Defenders do not basically exist here. They sold a few in the mid 90s, but everything else is ex-military or imported. All of the imports must be at least 15 years old.....
Most people that I've seen tour in Defenders from the UK, have shipped their own truck over.
Canada Expedition
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Rob
- Greasy Fingers
- Posts: 762
- Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 12:37 am
- Location: Ladysmith
Defenders as you have heard are rare in Canada. If you are really set on using one for a cross-Canada trip my suggestion is to bring one over with you that is over 15 years old, use it for your trip and then sell it here (probably for more than you paid for it) and fly home! An easy sale would be a left hand drive 110 5 door with a turbo diesel or TDI. I purchased a series 3 from a Swedish couple a few years back who shipped it to Halifax (Nova Scotia) drove it across the country for three months then sold it here in BC before flying home. You might also consider bringing a Diesel RRC or Diesel Disco (both would sell easily here if 15 years old or older) for the over the road trip and consider towing a caravan behind it.
I'm not sure what sort of trip you have planned but you can expect long stretches of highway driving (5000 miles if you plan on going across the country) and frankly rovers seem to me to be a poor choice for long hauls on the pavement (though others on this forum will likely disagree with me). A class C RV (caravan on a truck/van chassis) would be much more comfortable for an over the road trip.
Regards, Rob
I'm not sure what sort of trip you have planned but you can expect long stretches of highway driving (5000 miles if you plan on going across the country) and frankly rovers seem to me to be a poor choice for long hauls on the pavement (though others on this forum will likely disagree with me). A class C RV (caravan on a truck/van chassis) would be much more comfortable for an over the road trip.
Regards, Rob
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Greg S
- Spanner Man
- Posts: 844
- Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:00 pm
- Location: Duncan
- Contact:
One point not yet brought up. You are asking about a three week rental! Is that the total vacation or just a section in the middle of it? Three weeks to drive across Canada? Or 1 1/2 weeks out and another 1 1/2 weeks back to the start. Better be planning on eating often from fast food drive through's (take away's). Because you will be spending ALOT of time driving every day.
Halifax, Nova Scotia to Vancouver, British Columbia is about the same distance to drive as from London (England) to Kuwait. And Halifax (N.S.) is still a long way east from where you could start in our country.
Not knocking your vacation plans but An "Overland Expedition through Canada" is quickly interpreted as "Coast to Coast". And that should be longer than three weeks. It is a trip I have on my list of things to do someday.
A few years ago a fellow countryman of yours was looking for someplace to go for a driving holiday. I cobbled together a plan for him and his wife for two weeks, Vancouver to Jasper, Banff and back. 2000 miles round trip and essentially didn't get out of the Province of British Columbia. Didn't go by the straightest, quickest, or shortest route either!
PS
I'm also involoved in First Aid, having been an attendant for the last 25 years, also a swiftwater rescue tech and rope rescue team leader with the local Search and Rescue as well as rescue and firefighting at work. Your site and business looks pretty familiar to what I know.
Halifax, Nova Scotia to Vancouver, British Columbia is about the same distance to drive as from London (England) to Kuwait. And Halifax (N.S.) is still a long way east from where you could start in our country.
Not knocking your vacation plans but An "Overland Expedition through Canada" is quickly interpreted as "Coast to Coast". And that should be longer than three weeks. It is a trip I have on my list of things to do someday.
A few years ago a fellow countryman of yours was looking for someplace to go for a driving holiday. I cobbled together a plan for him and his wife for two weeks, Vancouver to Jasper, Banff and back. 2000 miles round trip and essentially didn't get out of the Province of British Columbia. Didn't go by the straightest, quickest, or shortest route either!
PS
I'm also involoved in First Aid, having been an attendant for the last 25 years, also a swiftwater rescue tech and rope rescue team leader with the local Search and Rescue as well as rescue and firefighting at work. Your site and business looks pretty familiar to what I know.
