 | Home > Camping, Caravanning and Holidays > Charlie Donut's most excellent adventures |
 
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| CharlieDonuts Member Since: 16 Jun 2019 Location: Illiers Combray Posts: 133   
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y-mZaphP5U
I’m a male version of Margo. Elegantly dressed, charming to a fault and pretty much incapable of doing anything which involves getting my hands dirty. Last year (when all the garages were closed due to the pandemic) I change the oil on the Land Rover. I over tightened the oil filter cap. Which led to a catastrophic failure on the autoroute. Whereby I lost all my engine oil and blew up my turbocharger. Fortunately the engine seems to be OK now, but I think you get the general idea. For a long time now I have had a sense that something was missing in my life. As we say in France, Metro, boulot, dodo - tube, work, sleep - a feeling made only worse by forced confinement, curfew and endless teletravial. Then I watched the film Nomadland and I realised that what was missing was a connection to nature and a sense of freedom. I want to explore and as luck would have it I drive a 2008 Defender 90, which may not be perfect, but which ought to be very doable for what I want to do. Now considering, that I don’t know one end of a tarpaulin from another, and have never spent so much as one night in a tent, I thought that I should start close to home. I am a newly minted citizen of France and I am a keen fly fisherman. France has a camping culture and pretty much every town in France has a municipal camp site. That offers me the opportunity to explore the trout streams of France, whilst improving my language skills and learning more of the people and culture. I visit the forum often but I rarely post here. You guys are all so competent with Land Rovers and outdoor pursuits I sometimes feel like I don’t really belong. However the only way I am ever going to be able to do this is from learning from you. So from now until next spring I am going to equip the Land Rover for camping. I am going to post about that here and maybe my experiences may help other rank amateurs also. Next week I’m off for my hols in the South of France, where else would Margo go for her hols?, and when I come back I’ll post a walk around of my Land Rover. The modification I’ve made and the reasons for making them. After which perhaps we can buy some camping equipment together. Go easy on my guys, I know that you are a good bunch, but I have never done anything like this before, posting my life in public, but frankly I’m going to need all the help I can get. God bless Charlie Donuts  Click image to enlarge Last edited by CharlieDonuts on 21st Jun 2021 10:02am. Edited 1 time in total |
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20th Jun 2021 10:10am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324 
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Don't worry Charlie, camping doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. It's really easy to go overboard and prepare as if you're tackling uncharted wilderness but that's really not necessary for camping in France. You don't need to dive straight in with a £1200 roof tent or have jerry cans strapped to the side of your Land Rover for that. What you do need to do is ask yourself some simple questions to establish the sort of kit that you're likely to need, a good deal of which will revolve around how comfortable you want to be. For example, do you think you'd prefer a tent that you can stand up in or would you compromise on that for something that's smaller and easier to pitch and pack? What are you going to sleep in and sit in? How involved would you like food prep to be, dictating your choice of kitchen utensils, and what are you going to cook it on? How long are you likely to go away for, which might influence whether a fridge would be useful.
Some of these things are easy to answer straight away but others come with experience and you won't know what suits you until you've tried it. The best advice that I can give is to be organised. Whatever camping kit you end up with, pack it and transport it in a neat and logical fashion, which can save endless frustration on arrival. Also, make sure that everything is secured properly in the vehicle. Apart from the safety aspect, there's nothing worse than a long drive with an annoying rattle somewhere in the back! Beyond that, relax and enjoy it. One of the great joys of camping is moving at your own pace. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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20th Jun 2021 11:03am |
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| DSC-off Member Since: 16 Oct 2014 Location: North East Posts: 1428 
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Some good advice already. Camping doesn't have to be expensive or require vehicle modifications.
If you're not familiar with tent types, visit a large outdoor supplier that has a good slelection to view, and also camping accessories. Buying online, sight unseen, is not recommended for tents. Bare in mind a large tent will (usually) take longer to put up and pack away. Great for a week camping in one spot, but not if you're touring and moving on each day. Practice putting the tent up BEFORE you go.  Either in your garden or any suitable area. You'll learn a lot from it, it's much easier the second time. The last tent I bought had a manufacturing fault and couldn't be erected properly, trying it at home saved a ruined trip.
