11 time zones...

[MaxACL]

What do you guys (and gals) think would be necessary/nice to drive from Lisbon (Portigual, not Texas) to the Eastern shore of Russia?

So far on my list is:

1. A good heavy-duty truck, well, like the DuraMax (duhhh)
2. $$$ As in a sponsor (GM, Ford, Dodge, National Geographic, NAPA...)
3. Three trucks (There's safety in numbers)
4. Three trailers (One camper, one for spare parts etc).
5. Some AAA maps and a kitchen pass from the wife.

Any ideas? Anybody tried something similar?

After tomorrow (1 Aug.) I

[Redhawk]

You might want to give Tracks To Adventure a bounce. They book RV tours to a lot of places, including Russia. At least their brochure might give you a heads up on how to handle your trip, expecially on what to bring with you. Personally I'd start with a very large auxilliary fuel tank. www.trackstoadventure.com.

Hope this helps.

[ 07-31-2002: Message edited by: Redhawk ]</p>

[SoCalDieselNewbie]

While I haven't done anything like the trip that you are describing, I have taken a 43' Bertram Sport Fisher from San Diego, CA USA to Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica.

I have also done several rating trips in Alaska that ranged from 10-17 days. This wasn't on one of the Disneyland rivers... It is rare to even hear a plane let alone see other people.

It has taught me one thing... self reliance.

You are overlooking some of the most simple of items...

You wouldn't catch me attempting a trip like that without some form of fuel storage for a couple of hundred gallons of diesel, a system for PRE-FILTERING the diesel, several gallons of ALL-FLUIDS, a very good GPS unit, a satellite phone, a few CASES of American cigarettes and a few hundred dollors worth of Levi's jeans.

Good luck and I hope your dream trip becomes a reality... You only live once!

[csimo]

This won't be a popular answer here, but I'd have to pick my vehicles in the following order:

#1 HUMVEE (underpowered but the vehicle is prepared for any type of terrain)

#2 Land Rover.

#3 Land Cruiser.

The above vehicles have proved to be tough enough to take just about anything.

[NutNbutGMC]

^.........MaxACL... Counseling is the first thing that you need. :D What's up with this crap about driving dollars 100,000 worth of equipment across a barren, terrorist-filled-kill-on-sight-no- questions-ask, no Quick Stops filling stations, third world region in a d@mn Duramax. Try Coos Bay (OR) to Boston (MA). Much safer and you'll have Onstar service if the truck breaks, not to mention XM radio. I repeat, counseling is your first necessity.... :D

[ 08-01-2002: Message edited by: NutNbutGMC ]</p>

[TxDoc]

A set of Mattracks--http://www.mattracks.com/
The only thing that Maverick and MDRAG don't have, yet.

[Silver Bullet]

and you don't have to tweak the torsion bars!!! :D

[BobNelson]

NutNbutGMC..... Slight problem in Coos Bay, Oregon.... Your OnStar might not work all the time...... However, most houses and motels now have indoor plumbing and some of those other fancy features... :D :D :D

[MaxACL]

NutNbutGMC... Where's the adventure spirit? Don't ask WHY but sense you did... "because it's there!"

TxDoc... Those tracks look awesome, but doubt that I'll need 'em.

Not sure what the roads are like but the (former) Soviet Army had to have an infrastructure. I didn't say that I'd actually make the trip, just wondering what some of the obstacles would be. Hell, I haven't even ask the wife....... yet.

Mike :D :D

[SoCalDMAX]

Where exactly on the eastern shore of Russia? Is this route going to take you thru the snow?

I saw a Discovery ch. show on some adventurers who tried to go thru Siberia with an Arctic Cat and highly modified military trucks. It was ugly. There were no roads for a lot of the way. The bitter cold messed up things that seemed indestructible.

The Russian military helped with logistics support, but several times it looked like a hopeless case.

Gardnerteam does a lot of extremely remote exploring, maybe he has some good advice.

Good luck, Steve

[NutNbutGMC]

^...LMAO... Ask why? Why what? Why I'm in the middle of nowhere getting my ass shot at for no apparent reason other than I may be in deep doo-doo in a foreign, terrorist filled, third world country? You need serious counseling to even ask why... :D D@mn it boy...Why ask why??? You're own your own now. Snap out of it... No more hemp for you! :D

ROTF LMAO

[8.1PWR]

Fourwheeler did an article about going across Russia from east to west. I believe it was in two or three consecutive issues I don't remember which months but some time last year. The way the article was written it seams that the window of opportunity is some what small. Also some of it has to be done in the winter over snow roads.
Maybe a search on fourwheeler.com will come up with the months it ran. It was interesting reading.

[MaxACL]

OK... the National Geographic map shows a stretch of secondary roads where no one thought roads existed. So there is a way to cross.

Now I got to ask... how delicate is the intestines of this truck? Will diesel from other countries plug up something (assuming of course I double and triple filter the fuel)? I had an old '74 Chevy truck that would go anywhere and run on anything that burned. My assumption on my DuraMax is that it is more delicate. How much so?

PS: Any takers on this?

[shft22]

I hope you like it cold, there are not many roads on that side of the world, and the only way for a vehicle, is over frozen rivers.... COOLLLDDD

[Jelisfc]

I think this guy is planning a Dmax retro. It's just what you need. http://www.visionsmedia.com/splash/earthtrek/etrek.htm

[typecast]

Check out http://www.turtleexpedition.com. These people did what you are suggesting and more.

Galen