or shovel and mats if stuck in sand.
- Solar powered battery charger. The idea is to recharge the main battery by solar power if both batteries fail. I can only imagine it being needed on a very remote piste with no other traffic, and I would never go on such a piste without a companion vehicle.
- Firewood and fire lighters. It is recommended to bring firewood from home to avoid depleting local stocks. But we cooked on gas and rarely lit a fire until Algeria, where there seemed to be plenty of dead wood. And firelighters are not required when there is bone dry tinder at hand.
- Siphon tube. For transferring fuel, used once only.
- Tent. The free standing tent was never used. We had the roof tent, or slept out on the ground, sometimes with mosquito net.
- Second spare tyre. Maybe we were lucky, but we had no punctures until the last week in the desert, and that was a slow puncture that lasted til town. The tyres were new and good quality (BFGoodrich) and I would have done with just one spare.
- 12V inverter. Allows 220V plugs to work from car power system. Tried two, both failed quickly. Better to use 12V connectors for cameras and phones, and save the laptop for hotels.
- Solar shower. This is black bag that absorbs sun heat. Used once only, afterwards much happier to have a cooling shower.
- Side awning walls. These zip around the side awning to make a room with shelter from the wind, but only ever used them a couple of times.
- Spare set of springs. The four springs were heavy and bulky, could have risked not taking them.
I can’t think of much that I should have had but didn’t. Spare clutch plate I suppose!
