Tonke
travel reports
Tonke off-road in Montenegro
Pictures from another happy customer, taken summer 2021 in Montenegro. He has lots of experience with Landrovers driving off-road. He writes us: “The VAN also works great in off-road situations. Only downhill you need to break sometimes where you would use a low gear on a Defender. Needed to use the diff. lock just twice. Overall: great performance, both on and off-road. And the autolevelling with full air-suspension is a really nice add-on”. (See last image for this feature in action, you can see that the VAN ‘auto-levels’ itself on campsites. But also the air-suspension allows you to rise the vehicle for more ground clearance off-road and provides better comfort on the road).
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Met een Tonke naar de Tour de France
Vijf maanden reizen door Europa met een Tonke camper dat klinkt toch als een droom? Marco en Sabine (beide 42 jaar) besloten om ervoor te gaan! Het bleek het jaar van Corona, wat hun reisplan volledig omgooide. Door zich te laten leiden door wat wel kon, kwamen ze op heel verrassende plekken. In deze nieuwsbrief deel 3 van hun avontuur waarin de Tour de France volgen toch waarheid werd.
Deel 3: Wildkamperen langs de route van de Tour de France
Terwijl wij midden zomer door het prachtige Polen en Slowakije reisden, werden de geluiden steeds duidelijker, de Tour de France zou toch wel eens door kunnen gaan dit jaar. Alleen niet in juli, maar in september. Zouden we dan toch een stukje van ons oorspronkelijke plan kunnen doen? Als echte wielerfans gingen onze harten sneller kloppen. We besloten in ieder geval richting het westen te rijden, zodat we op tijd bij de start in Nice zouden kunnen zijn.
In korte tijd doorkruisten we Oostenrijk en Italië. We genoten ondertussen van het ware hooggebergte (de Alpen!) en Marco fietste zelfs de beroemde Passo dello Stelvio (2758 meter hoog) op om alvast in de koers stemming te komen.
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Op Sabbatical met een Tonke (Slowakije/Polen)
OP SABBATICAL MET EEN TONKE
Vijf maanden reizen door Europa met een Tonke camper, dat klinkt toch als een droom? Marco en Sabine (beide 42 jaar) besloten om ervoor te gaan! Het bleek het jaar van Corona, wat hun reisplan volledig omgooide. Door zich te laten leiden door wat wel kon, kwamen ze op heel verrassende plekken. In deze nieuwsbrief deel 2 van hun avontuur waarin ze vertellen over de avonturen in Polen en Slowakije.
Deel 2: Verrast door nieuwe landschappen, andere eetgewoontes en heel gastvrije mensen
Na vier weken reizen door het prachtige Zweden, besloten we om weer naar het zuiden te gaan. Door Corona waren de grenzen richting Noorwegen en Finland dicht. We waren ook de grote hoeveelheid muggen een beetje zat, of beter gezegd, Marco was ze heel erg zat. De antimuggen smeersels vlogen er doorheen en de elektrische vliegenmepper was inmiddels zijn beste vriend.
De volgende stap
We boekten de boot terug naar Duitsland en wisten eigenlijk niet goed wat de volgende stap zou zijn. In ons oorspronkelijke plan wilden we naar het zuiden van Europa, maar nu we zo dicht tegen de Poolse grens aanzaten,
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Maiden trip with new ‘Summit’
Then on Thursday we were able to get the FUSO out of customs so by on Friday had it processed and certified for use on New Zealand Roads. 
That happening in one day is amazing! So on Saturday we drove the 400 km south to where the Cabin was. It was a very rough ride as is universally predicted for the FUSO’s stiff suspension when driven without load.
It was a 400 km ride of rocking over every bump without mercy for driver or passenger. On Sunday afternoon we mounted the cabin on the FUSO while it rained. It went well, We used walkie-talkies to stay in touch as I eased the truck back between the extended legs.
