THE TROOPY FITOUT: DOES IT ALL WORK?

20/6/2023

So we've explained our motivation, and all the moving parts to kit it out - but does our Troopy fit out all work? Here's our experience so far...

EATING

Let's start with the most important bits...how do we cook and store food? Storing is easy: we use the fridge to capacity (it uses a lot of space in the vehicle) so we also put canned food in there if there's space (it's easy to tuck the tinned peas and corn down the bottom and that frees up draw space). The freezer is ample for us and we pack a couple of ready cooked meals frozen flat in freezer bags. Being able to grab a quick home-cooked dinner on a cold night is just the best.

Cooking and prep takes place outside the vehicle and the rear doors, rear bar and drop down tables give us plenty of work space. The induction cooker is very easy to access, and we plug into our rear power board and place the cooker on the Frontrunner extension (that keeps steam out of the vehicle). We've not cooked inside the vehicle yet, and we'll avoid doing that (we'd rather not have fat spitting around the place, or spills). We are going to invest in a spatter guard, and we do use our windshield around the indiction cooker just for this reason, even when outside. We haven't cooked on an open fire yet (marshmallows excepted) but when we do, we'll need to find a place to store the camp oven, even after it's cleaned. (Canvas holder probably a good solution).

We use enamel plates and mugs and a couple of plastic glasses for the odd vino. We keep our cutlery and cooking utensils in our insert drawer in the main drawer. We need an organising system for that draw - it's a jumbled mess at times. And we need to make a list of meals and only pack what we need - in these our early days, we're carrying too much 'just in case' tucker.

The water at the back of the vehicle is good but needs improving...and we find the induction cooker and a spouted billy a very quick way of getting hot water for washing up or drinks.

SLEEPING

Our fit out has given us choices: two people can sleep 'upstairs' in the roof conversion, and likewise with the bed infills downstairs and a ten centimetre latex-topped Clark Rubber mattress (cut to size then in appropriate piece), two can sleep down there too, but it's cosy. Then one person can sleep in each. Choices are good and help us adapt to the weather. Our Mont Zodiac 700 sleeping bags are highly effective and delectable to sleep in - and best of all they compress for storage.

We made our own mattress covers (yes, note the yellow-tailed black cockatoos!) and our own curtains (black rubber-backed curtain material) all from Spotlight. The curtains simply Velcro to the inside of the vehicle then drape over the downstairs mattress during the day, keeping the dust down. At the windscreen, we use the same material and with a combo of Velcro and butterfly clips, we attach it to the All-Cab overhead shelf. Works well for us.

WASHING

We have a solar shower, as yet untried, but we suspect that in hot weather that will be sufficient in our Alu-Cab shower cube. We can also use our fold away chemical toilet out there, and inside the vehicle as well: it fits neatly in the corridor and means we don't have to clamber out of the vehicle during the night. We've been known to hang our washing out on the straps that run around the roof conversion, but we'll spare you the pics. But usually we're in an unpowered site at a caravan park or similar, and we make full use of their bathroom and laundry facilities.

SITTING AROUND

We only lounge inside the vehicle later in the evening, or in wet weather... otherwise we use small foldable three legged stools (usually for birding) or our Helinox cafe chairs for campfire watching. We find them both very comfortable and even better they fold up and pack away just behind and in between our driver and passenger seats.

COMMUNICATING

We've invested in Starlink satellite internet which works really well, especially when there aren't too many obstructions about. We keep the router indoors, plugged into the 240v, then run a cable through the driver's door, and put the satellite dish on its tripod. The whole thing packs down and can be stowed behind the passenger seat. Alternatively, we're about to try out a 3m telescopic BBQARM purpose-designed pole for the dish, and lash that pole to a bull bar or similar. This packs down to 1.5 metres so it's probably going in the corridor in the back when not in use. We'll see!

We also carry a Zoleo satellite messaging device so that if needed, and particualry in an emergency (Starlink takes about fifteen minutes to get going properly), we can communicate with family and emergency services. We keep this on our person when we're away from the vehicle, on birding walks for example. Never know when we or others might need it.

