Overland Truck PantryTanzania Africa
It’s the truck pantry. It’s where all the good stuff like salt, pepper, paprika, coffee, sugar, and tea are kept. It’s amazing how much stuff they can fit in such a small space. Particularly when you think that this stuff is what is used to jazz everything up. I just wish they would have lost a little bit more of the chili powder.
More Overland Pantry Tanzania Africa
Here we have the slots for pots and pans. There is a container for plates and a container for mugs. There is a container for soaps and sanitizers. Spoons, knives and forks along with cooking utensils have their place. Dos this not look efficient? It is. I was very impressed with how much stuff the truck could store.
Overland Tent Space Tanzania Africa
This is where the tents are stored. The tents are supposedly 3 person tents. Actually, it is somewhat hard to determine whether a tent is a 2 person or a 3 person tent. How do you know? Each manufacturer has their own standards. Me, I have my own tent on the tour because we have an odd number of people. Someone has to sleep without a tent buddy and it might was well be me. I hope it remains that way for the entire trip. I need the space. I need the peace and quiet. I need to be able to wake up at 4 AM and not have to worry about whether or not I am going to wake someone else up. I need to be able to put my stuff in the tent without worrying about whether I am infringing on the space of another person.
Overland Truck Space Tanzania Africa
Look at all these lockers. Aren’t they cool? I was really surprised at how everything fit in the truck. This truck was made to be a camping phenomena. Think about it – upwards of 24 people living on this truck for anywhere from 8 to 45 weeks at a time. It’s enough to make your head spin.
Empty Overland Truck Africa
It’s the inside of our overland truck. Oddly, there’s no one inside but me. Notice the layout. It’s very conducive to community. It’s also very conducive to storage. The lockers are located underneath the seats and go down a good 3 feet. I have a 32" duffel that fits in the locker standing up. I share a locker with Tyler, another tourist who hails from Canada. For the storage of our day gear there is a shelf above the seats with netting to keep the day stuff from falling on your head and killing you. The windows are plastic and role up and down with a little help from a few of the passengers. In the front of the area you see is "The Beach", a flat surface with a window that has the area above it cut out so that people can get on their knees and stick their heads out above the top of the truck to look forward to see what’s going on. It’s called the The Beach because you can get a good sunburn or tan by sitting on The Beach for a whole sunny day with the canvas removed that covers The Beach. The whole setup is designed for maximum community and maximum viewing so that the occupants can role down the road and wave to all the thousands of children that wave at us.
Overland Gear Locker Africa
This is a look inside the locker. There’s lots of room. Two people share this space. I’m not sure of the exact dimensions, but I have a standard 32" duffel with rollers that I bought at Wal-Mart ($14) that fits standing up with room to spare.
Overland Locker Space Africa
This is the locker where my 32" duffel is stored when the truck is moving. There’s plenty of room for all my stuff. I just wish someone would have given me more information on the layout before I came. Maybe they did and I just missed it. Had I known the exact layout I would have brought the duffel, a day bag and a carry-on rucksack. The day bag would be kept out in the truck in the overhead storage and I would have placed those things in the duffel that I wouldn’t be needing every day. In the carry-on rucksack I would have placed my sleeping bag and mattress, my towel, my alarm clock, a change of clothes and other things I would want while I was in the tent at night. Even two smaller bags would have been better than one 32" duffel, but I brought what the information in the material provided to me by the tour company told me to bring. Or so I thought at the time I was packing. Maybe the people who wrote the information for the trip have never even seen an overland truck. How would I know?
