Thanks Bruce. I enjoy your “down to earth” approach to your videos. I would rather hear and see the positives and less positive aspects about your trips, so the “unfortunately” parts are good as well.Don’t change your approach
Thank you very much David. I would prefer to be truthful with everything negative and positive and if I ever get to the stage where sponsors are interested in the channel, whether it’s accommodation or product, I will make it clear to them that I will be honest about their products good or bad. I think too many channels sell products they don’t believe in only because of the sponsorship. I’ve seen this first hand. Thank you for watching and commenting.
G'day from Downunder, Bruce, loving your videos and the spectacular scenery, lekker ey! Keep up the great work, the Defender looks like a nicely done up rig, well done. I watch Ryan's 4x4ventures videos too, would love for you blokes to make more adventure trips together, would be lots of fun yah! cheers from Australia, Derek
Looking forward to the next installment. Great to see you giving the new Defender a chance, rather than writing it off, like so many die harders have. Thank you!
Thanks very much Philip. Wait until you see the next series. It puts the new defender to the test, properly. Two weeks of living out of it while traveling through Zimbabwe. As Ryan would say “next level”. Thank you very much for your support and comment.
@@richardfenner6096 thank you for that. Its something that I find difficult to keep interesting and its not easy for some people to talk in front of the camera but it is a great suggestion, thank you
Thanks so much. I’m loving it too. Did you see the Zim part 1 video yet? The defender was really put to the test Thank you for watching and commenting again
Great leopard sighting pitty about the people distributing the peace at Tsendse it is such a great campsite. Why don't you consider looking at a Stealth overlander caravan light weight and extremely comfortable.
thank you Garry. I already purchased a Conqueror Companion which we are really happy with. We do some real rough trips and I think the bigger fancier caravans will take a knock. thank you for taking the time to comment.
Regarding the Conqueror issues. I purchased an off-road camper this year. I had decided on a Conqueror but after chasing the sales person who kept promising to call me back 3 times I eventually gave up. I eventuality bought an Invader Quattro, but the Bush Lapa looks like good quality. The Invader is fibre glass, is lighter to tow, and has lots of space inside. We are enjoying it. Worth a look
Thank you. Yes it seems like a complaint by many. I really like their products but am very disappointed in my experience with them. I have since purchased a Platinum Companion after all the quality issues on the Comfort. I hope I’ve made the right choice. Sorry I didn’t see the Invaded earlier. Thank you for commenting and watching David.
Great video, thanks for filling my procrastination time and taking me to the Wildtuin, I haven't been able to go in a while! I'm sorry your experiences with the camps weren't great, I think we look for the same bush experiences. I think you went to the wrong camps ;-)
Hi Carl. I think I am too spoilt to be honest. I hope you manage to get out there again soon. All the very best and thank you so much for watching and commenting
@@OverlandingwithBruce I hear exactly where you come from, we are also prefer Hwange or CKGR type privacy and remoteness! But in terms of Chalets we absolutely love Olifants, Satara and Letaba. Sirheni is also awesome. We have never been disturbed there, and maintenance was great, except one year there was a bat problem and our unit smelt of it... Thanks! I hope to get back there sooner rather than later!
Mopane is also great! I think our success is 100% thanks to my mum, she always walks around each camp and make notes of where the chalets are with the best views and which ones are the most secluded. Try and get the camp maps before booking and be adamant when booking to get the perfect chalet or campsite. I hope I have been of some assistence! great content, thank you so much for sharing it. I hope the Landy doesn't start leaking oil ;-)
Having recently spent 2 weeks camping in Kruger, with a 95 % positive experience, my main gripe was the caravanners who hog the fence by spreading themselves out as widely as possible. It would be preferable to have a 5 meter exclusion strip to allow everyone access to the fence, and to provide a walking route.
