Thread: Defender Owners with 3+kids who go touring.....

Originally Posted by voltron

I think the age of your kids will be the deciding factor. I wouldn't put kids in their teens in the second row personally, but thats just me. The 130 seats are def more upright then the 110, so I think that vehicle would punish teenagers even more.

Actually a good mate of mine has a 17 year old who thinks the TDCi seat is the best,when Craig still lived in Newman his daughter thought my TDCi was better than his Td5. Pat

Are teenagers going to be a problem in any vehicle. Going by my and most of my mates experience, we stopped hanging around the oldies at about 14

With children of any age a disco for sure. we have both cars and there is no subsitute for the disco for passenger comfort and safety.

I also confirm that the rear seats for the 130 is upright. So upright in fact that for our 6 year old in booster seats, when he sleeps his head keeps on falling forwards. We ended up duct taping his head to the booster seat head rest at one stage.

We tour in a 300Tdi 110 with 3 kids. Typically we'd do a 10-20K km road trip without towing.

Packing the car is like playing Tetris, but it works and saves on towing.

Our kids are 7, 11 & 13 and for the last trip I fitted the new Exmoor Trim 2nd row seats. They're not worth the $4K cost, the back base of the seat rises instead of falling, which can create sacral discomfort. The head rests, which were the main reason we ended up fitting 3 bucket seats, push the head of taller occupants forward. The kids couldn't decide if the standard Defender bench was more comfortable or not. Threading some bungy cord through the cargo barrier and storing pillows against it creates good headrests for road trips without the extra cost. The original bench also takes 3 folding chairs under it.

The seats on a 130 don't sit as high, due to the wheel arch in the 110. So a 130 will give you more headroom as the kids grow, plus I've seen RRC rear bench seats fit nicely in a 130. The main issue with the 2nd row seats in a Defender is that tall occupants must stoop to look out the side windows, otherwise, as basic as the seats are, they're not uncomfortable.

Our kids easily do 4 hour drive stints without discomfort or complaint. The biggest complaint is dreading the hours in the car before the trip, once we're on our way it's all good.

I know the PUMA onward have a lower wheel arch, but really heavy seats, I'm not sure if they sit lower than the Tdi / TD5 seats.

Leg room is good for small kids, and because the seats are so high, you can store a box under their feet. Leg room isn't great for taller passengers, but it hasn't been a real issue yet.

In order to fit everything I look carefully at the volume and weight of what I want to carry. For example, I have an alloy roof rack with an annexe rail on the side, into that I can slide a light weight Hikers Fly with a cord sewn into one end.

For water I have a 45 litre quarter panel tank and a 50 litre poly tank that sits against the cargo barrier and is only 8cm wide. These options keep water mass relatively low and central.

I use strong plastic containers that are square edged for better volume, and that all stack well. This is for dry food, cooking gear, spares etc.

A dirty gear bag on the spare wheel is ideal for storing a C-Gear mat, and ropes / straps. With a picnic rug tucked on top. That means when we pull up, the mat can go down and everything can be offloaded onto a clean surface, then the tent is set up on the mat.

I normally carry two aluminium tables but generally only need one. Often you can use picnic tables at your destination.

With more girls than boys, I've been forced to carry a chemical toilet. On the last 20K km (8 week) trip we used it on one night only. Most camp spots had some basic toilet facilities. Try to talk your family into using a shovel.

I have a roof top bag with off season stuff in it (beach stuff when we're in the cold weather & winter stuff when we get up north). A 2nd roof top bag carries light gear like sleeping bags or swags. The single swags are motorbike swags to same on volume. I thought in warm weather we might not use the tent, but that didn't work out, so sleeping bags and self inflating mats would have been a lighter and more compact option, though the swags offer greater versatility.

The 2nd bag is at the back with easy ladder access, and neither bag sits too high. A tarp under the roof top bags is out of the way, but easily accessible for roadside repairs.

The tent is a Blackwolf Turbolite 300+, which fits sideways against the cargo barrier. This keeps the weight down, but it also means I have to almost unpack the car to set up camp.

Thanks Michael, that's the sort of info I'm looking for.... Your 3 kids are similar ages to mine.

Good to hear your kids enjoy travelling in it too.... As our kids have gotten older, the amount of crap they want to take with them has decreased but I know the youngest still likes his soft cuddly toys... but if there's enough room between each of them so they are not virtually sitting on each other, then I think all would be sweet.....


rob

Originally Posted by Michael2

We tour in a 300Tdi 110 with 3 kids. Typically we'd do a 10-20K km road trip without towing.

Packing the car is like playing Tetris, but it works and saves on towing.

