![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/photos/photo2.jpg)
The Land Rover called Maggie
The decision on which vehicle to use for our overland trip has proved to be a difficult one. Undoubtedly Land Rover Defenders have proved to be the most popular choice for overland trips - this could be argued on the fact that Defenders are so popular in the UK compared to any other 4x4.
My initial thoughts where around using a Land Rover Discovery, a 1993 200Tdi model, which I owned. Unfortunately, the vehicle would have needed many modifications to have prepared it for an overland trip.
Maggie - The Land Rover 110 Defender - click to read the historyLimited funds were available for kitting out the Discovery, so a trip to Inverness was arranged so that I could view Colin Clements Defender 110. Taking a vehicle that is already prepared for overland travel saves a lot of time and money.
Click here for the history of Q803 OST
Here is a detailed overview of Maggie, the Land Rover:
* Model: 110 Defender - Hardtop
* Year: 1991
* Engine: 200Tdi Diesel
* Current Mileage: 142 001 (when we bought her)
* Fuel capacity: 80Ltrs + 40Ltrs spare
* Fuel consumption: 13l/100km (23miles/g) on the road
An extensive amount of work has been carried out on Maggie - read more about each feature below.
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/photos/photo12.jpg)
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![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/rooftent/maggie-rear.jpg)
Cooking facilities
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/cooking/01.jpg)
Generally there are two types of portable stoves available - dual fuel or gas powered. We opted for a dual stove gas cooker, with an integrated grill. Gas is available throughout Africa and is cheap to refill any gas cylinder.
In East Africa, charcoal is available (less than US$3 for 25kg bag).
The left side of the vehicle was easy to sort out as the cupboard fitted perfectly. There was even enough space to fit a water jerry can.
The right side proved a little trickier as I had to disconnect the water filter system and move it to the left. Once that was done, the cupboard slotted in.
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/rear/jetwash-clean.jpg)
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/rear/rear-water.jpg)
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The layout of the cupboards (above pics) did not work, so I moved the left cupboard to the right. This allows for both cupboards to be opened simultanously.
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/cupboards/cupboard-complete-01.jpg)
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/cupboards/cupboard-complete.jpg)
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/cupboards/packed-01.jpg)
Items used:
Cupboards - modified ex-army boxes (bought at Billing) - £40
Wood for Shelving - £20
Loads of drilling & time!
Time: 6 Hours
Side Lockers -
Land Rover Defenders are one of the most versatile vehicles available - expedition kit ranges from long range fuel tanks, dual battery systems, snorkels and the very popular roofrack. Although roofracks serve an excellent role for hosting tents and the odd box of spares, you often see them overloaded with heavy equipment.
Quick Links
Side Lockers
Video clip
A key consideration when designing an overland vehicle is to make sure the centre of gravity is kept low. Overloaded roofracks lift the centre of gravity on the vehicle causing it to become very unstable at speed and in cornering. This can lead to the vehicle rolling and often does!
To keep the weight in the Land Rover as low as possible, we decided to fit two side lockers. Each locker is big enough to fit two jerry cans (20L each) therefore removing about 80kg off the roof.
Foley's Land Rover supplied and fitted the lockers after I decided the job was slightly to complex for me!
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/foley/foley-richard-1.jpg)
Once the hole had been cut, each locker was fitted and pop-riveted in. A stabilising bracket was fitting under the locker and on the side.
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/foley/foley-complete-1.jpg)
The cost:
Side lockers - £125 each (Billing Land Rover show price)
Labour - £160
Hi-lift Jack setup
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/jack/jack-02.jpg)
![](https://www.bigsky-adventures.com/landy/jate-rings/jate-rings-04.jpg)
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Tyre Compressor
An essential item to the equipment list, is a tyre compressor. Lowering tyre pressures in muddy and sandy conditions greatly increases the wheels traction. Normal tyre pressure would normally sink in and spin a deeper hole, yet lowering the tyre pressure increases the tyres ground cover thus giving more traction.
Most Land Rover tyres can be lowered to about 1bar (2bar or above being normal). A soft tyre is not recommended for travel on hard surfaces (gravel or tar roads) as this increases the tyres heat and causes traction loss especially on corning.
The tyre compressor fitted to Maggie gives us the flexibility to quickly and effectively inflate the tyres.
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