Hi Bruce, most of the videos I have watched tend to focus on the building of off-road vehicle’s and the trips themselves, although guys like Edward Bath and co do tow as well. I have just bought an off-road trailer/camper and will be exploring Southern Africa with this, towing with a new Fortuner GD 2.8. As you do solo with just your vehicle and tow, it would be great to hear some of your views and experience on towing a camper
Hi David. I have towed all over Southern Africa. We circumnavigated the CKGR on cut lines, some of which had clearly not been cleared or driven in years. I have towed campers like the comfort and the big heavy Xplorer. Maybe I was lucky but I never had any problems but I also took care of all the trailers, serviced them and didn’t do silly stuff. I am very fortunate that I do solo trips as well as “trailer” family trips. I have not been to an area or campsite, apart from possibly Chitake that I would not be happy to tow to. Chitake because most of the campsites don’t have space and the track in is quite tight in areas. Enjoy the trailer, much more comfortable with the huge advantage of keeping your campsite when you take a drive somewhere. Our next trip in August will be through Botswana, on some cut lines, bush camping, and some places like Moremi etc. I will be towing the Companion, so watch out for those episodes coming up although I won’t focus on the trailer, as it will be more about the trip and experiences. I am not sure if I will focus on vehicle builds or trailers or even product in future as I think everyone has their preferences and what I like may not suit others. For example the product that can boil water in less than a minute which cost Over R2k, there is no ways I would ever buy that but others love it and won’t use an old fashioned kettle on a fire or gas stove to boil water. Both ways are perfect but it depends on the individual. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Hi Bruce, forgot about the part 2 of your KNP trip, been looking out for your Zim trip 😇. Hope it was a good one. Any shot of a Leopard is a blessing. My last 2 sightings have been right next tothe road and saw them by accident and could not even get a photo…. Just makes me wonder how many Leopards see us and we don’t even know they are there before they slink off. Yes, why guys start their diesel bakkies 15-30mins before they leave is crazy… i think it is to warm it up, as not connected to a trailer charging a battery?? Unless your neighbour was. Regarding one of the “bongs” when i am in the Disco in a park and don’t want to be putting my seat belt on and off, i take the seat belt behind the back of the seat and plug it in. But still does not stop the door “bong” if engine running 😂. Thanks for sharing you trip and looking forward to the Zim trip, cheers ian 🍻
Hi Ian. Thanks for watching again. The seat belt bong is not gone. Plugged in and out the seat belt 10 times and it’s now gone thankfully 😂 I am busy sorting out all the footage from the Zim trip. It’s going to be a massive task and I hope I do the trip justice as it was one for the record books. Thanks for watching and commenting again Ian. Take care mate.
@@OverlandingwithBruce remember I asked you when you bought it to do a walk around. Thanks for your honest feedback. Looking forward to the Zim trip series
Yes I do. I am not happy with this episode as it comes across very negative. I am also pretty fussy sometimes I think but when spending that amount on a trailer like this I do expect it to be perfect. It is a brilliant concept and design though. I have now traded it in on the companion. Hopefully I will have more luck with it. Zim was amazing and I can’t wait to share it. Thanks for sticking around Joyfred :)
Please can tell a little bit about the quality issues of the conquerer? I‘m very interested about it. I want to buy one bring it to Germany and want to drive back to SA. Do you think the issues for such a trip are to much?
No it will do it I would just worry about how waterproof it is and if it would stay together. I think a second hand one maybe better as most of the problems could have been sorted out
I'd love to hear about the Jimny :). How was it on the road with the RRT? What was the consumption like? How was the comfort and handling on corrugations, etc.? I see it has KO2's on it, can you feel the added weight? Thanks in advance. Really enjoy your content :).
Hi Dumani. It’s does not have KO2’s on. It had the standard tyres when this video was made. It is a bit too heavy but the new tyres have sorted it out. It is also fairly heavy on fuel but otherwise it handled well. Thanks very much for watching mate.
Hi Andries. I have been using Tracks 4 Africa on the external GPS to compare what tracks are on the OEM GPS. The OEM GPS has many of the tracks on it surprisingly but not all of them. Many of the very small tracks are not on the OEM GPS. I also like to plan my routes before I leave on the external GPS.
