Traveling in a solo vehicle vs a convoy
 

After seeing a post on this site recently, I thought I would ask the question.... Do you prefer to travel solo (on your own or with your own pax) in a single vehicle as opposed to a convoy or multi vehicle party?

There are pros and cons of each. Personally, the freedom of being able to do anything without waiting for consensus or group think is key for going single vehicle. My pax are easy going. Travelling with young kids, you need that flexibility to change plans at short notice.

Although, the downside of going solo vehicle is the safety aspect, especially bogs and breakdowns, such risks can be mitigated with UHF radios, satellite phones and common sense.

There is a growing trend on YouTube of solo travelling vloggers that detail their journeys in incredible video capture, exercising caution on the trails, and there are others that push the boundaries of their machines, popping axles, or other important bits in a convoy or group.

I much prefer to settle in remote campsites or to have my own space with high self sufficiency than to go and pitch tent directly beside someone else. On one trip in 1996, I recall that I was one of three people, (with two other family members) beached on the shoreline of Halligan Bay (Lake Eyre) for 36 hours. It was an incredible feeling knowing that the nearest human was as far away as William Creek.

I travel solo 80% of the time, I go to very remote places looking for gold and I don’t want to share.

You just need to be a bit sensible about what you drive over and personal safety.

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I do plenty of solo camping, except for having the dog along. When I was much younger I did a lot of solo motor bike bush trips, so being in a 4WD is a lot easier to look after oneself. Nothing worse than being out camping & having a group show up & decide to set up 3' from you. If you have problems you need to have the ability to sort them out. I think doing outward bound as a teen helped & later some survival training has headed me that way. Growing up a long time ago has taught me not to be dependent on technology.

I travel mostly with my wife, her brother and his wife in their Colorado and as much fun as we all have together as we all get on well, I do prefer when it's just my wife and myself.

With a single vehicle we can travel at our own pace and stay where we want for as long as want without having to bring it up in a commitee.

My solo camping moment was back in 1996 when we were sole campers at Halligan Bay. The next morning as we were driving out we met up with an inbound convoy of what must have been 10 patrols. They were shocked that an XJ was heading back to the Oodnadatta Track on its own. It would have made for a great Jeep ad.


That same trip saw us take the Mereenie Loop road to Kings Canyon. It shredded tyres, busted wheels and suspension on a variety of 4wd vehicles. The stock suspension got us into camp with no failures. Today, I would be more cautious than I was back then... travelling single vehicle.

Although it is expedient that you travel alone in some cases, there is an extra fun attached to doing the convoy thing. No matter how long the distance it is to cover, you barely feel the stress of traveling when doing the convoy thing.

I've only ever 4wd'd solo. As you mention, providing you have recovery gear, winch, UHF etc and are pretty self sufficient. I know a lot of people take along all sorts of spares etc, works for them. Although my experience is the thing that breaks next will be the thing you don't have. I also always take a PLB as I'm usually in areas without mobile reception. At $220 or so no reason not to take one.