Having seen the small gap available when the Tonke cabin was lowered on the FUSO in Terheijden we had mounted the legs on 100×100 timbers to make sure there was clearance. This worked well and once the front coupling was in place uneven use of the legs allowed us to move the cabin a few cm side ways to catch the rear couplings. Read more
Wildcamping near Boulogne-sur-Mer
Enjoying the sunrise in an abandoned field, while listening to the sound of the waves.. what more can a person wish for?
weekend off, Germany
Just a short weekend trip away from the crowds… We LOVE our camper and use it daily. We own the VAN one year now and just purchased a solar panel retrofit at Tonke so now we’re fully off-grid and never need to hassle with extension chords.
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on a business trip… Germany
When your profession is also still your hobby you sleep on a business trip in a beautiful forest, surrounded by powerful nature, and in the morning you run a few miles in this dreamlike landscape. No people, just a few wild animals, the rush of the falling leaves, and the humming of the heater on your return to your van… These moments are sacred to me, I feel blessed.
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Southwest trip, USA
Here are various images of our trip. San Francisco, Las Vegas, Calf creek, Kodachrome-Basin, Monolake, Snake River, Yosemite. The rest you’ll find in other posts.
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Glen canyon, USA
Maarten, founder of Tonke, told us to visit the Glen canyon if we were around. Man, it was worth it. Compared to the Grand canyon (which is actually somehow too big to fully grasp) the Glen canyon is extremely beautiful, surrounded by barren Navajo and Apache lands.
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Grand Canyon North Rim, USA
‘Just one f…n’ big hole in the ground’, said the rancher that we met a few days before we drove to the grand canyon. Would that be worth the detour? Because we chose not to visit the crowded (but much easier accessible) south rim, but the northern rim, half a day drive further. Well.. it was worth it. The Grand Canyon is almost as big as the Netherlands (so much for our beautiful little country 🙂 and it’s vastness just takes your breath away. Especially early in the morning, looking to the west with the low sun in your back…
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Yellow stone, USA
Yellow Stone is truly amazing and absolutely worth the trip. Someone hit accidentally our left mirror with his truck and because this vehicle has never been sold in the US, the new mirror had to be send over from Europe. No problem at all… the guys from Tonke send us a new mirror with (very easy) installation instructions.
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Bryce Canyon, USA
Bryce canyon was one of our favorites of this trip. And off-season not crowded at all!
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Explorer wintertrip, Spain
Wonderful winter visit to Spain. We’ve mounted for this trip the bicycle garage at the back of the truck.
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Oklahoma, USA
We were camping near a lake at a state park in Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma. The caretaker on the property was a big Cherokee indian. A man of secrets and of wisdom. Two of his friends on bikes were just about to leave. No helmets, long hair, strained faces. ‘Now you don’t take that wrong turn again’, he hollered after them, as they rode away in the dusk. As he looked at his friends leaving, his eyes caught sight of our vehicle and then he started to smile. ‘Tonke’, he said, ‘Tonke, that means something in Indian’, as if there were only one Indian language. ‘How’s that?’, I said. ‘I Won’t tell ya’, he said, and he either did not know, or didn’t want to tell.
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Tennessee, USA
On our way there were trailer homes with trump and real-estate-for-sale signs. The campsite was big and spacious. It was extremely hot and humid, and the voices of the people had that ‘southern drawl’, that is both comforting and alarming at the same time. It was truly weather for cold beers. And that’s precisely what the fishermen drank. A speedboat got caught in some nets or lines, and although this happened further down the lake, perhaps more than a mile away, we could perfectly understand what was said both in words and tone.
Everybody on the campsite had a big new truck, a gun, a boat, an enormous trailer, kids and a golf cart. The truck was used to pull the boat out of the water (nobody left their boats in the water overnight) and the cart was used for all other transportation on the site. Walking seemed prohibited. One couple did apparently not have a cart nor a bathroom, and during the early morning the husband rode his wife 4 times to the bathroom with his 6 liter V8 truck. The bathroom was no more than 300 feet away from their trailer.
