Creel
Adventurist
Hey guys, You are probably asking yourself why I would choose a Land Rover for a reliable off-road or overland platform. Well, I have loved this body style since its release in 2005, I studied the vehicle and made sure to buy within a particular year range, from a reputable dealer that knows Land Rover, and one that had as many factory service records as possible. We used to have a 2007 JK Sporticon built for rock crawling and after we started our family we decided something more overland purpose built would suit our needs better. So, Sarge was sold and we moved up to the Major. The Major is a Tonga Green 2008 LR3 HSE Lux package from the factory. This is how the Major looked coming home, pretty basic with a 2.5" Lift Rod lift and 275/65/18 Goodyear Wrangler Tires.
When we brought it home we decided to take the Major out and stretch his legs off-road at the Land Rover Off-Road Experience: Biltmore Owners Day event. The Major rolled through the obstacles with ease and required no real modification to complete the tasks at hand. We did add a rood rack we already had on hand as well as the Hi-Lift Xtreme 60" jack just in case we had a recovery situation.
After the event I decided I wanted to see what the vehicle was really capable of so we signed up for the first Southern Xpeditions Presents The Southern Overland Rally at Uwharrie National Forest. I was paired with a team of Toyota's to compete in the challenge. To prepare we needed to add a winch and a spare tire. We also decided to add some convenience items like our Black Forest Gear Fridge and Tuff-Rok Power Panel upgrading to some much needed USB ports instead of a cigarette ash trey and lighter. I already had a Superwinch EXP left over from Sarge that I decided to fit behind the factory bumper for the time being. I also installed a set of Terrafirma Rock Sliders to protect the body from trail damage in URE and Big Creek as well as provide a Hi-Lift Lift point on the side.
Over all the LR3 did great I had to use the winch on Dickey Bell to crest the hill climb and help pull my front end down slightly. I nicked an air line but was able to get back to camp and patch the air ride with a piece of Smittybilt airline off the compressor I carried. After patching the Air Ride I was able to do a proper fix when I got home. Again, Nothing damaged on one of these events to prevent me from coming home!! After the event We decided to concentrate on modifications to make it more comfortable at camp and keep it as simple as possible. I found a factory Land Rover Dog Kennel with Divider on Craigslist for $150 instead of the original MSRP of $750 and thought this would be the start to a perfect platform of organization. I had some Smittybilt GEAR MOLLE bags left over from Sarge as well as Fire Extinguishers to mount.
Whats Next???? Well we just recently upgraded to the ARB Classic 50 qt Fridge, ARB Single On-Board Air System and ARB Awning that we are hoping to install soon!!! For Photos we carry the DJI Phantom PRO 3 Drone, Iphone 11 Pro and Nikon DSLR camera. We have a RinseKit onboard for water as well. We also Mounted a set of Goodyear Duratracs we had in the garage until we decide what tire we want to run. We are looking at adding the ARB Summit Series Front bumper and Simpson lll RTT for this falls camping season. I will post updated photos of the rear Fridge, on board air and awning as soon as they are installed. Till next Post, See you out there.
When we brought it home we decided to take the Major out and stretch his legs off-road at the Land Rover Off-Road Experience: Biltmore Owners Day event. The Major rolled through the obstacles with ease and required no real modification to complete the tasks at hand. We did add a rood rack we already had on hand as well as the Hi-Lift Xtreme 60" jack just in case we had a recovery situation.
After the event I decided I wanted to see what the vehicle was really capable of so we signed up for the first Southern Xpeditions Presents The Southern Overland Rally at Uwharrie National Forest. I was paired with a team of Toyota's to compete in the challenge. To prepare we needed to add a winch and a spare tire. We also decided to add some convenience items like our Black Forest Gear Fridge and Tuff-Rok Power Panel upgrading to some much needed USB ports instead of a cigarette ash trey and lighter. I already had a Superwinch EXP left over from Sarge that I decided to fit behind the factory bumper for the time being. I also installed a set of Terrafirma Rock Sliders to protect the body from trail damage in URE and Big Creek as well as provide a Hi-Lift Lift point on the side.
Over all the LR3 did great I had to use the winch on Dickey Bell to crest the hill climb and help pull my front end down slightly. I nicked an air line but was able to get back to camp and patch the air ride with a piece of Smittybilt airline off the compressor I carried. After patching the Air Ride I was able to do a proper fix when I got home. Again, Nothing damaged on one of these events to prevent me from coming home!! After the event We decided to concentrate on modifications to make it more comfortable at camp and keep it as simple as possible. I found a factory Land Rover Dog Kennel with Divider on Craigslist for $150 instead of the original MSRP of $750 and thought this would be the start to a perfect platform of organization. I had some Smittybilt GEAR MOLLE bags left over from Sarge as well as Fire Extinguishers to mount.
Whats Next???? Well we just recently upgraded to the ARB Classic 50 qt Fridge, ARB Single On-Board Air System and ARB Awning that we are hoping to install soon!!! For Photos we carry the DJI Phantom PRO 3 Drone, Iphone 11 Pro and Nikon DSLR camera. We have a RinseKit onboard for water as well. We also Mounted a set of Goodyear Duratracs we had in the garage until we decide what tire we want to run. We are looking at adding the ARB Summit Series Front bumper and Simpson lll RTT for this falls camping season. I will post updated photos of the rear Fridge, on board air and awning as soon as they are installed. Till next Post, See you out there.
