It's Pop-Top Time. Interior storage ideas?

[The Cone of Silence]

The foot of obedience has been squared firmly at my door. She who must not only be obeyed but also feared and respected (SWMNOBOBAFAR) wants a pop-top.

Now I LOVE my Hannibal 1.4. Rooftop tent. I have lost count of how many people have come up to me asking about it while I've been away camping...but she hates using the ladder in the night and she hates faffing about getting it set-up and put away if we need to leave in a hurry. Amazing for someone who can't leave home without several hours of wardrobe-and-face-paint-related procrastination but there we are. It is what it is.

I made the mistake of introducing her to Daniel at the Eastern Creek 4x4 show and he showed her his brilliant pop-top roof. It was love at first sight (with the pop-top, not Daniel:p).

So, I now need to think about storage inside the vehicle. My home-made drawer system which I spent hours making will have to come out :(, as will the cargo barrier and I'm thinking that a kitchen pull-out drawer like the DRIFTA ones are the way forwards....but what else?
I need a space in the middle running fore-and-aft for standing up in (that's wide enough to take a pair of size 10 workboots)
I need storage space for tools, spares, food, cookware, crockery, all the usual stuff for weekend camping trips and extended overland trips.


Some considerations:

We use the Front Runner sidetable all the time so that's staying put (attaches to left side of the vehicle)
We have a gullwing window above the table and the missus struggles to reach right inside above it...so things need to be accessible from the inside
The driver's side does not have a gullwing
I'd like to put a cargo net or fairly solid shelf underneath the sleeping platform for lightweight stuff
The rear set behind the passenger was removed and a fridge lives there now
The rear double-set behind my seat will be staying put. I'm happy to fold it forwards to make space but I don't want to take them out in case some poor soul needs a ride one day
I'm happy to stick with jerrycans for water rather than a fixed water storage unit
I have a vast amount of roofrack space with a full-length rack but I'm conscious of putting too much weight on it.
I'm looking for ideas and photos of storage boxes that live on the side and above the wheel arches and behind the rear seats.......and as ever, the voices of experience....


Bobby

[emmala]

what are you doing with the rooftop tent? is it for sale?

[Dervish]

Did you see Daniel's burgundy defender? Seems it's fit out would fit your criteria perfectly, except that it has a cupboard behind the gullwing, like mine.

Perhaps get SWMNOBOBAFAR a stepping stool? :P

[n plus one]

The foot of obedience has been squared firmly at my door. She who must not only be obeyed but also feared and respected (SWMNOBOBAFAR) wants a pop-top.

Now I LOVE my Hannibal 1.4. Rooftop tent. I have lost count of how many people have come up to me asking about it while I've been away camping...but she hates using the ladder in the night and she hates faffing about getting it set-up and put away if we need to leave in a hurry. Amazing for someone who can't leave home without several hours of wardrobe-and-face-paint-related procrastination but there we are. It is what it is.

I made the mistake of introducing her to Daniel at the Eastern Creek 4x4 show and he showed her his brilliant pop-top roof. It was love at first sight (with the pop-top, not Daniel:p).

So, I now need to think about storage inside the vehicle. My home-made drawer system which I spent hours making will have to come out :(, as will the cargo barrier and I'm thinking that a kitchen pull-out drawer like the DRIFTA ones are the way forwards....but what else?
I need a space in the middle running fore-and-aft for standing up in (that's wide enough to take a pair of size 10 workboots)
I need storage space for tools, spares, food, cookware, crockery, all the usual stuff for weekend camping trips and extended overland trips.


Some considerations:

We use the Front Runner sidetable all the time so that's staying put (attaches to left side of the vehicle)
We have a gullwing window above the table and the missus struggles to reach right inside above it...so things need to be accessible from the inside
The driver's side does not have a gullwing
I'd like to put a cargo net or fairly solid shelf underneath the sleeping platform for lightweight stuff
The rear set behind the passenger was removed and a fridge lives there now
The rear double-set behind my seat will be staying put. I'm happy to fold it forwards to make space but I don't want to take them out in case some poor soul needs a ride one day
I'm happy to stick with jerrycans for water rather than a fixed water storage unit
I have a vast amount of roofrack space with a full-length rack but I'm conscious of putting too much weight on it.
I'm looking for ideas and photos of storage boxes that live on the side and above the wheel arches and behind the rear seats.......and as ever, the voices of experience....


Bobby

Watching with interest as I'm talking to Daniel in the next couple of weeks about a conversion myself - when are you getting your conversion done?

[austeve01]

G'day Bobby.

Like you we did the tent thing for many years & really enjoyed it but hit our 50's decided it was time to enjoy a few creature comforts ... firm king size bed, indoor cooking, cargo space in a compact off road camper that will go anywhere our vehicle will take us. So met all the criteria of what we used to have but with less effort to be set up and sitting outside with a 'cuppa' in our hands.

Now we're in our 60's & only this morn decided to invest in an off road caravan &
get rid of the camper. We had a 110 county (until I wrote it off avoiding a 'roo')
set up with bits & pieces in the back but found it difficult opening the rear door with trailer attached. Now we just put stuff in the gull wing of our camper.

Anyway sounds great what you're proposing albeit a bit of organising.

