Alu-Cab Icarus Tour & Honest Review After 12-Months | Land Rover Defender Camper | Africa

[@Enoch940]

Things have changed . Im 65 year old SA . In my young day , 60s and 70s we had a series 3 old double skin landy from early 50s somewhere. The roof rack was galv steel and wooden slats . My dad made struts and at night a foam matress was laid over roof rack and a huge moz net hung over the edges of vehicle. 3 kids and 2 adults then found a spot and we slept. My dad had a knee jerk kind of irritating habit and id catch a kick in backside few times a night. 😅 we travelled all southern african countries while my dad marketed for a borehole pump company. 90km per hour was fast and noisy rattling a constant companion. Large fire crackers were always at hand and wild animals were kept at bay with mom or dad dropping one from the roof while we slept . 😮 till this day i not fond of explosions bringing me from a deep sleep. Roads were rough as we visited farms especially Bots and Nam. Food was plentiful mostly harvested by a point 2.2 rifle that travelled right at the back strapped out of site against roof. Guinea fowl , hares , steen bok kept protein up and veg from freindly farmers , pooitjie pot was always on a fire warming yesterdays food. Border crossings were quick and easy , in those days mainly controlled by white people who propably looked down on us dusty brats as he scrambled for the toilet. Filled cans with water . Cleaned the old grey landys windscreen. My dad was 6ft 4 large man with big arms 😊 no suits in offices would give an opinion on his dusty snotty brats. He only shaved once a month on road which seemed to make mom happy. My mom had a big round rump and hated squatting in the bush to drop a putty 😂😂😂. Dad designed a fold up like canvas chair with a large hole in it for her to relax enjoying scenery . We weren't allowed to use it, dad told us just to hang from a tree. I did try that once but preferred squatting. Tree thing hard on core trying to keep feet clear. Today i think he may have been teasing. Snakes , scorpions , spiders were always irritating us and our shoes were nightly placed in a patato sack and hung from roof rack down side at night. There was no place under moz net and my dad said our shoes and feet stank so bad no self respecting leopard would want to eat us. If old grey broke down , average once a month , it would turn into quiet a drama. Dad would leave for 2 or 3 days heading to a distant town in search of spare parts , mostly given a lift to train station to be transported to a spare parts destination. I was the oldest son so i was tasked with providing for family and defending family and vehicle. I took this seriously and kept weapons on my person . My okapi pen knife always ready at my side. Fortunately for passerbys this kid didnt ever need to go Rambo on anyone because we recieved nothing but love and caring from anybody passing. Water , veg and even sweets would be delivered back to us in quantity. My life continued in this vein till i reached high school age and was placed in a Pretoria boarding school. I spent 6 years of my 5 year high school career catching up learning weird subjects and was soon joined by my brother and sister as mom decided we should at some point learn to read and write. Malaria would nearly kill both my parents numerous times over the latter years 😢 as well as my dad having a close encounter with an old leopard. He lost part of his cheek and an eye in this 2 minute battle and finally he hung up his landrover keys and was placed in an office at Stewards and Loyds in Pretoria. He lasted another 6 years , we grew up and he passed. He always said paperwork would kill him. 😢 my mom lived on , loved her grandchildren of which i seemed quite good at producing, more then i could say for my lax lazy arsed brother. She passed peacefully at 78. The end. 🎉

[@adamiam7556]

That’s a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing ❤

[@justinstark3504]

I love watching your travels I am based in Cape Town and Planning a permanent Overlanding lifestyle .

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Awesome! Make sure you make your vehicle as hassle free as possible. It’s not easy living out of a vehicle! H

[@JuanDurandt]

Thanks for the quick review. I have found that Alu-Cab products in general are very good and durable all round. I am very interested in your starlink setup and would love a dedicated video about that in terms of realworld coverage, how you integrate it with your vehicle setup and so on.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

We can do that for sure! We will try to get onto this soon lots of questions about the starlink. H

[@SpokyDoodles]

Love it guys and the inside interior looks awesome.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Thanks so much glad you like it 😂

[@grahames9228]

Obviously a good investment.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Absolutely!

[@Jumping-Goat]

Thanks for a very informative video, I'm getting very keen on the Alu-Cab canopy camper for my Hilux, I believe that it will make a massive, positive difference to overlanding trips. I'll be following your channel now!

[@TheLandyExpedition]

It’s the best thing we’ve ever done to our landy

[@gabrielekomann1510]

Hi guys, we got the same setup and we definetly agree! The Icarus and the awning are great products and make living on the road really much more comfortable!

