RUX Rides: Robin Hartmann's 1984 Landrover

Who are you? What do you do? Where do you live? What makes you happiest?

Hey guys, my name is Robin & I'm originally from the Netherlands. I've spent the last 2 years on the road, living out of my Landrover named Finn. My landrover is currently in the garage for maintenance so I won't be traveling for a bit, but overlanding is definitely my biggest passion & I can't wait to be back on the road. Last year I bought a cottage in the mountains of Slovenia. Next to fixing up my cottage I also love working on old cars. I'm currently rally prepping my Volvoc303 that I will take to the arctic circle this January!

Describe your vehicle: make, model, etc.

I was living out of my Landrover defender. He's a  Landrover 110 HCPU from 1984 in the colors trident green & limestone yellow.

Describe your favourite feature of your vehicle.

Probably the engine swap. My Landrover his engine has been swapped to a Mercedes OM603 engine, this gives it both more power and reliability!

Best location/adventure you've ever had with your vehicle?

I've been on a lot of adventures with my landrover, but the most intense one was definitely Albania. The first night there I was driving up a narrow mountain pass whilst it was raining. Looking down the dark depths of the mountain definitely made me feel uneasy at times. The next morning my efforts were rewarded with some amazing views. The roads are definitely gnarly over there. Sometimes they just stop in the middle of nowhere and you have to back track, or parts of the roads have just collapsed, and then you find yourself reversing on a narrow pass. All in all a great adventure, I'll definitely be back!

Most epic stuck/breakdown/wrong turn?

My most epic breakdown was also in Albania. I had some ruptured vacuum lines, which made my engine stop working. I was stranded in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and no one around to help. After multiple hours I kinda managed to Mcgyver it together and limp to civilization where I could do a more permanent fix.

Any advice to someone thinking of getting into a custom adventure vehicle?

My advice to people who would want to do something similar is : First rent a vehicle and travel with it for 1-2 months to see how you like it. This will give you a lot of insights without immediately committing. What do I need/want in a custom build? Is this lifestyle for me? a lot of people figure out its not for them, as you lose a lot of creature comforts. Do I want a shower/toilet in my build? How much energy do I consume etc? It's better to figure these things out before you start building as it is a lot easier to integrate your wishes this way.