Weight is the enemy all the time. I’ve had a big rethink and just taken out a lot of stuff I never really use but always take it anyway, sort of back to basics. First thing to go was the drawers, dropped 75kg straight away and don’t miss them at all and half the stuff in them I wasn’t using. My mission is to cut down weight and spending, it’s costing way too much to have all this junk I don’t need.
I’ve seen a few now on youtube that are using front runner cases strapped down in the back which allows things to be compartmentalised and easier to segregate for different trip types (weekender, beach, lads, family etc) and also allows them to be completely removed for day to day driving.
The 300 is such an awesome vehicle going to be funny when everyone catches on 😂 just like when the 200 took over the 100 all the hate but then everyone wanted one once they finally realised they are so much better to drive.
Sounds like more exciting times on the horizon. Congrats on your ambitious planning. You'll be excited to be on holidays and excited to go home again too
Another great vid Cam. I actually got onto the Kaon gear after coming across your channel and love their stuff. Went and picked up a heap of gear for my 300 on the back of seeing your setup and the Kaon guys in Brisbane were epic to deal with - gave me a tour of their manufacturing facility and everything. Awesome aussie made products with epic support, highly recommend them.
ARB quoted me $2k for a 133L Frontier long range fuel tank for my Dmax. Thats 3 x 20L jerry cans! I all ready have jerry cans. So I can save $2k on a LRFT and spend it on 1000L of fuel and travel 10,000 kms.
3 x 20 = 60lit not 133 you would need twice the number of jerry cans (at least) of fuel to make up for the Frontier LR tank. Yeah its not cheap to extend your range with an installed tank but that is what you pay for the convenience of not having to lug around 6 or more jerry cans.
Cam, one thing I can strongly suggest for your brake upgrade, if you haven't already considered it is braided brake lines. I have fitted them to my BT50 and the braking efficiency is second to none.
Good video with great information. Similarly and because I tow a caravan, I was dissatisfied with the braking capabilities of my 200 Series and had the brakes upgraded. All good now.
Great video Cam. I am subscribed to a lot of sailing vlogs that all use StarLink. There was one or two that specifically said that StarLink is a power hog. So they started turning it off when they weren't using it and they noticed there was not as much power drain as there was when it was on. I am looking forward to your Big Lap of Australia next year and learning more about your wonderful country.
Thanks mate, yeah it’s definitely thirsty on power! Was only just saying to Tiff how different it will be travelling full time next year with starlink on board. Last lap we would go a week at a time with no reception! Not sure how I feel about that hey, sometimes it was nice to not have the option of mindlessly scrolling! 🙈
Those Firestyrkers should be paired with traditional extinguishers. You need to hold them quite close to the fire to be effective, not good if the fire takes hold, std extinguisher can attack from further away with quick direct shots. If you look at TH-cam vids on the FS you'll see. I keep a welding glove to use with it under the seat.
HA MATE 👍 GREAT RUN DOWN ON HOW ITS ALL GOING, I GUESS HENCE THE REASON THAT THERES SO MANY DOING THE TRUCK AND CARAVAN SET UPS NOW 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 🤷♂️ THERES A CRACKING SET UP ON MARKET PLACE RIGHT NOW FOR A COMPARISON 👍👍
I've heard the 300 series has an issues of windows randomly cracking, Shattering or exploding. I think it has something to to do with the Aluminium Bodywork, Aluminium moves and warps like crazy when it gets warm, and you know how WA Summers are, Im not sold on the 300 series as well as they may perform.
I have never understood the GVM/GCM upgrade packages, put some new suspension in and then you can carry extra weight without a brake upgrade. My opinion is any GVM/GCM upgrade it should be law that you have to do a brake upgrade as part of the package.
It's pretty simple really. The GVM/GCM upgrades to get engineered have to be brake tested at the new load limit... they are passing those brake tests without upgrades needed. What is not to get?
@@1989cranston Thing is not all passes are alike. When you’re towing a heavy van I think I’d prefer brakes that would ace the test rather than scrape through. Given a little water and wear those scrapers will likely not be looking so good.
@@1989cranston There's a phrase that goes "Cs get degrees" Which is kind of suggesting mediocrity is OK. And it is, OK. I think the point with brakes is you might want a little better than "OK" or mediocre.
