Short version:  what we have works — and we know it works because we’ve actually used it. Details here - and yes happy to upgrade, see the writeup 

Cramming everything into the Jimny is actually our backup plan if the trailer gives up somewhere along the CSR. Unlikely… but absolutely possible.
And if that day ever comes, I’ll happily cop every “I told you so,” smile, and admit everyone was right.

But we didn’t start out that way for a reason.

When you’re travelling with a 10-year-old team mate, a few comfort items aren’t luxuries—they’re the difference between a trip that feels like a survival course and a trip that becomes a lifelong adventure. That’s where the trailer earns its place.

If I were solo, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Everything would be in the Jimny: ultralight, simple, no fuss. But honestly? That would also be easy—and definitely not as much fun.

And yes, I’ve thought this through (more than is probably healthy):

Option 1: Everything in the Jimny

• Higher loads on the suspension and drivetrain (axles)

• More chance of the Jimny breaking

• And if the Jimny breaks… the trip is over
  
  

Option 2: Jimny + small trailer

• Less stress on the Jimny

• The most likely failure point becomes the trailer

• And if the trailer fails, we have a backup: ditch it, lose a few comfort items, the freezer, and a couple of empty Jerries… but we can still drive out.

Short answer: It’s not about being stubborn — it’s about useful, relevant information and how it’s delivered.

Let me explain from my point of view:

Example 1

Person 1: “Your car will struggle on every hill.”

Person 2 (actual CSR Facebook comment):
“I saw your post about the Jimny. I think you should lower your tyres a lot and go slowly up the hills. Here’s a video of my wife driving up a CSR dune with a trailer while I walk beside her filming.”

Which one do you think I should take seriously?

Example 2

Comment: “Your tow ball won’t work! You HAVE to replace it with a system designed for a 3.5-ton caravan. It’s expensive, and it won’t even fit your trailer.”

My brain goes: “Well… that’s not what we’ve experienced so far. So how seriously should I take this?”

Versus:

Helpful version: “I know your setup has worked on your test trips, but have you considered product XYZ? It’s a direct bolt-on for your trailer and costs around $200–$300.”

Same topic — completely different level of value.

So am I stubborn? Sure — I don’t give up easily. We wouldn’t even be attempting the CSR if I did.

But give me real arguments, share relevant experience and offer practical alternatives… and I’m 100% open to changing direction. I’ll happily do a full 180 if the reasoning makes sense.

What I don’t react to is: “Because I said so”

we’re looking for good information.

If someone can help us do this smarter and safer, I’m all ears. If not… well, the red dust will sort the theories out soon enough.

Short version: I blame this video

Long version: The full story of how one innocent YouTube recommendation turned into a CSR trailer plan

This is a tricky one. I have an engineering background, but I’m not an automotive engineer — and there isn’t much proper data on this topic, especially for light trailers. Still, here’s the way I’ve been thinking about it.

On long stretches of corrugations, what’s mechanically “easier” for the vehicle?

• Option 1: Carry most of the weight inside the car, putting the Jimny over GVM.

• Option 2: Move some of that load into a small trailer, increasing the combined weight (car + trailer), but reducing the stress on the Jimny’s suspension.

From a basic engineering point of view, my (limited) logic suggests:

1. Suspension Load

A trailer shifts a big chunk of weight off the Jimny’s rear axle.

Less mass in the car over corrugations should mean lower shock and spring loads, and potentially less fatigue.

2. Drivetrain Load

The opposite is true for the drivetrain:

More total mass (car + trailer) means more strain when climbing dunes and pulling through soft sand. Now keep in mind that our Jimny + trailer weighs less then most Jimny's + common 4x4 modifications, the 'drag' will be more of course but I am not sure how much of a problem this is.

3. Fuel Use

More weight and drag = more fuel. No surprise there.

But here’s the real issue:

All the advice online comes from people towing massive, heavily loaded trailers behind massive, heavily loaded 4WDs. That data set has almost nothing to do with a 300–400 kg lightweight trailer behind a small, relatively light Jimny.

And that’s the gap — there’s almost no real-world test data for setups like ours. I would love to see actual engineering studies comparing:

a light 4WD over GVM vs the same 4WD slightly under GVM but towing a very light trailer…over thousands of kilometres of rough, corrugated tracks.

Until someone does that, we’re all operating on educated guesses and personal experience.

PS: For fun and giggles I thought I feed the numbers in AI and ask it to get technical and nerdy, and it came back with "moving most payload off the car and onto a small trailer reduces the peak suspension force on the Jimny by ~19% (7.5 kN → 6.1 kN in this example)" - thats the short version, the whole thing was 2 pages long and included graphs.

That said, I also know AI systems are tweaked to tell you what you like to hear so I am still looking for real data.

UPDATE: My plan is to load the Jimny exactly as it would be for the CSR, go to a drivable beach, find the steepest dune possible, come to a full stop at the bottom, and test walking-pace climbs ten times. That will give me real data, not theory. if I am not able to do 10 climbs with no issues, I will ditch the trailer idea and go for plan B

Short version: We’re not running a roof rack. Not on the CSR. Not ever. - More polite version; we don't need one. If we are forced to leave the trailer behind we can fit enough fuel/water and basic gear in the car to make it to an escape route.

