Land Rover Camper: Inspiration & Ideas to Take Your Rig Off-Grid

Want to venture into the wilderness and boondock in stunning remote locations? There is no better rig than a Land Rover camper to get there and stay off-grid.

These iconic and rugged beauties (affectionately called “Landy”, plural “Landies,” by their owners) can handle almost any rough terrain – from snow and mud to sand and grass.

Due to their substantial ground clearance, they’re taller than many vans, so you can’t not notice them approaching on the road. They’re a symbol of the world of overlanding.

Adventurous van lifers have opted for a Landy to travel across Africa, through the Yukon, across Australia, and more. They can just choose a spot on a map and get going. Let’s have a look at some of these super sweet rigs to get inspired.

24 Rad Land Rover Campers

There are hundreds of incredibly cool rigs out there. We can’t list them all, but we tried to include as many as possible in this article. Ready? Here we go.

Lara The Land Rover Defender

Sandra and Alison with Sam, a Black Labrador have traveled extensively in their Land Rover Defender camper. Both share a passion for nature, and Sandra is a wildlife photographer.

The Defender was built out in 2016 with a hard shell as the two like to spend significant amounts of time in sub-zero temperatures. In 2020, they spent 8 months mostly in remote places like the Arctic circle, all wild camping with no paid campsites.

This rig has plenty of comforts: a fixed full-size double bed, loads of storage, 115 liters of fresh water, heating and hot water, shower, a bathroom, diesel cooker and a compressor fridge. Full air suspension means a smooth ride, and Lara self-levels when they park for the night.

This Land Rover Defender caper also has an engine pre-heater for cold weather, which both pre-heats the engine and cab.

500 watts of solar on the roof and 400ah of lithium batteries mean they can stay for a long time in one place. They also have the ability to pump water from rivers and lake to purify it, which extends their time out boondocking even longer.

In 2021 and 2022 they spent 10 months touring the Balkans and Greece, and are about to embark on 3 month trip to Nordkapp, and expecting temperatures to drop below -20!

Bessy

Bessy is a Land Rover Defender camper with a pop top, a side awning, and a camper conversion in the back. Andrea and Gavin live on it as they tour Kenya’s rough terrain with their dog Bounce. The back of the truck has a bench and a kitchenette with a sink and lots of storage.

A camper shell / pop top hybrid

Tobias has opted for a camper shell, as well as a pop top for his Defender – genius. This means the lower part of the vehicle is a permanent kitchen and dinette, while the pop top is used as a bedroom.

UsAndTheLandy

Jasper and Malin tour Europe on their Land Rover 110. The young couple opted for a soft shell roof top tent, which offers plenty of ventilation and sun protection from that Mediterranean sun. There’s enough space left on the roof rack to offer extra storage room. The guys installed two awnings – one at the back and one on the side of the vehicle. The back of the Landy features a bench, lots of cupboards, and a kitchenette. However, the couple often cook outside on a fold-up table attached to the rear door.

Wally

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Wally is an original Defender 130 two-door panel van painted in Keswick green. Jamie and Kylie, the owners, furnished the interior with a U-shaped bench, which turns into a bed, and two cabinet units at the rear. On the outside, there are a side awning, a roof rack used for storage, and a super cool snorkel. Jamie also installed a custom slide-out drawer under the extended tub to act as a kitchen.

Steve Overland’s rig

Steve is a freelance off-road specialist who loves to camp off-grid: he’s visited 39 countries so far. His Land Rover camper is very practical: it features a pop top and cabinet units on both sides of the back of the truck, plus a pop top and an extendible awning.

Rooftop Discovery

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A Land Rover Discovery also makes for a great adventure camper. Look at this beauty – Adam, Beth and their pooch Bella travel on it across the UK in all sorts of weather. The rig includes a rooftop tent and a couch in the back. There’s a fold-up table attached to the back door, which acts as a kitchen.

Eva’s 4×4 Home and Office

Eva has turned her Defender into a home on wheels DIY. Inside, there’s an L-shaped bench and a kitchen with a cool box. Behind the bench, there’s more storage space. On the roof, she mounted a rooftop tent, a rack where to store extra gear, and an awning.

Boris The Defender

Boris features a pop top and a cozy interior conversion. Inside, there’s an L-shaped bench and a kitchenette. Jack, the owner, mostly cooks off of the fold-down table mounted on the rear door.

The Blue Landie

Kai and Irati are traveling the globe aboard Blue Landie and they’re currently in Africa. This Land Rover Defender has a pop top and an interior conversion. There’s a bench on the right and storage on the left. In front of the bench, there’s a slide-out table, for eating inside in bad weather. The pop top has solar panels and a roof rack installed on it – this creates some resistance when it’s being opened, but it still works well.

More Inspiration

As we mentioned above, there are hundreds of Land Rover campers out there to take inspiration from. So we decided to share even more rigs to get you inspired.

Check out:

• This pop top and interior conversion by Allied Conversions (professional)
• Where Is The World’s family adventure Land Rover camper
• This pop top with a roof rack by Freedom Overland (professional)
• The Auroch – a Defender camper with a unique shell – by Duckworth Overland (professional)
• This Land Rover camper with swivel seats by Dormobile (professional)
• Tango 2.0 – it has an awning that extends on the rear and side of the truck
• This Defender camper with two beds by CamperHus (professional)
• This all-wood interior conversion by Bird Box House (professional)
• A Defender geared up for high latitudes (video in Italian)
• This family camper by Defender Campers (professional)
• A brand new Landy set up for overlanding by Powerful UK Ltd (professional)
• This snazzy conversion designed to travel all around the world
• A DIY conversion with an outdoor cabinet (video in German)
• This custom interior in a camper shell by Overland Campers (professional)

Land Rover Models

If you’re considering getting a Land Rover, you should get familiar with the various models on the market before you start online shopping.

