To get started with overlanding you really don’t need any special interior, but after going on some trips you see the benefit of some drawers etc to get the equipment organized. When planning interior, think about availability all the time. Things you need at the camp should be stored so that you can easily get through the tailgate and side doors, without having to crawl into the car. In addition to drawers, sturdy plastic boxes are nice for packing. Structure the contents and mark the boxes well. If you are on an extreme tour then recovery equipment should be readily available.
If you travel alone it is okay to sleep inside the car. Otherwise it is simplest with roof tent. It is quick to rise, and you do not have to find a suitable ground to put it up. Removing the back seat gives you plenty of extra space for a cooler and jerry cans.
Furnishings can be purchased or you can build yourself. Here are some examples of self-build for a LandCruiser 80.
Drawers
One of the first things you get is usually a drawer to have in the back of the car. It provides very easy access. If you build it yourself make sure to use powerful telescopic sliders. When you fill the drawers with jacks and tools and drive on a bad road, there will be great forces so the sliders must be oversized in relation to the actual weight of the contents. You can do without sliders and instead use a smooth plate under the drawers.
This drawer is made of 20mm plywood with steel building brackets as reinforcements. The first sliders I used could withstand 50kg each. They held a half trip. The new can withstand 200 kg each, and they still sit there.
Plywood is easy to build with, but it gets heavy. If I should do it it again I would use aluminum and thin steel square pipes, or at least thinner plywood. The height of the drawer section is adapted to the height of the rear seat so that when this is folded down you can put in a mattress and sleep well in the car. I have divided the mattress into 4 pieces so it is easy to live away and can vary for one or two people.
In addition to the drawer, I have made a kitchen box where I have food, gas and a stove. It makes cooking very easy when everything is accessible by opening the tailgate. The box is vented with a hose underneath the car in case of gas leakage.
Table and chairs
Tables and chairs should be easy to access. Particularly the flat type table can be difficult to pack and lash well, while the folding accordion type takes longer to pack. In the 80, I solved this by making a shelf just for tables and chairs without the need for lashing, and for easy removal. They can be seen under the aluminum box in the picture below.
To the right in the image is a 20 liter jerry can next to the drawer at the back. In the tank there is a submersible pump, and a crane with switch mounted behind. The can is easy to fill from the outside, or you can easily change the can with a new.
Here I have taken out the back seat and been given space to put the cans on the floor behind the front seats, as well as other heavy equipment and food that is in a separate box with a lid. Think safety and tie down or screw things all the time. The cooler here is a cheap thermoelectric. It can only be used during the day due to the high power consumption.