Technical details

The Jimny is a very light vehicle with a 30 kg dynamic roof load rating. That’s tiny. And it’s not just about the weight — it’s about leverage and shock loads.

If you want to feel what that means in real life, try this:

• Take a 1-metre stick.

• Put a 1 kg weight on one end.

Hold the hold the stick at the weighted end in your hand and move it left and right 90 degrees using your wrist.

That’s your suspension dealing with bumps when the weight is close to the centre of mass.

Now do the same thing, but hold the stick at the opposite end and move it again.

 Feel how much harder and “heavier” it suddenly becomes?

That’s what a roof rack does to a Jimny — it multiplies the forces acting on the suspension, the body, and even the roof gutters. Over thousands of kilometres of corrugations, those multiplied forces do cause cracking, metal fatigue, and failures. 

So even though a roof rack looks convenient, the physics just don’t work in our favour.

For us, it’s simple:

Everything goes inside the Jimny or into the trailer. The roof stays empty.

Short answer: Slow. Like… annoy-the-overtakers slow.

Corrugations kill cars. They overheat shocks, crack mounts, and rattle bolts loose. We’re aiming for:

• 10–25 km/h depending on conditions

• Stops every 1.5–2 hours to stretch, check tyres and shock temps

Slow is fast. Fast is broken.

Good question, best I could come up with is below, please share more tips if you have them

• Slow speeds

• Frequent breaks

• No ego-based decisions

If I’m cooked, we stop. The CSR isn’t going anywhere.

Safer than leaving him home learning Fortnite tactics.

But yes — we take it seriously:

• He knows how to use the PLB

• He knows camp and fire safety

• He knows emergency procedures

He’s not cargo — he’s crew. And honestly? Kids make us smarter. You take fewer dumb risks when someone small is watching.

Simple:

• If progress becomes too difficult or unsafe 

• The vehicle can’t continue,

• Fuel maths stops working…

We stop, turn around, and go home. No heroics. No stubbornness. No headlines.

Because:

• Finding people doing the CSR is hard

• Finding the right people is harder

Waiting for “perfect” means never going

• We already own the Jimny

• The challenge is part of the adventure

• This is a father–son mission, not a shopping spree

Your shocks will blow up!

Eventually.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow… but on the CSR, corrugations always win.

I can only handle corrugations for so long anyway. I’m the only driver, and this isn’t a race, so I stop every 1.5–2 hours to stretch my legs, enjoy the views, smell the roses spinifex, check the tyres, and feel the temperature of the shocks.

And when it really comes down to it, spare shocks are one of the very few spares we’re taking. (I’ll post a full list soon — it’s short, because weight is the enemy.)

And yes I would love to upgrade the shocks to something better, just not in our budget at the moment.

Have a read here in short: It does not solve the problem

Not a fan, because a GVM upgrade doesn’t magically make the Jimny stronger — it just gives you stiffer springs, not a stronger car. Love to upgrade the shocks but as mentioned in the write-up we are not doing that purely because of budget.

I’m a firm believer that every improvement helps. Shave a little weight here, trim a bit there… it all adds up.

But perspective matters.

All the easy, affordable, meaningful weight savings are already done. The low-hanging fruit is gone. What we’re talking about now is around 19 kg — let’s call it 20 kg to keep things tidy. note: this is all our kitchen things, chairs, table, our sleeping system, tent and everything that comes with it IMHO 19kg is decent.

Now look at that in context:

• Stuff everything in the Jimny: 20 kg is about 4.6% of the weight problem.

• Trailer setup: 20 kg is roughly 3.6% of the total load.

So if I’m going to spend hundreds of dollars … I’d like to see a real return. Not a psychological win — an actual, measurable, worthwhile difference.

I’m all for ultralight thinking, but once you’ve done the sensible cuts, the next steps get expensive fast, and the gains get tiny.

* everything below is my experiences with my setup and driving style *

Short version: It’s not about power. It’s about traction.

Long version: In my setup, with full CSR weight, I’ve driven up 45° climbs in 1st and 2nd low range. The Jimny doesn’t charge up — it just crawls, slow and steady, without struggling. Power has never been the limiting factor.

What is the big unknown is soft sand traction.

So far, all my steep climbs have been on sandstone with gravel/sand on top, or on wet slippery surfaces. Tricky, yes — but nothing like dry dune sand where you can dig in and bog down.

So the real question is: Can I air down enough to get the traction I need to drive up at walking pace?
If yes — we’re fine.
If not — then we’ve got a problem.

And sure, once or twice I could unload the trailer and the Jimny, drive up empty, and reload at the top — it’s all just bags and jerry cans. But that’s not something you can do on every dune.

That’s also why we’re travelling North to South — more on that in the next post.

Yes — that’s the point.

From everything I’ve heard, the North–South run is steeper and you hit the big dunes almost straight away. And that’s exactly why we chose it.

If this setup is going to fail, I’d much rather fail in the first couple of days — while we can still turn around, regroup, pick another awesome track for the trip home, and save the CSR for another attempt, another time, maybe with a different plan.

