"If you walk away from your vehicle and take one thing: your hard drive with your photographs. That's it. The rest you can replace" - So true! Thank you for sharing this truly inspiring interview with this legend!
Best advice. I see some of thes amazing vehicles in the bush and I do wonder what happens if they become stranded. My old Landy or LC I can afford to walk away from - much less stressful
Paul is an absolute legend and an encyclopaedia of firsthand knowledge that is invaluable. If anyone is contemplating travelling in an overland vehicle, they should at a bare minimum watch all of the videos that he has either done or appeared in. Better still take the time to go and meet him and hire him to assist them with advice in choosing their vehicle that will meet their needs and the setting it up, regardless which country they are looking to Aquire and set up that vehicle for their overland adventure. He is absolutely correct that there are far too many outfits that will slap on all manner of items to a vehicle or sell stuff that is not right or fit for purpose for the clients requirements or the vehicle. There are far too many 4x4’s that are seriously badly set up and are a risk to safety and not fit for purpose, many of which were the result of DIY modifications done by the owners or their friends that don’t have the understanding and experience and knowledge to attempt. I’ve seen suspension upgrades done that are ridiculous and not fit for purpose on many 4x4’s. Also many overloaded and completely off balanced overland vehicles. Suspension is one of the critical elements for any vehicle for intended use and should be properly chosen with plenty of reserve for its intended use. Paul is the best person to advise on all aspects of the vehicle and on the skills set that one needs to look at. Thanks for a great post of invaluable information and advice from an absolute legend in off-roading and overlanding. Cheers from WA 👍🇦🇺
What a legend I remember back in the nineties driving land rovers in the uk and watching the camel trophy wishing I was there even back to the seventies n eighties watching bush tucker man I've longed for adventure now living in gods own country 🇦🇺 I get to learn plants and traditional ways of life and best of all I get to drive there in my own overland vehicle I'm fifty in a few months and have to say I agree with Mr Marsh I been to Africa and the Middle East if you don't go there you'll never know! Go do it don't be an arm chair 4WDer lol its out there are you? As an aircraft engineer I'm loving bush mechanics and my wife is a trained VET. Not much we can't do and we love to travel although I'm the people person I'll sit n chat all day love people and their expiriances... Also I have been working over seas just got home to South Australia I fitted the battery to my 105 turbo' land crusher 2 pumps on the primer from the tank and turn the key after checking the oil and water 😎 yep she didn't even get a full revolution and started not bad for a vehicle stored for 18 months outside in the elements one day I hope to meet you Paul cheers awesome interview 😎👍🇦🇺
Africa Sideways thanks Paul, when you mentioned your accident rolling your vehicle I welled up I had a serious bike accident a few years back tearing the main blood supply out the stomach ( aorta ) 95% of people die I bleed out and had 6 units of blood two days on life support man I still ride and have 1% club mates who came to see me telling me they would hand in their patch if it happened to them! Also your comment on countries of ya don’t like it just get an aircraft flight out so true a country is what it is don’t try changing it because your not happy with it, great speech like I say Legend 👍
This Gentleman has a remarkable level of life experience and the wisdom that comes with it, and the gift of knowing how to communicate it in a simple, usable manner A pleasure to listen to.
I'm Canadian. Years ago, I drove my Mitsubishi "sporty" car to the ski hills north of Montréal - where it was -50C one morning. Later that year, I drove the same car to Death Valley, USA - where it was +50C. So the same vehicle, same driver - minus 50C to +50C . And this was also the car I drove to work every day. Synthetic oil was a good idea, I think. The car was the Chrysler version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse - AWD with two LSDs (center and rear). Fantastic car that I drove 350K kms myself (then sold it to a friend who also sold it to a friend - it did half a million kms eventually). Despite being an almost sports car (slightly too heavy with all the mechanical driveline bits) it would plow snow over the hood, go 160 km/hr on snow and was quite successful on the drag strip. I even took it down the 4X4 Burr Trail in Utah. Piece of cake :-) www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/584-burr-trail-usa.html
Nice, I think that Mits is called the Outlander in South Africa. Very capable on light to moderate offroading and slippery surfaces. I think it has a similar 4x4 system to the Nissan Xtrail/Rogue. Did you find yourself hitting the nose on rough terrain, looks a bit long?
