Overlanding in Soft Top?

[abosely]

I guess the question is non vehicle brand specific but in my case it is an HJ40 stretched 27" (Aqualu Tub).

I will have a trailer similar to a M416 but a bit larger.
It will have a canvas top with external frame 'roof rack' that RTT & Hannibal awaning is mounted on.
Most all of the actual camp stuff, fridge, stoves, food spare tire, ect... will be carried & stored in & on it but in locking aluminium boxes & prob some cut resistant webbing. Well the tire & rim will be pad locked.

Mostly intended to help avoid opertunistic theft.

Trailer is more of a base camp transport system.

The HJ40 will have roll up window hard doors either with canvas top or hard top.
Everything carried in vehicle will be on Alu boxes,Tuffy console, locking glove box ect...
Will have a small 27L Engle strapped down accessible from front seats.
Clothes, water & that kind of stuff mostly will be in vehicle.

An external roof rack frame will carry roof rack with Hanmibal awaning, extra tire (split rims don't need more rims) & light bulky things
Rear swing out Spare tire, 3 fuel cans & Hi-Lift.

So really the most valuable stuff is going to be in trailer & it will have a canvas top.
A bit like a Sankey trailer. Tho it will be secured in locked & strapped down with locking cut resistant webbing.

I prefer a canvas top. But wanted to get others advice that have more experience.
Don't really have a area where plan to travel. It's being built for long term use. So who knows where it will go eventually. But it won't be cold! Lol

Could always add a hard top later if needed to I guess.

Part of me says 'oh my goodness, only canvas!'
But realistically a hard top 40 series would be so easy to get into anyway.

Will have a way to disable it when parked so either way it couldn't be hot wired & driven off easy.

Cheers, Allen

PS, as soon as I get to really building I'll post up the build.
Mostly gathering stuff now. Be a few months before really get to building.

If this looks funny, I typed it on my iPhone!

 

[redthies]

Hey Allen. When I first asked Todd at Aqualu if he could build a Land Cruiser body for me (over 20 years ago) he said he'd think on it a while. A few months later I ended up with his 3rd body. I had him do a lockable storage box in the back that I could bolt a seat to and flip it up for access. It worked really well. I only ran a soft top on that 40, and other than a gas cap, I never had anything stolen out of it. With all the precautions you outlined, I think you'll be fine with just canvas. You never can stop a determined or "intelligent" thief, but the vast majority of theft is, as you mentioned, opportunistic.

 

[1911]

I have done trips in my 40 for more than a week at a time with only the bikini top, though I do bring a canvas trail cover in case it rains at night. It depends on where you're going I guess and what time of year; in my case you have to expect some rain showers and variations in temperature and be prepared with a rain jacket and layers to go under it. It also depends on if you'll be in a group with other vehicles (which can get very dusty in some of the places that I go).

Security has never been an issue for me. I have a Tuffy locking center console that I can put my wallet, pistol, ipod, camera, etc. in if needed but I have never lost anything out of the open truck, even when staying in a motel in town. On the trail it's never an issue.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hey Joaquin,

I did 2 years and 40,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina in my soft-top TJ.

The only "security" measure I took was to build a "storage box" in the back. It was just two pieces of plywood bolted down, so when the tailgate was locked, everything in there was locked in. I had important stuff underneath (passport, laptop, money, tent, tools, spares, etc.) and less important stuff on top (food, clothes, chair, towel, pillow, etc.)

This photo is the best I have of what I had "on top" of the lock box.
The zips on the top broke and I had to get an entire new zip put in in Belize City, so I took the entire top off for this photo: (click for a very big version of same image)



Here's a photo from when I built the box:

Plans and more pics here: http://theroadchoseme.com/jeep-tj-storage-box

I decided that locking the doors was a bad idea, because then someone would just cut the top, which I decided was worse than anything anyone could steal from above the storage platform.

I didn't lock the doors once on the entire drive

There were two incidences of theft.

1. Was when I parked in the middle of a city in Mexico overnight. My guitar was stolen from the back of the jeep. (I imagine they just opened a door and took it)

2. Was on the last week of my entire trip in Argentina - I happened to stumble across a few drunks that had crawled in and had stolen a few things from "above" the storage platform. I lost clothes, bathroom stuff, and a few misc not important things.
The police came etc and nothing really came of it.

Overall, security wise, the soft top was fine.

Before the trip I had dreams of spending days with it folded down, and even taking the doors off. I didn't do it once on the entire drive due to excessive heat, dust, severe sunburn, etc. etc.

For those reasons, I won't have a soft top on my next expedition vehicle, but I'm still glad I did.

-Dan