mate found ur channel late last year. i am not into 4x4ing at all, just like the places everyone was going to but i am tied of the bullshit vehicles and the dumb stuff that was happening. for me its so refreshing to c u 4x4ing in a fairly stock 4x4 with some mods in all the same places the other channels go with these bullshit $200.000 plus set ups and the carry ons they go on with. please dont change wat ur channel is bout, simplicity 4x4ing. cheers.
The weight sneaks up so quickly! I just picked up the bushman 85 for the same reason - so much lighter than a chest fridge on a drop slide and really nicely made.
Tyler I have the 85L Bushman and it is brilliant. In recent weeks I have been parked up on the beach in 35C opening and closing the fridge all day to get drinks etc. The issue of losing the cold air sounds reasonable but in reality it is not a problem. Weight and access benefit is far greater than any cold air loss.
that what ive research last night looked most of youtube clips i was planning to get engel fridge slide drop. too much money and more weight! nah stuff this and CHANGE MY MIND getting bushman 85L!!!! and problay to get draw fridge too!
another great little video...nice to see you thinking "do i really need that weight" far too many 4x4's with too much "stuff" in them ! Regarding your fridge set up, have you looked at fridge drawers ? engel do a 30l 19kg one, think eva cool do one as well, , couple of those side by side, one with beer, the other with more beer (ha ha !) might work better than heavy drop slides etc.....if your thinking light weight set-up, look at every item you have, for example, the drifta chair is 7.5kg, helinox chair 1.3kg (macpac do their cheaper version 1.2kg) do that on all your gear and its amazing how much weight you can save. spend the money on quality gear not gvm upgrades, less likely to get stuck, better fuel economy etc, cheers...ps looking forward to your video around Ophir and if you crossed Root Hog Crossing after that heavy rain we had down here...cheers Graeme
@@paulthoroughgood7590 I think it was said in good fun for a laugh not disrespecting Tyler or his misses. Besides it was put into the video for visual effect. Great work too. 🍺
@@darrenc4096 I understand that it was meant in fun, and I don't mean to sound like a total do gooder or what not, but it's not cool. If YOUR wife or daughter wears a bikini to the beach, are you all good with a bunch of guys pointing and making comment? It's a youtuber to you but to them it may come across different. Just food for thought
Go the bushman 85l bro, we run one in our canopy, work well offroad, don't seem to find things falling off the shelves, worth the money and weight saving
Love it, big upgrade from the tub. One thing, perhaps you could of extended the jerry can holders towards the rear and made them 2 deep to give you capacity for 4. So then you can run 2 in one holder and firewood in the other, or your wet towels, dirty recovery gear etc. 👍
You don't lose much coldness when you open a front door fridge. The coldness is held in the "thermal mass" of the contents....NOT the air. So, as long as you've got a fair bit of stuff in the fridge, you won't be making the fridge work harder when you open it. Not only do you get rid of the heavy fridge and slide, you also get rid of the need for a separating "wall" to stop stuff falling in when you slide the fridge out. I did away with a drop slide + 60 litre Engel and a aluminium surround. That all weighed 100kg and I replaced it with a 23kg Engel upright, 55 litre
I have the same. Once you get one you will wonder why you didn’t have one sooner. I have a similar setup to you and the weight and space saving in the canopy is amazing.
Love your work. Lots of people can relate to your approach and the simplicity of the build. We have a tub with a canopy and use a tarp on the back tailgate to control the dust. Fridge slide with a mesh cage around it to shop stuff jamming the slide and it works well. Battery box in the rear with dc to dc charger inside cabin which keeps it cool and clean. 1 drawer only in tub. Keep your electrical in the cab. Carry extra water in the car for your desert trip.
You could remove a single rear seat and make some sort of draws or storage in its place. I'd keep batteries in the car to save space in the canopy. Inverter could be mounted somewhere where the rear seat was
I removed one of my rear passenger seats and made a simple frame to place my fridge on, its light weight and easy to access and that weight is in a nice place, maybe that’s an option
The rig is looking awesome mate! Tweaking is the fun part and clearly you’ve thought through a lot of issues relating to your particular lifestyle and usage. Well done and another great vid👍
Another good fireside report Tyler - no you’ve made the same correct decision I have recently with my 2010 Hilux - after two rear ARB canopy window smashes I decided to remove the tub and fibreglass canopy - bought a slightly damaged virtually new 1800mm aluminium tray with dropsides on Gumtree for $800 and then got across SA/VIC border during ‘open window’ period and bought 1600mm canopy with reinforced insides and four jack points for $3k in Laverton 2.5mm checker plate two side doors (Adelaide company was asking over $4500 for same canopy) - I will hammer-tone black myself - installing trundle draw and under-tray draws as well (Ebay) - so with a saving of $2-3000 I was able to get Redarc, Engel and Lithium dual battery system and other good quality units - big sliding drawers are too heavy and not necessary for a canopy - being short I can now reach everything which was a pain with the ARB canopy side and rear windows - many folk are ditching them and the tub for this better setup - I went with four jacks liftoff system so I could still have use of tray for domestic tasks - John in SA
Another great video... Just on the fridge. You are right on the storage options; there are numerous ways to partition the food and drinks inside; just a matter of organisation. Regarding the 'cold air dropping out' when opening an upright fridge, yes, that causes a 'slight' inefficiency. However, the thermal storage capacity of the food and drinks in the fridge is far greater than the air and plays a bigger role in cooling the fridge down again when closed. So the loss of air is negligible to terms of efficiency, even more so when the fridge is well-stocked. Plus, ease of access in the upright means it might be open for less time than a chest fridge, which sometimes needs rearranging when getting to the lower layers of items. So, given there is no big difference in cooling efficiency, your points on cost and weight do certainly favour the upright. Sorry for the long comment... Good luck dude.
