We love Australia’s amazing landscapes, but we’re not so keen on how they get ground into the interiors of our vehicles. Unfortunately the kind of floor mats manufacturers supply might be fine for everyday driving, but if you take them into the Outback you’ll discover their limits quickly enough.

Roughing it can be fun, but having some conveniences – even luxuries – among your touring gear is always going to win for most of us. Do you want to cook and eat all your meals sitting round a fire? That has some appeal for a group of younger blokes, but if you’re on a trip with your family you probably want a bit more comfort. The same goes double on a longer expedition – it stays fun a lot longer if you can sit down to a proper meal, instead of digging in with a billy in your lap.

Hot cross buns are a spiced sweet bun eaten mostly on Good Friday.
If your heading away this Easter camping make sure you take along your cast iron pot and keep traditions alive with this Hot Cross Bun Cast Iron Pot Recipe.

We are taking a look into some of the best rated apps available that can help you plan and navigate your next trip. Using modern day technology only makes sense when we often try to cut down on the amount of stuff that we carry when heading away. When we are able to access a wide variety of information through apps we no longer need to buy multiple different expensive devices for our windscreens and we don’t need to have that pile of books and maps on the back seat!

You often hear people talking about how camping is good for the soul and you would like to get in on this too but you have never been camping before. So where do you start? What do you need? Where do you go?

To start you need to identify how much space you have available in your vehicle, you may need to consider if a roof rack is required for your new found camping adventures.
Roof Racks not only provide additional space for carrying your gear, they also allow you to fit accessories such as an awning for protection from the elements or a roof top tent if you choose to purchase one for sleeping.
Considering the space available in your vehicle for your gear also impacts on the type and amount of gear you will carry for camping.

With any modern 4wd there’s no problem fitting in all the gear you need for a great camping trip. Where it can get tricky is finding – and getting to – stuff when you need it. It always seems like the item you’re looking for is right at the back of the cargo compartment, as far away from the door as it can be.

Fed up climbing over piles of kit to reach something? Maybe you want to consider a gullwing window or two. These are a simple idea but make a huge difference to the usability of your load space.

It used to be you’d rarely see a Land Rover Defender without a spare wheel mounted on the bonnet. It was one of the most distinctive things about Landies, right up there with the boxy front fenders and rattly windows.

As iconic as the Land Rover spare wheel mount is, though, it does have its problems. For a start, it doesn’t do a lot for visibility. Slapping a big tyre right in front of the windscreen instantly cuts forward visibility from pretty good to average at best, and that’s bad news.

Rooftop tents are awesome bits of gear. They’re easy to set up, make efficient use of storage space, get around the unpleasantness of having a wet tent packed in with all your other gear, and give you a place to sleep that’s well away from puddles, snakes and creepy crawlies.

As great as they are, though, a rooftop tent isn’t something you want permanently mounted on your vehicle. That’s not good for your wallet and it’s not good for safety. It’s not even very good for the tent.

Have you tried out a rooftop tent yet? These sleeping systems are amazing bits of kit – they really do have a lot going for them. Compared to a conventional tent they’re faster to set up, they need less space – most of their footprint is over your vehicle – and they pack down much more quickly when it’s time to move.  

A rooftop tent works fine on any terrain as long as you can get your vehicle parked on the level; it doesn’t matter if the ground is rocky, wet or covered in thorns, because you’re not sleeping on it.

Surfing might have started in Tahiti, but it’s a pretty Australian thing to do – I think we’re the only country in the world that would actually call a town Surfer’s Paradise. Millions of us like to get out there and ride the waves, and we pretty much lead the world in developing new techniques and board styles.

Why is surfing so popular in Australia? Partly it’s because it fits our coastal lifestyle, but mostly it’s because we have some of the world’s most amazing surfing beaches. The trouble is they’re not all so easy to get to. There’s an obvious solution, of course – combine surfing with a bit of off-road touring. At the wheel of your trusty 4wd you can reach any beach, and maybe even catch some surf away from the crowds.

There are a lot of reasons to take a pushbike or two with you when you go off road touring. They’re ideal for making trips around your campsite. If you need to nip into a nearby town to buy something, but you’ve already got your awning set up, you can just jump on a bike. Want to see nature in a bit of peace and quiet? Bikes are great for that, too. In fact maybe your main reason for going off road is to get to some of Australia’s fantastic cycling trails. The question is, what’s the best way to take your bike along?

At first glance the back door of your 4wd has a pretty simple job to do – keep gear, kids and dogs in, and thieves, rain and dust out. Sure enough, that’s the main function of a door, but on serious off-road vehicles it’s also a handy place to mount extra gear – spare tyres, for example, and sometimes recovery tools. Of course that’s all clunky stuff that tends to get muddy, so it goes on the outside – but there’s some pretty cool stuff you can put on the inside, too.