Please can you tell us if the rust in the Conqueror has been resolved? We sold our Conqueror 6 years ago because of rust and want to be sure they don't still have an issue! We are in the market for a new off-road camper and are looking at various products. Can you give an unbiased opinion of the new Defender - is yours the 2L or 3L diesel? Thanks for a great channel
Hi Jenni. I traded on a Platinium Companion so I don’t know. This trailer seems to be much better quality. Possibly I just got a bad one but I feel there should be more QC if those items are picked up by someone like me who works in an office all day. I’m not sure what you mean about unbiased but I have done a series of videos and mention in this video my irritations but ….. after my recent trip through Zimbabwe (see part 1 of my zim trip on the channel) I absolutely love this vehicle. We drove in thick sand (didn’t deflate) rocks, mud, water crossings, everything you can imagine and the new defender conquered it all and in pure comfort. I absolutely love the vehicle. Yes it’s a D240 and on this trip with stuff on the roof I got around 800kms to a tank or around 10.5ltrs per 100kms for the entire trip. If you are ordering I would order with the 18inch wheels or the 20inch wheels. No other size. Ive changed to 18’s but I didn’t have any issues with the 20’s. No damage to any of them at all. I can maybe not give an unbiased opinion after 7 Landy’s including all the discoveries, but I can tell you this is the best landy I have ever owned. If you are in JHB you are welcome to come see what I’ve done to mine to give you an idea of the possibilities. (I don’t have any sponsors and haven’t accepted free stuff so I can give unbiased opinions) Thank you for watching and commenting Jenni and please feel free to ask more questions.
@@OverlandingwithBruce We have owned 8 Landrovers over a 20-year period and had issues with every one :( We moved to Toyota and the reliability is suburb. We are considering this new Landrover (for comfort vs Landcruiser 79) as we are planning extensive overlanding trips. We will watch reliability reports over the next few months. Going back to the rust in and Conqueror - did it get resolved from their side? It is one of 3 off-road campers we are looking at. If not, we will not be buying their product. Thanks
@@jennikuck394 I’ve been lucky with my Landy’s. Conqueror never supported me with my complaints. They never gave me discount or any special treatment on the new trailer I purchased and in fact I wasn’t even allowed to pop a ballon to win a prize which was the special at the time. Not very impressed with them at all and the only reason I bought the Platinum Companion was because I don’t really like the competitor products. If you buy from them check it very carefully, I don’t believe they have any QC.
Depending on your camera body and lens, it could just be that you’re in the wrong focus mode (manual vs AF). Check on your lens, then check your autofocus settings in the camera menu. If you’re still having trouble let me know and you can shoot me an email. Happy to try help
Thank you Kyle. I have a lot to learn still. I have ordered a better camera which I hope to get next week. It apparently had better tracking and focus. Thanks very much, I may do that once I have the new camera. Thank you mate
A slight criticism: it's disappointing to the audience when sentences and cuts begin with "unfortunately" etc. I know this is true, but it's more fun to watch a comedic take XD Hopefully this is helpful and not annoying, I really appreciate this series and how you respond comments!
Hi Chancey. Thank you so much for the crit. Appreciate it. It helps me learn. It’s not annoying at all and I appreciate the feedback a lot. Thank you for watching and taking time to comment.
Hi Allan. Sorry not sure what you are saying? If you comparing stopping for a few minutes to look at something while driving at a park to letting your vehicle idle for almost an hour every morning and every evening it’s not quite the same
What a fabulous Leopard sighting! Ohhh yum a captain morgen with the 🐘!
Haha thank you
Thanks Bruce. I enjoy your “down to earth” approach to your videos. I would rather hear and see the positives and less positive aspects about your trips, so the “unfortunately” parts are good as well.Don’t change your approach
Thank you very much David. I would prefer to be truthful with everything negative and positive and if I ever get to the stage where sponsors are interested in the channel, whether it’s accommodation or product, I will make it clear to them that I will be honest about their products good or bad. I think too many channels sell products they don’t believe in only because of the sponsorship. I’ve seen this first hand.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
G'day from Downunder, Bruce, loving your videos and the spectacular scenery, lekker ey! Keep up the great work, the Defender looks like a nicely done up rig, well done. I watch Ryan's 4x4ventures videos too, would love for you blokes to make more adventure trips together, would be lots of fun yah! cheers from Australia, Derek
Thank you Derek. I think you need to come visit. Zimbabwe is honestly spectacular as is the rest of Southern Africa.
Thank you so much for the support
Looking forward to the next installment. Great to see you giving the new Defender a chance, rather than writing it off, like so many die harders have. Thank you!