Hi mate I’ve just swap over to a evacool draw fridge 40l. Used to have a 40 l Engel on a msg drop down slide. You can Mount another on top if you need more room.one as a freezer They work extremely well
Thanks for talking about the weight and being legal. It’s not often you hear about this on other videos. Mate loaded his Prado up as he would for a trip and got it weighed with him and his son. Amazing how close he was to his GVM.
What a sexy admirable man.... My trips are day trips around the state, and I carry 4 x 5 liter water containers in the rear boxes (2 containers in each), with wrapping to stop abrasion wearing through them over time, AND 2.5 liters in the cockpit, and usually a few extra old drink bottles. I am very mindful of going into "excessively" difficult circumstances, such as if I REALLY must travel and it's 45*C and it's 10 K's between the farm houses etc... The people who drive with a single 1.25 liter bottle of coke, for four people - they can so easily DIE of dehydration and heat stroke.... and I don't. So good on you for making a point of carrying a LOT of water....
100% go the Bushman fridge. Just note the only comprise is up north the fridge (any fridge) struggles to get lower than 3 degrees. This is where fridge/freezer is better up north because you can go in the minus; and then up north you get a beauty 1 degree for beers 👌🏽 Also consider a Evakool fridge drawer; it’s great!!!
Super glad you touched on the standup fridge, I was gonna get one a while back but thought it wouldn't work because I never saw anyone else using them. They seem like such a better idea.
K.I.S.S principle, with your fridge we use the Sistema containers you can buy in Coles, they stack together well keep everything in place and retain the cold air this would help with an upright fridge, we have a 40L Engel on a slide this has worked good for the two of us for the last 16 years. Keep the electrics behind the rear seat. All good mate, tidy truck.
Nice rig mate. Small suggestion on the audio. It’s up and down like a bride’s nightie. Snapping from boom to bust is hard on the🦻’s, especially with 🎧’s. Suggest adding a noise filter & gain limiter over your final cut before output to video. 🦾
Don't forget with an upright fridge you'll also lose the weight of your existing fridge slide. Decision has already been made as far as I'm concerned, you've got me thinking about one now. Better talk to them and set us up a referral code!
Have you considered the fridge drawers? I've had drop slides, tilt slides, no slide, and have gone to an Engle fridge drawer. Evakool do a few big ones. The drawers are a great use of space and weight is good, price is comparable to a stand-up. Condensation build up is not noticeable but will worth the compromise.
I love the canopy i have now its built by great western golden chain and few others best nights sleep air con shower even breaky if you want it and i think i am about 40 grand ahead works good
Hi Tyler I ran the Dometic 110ltr upright and honestly I could not fault it's performance. I now also run a second 95ltr brass Monkey dual zone which I keep for all freezer
I reckon if you go with the stand up fridge you will have room behind it for you battery set up because the fridge won’t be as long anymore, there for you are not really taking up room for your other plans in the canopy and if you where to set up a draw/shelf on drivers side with 240 socket and allocate that for you camera gear ect, than when your playing around with it, at least you are under your canopy out of the way of the elements rather than trying to go in the back door of the car leaning in and out, one other thing on the divider your thinking about putting in between each side of the canopy, on the back half you could possibly you could hinge it and put a latch on so if you wanted to put something longer across the back of the canopy you have the option of swinging the divider open on the back end of the canopy. Love the beard, keep up the good work mate love watching your vids 🤙🤙
Swapped from a slide out Engel like yours mate to an 85L bushman's and I'll never look back. Just stack it properly and keep smaller loose items in containers (which makes for nice veggies and fruit anyway) and it will be no dramas. Mine runs 24/7 for work and has done multiple days in 35+ and it's been using less power then my Engel by a mile.
Even with a canopy your natural inclination is to just throw stuff in 😂 Love it. Weight is so important. When I try to work out what I’ll do I see every addition as a negative offset by some value 😂
Nice one mate, I really like the canopy and what you have done. I think with the upright fridge and then just the shelf and dividers on the other side with the bags it will work good 👌👌
Sounds like it worked out well them not finishing the canopy 100%, gave you time to test it. Now you will have it set up perfect for you. Nice and simple set up 👍
The upright fridge sounds like the goods! Weight and price would outweigh any temp loss due to opening which seems, from people’s experience, no issue. The tucker box style seems like another thing that people just get because everybody else does.