Your 4wd looks pretty big parked on your driveway, but when you start loading it for a camping trip it probably won’t be long before you start cursing its limited storage space. By the time you’ve packed in a tent, sleeping bags, spare clothes, food, cooking gear and all the other stuff you need for a comfortable excursion, there won’t be much room left in the back – and let’s not even get started on how hard it can be to find the stuff you need in a tightly packed load space.

Ask most parents about taking their kids camping and they’ll admit to having some mixed feelings. Yes, it’s a chance to spend time together doing something adventurous, but there can also be some bumps along the way.

Kids get bored easily, and a lot of the usual distractions aren’t available on a campsite. They also tend to run around and bump into things, and who wants to be patching up bruised kids in the middle of the Outback?

A trailer can be a real asset when you’re planning a longer trip, but if it wants to keep going when you stop your vehicle it quickly turns into a bit of a liability. A small trailer without too much mass will stop on its own pretty well, but larger ones need a braking system – and the law says that any trailer over 750kg must be fitted with brakes.

There are two main options for trailer braking systems. One is inertia brakes. These have a device – usually a pendulum – that senses when the tow vehicle is slowing down and applies the trailer’s brakes. Inertia brakes work well on roads, but they tend to glitch on rougher ground. If the trailer isn’t level the system can misinterpret the pendulum’s movements as deceleration, and put the brakes on when you don’t want them.

You can’t really appreciate how good a properly functioning brake pedal feels until the day you press it and it just goes straight to the floor with no resistance. Unfortunately brake line failures aren’t as rare as we’d like them to be; off-road driving is pretty tough on vehicle systems, and your brake lines are no exception.

Brakes work through a sealed hydraulic system. The whole system is filled with fluid, and when you push the pedal more fluid is forced into it from a reservoir. That increases the pressure and operates the brake pads (or shoes, if you have drum brakes).

Modern engines have some advanced technology built in, which is why they’re so efficient, responsive and powerful. They also still depend on plenty of older, less sophisticated little gadgets though, and one of the most vital ones is the thermostat.

A thermostat is a device that tries to keep a system running at a specific temperature. They have all sorts of uses – there’s probably one on your heating system at home – but they’re really important in engines.

Almost all new vehicles are fitted with disc brakes, but off-roaders are a quirky breed. How many of us are still driving around in old but faithful wagons that we wouldn’t part with because we know them inside-out and value their bombproof reliability? Quite a few. If you’re one of them, and your vehicle is old enough, it’s a good guess that one of the less reliable bits is the brake system.

It's also possible that your newer 4x4 will have a drum brake setup that acts when the handbrake is on.  These are usually found acting on the inside of a disc brake setup on the rear wheels.

Head gaskets can be a nightmare, as you’ll know if you’ve ever had one blow on you. They certainly cause their fair share of frustration among off-road drivers, and a lot of that frustration seems to come from people not being totally sure what head gaskets are for. It does look a bit counter-intuitive; the engine block is made of metal, so why put a slab of softer, much less durable material in there? In fact your head gasket is a vital component – so vital that internal combustion engines just wouldn’t be possible without it.

If you’ve been reading our articles for a while you probably know that we’re huge fans of roof racks. They’re vital for off road touring, giving you the space you need for all your bulky camping gear. If the weather isn’t cooperating a roof rack lets you keep wet tents out of the cabin, and they’re also a useful mounting point for awnings. shovels, maxtrax and many more great 4x4 accessories.

Over the years we’re used a lot of different roof racks, in all sorts of different styles. They all perform the same task but some shine above the rest.

Off-road touring is a lot more comfortable than it used to be thanks to modern equipment and accessories. Compact fridges, LED lighting and other technology guarantee you a comfortable camping experience – as long as you have enough power to keep it all running. The trouble is, running all those toys when you’re parked up for the night can give your battery a real beating, and you won’t be so happy if you try to start the engine in the morning and there isn’t enough charge left to turn it over.

Water is great stuff to take with you when you set out on an off road trip, but only if it’s in the right place. Water in your storage containers or your billy is good; water in your sleeping bag is not. Worst of all? That would be water in your engine.  It’s depressingly easy to get water in your engine. If the intake goes under while you’re crossing a river, that’ll do it right away. A snorkel avoids that risk, but there’s another one to consider.

Have you ever wondered how a car manages to get round curves on the road? Probably not; it seems pretty obvious. The front wheels are turned by the steering, and that’s it – except no, not quite. There’s a problem caused by basic geometry, because every time you go round a curve the wheels on the outside have further to go than the ones on the inside. That’s fine on a trailer, but when the wheels are powered they’ll tend to fight the steering effect of the front wheels.

