Storage of Gear

Improperly stored gear in a 4WD can cause more than just an annoyance if things start moving about. Over rocky ground and steep inclines, gear that is unstable can shift and cause injury to the passengers or lodge itself under the driver's feet hampering control of the vehicle. This section offers advice of how to store gear, safely and that allows convenience to you when stopping for short breaks.

The use of a floor to ceiling cargo barrier is the best way to stop objects from entering the passenger compartment should things go awry.  The cargo barrier also allows you to pack objects above the level of the seat back - all the way to the ceiling if necessary.  Never pack objects above the level of the seat back if you do not have a cargo barrier.

Purchase some plastic "storage bins" for storing all that loose gear such as food, clothes, accessories, cooking and eating utensils, etc.  The best choice are the bins that slide into their own frame and then can be stacked on top of each other.  The other choice is where the one frame holds two or more plastic "drawers".  When you set-up camp, you can remove the bins and stack them in the tent or outside under cover of an awning - this leaves the rear of the vehicle less congested for those away-from-camp trips.

The ultimate storage problems can be found using chuck wagon style storage.  These are purpose built to suit your needs.  You can build them yourself or have them pre-made and delivered to you for easy assembly.  Drawers store away those loose items.  A slide-out tray can accommodate a 2-way fridge.

A roof rack (basket) comes in handy for storing the larger, bulky items, such as tents and sleeping bags.  Roof racks come in various sizes, materials, and a large range of prices.  You can get light carry baskets for under $200, steel baskets from about $400 and aluminium baskets from about $600.  It all depends on the size, so for a full-length aluminium basket you'll probably pay close to $1,000.

An essential piece of gear that should be purchased if you purchase a roof rack is a rack bag or roof bag (same thing, different name).  These can range in price from under $200 to over $400 depending up size and the material used.  Bags made with Tarpol(tm) are more expensive.  The bags should come with tie-downs attached, and these are used to tie down the bag to the roof rack.  A large industrial-strength zipper, either opening at one end only or a continuous one that opens three sides, allows you to place objects inside the bag and then to close it.  The zippered opening should face the rear of the vehicle, to both aid in ease of storage and to offer better weather protection in the event of a downpour.

If you don't have a roof bag for your roof rack, then you'll need a tarpaulin to cover your load, and then some way of tying it down.  This is the least expensive option, but is more fiddly than the bag.  However the bag only allows a certain amount of objects in it whereas, depending upon the size of the tarpaulin, you can stack far more on the roof rack using a tarpaulin by stacking it higher.  Remember though, that the higher the objects on the roof, the more unstable the vehicle becomes and far more wind resistance will cause less fuel economy.  Don't go crazy and stack too high - the safety aspect of the vehicles handling must be paramount.

When using a roof bag or tarpaulin, you'll need to place a piece of packing ply on the bottom of the basket on which to lay the bag or tarpaulin.  If you lay the bag or tarpaulin directly on the wire basket, over time the movement of the vehicle will wear through the bag or tarpaulin.  Any timber supplier can provide a piece of ply the right size.  A tip is to make the ply the same size at the bottom of the basket and round the corners of the ply to allow it to be placed inside the basket frame.

A tarpaulin should be long enough and wide enough to cover the load and allow at least 1 foot of overlap to tuck in at the rear and sides.  A set of four tie-downs will cost about $25.  These tie-downs should be made of woven belt material and have non-slip self-locking clasps.  An addition is a heavy duty cargo net but a net can't be used on it's own as it wont hold down the load on the roof at 100 kph.

When covering a load on the roof with a tarpaulin, lay the tarpaulin so that a small amount is at the back and the sides and the long length to be folded over the load is laid out towards the front of the vehicle.  Allow enough at the rear and sides to be folded up and under the cover as you fold back the cover over the load.  Tuck in the front corners like a bed, with the fold outside the cover and facing to the rear.  What you are doing is making it totally waterproof - any water falling on the cover from above and from the front (while driving) will not run inside the cover but will fall away down the sides which are tucked under the cover.

When packing the roof at home, don't use a stool to help you, unless you intend taking the stool with you on your trip!  Use the side runners and rear bumper to stand on.  With some makes of vehicles you can use the top of the rear tyres to stand on, if there is enough room between the tyre and wheel arch.  Caution: when someone is standing on a tyre in this way, there is a limited gap between the tyre and wheel arch - remember that the load will make the wheel arch drop lower as you stack it and if anyone stands on or gets into the vehicle they will also cause the wheel arch to lower suddenly, so don't get your feet crunched in this fashion!!!  Where the rear tyre is attached to the rear door, the mounts should be strong enough so that you can stand on that tyre and very easily reach the roof area - ask your dealer if the mounts will allow this.  There is also a handy gadget that hooks over the top of the rear wheels and provides a step - it folds away for easy storage.

Do not put heavy items on the roof of the vehicle.  The center of gravity will be affected and the handling characteristics of the vehicle will be altered dramatically even on highway driving around curves.  The affect will be dramatised when journeying over rough terrain where the body roll of the vehicle may be exaggerated to the point where rollover occurs.  Don't think that new body-roll technology, such as Land Rover's Active Cornering Enhancement, will save the day  - it won't - the excessive weight will override the affect of those technologies.

Only place lighter objects on the roof, such as tents, sleeping bags, clothes, etc.  You'll find these items will quickly fill your rack bag and leave plenty of freed-up space in the back for the heavy items.  When packing these heavy items, put them on the floor of the vehicle cargo area.  Large items such as tent poles and fold-up picnic tables can be pushed up against the rear seat.

An alternative to loading up the rear cargo area and/or roof rack, is the use of a small off-road trailer.  These trailers can be as simple as a box trailer with off-road suspension, or camper trailers where a bed and tent arrangement folds out with storage under the bed area.  Jerry can holders can be attached.  A slide-out stove and serving table combination can be in-built.  Storage tanks for water can be added.  For the camper trailer set-up, there is amble storage under the bed where you would find it easier if you used plastic storage bins to store all your gear except the bulky items.

If you choose a simple box trailer, don't forget to pack heavy items on the floor over the axle area.  Distribute the weight of the entire load so that the weight is not mostly  at the rear or front - this will cause an uncontrollable trailer swing at highway speeds.  A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to lift the trailer at the tow bar with not too much effort but still have enough weight on the tow ball so that the tow bar is not jumping up and down on the ball as you drive along.