How to pack a 4x4 for an off-road escape

Everyone loves to head out in their fourby for a weekend or longer exploring Australia.

We call it ‘the dream’, something we all strive for. But those dreams don’t always become a reality; there’s nothing more off-putting than knowing you have a full day of packing, sorting and then trying to find a spare gap in the back of your cargo area for that one extra item. It can even make the boring second option of sitting on the couch with a coldie watching the footy a viable one.

This is where your pre-trip prep routine needs to be sorted, and it starts with having an effective storage ‘system’ for all the gear you need for the aforementioned fun times.

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Opting for a complete system for lugging your gear makes loads (excuse the pun) more sense. It’s going to cost a bit more than those few plastic storage cases with hastily scribbled item lists on the front that you currently use, but with a full system for carrying gear – where everything has a place and it’s the same place each time – suddenly that painful packing experience disappears.

It can be as basic or as specific as you need, but the time spent sorting out a regular cargo system is going to be well-worth the initial set-up time. After that, you can just focus on the fun stuff.

THE BASICS FIRST

So, whaddya got? A 4x4 wagon, a dual-cab 4x4 ute? And where do you wanna go? The local national park, or across the Simpson?

Pretty straightforward questions, but with answers that will be crucial to how you plan your gear-lugging system. Things like available cargo space (more pertinent if you have a wagon) and – most notably – payload figures need to be considered carefully when deciding whether to dive in deep and commit to installing some type of cargo system.

We’re not saying you have to stump up many thousands of dollars for (in the case of a ute) a canopy, a full drawer system and roof rack (or platform) set-up, but you can incorporate any (or all, if your pockets are indeed deep) of these in to a sensible set-up that will ensure everything you need is stored in your rig securely, safely and within handy reach when you reach camp.

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IN THE BEGINNING

First thing to do when planning a cargo system is to draw up a list of absolute essentials you take on every single trip, and then figure out how much storage you need for all of it and how you’d like said gear stored.

Next, and seemingly a bit off-track, it’s well-worth checking how robust your vehicle’s tie-down points are and if they are even rated to hold a significant load. This may sound a bit odd, but if you opt for a pile of hard-shell boxes (Ironman 4x4, ARB and Pelican all offer these) or another type of temporary storage set-up (even if you just need to secure gear that’d otherwise be floating around in the back), you’ll need to ensure they are tied down securely and safely in your wagon or ute tray.

This brings us to another (albeit wagon-specific) basic item: a cargo barrier. For any 4x4 wagon owners who want to look seriously at how to optimise their vehicle’s load-lugging capacity, fitting a cargo barrier is an absolute must. This allows you to safely utilise the space in the back of your 4x4; with a cargo barrier affixed, there’s no chance of heavy, bulky items flying through the vehicle interior in the unfortunate event of an accident.

Yes, you could of course still just tie down gear using ratchet straps, but that extra assurance of an ADR-compliant metal barrier between you, your family and potential injury, makes a cargo barrier a no-brainer.

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WEIGHTY MATTERS

When planning out what type of storage system you’re keen on, be conscious of your vehicle’s payload figure; an all-steel two-level cargo drawer system might be just perfect, but that additional weight cuts a chunk out of what you can lug legally in your rig.

The importance of payload is more pertinent to wagons of course, and some payload figures will surprise you: the LandCruiser 200 Series Sahara, beloved by off-road tourers, offers a relatively paltry 610kg payload (lesser models can carry slightly more).

Add in four hefty bloke s at 100kg each, a roof-rack, steel bullbar and lights, dual-battery system and cargo drawers in the back, plus all their gear, and you’ll be over what is legal. And that’s not Cruiser-bashing either – other brands’ flagship wagons offer similar (or less) in terms of payload.

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Your legal load limit is crucial to your cargo system, but close to equally as important is how you pack that weight. It should go without saying that heavy, bulky gear should always (where possible) be loaded down low in your vehicle, no matter whether you’re using a cargo-drawer system solely, or a mix of drawers and/or boxes plus throwing additional gear up on your roof (more on this option later). Keeping the weight low assists in maintaining decent on- and off-road handling.