Insurance is pretty boring. If any insurance salesmen are reading this I’m really sorry, but it is; it’s just dull. Off road driving is exciting. Choosing and fitting new accessories for your vehicle is fun. Discussing 4wd insurance is boring. Unfortunately there’s one thing that’s muchworse than discussing insurance. That’s not being able to get off road and enjoy yourself, because you’ve had an accident in your rig, and now you can’t afford to fix it because you didn’t have the right insurance and they refuse to pay out.

Any switched-on off road driver will make sure their vehicle is in perfect running order before setting off on a trip, then check it when they get back to see if anything’s getting ready to fail. What a lot of people don’t do is carry out checks while they’re actually on the trip. That’s a bit unfortunate, because taking five minutes to check over your engine will nip a lot of problems in the bud.

So you’ve checked your vehicle, loaded all your camping gear and you’re ready to head for the bush. Before you get started, though, have a last check on your box of tools and spares. Do you really have everything you need to keep yourself mobile in rough country?
The chances are you have all the right spanners, wrenches and screwdrivers for your wagon and its accessories, and most of the time that’s going to be enough to do the job.

A lot of people rely on their mobile phone for communications when they’re touring, but if you’re seriously into getting away from civilisation there’s a lot to be said for having a UHF radio in your vehicle as well.

Check out any 4wd accessory shop and you’ll find a decent range of UHF radios. Handsets are cheap and popular, but they have a pretty short range – and it gets even shorter when you’re using them inside a big steel box. If you want to talk to anyone more than a couple of kilometres away you need a vehicle set with a proper external antenna. 

So you and your 4wd have spent a great few days out in the bush, enjoying the landscape and the challenges of driving through it. Now you’re back home and your gear is unloaded. Time to pop a cold one and relax? Not yet – you should give your vehicle a bit of care and attention first.  

An off-road trip is pretty stressful on mechanical stuff, and even the toughest vehicle is going to need a bit of post-trip servicing to sort out any issues before they become serious. It doesn’t have to take long but it can save you a lot of time and money later, plus reduce the risk of you finding yourself stuck somewhere.

Off road driving puts your vehicle through a lot, and you need to keep on top of your maintenance much more than a normal driver does. Modern cars are pretty reliable, and you can usually get away with checking the tyre pressure every couple of weeks and giving the engine compartment a once-over before any long trips.  That won’t do if you’re 4wd touring, though. Rattling around on corrugated tracks, or ploughing through the bush, can shake things loose in a hurry and you need to keep an eye on it all to make sure no problems are developing.

It’s a toss-up whether you use more electricity at home or in a modern camp. Most camps now come fully supplied with LED lighting, fridges, kitchen appliances and sound systems. You’ll want to keep your phone and maybe a tablet or laptop charged up too. This is no bother when you’re on the move, because your vehicle will provide the power you need, but even if you have a dual battery setup you won’t want to leave it powering your camp for too long.

We’re pretty sure all our readers are smart enough to know how tough the outback can be. Getting out into Australia’s massive landscapes is a lot of fun, but things can go wrong out there – and when they do you need some basic survival skills. Plenty of people have died out in the bush because they didn’t have the knowledge they needed to stay alive. On the other hand plenty more have managed to hang on until help arrived.

Part of the beauty of off road driving is that you don’t need a lot of spare time to get out and have some fun. A weekend, or even an afternoon off, is long enough to check out a new trail. There’s nothing like a long trip though – load up your camping gear, stock the fridge with stubbies and head off into the bush for a week.  Heading into the wilderness is tough on your vehicle, though. Of course a 4wd is built to handle it, but there are limits.

As off road drivers we’re all pretty proud of how rugged and dependable our vehicles are, but the chances are most of us also have a few stories about how they broke down. The fact is it happens. You can’t expect complicated machinery to crash around over rough terrain and never, ever have a problem. Spend enough time out in the bush and eventually you’re going to find yourself standing beside an immobilised wagon, scratching your head and wondering what broke.

You should never judge how important something is by its size. Look at the dashboard and, tucked away in a corner, you’ll find the temperature gauge. It’s a lot smaller and less conspicuous than your speedo or rev counter, but it’s at least as important. If that little needle starts climbing into the red you have a bit of a problem, and you’re going to need to sort it out in a hurry. 

Before you set off into the outback on your next 4wd touring adventure, it is often a case of deciding what gear to pack. This decision is based on a number of factors including the nature of the equipment and its suitability for the trip as well as the remaining space available in the vehicle. We go through our packing list and show you what works and what doesn't.

The chances are your 4wd won’t be winning any awards for fuel economy. It’s just the way it is. It takes a decent-sized engine with a bit of grunt to pull your wagon through the rough bits, and that means fuel consumption is going to be higher than an everyday car. Modern diesels are a lot more frugal than they used to be, and that helps, but off road vehicles are still thirsty beasts.  