Finding out 11 days in, stuck in the middle with no easy exit? That’s a far bigger problem than finding out on Day 2.

Fail fast. Learn fast. Live to try again.

Short: No! I like my trailer, it has been with us to Perth (from Sydney) and back, it has done off-road tracks on the Nullabor, been on all the technical tracks in the blue mountains I could find, it has seen the Flinder ranges in SA, and the NSW opal mining area's. I want it to be the coolest best traveled 5x3 in the world. 

Long: The CSR is basically a museum of things that didn’t make it — trailers, shocks, tyres, whole cars…

If the rule is ‘don’t take anything that’s failed before,’ then what’s left? A horse? A hot-air balloon? A camel?

We have done our homework: technical test trips, long real-world shakedown trips — and we’re towing a tiny 5×3, ~400 kg trailer that gets lighter every day, not a 15-foot apartment-on-wheels.

And hey — if anyone has a genuinely practical alternative that fits a Jimny, a 10-year-old co-driver, and a 1,800 km desert… I’m all ears.

Ah yes… pin-striping.

If the budget fairies had blessed me, I’d have wrapped the Jimny in that gorgeous green-grey colour Andrew once had on his Troopy. But my CFO (wife) took one look at the quote and issued a firm “absolutely not.”

So instead, I’ve accepted my fate: the bush will decorate the car for free.

We’ll deal with the “cut and polish” later — maybe.

Honestly, I bought the Jimny for adventures, not to be a showroom ornament. Technically it’ll be in perfect shape for the CSR, but a scratch or two (hundred) doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

And.... let's be honest... while I am not a person that likes to showoff, how many Jimny's have Canning Stock Route™ battle scars?

Short version: worst we done with CSR loading on our shakedown trip is 15.2L/100KM we are taking 200L in total to be safe, more details here.

Short version: 40L (2 Jerry cans) + some reserve more details here. During our shakedown trip that lasted around 1.5 weeks, 2 if we are extra careful. We also have water purification tablets and a water filter for well water.

I wrote about that here, but it is not finalised yet so if you have suggestions or tips, please reach out — always happy to learn from others.

Short answer: Yes… no… maybe?

Long answer: I’d love to — but here’s the reality:

• I’m not exactly in the same universe as ASPW when it comes to filmmaking.

• Our “film equipment” consists of:
  • one old GoPro acting as a dashcam
  • one iPhone
  • one tiny DJI Neo drone

• And the biggest factor: it’s just me and a 10-year-old. It’s my first time on the CSR, and I’ll already have a hundred things to think about that aren’t second nature yet. So I genuinely don’t know if I’ll be able to film properly — but I might give it a crack.
  
  

What I am doing:

• Keeping a full logbook, documenting what worked, what didn’t, and everything we learned.

• Taking photos (and probably some terrible videos).

• Updating the website once we’re back.

• Bringing Starlink Mini — not to be online constantly, but on days when Jasper FaceTimes his mum, I’ll post a quick update on the ASPW forum and the Australian Jimny Facebook page. Mostly to gently annoy everyone who said, “You can’t do the CSR in a Jimny unsupported.”
  
  

Long story short: I’ll try to capture what I can — but the priority is doing the trip safely, enjoying it with my 10-year-old team mate, and making it home with good stories. If there’s footage worth sharing, you’ll see it.

On paper, removing the back seats seems like a no-brainer: more space, less weight. Easy win, right?

But in real life… not so much.

With the seats folded, the Jimny already gives me a perfectly flat loading area. I’m not that space-restricted that removing them would magically solve anything. Yes, pulling the seats out saves about 11 kg — but then I’d need to build something to recreate a flat floor again.

And here’s the kicker:

Most aftermarket solutions weigh more than the seats I’d be removing.

Could I build something myself? Probably. Maybe 5–6 kg if I’m careful. But after all that effort… we’re talking about a net savings of maybe 5 kg.

It’s still in the back of my mind, but right now it feels like a lot of work for very little gain.

I debated for a while whether to include this one — it was pretty negative and honestly a bit hurtful — but for transparency, here it is.

If I were chasing attention, I’ve definitely chosen the wrong strategy. There are far easier ways to look cool than driving a tiny Jimny into the middle of nowhere with a 10-year-old and a trailer full of instant noodles.

The real reasons we’re documenting this trip are simple:

• To show that big adventures don’t require big budgets or big rigs.

• To inspire families (especially kids!) to get outside and explore.

• To share what we learn — including the mistakes — so others don’t have to repeat them.

I’m trying to build the website I desperately wished existed when I started researching the CSR. Good, practical, lightweight-info was hard to find. Instead of complaining about it, I decided to contribute.

If someone wanted fame, they’d pick something glamorous.
We picked corrugations, dust, and endless debates about jerry cans. Even my wife rolls her eyes if I bring it up again.

It’s about curiosity, preparation, and giving my son an adventure he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

If people cheer us on — great. If people doubt us — also great. It means the discussion stays alive, and maybe others learn something from it.

And if we fail? We’ll say so openly — and that lesson will probably help more people than a “victory” ever could.