[@TheLandyExpedition]

100%! Couldn’t really do it without the setup we have now

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Great channel, so glad I found you! 👍

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Thank you so much! That’s so awesome to know ☺️

[@divdevilliers9199]

Thanks for the info.Gives us peace of mind as we are having Icarus fitted in 2 weeks time at Alu-cab Cape Town after our meeting with you guys at Swakopmund...Green Landy old Folk

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Ah nice guys! Enjoy it! H

[@rudivonstaden]

We have the Land Cruiser Canopy Camper and our experience is much the same. Being able to stand up inside and climb into bed without going outside is a game changer (especially if it’s raining). I’m also curious about the Starlink and look forward to hearing more about that.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

They are such great products must admit! Ok starlink video coming soon!

[@VaughanMunro-js4nr]

Hi Harry and Chloe. Frontrunner products are also sold in Australia. However, they are expensive to buy over here. They are highly recommended by those who have them.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Yes they are expensive everywhere but I must say the quality it’s exceptional

[@nnoddy8161]

Just in terms of the handling, post Icarus. Do you have a rear anti-sway bar fitted to the Defender? How much weight are you putting on the roof rack? How significant are the handling difference? Would you say that it feels unsafe in terms of highway speed handling?

[@clarkr7]

Really appreciate this review, helps make our decision on what is a big investment. Ty ty.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

It absolutely is! But we can safely say it’s been one of the best purchases we’ve ever made

[@stevestott1514]

Great review .We had a alucab pop top on are defender also , was a came changer as for comfort in over landing camping . Great set ups for over landing rigs . Great reviews on your total alucab set up . Like how you set up the inside to work with this set up . Thanks again for sharing your wonderful journey with us your over landing friends . Cheers from Steve Stott in Sutherlin Oregon U.S.A. :) :) 🍻👍🏼😁.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

They are perfect for the defender! Cheers Steve! H

[@stevestott1514]

@@TheLandyExpedition ..🍻👍🏼😁

[@VaughanMunro-js4nr]

Great Review guys. Alu-Cab Conversions are also available in Australia. They are fitted to Toyota Troop Carriers as the roof is permanently cut off. Land Rover is no longer a popular travelling vehicle over here, mainly due to its age and parts supply. Toyota landcruiser or Nissan Patrol most popular now.

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Yes Alucab are pretty world wide now such a great success story from South Africa! Props to Jeremy!

[@Laps9]

You guys are awesome

[@TheLandyExpedition]

So kind thanks

[@b89103d]

VERY HELP FUL INFO WE LIKE YOUR VEDIO USA

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Great to hear 🙌

[@rodrigomf2492]

This is a great video, I am looking into investing in replacing my defender roof with an icarus roof top. I wanted to ask what has been your experience driving the vehicle at freeway speeds with the roof rack? Also did you guys have to add any additional changes to the engine or suspension for the vehicle to hold with the roof rack and the icarus roof weight? I currently have 275x16 tires and a 2" old man emu suspension upgrade, I notice you mentioned wider tires in the video, what tire setup do you guys have? Cheers!

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Of course our Landy weighs more with the Icarus, with our car fully loaded we weight about 3.1 tonnes. We haven’t noticed any significant difference driving on the freeway, as we mentioned in this video the car is more top heavy and you do feel that sometimes. We are running Toyo open country mud terrains, the size is 265 75 16.

[@maxencelezaack1032]

Great set up and awesome editing, thanks for the content ! Can you share with us the price difference between the pop top installed in Europe versus South Africa ?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

It’s around half the price! 🫣

[@b89103d]

VERY HELP FUL INFO usa

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Great to hear it ☺️

[@mikewho9964]

Thanks - a great honest review - the layout is very user friendly and i see you have incorporated a good full height backrest when you are seated - Alucab really has changed camping and overlanding - did you ever consider a folding working surface on top of the fridge for more working space ?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Yes we have built what we think is perfect! 😛 we did think about more workspace. But then didn’t want to complicate the build too much. H

[@calsurflance5598]

It looks like it really transformed the ability of your vehicle. Landy Andy 4x4, stopped by a couple months ago on his around the world tour. I took a picture of my Series 2A next to his Defender with a similar roof. My S2A looks like a toy in comparison. Lol. I must say, a built out Defender is a beast! I love it.👍 After Africa, what are your plans? Love your channel! 👌🙏 Be safe and stay well. Cheers.😀

[@TheLandyExpedition]

An awesome! Yeah they do become quite large vehicles 😂 cheers H

[@eburn71]

great video, i also have the Icarus and a Starlink that i plan to mount on the roof. When you pop the roof, does the starlink still work for you, or you put the roof down for better reception?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

I have noticed the last few days actually that the signal is effected when it’s mounted flat and the roof is popped definitely works better pointing straight up.. something I need to rethink

[@eburn71]

@@TheLandyExpedition, thanks for your reply. i have 2x star mount cradles, so i could put it either up on the roof (out of general sight) or on the bonnet when parked up. Not sure if the windshield will influence the signal, but i have it seen mounted like that on other vehicles.

