I think I may require an intervention? Warning may contain humour and or sarcasm

I'm imminently 50. To celebrate I'm doing the NC500. Again.  Because it's beautiful. 

However I seem to have turned into an overlander as I am now possessed of a 12v cool box/fridge thing, a dedicated petrol for the jimny only fuel can, an aluminium folding directors chair, a roof box and I caught myself searching for a 3/4 wraparound awning!

Is this my life now? Finding ways to live out of my car like a homeless? Why wasn't I warned about this? I thought us jimny people looked out for each other? 

Haha, there is no going back now, welcome to the Jimny car camping side. Those 270 degree awning are good, but expensive and quite heavy. I think the one Jimnystyle sells is supposed to be the lightest on the market. 

Oh, I take it back about the weight  CLEVERSHADE

I think you can get away with it calling it a road trip and not an overlanding trip. For a while. But then later you may have to acknowledge that it is in fact overlanding that you do. Often best to admit it and be honest to yourself as it seems you have.
I am now a member of a loosely put together support group called North West Overlanders where we gather and sit around an insanely large camp fire and share experiences and talk about where it went overboard. It is comforting an good to talk about these thing with people that share the same destiny and diagnose. And beer may occur as well wich is not a bad thing in modest quantities.

My awning weighs just 14/15kg and sits snug on the Jimny roof. Free standing but got poles and ropes to avoid storm damage.
Bought from Overland Vehicle Systems USA. Cost 400$ on sale.  +VAT +freight.
I got this shipping company that do shipping by sea for cheaps. 



Small enough to not look stupid and large enough for me.
Just added coil spacers to the rear springs to raise the awning just enough to stand under it without bowing my head.

overlandvehiclesystems.com/hd-nomadic-27...e-270-degree-awning/

Here it is. Used it all year and must have had it out approx 30-40 times this year. once or twice in bad weather having to strap it to my trailer to avoid it getting blown off. The others in the support gruop says it looks better and stronger both at the brackets and fabric, than the just as cheap chinese flimsy ones.

Lambert wrote:

I'm imminently 50. To celebrate I'm doing the NC500. Again.  Because it's beautiful. 

Why wasn't I warned about this? I thought us jimny people looked out for each other? 

We hid it from you as we didn’t want to spoil your 40s worrying about it. 

Have a great birthday and a fantastic trip.

Robin
 

Nobody has said mid life crisis yet, lets keep this nice and not sink as low as to mention that. I am 54. Some modern technical devices got this mystic glare to them but other than that haze I am fine and think you will be too Lambert!

Just a few years back I laughed at this weird guy that had a map of all the bad gravel mountain roads in Norway and made his way to the Suzuki meet doing as many detours as he could.
Now I am worse off than him i guess,
I was not warned either, for wich I am thankful for!

Having seen youtube films from the NC500 I know your trip will be great, have a nice trip!

If 50 is anything like half way then I'll be happy!

If I ever do the NC500 I may just book a hotel... I'm 55.