Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - New to overland conversion, advice on a dream please?

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The_Edc_Guy

21 Mar 2015 17:29

New to overland conversion, advice on a dream please?

I want to build a long-term (fairly serious) expedition vehicle in the back of a land rover defender 110. My ideas (been thinking about this fr a while, before I got anything down to a forum) are below.

Exterior
Roof bars on top, to support pop-up roof tent of the 'wedge' shape variety (like THIS). I want to use this type because -ideally- I want to mount a solar panel on top and the wiring has to reach down to go through the roof. A 270° awning (like THIS).
Probably a decent aerial (or 2, or 3, or 4 or 5 or 6) as I want a ham radio.

Interior Cab
A decent mobile HAM radio fitted to the dashboard and ideally an iridium satellite phone setup (they do car-specific ones).

Interior Back
-Right (as you look into the back from the back door)
An electric cook hob, a small sink (such as THESE), storage lockers, probably containing electrics for dual batteries/ solar panel among other things.
-Left (as you look into the back from the back door)
Storage lockers, including a taller one like a miniature wardrobe, and a place to keep boots, as well as some flat surfaces with could serve as work space or storage if things were lashed on with bungees. Also a pull-across table and a piece of board which works in exactly the same way but at a lower level to serve as a seat.

Thats about it (sorry its a lot, especially for a first post, but this is an idea I've had for ages and I wanted to do some real work towards looking into).

Questions:
-Insulation?????
-Is any of this entirely impractical?
-If so why?
-and how can I change it to be more realistic?
-any other advice is gratefully received.

Thanks

*I want to thank Chris, if he sees this, he'll know who he is*

tacr2man

21 Mar 2015 19:08

It is perfectly feasible, as mine which has been for the last 29 years.
Is it you or you +1 , as thats about the limit with a 110 , load wise.
The ham radio shouldnt be a problem , I initially went with Hf in Australia, but then changed to Globalstar portable satphone . It is usual to mount the antenna on the bullbar . I had a roof top tent (of my own design). in Australia , but am currently totally in vehicle . I have a side mounted wind out awning , the link on your message doesnt seem to work for the awning , but i take it you mean the rear corner mount that goes along side and round to rear . Just a word of warning any awning can be very susceptible to wind damage, so limited situation where you can use. electric cook hob is a non starter, I use coleman 2 burner petrol , some use gas . I have a stainless sink drainer next along on offside, and in front of that is a chest fridge /freezer unit, compressor type. The rest of interior is a bench seat that slides down to make a double bed (snug for two! ) . There is storage underneath the bed/seat area.
thats one version . there are a multitude, but space is very limited . HTSH

heres another take on it http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...-Pop-Top-build

or another http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?sh...of#entry629339

The_Edc_Guy

21 Mar 2015 20:28

Thanks for that, an excellent welcome considering this is my first post! ^

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https://www.youtube.com/user/edcisaac
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

The_Edc_Guy

22 Mar 2015 19:31

Why is an electric cooker necessarily a non-starter? I thought that just recharging a battery would be easy than finding gas top ups whenever I need them, especially as I hope to have solar energy happening? And... Insulation???

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https://www.youtube.com/user/edcisaac
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

liammons

22 Mar 2015 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Edc_Guy (Post 499395)

Electric cookers draw ridiculous amounts of power. Much easier to use a Coleman petrol stove.

Great cooker, 2 rings and your not going to be anywhere that you can't get fuel for it so much handier than gas

:D

tacr2man

22 Mar 2015 19:48

The energy requirement would flatten a battery in minutes , even american RV's use gas , or in some cases supplement with a microwave oven .
there are three possibles , diesel , petrol or gas . diesel units as used in Yachts are very expensive. gas is reasonable price , but usual problem is supply containers , either compatibility of cartridges , or filling nozzles on fixed tank system . That is why i went for coleman petrol that runs on coleman fuel or unleaded petrol . HTSH

moggy 1968

22 Mar 2015 23:19

we will of course require pics:thumbup1:

The_Edc_Guy

23 Mar 2015 08:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by tacr2man (Post 499399)

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by liammons (Post 499398)

Thanks also

Quote:

Originally Posted by moggy 1968 (Post 499432)

we will of course require pics:thumbup1:

One day....
Soon I hope!

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https://www.youtube.com/user/edcisaac
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

silver G

25 Mar 2015 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Edc_Guy (Post 499288)

Have fun:clap:
Chris

ogb	21 May 2015 10:51

We've just recently returned from a UK-Morocco trip in our 110, fitted out in a similar way to how you plan to do yours. Blog is on this site :[URL="http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/one-ten-to-tan-tan/"]

We debated using white gas (Coleman fuel) in our "kitchen" but as we wanted to be able to keep the cooking inside the vehicle (we live in a midge-infested area) we didn't want the hazard of the occasional "flamer" that we've experienced with petrol stoves. We opted for Camping Gaz in the end and have had no problems with this. Replacement cylinders were readily available in Morocco at a fraction of the UK price. I guess a downside is that pressure can drop a lot in cold climates - like ours - so we keep the cylinder inside the vehicle rather than in an external locker.

Most of the time, if the weather allows, we set up our Cadac grill under the Foxwing awning. Sue can do a Sunday roast on it if necessary. Another great bit of gear that packs into a "tall" Wolf box.

The interior is fitted out using 12mm plywood which flexes enough that nothing falls apart. We also used 2 aluminium containers that airlines store their pre-prepared meals in as cupboards, and they are excellent if you can find them. We remove the 2nd row seats and that makes space for a 2-person sleeping area so we can play like a motorhome if we need to.

Good luck with your project. We're on our 4th "prototype" and constantly refining the idea - great fun.

tacr2man

21 May 2015 18:09

Re the "flamer" problem on colemans , i have a aluminium sheet across the rear of the coleman and it goes up and above the stove and halfway across the roof , as my 2 burner is mounted on the o/s just inside the rear door I also do the light up with the kettle above the ring . This has never caused me any anxious moments in many years . HTSH

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