In general we have been very happy with our initial design and setup of Mr. Jones but after living in him for 8 months during our trip up and down East Africa, certain items broke and we also come up with a list of small improvements and enhancements which would make life just that little easier.
As the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions started to ease up a bit and we could access suppliers or receive online orders we started to work on the improvements identified:
Alucab Icarus roof:
We carry quite a lot of weight on the roof (solar panel, 2x surfboards, large roof box and a large table), so to improve the ease of opening the roof we upgraded all the gas struts to ones with a higher pressure. This had already been partly done before leaving on the trip but in the process we had managed to damage one of the brackets, incredibly the duct tape applied to hold the bracket on heldup the whole trip. But seeing as we were in Cape Town and close to AluCab once the lockdown levels started to ease we paid them a visit to source some replacement brackets. Even though they are a manufacturing facility and thus don’t normally do on-site repairs, AluCab kindly offered to fit the replacement which turned in to a bigger job than anticipated but certainly saved us a lot of pain and frustration.
Solar System and electrics:
While we already had a 150w solar panel on the roof we quickly discovered during the long periods of rain and overcast weather experienced on the trip that it could not sustain us for more than a couple of days off-grid in such weather. In full sun we had no issue but as we would like to travel slowly and spend more downtime than driving time we added an extra 100w thin film panel onto the roof box together with a second solar charge controller to hopefully now cover all weather patterns.
At the sometime the inverter (had broken in Malawi) and electric battery charger (partially broke in Tanzania) were replaced
Rain Preparation:
The AluCab Shadow awning is for us an indispensable item thanks to its ease of use and relatively large coverage area, however when it rains for extended periods that coverage is just not quite enough. You can purchase full side walls for it but they are relatively bulky to store and add extra weight both of which we cannot afford. We did however “boer maak a plan” in Tanzania with simple side wall which worked quite well at directing the water runoff away from the edges and gave us that extra little bit of coverage. A simple purchase of 2 lightweight hiking groundsheets and a visit to a tailor for the addition of some Velcro strips and we now have side walls which are quickly setup and take-up minimal space.
The awning mounts to the side of MR. Jones with brackets and this leaves a small gap where water can ran down. In fairness, almost all side awnings are designed as shade cover and not for keeping rain out but prior to leaving we had inserted a small gutter in this gap which worked really well.
There were however still some open areas at the brackets which we have now closed with some simple bent pieces of aluminium sheet.
Back Left Passenger door:
In our constant effort to maximise space and make sure items either have a multi-purpose or are easily accessible (ideally both) we removed the glass and internal panelling of the left hand back passenger door. Mr. Jones now resembles the Defender solid side hardtop models.
While it only creates a small amount of extra space, in this side door we now have quick access storage for: a yoga mat, the “awning sidewall groundsheets” which double as a clean surface for the yoga mats, security cables for locking loose stuff up around camp, a collapsible bucket and a basin.
Apart from above “big ticket” items many smaller improvements were made or maintenance items completed:
- Improved setup for 12v driving fans
- Brackets to protect 12v fan cables in bedroom area
- Bracket for braai renewable firelighter/firestone bottle
- Ring bolt on side of vehicle to hook hammocks too
- Attachment points on clothes cupboards for strapping chairs down
- Painting of back portable step
- Back Door internal handle – reinforce
- Mount for umbrella, floor brush & flyswatter on back door
- Cargo Net on inside of front doors
- Cargo Net on top of rear cupboard
- Raise side cooking table slightly to improve washing basin height
- Enlarge side cooking table slightly so collapsible washing basin sits properly
- Extra clip for outside stove gas pipe for when stored & shorten pipe
- Drill hole in small gas cylinder for bolt at bottom of bracket
- Foam strip under small gas bottle wood cover
- Rubber piece on roof under solar panel connector
- Rubber spacer on table roof rack lock
- Wire brush, paint and insert rubber matting inside all drawers
- Replace rusted screws in inside stove cooker heads with stainless ones
- Storage space behind kitchen draws for large vehicle spare items
- Metal boxes for footwell area under fridge (improved storage)