[@geoffkingsmill4127]

I am also interested in Starlink in Africa. Did you buy in Mozambique or Zambia from a shop or online? Do you have roaming for all of Africa?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

We bought it in the UK and shipped it over.. but it is available in many countries in Africa now. It’s been great!

[@mart9999999999999999]

How do you manage with the limited packing space ?. I look at me vehicle when fully loaded for a long trip and wonder how on earth could i walk around inside all the stuff . Is it something you get used to ?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

When we are driving our car is pretty full of bags in the back, when we arrive at camp we put all of our bags on the front seats and then have the whole of the back as our living space. We have definitely packed too much on this trip and could do wi the cutting down on luggage but we are used to it! We have a system of how we pack everything in the back of the car. Hope that helps 😊

[@さとし-e3q]

you took off the roof from the deffender?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Yes, the old roof simply unbolted and the Alu-Cab Icarus bolted on. Pretty simple swap actually ☺️

[@giofyotravel3637]

You might have mentioned this and I missed it, did you lift or uprate the suspension?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

We did yes.. I can do a video on our suspension setup if you like?!

[@giofyotravel3637]

Yes please :)

[@philpryor3152]

I have the icarus, mostly uk camping is the intention. Have you camped jn cold weather? I’m trying to decide if I need to route the diesel heater to feed the pop top, its not easy!

[@TheLandyExpedition]

Nice! Yes we drove up into the Arctic a few years ago. We had a diesel heater for this. You could pipe the heater up if you wanted to. I’m sure down by the feet you could make a hole and route the pipe up.. we will be testing this when the vehicle returns home

[@philpryor3152]

@@TheLandyExpedition Agreed. I have looked at both feet and head ends. My heater is under centre console but routing it up the B pillar and along works for both cab heating and pop top. Its definitely tighter at the feet/hinge end but as fixed easier to lave in place. Probably what I will do ultimately.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

@@TheLandyExpedition Eva zu beck has just done this, have to see how she gets on with it.

[@Abraracourix]

How much weight does the Alucab roof setup add to the roof weight? I think the LR Defender TD5s have a very low roof weight maximum of 75-85 kgs ( I can’t remember the exact number but it is pretty low). How does the top weight affect the balance and center of gravity of the vehicle? And how about if you have to carry 5 or 6 Jerry cans ( 20l) if you are going into places where there are gas stations like say CKGR in Botswana or several tracks in Australia? I w as s curious how it’s mounted and whether they cut open your factory roof and replace it with the Alucab and distribute the weight to the frame? I am thinking that set up is at least a couple of hundred kilograms. Do you have an Aux tank on your Defender? I have a 200 series LC and it has a 40 US gallon Aux tank I installed in addition to the almost 100 l main tank. I think the Australian models of it ( they are diesel though) has 80+30 tanks standard and you can add the 150 l or 40 gallon Aux tank from LRA. I wonder how you guys manage long drives without petrol stations. With the setup I have, I could go 1200-1500 kms depending on the terrain ( The LC 200 is a bit of a pig when it comes to fuel consumption with the 5.7l engine so you definitely need aux tank) I have a rooftop tent on a Prinsu roof rack and I am not a long term camping type person. I could do 2 days at a stretch before I need a proper hotel room with a bed and running water and a shower lol That’s cool you bought a Starlink. How is the service in Africa?

[@TheLandyExpedition]

The Icarus weighs 125kg - that’s the weight they say on their website. Harry did mention about how the weight affects the drive in this video. We also say how the roof is mounted in this video. Yes, we have an additional fuel tank. We have been fine with our additional fuel tank and our extra 20L jerrycan. We have been fine on long drives throughout Africa so far. The service in Africa is good. We are really pleased with our Starlink. Thanks Chloe ☺️

[@dietervanvreden]

Good day. How does it hold up in strong winds when erected? Regards

[@retnav92]

😎👍

[@TheLandyExpedition]

💪🏼😛