Totally get where you are coming from. Pedders do recommend the brake upgrade with their GVM upgrades, but like you say it’s not required by law so many customers may not see it as a necessity. Personally - brakes, suspension and tyres are the key things I won’t skimp on, especially with my family in the car 👍🏼
A mate of mine bought a new 300 and took it out to the Simpson, It was always a problem. He kept breaking things doing normal East coast bush camping. He sold it and bought a Hilux.
Looking good there is a lot to think about with a big trip👍 One question though , where did you find your square pan for the Ziggy we have hunted everywhere and can’t find one yet 😢
Hey mate another great video looking forward to your next trip. Hey could be handy if you mention if these are sponsored products or you paid full price for it all. As its hard to know who to trust on TH-cam anymore. If I have brands every day offering me free products I'm sure a channel your size would be getting this stuff done for free?
Thanks mate, no I make a point of paying for most of the gear I run, in the first instance. I will absolutely not just accept something because it’s offered to me, as you would know it’s never free. Often brands will want marketing/social media posts/photos/videos in return. Happy to be completely up front. The fuel tank I paid for. I’ve never run one of their tanks before and would never want to be caught in a situation where I have to promote something if I wasn’t happy with it! They are likely completely unaware of this video 🙂 Unfortunately in the world of TH-cam it’s hard to mention a product without people thinking it’s sponsored. On the flip side if I don’t mention the brand I have 50 people ask me what brand it is 🤣 Ive been runnings Pedders gear on my cars for 8 years now and have always been a big supporter of their products. Like most of my sponsorship arrangements, they’ve happened organically over the years by me being first and foremost a paying customer, and then forming a relationship with them down the track. That’s just personally how I prefer to run my channel. 🙂
I noticed going from a Dmax to a Ranger how much more I had to stand on the brakes, there’s a big difference in torque between those 2 vehicles, this would be even more so with the 300
Hi Cam noticed the cable cover from your solar is starting to fray so I guess its rubbing on the door when it opens and closes. Im in the process of putting solar on now and in two minds to run it like yours or down the side of the windscreen was there any reason you went through the rear door ?
You have an eagle eye, I hadn’t even noticed it myself 😂 it has frayed slightly through the sheath but the not cable. Maybe the tolerance in my door are slightly tighter, but it is a super common way to run cabling. Thanks for the heads up! 🙂
Take less stuff and be careful with mods that can affect the handling and braking a GVM/GCM upgrade is a piece of paper that covers you legally but when everyone you care about is inside the car 🚗you want the safety systems to work at 100%
Wasn't expecting for you guy's to be selling the home, but it does make sense. Looking forward to it, but I assume not as much as you 5 (I count Percy is family).
Still in the property market; have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on! 🙂 We will be happy when we’re on the road, just not enjoying the lead up to it and all the THINGS that we need to organise!
You must have got a dud. The brakes on my GX are excellent and a significant improvement on my old 120 series prado which had a brake (disc and pads) upgrade on the front and rear. When towing the van on the highway for a long time, the brakes must cool down on the van, because the first application doesn't give the usual performance but after that, they're good again.
Hi Cam. I remember when you announced you were travelling in 2025 and it was ages away. Wow, time goes so fast. You quickly mentioned you were selling your house. Are you going to have an open ended travel plan?😊
Sure does! No definitely no open ended travel plans. Will be back in 2026 for then kids to go back to school. We have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on. 🙂
All good, still in the property market; have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on! 🙂
Still in the property market; have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on! 🙂
Toyota quality. Can't beat it. All jokes aside, he's prob just upgrading to try for better performance. Maybe the current brakes still work fine. 17 inch wheels, not much Toyota can do really.
If the lithium batteries are the same as EV batteries then that and any extinguisher is useless. But I’m not sure if both the batteries are the same type of thing.
For any brake upgrade, make sure you get High Carbon Content rotors (basically a much better grade of metal) It will give you much better braking performance especially for towing.
A mate has a new 300, first trip towing a 3.3T van has the transmission temp light comes on 2 mins down the road. Toyota tell him to drive in manual mode... anyone else had this issue?
Not a 300, but my triton locks up the transmission way more consistently when in manual mode and as a result, ATF temps are way lower. Granted, we don't tow anywhere near 3.3t.
A few big van towers have moved to some of the yank tanks out there as the fuel use is somewhat similar but they tow so easily. Also likely handle sway better given the extra mass but probably only suitable for round trippers rather than “couple of trips a year” folks. Imagine they’d be a nightmare in town.
Yeah that is outrageous for me. We did a 30000km trip last year and averaged around 13.5L/100km towing our 2T camper with a 2.4L Triton. Sure, it's a bit slow but we saved so much on fuel costs, we could travel for longer.
