Surfy

Article in English Surfy

The captivating adventure of travel or a world journey has enchanted me since childhood. I sought and found adventures, not least during a Trans-Africa trip and other overlanding tours around the globe. Interestingly, in doing so, I've sidestepped certain other adventures, not even recognizing them. The principle "One rarely regrets the deeds accomplished, but mostly those left undone" is quoted in various vlogs and travel blogs in some form or another before embarking on a journey. Life offers an almost boundless array of possibilities; consequently, we inevitably have to miss out on much. The fact that with advancing age, we also reconsider, analyze, and potentially reevaluate fundamental decisions should also be kept in mind by us travelers, as I find in hindsight. For many years, I never wanted to see what other adventures life had in store - and wouldn't have thought to find one of them in the role of a father. For those who are interested - there's also an article about it: Article: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2023/08/my-desire-for-freedom-adventure-travel.html For the more seasoned individuals here, perhaps this is old news, but it was at least "new" to me. Now, I'm even more curious about the future and excited about upcoming travel adventures, which surely include a significant portion of "everyday adventure"! Please note that translations might not always capture the nuances perfectly The article is also available in my native german language: https://www.4x4tripping.com/2023/08/reiselust-freiheit-abenteuer-adrenalin.html trippin

In 2020, I replaced my AGM batteries with a small and lightweight portable LiFePO4 power station. Back then, I was often ridiculed, but today it has become quite common. Which power station is suitable for this purpose? All of the tested providers are deemed "adequate" for this particular use case, but it should be noted that certain competitors have excelled in addressing the finer details of their offerings. I sold my Land Cruiser in 2021, but its new owner is still driving it, currently on the Pan-American Highway. They are still using a portable power station to operate the cooler box, notebook, and drone. The power station is charged via solar power and the vehicle's 12V charging socket. Here is my comparison: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2023/06/comparison-portable-power-stations-solar-generator-storage.html Nope, those portable Power Stations are not superior to a DIY project with individual components. However, it is perfectly sufficient for many long-term travelers. I did exceed size, weight, and price significantly as I tried to build something similar to a DIY power Setup... Surfy

Some travelers have been waiting for something like this for a long time! The ice cream on the road simply prepare yourself! The solution is intended for normal cars and off-road vehicles, I am excited about the implementation also for larger tire dimensions! With 33" tyres it will also work great on a Landcruiser! Enjoy your self-made Icecream during your journey! Unfortunately, the travel ice machine on motorcycles has not yet been firsttet.... https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2023/04/vanlife-ice-machine-overlanding.html Surfy

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A DIY project Power Systems with 12v, Solar vs an Ecoflow Delta2 - which solution is better? It is not easy to compare, because both solutions have some advenate/disadvantages. Both variants did come with LiFePO4 and will have after 3000 Cycle times arround 80% capacity, the ecoflow and the DIY - in my comparison. So even with a daily use, it will have over 80% of the capacity after 8.3 Years. Guess that is not an point to discuss anymore. The space required by the DIY project and the weight are the main disadvantages, together with the starting price. And you can`t just use cheapies for the DIY buildup, when you want to have an serious warranty like the ecoflow did provide (5 years)... https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2023/01/ecoflow-delta2-vs-diy-battery-project-comparison.html Surfy

What's on the minds of the travel world right now? We show ways out of the TIP/Carnet problem in Ethiopia, we discovered the hottest woman on a motorcycle on a world trip. And show the current common vehicles on the Panamericana. Curious now? https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2022/12/buschfunk-4-news-from-travel-world.html Surfy

I did collect some waffle board tests and comparisons here: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2021/04/offroad-self-recovery-waffle-board-and-sand-ladders-recovery-comparison.html Every Waffleboard is better than nothing. And most of us dont use them very often during their outings. If you plan to use them often, the showed video shows, that you alway get what you pay for. Surfy

Thanks for the link! The quality und the price looks way better than those I did found a year ago: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2021/11/the-small-12v-oven-for-overlanding.html Surfy

I was asked because of the provided Picture:

Here are my travel favorites, which I am currently following in more detail: From a current Transafrica (Western route), to the current Silk Road with Russia & Iran, Panamericana to trips within Europe (all long term). Article: Vlog - Newsroom: Current bush radio #1 The short version of the respective status is included, for those who don't have that much time. Watching those all these videos needs a lot of time... So you should quickly see whether the topics/priorities or travel regions addressed there are exciting for you. Also snapped and linked: Ebola and TIP/Carnet issues could currently make travel more difficult on the Transafrica over the east. Enjoy browsing! In times where the people dont do classic international travelblogs anymore, we might have to look into the growing vlog world like youtube?!?? trippin

We all know our discussions about the use of the Ecoflow River Pro as a electricity concept and battery setup in our rigs, to save weight and space. I did use this Setup for the last years, what was strong enough for fridge, notebook, smartphones, drone and even for charging my ebike during my recent trips. A small and lightweigt battery box with everything embedded: wall charger, solar charger, inverter, battery. Now at 2022 are some new solutions around who brings really a lot more Power for those who need that. Today we can already buy the next generation of those devices. And we can see the first travellers out there, who start to cook with power consuming induction cooker with such "Portable Power Stations". Here a concept for using at example the Ecoflow Delta 2 (LiFePO4) as battery for overlanding vehicle: How to charge the Delta2 Cigarette lighter socket (100 watts), 220v shore power (1200 watts), Solar Charge Controller: 500 watts (11-60 V, 15 A) optional: by 12v «dc dc booster» (example with 240 watts at xt60 Port) What can the Delta2 power up? 2x USB-C with 100 watts several USB-A connections 4x 220v sockets 1800-2400 Watt 12v cigarette lighter socket 12.6V 10A (126w Max) Article: Ecoflow Delta2 (& other coming products): https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2022/10/vanlife-off-grid-battery-solution-with.html In terms of price/performance/weight and compactness - hard to beat by an DIY Project. Too this solution is expanable by external batterys. The available App let you use the capable battery monitor and allows to adjust a lot of values (like charging power). You will find links to other upcoming products of bluetti. Too ecoflow will release the River2 inside of the next 2 weeks, for those who think that the delta2 is a bit overkill. How we can use a "12v dc dc booster solution" for a stronger "in car charge" is explained too, this way can be used with other "Portable Power Station" brands like bluetti or jackery in a similar way. Personally I would even consider this concept for a bungalow or tiny house together with solar - the delta 2 is strong enough to use 220v coffee machines, water kettle or induction cooktops or other 220v devices like a fridge or even a washing machine. Surfy

Thank you! I try again to set the correct link: English: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2022/09/magic-earth-navigation-app.html German: https://www.4x4tripping.com/2022/09/offline-navigation-magic-earth-review.html Surfy

Shortly before the holidays I read about a new app (for me) - Magic Earth. Curious as I am, I sighed at first (not yet an app) - but then downloaded the (free) app anyway. I'm still completely amazed - what the little helper can do. The "Magic Earth" app has the potential to take over or replace several apps for travel needs from the smartphone, at least for me. These include notable candidates such as Mapout, Maps.Me, Here, MotionX, and Google Maps. - 2D & 3D map view - Satellite/terrain/road view - hybrid view satellite & 3D - offline capable (download per country) - Traffic jam bypass (if online) - Carplay integration - and much more(!!!) The app is available free of charge in your app store (Android/iOS). I wrote a more detailed review here: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/2022/09/magic-earth-navigation-app.html For holidays in more expensive roaming-fee countries, making the map material available in advance in several apps for offline use - this will no longer apply to me in the future. Happy testing! Surfy