Don't want to deviate from the topic, but what uses one might have for the lunch box? I find it cool and all, but been debating if it is worth the money and install effort.

 

You can put recovery gear in it, tools, safety equipment, you’d be surprised how useful it is. Trunk space is limited so on trips etc., spillover also applies. Do you use it on a daily basis? No. Anyway it’s a personal preference. I’m glad I have it.

 

I don't have the lunch box, but I'm VERY bi-polar on it. I kinda like the unique styling but sometimes I think it won't age well. Also, it seems like it really won't carry much, but honestly I'm really eager re: the Plumb D pillar storage which is even smaller! I'd love to hear from others what you actually put in there. Please help me hijack this thread by posting pics of what you keep inside of yours! (Sorry, @DrPizz ....)

 

Haha, no worries - hijack away! We solved the original question, no wind noise from the gear carrier (which I can now confirm) - the roof rack on the other hand reminds me of riding on a quiet-ish airplane at highway speeds.




Side note: For anyone installing, here is a good technique I haven't seen yet that I used for marking exactly where the screw holes line up to your trim piece. Machined down to spikes, screw them in, and snap on your window trim. When you remove it, you'll have nice little dots where to do your drilling. It's actually crazy how inconsistent these holes are drilled into each our Defenders. My front and back holes were quite visibility misaligned in the vertical direction. Notice the hole spacing vs. the actual thread position in the last pic.

 

I have the OEM expedition rack, the ladder and the "lunch box" I have also installed the Colorado Fairing and it makes a big difference in the noise from the expedition rack. Worth every penny in my opinion, as the car is much quieter now with the fairing and even gets better gas mileage. No noise from the ladder or the gear box.

 

been debating adding the side carrier from Vulkan, i kind of like the look with no rack but want to figure out what i would use it for.

what’s your plans for it and anyway to take some pics of the inside. trying to get a bette rebate idea what might fit. i have seen some put some whiskey bottles inside which is cool but useless in the end

and can you comment on the quality and paint finish

 

I plan to use it for some light duty storage of things like a first aid kit, basic tools, a tow strap, and some deer urine during bow season for hunting trips (better in the box vs. the cab). I would be afraid to keep anything too valuable in there since it could pretty easily be broken into if someone was so inclined - just a plastic box after all.

To be honest, I have some mixed feelings about the quality of Vulkan accessories as a whole after installing the ladder, rack, and gear carrier. As far as the gear carrier is concerned, I think it the shell or door, depending on how you look at it, is very well done. The inner plastic box where stuff is stored could be better. Where I feel Vulkan leaves a significant to be desired is on the mounting braces and the threaded holes at the back of the box. In fact, mine required use of a pencil grinder in those threaded holes just to get threads to line up well enough to accept the bolts. We're talking two mounting points per brace to hold the back of the box and it coulda/shoulda/woulda been a piece of cake otherwise. I couldn't help but feel like "maybe should bought OEM" while installing it at that point in the install process. Don't get me wrong, it worked out in the end, and now that it's installed, it's very solid and probably 95% as good as OEM I imagine. I had the same feeling about the ladder. I don't feel like the mechanisms are quite right (opening and unlocking is difficult) and my top ladder cover didn't fit at all. So I can't help but feel like quality control in these products isn't quite up to snuff. This all said, Vulkan is in the process of sending me another, but apparently genuine LR this time (as of early December) and they were quick to respond. I just followed up today on status. Others on this forum have echoed similar sentiments about Vulkan customer service responding to these problems quickly and reasonably, so it does make up for some of the areas they lack versus OEM.

The paint and finish are quite nice in my opinion, which is the main reason I wanted it (gloss black vs. OEM silver only). The outer appearance doesn't look cheap on the box, but would like to see better quality braces for mounting of the box. Vulkan supplied a genuine LR badge, still in it's OEM packaging. End of the day I would buy it again if I was installing a gear carrier, but would be interested of other's opinions on quality too. I'll try to take some pics inside/out tomorrow for you to evaluate.

 

thanks for the feedback. i bought some sidesteps when i got my first 2020 defender on amazon. they were perfect and felt exactly like oem. ordered another set for my 22 and the fitment was terrible. nothing lined up.

there is a big market for aftermarket parts for the defender. you end up with knockoffs off knockoffs

i would go oem but then have to pay to paint. wouldn’t be worth it

 

I have one, and now I want two! Looks awesome!

 

Here are some pics to give you an idea of size, paint finish, materials, etc. of the Vulkan gloss black gear carrier.



The braces are light plastic, and I would like to see these made of stronger materials.

This is the hinge that locks open to hold the lid open. Although it's plastic, its relatively tight and does the job. I've heard that the OEM isn't much better, but can't comment on that myself.



No cameras or wine allowed, just whiskey