You always want to be well prepared for a journey. So you start planning many weeks in advance, buying breathable underwear, a kerosene lamp for cozy evenings and an ax to hack firewood in the deep forests of Scandinavia. Above all, the adventure is a big unknown. And then it's like so often: you have a lot of things that you will never use.
Many years ago, for example, I had a second horn built into my blue bulli, which can be comfortably operated from the back of the bed by a button. This is my alarm system against inquisitive people. It has happened to me three times on previous trips that someone was bothering with my bus while I slept. Everything has remained calm for the past ten years. So I keep honing every few months for fun to see if she's still alive.
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22.08.2019, 10:33 clock
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Oliver Luck
Time as goal: For 20 years in Bulli through Europe
Publishing company:
CONBOOK
Pages:
320
Price:
EUR 24.95
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For that very reason, I would like to introduce to you today and in other stories the really important things that are indispensable in my travels and that I have used again and again in the past twenty years.
Fiskars Folding Spade Premium
No rattling, no loose parts, the care is limited to the oiling of the leaf: In addition to compass, stove and coffee pot, the folding spade is the most important thing on board my bus - because: I have no own toilet. And those who spend a lot of time in wilderness and rarely on campsites need a reliable helper to bury their legacy.
What can happen if campers do not have a spade and simply leave their morning toilets in the forest or near their sleeping places has been observed in Lofoten in the past ten years. Meanwhile, the locals of the Norwegian island chain try to master the heaps of tourist crowds with prohibition signs and barriers. There was no such thing in 2008. Meanwhile, wild camping with the camper is hardly possible because prohibited. Themselves to blame!
But otherwise, a stable and space-saving spade is important: Not only once he has freed the tires of my Bullis from sand and snow. And now he is a reliable helper in sandcastle construction. It works in the heat as in the cold. Whether meadow, forest floor or snow - holes can be digged easily and without sweat. Only stony ground does not like the Fiskars, but he is no jackhammer. The comment of an equally enthusiastic spade user on the web: "This spade is the extra kilo luxury that I simply do not want to do without on trekking tours! I would carry it to the end of the world." Once he saved me from that Almost dying to thirst when I had to dig up a muddy spring in the Swiss mountains to get to the water. "
What's this? A spade that is very easy to open and close and requires very little space.
Who needs it? Anyone stuck in the sand or in the snow with their mobile home or who do not have their own toilet on board, but want to camp wild.
What does this cost? Around 50 euros.
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22.08.2019, 10:17 clock
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Fiskars folding spade for campers and climbers, Can also be used as a shovel and hoe, With canvas bag, Length (unfolded): 59 cm, Hardened boron steel, Black, 1000621
Manufacturer:
Fiskars
Price:
EUR 46.74
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Wukong Magnetic eyelets, diameter 32 mm
"What's stuck there?" Only a good friend who had not been sitting in my blue bus for some time asked. "These are magnets," I proudly shared my latest achievement, "they have a pull up to 30 kilos, so theoretically two of my three sons should be able to hang on to it at the same time." Only a few months ago, I had discovered the eyelet hook. And honestly, I do not know why I did not think about using them on my bus much earlier. No sticking, no drilling, no suckers anymore. Magnetic power braces have long been used to hang notes or pictures to attach fairy lights to the Bushimmel or a sunshade on the Bulli. And just now, during my summer vacation in southern Sweden, I saw a man in a park who had exactly these magnets with me. He had knotted a thin rope to avoid having to stoop to his balls every time he played boules. Usually it's the little things in life that give the greatest pleasure.
What's this? Very strong magnets that do not slip.
Who needs it? RV owners who have few drawers. And everyone else too.
What does this cost? Ten pieces for 24 euros, five for 14 euros.
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22.08.2019, 10:19 clock
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Strong Neodymium Eyelet Magnet, Diameter 32mm, Wukong Traction 30kg Super Strong Neodymium Magnetic Hook (10pcs)
Manufacturer:
Wukong
Price:
EUR 23.99
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Airlock tailgate exhibitor
It was in the early fall of 2010 in the UK: As always in September, the caravan of VW bus nomads set off in their mobile homes to meet in Great Malvern, south of Birmingham. 9000 buses. A city made of tin, in which 45,000 like-minded people lived for three days and nostalgically tuned lovers presented their vintage cars. The so-called bus festival is the mecca of bulli friends from all over the world. And these days I met Frank from Cologne. He was a bus freak, a tinkerer. When we said goodbye towards the end of the festival, he stuck something in my jacket pocket without saying a word and left.
It was a strangely shaped thing made of stainless steel, barely 100 grams, with a hole at each end. I had never seen anything like it before. And I had no idea what it could be used for. Only weeks later I found out: The twelve-centimeter-long, slightly tortuous piece of metal was a tailgate exhibitor, which - as the name suggests - could be clamped in the lock of the tailgate.
Through the narrow gap, the motorhome is well ventilated even at night. At the same time, the lock can be securely locked. And without exaggeration: For me, this cold thing made of steel is one of the most ingenious and cheap inventions ever made for a bus camper like me. I dubbed it "Luftstück" or "Luftschloss" because that's exactly what it is.
What's this? A tailgate exhibitor, which provides fresh air in the camper.
Who needs it? All, really all, who are traveling with a camping bus and do not want to sweat on warm nights.
What does this cost? The stand has long been available for all car makes and models. For VW buses in eight (8 euros), twelve (9 euros) and 20 centimeters (12 euros) in length.
Available among others in the Lila Bus Shop.
Overland roof tent Large
Estonia in late summer: Extensive wildness lies over this small country. A third of the Estonians live in Tallinn, but large parts remain untouched for a long time. So also the northernmost tip of the largest Estonian island Saaremaa - there you can meet more moose than humans. There are hardly any houses. And anyone who drives the only gravel road that once leads around the peninsula, following a narrow dirt road fifty meters into the pine forest, can spend the night in tucked away barbecue areas directly on the miles long stone beach. You are in the forest and at the same time at the sea. A place for a break that should not end. Oh, how beautiful is Pammana!
Anyone who has their roof tent with them can, at a dizzy height - like in a tree house - change their perspective and look out over the Baltic Sea. Camping means adventure. Rooftop tents is a double adventure. In a few minutes the night camp is made on the roof. The tent is opened like a book and fixed to the floor with a ladder. For three summers, I have already expanded to the top. If you travel to five in a small VW bus, you do not need much imagination to come up with such an idea. The large version - 180 centimeters wide and 220 centimeters long - should last for two adults and two children, which is a bit generous. In any case, the place is plentiful and comfortable.
The tent fabric made of 50 percent cotton and 50 percent acrylic is very robust, extremely rainproof and dries quickly. And: There is hardly any noise and no fluttering of the fabric in the wind, even when a stiffer breeze blows at night. There are many roof tents in the meantime. But especially for a multi-headed bus family, the Overland Large of the Italian manufacturer Autohome is a good choice. And another important tip for all prospective roof camper: It makes sense to get an additional ventilation mat for the bottom of the mattress, so it does not mold.
What's this? A quick-to-open tent for the car roof or the first floor of the camping bus.
Who needs it? Anyone who has too little space in the car but still wants to sleep comfortably and would not like to install a permanently installed raised or folding roof.
What does this cost? The Overland is available in different colors and sizes for two, three or four people. The execution Small gets you for around 2100 euros.
Available among others at Globetrotter.
