The Wattos - Nomad / Tanami

[The Wattos]

Phoenix Model: Nomad / Tanami (We call it "The Tardis")

Month/year built:: 11/05/2005. Picked up early June 2005.
Length (internal): 16 ft or 4.5m
Chassis Number: N347
Axle/s: tandem
Suspension: leaf
Wheels/tyres: Varies from year to year.Whatever we can get.
Tare: 2140
GTM: 2560
ATM: 2850
Shower Van: External
Air Con: Yes
Fridge: Vitrifrigo 150ltr Danfoss 2 door fridge
Water Tanks: 2 x 80 shower/washing & 1 x 60 drinking
Batteries: 3 batteries
Solar Panel: 1 X 120 watts

Electrical Equipment:
Just about everything imaginable right down to blow heater, 2 x desk fans, electric mix master, small kitchen whiz, electric knife, computers, external hard drives, digital and DSLR cameras, 2 x mobile phones, satellite phone, 2 x GPS, electric kettle, toaster. You name it and we just might have it apart from TV games.

Additional Equipment:
Not in any particular order, just as I think of it.
Load Capacity 3200.
Tandem leaf spring with load sharing suspension. 5 stud Land Cruiser wheels and tyres. 3 spare wheels ready to put on and 1 tyre to put on if needed plus two tubes as an emergency situation plus of course lots of plugs and patches.

FUEL: We can carry up to 380 ltrs Diesel, we have carried 40 ltrs petrol for the boat motor and generator but it depends on what trip we are doing as to how much we carry. We can carry more of any fuel if we need to.

TOOLS: Lots of tools including angle grinder etc,

Swift four burner gas stove with grill and oven. 800watt 19lt microwave. Electrolux lowline roof air conditioner with heater cycle. Majestic 12/240v TV, DVD etc player, set top box (or Decoder) for our Abrolga satellite dish, CD player, radio.
King size bed (2 X Singles together so the mattresses fit in the door) with coffee ledges beside and book case/bin under the shelf.
Boot draw, medicine chest, office cupboards for printers papers etc,
Pure Sine Wave 450 watts inverter.
Sunburst Roll-Out type Awning, full annex custom made to be Cane Toad & Snake Proof as possible (mostly left at home now).
Full pantry which can have shelves lifted out and becomes a wardrobe, large table with Cafe Style leather seating which can be used as 2 couches, portable toilet, external shower.

Lots of external hatches of which one is a sealed compartment to keep smells of any sort out of the van. Portable auto washing machine.
Two batteries and one solar panel plus a Honda 2.0i generator to run both microwave and air conditioner/heater. Suburban gas hot water system.
Outboard motor and rubber duck boat (Quick Silver, not always taken) Ocean Kayak, Two push bikes, Heaps of all sorts of spares from spare springs to fuses & hose clamps plus many spare car parts, retrieving gear etc too numerous to list, medicine chest in the car and another in the Tardis for both humans and pets.

2x 50 ltr Waeco fridge/ freezers for fresh dog food, they never get tin or dry food.
Lots more of this and that including the things listed in the above section such as Satellite Phone etc., Laminator and cutter.
Yes we even have a kitchen sink.
What's more is that we actually use it ALL.

Two dogs, Eric and Lilli. Oh yeah a driver (usually David) and a map reader/computer operator/travel diary maker/photographer of a fashion/cook. (Bev).
Lots of love , enthusiasm, interest for adventure, common sense, energy, time for fellow travellers and happiness are all on board every day.
Tea and Coffee on the go anytime of the day or night especially when we meet other POG Families.

Tow Vehicle:
We call it "The Poverty Pack" Toyota Landcruiser the one with the Barn Doors and vinyl flooring, thank goodness, with roof rack, bull bar and an external sun visor.

[kiwi]

Hi David (why not? Can't have Bev hogging the spotlight all the time ),

Just curious about the solar panel and batteries. Does one 120W panel keep three batteries happy and run the 150 litre fridge OK? Are the two 50 litre fridges running off separate solar panels in the truck?

Where do you store the 380 litres of diesel?

An ATM of 2850 and a load capacity of 3200?

Does Bev fit inside with all the other stuff or does she just tag along on foot and catch up to you when you you have set up camp?

I hope the new family member is fitting in well and helping you through your recent sad loss. We're currently parked in an inner suburban street, 10 minutes from the Opera House and have reintroduced ourselves to the Jack Russell that we left behind. Still cleaning the dog hair out of the place.

