Comng from another angle on this - Phil flanigan has been travelling in his Iveco van now for 4 years

http://www.philflanagan.com/


Vans can give you more room, indoor facilities, good insulation and the same fuel miles as a smaller 4x4.

Or even use a 4x2 , but if you do then make sure you are able to lock the rear differential (i use the diff lock more than 4x4 on my truck)

Merc Varios and their predecessors are all over the place, so parts should be easy.

If I win the lottery i'd have either a 5.5 tonne dialy 4x4 or a bremach on order asap but thats me

Snorkels - more use for dust than water crossings, if waters reached the air intake on my truck then i'm already in trouble (saying that i have got one for a bit of bling )

Go buy a copy of chris scotts overland handbook , it will go thru alot of what you need to know and the advantages / disadvantages of various vehicles

there are links to chris's site on this one

People drive the silk road in standard campervans - if you look for the silk road club you'll see one on the back of a truck being rescued. The sahara is crossed every year by a bunch of folks who bought an old banger for 100 quid so get what works for you. Remember there are no right answers, everything is a compromise but with a difflock and a compressor I recon you can get most places

__________________
Rich

Iveco Turbo Daily 4x4 40-10
Ex Owner LR101 300Tdi Ambi 'Tiggurr'