Having an enjoyable camping trip is greatly helped by a good night's sleep. The type of mattress or camp bed is important. I hate air beds, but you may think they're OK. As said before, enjoy it and let us know how you get on  |
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20th Jun 2021 6:55pm |
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| Mo Murphy Member Since: 01 Jun 2008 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Herts Posts: 2244 
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You need :
Something to sleep in. Something to sleep on. Something to cook on. That's it. It's easy. You don't even need a thread on it. Mo Or you could spend 50k kitting out your 90 to appear to do something it doesn't 😉 The Land Rover 90 - Many are called, few are chosen. 50 Shades of Pennine Grey |
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20th Jun 2021 7:40pm |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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What's Charlie done to deserve an answer like that
 Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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21st Jun 2021 7:34am |
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| CharlieDonuts Member Since: 16 Jun 2019 Location: Illiers Combray Posts: 133
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This is pure gold. Box of Chrispy Cremes coming your way mate. |
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21st Jun 2021 10:04am |
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| CharlieDonuts Member Since: 16 Jun 2019 Location: Illiers Combray Posts: 133
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I posted something here I shouldn't have posted. I am sorry I take it back. Last edited by CharlieDonuts on 21st Jun 2021 9:47pm. Edited 3 times in total |
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21st Jun 2021 10:11am |
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| CharlieDonuts Member Since: 16 Jun 2019 Location: Illiers Combray Posts: 133
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Ball and chain said change the thread to 'Charlie Donuts most excellent adventures'. So when I have it set up, I will be going all over France, and will report back on where to go fly fishing , good campsites, good places to eat and good tourist spots. Seems appropriate for Camping, Caravanning and Holidays
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21st Jun 2021 10:18am |
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| Matt110 Member Since: 29 Jun 2014 Location: UK Posts: 685
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Welcome to your thread Charlie
I was a bit tentative posting when I first started. Security has always worried me a lot and I've always felt the same about privacy etc and plastering stuff up on forums... but you slowly gain confidence. And everyone here's friendly and the wealth of knowledge - as you say, is incredible!!
First up your 90 photo looks great, sure we'd all love to see some more if you're happy to post some. but if not - that's not a worry either, don't feel you have to, we'll all still talk to you
Ref the camping... Everyone has their view, but we all appear to be ending up in roughly the same place, which is "give it a go". I started my camping life using a £15 Argos tent and a sleeping bag with a zip that failed. I was mountain biking at the time, so I bought food from various outlets etc. I then thought.... "i'd like to be dry at night" and invested a truely phenomenal £49.99 in a slightly better tent, using the original one as a "pup" tent to put stuff in so i didn't end up clogged up with stuff. After a trip round the pyrenees with my brother in said £49.99 tent (2 off for space) we thought "hmm, we could really do with being off the floor" and bought a roof tent each. 2 years later we then bought some more cooking facilities as we fancied more cooking than buying food, and we've just added a fire pit as we fancied one. Literally none of this stuff is essential! But if it turns into a hobby and it's a nice thing to own - great, spend the money. It's all a bit of fun really. As long as you enjoy what you have and how you're using it. The point I'm making isn't "go and buy a roof tent", it's more, give it a go and you'll learn the things that are important to you as you go. Start basic. Buy something just to get you started, and go spend a night somewhere local, somewhere local enough that when at 2:37am you discover the thing you've bought desperately needs a "nakanocka xx xx xxxxx xx mk2" before you can possibly consider camping again, you can either come home again, or modify it easily. Getting out there and just having a go is the most important bit. |
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21st Jun 2021 10:24am |
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| CharlieDonuts Member Since: 16 Jun 2019 Location: Illiers Combray Posts: 133
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Peter my thoughts exactly. Thank you. I am going to share my thoughts and ideas with you. |
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21st Jun 2021 10:32am |
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| Mo Murphy Member Since: 01 Jun 2008 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Herts Posts: 2244
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My answer has been misinterpreted. 🤪
My point being that you don't need piles of gear and bolt on goodies or advice. Camping is very simple. Go and do it. Mo The Land Rover 90 - Many are called, few are chosen. 50 Shades of Pennine Grey |
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22nd Jun 2021 4:41am |
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5829 
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Salut Charlie,
Bienvenue sur le site. Great intro. As already mentioned by you, this site and its members offer a huge amount of knowledge and experience, most of it offered respectfully, without judgment and often with good humour. When not, they’re found out and asked by Martin to stop or are removed. You are immediately an equal on here as you are a lover of Defenders, don’t let yourself believe that a lack of experience in a particular area means you’re less than anyone else, you’re just at the start of the same journey we all were. Nobody was born with the knowledge some on here have. Apart, that is, from LandRoverAnorak above who was either born ready to fix/modify Land Rovers, or is a super computer, or the entire Land Rover mechanical and engineering team posing as one person; he simply knows more than one man could possibly know in a lifetime. 
