After years of dreaming about our ideal camper setup in a Defender, we only had a couple of months to actually build it before we set off on a month long road trip to Northern Norway. We were pushed for time and money, so we tried to prioritise clever storage and a comfortable sleeping setup whilst also wanting to make the space feel like a home.
We thought we'd have plenty of space but let's be honest, it's not the easiest when the back of a Land Rover is smaller than your average garden shed...
Trying to squeeze in a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom and toilet (in case of emergencies only) was definitely a challenge and despite a few changes we'd like to make, we're pretty chuffed with our little house on wheels.
WHAT WE LOVE
- We decided to go with a super thick mattress and ours was cut from an ikea foam bed and it is SO comfortable!
- Our storage jars are amazing, we fill them at bulk food stores which means our food staples like pasta, rice, lentils etc. are so cheap & completely plastic free. Also, they weirdly don’t klink or make any sound when we’re driving because, unintentionally, we didn't fully screw down the wood behind them so that seems to wedge them in.
- The diesel heater was an expensive purchase but possibly saved our butts on multiple occasions so we 100% have no regrets there.
- The gullwings add extra privacy in the back and less glass which definitely helps with insulation. They are also so nice to have open, hence the frame around them.
- We initially wanted to make cupboard doors but ended up not having time. As a last minute decision, we used bungee cords and these worked perfectly and we'll definitely end up keeping them. They make it super easy to grab stuff and cupboard doors would be extra, unnecessary weight. We've already got a lot of wood.
- Vinyl flooring was a no-brainer, especially when we had to wipe up muddy paw prints and oat milk explosions.
WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE
- The thick mattress means we lost more headspace than anticipated (but maybe a pop top would solve this )
- Our £8 water pump tap for the jerry can leaked absolutely everywhere (everyday!!) so a built in tap/water storage system with a sink is literally on the top of our list. No more washing up outside please.
- The under-bed storage wasn't easily accessible and always a headache to get into.
- Putting up the walls themselves was the hardest part of the entire build. This was also the last thing we did, with only a day to finish them. In the end, we didn't manage to neaten the edges and finish them how we wanted, so we might end up redoing them but the thought of having to recut those window holes is stressful enough...
- White painted walls was never going to be a good idea with a muddy dog involved but the Pinterest dream got the better of us... how do all these people keep their campers so clean?!
WHAT PLANS DO WE HAVE FOR OUR LAND ROVER?
- Our long term goal for the Land Rover has always been a pop-top roof. We love how it would maximise the internal space and you don’t have to go outside to get into bed... But they are painfully expensive, which is what makes a roof top tent so tempting instead.
- A water tank with a sink and running water (preferably heated) would be amazing. Bonus points if we can get a shower in there too!
- Easier access to the interior storage would make everyday life a lot easier, but this could be solved if we made better use of the roof rack to store bigger items.
Does anyone have any solutions or recommendations for products or ways to improve our camper? Comment below! We'd love to hear from you 🙂
January 6, 2020
Love this! Some really clever storage solutions, especially the jars!! For the short amount of time you had doing it and without doing a test trip first I think it’s really impressive! Great job guys!
January 15, 2020
Thank you so much! It was definitely stressful working to a deadline but I think that’s what we needed to get it done 🙂 The jars are our favourite toooo!
August 11, 2020
Hi! In one picture there’s a double bed and in another it looks like you have a L shaped sofa. Do you have both? If so, how? Look amazing but logistically I’m a little confused!
August 15, 2020
Hey! yes we have both as we have a wooden panel that sits across the walkway bit to make it into a double bed 🙂 We have some plans that show it a little better on another blog post here > https://somewherewilder.com/2019/08/06/land-rover-defender-campervan-build-plans/
Let us know if you have any more questions!
August 26, 2020
That build looks great! I wish there were more photos, especially of the kitchen area. How do all these jars not break? How do you keep your cutlery, plates, pots etc. organised and not swinging around when you drive? I currently live in a Pajero but we built a permanent double bed platform to have more storage. It’s been a year and our kitchen is still just a bunch of unorganised boxes underneath the bed. My biggest fear are the jars, every time we go on a very bumpy dirt road I have visions of broken glass and grains of rice flying everywhere, ha! Anyway, you’ve done a great job, it looks super cosy!