A desert trip? You'll need more fuel. You'll be a fish out of water out there, very few places for your daily swim, it's dry and dusty with a crap load of corrugations on all the roads leading into it, and flies everywhere. Also, it's advisable to have a second spare because the roads are tyre killers. I once had 3 flats in one day on the Oodnadatta Track. If it rains, the mud is like nothing you've ever seen before, your car will get 200kgs heavier and you'll have to chip it off like concrete when it dries. Strangely, I love it out there, big clear sky and brilliant colours.....and the stars......my God!
Another alternative to the under tray drawer is to just have an under tray cupboard. i.e. just a drop down door and with floor and sides. It is not as easy to access stuff as a drawer but saves weight (no drawer slides) and cost. Mine houses 4 maxtrax, long handle shovel, recovery gear and BBQ plate.
Great video - thanks. I understand weight is an issue but you really want to move the battery and inverter out of the cabin in case of an accident. If either of those broke loose I hate to think what they would do to you, or any of your passengers. Sometimes safety trumps wants. Victron - great inverters. I use one for my off the grid house - worth every $$$$. Don't buy a fridge with a see through door, they look great but they use more energy. Don't take my word for it, check this before purchase.
Once you get your water tank, if the Jerry can holders are removable then you could put open boxes in their place to put firewood dirty gear etc. Like a couple of aluminium milk crates made to fit the space. Swap with Jerry cans as setup requires.
Awesome vid mate just fitted my new canopy out diy. 80l Engel upright 28 kg is what I used and was nearly 10 kg lighter than my old Engel standard fridge it’s all abit daunting when you start but whatever works for your setup is the way I went
All the kids say " If your dad doesnt have a beard then you've got two mums" Seriously good set up, thinking about the upright fridge for my next build for all the same reasons. Angled tool boxs are a must for me, compressor in one and recovery gear in the other and shouldn't get you hung up.
Great infomation. My thoughts Yes go for the upright fridge frezzer I love mine (64L Engle) & it runs all the time off 2x 120Ah batteries (in the canopy) with the car only driven in the weekends. No solar yet. The less internal fit out the better both for weight & for changing set up. (trying new things) I have only hit my side boxes once & that was when a log flicked up from driving over it on a river bed. I have my fire extinger & first aid in one & gas canasters & a few tools in the other. I am looking forward to the next update.
I think the upright fridge would be good cause you don’t go flogging your car on the tracks, you’re more touring. Maybe look at a lithium battery for inside the canopy. They’re a lot more slimline. But unfortunately a bit more expensive.
Agree with the fridge but I've been bitten before on a long trip when my fridge died and I was 2 days from a servo with ice so lost all my frozen stuff. I now run 2 x 30 litre fridges in the case one dies I have a back up.
I like your ideas, I'd recommend ocam mirrors over Clearview as they are the exact same except ocams half the price. Also recommend airbags, I love my airbag man to suit 2 Inc rear.
Awesome slo-mo of the river crossing right at the end! A great informative vid yet again. I'm not in a position to get a tray and canopy but heck, I feel like if I was in the market, I'd be a lot better informed now :)
Canopy and tray suits you well mate, glad you are happy. Be great to get the under tray water tank in soon. Maybe someone can make you a bracket to get the inverter up between the back seat head rests in the centre.
upright fridge you say . . . . . sounds like a pretty sweet deal - lighter and cheap and probably a shit ton easier to stack and use. yeah will lose a bit of cold air but meh . . . bigger battery in the worst case scenario, but you drive every day anyway! DRIFTA are gonna have a field day with your drawer setup! Lucky bugga! Enjoy it all mate - youve earned it!
A stand up fridge is a no-brainer to cut weight down. I was going to do the same in my Nav before I decided to trade it. Rear toolboxes can be just for dirty/wet stuff......
Bro, go the bushman's. My bro just got the 130L in the back of his patrol canopy. It works a treat. I'll be getting the 85L for my wagon. To me it's a no brainer.
Talking to a tradie the other day who had just spent a good sum on his canopy and internals. Said he and his wife go out for a month at a time. Had spent a year getting the spend sorted. Yet he admitted that even with a GVM upgrade they really didn't get their food/water/clothes/misc gear weights right. Their option as they saw it was to ditch the Alucab RTT and go back to a swag. Could be your saviour in the weight race, both in GVM and weight up high.
Nice review Tyler. I’m going tub canopy setup purely for the price and spending a little bit more on a drifter fridge slide and draw set up. Gotta go with what suit’s you adventure! My dream machine is totally different $$$$ to my getaway rig right now! Love ya work
Noice vid. Looking at doing something similar in near future. In hindsight would it be better with an Extended Cab rather than dual cab for maybe a larger Canopy or moving weight forward ??
I was in the same situation as you with weight and changed from a waeco 50l and tilt slide to the 85l bushman and its a great, wouldnt change a thing. I also got fridge bars off ebay which are adjustable and holds loose cans to the back of the fridge.
