On our recent trip to Morocco we took our 16 year old Patrol TD4.2

The rear of which was stripped out and a double bed constructed in it's place. Due to the roof height of the Patrol we were able to raise the 'bed' 8" and store all we needed to take with us underneath.

The guy in the Shogun who was with us throughout the trip was very impressed with our minimalistic approach, it took us 5 minutes to prepare the bed for sleeping.

The key things is how tall you and your partner are and also how claustraphobic you are.

The troopie has a longer boot than a 60 or 80 series by about 18" and is also a little bit taller in the back.

It is possible with either vehicle to build a storage system so that your bedding is permantly situated on top with fridges, food, etc stored underneath.

If you aren't that tall you can get away with sleeping in the back of a 60/80 with the 2nd row of seats removed, although I have seen an arrangement with the storage in the back being up to the height of the back of the front seats, with a board that clipped on and extended over the back of the front seats to give a longer bed base - the downside of this is that there wasn't much space between the bed and the roof.

The other thing to consider is if you might need to carry passengers - this is where the bed extension above comes in handy again.

Roof tents naturally give you a lot more room inside the vehicle, as well as for changing, etc, however it will make a bit of a mess of the vehicles aerodynamics which won't help your fuel consumption.

If you want me to take some measurements from my 80 or to have a look over one, drop me a line and I will see if I can find a fellow overllander with an 80 near your.

The other thing to point out is that whilst a Troopie may be a better choice availability, particularly in the UK (it would have to be imported) may may it more economic to go with an 80 series and roof tent.

Hi there

Thanks for the post. After a lot of thinking about it, we decided that it will be better to go for the Troopy. I'm fairly tall (1.87m) so the extra space will definitely help. We also think it will be a bit safer in the long run. If it really gets to hot to sleep inside, we can use our free-standing tent. At least we shouldn't get wet with heavy rains:stormy:

Re importing, we are in Oz and there are 100s/1000s available here. Just have to find the right one. Will be driving from Oz to UK.

hatch
 

Hi Pumbaa

Good descission. We slept in our troopie for a year and sometimes it was a bit hot but with a small 12V fan (and earplugs for the noise) it was ok. And in these situations, the people in the roof tents were also complaining that it was hot! In many occasions I was really really happy to be sleeping inside the car escpeccialy with heavy rains, several storms, scary situations, etc. The only extra I recommend you to do is to make a big sky light or hatch in the roof. Maybe one of these standard after market sun roofs! It will give the necessary ventilation, lets the warm air out and is a good safari hatch! Place it above your headside of the bed. In that way you can sleep beneath the stars if the weather is fine! If you have a closed roof rack, just cut a piece out of the part above the sun roof.

Cheers,

Noel
exploreafrica.web-log.nl

Both?
 

Yesterday I finished mounting my rooftent (Hannibal) onto my troopy so I thought I would stick in my views (it used to be on a full length roof rack on a Defender). The rooftent gives a degree of privacy that sleeping in a vehicle just cannot. I have often found (including a test camp last night!) that you wake up surrounded by curious people - even in pretty remote places. I also really like the elevated position, it is great to open a flap and look at the stars. With the troopy I just stuck it on two roofbars (Thule) as I didn't want the weight of a full length rack up there. Colder climes I would just make a simple system inside if really needed using the mattress from the roof tent. Regarding security, if someone really wants your gear or you it is not going to make difference whether you are locked in a vehicle or 7' up in a tent. So my vote would be troopy + rooftent + also inside arrangement for when it is lashing down or you are shattered etc.
I thought it would be a bit more palaver with no rack and ladder, but found it easy to clamber up by using rear wheel and open side window as a step - even after a lot of wine!
Gil

Quote: We are planning to travel from Eastern Russia to London via India.

With such a long trip I honestly think that you will not have room to sleep in the back. I don't know about you but I tend to pack everything I could conceivably need on a long safari. Now I haven't travelled outside Africa but we are currently planning a trip into Angola where things are still a bit basic and so I am trying to counter every eventuality by making sure we carry the right kit: chains, ropes, hi-lifts, spares filters, oils, fuel & water, 2 complete spare wheels, etc, etc.

If I can afford it I'll buy spare shocks and try and source some second hand HD rear springs. Suspension component break and things like tortion bars (and I suppose the leaf springs on a troopy - ISTBC) cannot be welded.

If you also fit a cargo barrier - a good idea to stop yourself getting brained by your luggage and allowing you to pile your kit up high (and it's a great place for velcroing fire extinguishers, Medical kits, torches etc) - then you'll have to make a clever plan to sleep in the back and still be safe.

If you can find space to sleep in the back then it's a bit of a no-brainer to make a plan but I doubt if you'll have them room once you're fully kitted out.

Safety
 

I still don't get the safety thing? You wake up surrounded by an angry mob who want to rob (or worse) you... how difficult is it for them to ensure you cannot drive away? As I experienced (not that they wanted to rob me, they just wanted to ensure they got me imobilized enough to see what I was about) all it took was a few 30cm high logs! In more open terrain playing with the tyres would be equally efffective. If it is just a smash/grab/run type confrontation then you are better in a rooftop tent anyway! After a day behind the wheel the last thing I want to do is sleep inside the car. Much as I love my Troopy there is a limit!!! If I was overlanding for weeks on end there is no way I could contemplate being inside the vehicle at night.
Gil

I think if you are inside a vehicle there is more of a psychological barrier to someone trying to rob you, or am I just kidding myself so I feel safer?! the time and noise for someone to break into a car and rob you allows you some degree of preperation (I always sleep with a handy implement when rough camping) whereas a tent can be slashed in virtual silence, as can you!

the reality is most robbers / muggers want a quiet life. they are opportunist thieves who want to get away with as little effort as possible and the threat of serious physical violence is likely to put them off, and you can only do that if you are awake! this of course wouldn't apply to a crazed crack head in New York who will take you on at the slightest provocation and kill you if you threaten any kind of resistance! so it's beter to just hand everything over! personally I would rather be awake to make those decisions rather than asleep while someone makes them for me.
Also inside the vehicle you have the possibility of making good your escape, unless they have fenced you in with large and inanimate objects as per the previous post, but at least it is an option, which you probably won't have if you are stuck up on the roof.

Having said all that, you will probably not have enough room in the vehicle to sleep anyhow. I have rough camped in tents and I don't really like it, I never feel completely secure. I don't in a vehicle either, but I do feel better than in a tent, although a girlfriend once stayed awake all night when we slept in the back of my 101, terrified something would happen. needless to say the relationship didn't last long after that!
Andy

Very true Moggy about the phsychological aspect - hadn't really considered that! Funny how even a bit of canvas or nylon let alone steel and glass makes you feel comfortable!

Quote:
"although a girlfriend once stayed awake all night when we slept in the back of my 101, terrified something would happen"
BG :-)

Gil