I am so happy I found your channel. This is an amazing trip and I am so jealous and I also know that I could never do something like this. I am glad you are doing it. Watching the “Long Way Round” series many years ago was also inspiring and gave me a feel for how many obstacles you can face.
I have been telling everyone I know and posting your channel where it seems right. I wonder if you were able to get any sponsorship from Ineos or Patriot? Ineos should be helping you since this is a huge 5 year commercial for their truck. After long way round KTM had refused to help so they went with BMW bikes and after that they became the most popular motorcycle in the world. I am sue having Elon Mcgreggor as the rider helped but the inspiration to the industry was amazing. You have the opportunity to do something similar for overlanding.
Both of these brands I have been researching for a long time and they are both amazing. I went with a teardrop due to concerns about wind but I think that the Patriot is probably much more rugged and suitable for this rugged terrain …. Although I do see that wind has been a factor.
Fo me a blog or something about the obstacles you have faced, or the issues with the vehicles would be extremely useful. I can’t think of a more rigorous test of what these vehicles are intended for. Most would take them out for a week or two at a time but to be out for 5 years. There will be issues and how you overcome them is probably one of the most interesting things. I recall on the Long way round trip they broke the frame of the motorcycle in Mongolia and found some random dude to weld it. That type of thing is extremely interesting. I would not wish these things on anyone but your experience helps us all.
Thank you for doing this for all of us who can’t get away.
We're happy you found us! Thank you so much for supporting and helping to spread the word, we really appreciate it! As for knowing you could never do it, you never know until you try...
I also remember watching the Long Way Round series! Loved it! I'm very aware of the sponsorship deal with BMW, the fact that KTM declined and the end result - which you literally see all over the world. It had a HUGE impact.
Another is Mercedes buying Gunther's G Wagon at the end of his trip. They tried to sponsor him as they understood the value, but he declined as he wanted "no strings attached" to his journey but after the trip, he agreed to the purchase. They showcased it all over the world with the imagery of his journey, and what a surprise, they sold a lot, built a great reputation and brand off the back of it. There's many stories and examples like this out there and so it clearly works. People like to see the vehicles being used by real people, on real trips, in real environments. It answers a LOT of questions.
We approached both INEOS and Patriot a long time before our departure and followed up nearer to our departure date, but both declined, unfortunately which made us put our money where our mouth was. We've kept in touch during the journey but no joy as of yet. I think it's obvious what the upside is for them but there's only so much we can do. "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" as they say. Being Ewan McGregor would help things along I'm sure...
Not much I can do on that front!
We'll do a video or I'll write a summary post on here soon, which will include everything you've mentioned. If we manage to break the chassis on the Grenadier, we've done something very silly! It's very well put together! As for bringing you along for the ride, no worries at all it's a very supportive community! Leah's always been interested in YouTube and we thought this would be a good way to see what it's all about. It provides us with great memories and helps us learn new skills and so everyone wins! I love all the drone stuff! It's a ton of work but hopefully worth it in the end!
