GEAR GURU

By Evan Spence 10 Min Read

ARB 47L Fridge

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The What:

A 47L 12 volt travel fridge, designed for four-wheel driving, but with an optional 240v power socket. Ours is one of the first fridges ARB made back in around 2009 and has been touring with us ever since.

The Good:

It’s reliable and so far it’s never missed a beat. The tie-downs are good too – they don’t stick out and they’re very strong. The controls are relatively simple and it would be hard for them to be accidentally pressed by errant luggage or the like. The lid can be pulled off completely, and there’s even a drain hole for easy cleaning. The mains socket is built-in, which is handy. Over the years, the unit has acquired a number of scratches and scuff marks as you’d expect, but still looks quite presentable.

The Bad:

The mesh basket can be difficult to lift out when loaded. Otherwise no complaints in performance. But it would be nice to see a lid stay so you don’t need to hold it open, a perhaps a USB charger.

Summary:

A solidly reliable fridge ARB got right first time. There’s a reason so many of them sell.

arb.com.au

Kaymar Rear Carrier Bar

The What:

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A replacement rear bar which incorporates a towbar and twin carrier options. Our setup is a wheel carrier and twin jerry can carrier with an LED camp light.

The Good:

The Kaymar improves departure angle while adding strength and including a built-in towbar. It allows carriage of a second spare wheel or even a third as you can still use the original spare store point. It also increases storage as you can take two 20L jerries for fuel or water. The carrier arms can be removed or changed depending on your preference or need at the time. It’s also reasonably light considering it replaces a stock part and incorporates a towbar. You can expect good quality from Kaymar and depend on it as thousands of others have done.

The Bad:

My reversing sensors no longer work and now just beep randomly, so current versions of the bar are now made without them. It also makes access to the rear more time-consuming. There’s also nowhere ideal for a reversing camera (but there is a bracket that attaches to the arms). Fitting the numberplate requires an extra bracket if the arms are both off. And while the arms are removable, it’s not a particularly quick job and could be easier, although practice makes perfect.

Summary:

If you need the extra storage space the Kaymar bar is well worth considering, and you get used to the extra steps to access the rear.

kaymar.com.au/

Karcher Chassis Cleaner

When you combine a pressure washer with this bad boy, you are equipping yourself to do some serious cleaning at home. It clips up to a variety of Karcher pressure cleaners, and emits a strong spray via two spinning nozzles on the cleaner. I was worried this wouldn’t work too well with a 4X4, but the height is adjustable (the highest setting is too high for a GU Patrol with a two-inch lift) so it can get right up close to the chassis and give it a good blast. We were using it with the K2.180, so using a stronger cleaner would give it more oomph. Getting into all of those nooks and crannies under your 4X4 without fuss or hassle has got to be worth it. It even comes with a fitting that sprays an underbody wax protector.

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The chassis cleaner retails for
$179. Go to www.karcher.com.au
for more information.

Light My Fire Mealkit 2.0

One thing that annoys me about my current camping setup is the lack of organisation and space efficiency of my road-going cutlery and crockery. It bangs around, takes up too much space and is generally annoying. This kit from Light My Fire does away with the confusion, with a terrific little package for those wanting to minimise everything. The main container (two dishes) houses a collapsible lidded cup, a spork, a cutting board (which is also a strainer) and two other handy lidded containers. It’s all good quality, and most importantly packs into the biggest container like a Babushka doll – making it incredibly space efficient.

The mealkit retails for $32.95.
Go to www.outdooragencies.com.au
for more information.

GT Camper Drifta Kitchen

The What:

A camp kitchen you can slide in and out of your ute or camper trailer. Why wasn’t this invented years ago?

The Good:

Everything’s in one place. It stores all our camp food-related gear, and quite a bit of food, then converts to a solid table. We can take it out of the ute entirely for extra space, then put it back in when we need it. You don’t need to pull it right out to use it, either. It’s well made, and has all the necessary little designs such as a stove section and locks that corrugations won’t open. It’s good value. The slide rails can be re-purposed with a tray. When made into a table it is nicely tall, unlike the average camp table. And you can move it from vehicle to trailer, so once the investment is made it’s not lost with your next vehicle.

The Bad:

The legs could be a bit sturdier, but most of the disadvantages are necessary compromises. It’s big and weighs 50kg loaded (25kg empty), but that’s because it needs to be that size. You need a ute or a trailer, too. And you won’t be wanting to carry it too far from the car, so some campsites might be difficult to live in.

Summary:

This kitchen lines up nicely with our design philosophy of having easily removable units when we go camping. It’s a quality unit, practically made by experienced campers and we expect it to be the basis of our family camping setup for years to come.

gtcampers.com.au

Long Range Automotive Long Range Tank – Ford Ranger

The What

A 140L fuel tank to replace the 80L standard – that’s 60L more, or 75 per cent extra capacity.

The Good:

There’s no change to clearance or angles, and long-range tanks are something you end up using even if you’re not crossing the Simmo, allowing you to refuel when you want to. Remember also that with all your mods and a touring load you won’t be anywhere near the rated fuel consumption figure, so to a great extent a long-range tank is just getting you back to normal range.

The Bad:

The tank does what it does – increases fuel capacity, end of story! But any replacement tank of this nature will send the standard fuel gauge and computer range calculation awry as the car still thinks it has an 80L tank. So the gauge will sit on full for maybe 2-300km, and then it’ll creep down towards empty slower than normal, then when the refuel light pops on you’ve still actually got quite a bit more left that you’d think. There’s still 20L left in the tank once the low-fuel light comes on, for example. Once you’re used to this, then all is well and you can just enjoy the extra range. The alternative is an expensive remapping, or use of a second tank to transfer into the main.

Summary

Can’t really say much more about this other than extra range is something you’ll miss when you don’t have it, and with the tank coming from one of the most reputable brands, I’m not expecting any dramas in the long term.

longrangeautomotive.com.au


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