As a lot of us know, 4WDing has a special way of bringing people and families together. Spend enough time out in the bush with a group of like-minded 4WDers, and soon enough you'll have a whole new perspective on life. It's reasons like this that make a 4WD trip the perfect family holiday. With just you, your better half and the kids on an off-road adventure, it takes bonding to a whole new level.

Vido Vidovic had the exact same thoughts when he was looking for a new 4WD. Vido's had a few 4WDs in the past, including a classic FJ40. But when he was looking for a great way to spend some quality time with his son, Luka, he knew exactly how he wanted to do it. 4WDing was Vido's answer – the time spent on the road camping, meeting new people and seeing new places would be the perfect way for father and son to really bond on a new level. Anyone who's spent time in bush with a good bunch of people will know what we're talking about.

Enter one big silver Patrol. Some of our readers may recognise this machine, as it was built by well-known 4WD guru Darren McRae of Auto-Craft in Geelong back in 2007. Darren packed the machine with the absolute best of the best aftermarket gear available at the time to take it from stock and unlocked, to lockers, Fox shockers and two smoking barrels.

Fast-forward four years later and Vido is on the lookout for the perfect big-distance tourer, and the GU's owner is looking to move on to the next big project. It was perfect timing, and Vido couldn't hand over the cash quick enough. "My son and I both love Nissans," Vido tells us, "and the truck came with all the extras!" Sounds like a good enough reason to take ownership of one of the toughest, well-built touring rigs in the country!

With Darren McRae behind the build-up, Vido's new Patrol was ready to go anywhere as soon as he got his name on the papers, but as we all know, any good 4WD is never finished. "We've had the pleasure of enjoying someone else's hard work," Vido says, "but since purchasing the Patrol we've added a roof-top tent and an extension ladder." No-one will argue with you there mate, there's always a way to improve on your 'perfect' rig.

Vido tells us he loves to take his Patrol to "anywhere there are powerlines" – that is of course when he's not joining 4WD Action in the middle of the desert to show those Toyota boys what's what (read all about it in this issue!). With one of the best equipped Patrols we've ever seen grace these pages, we know Vido and Luka will have plenty of treks on their to-do list and they'll definitely have some killer stories to tell.

EXTERIOR

With the amount of aftermarket gear available for GU Patrols, it can be a hard task to pick the right gear for you. There are at least a dozen options in bullbars for the mighty GU, and that's just in steel winch bars! Luckily, Vido didn't need to make those heavy decisions, as the GU came fully equipped with some of the best touring gear you can get. That's the beauty of picking up one of the best-built Nissans in the land.

Kicking things off up front is the classic ARB steel winch bar colour-matched to the Nissan's factory silver duco. A Warn 12,000lb low-mount winch with synthetic rope and a hawse fairlead is always on standby for that big recovery, and a pair of Lightforce 240 XGT spotlights light up the road ahead. More ARB colour matched bar-work in the form of scrub bars and side steps help keep the Patrol looking its best, while still allowing Vido to drive it hard with no worries.