Part 1 of our 5-week packing series. 🎒

This list is all once-stuff, the gear you’ll be glad you packed on a dirt road outside Gympie.

1. 🔋 Jumper leads

Be honest, most of us have been there. Headlights left on, battery flat. 😵 (Unless you’ve only ever driven a fancy car that switches its lights off for you, haha.)

Get proper heavy-duty leads. The thin cheap ones struggle with any vehicle bigger than a hatchback. You can get them from Bunnings, Supercheap Auto or Repco.

Carry a set even if you never need them yourself. It’s happened to us so many times, and we’ve been lucky to always bump into a stranger who had leads. Be that stranger for someone else. 🙌

Never used them before? Here’s a quick video that shows you how. 😉

2. 🛞 A spare that's actually inflated, and a gauge

✌️Two jobs before you leave town. Check the spare holds pressure, because a flat spare is just a heavy decoration. And check the jack and wheel brace are actually in the car. Second-hand vans lose them constantly.

A tyre pressure gauge is a few bucks and pays for itself in fuel. Soft tyres burn more of it than you'd think. Practise changing a wheel in a driveway, not on the side of the Bruce in the dark.

3. ⛽ A jerry can

The east coast is well serviced, but the second you head inland or north of the tourist strip, servos get further apart and often close at 6pm.

It also saves you money. Fill it up where fuel is cheap, because remote servos can charge a lot more. Fill it before the long empty stretch, not during. Strap it down and keep it out of the cabin.

4. 💧 Oil, coolant and water

Older vans drink oil, and nobody tells you that when you buy one (there’s a price for everything, lol.) Carry a top-up bottle of the right grade, a bottle of coolant, and a big 20L water container. It’s your drinking water, and your radiator top-up if you need it.

Pop the bonnet once a week. Two minutes of checking beats a cooked engine in the middle of nowhere.

5. 🔧 The fix-it kit

None of it is glamorous, all of it has saved someone's trip.

Check your roadside assist actually covers this car. Memberships don't transfer when a van is sold. Know what cover you have before you need it.

Keep the first aid kit where everyone knows, not buried under the gear.

Next week: the sleep setup, and why bad sleep turns good travel buddies into strangers by day four. 😴