adventure and you’re late pulling up to camp. It’s dark it’s raining and there’s

a pride of lions outside. The last thing you want to do is mess about trying to pitch a

tent, or having to climb out on your roof rack to deploy your roof top tent.

So I’ve found the perfect solution to this here in Sydney Australia, at the Expedition

Centre. Check this out. First undo 2 latches

Next push the roof up Your camp is ready for the night.

A pop top conversion allows you to set up camp wherever you are in seconds, without

having to leave your vehicle. The 2 strong gas struts raise the roof with minimal effort.

By incorporating the camper into the roof it reduces excess weight and size and minimises

drag when compared to a roof top tent. This also minimises any change in fuel efficiency

of your vehicle. Due to its low profile the converted vehicle remains container shippable,

which is perfect for international transport to your travel destination.

There is enough room inside the roof cavity to leave all your bedding and mattress set

up, so it’s just a matter of popping the roof and climbing into bed. It comfortably

fits 2 people. The lower bed platform can be raised allowing

you to stand inside your Defender. This is great for when you want to get dressed in

the morning or if the weather outside is poor, you can move around safely inside.

The tent section is made from high quality canvas to stop leaks with fine mesh for air

flow. I have here Daniel from the Expedition Centre

and he’s going to tell us a little more about the pop top roof conversion. Daniel.

Thanks Brett. So I’m touching more on the technical side. It’s a full aluminium construction.

We’re building a lower frame to reinforce the car and a top frame to reinforce the roof

itself. In total we’re adding 160 millimetres to the height of the vehicle. According to

the engineer the vehicle is three times stronger in both length ways and side ways impact after

the conversion. In terms of roof load which is a question I get asked often you can put

a normal roof rack on it. We guarantee normal standard Land Rover weight that you can put

on the roof. So that’s about it. Cool thanks Daniel.

Thanks Brett.

There are several manufactures of Defender pop top campers around the world with similar

designs. The only downside of conversion is the price which starts around the $10000 Australian

mark. But if you intend to go traveling for a year or more, the additional comfort and

convenience may be worth every dollar. For a pop top conversion of your Land Rover

Defender or Land Cruiser Troopy in Australia visit Mulgo.com.au.

And a special thanks to Daniel and the Expedition Centre for allowing me access to their vehicle

and workshop today.