SPRING is officially upon us. Time to check our tents for mould and serviceability, wash the dusty sleeping bags, order gas for your camping cooker and then book some campsites for the summer holidays or a sneaky weekend away. Sounds simple enough, eh?
Land Rovers were originally made for farmers and soldiers but soon they became tools for exploration. Sir Ran Fiennes, Kingsley Holgate and desert survival expert Tom Shepperd have all used Land Rovers to explore some of the more challenging parts of our planet.
Not everyone uses a Land Rover like they do, but there is nothing like packing the Landy for a camping holiday to Norfolk, Cornwall or even the Outer Hebrides. They have long been popular vehicles for the everyday explorer and adventurer like you and I. They are also great for those who need a little more comfort and so they are often used to tow a kit-laden trailer or a gadget-filled caravan.
We recently got five Land Rovers and their owners together to take a little look at their camping set-ups.
Patrick Cruywagen
1998 DEFENDER 110 2.8i
LRM Editor, Stevington, Bedfordshire
MY LAND ROVER STORY: My first ever Land Rover experience was covering the African leg of the inaugural Land Rover G4 Challenge in 2003. They put us up in a five-star hotel for the first night and then we camped for the next five nights while eating boil-in-the-bag meals. I was hooked and wanted more.
WHY I LIKE CAMPING: It probably began in my army days; a tent now seems like luxury after sleeping in a water-filled trench with your sleeping bag floating next to you.
I like to keep it simple: cold beers, a fire to sit