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LandyAndy
- Maxi Drive
- Posts: 319
- Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:54 pm
- Location: Revelstoke
Hi Nick,
As a fellow brit that emigrated to BC a couple of yrs ago, it took a while to get used to the vast differance in distances you need to cover here compared to the UK. Back there a trip to Tesco's was within 15 mins, here a trip to Walmart is 3hrs drive away..... as you might guess we live in the sticks but we love the town & the people here.
Maybe you should consider just limiting to a single province like BC, and have a great round trip here. If you planned right you could take in some of the best sights and loop round via the Yukon..... just a thought.
This summer were planning on doing a loop from home in Revelstoke, to Banff, Jasper, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Cambell River, Whistler & back to Revelstoke. Total distance of about 3235km and it'll take 3 weeks.... and we never leave the province.
Also think about the weather, here it's in the low to mid 30's in late July/August.... air con is a must unless you like driving for hours in a sweat box.... aka, my V8 D90 truck cab. I have a D2 as a daily driver, I use it all the time & the 90 stops in the garage, the D2 is just so much more comfy when you have to travel at least 2 hours to get to a trail head and it's in the high 30's ! They you have the forest roads, they turn into dust and you need to leave about a km between vehicles to let the dust settle so you can see where your going.
You might want to contact 'The Rover Shop' in Calgary, their very good friends & maybe able to set you up with a rented D1 or D2 for your trip, I know they have a D2 shop loaner and it would make an ideal vehicle.
Ask for Vern & tell him Andy sent you. Linky to their website http://www.therovershop.ca/
Cheers,
Andy
As a fellow brit that emigrated to BC a couple of yrs ago, it took a while to get used to the vast differance in distances you need to cover here compared to the UK. Back there a trip to Tesco's was within 15 mins, here a trip to Walmart is 3hrs drive away..... as you might guess we live in the sticks but we love the town & the people here.
Maybe you should consider just limiting to a single province like BC, and have a great round trip here. If you planned right you could take in some of the best sights and loop round via the Yukon..... just a thought.
This summer were planning on doing a loop from home in Revelstoke, to Banff, Jasper, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Cambell River, Whistler & back to Revelstoke. Total distance of about 3235km and it'll take 3 weeks.... and we never leave the province.
Also think about the weather, here it's in the low to mid 30's in late July/August.... air con is a must unless you like driving for hours in a sweat box.... aka, my V8 D90 truck cab. I have a D2 as a daily driver, I use it all the time & the 90 stops in the garage, the D2 is just so much more comfy when you have to travel at least 2 hours to get to a trail head and it's in the high 30's ! They you have the forest roads, they turn into dust and you need to leave about a km between vehicles to let the dust settle so you can see where your going.
You might want to contact 'The Rover Shop' in Calgary, their very good friends & maybe able to set you up with a rented D1 or D2 for your trip, I know they have a D2 shop loaner and it would make an ideal vehicle.
Ask for Vern & tell him Andy sent you. Linky to their website http://www.therovershop.ca/
Cheers,
Andy
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robert m
- Muddy Tyres
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Wed May 23, 2007 9:48 am
cross canada trip
Hi Nick and welcome to the site.
Just wanted to throw my two cents in regarding your cross Canada adventure. I see some discouraging replies and thought I would go the other way.
Being originally from Halifax and currently residing in Vancouver, I have made the trip a number of times. Six to be exact. Each time a great "overland" adventure filled with beautiful vistas, friendly people and an appreciation of the vastness of our country.
The distance one way to Halifax as I recall from the last time I drove it, is just under 6200 km. That was two and half years ago and it was in my newly aquired 1992 Defender 110 Tdi. It was not a sight seeing tour and I drove a lot. 60 hours in total... averaging around 15 hours a day, pedal to the metal at 110-120kph. Camping in the back of the 110. Exhausting 4 days. ... but still somehow enjoyable.
Most capital cities are within a days drive, so you could potentially drive for a day, then spend a full day or half day in a large city or one of our provincial capitals.
...some approx distances to consider:
Vancouver-Calgary (1100km),
Calgary-Regina (800km),
Regina-Winnpeg (600km),
Winnipeg-ThunderBay (700km),
ThunderBay-Toronto (1400km),
Toronto-Ottawa (400km),
Ottawa-Montreal (200km),
Montreal-Quebec City (300km),
Quebec City-Fredricton (600km),
Fredricton-Halifax (350km).
