Fromeward Bound

Taking the long way home from Japan to Frome, UK

Category: preparation (Page 1 of 3)

Carry on Camping (in a car)

September 12, 2016 / / 2 Comments

I never went camping as a child. Indeed, to this day I don’t think I’ve ever seen my parents within 50 metres of a tent. I can recall setting up camps in my brother’s and mine bedrooms and the fun that ensued. A few times we even ventured out into the garden with some makeshift tent determined to camp out all night but then getting too scared as darkness drew near and returning indoors to the comforts of our beds.

Festivals, inter-railing, travelling, squatting, passing out on park benches et al soon put a stop to all that and now I really quite enjoy it 🙂

So here are my ‘once was a reluctant camper but reluctant no more’ 21 Top Tips and Equipment for Camping with Your Car:

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Final practice – Nikkō

June 28, 2016 / / 0 Comments

This weekend we got in our last practice camping mission before we set off for real in 2 weeks time!

We went to Nikkō (日光) and spent a few days randomly driving around in the mountains.

We also got to put in a few flights with our new toy, Brian. We bought him 2 weeks ago, but as there hasn’t been the light, weather or space to try him out he’d been confined to his box. But no more!

First video

June 6, 2016 / / 2 Comments

For a bit of practice video editing I cut together some of the video we shot on our practice camping trips in and around Japan.

Locations include Tokyo, Saitama, Okayama, Sagaminohara, Boso Peninsular.

Filmed on a hodgepodge of DSLR, GoPro and VHS.

Vehicle electrics: interior installation

June 5, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Having worked up a design and installed the battery, isolator and circuit breakers I managed to get the last few bits finished off over the last few weeks.

Inside, the plan was:

• 12V to power our fridge
• 3 x 5V USB outlets
• Mains power via a 300W inverter
• A meter to monitor the battery’s voltage

All this will be powered by an Optima YTS4.2L deep cycle battery capable of delivering 55Ah. Theoretically, this should mean a couple of days of refrigeration without having to worry about charging the battery.

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“We are literally on top of a mountain!”

May 17, 2016 / / 1 Comment

So having bought a 4WD car we thought it might be a good idea to make sure that the 4WD actually works. We had obviously tested that the switch worked but hadn’t taken Totty over anything higher than the odd kerb or two. After a bit of internet research we found a 4WD centre just an hour or so from Tokyo. We decided to book a place and also to take advantage of the camping that they offered too. The place is called Bronco (ブロンコ) (http://www.bronco4x4.net).

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Taking a Japanese car abroad

May 15, 2016 / / 2 Comments

Japanese is a cool language – it looks good, it’s fun to learn and it’s what they speak in anime – but unfortunately virtually no-one outside of Japan speaks, reads or writes Japanese. On that basis, when you plan to take a Japanese car out of the country, a little bit of preparation is required to ensure that you have the relevant documentation in a form that can be read by the rest of the world. The following bits and pieces are required:

  • Translated vehicle registration document (登録証書 – toroku-shosho)
  • International number plate (国際ナンバー – kokusai nanba)
  • International driving permit (国際運転免許証 – kokusai-unten-menkyoshou)

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Fromeward Bound cards!

May 9, 2016 / / 0 Comments

In true Japanese style we got some (slightly tounge-in-cheek) meishi made up to hand out to folk we meet along the way. This’ll be a lot easier than trying to find a pen and paper if someone wants our details. It’s also comforting to know that we’ve never had a business card for work…..the first time we get some is when we’re both leaving work. Nice:)

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Vehicle Electrics: Installation under the bonnet

May 9, 2016 / / 6 Comments

This post is the follow-up to Vehicle electrics: Design….. and I’m afraid it’s going to be equally boring! More of a reference for others trying to solve the same problem, than swash-buckling tale of international travel.

In this post, I’m going to concentrate on the bit that lives under the bonnet….

As the person responsible for the ‘installation’ there were a few questions that immediately popped into my mind:

  • Where do I put the sodding second battery?!
  • Where do I put the other under-the-bonnet components (circuit breakers + isolator) and how do I mount them safely to the car?
  • How do I wire it all together?

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The awning

May 7, 2016 / / 2 Comments

Months and months ago we set our hearts on the idea of fitting an awning to the car – for relatively little weight we will always have near-instant access to our very own shelter from either the sun or rain.

After a bit research we also set our hearts on the 2m long ARB model – it looked good and every review was glowing. And that was were we hit the problem – we could not find anywhere to buy this thing locally! To cut a very long and arduous story short, we eventually imported our awning from America incurring a huge postage cost! Luckily it arrived safely in the last week. And today I had some time spare to have a go at attaching it to the car!

Once again my friend Ollie was able to help out – there’s no way I could’ve got this thing fitted on my own, both in the brawn and brain department – so a big thank you to him!

As usual we were stuck doing the job on the side of the street.

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