I can´t really explain why but owning a Land Rover Defender has been my dream since forever. Being used to road trips and camping with my family from a very early age I was always up for a good holiday like that even now that I am older. So we would often end up renting cars when we flew somewhere. But, with some exceptions, these were normal 2WD cars. And I always had this wish to go beyond the usual routes, to meet less people and feel more nature. To really go off the beaten path. Which is nowadays more and more difficult. But with a proper 4×4 one has more chances.
Obviously I am not anywhere near to being a mechanic and I don’t know much about maintaining an old car such as a Defender, so this dream of mine always seemed a bit silly and I couldn’t really see how to turn it into reality. But then, Charlie came into my life. Again, after 10 years. And once he told me how he spent his childhood holidays in his dad’s Defender I was sold. We somehow both felt it’s meant to be and we absolutely have to get a Defender one day. The day came sooner than expected so in February 2019 we bought our 2001 td5 black LR Defender 110 and named her Leni.
Our current setup
During the past years we have changed the interior and exterior a couple of times, we also now have two kids that we didn’t have back in 2019 and with every trip we made we realized some things don’t work out best and we need a change. We currently have a pop-top roof and a self-made interior which allows all 4 of us (and occasionally also 5, when Lu joins) to travel comfortably enough for our needs.
*You can read more about our current setup and our journey of renovations under “Overland” – “Camper conversion” in the menu.
Our overland trips with Leni
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the Netherlands (April 2019)
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France (May 2019)
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Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (June / July 2019)
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Slovenia & Croatian Pag island
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Italian Dolomites & German Romantic Road (December 2019)
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Czech Republic & Austria (January 2020)
- German Baltic and northern coast (July 2020)
- Normandy & Brittany (France) (September 2021)
- southern Sweden (October 2021)
- Balkan road trip – Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, N. Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (May 2022)
- Caucasus road trip – Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia (August / September 2024)
*You can find blog posts about all of these trips in the menu under “Overland” – “Defender trips” and browse through individual countries under “Destinations”.
Our equipment
Let me highlight some of our favorite and indispensable pieces of equipment on road trips or overland trips. We have of course a whole bunch of other things on board, but here I would really like to highlight the things without which we can no longer imagine life on the road. Note: Product mentions are not sponsored or paid for.
POP-TOP ROOF (Ex-Tec) – Our latest acquisition, which is also the biggest financial investment during all Defender conversions to date. We were thinking about it before we bought the rooftop tent, but at that time the wait for the conversion was simply too long and we needed a quick solution. The rooftop tent worked well for us, but like everything, it has its pros and cons. With the arrival of Leo in early 2024, the minuses of sleeping in a rooftop tent prevailed. So in October 2023, we drove to Germany, where Ex-Tec converted our original roof into a pop-up roof in just 2 weeks. The original Defender roof is quite easy to remove compared to other vehicles so many choose this step. Now we have the option of sleeping 2 above and 2 below, but we are all inside the same space. If we push the roof up with together with the mattress we even get standing height inside the car which is absolutely fantastic.
AWNING (Front Runner) – Definitely one of those things without which life on the road would be a little less pleasant. It is not only protection from the sun and heat, it also offers a little more privacy and, of course, protects us from the rain. Since we don’t have much space in the Defender, we are outside most of the day, even when the weather is not the best. We bought it before our first long trip and we have never regretted this investment. You can buy one that covers the side and the back of your vehicle, but so far we are happy with ours, only covering the left side of our car.
HOLDERS AND FOLDING TABLE (Holders manufacturer Offroad-Tec) – For outdoor cooking we installed two holders on the left side of the car, one on each side of our gullwing window. Onto them we then attached a custom-cut wooden countertop which drops down and serves as a cooking area or just a place we put our things onto when we are outside. Many use such holders on the same spot to fix the sand plates which can be combined with an aluminum plate for cooking for example.
GULLWING WINDOW (Front Runner) – We replaced one of the rear side windows with a gullwing window, which is made specifically for Defenders. We installed it ourselves, on the left side of the car, where we also fixed the above-mentioned cooking countertop. The purpose of this window is getting a better connection between the exterior and the interior of the car and it works really well in combination with the drop down countertop outside.
PORTABLE POWER STATION (EcoFlow River 2 Max) – In 2024, we invested in a portable battery generator that allows us to easily connect the EcoFlow solar panel and other electrical accessories as well as charge our electrical devices. Before that, we had a slightly more complex electrical system, so this really simplifies things. The advantage of this station is also that we can also use it in our garden, where we otherwise do not have electricity.
SOLAR PANEL 100W (EcoFlow) – We have one solar panel on the roof from the very beginning. This one is currently charging our new portable power station to which we plug all our electrical devices. Basically mandatory equipment, without which it is for us difficult to imagine longer journeys. So far we are okay with just one panel, it gives us enough power for our needs, but if we ever do a much longer trip we might invest into a second one.
PORTABLE FRIDGE (EcoFlow Glacier) – Having a fridge was quite essential for us since the beginning, because we like to cook and we also like to eat good. So having fresh ingredients has always been a priority. In 2024 we upgraded and replaced our old small Alpicool fridge with a much bigger one that also includes a freezer and ice maker. It does take up much more space but since we now have 2-3 kids with us, having a bigger fridge was essential.
ALUMINUM STORAGE BOX – In order to store things that are not in daily use, we bought a larger aluminum box right from the start at on of the local hardware stores. It is very difficult to get lower boxes, and this one was also much too high for us, so we just cut it ourselves and welded it back to the desired dimensions. At one point we had our solar panel fixed onto the lid of this box in order to maximize the space on our roof. We currently do not have a roof rack on our roof (just 2 bars for the solar panel) so we fix the storage box only when we really need it.
FUEL STOVE (Coleman) – A jackpot for us! At first, we used the usual gas stoves, but it really bothered us when the gas ran out in the middle of cooking, or we simply couldn’t find a suitable cartridge at the location, on top of all that, the gas cartridges are quite expensive and we often had difficulties finding the right places to dispose the empty ones. That’s why we later invested into this great fuel stove with two cooking zones. We carry a 5L can of petrol, which we bought in Sweden in an army shop, and it takes really long before we have to refill it.
SPARE WHEEL BBQ ( Front Runner) – Another brilliant idea, a portable grill that can be attached over the spare wheel or tire. We have had it since our first trip with the Defender and are very satisfied. We especially like the fact that it does not take up any valuable space inside the vehicle and it is big enough to cook a big meal in different pots or pans at the same time.
SPARE TIRE TRASH BAG (Trasharoo) – We wanted this bag for a long time and finally decided to buy it in 2024. It is meant to be fixed over the spare tire on our back door and we fill it up with random things from firewood to dirty clothes, kids toys for outside, dirty dishes and other things.
ROOF BARS (Alu Cab) – Since we no longer have a rooftop tent, we also removed the roofrack that we have been using since we bought the car. It was a bit difficult for us, because now our Landy looks really different without it but we didn’t want to add additional weight to the new pop-top roof and height to the car. We currently only have two crossbars on which the solar panel is attached and there is still enough space for the aluminum box mentioned above.