Thanks very much Philip. Wait until you see the next series. It puts the new defender to the test, properly. Two weeks of living out of it while traveling through Zimbabwe. As Ryan would say “next level”. Thank you very much for your support and comment.
Just amazing
Thank you. Did you see the Zimbabwe series? Now that was an amazing adventure.
Thank you for watching and commenting mate
I have a saying I like to use when surveying a campsite: ït's not that I don't like people, it's just that I would like them to be somewhere else!
Hahaha thanks for watching and commenting Mahn
A
n old Rhodie here, Bruce. Great job!!
Thanks very much Richard. Glad you enjoyed it. Did you see the other episodes?
@@OverlandingwithBruce Yes. Most of them. Suggestion: I miss the fireside chats at night....:-)
@@richardfenner6096 thank you for that. Its something that I find difficult to keep interesting and its not easy for some people to talk in front of the camera but it is a great suggestion, thank you
Defender is the best
I agree but maybe I am biased 😂
Loving your new Defender
Thanks so much. I’m loving it too. Did you see the Zim part 1 video yet? The defender was really put to the test
Thank you for watching and commenting again
Great leopard sighting pitty about the people distributing the peace at Tsendse it is such a great campsite. Why don't you consider looking at a Stealth overlander caravan light weight and extremely comfortable.
thank you Garry. I already purchased a Conqueror Companion which we are really happy with. We do some real rough trips and I think the bigger fancier caravans will take a knock.
thank you for taking the time to comment.
Regarding the Conqueror issues. I purchased an off-road camper this year. I had decided on a Conqueror but after chasing the sales person who kept promising to call me back 3 times I eventually gave up. I eventuality bought an Invader Quattro, but the Bush Lapa looks like good quality. The Invader is fibre glass, is lighter to tow, and has lots of space inside. We are enjoying it. Worth a look
Thank you. Yes it seems like a complaint by many. I really like their products but am very disappointed in my experience with them. I have since purchased a Platinum Companion after all the quality issues on the Comfort. I hope I’ve made the right choice.
Sorry I didn’t see the Invaded earlier.
Thank you for commenting and watching David.
Great video, thanks for filling my procrastination time and taking me to the Wildtuin, I haven't been able to go in a while! I'm sorry your experiences with the camps weren't great, I think we look for the same bush experiences. I think you went to the wrong camps ;-)
Hi Carl. I think I am too spoilt to be honest.
I hope you manage to get out there again soon. All the very best and thank you so much for watching and commenting
@@OverlandingwithBruce I hear exactly where you come from, we are also prefer Hwange or CKGR type privacy and remoteness! But in terms of Chalets we absolutely love Olifants, Satara and Letaba. Sirheni is also awesome. We have never been disturbed there, and maintenance was great, except one year there was a bat problem and our unit smelt of it...
Thanks! I hope to get back there sooner rather than later!
Mopane is also great!
I think our success is 100% thanks to my mum, she always walks around each camp and make notes of where the chalets are with the best views and which ones are the most secluded. Try and get the camp maps before booking and be adamant when booking to get the perfect chalet or campsite.
I hope I have been of some assistence! great content, thank you so much for sharing it. I hope the Landy doesn't start leaking oil ;-)
Having recently spent 2 weeks camping in Kruger, with a 95 % positive experience, my main gripe was the caravanners who hog the fence by spreading themselves out as widely as possible. It would be preferable to have a 5 meter exclusion strip to allow everyone access to the fence, and to provide a walking route.
That’s a good idea. I still prefer the wild camping where there are no neighbours close by. Thank you for watching
Hi Bruce, most of the videos I have watched tend to focus on the building of off-road vehicle’s and the trips themselves, although guys like Edward Bath and co do tow as well. I have just bought an off-road trailer/camper and will be exploring Southern Africa with this, towing with a new Fortuner GD 2.8. As you do solo with just your vehicle and tow, it would be great to hear some of your views and experience on towing a camper
Hi David. I have towed all over Southern Africa. We circumnavigated the CKGR on cut lines, some of which had clearly not been cleared or driven in years. I have towed campers like the comfort and the big heavy Xplorer. Maybe I was lucky but I never had any problems but I also took care of all the trailers, serviced them and didn’t do silly stuff.
