Carrying Fuel vs Checkpoint Filling in the Outback

[Bru9]

Thanks all for replies, clearly I have alot to learn still about outback remote trips just from a research standpoint.

Some things I thought about, but probably are not the case?

Typical 4wd 2people max, 4 will require a box trailer.
For something like the canning estimates with Diesel seem to be 200-300L, even after the aux tank, you would need maybe 4-5 20L jerries at least.
Maybe you need 3 spare wheels to be safe? 2 Is really pushing it already with weight.
The amount of drinking water alone over 2-3weeks could be 100-200L p/person. With a small box trailer you could be completely stocked up even for lite showers.
If custom suspension box trailers are such an issue, does it really matter if you do the trip once. Not just the canning trip.
I think on something like the canning where you continually pack, move, unpack etc, you are better off with just a small tent than a rooftop or camper trailer.

I personally think a second hand LC78 or Landrover Defender pickup would be a much better 4wd than anything else for 2people without a trailer. Larger payloads & cargo space along with a 4wd that you don't care about getting ruffed up.

[Having Fun]

For outback long trips both Petrol & Diesel what do you normally do when leaving civilization & traveling big distances.

There are very few trips in Aust where you are more than 320km from the next roadhouse. 90+% of them stock petrol & diesel.

Do you carry alot of fuel in your trailer like at least 4x20L jerrys? Which could fit easily around the sides without taking up alot of box space. In addition to LR tanks too.

No! Unless I am going along the Canning Stock route, or into the deserts, there isn't anywhere I'd need more than 1 jerry-can.

Some say if you carry too much fuel your economy is hit & its cheaper in the long run to fill up at the next stop even if small places are expensive. Does this really happen & what were the details? Given it might only be 100-150KG of fuel.
Maybe a balance is what most experienced trekkers do? After all you have alot of water weight too. Although diesel has the advantage over petrol. I'd still like to hear how Petrol drivers do it.

I think that you're worrying about the wrong things! Once you've been there, you will see that there is both water & fuel available within about 320km of most of the outback, usually much, much closer. The big exceptions are the Canning Stock route, the deserts & believe it or not, Barkly Homestead to Cape Crawford. But even the 379km there should not be an issue for any car one would think! There are a few roadhouses that don't stock petrol, but not many. We carry 2-3 10L collapsible water bladders for drinking (2 adults) Lots of spare parts & enough tools to fix pretty much anything that can go wrong. A deck chair each, an instant awning for shade & plenty of food and beverages in our fridges & containers, usable comms & a first aid kit - should the worst happen, we should be OK. The only time I have even looked like running out of fuel was because I was too tight fisted to fill up at Mt. Dare. The fuel was there, but I didn't buy it because I thought it was cheaper at Finke. Only, it was Sunday & Finke was closed! That was a very nervous trip into Alice Springs along the Old Ghan line I can tell you, but we got there! Lesson learned! Buy fuel when you can. We have never even looked like running out of water.

When do you have to carry a trailer? Is it a personal preference thing? Do the rough roads & corrugations prevent a standard box trailer being carried? I just can't ever imagine not carrying a lite box even if I was on my own. But I tend to keep everything more loose & accessible.

The corrugations are hard on the trailer. I run ordinary highway tyres on the trailer at 20PSI, which absorbs most of the bumps. Ours has a leaf sprung axle with shockers fitted. Regardless of what you may read, very few trailers actually succumb to the bad roads. I've only ever seen 2 (and we get out there a bit lol!) the first was on the Mereenie Loop in 2012; it was a very new looking Aust built camper trailer, the 2nd ran off the road north of Elliot on the Stuart Hwy last August (no idea what brand), both had spring hangar/Shackle pin failures. We tow a camper trailer simply so that we can sleep on a comfortable bed. We don't really need it for stoage.

In my situation with out a trailer, all I could carry is 40L of fuel on roofrack as other stuff is up there. I'm sure with Diesel this will get you through just?

See above!

Just eager to learn from your experience & trips.

thanks

Start off on short, easy trips & work your way up. The Flinders Ranges, the Gawler Ranges, The gorges around Alice Springs, Palm Valley etc are all quite easy drives & good places to start IMO. When you feel like a longer trip, the Gibb River Road is very enjoyable & really not very difficult.