When you’re driving off road one thing you can never have too much of is torque. Modern smart transmissions will get you through a lot of rough ground but at the end of the day you can’t beat sheer pulling power, especially if you’re towing a trailer or carrying a heavy load. In soft ground, on slopes or dragging yourself up a rock crawl, having plenty of torque will give you more control and more ability to power through the toughest patches.

The chances are, if you’re seriously into off-roading, you take good care of your engine and it’s pretty reliable. After all you know how serious it could be if you had a major breakdown deep in the bush. Keeping all the mechanical bits clean and well maintained is essential, but don’t overlook prevention either. One way to prevent your intake from collecting soot and oil is to install a catch can.

At Tough Toys we love all sorts of vehicles. We like to see a gleaming sports car, or a well maintained family runabout that’s looking good for its age. There’s one thing that depresses us though, and that’s a shiny 4wd that’s clearly never been anywhere rougher than the school car park in its life. We know that some people buy 4wd vehicles because they have lots of space but it really seems like, if you’re just driving it on the road, you’re not getting the most out of it. If you have an off road vehicle, but you never go off road, you don’t know what you’re missing. Australia has some great landscapes you’ll never see if you stick to the beaten track, but that wagon sitting in your driveway has the power to take you there.

Safe, enjoyable 4wd touring means having all the right gear with you, and Tough Toys are all about quality gear. Recovery equipment, sump armour, snorkels, engine accessories, you name it – we have it. The same goes for camping gear – awnings, fridges, the works. Of course those are all big, shiny items but an enjoyable trip depends on a lot of pretty unexciting things too. Tie-down straps, for example. Or how about containers?

If you enjoy getting off road – or even if you’ve just been reading our articles before planning your first  Outback expedition – you’ll know that touring the bush needs a load of gear. Luckily a good 4wd has plenty of room to fit it all in, so you can travel in safety and comfort. Between your rear load space and a good roof rack there’s plenty space for camping equipment, recovery gear, water, extra fuel and everything else you need.

Check out any packing list for a camping trip and you’ll probably see “tent pegs” written somewhere. Makes sense, right? Well no, not really. It’s great in principle but there’s one detail missing – what kind of tent pegs? That wouldn’t have mattered 30 years ago, when you asked for tent pegs and got handed a bag of steel rods with hooks at one end, but it does now. There are all sorts of different pegs on the market and you need to make sure you’re carrying the right ones.

If you’ve ever done any rock crawling you’ll know how vital spotting is, but it’s an art any off road driver can use. Basically it’s simple; someone outside the vehicle watches the wheels and the ground, and talks the driver forward (usually with hand signals, but some people like a two-way radio). That might seem a bit weird, but think about it; from the driver’s seat you can’t see the wheels or the ground right in front of them, and when you’re trying to pick your way through rocks, a rough streambed or a bad muddy patch that can get you in trouble pretty quickly.

Etiquette. Bit of a poncy word, isn’t it? What does it have to do with the rufty tufty world of off-road driving?

Turns out... A lot.

Australia’s a spectacular country and nobody knows that better than off-roaders. We get to places other people never seem and we can look at them from a whole new perspective. All it takes is a good 4wd and some imagination – and the right gear, of course. At Tough Toys we’re all about making sure you have whatever you need to get out there and explore, and years of experience means we know what people are looking for to fit out a wagon or Ute. We also know what a lot of people aren’t looking for, but maybe should be, and we’d put eye protection right at the top of that list.

Off road driving covers a multitude of sins, from family days out along a well-maintained dirt track to full-on adventures in the roughest bits of the Outback. Some of us are happy to just get away from the traffic for a few hours while others enjoy being able to go anywhere, and turn their vehicles into real expedition machines. If you’re in the second group the chances are you’ve learned quite a lot about what the bottom of your chassis looks like and what all the bits do – always handy knowledge when you need to fix it – but we find a lot of 4wd experts are still a bit puzzled by sway bars.

If you’ve been keeping up to date with our articles you should have your 4wd pretty well sorted out for taking on any terrain Australia can throw at you, from swamps to the big red bit in the middle. It’s rough, it’s tough and it’s ready to go anywhere. But how long is it going to stay that way when it’s been bashed around a bit? That’s up to you. Know what you’re doing out in the bush and you can avoid a lot of problems and head most of the others off before they get too bad. Here’s how to do it.

Half the fun of off-road touring is the camp at the end of the day. Firing up the grill, enjoying a few cold ones with your mates and finally settling down to sleep with nothing between you and the sounds of the bush but a thin layer of canvas, or even just a mozzie net. Most people find an awning is the best way to camp with your vehicle – they’re spacious, quick to set up and good ones like our Tough Toys models are pretty tough. They’re not indestructible though, and if you’re unlucky high wind, falling branches and other mishaps can leave you feeling suddenly exposed to the weather.