@@Africasideways I broke the tips off the exhaust on a rock staircase in New Mexico. (Welded back on - never gave another problem). But this was a car - I know the "Uitlander" (friend is SA has one). This was much more sporty. The approach angle and ground clearance were not great, but as long as you were gentle... Pic is here. bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-plymouth-laser/ These were built in a joint venture of Chrysler and Mistsubishi in the US - so the bodies were US-made but the mechs mostly Mitsubishi. I chose the Plymouth model specifically as it was less flashy and had normal (not pop-up) headlamps. The HP rating of 195 was very conservative - I expect for insurance purposes. It probably had that at the wheels I also have two Land Rovers and an LC76, so I know the value of off-road suspensions and ground clearance. But it is also important to understand how to read the trail and not try and be a hero. Slow and steady
@@stevep8773 Nice looking vehicle, 195 hp is impressive for the 90s. Have not seen one of those in South Africa. That 2 litre turbo must sing, and dare I say with the Mits mechs, a reliable American car :)
OK Paul is a really experienced traveller with a wealth of knowledge. You know what convinced me? He was even able to hack it in England which is apparently beyond some other experienced travellers :-) Some of us don't find it too bad there.
Haha, true, you're not mentioning any names...:). I used to live in Cornwall back in the day, enjoyable. Do you ever overland in Northern Spain, looks like there's a lot of gravel?
@@Africasideways I have been fortunate enough to have lived and worked in a number of countries - Brazil, China, Malaysia, Iran and a few others. As Paul says in his interview, the key factor is attitude - go local, blend in, don't be an "expat". If your personal circumstances permit, get a local gf and learn the language. In answer to the question, I travel a lot to Spain and Portugal (where I own an olive grove). Great travel opportunities and off roading opportunities in both countries. Not available in the UK unfortunately.
@@defendermodsandtravels Olive grove, that sounds ideal. Local GF is a must if you're not married :). Guess Wales is the only decent off-roading in the UK, or way north of Scotland.
thanks for all the information, it inspires me a lot. One question for Mr Marsh, Greg, and the community: today there are much more products, if camel trophy came back what would be different in the car mods and accessories ?
Great question Redrigo. Judging by the new defender and disco, they'd be using a different vehicle for starters. Land Cruiser/Jeep/offroad spec G-Wagon would be at the top of the list. Much of the basics of vehicle recovery and offroad driving have not changed, tyres and suspension are better and would be the first mod. You'd need the latest remote controlled winch, max-trax ect ect. Would be great to see it again with 70 series cruisers imo.
I think both would get beaten by the Goodyear Wrangler's on wet tar breaking, but in terms of gravel/off-road ability you could easily argue that they are both in the top 3 AT tyres on the market. Will do a review in the future. Thanks for watching.
Hi Paul, what would be your opinion on using a defender 90 for long distance travel/ OVERLANDING? Would you say it's Not a good idea due to payload and limited space and opt for a 110? Or give it a go and get the right suspension for the weight ? Thanks Aaron
In my opinion it depends on how many people are travelling, it would not work with more than 2. Towing a trailer is an opinion but limits your off-road ability, increases fuel consumption and puts more strain on the under-powered TD5 engine. The 110 is a better platform to start from for longer overlanding trips. Provided you have some mechanical background and spares. 110 has decent payload standard. Both vehicles are not very comfortable to drive. I'd lean towards an 80 or 100/105 series cruiser. Paul's details are on the net if you need more advise.
My personal experience (which is not in the same league as Paul's). The 90 is really too small and it will need a large roof rack; all bulky, light items will go up there together with a roof tent. There are very few places underneath to put a long range tank (although you can install a 40l tank at the rear) so you are likely to put jerry cans on the rack for longer range - not great but it does work and acceptable for short term usage. The standard tank holds 16 gallons (from memory) i.e. 70+l and with a 40l auxiliary tank you get 110l total which is tight for extended legs without fuel stops. However, on the positive side, it is more nimble than larger vehicles. I have a weakness for exploring uncharted tracks and alleys and quite often I have to turn back, often in extremely constricted spaces. There have been occasions when I don't know how I could have extricated myself in a bigger vehicle. However, to put it into context, the First Overland trip in 1955 drove from London to Singapore in Series 1 Land Rovers which have an 80" wheelbase, with three people per vehicle. They didn't even have roof racks so obviously pared everything down to the minimum (I guess each guy had a toothbrush, a spare Tee shirt and 2x underpants). It can be done albeit with less convenience and comfort.
