What do you do before a road trip?

[stever1000]

I'm starting to plan some 3-7 day long trips in my Delica for the spring/summer/fall and I would like to know what you guys do before you set out? Maintenance, spare parts, and tools?

So far this is my plan:
change brake parts
change fuel filter, fill with seafoam
change engine oil/filter
glow plugs
check air filter
check tire pressure/wear
check spare tire

Anything else I should do before a long trip? It runs fine in town, but I want to be prepared if something happens out of cell reception or down in the US.

Do you bring any spare parts?
What tools do you bring?

I found this on another thread from Falco on what he brings:
Subject: Road Trip Preparation

I used the search engine and looked up "prepping for a road trip" and this is what I found: http://www.delica.ca/search_results.php ... 8568884j24

Another place to look is in the "Member's Trips" forum. Some of the trips people have taken in these wagons have been quite extensive and the descriptions also contain a fair amount of preparation detail. Hopefully this will embellish the information you glean from this thread.

On board the Miss Lil' Bitchi for when I go out into the toolies I keep a:

• Shovel
• bucket
• Hand winch (w/ sling, straps...)
• Bolt cutters
• Crow bar
• Axe
• 3lb Lump hammer
• Coal chisel
• Black sash cord
• 20ltr Jerry Can
• 18" Bar chainsaw (w/Gas & oil)
• Tyre repair kit
• Cdn. Tire tool kit
• Soldering pencil w/ flux & lead
• White pepper in a cannister (in the event I get a leak in the cooling system)
• Various electrical paraphernalia (connectors, shrinking sleeves, &c.)
• Spare air caps and lug nuts for the tyres
• A wool blanket
• A foam kneeling pad (so useful for ~ everything ~ kneeling on when changing the tyre, sitting on as insulation, &c.)
• A medical kit, including: Tea tree oil; cotton & needles; plasters; gauze; that springy stuff that you wrap around a sprain that I can never remember the name of; Tapes; scissors &c.)
• Contractor bags
• Eliminator battery pack that is equipped with an air compressor, inverter with plugs, cigarette plug-ins for charging on the fly
• Tarpaulin
• Clamps...
• Chains for the wheels, usually for snow but can be useful in boggy situations
• Chain
• A good knife....
• Of course a spare tyre and jack, &c.
• Maps, compass, fire stuff, dayglo ribbon to mark your progression in unknown environs, a really dry piece of wood to cut kindling from
  I'm sure I've missed something....

I'd think if your going on a long trip it would be prudent to bring along a spare oil filter and air filter element, as well.

Falco.

As well as the essential tool kit:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/main-essenti ... 13214.html

Perfect tool kit:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/what-is-the- ... -3016.html

[doodah]

And where do you sit?......

[stever1000]

I just bought mine last month and have not used it on a trip yet. So I don't know, hence why I am asking :)

[FalcoColumbarius]

Ha. I'm honoured. That list of mine is the ultimate toolie tackle, according to Falco ~ for going into the toolies. If you're driving to a folk fest or something like that, you probably don't need the chainsaw or the hand winch. That kit list is for camping out in the wilderness, especially if you're exploring many kliks down a deactivated road where things can change.

I change my oil every 5,000 kliks. and keep a record of when I do it, so when I go on a trip in BC for a couple of weeks and I changed my oil 1,000 kliks ago then I'm not worried about oil filters, &c.. If I were to go across Canada, I'd take a couple of filters with me.

I also managed to find a shower kit that plugs into a cigarette plug, as I wrote about in "What did you do TO your Delica today?":

When I was getting work done on my wagon back in 2008 I found and purchased a cheap Japanese camping kit which included one item called the "Cute California Shower" and I've used it when camping, out in the toolies, by myself. Now I need it more than ever as I'm working and require a shower at the end of the day ~ but there are people milling about and I don't want to scare anyone. In short: I rigged a curtain about the tailgate (of my wagon) with velcro tape and here's how it looks!



There's a telephone shower hose that connects to an adjoining hose coming off the tank in the bag (top right of the bag).
There is also a switch beside the hose that turns the pump on and off as I require the water:


Another power line goes from the tank to a cigarette plug that Jay installed into the bulkhead some years back, behind the battery bay.
This delivers power to the pump in the tank:


It's great to have this option and still be "at one" with Mother Nature! Then I can have a shave/scrap in the mirror above the tailgate.

Falco.

That trip was a job I was on, painting a cabin out in the Gulf Islands. I didn't make a great deal of money but it was nice to have a change of scenery. Also met up with a few other Delica drivers, which is always cool.



Falco.

[macro]

If you keep up on regular maintenance, then you should be good. I bring jumper cables, tire plug kit, hatchet and fire starting accoutrement, paracord, a small tarp, some ratchet straps, small compressor, flashlight, knife, tow strap, and some random hand tools because they're usually in there anyways. Everything fits into a small action packer from crappy tire. I throw it on the roof if I need too or it doesn't take up too much room in the back. I also have a first aid kit in the van from work that I just leave in there when I go camping.

It sounds like a lot when it's all written down but it packs up pretty small and light.

[stever1000]

Excellent! Im going to add all of that to my list

Thanks!