Cheers
Steve

[The Cone of Silence]

Did you see Daniel's burgundy defender? Seems it's fit out would fit your criteria perfectly, except that it has a cupboard behind the gullwing, like mine.

Perhaps get SWMNOBOBAFAR a stepping stool? :P

I did have a look at the burgundy Deefer and I love it - the pull-out kitchen is definitely on the cards, but he has no rear seats so I need to think about a couple of ways to increase storage space....where to put clothes and such.

I did also suggest the milk crate but she shot me a look that could freeze the sun so it looks like having a unit fixed behind the gullwing is a no-go!

That said, it is a good place to hang a cutlery roll or something like that so we'll play with the space and see what happens.

Emmala - RTT is for sale - with walls and floor as well. I've got someone potentially coming to see it this weeeknd.

n plus one - hopefully very soon - I need it for my April Simpson Desert trip. just waiting for Daniel to confirm when he can squeeze it in.

Bobby

[Dervish]

I did have a look at the burgundy Deefer and I love it - the pull-out kitchen is definitely on the cards, but he has no rear seats so I need to think about a couple of ways to increase storage space....where to put clothes and such.

I did also suggest the milk crate but she shot me a look that could freeze the sun so it looks like having a unit fixed behind the gullwing is a no-go!

That said, it is a good place to hang a cutlery roll or something like that so we'll play with the space and see what happens.

Emmala - RTT is for sale - with walls and floor as well. I've got someone potentially coming to see it this weeeknd.

n plus one - hopefully very soon - I need it for my April Simpson Desert trip. just waiting for Daniel to confirm when he can squeeze it in.

Bobby


Oh, when I saw the burgundy one it had the "60" rear seats in, it must've changed. I think he's designed the storage to be modular.

[ozrob]

I too looked at David's 110 all decked out nice engineering.
The only problem is that you still need to climb into the bed,(wifes comments)
$10K for the camper roof conversion, which is a bit much considering what needs to be done...BUT David has done all the engineering...so that does cost money, however; I do like the idea that you have a ready made bed for two, and the vehicle can still be used as a daily drive, keep the interior standard, leave the seats in and cargo barrier, much cheaper than a off road caravan.
I personally would consider the camper roof conversion if I had a spare $10K.

[Trundle]

I don't have any particular storage solutions, but was always told, if you want ingenious storage solutions go and see a boat builder. They know how to cram storage in some funky places and keep it secure. Could be worth a couple of phone calls anyway.
Cheers

[TwoUp]

Has anyone any pictures of this rooftop setup and the inside? I did see two in the desert earlier this year and there were some in Vic Mountains not long ago, met at the Ruscki hut. I would be interested in seeing how it works.


I did speak with the two Defenders briefly at Innamincka.


Cheers,
PeterW

[Dervish]

Has anyone any pictures of this rooftop setup and the inside? I did see two in the desert earlier this year and there were some in Vic Mountains not long ago, met at the Ruscki hut. I would be interested in seeing how it works.


I did speak with the two Defenders briefly at Innamincka.


Cheers,
PeterW

Mulgo Pop Top for Land Rover Defender | Mulgo Expedition Vehicles (http://www.mulgo.com.au/portfolio/mulgo-pop-top-for-land-rover-defender/)

No photos of the inside unfortunately, but a good video showing operation of the pop-top. There used to be a PDF with pictures on the website but I guess it was out of date. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of Mulgo's work. Daniel is here on AULRO (user name Mulgo), he will probably chime in when he next gets some free time to log in.

[Hoffer]

This looks fantastic. I wish I was in NSW

[Michael2]

I have cut the floor in my 110 and recessed an under floor storage box between the chassis rails. It's made of galvanised tin (professionally) and cost about $100. The floor panel screws over the top. This means that a whole lot of spares can be tucked away and saves a box space in the back. The box needs to clear the tailshaft & muffler, but it's deep enough for parts. I've since put a drain hole in it with a bung, after getting water into the back floor on the Cape York crossings.

I've also seen underfloor storage in the driver and passenger footwells, but I have the acoustic mat, so haven't bothered with that location.

Other storage option are the under cubby safe and an overhead centre console.

Another idea would be to replace the back seats with the new Exmoor Trim bucket seats, but just get the (R) and (L), giving you a centre corridor. They're just under $1K ea landed from the UK (quote from Karcraft). You can fit seat organisers on the back of the buckets for additional storage.

Fitting a mesh against the inside of the rear windows (where you don't have the hatch) provides security, but also somewhere where you can attach light stuff with ocky straps. I haven't done this, but I have bungy cord woven through my cargo barrier on the passenger side, this is a good place to get a pillow out of the way, or a raincoat or a jumper. I even keep the small light weight first aid kit there for quick access on a trip.

The front runner water tank under the LHS guard will save you the space of a couple of jerry cans.

[The Cone of Silence]

Thanks for all the input folks.

I've just been having a look at everything and I think what I need to do is remove the rear seats for the long overland trips but be able to put them back for day-to-day travel at home and weekend camping trips.

So, it's going to be about something modular for the space bend the driver and passenger seats now.

As the cargo barrier will be disappearing (I suppose that's another item for sale!) I shall require everything to be stowed safely but I'm pretty excited about having a nice big locker space in the back to keep everything in.

Please keep any thoughts and pictures or links coming while I scour the Members Rides sections of various sites for inspiration!

Bobby