Land Rover ideas for Jeeps
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Every time I see an interior photo of a Defender that's been converted to a camper I wonder if it would be possible to build a Wrangler interior like this. This seems like a very comfy and functional interior.
Defender interiors aren't that much larger than a JKU interior but there's no roll bar taking up lots of space in a Defender, the roof is a bit higher, the inner fenders are much lower and the hardtop sides are more vertical and the cargo area without rear seats is a bit longer but overall it really isn't all that much larger.
BTW this is the interior of the yellow Land Rover pictured in this post: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/land-rover-ideas-for-jeeps.218029/page-34#post-2873576
Defender interiors aren't that much larger than a JKU interior but there's no roll bar taking up lots of space in a Defender, the roof is a bit higher, the inner fenders are much lower and the hardtop sides are more vertical and the cargo area without rear seats is a bit longer but overall it really isn't all that much larger.
BTW this is the interior of the yellow Land Rover pictured in this post: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/land-rover-ideas-for-jeeps.218029/page-34#post-2873576
jscherb
Expedition Leader
When the Defender was last sold in the U.S., it was called the NAS version (North American Spec) and it came with an external roll cage.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I agree, it would be a very good starting point for a tilt-up Jeep camper top.
BTW I'm 6' 6" and I can stand up in the trailer with the top popped as you can see in this shot with the canvas removed. Compare the height of the trailer and the height of the Jeep and I think it shows that I'd be able to stand up in the Jeep with the pop-top installed.
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jscherb
Expedition Leader
Check the open tailgate on the back of the trailer - notice how high it is from the ground and then check the height of the bottom of the Jeep tailgate, they're roughly the same distance from the ground. I stand by my statement (pun intended
) that I could stand up in a Wrangler with a pop-top like this installed on the roof.
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
The interior of my JKU was modelled after a 110 owned by a French couple who went around the world who I convoyed with for a bit of Central and South America. I shipped with them from Panama to Colombia in a 40 foot container, and spent a few rainy evenings in the back of their 110 playing cards in Colombia.
I believe my JKU is probably the best attempt at a "livable" interior from a JKU without some kind of custom box, tub modifications or really out-of the box design/thinking (i.e. AEV outpost II, etc.)
The JKU rear is about a foot shorter than the 110, and the top of the roof is a foot lower, and it tapers in so much it's a foot narrower. The 110 is really a big square box, while the JKU (and JLU) are anything but square. The tapering sides means it has significantly less interior volume. In Mali I camped next to a "camperized" 110 and we spent a couple of hours with a tape measure on them side by side, and climbing from one to the other. There really is no comparison.
I can sit in the back of mine and use the laptop and everything perfectly when the roof is open, though when the roof is closed it's barely workable.
If I had made my bench seat lower, and if I were shorter, it would work, but really only *just*.
I came to the conclusion that Jeeps are barely only just workable for what I did, and that a 110 or a LC Troopie provides WAY more interior volume for "living", while having mostly similar external dimensions in the ways that matter. (Wheel base, width, overall length, height). You can still put it in a container and drive down small tracks, and you still have four wheels on the ground. So it kind of makes sense to have the extra living space, if that's your goal.
-Dan
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
I stand by my statement (pun intended
I'm 6'2" and my head is nowhere near hitting the open roof when I walk around in the back of my JKU with the Ursa Minor popped up.
You'd have tons of headroom clearance, until you walked forward towards the back of the front two seats.
-Dan
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Dan,The interior of my JKU was modelled after a 110 owned by a French couple who went around the world who I convoyed with for a bit of Central and South America. I shipped with them from Panama to Colombia in a 40 foot container, and spent a few rainy evenings in the back of their 110 playing cards in Colombia.
I believe my JKU is probably the best attempt at a "livable" interior from a JKU without some kind of custom box, tub modifications or really out-of the box design/thinking (i.e. AEV outpost II, etc.)
The JKU rear is about a foot shorter than the 110, and the top of the roof is a foot lower, and it tapers in so much it's a foot narrower. The 110 is really a big square box, while the JKU (and JLU) are anything but square. The tapering sides means it has significantly less interior volume. In Mali I camped next to a "camperized" 110 and we spent a couple of hours with a tape measure on them side by side, and climbing from one to the other. There really is no comparison.
I can sit in the back of mine and use the laptop and everything perfectly when the roof is open, though when the roof is closed it's barely workable.
If I had made my bench seat lower, and if I were shorter, it would work, but really only *just*.
I came to the conclusion that Jeeps are barely only just workable for what I did, and that a 110 or a LC Troopie provides WAY more interior volume for "living", while having mostly similar external dimensions in the ways that matter. (Wheel base, width, overall length, height). You can still put it in a container and drive down small tracks, and you still have four wheels on the ground. So it kind of makes sense to have the extra living space, if that's your goal.
-Dan
That's very helpful, thanks for the info! Any chance you have a photo from outside looking into the open tailgate and/or a photo from the front seat looking back like the Land Rover interior photo I posted earlier?
Jeff
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
I filmed a massive review video this summer, but somehow I didn't open up the bed entirely, so when I'm standing up it's not all the way "Wide Open".
Here's a good shot from the tailgate looking forward without the roof on so you can really see:
(The Ursa Minor (and the stock hard top) sit about an inch away from the roll bar... so you can imagine putting a solid surface all around on the outside of the roll bar.
... I don't think I've ever taken a photo from the front seat looking back.
From 12:46 onwards in this video you can see the interior space quite well.
-Dan
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Thank you!I filmed a massive review video this summer, but somehow I didn't open up the bed entirely, so when I'm standing up it's not all the way "Wide Open".
Here's a good shot from the tailgate looking forward without the roof on so you can really see:
(The Ursa Minor (and the stock hard top) sit about an inch away from the roll bar... so you can imagine putting a solid surface all around on the outside of the roll bar.
... I don't think I've ever taken a photo from the front seat looking back.
From 12:46 onwards in this video you can see the interior space quite well.
-Dan