The best thing about driving a 4wd is you can get away from it all, and if you’re in Australia that goes double. The Outback is about as far away from it all as you can get without actually leaving the planet. As soon as you turn away from the coast in Australia you’re basically driving towards a desert, and sooner or later you’ll get there. That makes for some amazing driving, and the deserts have become popular destinations for off-road enthusiasts, but they’re not just an adventure playground. They’re really big and they’re really dangerous, and if you don’t know what you’re doing you can soon find yourself in a lot of trouble.

We all know that four wheel drive is what you need when you go off road, but a lot of people don’t really know how it works. Many think that a 4wd transmission keeps all the wheels turning at the same speed. That’s not always the case though. Sometimes you need to have wheels turning at different speeds. When you’re turning the outside wheels have further to go, so they spin faster. If a wheel’s slipping the differential will feed more power to it – not always what you need, but different types of transmission have different tricks for sorting that. Here’s a guide to the transmission types you can find on off road vehicles.

If you’ve spent a lot of time around camper trailers you’ll know that pretty often they don’t look much like the nice tidy ones they show in the brochures. Browse the maker’s website or flick through the shiny magazines in a camping shop and all that bright, clean canvas looks like it’s just been scrubbed and ironed. Roofs are stretched tight, corners are square and the whole thing looks so good you just want to sell your house and live in it. Back in the real world you’re on the campsite standing beside something that looks like a sack of wallabies, wondering where it all went wrong.

So you’re out on your first camping trip and you can’t quite work out what’s going wrong. Everything was neatly stored in the vehicle when you left home, but now you’re packing up to leave your third campsite and it’s all a bit different. All your sleeping bags seem to have grown into duvets. Soot from the stove has ended up on the tent. You can’t find all the bits of the mozzie net. And what’s that dripping from the rubbish bag onto your spare clothes?

We’ve talked about Australia’s more irritating wildlife before, but we figured mosquitoes are so bad they deserved some more attention. In fact what we wanted to look at are some of the myths about how to keep the little pests off you when you’re camping. There are dozens of these, and any time you complain about mozzies you’re sure to hear a few, but nobody’s all that sure about how well they work. We did think of challenging the Mythbusters to test them but we figured they’re not that keen on being eaten alive, so we ended up doing it ourselves.

If you have a trailer for your 4wd it’s always tempting to load it up. After all you’ve got all that extra space so why not throw in all the luxuries you could want, your favourite armchair and ten cases of VB? It’s not always space you should be worrying about though. Weight’s an issue as well. You need to be careful pulling heavy trailers around, and the law tries to make sure of that – any trailer weighing over 750kg loaded needs to have some sort of brakes fitted. We think brakes on anything over 500kg is a good idea. Your best option for most trailers is electric brakes, and that’s going to mean doing some work on your vehicle too. Here’s how to do it.

Half the fun of camping is cooking. It’s hard to beat a meal that’s been put together on a stove beside your wagon, or even better grilled over an open fire. Food always seems to taste better outdoors anyway, plus the normal rules about eating a healthy diet don’t apply. At least we hope they don’t. The only problem with camp cooking is keeping everything clean. A grilled steak beside the fire, washed down with a few stubbies, is great. A bad attack of the runs because the chicken was past its best is not so great. Here are a few tips to keep everything the way it should be.

One of the great things about your 4wd is the amount of stuff you can load in the back. You can get all your camping gear in there, or the tools and supplies you need for a full day’s work. Of course that’s all good if it stays in the back like it’s supposed to, but what if things start flying around? It doesn’t even need an accident to do that – 4wds are built for rough ground, but bounding around over rocks can throw stuff into the passenger compartment and that’s dangerous. If you’re planning on loading your vehicle up you need a cargo barrier to keep everything where it’s meant to be.

Your 4wd probably looks pretty good. Anyone who sees it can tell that it’s tough, powerful and able to get across just about any ground it meets. The gear fitted to it and stored in the back means you can live in the bush and handle any emergencies that come your way. You can travel at night, navigate flawlessly across featureless desert and stay in radio contact with civilization.

Take another look though, because there’s something else about it. It’s a bit flammable, isn’t it?

Half the fun of heading out in your 4wd is being somewhere remote – away from the traffic and crowds, where you can enjoy the wide open spaces of Australia. You don’t want to betooremote though. It’s always good to be able to get in touch in an emergency; if you get lost, have a breakdown you can’t fix or one of your group needs medical attention you need to have effective communications you can rely on.