A good thing about both these services is you can pause them when not in use, but it is usually a payment cycle pause (therefore a month at a time from your payment date). Still, good to have this option.

SEEING - after sunset

We have ample lighting in the Troopy - the roof conversion comes with two reading lamps which we don't really use, but also two lights underneath the bed, and these are good for lighting up the whole living area.

Even better are two map reading lights installed by Drifta (see our review) - these are either side of the rear doors and and are well-positioned for reading, but also to swing outside the vehicle when we're cooking. They really make a big difference.

TRAVELLING

We haven't made any modifications to the Troopy seats or to the dashboard - we find the seats are fine at this point, and the communications system is actually quite good. We've even figured out how to set up the navigation so that it remains in daylight setting when you put your lights on for safety. Epic! The centre console is okay, not brilliant, but we haven't seen any mod that looks as though the benefits outweigh the cost, and it works for us at this stage. The sound system is not mind-blowing, but we don't look for mind-blowing...it works, and it connects to our phones via Bluetooth for music and telecoms. Nice.

We get good fuel economy (10l/100km on a good run) when we're on long runs in the country but this is dependent on hills, wind and speed: we generally sit on about 90km/hr and we rarely pass others (and we often get out of the way of faster and larger vehicles). We like to be be able to see and enjoy the landscape, not rush by. And it's a Land CRUISER, not a speedster. But it does have grunt.

RECOVERY

We've got the usual gear, and it's all stored in the sidewing inside the vehicle. We're rather pleased with a Vevor electric jack and compressor. It runs of 12v and includes a ratchet gun so we can unlock and lock the lugs, and and electric jack instead of manual. Thankfully we haven't had to change a tyre yet, and it won't be easy, but this gadget will give us a better chance.

One thing we haven't sorted yet is the MaxTrax table - we've put the Maxies up on the roof load bars for the time being, and we're still keen on the table but they seem to be in short supply.

VERDICT

One of the things that really swayed us to the Troopy is that it's the size of of a 'normal' vehicle - ok, it's big, but it parks in a normal parking spot, and doesn't need to be stored offsite somewhere. We especially like that we can do all of the above without towing another vehicle, paying its licence, storing it, and so on. But, when you compare our Troopy with a "more sensible" solution such as a van or a motorhome, there are some points to consider:

It's compact, really compact. With two of us in there, there's not much room to get about, and it takes a bit of getting used to. We can't pack a lot loads of personal items but we reckon that's good anyway. We prefer to travel light and we're getting better at it.
It's comfy rather than luxurious.
It's strenuous: yes, we're jumping up and down on the rear bar, opening and closing the roof, wrestling with the main storage drawer, constantly walking around the vehicle to turn water and power on and off. This took a bit of getting used to. We use a set of compact plastic steps that we store in the corridor, and we need this to get into the vehicle, set up the awning and so on. There's a lot of exercise involved in this travelling solution, but we also reckon that's a good thing at this point for us. We won't always be able to do it, but we can do it now, and we know it's keeping us strong and mobile.
It's dependable, and a known vehicle everywhere you travel in Australia. So many folks have them, or their equivalent base vehicles. If we needed help, we're pretty confident we could get it.
It's cost equivalent, or maybe not. We run one vehicle, and yes it can be thirsty. It's a major purchase including the setup but we're pretty confident others will want it when we've had enough. Who knows? In the short run, it's a great deal cheaper, and more fun, than always using AirBnBs or even caravan park cabins - although, we're quite happy to still use those when we feel the need. After a few nights of close and compact camping, or when the weather turns, we can still park up outside a cabin for a night or two.
It's a high clearance four wheel drive, and while we're not planning on cutting the beach or breaching muddy bog holes, we like the extended range it can give us.
It's fun. So are motorhomes and caravans. But a Troopy is an iconic vehicle and we just love it. It's basic in many ways (ask us about the hand brake) but we're having fun seeing this fab country, and 'aint that what retirement's all about?

Say hi if you see us out on the track!

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