Draft Reply to ASPW’s 2nd Video

Draft Reply to ASPW’s Second Video

Full disclosure: this is not my final verdict. I still have testing to do, thinking to do, and numbers to crunch. And trust me—you definitely don’t want to read my first draft of this reply. That one was… spicy. The kind of spicy you regret five minutes later, once you calm down and realise that, actually, somebody makes some very good points.

This is going to be a long write-up, and the details really do matter — but here’s the TikTok version if you don’t like reading:

I genuinely don’t know what our final plan will be. I have more testing to do, I’m not fixated on the trailer — it just happened to solve problems within my constraints. If I find more budget? I’ll go “the Andrew way.”

I want to start off with what I wrote in the YouTube comments

People should absolutely take ASPW’s advice seriously. He has more experience on the Canning than I have kilometres on my tyres. He is most likely right.

There are points of mine (and from others) that never really got addressed — fuel in the cabin being one example — and both of us, like all humans, are susceptible to confirmation bias. That’s normal.

Here’s how I see the situation honestly:

I’ve done more off-road kilometres in a Jimny than Andrew has — especially towing a small trailer.
Andrew has done way more off-road kilometres overall than I’ve done in my entire life, ten times over.
Andrew is a professional. This is literally his job.
I’m just a dad with a normal job, a normal budget, and a 10-year-old boy I want to give a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

But the biggest difference of all: I have never done the CSR. Andrew has — multiple times.

I paid for professional advice and got far more than expected. I’d be silly not to take a lot of it onboard.

As I read through everyone’s comments and advice, I’m trying to keep things in perspective.

If you’re a 79 Series owner giving advice on a Jimny, I’ll take that with the same seriousness you’d give my advice about your 79. Fair is fair.
And if you’re comparing my setup and driving style to, say, Ronny Dahl’s… then you probably haven’t read much of my website, or you’ve missed the part where our approaches are very, very different.

Useful advice, practical suggestions, real tips — I’m all ears.

Just venting an opinion for the sake of it? No worries, you’ve had your say.

Why I disagree on a few points — respectfully

Let me explain where my “stubbornness” comes from.

When I started ultralight hiking, the “experts” told me it was unsafe, impossible, and that you must wear 2kg leather boots and carry a 20kg pack. It was nonsense.

I even did a four-week survival course in the US just to understand what actually gets people killed outdoors — and I can tell you, it’s not bears or a lack of gear. It’s weather, poor judgment, ego, and ignoring reality.

 I’m seeing the same patterns in the 4x4 world. It’s a new world for me, but the amount of “you NEED this!” advice is huge — and when you actually test things, many of those “needs” turn into “nice to haves.”

Look at the write-ups I did about the tow ball and the bullbar.

Are the suggestions bad? No.
Is an off-road coupler better? Absolutely.
Is a bullbar useful? Yes — if you drive like Ronny Dahl.

Where Andrew’s advice absolutely hits the mark

There are points he made that I take extremely seriously:

Reversing on dunes He’s right — it’s unpleasant and risky. I’ve had to reverse (and unhook a trailer) on Blue Mountains tracks due to fallen trees, so I know it’s doable — just not something you’d want to repeat 1,000 times.
The need for better shocks While our testing hasn’t shown any issues so far, I do agree with the advice. Stronger shocks (and springs) will be needed if we end up carrying all the weight in the Jimny.
The need for run-ups and speed This is a major unknown for me.

All of these are legitimate concerns.

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.

Now that said, I am leaning more and more towards plan B for the simple reason that when the springs and shocks are updated, - and jasper got over the 'no bacon' shock - there is no reason for us to use a trailer anymore. I think with some creative house(car?) keeping I might be able to be really close to GVM.

Where I respectfully disagree

The mental part. I know very well that one of the biggest killers in remote travel is stupidity and ego. We’re going north to south for a reason: the very first dune we can’t climb safely is our turnaround point. My son knows this. He agrees with the plan.

We are not trying to conquer the CSR — we are trying to attempt it. If it doesn’t work, we turn around, find another track, and try again another year. We have backup routes ready.

Is it bad advise? Hell no! Its great advise, just does not apply to me.

Our current reality

I don’t live in a world where I can throw $2,000 at a roof rack and $3,000 more at suspension without something else breaking in the budget — like the fuel that actually gets us there.

There’s no sponsored gear arriving at my door. There are no free shocks or racks materialising from thin air.

That’s not a complaint — the only part of Andrew’s life I envy is the time he spends travelling. I could never deal with the negativity he faces daily.

So what now?

I genuinely don’t know what our final plan will be. It depends on:

Budget
What can be realistically tested
What keeps my 10-year-old teammate happy
What fits inside a Jimny
And whether dropping bacon for the sake of ditching the freezer is worth the tears

If I find more budget I’ll go “the Andrew way.” I’m not fixated on the trailer — it just happened to solve problems within my constraints. If I find a better, testable, practical alternative, I’ll ditch the trailer in a heartbeat.

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