November 17, 2020
Hey!
Yeah we were also so worried about the jars, but we built that section to the exact size of the Kilner jars we have so that sit properly wedged in there, they never rattle or anything which is very lucky. We’re planning to go a video of the build soon on our new Youtube account so it’ll be easier to see things upclose! Hopefully that will help ☺️
Frida & Leo
September 6, 2020
Hi Frida, we changed our internal layout early 2018 after our travels through Scandinavia. We can now sleep inside or in warmer places in our roof tent. The diesel heater has to be the best bit of kit, closely followed by our LifeSaver Jerrycan. You’re right about the wilder places the Defender can take you. If you always use OEM or Original parts then you’ll always have a reliable home!
November 17, 2020
Hey guys! Thanks so much for your comment☺️
We totally agree about having a place inside to live and sleep, it was the most important part for us because on longer trips its no nice to feel at home!
And yes, pretty sure the diesel heater saved our lives multiple times on our Norway Trip!
November 12, 2020
I’ve had my 110 for nearly 25 years, its had a couple of fitted interiors I designed and built around plastic storage boxes used as ‘support’ for a platform that sat on top. This allowed the whole lot to be removed when needed, and careful design allowed the larger storage boxes (with the section of sleeping platform on top) used as a table outside the vehicle, with smaller storage boxes as bases for chairs using the thermarest mattress with chair kit. This enabled the storage system to do multiple things, saving space, and using light materials (thin plywood carefully braced and supported).
This evolved into the need for a pop-top, and like you, the expense was prohibitive. So I looked at available aluminium extrusions and decided to build my own. I have no workshop and no real access to heavy tools or lifting kit so it had to be able to be built outside my house on the drive. Got a local alloy welder friend to do the welds as my steel welding skills are ok but alloy needs better kit, but the design I came up with minimised complexity and utilised easily achievable home-diy build techniques. It worked!
There’s a full build thread here with all the designs, materials used and guidance, fully illustrated (you need to sign up to the forum, no charge but a simple registration process) : https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/making-a-ifting-roof-on-a-110.117809/
There’s a video on the build here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htYHDaUqeTY
I live in the far north of the UK and work out of the vehicle in remote areas on work projects in all seasons, often in winter, and the fabric roof, whilst great in summer, proved problematic in winter weather. It never ever leaked but condensation could build up in certain conditions and when the wind blew it would not only be really noisy and kept us awake but would spatter condensation into the interior of the vehicle, which wasn’t ideal. So after several years of using it….I decided to go down another route.
After a lot of consideration of clip-in sides, and add-on insulation I thought I’d try a novel approach with hard sides extending down over the OUTSIDE of the existing 110 sides and bolted to the lifting roof so when the roof is lifted the hard sides come into play. You can see that additional build in the linked video and on the end of the linked article.
All of this weighs less than a large roof tent and 110 roof rack (I designed the roof rack as an integral part of the lifting roof as a strengthening aspect as well as flexible roof rack system). As the weight is kept relatively low it has not affected vehicle handling (not top heavy) and is low profile so not a huge fuel penalty.
You can see that evolution at the end of the linked article above, and there’s a video (no sound) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7lG1V6eaPc
Good luck with your build – maybe some of these ideas will be useful!
Cheers!
John
November 17, 2020
Wow John that’s so incredible! A pop-top always feels like the best option but why are they so eye-wateringly expensive?! We’re definitely going to look at your idea, so innovative!
Thanks so much for the tips,
Frida & Leo
January 24, 2021
Hi Frida and Leo,
Like your Landry and enjoyed reading about your adventures. I have a 110 and am thinking of gullwing doors too. Which brand or type did you instal? Thanks
Tom
April 20, 2022
Heyy, they actually came with the car when we bought it so aren’t 100% sure but they look exactly like the ones that Latitude Overland sell so we think it might be those!🤗