Our kids are 7, 11 & 13 and for the last trip I fitted the new Exmoor Trim 2nd row seats. They're not worth the $4K cost, the back base of the seat rises instead of falling, which can create sacral discomfort. The head rests, which were the main reason we ended up fitting 3 bucket seats, push the head of taller occupants forward. The kids couldn't decide if the standard Defender bench was more comfortable or not. Threading some bungy cord through the cargo barrier and storing pillows against it creates good headrests for road trips without the extra cost. The original bench also takes 3 folding chairs under it.

The seats on a 130 don't sit as high, due to the wheel arch in the 110. So a 130 will give you more headroom as the kids grow, plus I've seen RRC rear bench seats fit nicely in a 130. The main issue with the 2nd row seats in a Defender is that tall occupants must stoop to look out the side windows, otherwise, as basic as the seats are, they're not uncomfortable.

Our kids easily do 4 hour drive stints without discomfort or complaint. The biggest complaint is dreading the hours in the car before the trip, once we're on our way it's all good.

I know the PUMA onward have a lower wheel arch, but really heavy seats, I'm not sure if they sit lower than the Tdi / TD5 seats.

Leg room is good for small kids, and because the seats are so high, you can store a box under their feet. Leg room isn't great for taller passengers, but it hasn't been a real issue yet.

In order to fit everything I look carefully at the volume and weight of what I want to carry. For example, I have an alloy roof rack with an annexe rail on the side, into that I can slide a light weight Hikers Fly with a cord sewn into one end.

For water I have a 45 litre quarter panel tank and a 50 litre poly tank that sits against the cargo barrier and is only 8cm wide. These options keep water mass relatively low and central.

I use strong plastic containers that are square edged for better volume, and that all stack well. This is for dry food, cooking gear, spares etc.

A dirty gear bag on the spare wheel is ideal for storing a C-Gear mat, and ropes / straps. With a picnic rug tucked on top. That means when we pull up, the mat can go down and everything can be offloaded onto a clean surface, then the tent is set up on the mat.

I normally carry two aluminium tables but generally only need one. Often you can use picnic tables at your destination.

With more girls than boys, I've been forced to carry a chemical toilet. On the last 20K km (8 week) trip we used it on one night only. Most camp spots had some basic toilet facilities. Try to talk your family into using a shovel.

I have a roof top bag with off season stuff in it (beach stuff when we're in the cold weather & winter stuff when we get up north). A 2nd roof top bag carries light gear like sleeping bags or swags. The single swags are motorbike swags to same on volume. I thought in warm weather we might not use the tent, but that didn't work out, so sleeping bags and self inflating mats would have been a lighter and more compact option, though the swags offer greater versatility.

The 2nd bag is at the back with easy ladder access, and neither bag sits too high. A tarp under the roof top bags is out of the way, but easily accessible for roadside repairs.

The tent is a Blackwolf Turbolite 300+, which fits sideways against the cargo barrier. This keeps the weight down, but it also means I have to almost unpack the car to set up camp.

I currently have three fourbies to play with, a Patrol, a Prado and 130 TDi, and if I'm loading the three kids in a car for a trip, the 130 is definitely the weapon of choice. Everything from the amount of crap I can fit in the back under the canopy, to the evenness of the seating (it's the same foot room and everything across the back), the verticality of the seats isn't that much different from a lot of other cars, especially twin cab utes. Even on weekenders, you can just throw stuff in the back and go. With the patrol and prado it really is a Tetris game, and it's also easier to clean out the 130, which makes me happier at the end of the trip.
If you kit out the tray to suit your needs with drawers and tool boxes etc, then it can make travelling quit easy, and the access is easier (generally) than a wagon.
That's my opinion anyway, I would have a new 130 any day of the week if doing a trip, alone, or with the family.

After driving a Perentie 110 wagon for about 8 years I've gone modern and bought an older L322. I'll miss the 110 as its a great bush vehicle, but not great for driving the 1000s of hw km.

The catalyst was really the last big trip across to Birdsville, Simpson & Oodnadatta. The wife & kids had their fill of being in the 110 after about 6,000 km. They were all reluctant for another trip in the 110, which I know is pretty hard core relative to a more modern 110 in terms of creature comforts ie noisy, seats offering mild comfort, no aircon. Even I was feeling very tired after a long day's drive. I know that sounds slack after reading about people doing a lap in a series. After a quick drive in the L322 they are enthusiastic about a trip. Will see how it goes.

I think a contributing factor with school aged kids is having limited time. You just don't seem to have time to do 90kmh and meander there and back. Even on weekends away we are high tailing It back to get ready for the return to school & wk. Doing 100 - 110 in a Perentie takes concentration, and leaves me knackered after a few hours. I think it will be easier in a modern Landy with R & P steering etc.

Interesting discussion. I plan to retrofit the load area seats into a puma 110. And then replace the 2nd row with 2 exmoor trim seats. So will end up with 6 bucket seats. Enough room for the three kids to be out of reach of each other.