DRAWERS

Inherent robustness, ease of use and a specific design for different 4x4 vehicles that makes the most of available cargo space, means a cargo-drawer system is a brilliant option for carrying gear. However, they do come with some heft, both in terms of their overall weight (and its impact on payload) and price.

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The layout of your storage drawer system can be tweaked to accommodate individual requirements

Having said that, as long as you take our earlier advice and plan out what you think you will be carrying – and how much space and weight this gear entails – you can utilise all the benefits of the many configurations a cargo-drawer system can be made in.

There are options that cover everything from a single fridge slide with a low drawer underneath for perhaps essential recovery gear and tools, to side-by-side drawers, to stacked (two-up) drawer systems that you can divvy up in to certain types of gear for easy access. In nearly all cases, these cargo-drawer systems will – in the case of 4x4 wagons – incorporate a cargo barrier as well.

Fitting a cargo-drawer system is usually a permanent arrangement (there are a few modular systems, but not many). You need to be confident you won’t ever need the convenience of a full-height cargo (or ute canopy) area or using your third-row seats (or, for that matter, even dropping down your second-row seats for long loads). It also must be able to ‘work’ when you’re not touring, i.e. in day-to-day use of your vehicle, the drawers won’t be a hindrance or limit its full use for your circumstances.

Even though we have banged on about the cost of these systems, we would highly recommend not going down the DIY route to save money. A reputable manufacturer’s cargo-drawer system will have been subjected to – and met – ADR requirements for each vehicle (including fitment of child-restraint anchors) it has been built for, ensuring you get not only the benefits of a smart storage system but also of a very safe one.

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The versatility of a cargo-drawer system is hard to beat as well. Opt for a couple of dividers in each drawer and a permanent fridge-slide and you can set up a true system where all the gear you need at short notice is close to hand – and there’s still plenty of space for packing actual luggage.

Another clever option is to fit taller drawers at the bottom for heavier, bulkier gear, and shorter drawers on top where you can throw in camping gear, light cooking gear, etc. You can literally pack the kitchen sink too, courtesy of set-ups like ARB’s slide-out kitchen that can be incorporated in to its drawer system.

TOP IT UP

One of the most popular load-lugging accessories would have to be the roof rack. Today, there’s a plethora of roof-platform systems on the market, which take the concept of roof-loading even further again.

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For any tourer, having a roof-based storage system is bloody handy. Being able to throw light, bulky gear up on top of a vehicle is a great way to keep the interior’s cargo area (whether wagon or ute tray/canopy) clear for storing heavier, bulkier equipment that needs to be packed low down.

Roof racks with cross-bars are fine for things like surfboards, kayaks/canoes and fishing rods – and you can fit a basket to them for more storage – but we reckon the roof platform systems that are now available from many aftermarket suppliers are a much better option for those looking to go up top.

With their clever integration of specific holders for things like gas bottles, recovery tracks, jerry cans, spare wheels and more, these platforms offer more versatility when it comes to carrying gear, albeit with a weight impact.

It’s worth pointing out that, along with payload, another figure to pay very close attention to (and one which is included in the overall payload figure) is the maximum load-weight that your vehicle can carry on its roof.

It might be impressive that Brand X’s roof platform system can cope with 150kg of gear (and no, we’d never recommend putting that much weight on top of your rig) but if the vehicle manufacturer’s legal limit for that particular model is 50kg, then you have to work to that vehicle manufacturer’s figure.

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In doing so, you need to subtract the weight of everything fitted on your roof – platform mounts, the platform itself, you get the gist … Only after adding up the weight of the complete platform system, along with any assorted ratchet straps, brackets, etc., will you know how much you have left over for actually carrying gear.

