Our canopy set up so far ...
Canopy
We did a lot of research into what size canopy we should get and we went back and forth a fair bit trying to decide. We initially wanted just a short canopy, to house the essentials like the fridge etc, but in the end after speaking with a number of people, we decided on an 1800mm long canopy.
We also decided to get the canopy with a height of 1000mm rather than 850mm. The reasoning behind this was to have the ability to fit a larger fridge and just more storage space in general.
The brand of canopy we went with was MRT. We went with MRT as we had seen a few of their canopies before and they were in our price range. We are stoked with the canopy now we have it, the welds, doors, gas struts seem to be great quality. We ended up purchasing a canopy with 3 doors, as it was the same price as a 2 door. We controversially put the rear door at the front of the tray, which was extremely handy to open and have access to the rear of the 12 volt panel.
12 volt system
For all our 12 volt products and accessories we kept it consistent and decided to run only Projecta and Narva. The first and more important 12 volt product was the Lithium DCDC charger IDC25L. Another product we are running from Projecta, is the 12V 25 AMP 5 Stage Lithium Battery Charger which is essential to ensuring our battery is maintained. We hard wired the battery charger to the canopy battery and have the ability to top the battery up when camping where 240v power is accessible. We are planning on adding the Projecta 2000W Inverter to the 12 volt setup so we can utilise the use of a Nespresso coffee machine and chargers for the drone and cameras.
Other Projecta products that we highly rate are our 2 160W solar panels which sit on top of our Drifta Stockton Roof Top Tent. We also have an 12v Intell-Start 1200A Jump Start Pack, which can not only jump start your dead battery, but charge your phone, tablet, Gopro or drone. A very handy thing to have with us everywhere we go.
All our switches and wiring accessories are Narva. We love the quality of all the Narva products as it gives us confidence that as we drive and over time they will last.
Fridge
The fridge is probably one of the most important products in most people's camping set ups. We did a lot of research into what fridge we should go with and it was the age old debate, chest fridge vs upright fridge. Because we were mounting it permanently, and we hated rifling through stuff in our old chest fridge, we decided on an upright fridge.
We heard a lot of great things about the Bushman fridge so once we decided on the brand it was whether we get the 85L or the 130L. Given the extra height in our canopy, we decided we might as well go the larger fridge and we are so glad we did. The Bushman fridge design is great for touring, with little compartments to stop things moving around while you drive, as well as a little freezer and light.
We ordered our Bushman Fridge at a great price from My Generator.
Drawers and pantry
The kitchen side of our canopy is what we wanted to do once and do right. This is why we decided to go with AM Off-Road. AM Off-Road are all Australian made and the quality is second to none. We ordered an upright pantry, which comes with compartments at the front for those things you grab often and shelves that you can adjust the height.
The drawer and bench is an absolute game changer to our kitchen and camping cooking set up. Having a high quality stainless steel bench that you can just whip out at lunch time on the side of the road is extremely handy. The drawer holds all of our kitchen and cooking utensils, pots and pans etc. The drawer also had a shelf on top with tie down points for anything you want to sit on top. Head over to AM Off-Road or visit their instagram to check out all their products.
Roof top tent
After a couple of years using the trusty Kings double swag, we decided to upgrade to a roof top tent. After A LOT of research into a huuuge range of different tents we landed on the Drifta Stockton 1.4. This tent met our needs in regards to quality, weight, size and budget. It was also super handy that Drifta Stockton have a rep in Perth who had all the stock on hand - so there was no waiting for shipping.
We have taken the tent out for just one camping trip so far but can happily say we love it. The ease of putting it up (seconds) and packing it down (seconds) is such a contrast to having two people struggle to roll up the swag and then packing it away. The Drifta Stockton tent comes with a telescopic ladder, heaps of storage pockets and an internal light. We couldn’t be happier with the tent and are so keen to get out even more now as it is so easy to use.
Canopy lighting
Canopy lighting was one thing I knew that needed to be done but we weren’t sure which way to go. There are many options out there from cheap ebay lights to super expensive set ups. I saw quite a few people running Teralume spotties so I thought I would check if they did any sort of camping light. Their X1 lights are sensational! We have so far installed 6 in the canopy with the plan to install a couple more. They are super bright and draw very little amps, which is perfect for us! I highly recommend checking them out for all your camping lights!
Other accessories
A couple of extra things that are worth mentioning that we have added to our set up is our 30 second awning - which is up there with one of the best accessories, it covers such a large area, has lighting in it and is free standing, so handy! Foilboard, is a type of insulation which we have used through-out our canopy, we sourced it from a local building supply shop. We left a small space between the aluminium and the foilboard to create an insulation gap. We used 15mm foilboard and it roughly cost $90 for enough to do the whole canopy (minus the roof).
We love taking our Weber with us everywhere we go, it is such a handy cooking accessory! But they can easily become quite dirty with oil, grease etc so we grabbed a weber bag from Drifta and it has made transporting the weber so much easier. It’s a decent size bag so you can chuck a few other things in there too, not to mention its super high quality and all Australian made.
If you have any questions about our set up - shoot us a DM on Instagram @seaustravl