Life wasn’t crazy enough so we decided to buy some land and build whilst we travel 😂🙈 on the plus side we don’t have to worry about renting the house now!
@@WildTouring sounds like a head f*** to me. 😀 Building while you’re here is bad enough let alone while you’re away, but you might be dropping a donga on the block. 😀
Weight is the enemy all the time. I’ve had a big rethink and just taken out a lot of stuff I never really use but always take it anyway, sort of back to basics. First thing to go was the drawers, dropped 75kg straight away and don’t miss them at all and half the stuff in them I wasn’t using. My mission is to cut down weight and spending, it’s costing way too much to have all this junk I don’t need.
I’ve seen a few now on youtube that are using front runner cases strapped down in the back which allows things to be compartmentalised and easier to segregate for different trip types (weekender, beach, lads, family etc) and also allows them to be completely removed for day to day driving.
I think Pete from WACA is using them with the raised lids.
The 300 is such an awesome vehicle going to be funny when everyone catches on 😂 just like when the 200 took over the 100 all the hate but then everyone wanted one once they finally realised they are so much better to drive.
Sounds like more exciting times on the horizon. Congrats on your ambitious planning. You'll be excited to be on holidays and excited to go home again too
Thank you! 😁
Another great vid Cam. I actually got onto the Kaon gear after coming across your channel and love their stuff. Went and picked up a heap of gear for my 300 on the back of seeing your setup and the Kaon guys in Brisbane were epic to deal with - gave me a tour of their manufacturing facility and everything. Awesome aussie made products with epic support, highly recommend them.
Just awesome hey! Such good quality gear and bloody love that it is all Aussie made 😁
good to see the channel growing well with the work you both are putting in. Aways look forward to your content thanks .
Thanks Rob, appreciate it! 🙂
ARB quoted me $2k for a 133L Frontier long range fuel tank for my Dmax. Thats 3 x 20L jerry cans! I all ready have jerry cans. So I can save $2k on a LRFT and spend it on 1000L of fuel and travel 10,000 kms.
3 x 20 = 60lit not 133 you would need twice the number of jerry cans (at least) of fuel to make up for the Frontier LR tank. Yeah its not cheap to extend your range with an installed tank but that is what you pay for the convenience of not having to lug around 6 or more jerry cans.
@ i’ve still got a 70L oem tank plus the additional 3 jerrys. That makes 130L. Simple math I thought. But I’m only an Engineers!
Thank's for a fantastic update, looking forward to your Simpson trip, will be a great shakedown trip too
Thanks mate!
Cam, one thing I can strongly suggest for your brake upgrade, if you haven't already considered it is braided brake lines. I have fitted them to my BT50 and the braking efficiency is second to none.
love ya work!
Good video with great information. Similarly and because I tow a caravan, I was dissatisfied with the braking capabilities of my 200 Series and had the brakes upgraded. All good now.
Cheers! 🙂
Bugger me what a beast! You'll be entering it in the Finke Rally.
Great video Cam. I am subscribed to a lot of sailing vlogs that all use StarLink. There was one or two that specifically said that StarLink is a power hog. So they started turning it off when they weren't using it and they noticed there was not as much power drain as there was when it was on. I am looking forward to your Big Lap of Australia next year and learning more about your wonderful country.
Thanks mate, yeah it’s definitely thirsty on power! Was only just saying to Tiff how different it will be travelling full time next year with starlink on board. Last lap we would go a week at a time with no reception! Not sure how I feel about that hey, sometimes it was nice to not have the option of mindlessly scrolling! 🙈
@@WildTouring I know what you mean I used to do a lot of it on my phone when I was working, Now that I am retired I do it wll on the computer!!🤣🤣
As Cam would be aware you can now get a 12 volt kit for Starlink so no need to run the inverter and uses a lot less power.
@@WildTouring , a week without internet is great, never miss it when it’s not there, you can get by. 😀
Nice vid mate. The big lap will be Awsome bet your excited
Can’t bloody wait! 😁
Those Firestyrkers should be paired with traditional extinguishers. You need to hold them quite close to the fire to be effective, not good if the fire takes hold, std extinguisher can attack from further away with quick direct shots. If you look at TH-cam vids on the FS you'll see. I keep a welding glove to use with it under the seat.
Good video ,just wondering purchased Ichek tpms and booster just wondering where u connected it on the boab 621 , I have the same van😎
Did you get braided brake lines as well ?