The roof platform comes in to its own when fitted to a ute canopy, but said canopy must be one that has additional bracing (usually on the inside, but sometimes in the canopy shell itself) to cope with load figures of around 100kg-plus. Again, we’d recommend against loading that much weight up top, but at least you have more room to move, so to speak, for gear loading. Speaking of canopies …

THE ULTIMATE DOUBLE-UP

It goes without saying that fitment of a canopy to a 4x4 ute is essential for anyone serious about touring – and whoever wants to take advantage of a ute’s far-higher payload capacity. Adding a canopy also effectively doubles your useable cargo space for your ute, and allows for any number of gear-carrying system options to be utilised.

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It is important to note that not all canopies are the same; materials used in their construction differ (from ABS plastic to aluminium to steel to good ol’ canvas jobbies, or as part of a complete rear-tray replacement) as do the features. The more common variants include options for sliding windows or flip-up windows inner frame, as well as vents that circulate air in/out to keep dust to a minimum during travel.

As much as some folks might overlook it, the type of window you tick on your canopy is pretty important in terms of how you will be organising your gear inside it.

Sliding windows are great for those who may be bringing their four-legged friends along (or simply for transporting your dog in/around town), while flip-up windows offer you the chance to pack your gear so that items you need every day/night can be accessed from the side window, rather than having to open up the back of the ute and drag it out that way. It sounds like a small thing until you have to unload half of your other gear just to get to that duffel bag at the back of the ute tray.

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Equipping a cargo barrier in your wagon will stop gear slamming in to the back of your head should you hit the brakes

Sorting out a ute/canopy combo in terms of gear carrying isn’t totally straightforward, either. It’s worth remembering that a lot of a ute’s tray is back past the rear axle; pack heavier gear there and it’ll adversely affect handling.

The smart packing method for a ute with a canopy (and this applies to those excellent aluminium replacement tub canopies as well, such as the one on 4X4 Australia’s now-gone Ranger) is to ensure all the heavy, bulky stuff is packed between the rear of the cab and before the rear axle for better weight distribution.

Once you’ve sorted weight distribution, the ute tray is your literal oyster in terms of how you carry gear. With a huge amount of space to utilise, myriad choices of cargo-drawer systems, the capacity to include even more gear on top of it, and the fact you have more ‘weight to work with’ in a ute’s higher payload, and it’s easy to see why 4x4 dual cabs have become so incredibly popular with off-road tourers.

ON THE CASE

For those without the budget for a cargo-drawer system, a set of interlocking boxes or hard-shell cases, such as those from Pelican, Ironman 4x4, ARB and others, are a great alternative. These robust plastic cases come in a number of sizes and are all over-built to protect the gear inside against dust and water ingress. Plus, you can stack a few on top of each other, and the tie-down points on these are up to the task as well.

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This writer uses a couple in his old Discovery 2 for camping trips and has been on longer expeditions in utes where Pelican cases were the preferred method of transporting gear. Even after days on the tracks that saw all types of weather conditions from dusty and hot, to wet and rain, the gear inside remained dry and dust-free.

The other benefit of going with a hard-case set-up is that you can have them pre-packed in your shed and ready to load before the next trip is due. Plus, smaller, lighter ones can be stored up top on the roof too.

What may be considered a negative is that these boxes aren’t permanent, i.e. you have to remove them after each trip. Conversely, they are ideal for those who wish to still use the third-row seating in their 4x4 wagon but when going away with just the family, can still make full use of the cargo area in the vehicle.

END GAME

There are so many ways in which to carry your gear when on a 4x4 adventure that there is no one correct method. Each traveller will have circumstances that govern whether they can go down the road of fitting a cargo-drawer system, or whether they have to opt for put in/pull out Pelican cases, or they just continue to tie down their bags and gear boxes in the back with (rated) ratchet straps and make use of a roof platform for their lightweight gear.

No (safe) way of packing gear is the wrong way, as long as you stick to the common-sense basics. These include: ensuring only light gear goes up on a roof; all heavy gear is packed as low in your vehicle as possible; everyday items are packed so as they are easy to reach; and you make sure you don’t exceed your vehicle’s payload, or its maximum roof load.

Pretty simple, really, and by adhering to those caveats as you set up your gear-lugging system, you’ll end up with one that perfectly suits your needs. Then, all you have to do is find a map, choose a destination, and get out there and enjoy it!