Slowly Polluting The Southern Hemisphere with Old Conversion Vans

Its the way to travel! Never having been one for backtracking, our route is more of a ‘one-way’ affair than a ‘round trip’ ticket. So there are 2 different ways to overland south along the PanAm highway(three including motorcyles…and four on a bike I suppose..). The first is in a rig that you will want to keep after your travels. We have followed along with many friends and travelers in their jaw dropping Westy’s, Rovers, Delica’s(check em out!), sweet diesel trucks with campers, even some unimogs and an old converted ambulance. When we retire(for good) you can bet we'll be getting a more 'permanent' cruiser...

$70k for this one... http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/insane-70000-volkswagen-syncro-westfalia/

we've heard great things about these campers. (xpcampers.com)

These are all awesome vehicle choices with proven track records. These rigs may cost a pretty penny, but will be top performers on the road and in the bush. Naturally, with a setup like that, you're going to want to bring it back home with you. However, with southern Chile around 15,000 road miles away(assuming you're moving in a semi-straight line), and the Darien Gap situation(expensive and timely shipping required from Panama to Columbia) about halfway down, the time needed for a round trip without rushing ones self was more than we had to work with. Lindsay and I have about 7 months to play on the PanAm highway, and having tested this second method extensively in 2011(see below), it was a no-brainer. 

Our ‘one-way’ strategy goes like this- 

1st, Find a van. The cheap and creepy kind. Yeah, i know, your in-laws may raise their eyebrows, and you may get some weird looks when driving near elementary schools but trust me. If the exterior is a little run down thats a plus- it’ll deter theft(Lindsay helped the cause by parking the (tall) van in a (short) parking garage and giving me a crash course in fiberglass repair). Just make sure the motor/tranny/suspension is good to go. Don't spend over $3-4k(remember, it’s not for keeps).

2nd, Clean the living shit out of it. A conversion vans very nature works against us here. There is a reason these rigs are cheap.

3rd, Remove the center seats and rear seat/bed. Stand back and marvel at all the space you’ve got!! Now its time to customize. We opted for a large mattress platform high enough for ample storage underneath and a small cabinet for kitchen stuffs and clothes.

thanks for the help Dale!

4th, Get it checked out and pack plenty of filters and parts. Auto parts are reasonably easy to find in larger towns, but better to have a few on hand.

5th Point it in the desired direction and let it rip! Since its on a one way trip, remember to not sweat the small stuff. It doesn't need brand new tires, 50% brakes are ok, etc.

The best part about it is you're sitting on your plane tickets to get back home. When you get where you're going, give that puppy a new home! We found that inexpensive vehicles are easy to sell and worth about 50% more in South America. We sold our last van in Chile within two days of deciding to do so.

We head out to Baja Norte on tuesday, look at all this crummy homework we've got to do…

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dad & son talking maps