SUCCESS
SUCCESS
have allowed us to squash all of our clothing
neatly into a cabinet the size of a microwave
oven. Best of all they come out unwrinkled.
Great space savers.
FAILURE
Blitz external fuel
tanks: We bought
two Blitz gas tanks
that leaked horribly
when we used them
to fill the tank. They
were so bad we
replaced them in
South Africa with two
Slovakian made
tanks.
We have not been paid or given any products. If it failed, it failed miserably. If it succeeded, it did so exceptionally.
|
SUCCESS
The faucet on the sink of older VW
Westfalias is a constant source of
problems. We have owned 4
westy´s and have never had a
problem free original style faucet.
The Sure Flow faucet allows us to
control the flow of water as well as
direction. It is not cheap and it does
not fit perfectly but it has worked
flawlessly
FAILURE Hi-Tec shoes: Rich bought a pair
of Hitec boots and a pair of Hitec water sandals.
Both literally fell apart within weeks of purchase.
SUCCESS MSR Dragonfly Stove
We brought the Dragonfly as a backup, in
case the stove in the van failed or ran out of
propane. Rich enjoyed using it so much he
now uses it every day. There is a rugged
attraction to a device designed to operate on .
virtually any fuel, in temperatures ranging from tropical to arctic, on top
of everest or in a driving windstorm and then fold up like a spider to
the size of a roll of toilet paper. . Women, if you want your man to cook
more often, get him this stove. Amanda calls it the space shuttle.
SUCCESS BRU Automotive Built and installed the motor that
pushed us all around the globe. Not only do we consider them good
mechanics, they are good people too...A rare combination. BRU
Automotive 5625 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, 92115 (619) 287-9716
SUCCESS .
We each bought a Patagonia jacket (you can see them in many
photos) and literally tortured them for three years. They stood up
with flying colors until Rich accidentally slammed the sliding door of
the van on the zipper of his and crushed it beyond recognition. We
sent the jacket back to Patagonia with a request that they fix it and
charge our credit card. They did so for FREE. An exceptional
product coupled with exceptional service. Patagonia is a modern
company with cutting edge products that still survives by the old
adage, you get what you pay for.
NO
SPONSORS
BF Goodrich
27 X 8.50 R14
Tires: We have
driven over
60,000 miles on
some of the worst
roads in the world
and suffered only
one flat tire with
these tires.
Not a bad record.
SUCCESS
Of course, the star of this show has been
our 1978 Volkswagen Westfalia
campervan. Not only did it survive the
rough roads and low octane fuels, it
thrived. Not many vehicles are both
versitle and personable, but Volkswagen
continues to pump out some of the finest
vehicles in the world.
reasons. 1) Their Signature Rewards Visa card includes free medical
evacuation coverage that costs big bucks to purchase.; 2) We were never
charged a transaction fee for the more than 150 ATM withdraws we did while
traveling and we got the highest bank rate of exchange; 3) Our card number was
stolen and used in Brazil. When we realized something was wrong we called our
Merrill Lynch rep. collect and he took care of all the hassles
SUCCESS
If you are traveling in
a VW, don't leave
home without it. This
book saved us more
times than we can
remeber. In the
middle of nowhere,
with no one to turn to
it provided the
necessary
information to keep
us alive and moving.
FAILURE American Express There was a day,
not long ago, when the familiar Amex logo was a
salvation for the wayward traveler. The American
Express office was once the best place to convert a
traveler's check into the local currency and offered a
stable address drop for the wanderer to receive
mail. Today the ubiquitous ATM machine and the
instantaneous connection of email have made both
obsolete. Those few offices that still remain in the
far flung corners of the globe have become
depressing, high security cubicles, where oldsters
are overcharged for the convenience of being
pampered in they style of a bygone era.
SUCCESS Travel Medical Book
We looked at every travel medical book on
the market before finding this jewel. It
seemed that all the others shied away from
the risk of litigation and refused to give the
pratical advice necessary for when the
going got tough. This book offers simple,
idiot proof (just for us!) instructions to
diagnose a problem and gives ideas on
how to fix it, including medication dosages
and suggestions using locally available
items.