YOUR 4X4 EXPEDITION

“Karin and I met Paul almost 4 years ago and he has been instrumental to our land cruiser project. From idenitifying the vehicle, to helping with all the paperwork and hoop jumping required when acquiring a vehicle in a foreign country, thousands of miles away, to project managing the build and bringing his many years of experience in overland expeditions to bear!

“He has a super network of partners and it has (and continues to be) an awful lot of fun working on this project with him. He also handles all the storage, pre trip prep etc! If you are looking to build and keep an overland truck in Africa, we would certainly recommend Paul.”

“Paul was the glue that pulled all the pieces of a complex build together. With his help, we sourced our dream vehicle and transformed our vision into reality. The result is a truly custom build executed at a high standard to our exact specifications. After 65 000 kilometres of demanding overland travel, I can say we’re quite pleased with the final product.” –Jim O’Neal                                 

“I first met Paul in 2008 and consider him to be extremely experienced in all aspects of 4×4 Overlanding. In 2012, I asked Paul to source a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ78 for me, which was primarily to be used in Africa. Before Paul commenced the build-out phase, we established three key parameters: Robustness, Ease-of-Access and Easy-to-Clean. With Paul’s expertise, gained over many years of hands-on experience, these goals were accomplished. Since commencing my Africa travels my vehicle has performed extremely well. One of the most reassuring aspects of having Paul involved with your overlanding is that, when you have any questions, he is always willing to help out.  During the years I have known Paul he has become a good friend and has made my overlanding experience so much easier. Thank you Paul for all you have done.”

“When Land Rover finally gave up on the original Defender in 2015 Safari Drive were faced with a real dilemma over which vehicle would be its replacement as we had run Defenders for more that 20 years. It was working with Paul Marsh and his expertise on developing Land Cruisers that made all the difference, we settled on the rugged simplicity of the LC79 Double cab.  Paul created the what has now become the new iconic African self-drive safari vehicle. His quality workmanship and attention to detail ensured that our new fleet of vehicles were a big success with our customers.”

“Together with our team of safari visionaries, Paul has built and prepared our entire vehicle fleet. From our first meeting to driving off in our dream fleet, Paul has been hands-on, taking on our vision and bringing it to life. Paul’s professionalism and attention to detail is evident in his work. He leaves no bolt ignored and continues to add to our vehicle fleet not only in new vehicle builds and overland expedition preparation but the latest and best in 4×4 and safari equipment designs. We’re fortunate to have him as a friend and 4×4 expedition consultant.”

“When we first met Paul, we had a simple enough brief: take one well used 80-series Landcruiser, add the usual overlanding gear, give it a thorough service, and we would be on our way through Africa for the next year and a half on our first long overland trip. At the end of our first meeting we had more questions, more ideas and more decisions to think through than we could have possibly imagined, thanks to an afternoon spent with him. Of course he could build us a truck but it was the start of a journey of not only understanding what we needed but also equipping us with the tools to be out in the bush: from the necessary mechanical training to having the right mind-set. He helped us understand the importance of a safety-first approach, dealing with bureaucracy calmly, thinking about the impact we have on the areas we travel through and people we meet. While these hadn’t featured much at all on our “to do” list when we had just brought the truck to him, this was exactly the advice from Paul that stood us well during our travels. The truck build itself was a highly iterative and interactive process with Paul. He thoughtfully guided us through the maze of decisions. He had a raft of ideas on everything from sleeping, storage, mechanical and safety aspects but always ensured that the eventual solution we agreed would work well for us individually. We felt challenged to think about ideas that we hadn’t considered, details that we might have missed, but with Paul it was never a lecture but always a conversation. The end result was a truck that was our perfect companion for our trip. With Paul Marsh, you get the complete overland package. He is not only hugely experienced and well-travelled himself, but he has the complete perspective of a client’s needs, and he tailors the product through a process of continuous interaction. Despite his wealth of experience, there is never a “one-size-fits –all” with Paul. He is always looking to do better. The way Paul took the time to really understand our needs and then work hand in hand with us to develop the solution was an incredible journey in itself. That we are still using the truck years later and are lucky enough to count Paul as one of our dear friends says it all.”

I’m new to Overlanding & as such I knew I needed to team up with the ‘right’ person in order to put together a 4×4 vehicle that was up to the task of traversing the World over the next few years.

I first consulted a friend of over 25 years Adam Ford, of A&K Motors here in Johannesburg & a highly respected motoring journalist & broadcaster. After initially chatting about vehicle options Adam suggested I should contact Paul Marsh in Cape Town.