Nice video mate 👍
HA MATE 👍 GREAT RUN DOWN ON HOW ITS ALL GOING, I GUESS HENCE THE REASON THAT THERES SO MANY DOING THE TRUCK AND CARAVAN SET UPS NOW 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 🤷♂️ THERES A CRACKING SET UP ON MARKET PLACE RIGHT NOW FOR A COMPARISON 👍👍
I've heard the 300 series has an issues of windows randomly cracking, Shattering or exploding. I think it has something to to do with the Aluminium Bodywork, Aluminium moves and warps like crazy when it gets warm, and you know how WA Summers are, Im not sold on the 300 series as well as they may perform.
I have never understood the GVM/GCM upgrade packages, put some new suspension in and then you can carry extra weight without a brake upgrade.
My opinion is any GVM/GCM upgrade it should be law that you have to do a brake upgrade as part of the package.
It's pretty simple really.
The GVM/GCM upgrades to get engineered have to be brake tested at the new load limit... they are passing those brake tests without upgrades needed.
What is not to get?
@@1989cranston Thing is not all passes are alike. When you’re towing a heavy van I think I’d prefer brakes that would ace the test rather than scrape through. Given a little water and wear those scrapers will likely not be looking so good.
@@1989cranston There's a phrase that goes "Cs get degrees" Which is kind of suggesting mediocrity is OK. And it is, OK. I think the point with brakes is you might want a little better than "OK" or mediocre.
Totally get where you are coming from. Pedders do recommend the brake upgrade with their GVM upgrades, but like you say it’s not required by law so many customers may not see it as a necessity. Personally - brakes, suspension and tyres are the key things I won’t skimp on, especially with my family in the car 👍🏼
A mate of mine bought a new 300 and took it out to the Simpson, It was always a problem. He kept breaking things doing normal East coast bush camping. He sold it and bought a Hilux.
Looking good there is a lot to think about with a big trip👍
One question though , where did you find your square pan for the Ziggy we have hunted everywhere and can’t find one yet 😢
Cheers 🙂 it’s a Smart Space fry pan. Pretty sure snowys sell them online.
Hey mate another great video looking forward to your next trip. Hey could be handy if you mention if these are sponsored products or you paid full price for it all. As its hard to know who to trust on TH-cam anymore. If I have brands every day offering me free products I'm sure a channel your size would be getting this stuff done for free?
Thanks mate, no I make a point of paying for most of the gear I run, in the first instance. I will absolutely not just accept something because it’s offered to me, as you would know it’s never free. Often brands will want marketing/social media posts/photos/videos in return.
Happy to be completely up front. The fuel tank I paid for. I’ve never run one of their tanks before and would never want to be caught in a situation where I have to promote something if I wasn’t happy with it! They are likely completely unaware of this video 🙂 Unfortunately in the world of TH-cam it’s hard to mention a product without people thinking it’s sponsored. On the flip side if I don’t mention the brand I have 50 people ask me what brand it is 🤣
Ive been runnings Pedders gear on my cars for 8 years now and have always been a big supporter of their products. Like most of my sponsorship arrangements, they’ve happened organically over the years by me being first and foremost a paying customer, and then forming a relationship with them down the track. That’s just personally how I prefer to run my channel. 🙂
I noticed going from a Dmax to a Ranger how much more I had to stand on the brakes, there’s a big difference in torque between those 2 vehicles, this would be even more so with the 300
You'll have issues if you kept the 0W-20 oil should change to 5W-40 oil for towing
That’s why I don’t let dealers service my car and I’ve been using an independent mechanic and the right grade oil from new!
Hi Cam noticed the cable cover from your solar is starting to fray so I guess its rubbing on the door when it opens and closes. Im in the process of putting solar on now and in two minds to run it like yours or down the side of the windscreen was there any reason you went through the rear door ?
You have an eagle eye, I hadn’t even noticed it myself 😂 it has frayed slightly through the sheath but the not cable. Maybe the tolerance in my door are slightly tighter, but it is a super common way to run cabling. Thanks for the heads up! 🙂
Its amazing you buy a 100k vehicle,change brakes, suspension,wheels,doesn't say much for landcruiser.
Unless you buy a ranger raptor that can’t tow all vehicles are the same off the floor?