Understandingly, this is not an ideal way to see a country, and I would definitely suggest taking the time tu make the trip only one way.
Given your limited time frame you would definitely get a feel for Canada, its cities, landscapes and cultures. And it would be somewhat of an adventure.
- Robert
Just wanted to throw my two cents in regarding your cross Canada adventure. I see some discouraging replies and thought I would go the other way.
Being originally from Halifax and currently residing in Vancouver, I have made the trip a number of times. Six to be exact. Each time a great "overland" adventure filled with beautiful vistas, friendly people and an appreciation of the vastness of our country.
The distance one way to Halifax as I recall from the last time I drove it, is just under 6200 km. That was two and half years ago and it was in my newly aquired 1992 Defender 110 Tdi. It was not a sight seeing tour and I drove a lot. 60 hours in total... averaging around 15 hours a day, pedal to the metal at 110-120kph. Camping in the back of the 110. Exhausting 4 days. ... but still somehow enjoyable.
Most capital cities are within a days drive, so you could potentially drive for a day, then spend a full day or half day in a large city or one of our provincial capitals.
...some approx distances to consider:
Vancouver-Calgary (1100km),
Calgary-Regina (800km),
Regina-Winnpeg (600km),
Winnipeg-ThunderBay (700km),
ThunderBay-Toronto (1400km),
Toronto-Ottawa (400km),
Ottawa-Montreal (200km),
Montreal-Quebec City (300km),
Quebec City-Fredricton (600km),
Fredricton-Halifax (350km).
Understandingly, this is not an ideal way to see a country, and I would definitely suggest taking the time tu make the trip only one way.
Given your limited time frame you would definitely get a feel for Canada, its cities, landscapes and cultures. And it would be somewhat of an adventure.
- Robert
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DaveB
- Defender of the World
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 7:45 pm
- Location: Vernon, BC
Hi Nick,
as you can see from the posts above, there aren't very many resources for getting a vehicle like you desire for a trip. I would definitely follow up with Jason, though.
Just wondering, would you consider reciprocating with your vehicle over there if someone were to loan you a suitable vehicle over here? I see that done with vacation housing all the time, but obviously vehicles are a bit different... insurance concerns, driver capabilities and experience, driver trustworthiness, etc.
I've always thought it would be cool to have a pool of vehicles to borrow from for my trips to the UK, and offer the same thing here, as some of us just love to drive these things.
Dave
as you can see from the posts above, there aren't very many resources for getting a vehicle like you desire for a trip. I would definitely follow up with Jason, though.
Just wondering, would you consider reciprocating with your vehicle over there if someone were to loan you a suitable vehicle over here? I see that done with vacation housing all the time, but obviously vehicles are a bit different... insurance concerns, driver capabilities and experience, driver trustworthiness, etc.
I've always thought it would be cool to have a pool of vehicles to borrow from for my trips to the UK, and offer the same thing here, as some of us just love to drive these things.
Dave
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LandyAndy
- Maxi Drive
- Posts: 319
- Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:54 pm
- Location: Revelstoke
Hi Nick,
Check out Jason's website here http://www.roxs.us/
He's the co-owner of 'The Rover Shop' and is a doctor to boot. Really nice guy and I'm sure he could hook you up with a ride if he can.
Cheers,
Andy
Check out Jason's website here http://www.roxs.us/
He's the co-owner of 'The Rover Shop' and is a doctor to boot. Really nice guy and I'm sure he could hook you up with a ride if he can.
Cheers,
Andy
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red90
- Defender of the World
- Posts: 1509
- Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 7:19 pm
- Location: Calgary
If you are a mountain person, then driving across the prairies is probably a bit a waste of your time.
If you want to see some of the east, then I would fly in, spend a week and fly to Calgary. If the east is not a big deal, fly straight to Calgary. There are direct flights from London every day. You can then focus on touring Alberta and BC in the mountains. Three weeks will vanish faster than you can believe.