Trundal draw ads heaps of weight and you loose space. Just make it a storage area and use plastic tray. Keep shovel and max tracks in their too. Never use a drop down slide, way too heavy. Bedding should be in the RTT. Need to get RTT further forward and leave a platform at the back to enter tent. Marty from Perth
Great video Tyler. Very informative. Nice little scene at12.27. you and your boy having lunch IN a little babbling brook. Nice touch. I can imagine that ice box being a real pain in the butt. You either need a ladder, (which is not practical) or a drop down rack. But I'm inclined to agree with you about the upright fridge. So you lose a little bit of cold air. I'm sure you could put up with that for the added convenience, and lowering of weight.
Why not try getting a full time reverse camera interior mirror?! I have a decent one in my ute and it makes the world of difference being able to check who is sitting behind you.
Quick comment I hate to disagree but you can keep under your GVM if you don’t overload with unnecessary gadgets. Also depends on the vehicle you have. I have a simple set up, I bought a basic 1800mm 3 door canopy out of Melbourne and decked it out myself. Doesn’t have all of the fancy bits and not colour coded but functional and light. Anyway just some thoughts.
Your hints of a desert trip one day will require some extra fuel capacity, keep some space available for 3-4 jerries. I imagine the desert won’t challenge you enough in the driving stakes, but should blow your mind in it remoteness and beauty. 🌮
I’ve had a quick look at the bushman 80kg upright, if I had a canopy I would definitely try it out . There’s a simple modification to give u a bench / working space on the canopy ( I think I haven’t tried it . But as your looking at the canopy door , that flat bit that goes from the tray up about 350 ml , could you have a 3ml aluminium plate ( about 350ml deep) on hinges along the tray , that when you open the canopy door it folds down and gives you a working bench . Could be supported at each end but wire cable or gas struts??????? I hope my description makes sense
I have a ratchet system under my carport so I can take the stuff off the roof for off roading near home or to use the car wash but put it back on for touring .
Hey Tyler great vid and your doing your set up so good with doing it as you need to and not some over the top that we see all the time. Thanks for the work you have done on the upright fridge. I'm stunned with the weight difference, you've sold me on that option too. Have you thought about sides and back piece for the tray to chuck wood in the back? could be made out of something light weight. Would be super handy instead of bags for wood. Cheers Mat
really enjoying your vids and the journey you’re on....btw a tray & RTT just make sense after watching your recent trips.... btw can you cover off how you fixed the damage to your roof & racks after the frazer trip... cheers
mate found ur channel late last year. i am not into 4x4ing at all, just like the places everyone was going to but i am tied of the bullshit vehicles and the dumb stuff that was happening. for me its so refreshing to c u 4x4ing in a fairly stock 4x4 with some mods in all the same places the other channels go with these bullshit $200.000 plus set ups and the carry ons they go on with. please dont change wat ur channel is bout, simplicity 4x4ing. cheers.
Cheers mate!
The weight sneaks up so quickly!
I just picked up the bushman 85 for the same reason - so much lighter than a chest fridge on a drop slide and really nicely made.
Tyler I have the 85L Bushman and it is brilliant. In recent weeks I have been parked up on the beach in 35C opening and closing the fridge all day to get drinks etc. The issue of losing the cold air sounds reasonable but in reality it is not a problem. Weight and access benefit is far greater than any cold air loss.
that what ive research last night looked most of youtube clips i was planning to get engel fridge slide drop. too much money and more weight! nah stuff this and CHANGE MY MIND getting bushman 85L!!!! and problay to get draw fridge too!
Mate, that glorious beard, you belong in a pride of lions. Love the new canopy.
It's a gloooooorious beard!!!
Add a net on shock cord attached to the inside but under the roof and that gives you a place to stow light stuff like pillows and clothes and blankets
another great little video...nice to see you thinking "do i really need that weight" far too many 4x4's with too much "stuff" in them ! Regarding your fridge set up, have you looked at fridge drawers ? engel do a 30l 19kg one, think eva cool do one as well, , couple of those side by side, one with beer, the other with more beer (ha ha !) might work better than heavy drop slides etc.....if your thinking light weight set-up, look at every item you have, for example, the drifta chair is 7.5kg, helinox chair 1.3kg (macpac do their cheaper version 1.2kg) do that on all your gear and its amazing how much weight you can save. spend the money on quality gear not gvm upgrades, less likely to get stuck, better fuel economy etc, cheers...ps looking forward to your video around Ophir and if you crossed Root Hog Crossing after that heavy rain we had down here...cheers Graeme
14:13 Nice shot of the rear access.
Ohh 😯. Naughty.
Come on man, really? No need to make a comment like that. You're just disrespecting people putting out great videos.
