Roofrack & everything on it
We were looking for correct roof rack for us for some time. There are many roof racks on the market and many looks cool, are lighter than lightest, “tacticool”, ultra low, or without any wind noise - when empty!
We prefer racks welded and powdercoated in one piece rather then racks assembled from multiple pieces. Also we don’t like the idea of having wind fairing at the front (we don’t see any benefit of directing air up and then mounting lights or other stuff in its way) and full lenght legs on the sides as they block valuable access under rack (possibilty of mounting camp/scene lights under it, carrying sand board or table under rack and also they don’t allow cleaning under rack - leaves, branches etc). So rack with 8 single feets is optimal for us. Also we like sturdy racks with more slats with T-groves allowing you to walk on it or bolt stuff to it without need of buying any additional brackets or panels. This allows us to mount variable things where we need them (on top or from bottom) wihout modifications or additional weight of brackets or adaptors. That’s why we chose Flatdog Rax and it has been faultless since.
Next part of roof setup is 270 degrees awning. We prefer tidy look and we are trying to avoid having anything sticking out of car to prevent branches ripping it out, so we went with shorter 2m Howling Moon SwingAwn. Self suported and self contained awning with integrated drop-down legs for longer stays or bad weather. It also has integrated zips for additional wall panels (which we plan to buy in future for longer stays in rainy countries/seasons).
We also carry our 2nd spare on roof held by customised Front Runner bracket and inside of the wheel is hidden our firepit. Yes, it is made from half of stainless steel beer keg, and it works great. No unfolding and folding, stable and movable even with the fire on.
For storing our recovery gear, inflatable kayak and other bits we use ex-army boxes. They are sturdy (you can walk on them), water and dust proof, and have lockable latches. As they are 60 x 60 cm they fit perfectly on 120cm wide roof rack.
At the rear of rack we have lockable Flatdog jerrycan holder with two jerrycans which we powder-coated in white to lower their temperature. Even though it works great and without any rattles or issues, we planning to remove it, and use small (around 20l) underslung diesel tank above spare wheel on chassis which will save us some weight on roof. That will give us around 100l of diesel (1000km range on gravel, less in sand) which is ok, and for really remote places we will temporary carry plastic jerries bought locally.
At the front of rack is pair of recovery boards. We chose Maxtrax, simply because they work and we trust them, which we can’t say about cheap knock-offs. Maxtrax, as our main source of recovery (in combination with old trusty shovel) we don’t take chances and risking being stuck with broken board. This is one (of not many :-) ) pieces of gear where we were not trying to save. Shovel - mounted on the side of rack using two Quick fists.
Underneath the roof rack are bolted 3 pairs of LED lights. (white and red, mainly for camping or manouvering in tight spots in dark). More details about them in section “Electric”. Sometimes we also carry our snowboard sand-board nicely hidden and strapped under the rack.
Around the vehicle…
To the rear part of vehicle dominates Prospeed ladder. With that extra step in lower loop, it is the most usable and comfortable (and probably safe) ladder for Discovery to us. Also it has flat step on top which gives you extra stability before steping on rack. And no, it doesn’t interfere with awning.
We also made and fit one extra bar on it to carry our “dirt bag” (basically small panier bag for carrying rubbish or stuff we don’t want inside).
At rear quaters under windows we attached modified rails for our self made quick table (great for quick cuppa or as Bar). Rails can be also used to mount other gear like case with diesel heater etc. (we used our old genuine roof rails which were removed for fitting roof rack with its own rails)
Last modification is at the front of vehicle. Pair of good spotlights. Again, we usually don’t drive at night but sometimes you have no choice. And that’s when you appreciate good and quality lights. Some say buy once - cry once, and with lights it make sense. ARB Intensity Solis 7”. Great balance between price and specifications (better than some more expensive brands). They are powerful enough and we didn’t want to block airflow to the grill too much, so we went with 7” diameter. They have 5-stage dimmability function - which we at the begining thought is gimmick - but is actually pretty handy. You can adjust the intensity of light via (wired) remote control on the dash depending on driving conditions (snow, dust, etc.).
We designed and fabricated our own steel bracket for the spotlights, which allowed us to mount them permanently. There were two main reasons for it. Unfortunately, all other brackets on the market goes through front grill, which means you have to unbolt your spotlights everytime you need access to clean the radiator or change light bulbs, and than mount spotlights back and adjust them. Also many blocks a lot of space in front of radiator and therefore reducing airflow and cooling ability - not a good solution for us.