If you do want to climb, then I would plan on basing in Canmore for a least a few days. I know a nice B&B there that has an avid (ex-Brit) climber as the owner.
If you want to see some of the east, then I would fly in, spend a week and fly to Calgary. If the east is not a big deal, fly straight to Calgary. There are direct flights from London every day. You can then focus on touring Alberta and BC in the mountains. Three weeks will vanish faster than you can believe.
If you do want to climb, then I would plan on basing in Canmore for a least a few days. I know a nice B&B there that has an avid (ex-Brit) climber as the owner.
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rayhyland
- Drip Dry
- Posts: 652
- Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:28 pm
If you want to spend some time in the mountains I have a 110 on Mattracks, because we live in the mountains, in Sunshine Valley, about 2.5 hrs east of Vancouver on Hwy 3 (just past Hope BC). We would love to show you (or any Roverlanders for that matter) around our area, there are some beautiful hikes and vistas in our backyard. Definitely feel free to visit us or let me know if you want some more mountain info.
Cheers
Ray
Cheers
Ray
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ANDYD
- Defender of the World
- Posts: 3075
- Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:45 pm
- Location: Sunny Steveston BC
Trip to Canada
Hi Nick,
Lots of good ideas listed above, I would agree with Red 90, spend your 3 weeks in Alberta and BC if you love mountains. Then book another 3 weeks to cover the East coast a few years later!
Here is a link to Greg and Emmas site, a British couple doing a similar thing, just over 3 years instead of 3 weeks!
http://www.me-thee-and-bee.com/
You can ship a Land Rover to Seattle (only 2 hours from Vancouver) from the UK and like said above, if its 15 years or it would be sellable here for a profit!
Make sure you stop by and say Hi when you make it over!
cheers,
Andy
Lots of good ideas listed above, I would agree with Red 90, spend your 3 weeks in Alberta and BC if you love mountains. Then book another 3 weeks to cover the East coast a few years later!
Here is a link to Greg and Emmas site, a British couple doing a similar thing, just over 3 years instead of 3 weeks!
http://www.me-thee-and-bee.com/
You can ship a Land Rover to Seattle (only 2 hours from Vancouver) from the UK and like said above, if its 15 years or it would be sellable here for a profit!
Make sure you stop by and say Hi when you make it over!
cheers,
Andy
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larry emrick
- Little Wheel
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:20 am
- Location: vancouver
Hi Nick: If you want mountains, and perhaps do some climbing, I also would suggest flying into either Calgary or Vancouver and basing your trip on Alberta and B.C. I am from Ontario and have driven across the country several times so I am not being provincial when I say that the drive from Toronto to Vancouver is a grind, especially if you are trying to make time.
If you were to fly into Calgary, head to Jasper, then into B.C. to Prince George via Highway 16, you could then head either north to Dawson Creek and the Alaska Highway, or west to Kitwanga on Hwy. 16 then north on Highway 37, which will also take you to Watson Lake in the Yukon and back onto the the Alaska Highway for a circle tour.
Either way, the Alaska Highway has got to be one of the great drives in the world. It is paved, has very little traffic, stunning scenery, wildlife, places to camp and the biggest cinnamon buns in the world.
Another alternative would be to fly into Vancouver and head north from here. You will not be disappointed by either route and three weeks will be just about enough time to do one or the other. Save The East for your next trip. and the Prairies for the one after that.
Cheers, Larry
If you were to fly into Calgary, head to Jasper, then into B.C. to Prince George via Highway 16, you could then head either north to Dawson Creek and the Alaska Highway, or west to Kitwanga on Hwy. 16 then north on Highway 37, which will also take you to Watson Lake in the Yukon and back onto the the Alaska Highway for a circle tour.
Either way, the Alaska Highway has got to be one of the great drives in the world. It is paved, has very little traffic, stunning scenery, wildlife, places to camp and the biggest cinnamon buns in the world.
Another alternative would be to fly into Vancouver and head north from here. You will not be disappointed by either route and three weeks will be just about enough time to do one or the other. Save The East for your next trip. and the Prairies for the one after that.
Cheers, Larry
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discojonny