I am very fortunate that I do solo trips as well as “trailer” family trips. I have not been to an area or campsite, apart from possibly Chitake that I would not be happy to tow to. Chitake because most of the campsites don’t have space and the track in is quite tight in areas.
Enjoy the trailer, much more comfortable with the huge advantage of keeping your campsite when you take a drive somewhere.
Our next trip in August will be through Botswana, on some cut lines, bush camping, and some places like Moremi etc. I will be towing the Companion, so watch out for those episodes coming up although I won’t focus on the trailer, as it will be more about the trip and experiences.
I am not sure if I will focus on vehicle builds or trailers or even product in future as I think everyone has their preferences and what I like may not suit others. For example the product that can boil water in less than a minute which cost Over R2k, there is no ways I would ever buy that but others love it and won’t use an old fashioned kettle on a fire or gas stove to boil water. Both ways are perfect but it depends on the individual.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Hi Bruce, forgot about the part 2 of your KNP trip, been looking out for your Zim trip 😇. Hope it was a good one. Any shot of a Leopard is a blessing. My last 2 sightings have been right next tothe road and saw them by accident and could not even get a photo…. Just makes me wonder how many Leopards see us and we don’t even know they are there before they slink off. Yes, why guys start their diesel bakkies 15-30mins before they leave is crazy… i think it is to warm it up, as not connected to a trailer charging a battery?? Unless your neighbour was. Regarding one of the “bongs” when i am in the Disco in a park and don’t want to be putting my seat belt on and off, i take the seat belt behind the back of the seat and plug it in. But still does not stop the door “bong” if engine running 😂. Thanks for sharing you trip and looking forward to the Zim trip, cheers ian 🍻
Hi Ian. Thanks for watching again. The seat belt bong is not gone. Plugged in and out the seat belt 10 times and it’s now gone thankfully 😂
I am busy sorting out all the footage from the Zim trip. It’s going to be a massive task and I hope I do the trip justice as it was one for the record books.
Thanks for watching and commenting again Ian. Take care mate.
Great, glad to hear 👍, as well that the trip was great. Especially after having to post pone… 💥
@@ianmansfield9654 thank you. Can’t wait to share it with all of you. It was a brilliant trip.
ouch Conqueror. Thanks for making time and share it.
Yes rather disappointing. I have since traded the trailer in at a big loss.
Thank you for watching and commenting Joyfred.
@@OverlandingwithBruce remember I asked you when you bought it to do a walk around. Thanks for your honest feedback. Looking forward to the Zim trip series
Yes I do. I am not happy with this episode as it comes across very negative. I am also pretty fussy sometimes I think but when spending that amount on a trailer like this I do expect it to be perfect. It is a brilliant concept and design though. I have now traded it in on the companion. Hopefully I will have more luck with it.
Zim was amazing and I can’t wait to share it. Thanks for sticking around Joyfred :)
Ja we always book Site 14 at Tsendze >> no passing traffic
I remember your recommendation but unfortunately someone was there already. Thank you anyway Peter.
Thanks Bruce nice episode a pitty the rondafels are not maintain proper mooi loop
Yes it’s a shame. Thanks so much for watching and commenting again Shaun
Which Garmin are you using?
It’s a Garmin Overlander and I don’t recommend it at all. Worst Garmin I have ever owned to be honest
Please can tell a little bit about the quality issues of the conquerer? I‘m very interested about it. I want to buy one bring it to Germany and want to drive back to SA. Do you think the issues for such a trip are to much?
No it will do it I would just worry about how waterproof it is and if it would stay together. I think a second hand one maybe better as most of the problems could have been sorted out
I'd love to hear about the Jimny :). How was it on the road with the RRT? What was the consumption like? How was the comfort and handling on corrugations, etc.? I see it has KO2's on it, can you feel the added weight? Thanks in advance. Really enjoy your content :).
Hi Dumani. It’s does not have KO2’s on. It had the standard tyres when this video was made. It is a bit too heavy but the new tyres have sorted it out. It is also fairly heavy on fuel but otherwise it handled well.
Thanks very much for watching mate.
Why do you use an external GPS unit when there is one available in the Defender?
