I've been watching Ray Mears Extreme Survival recently way back from the year 2000. Despite his shorts hiding not nearly enough flesh, he has some great pointers about preparing yourself and gathering the right equipment for heading into the Australia Outback.

He has some good points on the equipment front including the backup of taking two of everything - spare wheel, jack, Jerry cans, etc. It is of vital importance to have minimum of the essential expedition equipment.

The programme is very much a cautionary tale of lack of experience and preparation when heading into the vastness of the outback, coupled with the castigation of rental companies for failing to prepare people well enough.

In the words of Ray, "If you're put off by the thought of all this gear, perhaps you shouldn't be going into the Outback, because it's one place not to be taken lightly". I cannot agree more that your mental attitude counts for a lot in driving into remote regions, not least because of the time I got stuck in the jungle.

Part 1

Preparing yourself and equipment.

Part 2

How things can go wrong even when prepared.

Part 3

Continued.

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