@@paulthoroughgood7590 I think it was said in good fun for a laugh not disrespecting Tyler or his misses. Besides it was put into the video for visual effect. Great work too. 🍺
@@darrenc4096 🧐🤨🤣 some people either don’t get sarcasm or need to just bend - over! 🤣🤣
@@darrenc4096 I understand that it was meant in fun, and I don't mean to sound like a total do gooder or what not, but it's not cool. If YOUR wife or daughter wears a bikini to the beach, are you all good with a bunch of guys pointing and making comment? It's a youtuber to you but to them it may come across different. Just food for thought
Go the bushman 85l bro, we run one in our canopy, work well offroad, don't seem to find things falling off the shelves, worth the money and weight saving
Love it, big upgrade from the tub. One thing, perhaps you could of extended the jerry can holders towards the rear and made them 2 deep to give you capacity for 4. So then you can run 2 in one holder and firewood in the other, or your wet towels, dirty recovery gear etc. 👍
You don't lose much coldness when you open a front door fridge. The coldness is held in the "thermal mass" of the contents....NOT the air. So, as long as you've got a fair bit of stuff in the fridge, you won't be making the fridge work harder when you open it.
Not only do you get rid of the heavy fridge and slide, you also get rid of the need for a separating "wall" to stop stuff falling in when you slide the fridge out.
I did away with a drop slide + 60 litre Engel and a aluminium surround. That all weighed 100kg and I replaced it with a 23kg Engel upright, 55 litre
Did you weigh your rig with you in it, both before and after growing your beard?? 👍
20kg heavier after 😉
@@TylerThompson90 I figured! Lol!
@@TylerThompson90 alloy or steel
Beards typically come with a beer gut. That's where 1/3 of the extra weight comes from.😉
You must compare the cons of more weight to the pros of being totally awesome, this is science
The bushman 85l is unreal, I have one and wouldn’t go back 👌🏽
I have the same. Once you get one you will wonder why you didn’t have one sooner. I have a similar setup to you and the weight and space saving in the canopy is amazing.
Love your work. Lots of people can relate to your approach and the simplicity of the build. We have a tub with a canopy and use a tarp on the back tailgate to control the dust. Fridge slide with a mesh cage around it to shop stuff jamming the slide and it works well. Battery box in the rear with dc to dc charger inside cabin which keeps it cool and clean. 1 drawer only in tub. Keep your electrical in the cab. Carry extra water in the car for your desert trip.
You could remove a single rear seat and make some sort of draws or storage in its place. I'd keep batteries in the car to save space in the canopy. Inverter could be mounted somewhere where the rear seat was
You gotta get a Travel Buddy oven, it’ll change your life 👍
I removed one of my rear passenger seats and made a simple frame to place my fridge on, its light weight and easy to access and that weight is in a nice place, maybe that’s an option
The rig is looking awesome mate! Tweaking is the fun part and clearly you’ve thought through a lot of issues relating to your particular lifestyle and usage. Well done and another great vid👍
Another good fireside report Tyler - no you’ve made the same correct decision I have recently with my 2010 Hilux - after two rear ARB canopy window smashes I decided to remove the tub and fibreglass canopy - bought a slightly damaged virtually new 1800mm aluminium tray with dropsides on Gumtree for $800 and then got across SA/VIC border during ‘open window’ period and bought 1600mm canopy with reinforced insides and four jack points for $3k in Laverton 2.5mm checker plate two side doors (Adelaide company was asking over $4500 for same canopy) - I will hammer-tone black myself - installing trundle draw and under-tray draws as well (Ebay) - so with a saving of $2-3000 I was able to get Redarc, Engel and Lithium dual battery system and other good quality units - big sliding drawers are too heavy and not necessary for a canopy - being short I can now reach everything which was a pain with the ARB canopy side and rear windows - many folk are ditching them and the tub for this better setup - I went with four jacks liftoff system so I could still have use of tray for domestic tasks - John in SA
The Reject shop has a good selection of trays for your fridge. I bought 1/2 dozen or so for my caravan fridge. Brilliant.
Another great video... Just on the fridge. You are right on the storage options; there are numerous ways to partition the food and drinks inside; just a matter of organisation. Regarding the 'cold air dropping out' when opening an upright fridge, yes, that causes a 'slight' inefficiency. However, the thermal storage capacity of the food and drinks in the fridge is far greater than the air and plays a bigger role in cooling the fridge down again when closed. So the loss of air is negligible to terms of efficiency, even more so when the fridge is well-stocked. Plus, ease of access in the upright means it might be open for less time than a chest fridge, which sometimes needs rearranging when getting to the lower layers of items. So, given there is no big difference in cooling efficiency, your points on cost and weight do certainly favour the upright. Sorry for the long comment... Good luck dude.
thanks mate, definitely made some good points there!
Just randomly appeared on the front page. Hope your channel takes off! cheers
Cheeky Man! 😉 14:16
Keep up the good work 👍
Your fridge idea is a great idea. Specially with the weight and money savings. Keep doing your vids . Awesome.
Mate you’ve done well. Keep it simple. Don’t over complicate it. Fantastic video 🦘👍🍻🇦🇺😎
Hi mate
I’ve just swap over to a evacool draw fridge 40l. Used to have a 40 l Engel on a msg drop down slide.