@@Africasideways I wouldn't call my advice learned (in this company) however I am happy to share my opinion. I think the new Defender will be best in class for what it's designed to do. Great off road ability, v. good fuel economy, environmentally friendly, comfortable etc etc. However the cost of ownership will be v. high - not only the purchase price but servicing. My "day car" is a Disco 1 which is serviced by an independent LR workshop; it costs about 5x more for servicing a modern Disco (which the local workshop won't touch) at a main dealer. For overlanders, imagine the cost of a carnet for a vehicle with a sticker price of around $80,00 US compared to that of an old vehicle with a nominal value of 1/10th.of that sum. IMO one needs a different animal for overlanding. "Less is more", simplicity, you name it. UA-cam is full of videos where apparently simple problems become critical in modern vehicles (one example - entrapped air caused by a fuel filter change took several days to sort out and nearly ended the trip). Do not underestimate the impact of a faulty sensor - as an extreme example note that catastrophic aircraft accidents have been attributed to this cause. Sensors do go wrong and the more there are the greater the risk. A final point, the new Defender with its plush interior is simply too nice for the abuse encountered on overland trips. I will stick with an old, mechanically simple vehicle for as long as the regulations allow it. There will be problems and breakdowns but I know they will be repairable en route. You couldn't say that for the new Defender or its modern rivals. PS I am well aware that JLR couldn't give a damn for the opinion of customers like me. Whilst they recognise the enthusiasm which has built the Defender brand they realise that we aren't big spenders and quietly wish we'd get lost :-)
I'm nowhere near as expert as most, but as a 110 owner, I've noticed that Defender 90s - while excellent on the farm and when parking at the mall, are often modified to be taller, then overloaded (almost a given) and driven at high speeds. This can result in a lack of forward progress and with the vehicle upside down - especially with inexperienced drivers. A 90 is extremely capable but you must be very minimalistic with the mods and kit carried, IMO
"If you walk away from your vehicle and take one thing: your hard drive with your photographs. That's it. The rest you can replace" - So true! Thank you for sharing this truly inspiring interview with this legend!
Thanks for watching.
Best advice. I see some of thes amazing vehicles in the bush and I do wonder what happens if they become stranded. My old Landy or LC I can afford to walk away from - much less stressful
Thanks for doing this one! I could listen to Paul for days.
Thanks Gino, dropping knowledge.
Paul is an absolute legend and an encyclopaedia of firsthand knowledge that is invaluable. If anyone is contemplating travelling in an overland vehicle, they should at a bare minimum watch all of the videos that he has either done or appeared in. Better still take the time to go and meet him and hire him to assist them with advice in choosing their vehicle that will meet their needs and the setting it up, regardless which country they are looking to Aquire and set up that vehicle for their overland adventure. He is absolutely correct that there are far too many outfits that will slap on all manner of items to a vehicle or sell stuff that is not right or fit for purpose for the clients requirements or the vehicle. There are far too many 4x4’s that are seriously badly set up and are a risk to safety and not fit for purpose, many of which were the result of DIY modifications done by the owners or their friends that don’t have the understanding and experience and knowledge to attempt.
I’ve seen suspension upgrades done that are ridiculous and not fit for purpose on many 4x4’s. Also many overloaded and completely off balanced overland vehicles. Suspension is one of the critical elements for any vehicle for intended use and should be properly chosen with plenty of reserve for its intended use.
Paul is the best person to advise on all aspects of the vehicle and on the skills set that one needs to look at.
Thanks for a great post of invaluable information and advice from an absolute legend in off-roading and overlanding.
Cheers from WA 👍🇦🇺
Nuff said
I'm seeing and listening Paul and I still don't know ter how many hours I can stay on that! Thank you very much!
Thanks for listening
What a legend I remember back in the nineties driving land rovers in the uk and watching the camel trophy wishing I was there even back to the seventies n eighties watching bush tucker man I've longed for adventure now living in gods own country 🇦🇺 I get to learn plants and traditional ways of life and best of all I get to drive there in my own overland vehicle I'm fifty in a few months and have to say I agree with Mr Marsh I been to Africa and the Middle East if you don't go there you'll never know! Go do it don't be an arm chair 4WDer lol its out there are you? As an aircraft engineer I'm loving bush mechanics and my wife is a trained VET. Not much we can't do and we love to travel although I'm the people person I'll sit n chat all day love people and their expiriances... Also I have been working over seas just got home to South Australia I fitted the battery to my 105 turbo' land crusher 2 pumps on the primer from the tank and turn the key after checking the oil and water 😎 yep she didn't even get a full revolution and started not bad for a vehicle stored for 18 months outside in the elements one day I hope to meet you Paul cheers awesome interview 😎👍🇦🇺
Thanks for watching and commenting, happy travels.