As for camping, you’ve already had some sage advice above and I’d agree with all of it. As with trying anything new, for your first few attempts, keep it simple. So, for example, choose a camp site close to a town with good facilities so that you’re not compelled to pre-think what to take. Pre-planning a journey is often the hardest part and not something you want to dwell on now, you want to enjoy the experience. So be near a nice town that has good supermarkets, bars and restaurants so that essentials and places to eat are easily at hand, then you’re not reliant on taking everything or cooking every night. And if you do get fed up you can jump out. Similarly, look at camp sites with easy access and good facilities. Nice for the first few attempts to know you can get to your destination easily, set up easily and you have good facilities like toilets and showering, possibly (if your thing) a bar, small shop, pool, etc. Don’t make the first few trips hard events verging on expeditions, they can come later, if ever. Look on line at the reviews, location, facilities etc. So easy these days. Further, make the camping itself comfortable. Don’t buy the most expensive kit, but don’t scrimp and buy the cheapest, it’s cheap for a reason and will either break, not work or not be comfortable. You don’t want to hate your first trip, you’ll never do it again. So make sure what ever you sleep on is properly comfortable, (I’d recommend a camp cot over a mat), test it in the shop, well ventilated tents as hot tents are horrible, robust (zips, poles, ground attachments etc) and easy to set up. And consider some creature comforts such as a table and a couple of chairs and an outdoor light. Etc etc. You’ve got a Defender, after all, so chuck it all in there. And we’re lucky here in France as we have Decathlon or Quechua everywhere. They offer great variety and value. Don’t go for all the cheap stuff they offer, think a couple of price brackets above that for the reasons I mentioned above. Or ‘Au Vieux Campeur’. An excellent shop, but all branded, quality items so you’ll pay a bit more. Even Decathlon’s medium priced kit is cheap enough for a single year’s use, so if you really get in to camping you can go to AVC and blow some real cash on the expensive shiny kit. Anyway, bon voyage. You’ll have an amazing time in this fabulous country and before you know it, Charlie ‘Nomad’ Donuts will be camping is Spain, Italy and venturing to that French favorite, Morocco. Monsieur Le Grenadier
I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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22nd Jun 2021 6:16am |
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| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2117 
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Hi Charlie
Welcome to the forum ! As one of the ‘keen’ campers on here, we have spent a lot of time and effort in converting our 110 into our ultimate camper with an aim to go on long extended trips. However we didn’t start that way, as our first trips were by bicycle, where we had to carry tent, sleeping bags food cookers and clothes in bags attached to our bikes. We traveled like that for over 6 yrs and found we didn’t need much and improvised when we had a need. Now we have the luxury of having a 110, we have progressed from a board in the back with a thermorest, tangier cookers and sleeping bags, then one with dormobile convertible seats and cooker, right up to our current 110 with pop top, double bed, heater, potty, and fitted units etc ... its not about the kit, its about the journey, having adventures and making memories .. so start simple and find out what you like to do, how much comfort you want to have and then investigate what works best for you ... Enjoy ! (see my profile for the various transitions of our landrover campers and bikes) Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126 |
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22nd Jun 2021 7:22am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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Whilst I'm flattered, that's really not the case  I've owned Land Rovers for a long time and picked up a fair amount of stuff along the way but I'm a long way from being an engineering team. There are others on here that are far more qualified for that mantle. I do appreciate good advice though, and try and return the favour when possible. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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22nd Jun 2021 7:35am |
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