Adam told me that Paul had originally worked for him, ‘Back in the Day’, but that Paul had then gone on to establish a formidable reputation both in the UK & Australia for putting together extremely robust & capable Overlanding vehicles for clients as well as participating in, consulting to & leading numerous Overlanding Expeditions throughout the World.

I told Adam that I had heard of Paul through Andrew St Pierre White’s great You Tube channel 4xOverland so, coincidence aside, it wasn’t long before I had made contact with Paul and arranged to meet at his office in cape Town.

From the outset I knew instinctively that I had met the right person to work with on my project. Paul’s a good listener and in that initial meeting we chatted about my plans to retire in a couple of years & start traversing the World. I told him about taking my ‘Gap Year’ aged 29 & buying a little yacht and spending the next 3 years cruising the Worlds Oceans, but for this next trip it would be on land.

We chatted about vehicle options and I told him that I had set my sights on a Toyota Landcruiser 78, Troopy & he suggested I have a look at an American couples vehicle that he had previously fitted out called Wanderlibre as a starting point.

Vehicle choice made the search was on for the right vehicle, but in the mean time we got stuck into the design phase of the project and this is where Paul’s knowledge & expertise came to the fore. Having lived on a small yacht for a number of years I knew that simplicity & practicality were key and it wasn’t long before Paul had taken my initial layout and transformed it into a extremely practical design solution.

Turning design into Bespoke reality takes time and after delivering the vehicle to Cape Town Paul took over the build process. Weekly phone calls were augmented with regular emails & site visits to the workshop premises to review progress, design development, budget etc.

I know that for some this can be a bit of a tortuous process but I’ve got to say that I enjoyed every minute of it & working with Paul was an absolute pleasure. No request for additional detail, or explanation was too much trouble and was always handled in a consummately professional manner and knowing that Paul was putting my interests and that of my vehicle as his priority gave me peace of mind.

So as a newbie what have I got out of this build:

• A greater understanding of the amount of work that goes into crafting a truly capable off road vehicle.
• Working with professional companies who put their reputation for quality workmanship first.
• Working with an extremely capable professional such as Paul, who can call on his years of knowledge & experience, to pull the whole project together?
• Last but not least – Owning a truly Awesome vehicle that I know will take me safely & reliably to some Amazing places on this planet!!

We remain indebted to close friends who referred us to Paul Marsh and for whom Paul had recently built a truck. With very little experience, we needed someone to advise, mentor and guide us through the process of selecting and building an overland vehicle that would meet our needs through our retirement. I contacted Paul. It was the only enquiry I made. Since then, our journey alongside him has been an exceptionally pleasant and an enlightening experience.

From our first meeting, we knew we had made the right decision, even though we were based in Durban and Paul in the Western Cape. At the outset, before even discussing a vehicle, he insisted on interviewing both my wife and I together to better understand our joint requirements and where we wanted to take the vehicle; and then to ask us questions independently of each other to make sure he had a clear understanding of our very different individual needs. This approach was impressive in that he made absolutely sure that, in the end, we would both take full ownership for the vehicle – a Toyota Landcruiser double cab truck – as well as embrace its design in all respects.

We soon realised we were dealing with an expert with a lifetime of experience in overlanding and an extraordinary practical knowledge of 4X4 vehicle design. His attention to detail was exceptional and he made sure we were investing in the right off-road equipment as well as crockery and cutlery etc that was practical, necessary, robust, space-saving and yet affordable. He even insisted on taking us shopping to show us exactly what to buy. Alternatively, he would provide us with direct links and specs for online purchases from trusted suppliers.

Paul is well organised and highly proactive. He was always available to us during our build, and never failed to get back to us, even if he was out of the country. He kept us continually appraised of progress and offered suggestions through photographs and clearly explained voice notes. His service is highly personal and engaging and during the entire process, we were very comfortable that our needs and preferences, however trivial, came first. He made sure snags and irritations were dealt with immediately, even if this meant exercising his own judgement to ensure a feature was redesigned or even rebuilt. He is unbelievably logical and solution-oriented and, given his years of overlanding, was never short of suggesting a way to do something different or simply “to make it happen”.

In conclusion, before our first trip, he provided us with comprehensive kit, tool, first aid, clothing and equipment checklists which he explained to us in fastidious detail so that we would never be left wanting in the great outdoors.

We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Paul to anyone – whether to those inexperienced as we were or to the skilled 4X4 enthusiasts seeking sound advice. Further, we would be happy to be contacted to share our journey with Paul.

He has been a true blessing in our overland dreams and retirement pursuits.