We should probably just state that these are our views, and they are completely subjective, and it’s quite possible that you may share a different opinion. Either way, let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments below.
1. Tyres
Tyres are perhaps the most essential addition you can make to your Land Cruiser, let alone any overlanding vehicle. The tyres you have on your vehicle can make or break your trip, depending on what you’re planning on doing. Obviously, no one is looking to break their trip, and therefore upgrading your tyres is a must. Quality off-road tyres that are suited for overlanding will provide better traction through most of the terrain you plan to visit — be it sand, mud, or snow. If you know you are going to be doing a lot of driving on a particular type of surface, you can match your tyres more appropriately. If you’re not sure, stick to a standard all-terrain tyre. All-terrains are designed to handle pretty much anything, and we’re particular fans of the BFGs.
They’re designed with stronger sidewalls and shoulder sections, so deflating your tyre to get a bit more traction in certain situations isn’t a problem. Because of their more robust design, durability goes up, and you’ll be less prone to getting a flat out in the middle of the bundus.
For more on tyres, read our Land Cruiser Tyres Buyers Guide.
2. Recovery Gear
A solid arsenal of recovery gear is really going to save your bacon time and again. As far as additions to your Land Cruiser go it’s not the most exciting, but believe us, this will pay for itself over and over. So it really makes sense to invest in some solid recovery gear early on in your 4×4 career. Below are some of the items that should make up your recovery gear arsenal:
Spade with pointy end
An air compressor
The reason this is added in with recovery gear is because when you are driving along and the ground is soft, you are going to have to let down your tyres, or you will get stuck. Consider this preemptive recovery — or recovery before you get stuck. The problem is that many of us suffer from laziness. We think, “Naa, it will be fine, I’ll keep my tyres a bit hard”. But we need to avoid this way of thinking, and just let the tyres down — firstly to prevent getting stuck, and secondly to prevent our wheels digging holes in the beautiful environment that we ourselves are trying to enjoy.
The thing you want to look at when buying a compressor is maximum airflow. Our advice: spend a little extra. If you’re just starting out overlanding and you enjoy it, you will need something that will last. Get one that will do the job even for a larger tyre. Something with a minimum flow rate of 50L/Min (above 100L/Min would be ideal). If you’ve decided you’re not going to mess around and want the best, the ARB Twin Compressor is what you’re looking for.
ARB Technical Specs
This compressor puts out a 131.8L/Min, which may seem less than other compressors advertised. However, ARB give their pressure reading at 200kPa — under load — while many others give the unloaded airflow rate. You’re not really going to get better than 132L/Min under load.
If you are bit more budget conscious, make sure you stick to a trusted name with a half decent duty cycle. This means the compressor will keep running for longer because it’s not overheating and turning itself off. It’s not about cost, it’s about value.
Recovery kit
When it comes to recovery kit, you’re looking for traditional gear that is known to work in a sticky situation. You don’t have to go for the most expensive, but certainly don’t go for the cheapest either. A full recovery kit from Desert Product should do the trick.
Make sure it has at least a couple of shackles (soft or hard), a pull strap for pulling, a kinetic recovery strap or snatch strap for difficult situations where the towing vehicle may need to take a run up. Again, our advice: invest in a good recovery kit, and keep it for the next 20 years.
A set of maxtrax
These are without a doubt one of the best recovery tools for any Land Cruiser owner. They are really useful in so many situations, from beach recovery to getting up rock steps, sticky mud, and so much more.
Pro Tip: Keep a brightly coloured rope attached to the maxtrax during a recovery. You’d be surprised at how quickly they disappear and how hard they are to find during a beach or mud recovery.
A basic toolkit
A basic toolkit will save you more than once. A few spanners, wrenches, a tyre plug kit, cable ties, electrical tape, and a multi-tool are the essentials. You don’t need to carry a full workshop — just enough to get yourself unstuck and mobile again until you can get to proper assistance.
Rated recovery points
3. Electrics
Keep it simple. The electrics in your Land Cruiser can be the bane of your existence, as they often take more time and require more fiddling than anything else. That said, having a half-decent electrical setup is going to make your life a whole lot easier on almost any trip. Having a place to charge phones, laptops, cameras, and run your fridge makes a huge difference. This can be achieved by fitting a split charge system.
Try to minimise kilometres of wiring, and too many fuses and connections, as these are some of the most common areas where people get it wrong. Keep it simple by using a dual-battery system with an auxiliary battery to protect starting voltage, and don’t be afraid to spend the time or money necessary to ensure the wiring is 100% correct, including quality components, weather-tight connections, and proper fusing.
Side Note: Cigarette lighters for the purpose of anything electrical are pretty much useless. Particularly with a vehicle that is driving over rough ground — the socket simply doesn’t fit snugly, and the voltage drop is monumental. Minimising voltage drop equals higher efficiency which in turn means longer battery life.
Also consider making your system compatible for solar input charging. This will help maintain a charge when parked, and ensure your fridge doesn’t drain the start battery so that it won’t start the car.
4. A Fridge Freezer
The importance and convenience of having an overland fridge cannot be overstated. While ice will carry you for a few days, anything longer and you risk your food going off and getting soggy — less than ideal.
There are quite a few really good fridge manufacturers on the market. However, don’t make the mistake of buying too big a fridge. This will force you to compromise on much-needed space. We particularly like a fridge freezer with separate doors, as this allows you to manage your food really well. Space-wise, you want to look around the 50–70L mark. Something like the National Luna Legacy 72L Double Door is a great option that isn’t going to break the bank, but will still give you the reliability you’re looking for.
5. Roofrack
A roof rack is a given. For any longer overlanding you simply are going to need to carry more. From a rooftop tent to chairs, firewood, jerry cans for extra fuel — there are any number of reasons why a roof rack is essential. Have a look at something like Front Runner’s Slimline 2 for the right combination of design and reliability.
6. Rooftop Tent
A roof top tent is a wonderful thing. While not a completely essential addition to a Land Cruiser, there is certainly an element of comfort and luxury that one starts to access with a rooftop tent. Setting up camp takes minutes instead of half an hour, you’re off the ground and away from whatever might be wandering around at night, and waking up to a bush sunrise from your rooftop is hard to beat.
Check out our full guide on Best Rooftop Tent for a Land Cruiser.
7. Storage
The choices for different storage options are endless — from removable boxes, to fixed storage units, to drawer systems and everything in between. You also need to consider weight distribution.
If you’re just starting out, you’re not going to know what you like. We suggest you go with removable storage boxes. By the end of your first trip you’ll know exactly what you like and what you don’t, and be better informed to make the right decision for a more permanent storage solution. Just make sure you strap them down properly, as you don’t want these flying around in the event of a collision, or just a particularly bumpy road.
Start with removable boxes because you can’t really change your set-up if you’ve invested in fixed storage systems, and then find out it’s not practical for you. Either way, some kind of storage solution is another essential addition for your Land Cruiser.
Summary
As we said in the beginning, these are just general guidelines and are also subjective. You might find that you have a different set of additions, or just in a different order, that you think are essential for your overlanding Land Cruiser. Either way, let us know in the comments below.
Also, check out our article on the Top 10 Things to Carry When 4x4ing for some other essential items to carry with you on your overlanding trip.
