Gear

I have to confess to being a bit of a 'Gear Junkie', here's some of our favourite equipment which helps us get out there exploring.

The Land Rover Defender Camper - Budgie

As soon as our old Landy sold in Canada, we went out and bought another one for the UK.  This time we've gone for the longer wheelbase of a Defender 110, and have exciting plans to turn it into a camper.   You can read more about the conversion process on our Defender Camper post. 

The Landy was named 'Budgie' by some previous owners due to a squeeky fan belt (now fixed) which apparently chirped like a budgie.  It's a 1993 model with the 200tdi engine, but has already had a huge amount of restoration work done, and looks and drives brilliantly.  

The Boat

We have a Stryker LX420 with a 25HP Yamaha outboard engine.  It's a 4.2m inflatable boat, with a removable aluminium floor.  It can be fully deflated and packed up into two bags, although ours normally stays on the trailer for quick getaways!

We bought the Stryker second hand when we moved to Victoria in 2021.  We use the boat mainly for exploring the waters around Victoria and out to the Gulf Islands.  Rated for up to 10 people, it's the perfect size for our family of four (plus Hector the dog) when we go boat camping. 

Tents

We probably have way too many tents - I think 4 at the last count!  We still love tent camping, even now we have the RV.  There are lots of places we like to adventure which aren't set up for a large RV, and it definitely won't fit in the boat!

Our most used tent is currently our Vango Omega 350.  While technically a 3-person tent, it has plenty of room for the four of us and our kit, packs relatively compact and isn't too heavy.  We are massive fans of Vango tents, so much so that we had Sarah's parents post our bigger tent out from the UK as they're not available in North America at the moment.  More on how to choose a tent in this post!

Canadian Board Company SUPs

We have two stand-up paddle boards (SUPs) from Pop Boards which we purchased through Canadian Board Co.  We went for the 10'6 boards as they are small enough for the boys to paddle themselves, but large enough that each board can take one adult and one child, plus a small dry bag or cooler for longer paddling adventures.

We are Brand Ambassadors for Canadian Board Co; use the code ERRINGTONADVENTURES or the link above for a discount.  

RUX

We discovered RUX through their crowd funding campaign, and immediately signed up.  We've now expanded to four 70l RUXs, and they just keep getting better with each version.  They are an incredibly versatile bit of kit, and they come on almost all our adventures! 

Yeti

We're also a bit Yeti obsessed.  We started out with one cooler, but have since expanded to three coolers, two boxes, a few bottles, lots of cups, a couple of bags, a chair, a rug, and even dog bowls - ok maybe I should revise the 'a bit obsessed' part!  While they are expensive, they really do work, for longer off-grid camping trips they are amazing.

Rocky Talkies

We love our Rocky Talkies; robust and with a line of sight range of 5 miles, they're one of the most powerful radios you can  use without a licence in North America.  We use them for everything; convoying on road trips, skiing, backing up the RV, and keeping in touch with the boys in the park!

Camping Gear

How to Choose a Tent

Tent Camping Sleep Systems

Camp Kitchen

The Old Landy

Our old Land Rover Defender 90 is a Td5 model from 1999.  We imported it to Canada from France, via the UK, in 2020.  Having spent most of it's life in France, it is Left Hand Drive and came ready equipped with  factory Air Conditioning for the Summer and an Eberspacher Diesel Heater for the Winter.  We added forward facing rear seats from Exmoor Trim, for additional comfort and safety for the boys.  More images of the rear seat installation here.

We used the Landy to tow the boat and also our RV Travel Trailer, as well as exploring around Vancouver Island and beyond.  In 2021, when we moved from Ottawa, ON to Victoria, BC we drove across Canada in the Landy, you can read about the trip in our Trans-Canada Highway post. 

This Landy has now gone to a loving new home on Vancouver Island.

Our Old RV

We had a 2019 Jayco X213, which we bought second hand in Ottawa in 2021.  It's currently looking for a new home with a dealer in Nanaimo.  We used the RV all year round; enabling us to ski at our nearest hill in the Winter (Mount Washington - 3 hours drive North of Victoria), and enjoy 'luxury' camping around BC in the Summer.  We added a large solar power installation from Renogy for off-grid camping.

* Disclaimer - we do receive a small referral fee if you use our links for Canadian Board Co and RUX.