Getting away from it all is great – well, it would be if you could manage it. The problem is there’s one thing you’ll never get away from in Australia, and that’s bugs. Australia’s famous unique wildlife includes a whole swarm of smaller menaces that can really put a downer on a trip into the bush. Some of them are just annoying; some can put you in hospital with a bunch of really nasty diseases. This being Australia there are even a few – OK, a lot – that are ridiculously poisonous. If you want to enjoy yourself outdoors you’re going to need a plan to keep them off you, and it’s going to have to be a bit better than a hat with corks on.

Think back to the best nights you’ve had. If you like the outdoors it’s a fair bet most of them involve sitting round a campfire somewhere with a few mates, instead of in the living room watching the news. Camping is one of the things life’s all about; getting out there, being self-reliant and enjoying the landscapes. So how come we don’t do it more often?

Of course if you’re going to make the most of your time away you don’t want to be heading back to town every day to stock up on essential items, or – even worse – to spend the night in a hotel. What you want is to be as self-sufficient as you can be, so you have the freedom to roam anywhere you want without worrying where the nearest fuel stop or supermarket is. That means having all the essentials – and any luxuries you like to have along – available in your vehicle, in large enough quantities to last you for at least several days.

Hardly anybody goes anywhere without a mobile phone these days; it’s a convenient way to keep in touch through calls, texts or emails. It’s not such a great idea to pick it up and dial while you’re driving though. It’s dangerous and the police don’t like it. In most states it’ll get you three points and a $250 fine, so you need an alternative. That’s where hands free kits come in.

It’s not often you can get something for nothing, but if you live in Australia you’re in luck. We have some of the most spectacular landscapes you’ll find anywhere and most of it’s there to be enjoyed whenever you want. Of course if you’re planning on getting out there for more than a few hours you’ll need to think about where you’re going to stay, and that’s where it stops being something for nothing again.

Getting away from it all is what 4wd driving is all about. Just load up your faithful wagon and head out into Australia’s great wildernesses, and you’re in a different world. You’ll be far away from the crowds, able to just get on and enjoy yourself.

When you’re out exploring there’s nothing better than a good meal at the end of the day, and a lot of things just seem to taste better when you’re eating them under an awning beside your 4wd. The perfect finishing touch is a hint of wood smoke. You can get loads of great camping stoves now but for the perfect experience it’s hard to beat a proper campfire. There’s more to lighting the perfect fire than just piling some wood up and sparking a light though. Let’s look at how you do it.

We all know how it feels. You’ve sorted out some time off work, the wagon’s all packed and fuelled up, you’ve filled the cooler with VB and you’re sitting in the kitchen pulling on your Blundstones. Then a big fat raindrop hits the window and you suddenly realise it’s looking pretty dark outside.

Most people who enjoy 4wd touring go for a station wagon type vehicle like a Land Cruiser or Jeep, and these are a great choice. They’re not the only option though. There are plenty of 4wd Utes available, and these can be outstanding touring vehicles too. If you already have a Ute with off road capabilities, or you’re thinking about buying one, you have a lot of potential for touring in it. Utes have a few advantages that make them ideal for the job.

Every car owner is used to having insurance, and most of us have had to claim on it at some time in our lives. How does it apply to driving off road though? Will your normal policy cover you when you head off the highways and start getting back to nature? Unfortunately this can be complicated, and a lot of people don’t know exactly what they’re covered for. It can be an expensive thing to get wrong as well. If you make a claim then find out your policy doesn’t extend to off road driving you can find yourself with some hefty bills to pay, and maybe legal problems too.

If you’re really into 4wd vehicles then it’s pretty much certain that at some point you’re going to want to add some extra lights. The manufacturers put on all the ones you need for driving around town or on a normal road, but the standard setup tends to show its weaknesses when you get a bit more adventurous. Luckily there’s a great range of extra lights available, including the classic lightbar to mount on top of your cab.

Getting out there in your 4wd or Ute can be as basic as you like – just load up some fuel cans, a sleeping bag, a billy and a few tins of beans and off you go. It’s a quick and simple way to get going and plenty of us have done it. Of course when the weather plays up it doesn’t always seem as good an idea as it did when you set off. That sleeping bag might keep you warm, but if you’re sleeping inside your wagon to keep out of the rain you might not be all that comfortable. A seat that’s perfect for a long day at the wheel can feel a lot less pleasant when you’re trying to spend all night in it too. And do you really feel like going back out in the rain to cook?

A good 4wd vehicle or Ute is pretty tough, but there are a few places you’re much better off getting dinged. The most important of these is the front, because lots of useful stuff is in there. Driving at night with a few busted lights isn’t much fun. Trying to get home with a smashed radiator is even less. Unfortunately this vulnerable part of your wagon is also the one that’s most likely to hit stuff.