Africa Sideways thanks Paul, when you mentioned your accident rolling your vehicle I welled up I had a serious bike accident a few years back tearing the main blood supply out the stomach ( aorta ) 95% of people die I bleed out and had 6 units of blood two days on life support man I still ride and have 1% club mates who came to see me telling me they would hand in their patch if it happened to them! Also your comment on countries of ya don’t like it just get an aircraft flight out so true a country is what it is don’t try changing it because your not happy with it, great speech like I say Legend 👍
A life well lived. I want to be able to narate my story like you one day...
Indeed.
Great interview. Making lifetime memories, experiencing diverse terrains and culture is what overlanding is really about. Good on you man
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing interview. Thank you both.
Thank you.
Amazing interview much much love from Lebanon ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it Marc.
This Gentleman has a remarkable level of life experience and the wisdom that comes with it, and the gift of knowing how to communicate it in a simple, usable manner A pleasure to listen to.
Very true Guido.
I'm Canadian. Years ago, I drove my Mitsubishi "sporty" car to the ski hills north of Montréal - where it was -50C one morning. Later that year, I drove the same car to Death Valley, USA - where it was +50C. So the same vehicle, same driver - minus 50C to +50C . And this was also the car I drove to work every day. Synthetic oil was a good idea, I think. The car was the Chrysler version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse - AWD with two LSDs (center and rear). Fantastic car that I drove 350K kms myself (then sold it to a friend who also sold it to a friend - it did half a million kms eventually). Despite being an almost sports car (slightly too heavy with all the mechanical driveline bits) it would plow snow over the hood, go 160 km/hr on snow and was quite successful on the drag strip. I even took it down the 4X4 Burr Trail in Utah. Piece of cake :-) www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/584-burr-trail-usa.html
Nice, I think that Mits is called the Outlander in South Africa. Very capable on light to moderate offroading and slippery surfaces. I think it has a similar 4x4 system to the Nissan Xtrail/Rogue. Did you find yourself hitting the nose on rough terrain, looks a bit long?
@@Africasideways I broke the tips off the exhaust on a rock staircase in New Mexico. (Welded back on - never gave another problem). But this was a car - I know the "Uitlander" (friend is SA has one). This was much more sporty. The approach angle and ground clearance were not great, but as long as you were gentle... Pic is here. bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-plymouth-laser/ These were built in a joint venture of Chrysler and Mistsubishi in the US - so the bodies were US-made but the mechs mostly Mitsubishi. I chose the Plymouth model specifically as it was less flashy and had normal (not pop-up) headlamps. The HP rating of 195 was very conservative - I expect for insurance purposes. It probably had that at the wheels
I also have two Land Rovers and an LC76, so I know the value of off-road suspensions and ground clearance. But it is also important to understand how to read the trail and not try and be a hero. Slow and steady
@@stevep8773 Nice looking vehicle, 195 hp is impressive for the 90s. Have not seen one of those in South Africa. That 2 litre turbo must sing, and dare I say with the Mits mechs, a reliable American car :)
Overland preparation and life advice. Cheers
Right on
Legend amazing interview
Thank you.
@@Africasideways Legend? Hmph not so sure. There's a lot of hyperbole around these days. Really great bloke? Spot on, agree 100%.
OK Paul is a really experienced traveller with a wealth of knowledge. You know what convinced me? He was even able to hack it in England which is apparently beyond some other experienced travellers :-) Some of us don't find it too bad there.
Haha, true, you're not mentioning any names...:). I used to live in Cornwall back in the day, enjoyable. Do you ever overland in Northern Spain, looks like there's a lot of gravel?
@@Africasideways I have been fortunate enough to have lived and worked in a number of countries - Brazil, China, Malaysia, Iran and a few others. As Paul says in his interview, the key factor is attitude - go local, blend in, don't be an "expat". If your personal circumstances permit, get a local gf and learn the language.
In answer to the question, I travel a lot to Spain and Portugal (where I own an olive grove). Great travel opportunities and off roading opportunities in both countries. Not available in the UK unfortunately.
@@defendermodsandtravels Olive grove, that sounds ideal. Local GF is a must if you're not married :). Guess Wales is the only decent off-roading in the UK, or way north of Scotland.
Good one thanks
You're welcome
Paul Marsh is the best!
best of the best.
thanks for all the information, it inspires me a lot. One question for Mr Marsh, Greg, and the community: today there are much more products, if camel trophy came back what would be different in the car mods and accessories ?
