We bought the Land Rover about a year before we were due to set off. It was lucky we did, because we've had to completely overhaul it for the trip!

We found it for sale in Land Rover Owner International and thought it would be ideal. The Environment Agency had been using it as a tea-van / mobile workshop. It was a 130 wheelbase with an enormous white melamine Luton box on the back that was already fitted out with seats, heater, cooker and sink. Initially - we thought: "Great - we hardly have to do anything to this ......". After buying it we soon found that it was way too heavy and handled like a pig! We went back to the drawing board ...

Our friend Mike was adamant that if we set off for Nepal with the existing body on the back it wouldn't be long before we'd be on our side having rolled it. He said the weight was all up high and the suspension couldn't cope with it. We reluctantly agreed with him and scoured the ads for a replacement back body.

After spending many a joyous day sampling the delights of folding caravans and tents (!) we saw a demountable camper for sale. This is the kind of thing you can see all the time in America - only this one was smaller. It's designed to go on the back of a 1 tonne pickup truck and can be loaded on and off really quickly. The GRP fibreglass body is lifted by attaching four legs to it and winding them up. Once it's clear you are able to drive the vehicle out from under it.

Needing something to support the camper once the original back body was removed - we bought a pickup tub off a 110 and fitted that. A 130 Rapier body would have been better - but I didn't know they existed until too late.

Mike fabricated a raised floor to enable the over-cab part of the camper to clear the Land Rover cab which is much higher than your average 1 tonne pickup cab. Raising the floor meant we were able to build an underfloor locker. Aluminium lockers were also made along the length of the tub for storing our equipment.

The camper body can now be detached in about 10 minutes - although we are not sure how often we will really want to do this once we are underway. The handling is much better after the reduction in body weight - and after fitting heavy duty shocks and springs all round.

A leisure battery and solar panel from Zia Solar Systems in Glastonbury have been rigged in the camper - so that it is powered whether it's on the Land Rover or off. Other bits and bobs include a 240 DC inverter and an Engel fridge from Aquamarine.

Other changes included new seats from Trakkers, suspension/differential guards, and a raised air intake from Mantec. Last to go on were an alarm and detachable security mesh over the camper windows.