Hey there, I recently bought a 2025 p400, gf and I are taking it on a month long trip up the east coast of aus in a couple of weeks and looking to get some helpful/necessary accessories fitted beforehand

Looking at:

- LR roof racks
- Mounted compressor
- Maybe ladder?
- Some more all rounder/4wd tyres and rims as the stock ones are 22in and very city slicker vibes, will get banged up if I leave these on

Open to any other helpful recommendations, let me know what are your essential defender upgrades!

 

My wife and I have taken our 110SE on two US East Coast spanning road trips. For us, the roof rack, storage box and the ladder were useful since we carried fishing gear up on the rack and kept the stinky tackle box in the side box. Getting up on the rack was very easy with the widdle wadder. I've heard that the widdle wadder is quite fragile - however it held my 280lbs heft well enough - but I don't often see the ladder on other Defenders - probably for good reason.

I also used the built in compressor while on the trip but never since. However we did have cargo shift in the rear cargo area during our trip and cause the air compressor to turn on anytime we went over a bump in the road... highly annoying.

Otherwise the truck did wonderfully as a road trip vehicle - other than the fact that the seats give my sciatica fits because even when the seats are pushed all the way back, I cannot straighten my legs- at least it keeps me from falling asleep while driving!!!

 

Thanks Tad that's helpful! Been doing a bunch of research and digging the past week and I think we've got a good list of things that will make our trip more comfortable now

 

Couple thoughts based on my experience. I'm more into offroading, so some of my recommendations are biased in that direction.

Essential is subjective and ... a slippery slope! But my ideas.

• Mudflaps I think I already see mudflaps in the pics, is that right? - which I'd recommend to avoid rocks kicking up and damaging the paint forward of the rear wheel arches. I went without them for 5000 miles on mine and lots of damage, it's rather annoying.
• The LR Ladder and roof rack are great (although some here don't like the ladder because with alot of use, it does break after a few years, and the only fix is replacement and it's about $1000 USD).
• The Built in LR Air Compressor - I love it, use it all the time... both when offroading to air up and down my tires, but also to air up and down all my other tires, and to do pool floats, at the beach. It's great. I havent been to a crappy gas station air compressor in 3.5 years or used my garage air compressor since (except for tools, etc).
• Meaty Tires and raise the truck up a bit-- Some K02's and swapping to 20" wheels would be nice (since you have 22's, you can't go down to 18's without shaving down brake calipers. I went with 275-60-20 BFG KO2 tires which is a bit bigger than most go with - then with a 1.5” rod lift - these are 33” tires (1” larger diameter than stock, so 1/2 in higher) plus the 1.5" rod lift) -- so my truck is a total 2" higher at normal height. It looks so much better like this. No downside to this other than at Offroad height it gets a little bouncy / stiff, but no matter because I rarely use the Offroad height except temporarily to clear an obstacle) --- This will pretty much let you go anywhere you'd want to go
• Aux driving lamps You're in Australia, ya? Doing much night driving on this trip? There are some pretty cool nighttime driving lamps that mount either in the front bumper or the roof rack. Check this company out -- expensive but rad -- https://www.lazerlamps.com.au/integr...and-rover.html or I think this is super slick under the front of the expedition roof rack. https://www.lazerlamps.com.au/land-r...nting-kit.html
• The reverse lamps on the Deefer are pitiful for seeing at night when backing up. Utterly dismal. They're more like indicators. I fitted aux backup lamps like these - https://huntersprestige.com/products/defender-rear-reverse-light?srsltid=AfmBOooQaZapK7N-NyubNNjZ1x6l-ubcW35KPQIVp3MaXAZpQ5RjxW-Q and snipped the wires so they only light up reverse lamps, no red outlines. Love them. Others really like the powerfuluk solution which is this -- https://www.powerfuluk.com/products/...AmjK6zttKL7EqR

 

I think this depends on what you're doing on the road trip! I think a rack is def needed and I personally like the Front Runner rack over the LR one as it allows you to add way more accessories easily.

I would also add -

• A table to the rear door is the best on road trips regardless of what you're doing. I have used it to make drinks, fix things, have lunch, etc.
• Light bar for rack - This was one of the best things I did but most of my road trips involve camping. Being able to see perfectly at night has been a game changer and reduced a lot of stress when arriving to campsites late at night where I have to drive down dark forest roads.
• Gas cans on the roof rack - again, it depends on what you're doing but something else that has reduced stress when camping and road-tripping. Before I had them there were times I wanted to explore a random road but knowing that I had 1/2 a tank and the closest gas station was 100 miles would stop me. Now I explore whatever I want without "range anxiety".
• Awning - The 270 awning has been awesome to throw up shade whenever I need it whether that be at a rest stop to eat lunch or at the campsite for a week its been a great add.

 

Solid setup so far. Definitely swap the 22s for 18s or 19s with AT tyres—those stock rims won’t last off-road. Roof racks and a mounted compressor are great calls. A ladder’s useful if you're loading the roof often. Also consider a fridge with a slide, basic recovery gear (Maxtrax, ****** strap), and a dual battery system if you're camping. Drawer storage helps keep things organized. If you're hitting beaches or remote tracks, these upgrades will make a big difference.

 

Roof racks/ladder/gear box are useful but add road noise so keep in mine if you're driving long distance.
And with Defender battery issue that most of us went through, I recommend getting a jump starter and battery maintainer.

 

[QUOTE=kez;919987]Hey there, I recently bought a 2025 p400, gf and I are taking it on a month long trip up the east coast of aus in a couple of weeks and looking to get some helpful/necessary accessories fitted beforehand

Mate, nice rig 👍 I’ve just finished a quick east coast 3k trip. Don’t worry about extra lighting, DO NOT travel from dusk to dawn. I had to get out of Canberra last month (not exactly remote) before dawn as I didn’t have a choice, the Roos were on the move, ended up sitting behind a semi for 2 hours as he mowed 5 down. I’m heading to the cape next month and will not travel from 4.30 pm as it’s even worse up north & west. Take a fridge, Waco CFX5 40L works great in my 90. You won’t need fuel unless you’re going west of Birdsville and plan on taking the desert route to the Alice, I get 1000km+ on a tank on the HWY. Buy the HEMA maps & kits for specific areas you are planning to explore.

Cheers, enjoy the trip.

 

FYI, I’ve got a D250

 

Powerful UK has a pretty slick way to mount an ARB inflator in the spare tire bracket. Ingenious, but the wiring is a bit intimidating to me. I may get one and just put at plug on it instead of hard wiring.

Also, Lucky 8 has back-up lights, a bumper cover with back up light, and a cargo space LED which are relatively easy to install and awesome, practical additions. They also sell the Mud table which is easy to install.

Fitcam X… inexpensive, easy install, looks OEM.