Building a Landscape Photography Truck

markmullen

markmullen

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I've got a 12 day photography trip to the Highlands in November, planning to wild camp but unsure what the weather will hold and what the road conditions will be (they could be lovely, or awful).

I had the idea of building an expedition vehicle to make the trip easier. Working in the motor trade I have managed to source an Isuzu Trooper long wheelbase.

The plan is to put winter tyres on it, remove the back seats to allow a single bed in the boot, add extra lights (driving lights and worklights), maybe a roofrack to climb up for extra height if required, a CB etc.

Just thought some of you might be interested in the build and the outcome, the plan is I'll be able to use it as a camper for sunrise shoots around the country.

So, watch this space!
 
Sounds like good fun Mark! I look forward to seeing the car and the pictures you capture! :D
 
Love this idea!
 
Sounds like a good plan. Seen several Land Rovers done similar.
 
What's your budget? Go to Germany and pick up a 4WD VW Transporter Syncro of some sort.

It's a 4WD van, or an actual 4WD camper out of the box.

Talk to McGill at http://syncro-nutz.com/ about finding one in the UK (and check out the photos from the Morocco trip)

Or go straight to Germany and pull one out of mobile.de . If you have the capital you'll double your money on something like this if you sell it afterwards... but £10 says you won't sell it, because you'll fall in love with it - mobile.de link:

http://biSPAM/QuwsUP

BBC used to use them as camera carriers, which gives you an idea of how good the ride is.

Or if you want to go newer, go ex-Polizei, which will have uprated electrics etc, as per:

http://biSPAM/QuwVGt

Remember there's a whole community around making these campers.... even flat-pack cheap ply interiors
 
Subscribed to thread. Looking forward to seeing how you progress.
 
Look into uprated alternators.
Put a relay wiring loom in on the headlights and also on any worklights you fit - much safer.
Use plywood, not MDF - it's much lighter
Shop for insulation and other campery things at JustKampers
Get thermomats for the windows - will prevent a lot of heat loss

Lots of people swear by BF Goodrich AT tyres, but I prefer the on-road handling of Goodyear Wrangler ATRs. Neither are going to enable you to going swamping - you WILL fill the tread and get stuck.

Last of all, learn about rights of way and where you can and can't drive.
 
Sounds like a pretty cool project / plan:)
Would like to see the final outcome of this

EDIT - an inverter might be a good idea to give you mains voltage from the battery system - I use one all the time in my car for charging the laptop etc.
 
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JulesP said:
Sounds like a pretty cool project / plan:)
Would like to see the final outcome of this

EDIT - an inverter might be a good idea to give you mains voltage from the battery system - I use one all the time in my car for charging the laptop etc.
Click to expand...

Inverter and possibly even 240v hookup are being considered, in case I stay at a proper campsite.
 
My inverter is very well used and has charged many camera batteries and kept the laptop running.

Split charge system also excellent call.

Take snow-chains - could well be your saviour!

If you're expecting snow then find an Eberspacer heater that runs off whatever your Trooper runs on - it'll keep you toasty and possibly not dead if you get stuck!!
 
This sounds an excellent project, I am going to enjoy this thread, Please take lots of photos of the project!
 
markmullen said:
Inverter and possibly even 240v hookup are being considered, in case I stay at a proper campsite.
Click to expand...

Even if you dont get a "proper" hookup fitted, you can even just buy the cable from places like Go Outdoors and fit a trailing socket type thing to the other end - thats what we did for use in our tent - never go camping without mains:D
 
Sounds interesting, definitely keep us updated on the vehicle and the trip.

In November you could get some interesting weather but it possible to have some good weather at any time of the year. I've seen 5" of snow in April at sea level and been in T shirt and shorts in February.

You could get snow in November, it does happen, but I think enough snow to seriously affect a 4x4 would be fairly unusual, unless you go in a high route eg the A939 from Tomintoul to Cock Bridge or the Pass of the Cattle (which if you get a chance is well worth it)

Don't know where you are going in the Highlands but the east and west can often have very different weather. There are only two few places where the journey from east to west is fairly short and avoid bad weather. For example, it is about 75 miles from Inverness on the east coast to Gairloch on the west.

If you do not already have this then download this -

http://photoephemeris.com/

This and an OS map are invaluable for sunrise and sunset shots.

Dave
 
Thanks Dave.

I use the ephemeris a lot, really useful.

The itinerary is quite flexible, I was thinking up to Callander, a night along side Loch Lubnaig, then up to Rannoch Moor, a night or two at Loch Etive, then maybe down the Mallaig road, then from there up to Skye, and maybe Torridon. How long I stay anywhere is undecided, if the weather isn't helping I can move on. Possibly move across to the Grampians if they've got plenty of snow.
 
Couldn't you have sourced an old bus, refurbished it with the help of a few mates (preferably ones who can sing & dance as well) and set off on your holiday? You may even be able to pick up a car full of girls on the way as well....
 
Don't forget adequate medical supplies, space blanket, etc.
 
Great project (y)

Would love to see pictures of how this matures :)
 
A slight word of caution. My mate does the same thing with his Astra van. He uses it for days running over the hills. Early this year he was woken about 2AM and made to stand with just his undies on in the rain while the Polis searched his van from top to bottom. He had to put everything back - too much trouble for the boys in blue. The problem? Someone had reported him being parked in a layby for two nights, and the assumption was that he was after birds eggs/young birds. No apology from Polis, but he was on a data base and they started searching him regularly. It got so bad that he changed his van just to get a different Reg No. He complained about harassment, and was threatened with arrest. Very friendly the Scots.
 
mickledore said:
A slight word of caution. My mate does the same thing with his Astra van. He uses it for days running over the hills. Early this year he was woken about 2AM and made to stand with just his undies on in the rain while the Polis searched his van from top to bottom. He had to put everything back - too much trouble for the boys in blue. The problem? Someone had reported him being parked in a layby for two nights, and the assumption was that he was after birds eggs/young birds. No apology from Polis, but he was on a data base and they started searching him regularly. It got so bad that he changed his van just to get a different Reg No. He complained about harassment, and was threatened with arrest. Very friendly the Scots.
Click to expand...

I'll bare it in mind, thanks.

TBH the plans I have for this vehicle they're more likely to be concerned about vagrancy!

Maybe I should sleep in my kilt, just in case.
 
How things have changed - I've spent many a night sleeping in a car in Scotland without any problems. Though my stays have always been for one night.

Shouldn't think you'd have too many problems over being thought of an egg or young bird thief in November.

Dave
 
Get an old tripod centre column with the tripod mount intact, and bolt it to the back of your pickup/roofrack , all you need to do then is screw a tripod head on and you have a very stable alternative to a normal tripod.
 
Great project - hope trip goes well.

Having slept in vehicles just one piece of advise, don't skimp on the insulation.

Good luck,
Ken
 
thisthreadisuselesswithoutpichers-2.jpg


Hurry up!
 
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