Take less stuff and be careful with mods that can affect the handling and braking a GVM/GCM upgrade is a piece of paper that covers you legally but when everyone you care about is inside the car 🚗you want the safety systems to work at 100%
Absolutely! Brakes, suspension, tyres and insurance are the things I won’t skimp on, especially with my family in the car 👍🏼
Nice vid bud . I remember you saying in a video on a shark bay trip with Pete from waca that the 300 wasn't for you what changed your mind?
Wasn't expecting for you guy's to be selling the home, but it does make sense. Looking forward to it, but I assume not as much as you 5 (I count Percy is family).
Still in the property market; have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on! 🙂 We will be happy when we’re on the road, just not enjoying the lead up to it and all the THINGS that we need to organise!
You must have got a dud. The brakes on my GX are excellent and a significant improvement on my old 120 series prado which had a brake (disc and pads) upgrade on the front and rear.
When towing the van on the highway for a long time, the brakes must cool down on the van, because the first application doesn't give the usual performance but after that, they're good again.
If you were to buy a 300 again would you still go for gx or something better like vx?
GX every day of the week!
I wouldn’t trust a thing harry would say, same with his mate Ronny d
I have a GR-S and the brakes are dog shit and squeal , keen to see some upgrades to fix it.
Have you actually try that fire extinguisher? Lot of negative reviews about it. Would love to see you using it
Nah I haven’t. I hope to never need to use it! 🙈🙈
Hi Cam. I remember when you announced you were travelling in 2025 and it was ages away. Wow, time goes so fast.
You quickly mentioned you were selling your house. Are you going to have an open ended travel plan?😊
Sure does! No definitely no open ended travel plans. Will be back in 2026 for then kids to go back to school. We have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on. 🙂
Make sure you fix the air filter they collect a lot of dust in the air filter talk to people about it
Don’t sell the house rent it out always good to know you have somewhere to come back to after your long trip
All good, still in the property market; have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on! 🙂
Selling the house is a big step!
Still in the property market; have been looking at making a move for years but finally bit the bullet and bought a block with a bit more space to build on! 🙂
@WildTouring that's awsome. Congrats.
6 months old, new disc and pads?
Toyota quality. Can't beat it. All jokes aside, he's prob just upgrading to try for better performance. Maybe the current brakes still work fine. 17 inch wheels, not much Toyota can do really.
If the lithium batteries are the same as EV batteries then that and any extinguisher is useless. But I’m not sure if both the batteries are the same type of thing.
Selling your house? You’re braver than me. House prices are to high and increasing almost weekly for me to sell up
We’ve bought elsewhere 🙂 no way would we leave the property market right now, prices are mental!
@@WildTouring Phew, that’s good to hear. On a side note, I bought some of your towels a year ago and love them, thanks again and awesome content.
For any brake upgrade, make sure you get High Carbon Content rotors (basically a much better grade of metal) It will give you much better braking performance especially for towing.
A mate has a new 300, first trip towing a 3.3T van has the transmission temp light comes on 2 mins down the road. Toyota tell him to drive in manual mode... anyone else had this issue?
Not a 300, but my triton locks up the transmission way more consistently when in manual mode and as a result, ATF temps are way lower. Granted, we don't tow anywhere near 3.3t.
22 Litres per 100 kms. Geez i thought the 300 would do better than that but weight is a killer.
@@Mrbuckaroonie.. , wow make travelling an expensive hobby at that rate.
A few big van towers have moved to some of the yank tanks out there as the fuel use is somewhat similar but they tow so easily. Also likely handle sway better given the extra mass but probably only suitable for round trippers rather than “couple of trips a year” folks. Imagine they’d be a nightmare in town.
Yeah that is outrageous for me. We did a 30000km trip last year and averaged around 13.5L/100km towing our 2T camper with a 2.4L Triton. Sure, it's a bit slow but we saved so much on fuel costs, we could travel for longer.
Definitely not a cheap hobby, that’s for sure! 😬
@@WildTouring No mate it is not.
Wow selling the house for a big lap?
No mate, selling our house to finance another 👍🏼
Selling the House?????????????
Life wasn’t crazy enough so we decided to buy some land and build whilst we travel 😂🙈 on the plus side we don’t have to worry about renting the house now!
@@greg174videos , yeah I thought that was extreme. 😀
@@WildTouring you guys are amazing! You take big bites and chew like crazy 😂💪👏
@@WildTouring sounds like a head f*** to me. 😀
Building while you’re here is bad enough let alone while you’re away, but you might be dropping a donga on the block. 😀
@@WildTouring Are your parents going to supervise the build?