Lift kits are a popular accessory for Utes and 4wds. They let you fit larger tyres and give a higher ride height, as well as making your vehicle look higher. Fitting one can be a pretty major task but it’s easily managed by any decent mechanic. However it’s easy to choose the wrong kit. There are two different types of lift kit available – body and suspension lifts – and if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking to achieve you can end up spending a lot of money and not getting the result you hoped for. If you’re thinking about adding a lift kit we’ve put together a handy guide to help you get it right first time.

It’s easy to pack all your expedition kit into your 4wd. There’s plenty of space in that big read compartment, isn’t there? You can load up pretty much everything you need and it’s all easily accessed through the tailgate. Oh hang on, you’ve stopped for a brew, you put the stove in first and there are three tents on top of it? Well that’s not very convenient. Need your snatch straps? What, they’re stashed under the floor and all that gear’s on top of them? Hmm. There has to be a better solution.

A great feature of 4wd vehicles is that they have the power and traction to haul some heavy loads. You can make good use of this by towing a trailer or even a caravan with you when you head out on an expedition. No matter how roomy the space in the back is, it’s easy to fill it with camping gear. That’s not so bad if there are only one or two of you, but with a larger group it can get pretty crowded. On the other hand even a small trailer will give you plenty of space for tents, furniture, water containers and pretty much anything else you feel like taking with you. As for caravans, it’s hard to think of an easier way to set up camp – just lower the jacks and unlock the door, and you have a space to cook, relax and sleep.

Spare a thought for your battery. It’s what makes your engine start when you turn the key. All your vehicle’s accessories run off it, and that doesn’t just mean luxuries like your stereo – it’s your lights, horn and instruments, too. When you stop to camp your battery powers your lighting sets and anything else you feel like plugging in to the lighter sockets. It’s a busy item, and it probably feels a bit lonely doing all that stuff by itself. Is it possible to get it some company?

Winter driving can be difficult and risky, and that applies to any vehicle. There’s no magic solution, and no design of tyres or suspension that makes the hazards go away. That still doesn’t mean all cars are equal though. If you have a 4wd you’re already ahead of the game when it comes to getting around in snow and ice. You just need to follow a few simple tips and you’ll be able to stay safely on the road when most drivers are immobilised.

Modern vehicles have drive trains that really are amazing, and differentials are one of the most amazing parts of the system. What they do is allow two wheels on the same powered axle to spin at different speeds, which is pretty handy when you’re doing stuff like going round corners.

One of the great things about owning a 4wd vehicle is the way it lets you get right off the beaten track and out into Australia’s most spectacular scenery. Even straight out the showroom a good 4x4 or Ute will take you places a normal car is never going to reach. High ground clearance, all wheel drive and a powerful diesel can get you across some pretty rough terrain.

It's amazing how many people spend time and money improving the performance of their engine but forget about the exhaust. Probably they figure that by the time hot gas comes out the engine all the important stuff has already happened.

Cars are machines and need to be taken care of for good performance. Lot of attention is required, if not in detail but to the minimum level failing which a car can give you nightmares. Treat your car as your best friend and give proper attention. The returns will be peace of mind and the machine will never ditch you when it is in demand during any crucial moment.

Maintaining the battery life of your 4x4 is the best way to maximize the investment made on the purchase of a battery.  There are three types of batteries mainly used for cars. The most common and old type is lead-acid batteries. The other two are nickel metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries, are relatively new.

Travelling flood affected areas is not recommended, however if you find yourself stuck in a flood affected area, there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for a flood emergency situation.  One of the most important things you can do to be prepared for travelling emergencies and disaster is to be prepared with drinking water.  Without adequate drinking water, a person can only survive as many as 2-3 days.

Having a decent first aid kit in your 4wd vehicle is something that a lot of people dont put a lot of effort into, until they find they actually need one.  First aid and emergency kits are something every 4wd vehicle should have.  It can be a daunting idea looking at the vast array of first aid kits on the market wondering which one has the right gear for your next trip.

How do you keep your water supply safe when you're out in the middle of the outback in your 4wd?  Water is a vital part of all human survival.  We are supposed to drink at least 2 litres of water per day.  When you're in 4wd country, be it the mountains, beaches, forests or deserts you're likely to require more than that recommended 2L.  We discuss the different ways 4wd travellers keep a decent water supply in the back of a 4x4.

In the old days, buying a car was easy. You got what you asked for. Utes and trucks looked and performed like trucks. An SUV 4wd vehicle was exactly that and everything else was a "typical car". But today, various advancements, categories, sub-categories, and classes can make choosing the right vehicle and 4wd accessories challenging.

A popular adventure holiday involves getting a 4x4 and touring outback and coastal Australia. Pre-planning may be required if you wish to travel parts of outback Australia however with companies that have been in operation for over twenty years, routes are already made available to you. It is up to you as to the way you would like to plan your day and to produce an itinerary that will ensure you have loads of fun with your hired 4wd.