You can Mount another on top if you need more room.one as a freezer
They work extremely well
Thanks for talking about the weight and being legal. It’s not often you hear about this on other videos. Mate loaded his Prado up as he would for a trip and got it weighed with him and his son. Amazing how close he was to his GVM.
What a sexy admirable man.... My trips are day trips around the state, and I carry 4 x 5 liter water containers in the rear boxes (2 containers in each), with wrapping to stop abrasion wearing through them over time, AND 2.5 liters in the cockpit, and usually a few extra old drink bottles. I am very mindful of going into "excessively" difficult circumstances, such as if I REALLY must travel and it's 45*C and it's 10 K's between the farm houses etc... The people who drive with a single 1.25 liter bottle of coke, for four people - they can so easily DIE of dehydration and heat stroke.... and I don't.
So good on you for making a point of carrying a LOT of water....
100% go the Bushman fridge. Just note the only comprise is up north the fridge (any fridge) struggles to get lower than 3 degrees. This is where fridge/freezer is better up north because you can go in the minus; and then up north you get a beauty 1 degree for beers 👌🏽
Also consider a Evakool fridge drawer; it’s great!!!
Super glad you touched on the standup fridge, I was gonna get one a while back but thought it wouldn't work because I never saw anyone else using them. They seem like such a better idea.
K.I.S.S principle, with your fridge we use the Sistema containers you can buy in Coles, they stack together well keep everything in place and retain the cold air this would help with an upright fridge, we have a 40L Engel on a slide this has worked good for the two of us for the last 16 years. Keep the electrics behind the rear seat. All good mate, tidy truck.
Nice rig mate. Small suggestion on the audio. It’s up and down like a bride’s nightie. Snapping from boom to bust is hard on the🦻’s, especially with 🎧’s. Suggest adding a noise filter & gain limiter over your final cut before output to video. 🦾
Okay thanks for the tip mate! Will look into it
Don't forget with an upright fridge you'll also lose the weight of your existing fridge slide. Decision has already been made as far as I'm concerned, you've got me thinking about one now. Better talk to them and set us up a referral code!
Have you considered the fridge drawers? I've had drop slides, tilt slides, no slide, and have gone to an Engle fridge drawer. Evakool do a few big ones. The drawers are a great use of space and weight is good, price is comparable to a stand-up. Condensation build up is not noticeable but will worth the compromise.
My only problem with them was I couldn't find any big enough, meaning I would have to get two and would bring my weight and cost up
I love the canopy i have now its built by great western golden chain and few others best nights sleep air con shower even breaky if you want it and i think i am about 40 grand ahead works good
Enjoyed the video. Defiantly lift the inverter. I use a powerboard with rcd to give easy access to power. My cb is the next for me to lift.
Hi Tyler I ran the Dometic 110ltr upright and honestly I could not fault it's performance. I now also run a second 95ltr brass Monkey dual zone which I keep for all freezer
I think u nailed it on ur set up ideas. Weight is a big issue & less is best 👍
I reckon if you go with the stand up fridge you will have room behind it for you battery set up because the fridge won’t be as long anymore, there for you are not really taking up room for your other plans in the canopy and if you where to set up a draw/shelf on drivers side with 240 socket and allocate that for you camera gear ect, than when your playing around with it, at least you are under your canopy out of the way of the elements rather than trying to go in the back door of the car leaning in and out, one other thing on the divider your thinking about putting in between each side of the canopy, on the back half you could possibly you could hinge it and put a latch on so if you wanted to put something longer across the back of the canopy you have the option of swinging the divider open on the back end of the canopy.
Love the beard, keep up the good work mate love watching your vids 🤙🤙
Thanks for the tips mate! Appreciate it
Swapped from a slide out Engel like yours mate to an 85L bushman's and I'll never look back. Just stack it properly and keep smaller loose items in containers (which makes for nice veggies and fruit anyway) and it will be no dramas. Mine runs 24/7 for work and has done multiple days in 35+ and it's been using less power then my Engel by a mile.
Even with a canopy your natural inclination is to just throw stuff in 😂 Love it. Weight is so important. When I try to work out what I’ll do I see every addition as a negative offset by some value 😂
Nice one mate, I really like the canopy and what you have done. I think with the upright fridge and then just the shelf and dividers on the other side with the bags it will work good 👌👌
Sounds like it worked out well them not finishing the canopy 100%, gave you time to test it. Now you will have it set up perfect for you. Nice and simple set up 👍
The upright fridge sounds like the goods! Weight and price would outweigh any temp loss due to opening which seems, from people’s experience, no issue. The tucker box style seems like another thing that people just get because everybody else does.
A desert trip? You'll need more fuel. You'll be a fish out of water out there, very few places for your daily swim, it's dry and dusty with a crap load of corrugations on all the roads leading into it, and flies everywhere. Also, it's advisable to have a second spare because the roads are tyre killers. I once had 3 flats in one day on the Oodnadatta Track. If it rains, the mud is like nothing you've ever seen before, your car will get 200kgs heavier and you'll have to chip it off like concrete when it dries. Strangely, I love it out there, big clear sky and brilliant colours.....and the stars......my God!