Michael

[larks]

Thanks for that Bev & David, Very impressive!! I have quickly read the stats but now will need to reread it over the next couple of days and digest it all properly!! I particularly liked the description in the other thread of David lying in bed. That's a role model I can relate to and I have printed out your long list of jobs and given it to Liz as something for her to work towards!!

Cheers Mark

[The Dodgeys]

Hey Bev,
You forgot that magic little sewing machine and all the bits that go with it, ie Material, cottons, and all things necessary to sew!!!
Now I know that's in there as I've used it.
Denise

[The Wattos]

Hi everyone,
"The Bosses" (no not my darling, but the actual bosses, John and Kym) have chewed me out for spending time answering your questions in so much depth and not enjoying life enough R & R ing.
So I'll make this brief.
Well sort of.

Michael, David won't touch the computer, hates it with a passion, lays on the bed (or is doing something more important in his books) and dictates to me what to say so most if it is from him anyhow, I am just the lackey.

SOLAR PANEL is fine, it just has to keep the fridge working all the time really but does keep the batteries up so long of course if we are not using computers and TVs etc flat out. As you can imagine, it always depends on what you are running no matter how much power you are getting, it is all down to the output too.

Then there is the Honda 20i generator for running everything and it is a lot cheaper than having more solar panels. We'd rather spend money on fuel traveling than on solar panels and replacement of them later.

We use the generator if we have to leave the dogs in air conditioning while out and about if they can't go.

DOGS' FRIDGE/FREEZERS are both run off the Poverty Pack second battery as does the satellite phone, MP3 player when we are in the car. We keep the battery charged when stopped, via generator.

The GPS and Laptop run my mapping from the main battery when driving.

WE CARRY THE FUEL mainly on the car, long range fuel tanks and the rest is Jerry cans. 4 Jerry cans on the Tardis.
We empty them into the car as fast as possible to get weight down ASAP.

COMPLIANCE PLATE STATES ATM 2850
GTM 2560
TARE MASS 2140
AXLE GROUP LOAD CAPACITY 3200
Can't tell you anything more than that.

Yes Michael, I do fit in but I have to keep my weight down of course too. It all helps.
It is all in the designing, we have room for us and had the three boys and it worked well, now it is just us and one Boy and one little Girl and yes she is such a sweetie.
Daddy calls her his Princess Lilli and Frilly Lilli.
I call her Lil, Lilli or Lilli Pilly but we all fit in so well and are happy as we can be without The Boys.
They covered some country and now Lilly will too with Eric.
She HATES flies. Oh dear little Princess Lilli, her daddy said she will have to toughen up on that one.

Thankfully Westies shed very little. Eric is different, a Silver Cloud Kelpie and sheds quite a bit.

DENISE, You are right, we do have other things such as, yes, the sewing machine for mending, or making pussy cat coats for Ember and even an electric sandwich maker for cold days, such as soup and a toasted sandwich.

Coffee time, cuddles time with Llilli Pilly and a walk on the beach time with lunch first under the trees on the banks of the Blackwood River with David, Eric and Lilly Pilly.
Cheerio,
Bev. PS Quick Reply? How? Haaa.

[kiwi]

"Bosses"? Chewing you out? I think that their brief period of Jayco ownership must have gone to their heads. Delusions of grandeur, perhaps? A perceived need to keep the great unwashed in their place? (I'll probably be banned now....).

Sorry - I thought your load capacity,. i.e. maximum weight, was the ATM figure rather than the axle capacity.

Michael

[nokiwime]

Did you have to beg for a front door Bev? That's what I want.
Trish

[The Wattos]

No Trish, I did not beg at all.
We both knew it was the most practical.
It keeps the dust out that way (harder to keep the dust down if the door is at the back end) and you sit in the front instead of the back which means we can sit up in bed and have a coffee and not have your neck bent over trying to watch the TV when in either bed or at the table.
As I said as far as we are concerned, we think it is all in the planning and we did lots of plans, 36 alterations before I drew it to scale.
Wheel arches under the table are a no no in my books too and so we don't have that either.
It is of course horses for courses and our plan may not suit anybody else at all but it suits us right down to the ground and it is after all only us it has to suit.
Same thing with everyone else's vans, it doesn't have to be built to our liking, just the owners.
Oh yeah, the dogs don't seem to mind it one little bit either.
Bev.

[nokiwime]

You've got me thinking. I'm going to redesign my SketchUp plan right now.
Thanks.
Trish