Defender layout FINAL VERSION

Many of the people I meet on the road observe that the Defender is quite packed, and that everything seems to have a place, both of which observations are 100 percent true. In fact, it is so packed with essential, discretionary and contingency items that I have to resist people giving me things to take along.

Below is a map of the Defender's lower level and roof rack to give you a sense of how packed it is and how everything has a place.  The index merely describes the label for what is where. To see the actual contents of the various bags, boxes, containers and in a few instances installed equipment (air compressor, winch, differential lock controls, etc.)  see my To Take list.

As my trips proceed, some items from the various containers also ride loose in the cab or the rear, and those are not mentioned here. Needless to say, during the course of a day's drive, things get rather chaotic in the rear. But no matter how packed Donner's rear bed gets, he always manages to find a nice comfortable spot for him to take a rest, even if it means resting on top of whatever happens to be in his bed. ( I lost many bananas due to his indifference to what he is lying on.)

For the first several road trips, I weighed each of the containers to make sure that the weight was evenly distributed on the roof rack and in the rear. Since I rarely add something without subtracting something else, the weight of the total contents has pretty much stayed the same over the nine trips. I estimate now that I carry 500 pounds of gear on the roof rack and another 500 inside. I am sure that at least 50% of that weight is for emergencies, and another 20% to avoid having to do frequent resupplying along that way. My hope is to never have to use the emergency supplies and gear, but knowing it is there gives me confidence to go places I might not otherwise go.

If the Defender looks packed in the below map, that's because it is packed. There is literally no space unused except as few inches on the roof rach. I try to keep the stuff inside below the window level, but I am not always successful in doing that with the resulting decrease in rear and side visibility, but so far I have managed.

ED

PS - I have been trying to pull together this map during and after the pervious eight road trips. Finally, I got to it.  I can now use this to organize for the next road trip. I can think of several changes already that I will make to the organization.


Note: Map is not necessarily to scale or to shape.  Colors are used only to delineate the different containers.

HOOD AND INSIDE

 

ROOF RACK LEVEL