b'VEHICLE SET-UPYour 4WD is a good base for off-road touring, but thereare a few things to consider before youre ready to roll.Your choice of gear will depend on your intended trips -the level of preparation required for a dirt road day trip isquite different to that of a multi-week desert expedition.If youre buying a new vehicle ensure you set asidemoney for accessories, equipment and extra servicing.That starts with:The Basics Tyres - light-truck construction tyres which handle loadsbetter and resist puncture, perhaps with an all-terrainA light truck tyre is what you want tread for better off-road grip.for off-road touring. This doesntmean to say an aggressive mudSuspension - heavier-duty suspension for better loadterrain, but it does mean a strongcarrying, perhaps with a slight liftconstruction.Vehicle weak points - just about every vehicle has itsweak points. Fix those first. Your specialist mechanic orclub will know what to do. Cargo system - off-roadinginvolves a lot of carrying gear, soyou need some sort of storagesystem. This could be anythingfrom a homemade shelf system toa custom drawer system. Consideradding a cargo barrier forwagons. UHF radio - even if you buy ahandheld you can communicatewith other vehicles, trucks andVehicle specific cargo storagesometimes outback stations.systems provide various options For longer distance for carrying and packing gear communication a 5 watt unitshould be used. Either in-caror hand-held. The smaller 1and 2 watt handhelds are onlysuitable for line of sight usageand are not suitable for longerdistance communications.There are numerous storagesytems available, manyincorporating a fridge slide11'