Everyone enjoys a good cold drink.  When you're on the beach fishing, in the bush or sweating it out in the outback desert, a cold can or bottle of your poison of choice can make your trip a lot more enjoyable.  Cold beverages are something desirable when you're out in your 4wd.  The challenge is to keep your drink cool for as long as possible.  If you're planning on braving the heat with a drink in hand, you're going to need some kind of Stubby Cooler.

The worst piece of news you get as a four wheel driver is to hear that the heart of your beast is blown.  When the engine in your 4wd is so worn down the only option is to replace it, rebuild it or buy a new car, you're stricken with that sinking feeling.

Camping and outdoor activities are second nature to most Aussies. Often owners of 4x4 vehicles transform them into all round campers complete with sleeping areas and kitchens for sustainability. The ultimate camper vehicle is the envy of most 4x4 vehicle owners.

When it comes to going off road with your 4x4 doing damage to your body work is not something most people enjoy.  When you're travelling over rocky or steep terrain, your 4wd's door sills are open to scraping and denting from rocks and other obstacles.  Unlike normal alloy side steps, rock sliders are designed to protect your sills from large obstacles which cause damage.

Long range fuel tanks give your 4wd the possibility to carry a lot more fuel on board than a standard vehicle.  Once you're on your trip, you have the benefit of driving your 4x4 a lot further without seeing a fuel station!  Sometimes this can be really handy.  Long range fuel tanks are basically a requirement when travelling to remote areas with your 4wd.  Sometimes fuel isn't readily accessible.

There are always certain elements to car maintenance and modification that intimidate the average 4wd enthusiast.  Examples of this include stuff like paint, bodywork, electronics and plumbing brake and fuel systems.  Body work and paint are definately forms of art and should probably be left to someone who does it every day.  Simple electronic work can be done by the enthusiast but more complex work can take some figuring out.  When it comes to plumbing hard lines forbrakes and fuel - like many other aspects of working on cars, it can take some special tools, but running lines is truely a job anyone can do.

Airing down is a key part of any off road trip.  In the world of 4wding, what determines if you make it or get stuck is often your tyre pressures.  It simply means the difference between maintaining traction or spinning your wheels.  If you're not running your tyres at a low enough pressure, no air locker, low range gear or amount of power is going to help you conquer that section of track.

A portable air compressor is a must-have accessoriy for any 4wd owner.  The more off-roading you end up doing, the more use your air compressor is going to get.  Adjusting tyre pressures to suit the terrain is key when it comes to successful 4wd in the outback.  A portable air compressor is require to inflate your tyres again when you hit the bitumen!

Spotlights and driving lights have been around for years.  Everyone is looking for a way to brighten up their night time 4wd wether it be on the beach or off the beaten track in the bush.  In this article we take a look at a new range of lighting products using LED lights.  Still at the premium end of the driving light market, LEDs are finding their way onto the front of many 4wd vehicles.

One of the biggest decisions when buying your next 4wd will be... Petrol or Diesel?  There's a lot of hype around 4wding that says a "proper" 4wd must have a diesel engine.  Before you jump in and throw down your hard earned cash, there's some good arguements for having a petrol engine.  Lets see some unbiased comparisons and discuss the pro's and con's in the age old Petrol VS Diesel debate...

Diff Breather extensions are an essential modification if you plan on doing any kind of water crossing when touring in the outback.  Even if you don't plan on going through much water, diff breather extensions allow you to keep the beathers in a high area out of the way of dust, and other grit that may cause your outback adventure to grind to a halt!

Off road driving can be a family fun adventure, but knowing the abilities and limitations of yourself and your vehicle is important when heading out touring with your 4wd.  Scratching and damaging the body of your 4wd is not acceptable for most 4wders and in order to go offroad without breaking your truck, you need to know a few tips and tricks of the trade!

4wd Tyres are one of the biggest investments made on a 4x4 vehicle.  Picking the wrong tyre for your truck might result in uncomfortable and noisy on-road travel, getting stuck in that next mud hole, or terrible sand driving performance.  You need to carefully pick the right tyre for your off road vehicle for the type of terrain you plan on travelling.

Before you set off into the outback on your next 4wd touring adventure, it is often a case of deciding what gear to pack.  This decision is based on a number of factors including the nature of the equipment and its suitability for the trip as well as the remaining space available in the vehicle.  We go through our packing list and show you what works and what doesn't.

A quick to erect sun shade and rain shelter awning is a great addition to any 4wd vehicle.  There are many awnings available on the market that bolt up to roof racks and the side of your vehicle.  We show you what to look for when purchasing an awning for your 4wd.