Great question Redrigo. Judging by the new defender and disco, they'd be using a different vehicle for starters. Land Cruiser/Jeep/offroad spec G-Wagon would be at the top of the list. Much of the basics of vehicle recovery and offroad driving have not changed, tyres and suspension are better and would be the first mod. You'd need the latest remote controlled winch, max-trax ect ect. Would be great to see it again with 70 series cruisers imo.
54:20 amen
Paul gets it.
What about BFG K02 versus Cooper S/T MAXX in wet conditions?
I think both would get beaten by the Goodyear Wrangler's on wet tar breaking, but in terms of gravel/off-road ability you could easily argue that they are both in the top 3 AT tyres on the market. Will do a review in the future. Thanks for watching.
Hi Paul, what would be your opinion on using a defender 90 for long distance travel/ OVERLANDING? Would you say it's Not a good idea due to payload and limited space and opt for a 110? Or give it a go and get the right suspension for the weight ?
Thanks Aaron
In my opinion it depends on how many people are travelling, it would not work with more than 2. Towing a trailer is an opinion but limits your off-road ability, increases fuel consumption and puts more strain on the under-powered TD5 engine. The 110 is a better platform to start from for longer overlanding trips. Provided you have some mechanical background and spares. 110 has decent payload standard. Both vehicles are not very comfortable to drive. I'd lean towards an 80 or 100/105 series cruiser. Paul's details are on the net if you need more advise.
My personal experience (which is not in the same league as Paul's). The 90 is really too small and it will need a large roof rack; all bulky, light items will go up there together with a roof tent. There are very few places underneath to put a long range tank (although you can install a 40l tank at the rear) so you are likely to put jerry cans on the rack for longer range - not great but it does work and acceptable for short term usage. The standard tank holds 16 gallons (from memory) i.e. 70+l and with a 40l auxiliary tank you get 110l total which is tight for extended legs without fuel stops.
However, on the positive side, it is more nimble than larger vehicles. I have a weakness for exploring uncharted tracks and alleys and quite often I have to turn back, often in extremely constricted spaces. There have been occasions when I don't know how I could have extricated myself in a bigger vehicle.
However, to put it into context, the First Overland trip in 1955 drove from London to Singapore in Series 1 Land Rovers which have an 80" wheelbase, with three people per vehicle. They didn't even have roof racks so obviously pared everything down to the minimum (I guess each guy had a toothbrush, a spare Tee shirt and 2x underpants). It can be done albeit with less convenience and comfort.
@@defendermodsandtravels Thanks for the learned advice. Your thoughts on the new 110?
@@Africasideways I wouldn't call my advice learned (in this company) however I am happy to share my opinion.
I think the new Defender will be best in class for what it's designed to do. Great off road ability, v. good fuel economy, environmentally friendly, comfortable etc etc. However the cost of ownership will be v. high - not only the purchase price but servicing. My "day car" is a Disco 1 which is serviced by an independent LR workshop; it costs about 5x more for servicing a modern Disco (which the local workshop won't touch) at a main dealer. For overlanders, imagine the cost of a carnet for a vehicle with a sticker price of around $80,00 US compared to that of an old vehicle with a nominal value of 1/10th.of that sum.
IMO one needs a different animal for overlanding. "Less is more", simplicity, you name it. UA-cam is full of videos where apparently simple problems become critical in modern vehicles (one example - entrapped air caused by a fuel filter change took several days to sort out and nearly ended the trip). Do not underestimate the impact of a faulty sensor - as an extreme example note that catastrophic aircraft accidents have been attributed to this cause. Sensors do go wrong and the more there are the greater the risk.
A final point, the new Defender with its plush interior is simply too nice for the abuse encountered on overland trips.
I will stick with an old, mechanically simple vehicle for as long as the regulations allow it. There will be problems and breakdowns but I know they will be repairable en route. You couldn't say that for the new Defender or its modern rivals.
PS I am well aware that JLR couldn't give a damn for the opinion of customers like me. Whilst they recognise the enthusiasm which has built the Defender brand they realise that we aren't big spenders and quietly wish we'd get lost :-)
I'm nowhere near as expert as most, but as a 110 owner, I've noticed that Defender 90s - while excellent on the farm and when parking at the mall, are often modified to be taller, then overloaded (almost a given) and driven at high speeds. This can result in a lack of forward progress and with the vehicle upside down - especially with inexperienced drivers. A 90 is extremely capable but you must be very minimalistic with the mods and kit carried, IMO
This dude knows his s
Indeed!
Yup, I agree he knows his stuff :-) Experienced sort of dude IMO.
Great interview, but terrible background noise. They really should have done it in a quieter room.
Sorry Jeff, it was shot at a busy workshop