You're really selling it to me! 😂
Thanks for the update. Looking good !
Another alternative to the under tray drawer is to just have an under tray cupboard. i.e. just a drop down door and with floor and sides. It is not as easy to access stuff as a drawer but saves weight (no drawer slides) and cost. Mine houses 4 maxtrax, long handle shovel, recovery gear and BBQ plate.
Great video - thanks. I understand weight is an issue but you really want to move the battery and inverter out of the cabin in case of an accident. If either of those broke loose I hate to think what they would do to you, or any of your passengers. Sometimes safety trumps wants. Victron - great inverters. I use one for my off the grid house - worth every $$$$. Don't buy a fridge with a see through door, they look great but they use more energy. Don't take my word for it, check this before purchase.
Once you get your water tank, if the Jerry can holders are removable then you could put open boxes in their place to put firewood dirty gear etc. Like a couple of aluminium milk crates made to fit the space. Swap with Jerry cans as setup requires.
Could put the bags of firewood in the jerry holders!?
This is the kind of setup that would get me owning a ute love it mate hope u enjoy it
Awesome vid mate just fitted my new canopy out diy. 80l Engel upright 28 kg is what I used and was nearly 10 kg lighter than my old Engel standard fridge it’s all abit daunting when you start but whatever works for your setup is the way I went
All the kids say " If your dad doesnt have a beard then you've got two mums"
Seriously good set up, thinking about the upright fridge for my next build for all the same reasons. Angled tool boxs are a must for me, compressor in one and recovery gear in the other and shouldn't get you hung up.
Dear Santa, I want a new bullbar and set of rear lockers for my patrol. I have been good all year.
And I want a front locker for my patrol. Fingers crossed!
nav looking great mate , don't forget trundle drawers can also come with bench tops or table top that folds over as well , cheers
Great infomation. My thoughts Yes go for the upright fridge frezzer I love mine (64L Engle) & it runs all the time off 2x 120Ah batteries (in the canopy) with the car only driven in the weekends. No solar yet. The less internal fit out the better both for weight & for changing set up. (trying new things) I have only hit my side boxes once & that was when a log flicked up from driving over it on a river bed. I have my fire extinger & first aid in one & gas canasters & a few tools in the other. I am looking forward to the next update.
Mate your setup is so good now, looks sick bro
Very informative, innovative, entertaining video, thank you.
As much as I love the look of the tub (a la raptor) you can’t beat the canopy for touring
Scrap my idea lol. I love your idea and think you are on the right track. Great job
I think the upright fridge would be good cause you don’t go flogging your car on the tracks, you’re more touring. Maybe look at a lithium battery for inside the canopy. They’re a lot more slimline. But unfortunately a bit more expensive.
Agree with the fridge but I've been bitten before on a long trip when my fridge died and I was 2 days from a servo with ice so lost all my frozen stuff. I now run 2 x 30 litre fridges in the case one dies I have a back up.
Same here but 40l.
I like your ideas, I'd recommend ocam mirrors over Clearview as they are the exact same except ocams half the price. Also recommend airbags, I love my airbag man to suit 2 Inc rear.
Have looked and getting the Navara re-geared, now with all the weight and stuff
Hay Tyler make your rear tool boxes bolt on and off so you can have the opportunity to use them as you want.
Awesome slo-mo of the river crossing right at the end! A great informative vid yet again. I'm not in a position to get a tray and canopy but heck, I feel like if I was in the market, I'd be a lot better informed now :)
Canopy and tray suits you well mate, glad you are happy. Be great to get the under tray water tank in soon. Maybe someone can make you a bracket to get the inverter up between the back seat head rests in the centre.
Thanks mate!
upright fridge you say . . . . . sounds like a pretty sweet deal - lighter and cheap and probably a shit ton easier to stack and use. yeah will lose a bit of cold air but meh . . . bigger battery in the worst case scenario, but you drive every day anyway!
DRIFTA are gonna have a field day with your drawer setup! Lucky bugga! Enjoy it all mate - youve earned it!
Thanks mate!
A stand up fridge is a no-brainer to cut weight down. I was going to do the same in my Nav before I decided to trade it. Rear toolboxes can be just for dirty/wet stuff......
Bro, go the bushman's. My bro just got the 130L in the back of his patrol canopy. It works a treat. I'll be getting the 85L for my wagon. To me it's a no brainer.
I use just truck topper and working well, I wish to have a side access but it's avaiable on US made toppers with big openings like this plus cost
Talking to a tradie the other day who had just spent a good sum on his canopy and internals. Said he and his wife go out for a month at a time. Had spent a year getting the spend sorted. Yet he admitted that even with a GVM upgrade they really didn't get their food/water/clothes/misc gear weights right. Their option as they saw it was to ditch the Alucab RTT and go back to a swag. Could be your saviour in the weight race, both in GVM and weight up high.
Please can you tell me where you got that RTT ladder from I really want the sweet-looking accessory for it...That's rad...👍🤣...