Most people seemed to be doing good,
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Cyrus McCormick Farm, Virginia, USA
On the highway there was a sign ‘Mc Cormick’s farm’ 5 miles. As one of my earliest memories is my grandfathers’ red Mc Cormick Farmall tractor, I had to visit this legendary site, where Mc. Cormick invented so many machines that made farming easier and let to the agricultural revolution that made it possible to feed the growing American population.
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Happy people, Netherlands
Delivering a happy VAN to happy people!
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Iceland
Sorry this post is only in Dutch available.
“Met de nieuwe camper naar IJsland”
Met een camper door de natuur van IJsland trekken stond al lang op ons lijstje. Maar aangezien wij liever niet teveel over geasfalteerde wegen rijden en op campings staan, maar liever in de natuur verblijven, hebben wij niets aan een “gewone” camper. Dus op zoek naar een off-road camper. Zo kwamen wij bij Tonke camperbouw terecht. Hier in overleg een camper laten opbouwen op een Mercedes sprinter die door Oberaigner tot 6×6 is omgebouwd. Zo ontstond een camper die geheel naar onze wensen is ontworpen. Het was een lang proces, maar nu hebben we alle luxe en is de wagen nog klein genoeg om goed mee uit de voeten te komen in het terrein.
Onze eerste tocht werd dus IJsland. In noord Denemarken zijn wij aan boord van de ferry gegaan. Bij de tussenstop in de Faroer zijn wij van boord gegaan en hebben hier 3 dagen rond gereden.
De natuur is hier prachtig en je kan nog zo aan een fjord blijven staan om te overnachten.
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Tonke at TV-programme “Op de camping”, Netherlands
Op 21 juli 2017 zijn er opnames gemaakt van de Tonke VAN bij Camping de Kienehoef in Sint-Oedenrode.
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Saintes Maries de la Mer, France
I visited the gypsy festival of the holy Sarah 20 years ago and was happy to see nothing had changed at all. Back then Manitas de Plata still lived, but the flamenco was this year even more present then back in those days. Backstreet boys and famous Flamenco guitarists are all present in this vibrant swirl of rough guys, beautiful women, tourists and locals on horses mixed with a religious touch. The beating sun does the rest. Make sure to bring your guitar, a hat and water. After all we’re all travellers!
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Wildcamping not far from Paris, France
People often ask me how I find those great spots for wild camping… Well first of all: buy a good map. Scale 1cm=1km is sufficient. You won’t find the right spots on your navigation. Second of all: never camp in or near towns, roads and so on. Dirt or grass under your feet is a must, so you can make a small campfire, see 360 degree evening skies and the wildlife in the early morning.
Start looking for empty spots on the map, not near big towns, with some water, bush and preferably grassland. I like to look around so I don’t look for too much bush, but just a little so you can hide your car more or less. This is another good example. Strange to realize we were in Paris that same afternoon, just hours before getting here! The next morning a fox passed by just meters away from our vehicles.
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West Kapelle, Netherlands
Beautiful sunset at the lighthouse of West Kapelle. We slept like roses and woke up reborn. What a great way to start our weekend! Thank you @Tonke!
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Plage de beauduc, France
I knew there was somewhere east of Saintes Maries a beach where people camp wild, but neither a roadmap nor google maps could show us how to get there. Finally someone told us how and if your car is not too wide (our Tonke VAN just fitted with less then 1 cm on both sides) you can get through the concrete barrier and drive for maybe 10k through the ‘Salins’ to get to the beach. It is a friendly chaos of kite surfers camping there for months in a row, but also young muslim families from a neighboring village spending an afternoon with their grandmothers and kids, picking up mussels in the shallow water and having a feast. We came at dawn and left at dusk, and loved it. Driving through the ‘Salins’ at dusk was stunningly beautiful with flamingos flying over in the purple sky.
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