55°C of ambient temperature, sweat that sticks to you and turns the dust on your skin into an instant mud bath, combat with the flies… Rather than struggling with all these problems, many would prefer the comfort of a modern 4WD with air conditioning and stuff, wouldn't they? Well there are two obstacles: First and most importantly, the sensitive electronics of these comfortable 4WD's which are very unlikely to survive in that tough environment. A failure in the middle of the desert and you are totally out of luck. Even in the case of a miracle, i.e. breakdown right in front of the most competent auto repair mechanic of Africa, you will still have little if any luck to get the help your ailing vehicle needs. The second problem is indeed the "nature of an adventure trip". An adventure trip or an "expedition" as I would like to call it -a term I am not allowed to use due to strong disapproval from my friends- comprises a certain amount of difficulty, self-torture, in short, masochism. What helps you survive all this, is the instinct to discover the primitiveness that most miss, under as much primitive circumstances as possible. If you find yourself at this starting point, then you are not left with much of a choice as per the brand and model of the vehicle for the trip.

Toyota vs Land Rover
As per the vehicle choice of the expeditor, there are two groups of people. Toyota guys and Land Rover guys. A third group prefers trucks: Unimog, Bedford, Pinzgauer and Iveco are a few of the preferred manufacturers; generally the 4x4 models manufactured for military purpose.

The most popular model of Toyota is the HJZ75 series of the Land Cruiser, otherwise known as the Troop Carrier. It is simple, extremely well-made and reliable, hence the most popular among the expeditioners. Other Toyota models such as Land Cruiser 80 and 100 series, Hi-Lux, are not as popular as the 75 series, although rarely used.

Production of Land Rover's classic Series (Series I, II and III), 110 and the Defender models started in 1948 and since then have been an essential part of the landscape in Africa. It is uncomfortable, not ergonomic and its models manufactured during the last few years all come with default problems, yet it is still on top of the list for the expeditioners because it is the most widely known / promoted vehicle in Africa. Because it is widely known, mechanics have extensive experience on it and it is easy to find spare parts for this model. There is no shortage of second-hand stock, thanks to the abundance of scrap vehicles. Lastly, it is the easiest vehicle to camouflage; it doesn't attract much attention compared to its peers.

It is impossible to find an HJZ series Toyota Land Cruiser in Turkey. In this country, a Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Tuareg or a Lincoln Navigator -especially black ones- is mistaken for a 4WD, and 4WD is seen as an indicator of social status. ToyotaSa, the Toyota manufacturer in Turkey must have thought this, hence a primitive looking and a noisy bundle of metal as HJZ75 has never found its place in Turkish market. Therefore, there is no homologation and you can't even get this vehicle delivered into the country. In this case, if you are considering traveling through Africa with your own vehicle, you don't have a choice other than Land Rover Defender.


Verdict : Land Rover
I chose Land Rover Defender 110. Well first of all, it was going to be impossible to find its alternative, Toyota HJZ75, but also, having driven a variety of Land Rovers for a long period of time and due to my obsession with Camel Trophy, I have a "nostalgic" attachment to Land Rover. At the end of 2004, following a failed effort to find a "clean" second-hand Defender 110 300T di, I decided to put in an order with Otokar for a custom made vehicle for the trip. It was going to be a Land Rover Defender 110 HT (hard top). Work on the technical specs and pricing commenced on January and I placed my order on February 25, 2005. Due credit goes here to the management and staff of Otokar who braved my "difficult customer" demands during the entire process.


The vehicle, with its main features ready in Otokar facility in Adapazarı (March 2005)

My Land Rover was specially designed to survive an approximately 30,000km rough trip against a variety of road conditions and weather elements with minimum problems for the one-man team. In addition to the specs I have outlined, during the design process, Otokar's experienced staff contributed a lot. As a result, the following modifications were made during the manufacturing process:

- Warn 8274 model 3.5 ton front-mount winch and a pair of sand/mud plates for self-recovery.

- A nudge bar to prevent a breakdown of the vehicle following minor bumps due to terrain conditions.

- Stone guard to protect the dump from impact with stones and rocks on rough terrain (though a little stronger and heavier than necessary…)

- A raised air intake to prevent dust and water getting inside the engine from air intake on dirt roads and in deep water.

- Also considering deep waters, raised ventilators by the addition of hoses to prevent water going into the axle.

- Although traveling at night is definitely not in my plans, a pair of Hella 500 driving lamps and a pair of Hella 500 fog lamps for additional lighting in case of an exceptional night ride.

- A roof rack to accommodate 2 additional spare tires, equipment such as tent, additional lamps, sand /mud pallets and other baggage

Safe fuel cabinets

- 4 x 20 liter capacity jerry cans and specially designed "fuel cabinets" for the cans on either side of the vehicle, all for a longer ride w/o refilling.

- Solid tires to endure rough terrain and conditions: Michelin XZY

- Metal guard on the splash guard and grille guard for the lamps against any kind of impact

The vehicle was complete with all the listed customizations and additional equipment and was delivered to me on May 12, 2005.

Vehicle, during the final test drive before delivery (May 2005)

My Land Rover needed some more additions in order to become my living quarters. I say "living" quarters because there I will be spending 3,000 hours out of an approximate total of 4,300 and that's no joke. I will sleep in it when needed. All my water, food, clothes, books, medicine, etc. will be on board. I will shower, shave, cook and rest in it. Making all the necessary arrangements to set it up, all the while ensuring the best use of available space was the hardest of all. Towards the end, all these preparations started to take their toll on me and began to affect my enthusiasm towards the main thing, the actual travel.

What were those "vital" modifications?
- 2x47 litres water tanks required to store the water necessary during navigation and stopovers in remote areas and the desert, and a pressure tank to pump the water and provide necessary pressure to the water filter system.

- A stereo system to make a lonely 6-month trip more bearable. Had to be loud, ruggedized and water proof.

- A fridge to keep all the food and drinks "ice-cold".

- An inverter to convert 12VDC to 220VAC for my laptop and few small hand appliances.

- A lamp to provide lighting to my "living quarters".

- An additional "service" battery independent from the starter battery for all the additional electrical appliances, and an isolation diode to enable separate charging of these 2 batteries.

- A GPS with its external antenna, so I know where I am and where I am heading

- A satellite phone that I can use almost the entire trip for communication and internet connection.

- A steel cage to isolate the living quarters from outside, as a security measure, with a locked door to the front of the vehicle.

- A foldable 1.65 m x 2.50 m tent mounted on right side of the roof rack, so I can rest and shelter from the sun during the breaks especially after long trips.

- A bed that can be lifted to allow access to the "cargo section" under it. It is designed for a comfortable sleep in the vehicle, especially in remote areas.

I have bought some of these items from the market whilst the rest was designed by myself and manufactured in the facilities of some close friends kind enough to endure my fussiness.

Yusuf Usta works in SET Engineering where welded steel construction parts were manufactured. He was so fussy it drove even me crazy but it was this fussiness that helped achieve the highest quality in a vehicle needed to accomplish the task ahead.