Nice review Tyler. I’m going tub canopy setup purely for the price and spending a little bit more on a drifter fridge slide and draw set up.
Gotta go with what suit’s you adventure!
My dream machine is totally different $$$$ to my getaway rig right now!
Love ya work
What are your thoughts on the old school fibreglass canopy. Reckon its workable for your purposes?
Noice vid. Looking at doing something similar in near future. In hindsight would it be better with an Extended Cab rather than dual cab for maybe a larger Canopy or moving weight forward ??
go for the bushman 85, huge weight reduction . Just pack it right and/or use plastic containers inside
I was in the same situation as you with weight and changed from a waeco 50l and tilt slide to the 85l bushman and its a great, wouldnt change a thing. I also got fridge bars off ebay which are adjustable and holds loose cans to the back of the fridge.
Trundal draw ads heaps of weight and you loose space. Just make it a storage area and use plastic tray. Keep shovel and max tracks in their too. Never use a drop down slide, way too heavy. Bedding should be in the RTT. Need to get RTT further forward and leave a platform at the back to enter tent.
Marty from Perth
Yeah, weight is certainly a big challenge in today's modern overlanding rigs. I have the same challenge, keeping the weight below GVM.
A $10 set of plastic steps that stores next to the fridge to reach in the top weighs 500gms instead of $1000's for slides and a new fridge!
Great video Tyler. Very informative. Nice little scene at12.27. you and your boy having lunch IN a little babbling brook. Nice touch. I can imagine that ice box being a real pain in the butt. You either need a ladder, (which is not practical) or a drop down rack. But I'm inclined to agree with you about the upright fridge. So you lose a little bit of cold air. I'm sure you could put up with that for the added convenience, and lowering of weight.
Personally I'd go style side with bar mounted rooftop tent and then any type of toolbox you like underneath.
Why not try getting a full time reverse camera interior mirror?! I have a decent one in my ute and it makes the world of difference being able to check who is sitting behind you.
Yeah definitely could!
Love the set up Tylzz, looks great. Good work bro :-)
You will never look back from an upright fridge mate. They’re the absolute bomb.
Quick comment I hate to disagree but you can keep under your GVM if you don’t overload with unnecessary gadgets. Also depends on the vehicle you have. I have a simple set up, I bought a basic 1800mm 3 door canopy out of Melbourne and decked it out myself. Doesn’t have all of the fancy bits and not colour coded but functional and light. Anyway just some thoughts.
Your hints of a desert trip one day will require some extra fuel capacity, keep some space available for 3-4 jerries. I imagine the desert won’t challenge you enough in the driving stakes, but should blow your mind in it remoteness and beauty. 🌮
I’ve had a quick look at the bushman 80kg upright, if I had a canopy I would definitely try it out . There’s a simple modification to give u a bench / working space on the canopy ( I think I haven’t tried it . But as your looking at the canopy door , that flat bit that goes from the tray up about 350 ml , could you have a 3ml aluminium plate ( about 350ml deep) on hinges along the tray , that when you open the canopy door it folds down and gives you a working bench . Could be supported at each end but wire cable or gas struts??????? I hope my description makes sense
I have a ratchet system under my carport so I can take the stuff off the roof for off roading near home or to use the car wash but put it back on for touring .
What I found Tyler with reverse cameras you need to see the back of car eg towball the blue/red lines on monitor I don't like.
you could use nets as shelves on your left side as you have alot of wasted space above your kitchen stuff ! strong cargo type nets
Look at the alucab tilt fridge slide... mine weight about 6-7kg...
my 40l engel and slide combined weights 33kg
14:14 cheeky 🤙
My 2 cents worth is slide the RTT all the way forward if you can , remove the back seat and just use plastic tub for storage. Nice canopy though.
Mate well done, if putting shelves on drivers side.
Make them adjustable, make life a bit easier
keepin' it simple is the way!
Hey Grizzly Adams...where’s Bear & Mad Jack with No. 7?
You make some great points about the cost and weight benefits with an upright fridge.
Well done you are good with ur videos.
Keep what u are doing .
Hey Tyler great vid and your doing your set up so good with doing it as you need to and not some over the top that we see all the time.
Thanks for the work you have done on the upright fridge. I'm stunned with the weight difference, you've sold me on that option too.
Have you thought about sides and back piece for the tray to chuck wood in the back? could be made out of something light weight. Would be super handy instead of bags for wood.
Cheers Mat
Thanks mate! Yeah I have but just more weight/thing on the ute when chucking a bag or two of wood in the canopy is no drama
really enjoying your vids and the journey you’re on....btw a tray & RTT just make sense after watching your recent trips....
btw can you cover off how you fixed the damage to your roof & racks after the frazer trip... cheers
Love your channel Tyler, 4Wheel Driving is something im wanting to get into, what made you go with HiLux, did u do research into other 4wdrive Utes?
Thanks mate! Mine is a navara, I like that it has coil springs at the rear and factory locker, I like the look of them and its been reliable for me