Hi Andries. I have been using Tracks 4 Africa on the external GPS to compare what tracks are on the OEM GPS. The OEM GPS has many of the tracks on it surprisingly but not all of them. Many of the very small tracks are not on the OEM GPS. I also like to plan my routes before I leave on the external GPS.
Please can you tell us if the rust in the Conqueror has been resolved? We sold our Conqueror 6 years ago because of rust and want to be sure they don't still have an issue! We are in the market for a new off-road camper and are looking at various products. Can you give an unbiased opinion of the new Defender - is yours the 2L or 3L diesel? Thanks for a great channel
Hi Jenni. I traded on a Platinium Companion so I don’t know. This trailer seems to be much better quality. Possibly I just got a bad one but I feel there should be more QC if those items are picked up by someone like me who works in an office all day.
I’m not sure what you mean about unbiased but I have done a series of videos and mention in this video my irritations but …..
after my recent trip through Zimbabwe (see part 1 of my zim trip on the channel) I absolutely love this vehicle. We drove in thick sand (didn’t deflate) rocks, mud, water crossings, everything you can imagine and the new defender conquered it all and in pure comfort. I absolutely love the vehicle. Yes it’s a D240 and on this trip with stuff on the roof I got around 800kms to a tank or around 10.5ltrs per 100kms for the entire trip.
If you are ordering I would order with the 18inch wheels or the 20inch wheels. No other size. Ive changed to 18’s but I didn’t have any issues with the 20’s. No damage to any of them at all.
I can maybe not give an unbiased opinion after 7 Landy’s including all the discoveries, but I can tell you this is the best landy I have ever owned. If you are in JHB you are welcome to come see what I’ve done to mine to give you an idea of the possibilities.
(I don’t have any sponsors and haven’t accepted free stuff so I can give unbiased opinions)
Thank you for watching and commenting Jenni and please feel free to ask more questions.
@@OverlandingwithBruce We have owned 8 Landrovers over a 20-year period and had issues with every one :( We moved to Toyota and the reliability is suburb. We are considering this new Landrover (for comfort vs Landcruiser 79) as we are planning extensive overlanding trips. We will watch reliability reports over the next few months. Going back to the rust in and Conqueror - did it get resolved from their side? It is one of 3 off-road campers we are looking at. If not, we will not be buying their product. Thanks
@@jennikuck394 I’ve been lucky with my Landy’s.
Conqueror never supported me with my complaints. They never gave me discount or any special treatment on the new trailer I purchased and in fact I wasn’t even allowed to pop a ballon to win a prize which was the special at the time. Not very impressed with them at all and the only reason I bought the Platinum Companion was because I don’t really like the competitor products. If you buy from them check it very carefully, I don’t believe they have any QC.
👍🏼 thumbs up
Thanks for watching again. I’m hoping part 1 of the zim trip will be up next Friday. It’s going to be a good one!!
@@OverlandingwithBruce awesome sir .Travel safe hope i see u 👀 🙏🏽
Hope to visit Zim again in March next year. This time come say hi :)
@@OverlandingwithBruce will do sir .will do
Your twitter handle sir
Depending on your camera body and lens, it could just be that you’re in the wrong focus mode (manual vs AF). Check on your lens, then check your autofocus settings in the camera menu. If you’re still having trouble let me know and you can shoot me an email. Happy to try help
Thank you Kyle. I have a lot to learn still. I have ordered a better camera which I hope to get next week. It apparently had better tracking and focus. Thanks very much, I may do that once I have the new camera. Thank you mate
A slight criticism: it's disappointing to the audience when sentences and cuts begin with "unfortunately" etc. I know this is true, but it's more fun to watch a comedic take XD
Hopefully this is helpful and not annoying, I really appreciate this series and how you respond comments!
Hi Chancey. Thank you so much for the crit. Appreciate it. It helps me learn. It’s not annoying at all and I appreciate the feedback a lot. Thank you for watching and taking time to comment.
It’s as bad as those that stop to see sightings and just sit there with engines running instead of switching off !!! Jeez I hate these people
Hi Allan. Sorry not sure what you are saying? If you comparing stopping for a few minutes to look at something while driving at a park to letting your vehicle idle for almost an hour every morning and every evening it’s not quite the same