[Bru9]

Start off on short, easy trips & work your way up. The Flinders Ranges, the Gawler Ranges, The gorges around Alice Springs, Palm Valley etc are all quite easy drives & good places to start IMO. When you feel like a longer trip, the Gibb River Road is very enjoyable & really not very difficult.

Thanks for your detailed advice. Lots of reading needed still for me, in trying to budget a 3week trip for two with 4wd only on paper in the Paj it has proved very difficult due to the fact my payload keeps reaching an average of 900kg's. Its because of this I was looking at something more utilitarian but the trade off seems only manual, cramped passenger space & slow as heck.

[Having Fun]

Have seen every brand of flash camper with smashed suspension. The Kimberly ones are a nightmare to get parts for.

Maintance along with correct size bearings are the key. Sticking a tyre bigger then a 15" car tyre on ford bearings is asking for trouble.

You must have come across some of the unluckiest travelers on the planet lol!

Have only seen one single camper trailer with busted suspension while out & about. A shackle pin had worn through a hanger & the axle came adrift.

Some of the places we've traveled in the last 5-6 years:

Gibb River Road – Bungle Bungles – Parry’s Lagoons – Lake Argyle – Derby – Wyndham - Old Jim Jim Road – Rainbow Valley – Oodnadatta Track – Peake ruins – Mereenie Loop – Palm Valley – King’s Canyon - Chambers Pillar – Dalhousie – Eringa Water Hole - Old Ghan Heritage Track – Charlotte Waters – Alice Springs - The Painted Desert – Lambert’s Centre – Finke – Cameron Corner – Innamincka via Epsilon – Dig Tree – Milparinka – Silver City Hwy - Tibooburra - Warri Gate – Noccundra – Hungerford – Toompine - Betoota – Windorah – Birdsville – Big Red – Mt. Dare – Birdsville Track – Marree - Darwin – Timber Creek – Turkey Creek – Old Hall’s Creek – Fitzroy Crossing - Roper Bar – Nathan River Road - Tomato Island - Lorella Springs – Borroloola – Savannah Way - Hells Gate – Doomadgee – Burketown – North Gregory – Cloncurry – Winton – Longreach – Tambo – Charleville – Eromanga – Thargominda – Eulo – Quilpie – Cunnamulla – Bourke – Cobar – Wilcannia – Broken Hill – Silverton – Wentworth - Gawler Ranges – Pildappa Rock - Brachina – Bunyeroo – Aroona – Warraweena – Glass Gorge – Parachilna Gorge – Moralana – Holowiliena – N’dala Gorge, Arltunga, Binns Track, Gemtree, Plenty Hwy, Camooweal, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges, Western MacDonnell Ranges, Pine Valley, the Wool Wash – Wilkawillina - Kangaroo Island…………….

99% of that was towing a Chinese made soft floor camper trailer, with Chinese made passenger tyres on it. Never even had a flat tyre, let alone any breakages!

[Peterng]

I carry a couple of the new style squat 10ltr plastic diesel cans.
I was all ready to buy a 50 ltr FlexiPlus diesel bladder, but they don't make them anymore.
Bugga..




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[TimTams]

Without a trailer I just don't see the space available for a few people, unless you are eating poverty grade & showering with 5L of water, id prefer to enjoy my self. Can't a trailer with shocks & the rest of it take the canning unless its some legal thing?

Why are things braking? I would take the track slow & enjoy it.

We did the canning over 6 weeks with four people in an 80 series landcruiser. They are a slightly bigger car, although not overly so, and we weren't heavily laden despite having to take all our food and supplies for 6 weeks. We only had a roof rack outside the vehicle for storage and nothing else (no rear bar with jerry holders or any of that jazz). We did see one guy on the trip - he had three jerry cans on his rear bar, three spare wheels, more jerry cans on the roof, kids' bikes, the list goes on - he was way overloaded. Later, we passed him with a broken diff housing that had caved under the weight I hate to think what the cost was to get a tow truck out to Durba Springs.

I guess it depends what you consider poverty grade food... we made pizzas a couple of times, roasts on more than one occasion in the camp oven (amazing), plenty of cheese and pate, chicken tonight with rice, various types of pasta, you name it... not to mention a glass of good red in the evening and the odd cold one over lunch