Spending a night on a rooftop tent overnight in sub-zero temperatures is a real test of a man and the machine
Driving on snow-covered roads and regions as cold as -30c is not a child’s play. An adventurer managed to endure these strenuous climatic conditions in Spiti in his Mahindra Thar and camps on its rooftop.
Remember him from the Tso Moriri camping? If not, click here to watch that video as well.
Overview
Not everyone is capable of surviving in adverse climatic conditions during winters in the Himalayan region. An adventure-seeker with a YouTube channel named DCV Expeditions went far and has shared his rooftop camping experience in the snow-covered Kunzum region of Spiti in Himachal Pradesh in winters. This video also shows what the new Mahindra Thar can do in cold weather conditions.
And you should definitely watch it by SWIPING UP!
The entire camping experience on the rooftop of a Mahindra Thar was recorded by DCV Expeditions in a snow-covered region in Spiti at 12,653 ft. The video shows the struggles of camping in extreme cold weather conditions.
Rooftop camping in negative 30 degrees
That’s exactly what the owner of this Mahindra Thar did
In the far-from-normal climatic conditions, the Deepak, the owner of the Thar faced a whole lot of challenges. He first drove to a secluded flat area covered in thick layers of fresh snow. Using the low-range transfer case of the Mahindra Thar, he managed to drive over the snowy surfaces without much trouble.
To get water, he melted the snow
Deepak then found his nightspot just a few minutes before the sunset. The mountainous regions of the Himalayas generally witness sunsets very early, compared to areas that are not much higher than the sea level. At this time, the temperature in the region had dropped to negative 18 degrees Celcius.
The other challenges faced by the camper were the scarcity of drinking water, as the water in the bottles he was carrying had already frozen due to low temperature. Deepak then turned on the heater he was carrying and boiled the snow from the surroundings in a vessel to obtain drinking water.
Deepak used a mini generator to get the electricity supply
Meanwhile, he unfolded the rooftop tent mounted on the top of his Mahindra Thar. The batteries of his electronic devices started to drain as well because of the extreme cold. Deepak then took the heater in the rooftop tent during the night to comfort himself by keeping the tent warm from the inside.
Mahindra Thar diesel’s in extreme cold
As the Mahindra Thar is a diesel-powered SUV, its fuel lines and engine oil are prone to freezing at such low temperatures. Even the battery of the SUV cannot sustain charge at such extreme climatic conditions. For avoiding any such mishap, he placed a furnace with burning coal under the engine and directed the hot air venting out from the heater towards the engine bay. This process of heating was carried out for 30 minutes. After three cranks, the Mahindra Thar finally came to life and started successfully.
Surviving with the Mahindra Thar in a snow-covered region
All the batteries died due to the extreme cold
To sustain the extreme adversities faced while driving and surviving, the convertible Mahindra Thar had its roof converted into a hardtop. The modification intended to support the additional weight of the rooftop tent and its frames. In addition to this, the Thar has wide-profile off-road tyres over forged alloy wheels. Apart from the heater and several other electronic devices like an action camera, smartwatch, and smartphone, the camper also carried an extra canister of fuel and additional layers of clothing.
Deepak used heaters to keep the engine and his tent warm enough
Now it may seem like a fun thing to do, surviving in such extreme conditions requires a lot of preparation and planning. One cannot simply take the stock Thar to such extreme places!
As you can see that the owner of the car prepared the vehicle well and still, the video shows that something leaked inside the engine bay the Thar’s engine became overheated!
Have you ever faced such troubles in extreme weather conditions? Do let us know in the comments below.
Keyword: Will The Mahindra Thar Survive In Sub-Zero Temperatures Of Spiti?