Bear in mind that a modern Land Rover doesn’t come cheap – prices start from $104,500. However, you can get your hands on a used one for as little as $25,000. If you opt for an older model, you’ll save a ton of cash.

Land Rover Defender

The Defender is a British institution, which has been imported and celebrated across the world since the 70s. Defenders were originally designed for British farmers to be durable and simple. Most people build their campers out of this model, as it’s fairly easy to find and cheap.

It was built starting from 1983 and has essentially remained the same vehicle until an interior redesign in 2007. In 2020, the vehicle was completely redesigned inside and out.

Land Rover Discovery

The Land Rover Discovery was the first-ever family truck that could venture off-road. It’s very similar to the Defender, but it has somewhat inferior off-road and towing capabilities.

The Discovery was introduced on the market in 1989 and has since been redesigned in 1998 as the Series II, in 2004 as the Discovery 3, and in 2009 as Discovery 4. The latest model, which is simply called Discovery, was designed in 2017. There’s also a Sport version, which has been manufactured since 2014.

Range Rover

Range Rovers have a very long history dating back to the 1950s and they have been designed as luxury vehicles since then. They are bigger trucks, which have also been used as utility vehicles. The car went through five redesigns and generations. Sales spiked in 2008, when Land Rover merged with Jaguar. The Range Rover has also been manufactured in the Sport, Velar, and Evoque models.

Why Choose a Land Rover as a Camper

Just in case you’re still undecided, here are the reasons why a Land Rover camper makes for a good rig:

• The engine on older models is very simple so you can do your own maintenance
• You’ll be able to take it anywhere, thanks to its impressive off-roading ability
• The body is incredibly robust
• Older models are cheaper than many 4×4 trucks
• It also has great towing capabilities
• The trunk features about 34.5 cubic feet of cargo space, depending on the model
• You always have a commanding view of the road
• It’s stylish as!

To keep things balanced, we should probably also list the downsides of turning a Land Rover into a camper:

• Older Land Rovers aren’t very fuel efficient and require premium gasoline
• Some sources claim modern models can’t handle heavy use and require more than regular maintenance
• If you opt for an older model, the interior is very basic
• A permanent interior conversion means you lose the rear seats for passengers.

Do these drawbacks turn you off? There are a number of other 4×4 vehicles that make great campers.

Ideas For Turning a Land Rover into a Camper

When it comes to converting your Land Rover camper, you can choose between a number of options.

Rooftop Tent

This is the most simple and iconic accessory used to turn a Land Rover into a camper. This style of conversion allows you to use the interior of the car to store your gear and add a kitchen box to the rear of the vehicle. The passenger seats don’t necessarily need to be removed.

You can opt for a hard shell tent, which is compact and is as wide as the roof of the truck, or a soft shell one, which is a lot more spacious. Both can be set up in a few minutes.

Pop Top

If you’re open to investing more money into the camper, go for a pop top. You’ll be able to go to bed without stepping out of the vehicle and boarding a ladder. Setting up a pop top for the night only takes a few seconds, so it’s super convenient.

Professional or DIY Interior Conversion

This is the standard way in which most vans and cars get converted. If you’re in a Landy space is limited, so most people opt to add a rooftop tent or pop top. There also a number of conversion kit components on the market; however these are mainly available in Europe.

Camper Pod

Land Rover pickups can take a camper shell on top of the bed. This provides a larger, fully sheltered area in the back.

Trailer

Don’t mind towing a trailer? Then you can tow all your gear and even a bed. This is ideal if you don’t want to add height to your Landy. Make sure to choose a trailer suitable for off-roading.

Extra accessories

Snorkel

If you plan to cross rivers during your adventures, installing a snorkel is a must. Nothing is as scary as getting stuck in the middle of a crossing with a dead engine.

Awning(s)

Chill out outside your Landy in your favorite camping chair. One or more awnings will create a great shelter.

Tow Bar

If you wish to tow anything, you’ll need a tow bar, of course. Land Rovers can tow anywhere between 7,000 and 8,000 lbs, depending on the model.

Roof Rack

Not a far of a pop top or a pop-up tent? Why not add a roof rack on which you can mount solar panels for extra independence. If you’re sleeping inside the vehicle, there won’t be enough room inside to carry all your gear, so you’ll need some extra storage.

Spotlights

Even if you plan to travel in the backcountry mostly during the day, you might need to get out of a sticky situation before or after sundown (or during a heavy storm). You won’t regret having spotlights in these circumstances.

All-terrain Tyres

This is pretty much a given – no 4×4 will be able to handle mud or snow without the right tyres for the best grip. Don’t skimp on these.

Winch

You know when we mentioned Land Rovers can handle almost all terrains? Well, if you want to go off-road often, you may get stuck in a particularly hard spot every now and then. Installing a winch means you can carry out your off-road recovery solo.

Tailgate tent

Lastly, you could add a tailgate tent to increase the size of your living room. It’s a great spot where to get changed standing up.

Conclusion

Land Rover campers are the ultimate hardy off-grid rig for Landy fans – no doubt. There are lots of conversion options. As we’ve seen, It’s best to opt for older, rather than modern models. If you don’t mind getting stuck into some engine maintenance work regularly and are OK with spending a little more on gasoline, go for it. You’ll have the coolest-looking rig pretty much anywhere.

However, if you hate getting your hands greasy, there are many 4×4 trucks out there. Take a look at these beauties. Oh, and these.