Hi guys,
I am after some advice and info having seen your write up in landrover World,I am planning a trip with Atlas tours to the Alps or Pyrenees next year an dwould like to take my 52 td4 auto,I have been told that some all terrains and underbelly protection is needed but have no knowledge of where and how so to speak,also I would like a decent roof rack? my freelander is a 3 door.Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Rich Dean.

Hi Rich,

All terrain tyres are a good idea on any Land Rover to be used for overland travel and, if you're changing them anyway, you can take the opportunity to fit something slightly bigger to help with ground clearance. How much bigger depends on how keen you are. On standard suspension you can go up to a 215/75/15 without any problems. If you want something bigger than that then you're looking at lifting the suspension and/or fitting wheel spacers to provide the necessary clearance.

Underbody protection is a tricky one. The standard front underbelly tray is perfectly ok to fend off the occasional knock but for more serious stuff then something like the Mantec guard might be called for. In this instance I'd suggest that you take advice from Atlas Overland as to just how extreme the off-roading element is likely to be. One of the general principles of overland travel is that you don't hammer the vehicle with unnecessary off-roading, but if the only route is through the rough stuff then that's the way you have to go.

There are various roof racks available for the Freelander, from the eye-wateringly expensive Patriot through slightly less expensive examples from Frontrunner and Hannibal, down to a more affordable one from Brownchurch. However, AFAIK these are all designed to fit on a five door.

I'm assuming that you've got the roof rails on your three door? In which case the best off-the-shelf solution is probably Land Rovers' own expedition rack, which is designed to mount on standard cross bars on those rails. It does depend on what you want to use it for though. On a Freelander I reckon you'd be just as well off with a decent roof box into which you can throw all of the light but bulky stuff such as tent, sleeping bags, chairs, etc.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the roof rails on a three door aren't as strong as those on a five door - they've been known to develop cracks in the long verticals from the rear corners if overloaded, which should influence your loading planning.

Good luck with the trip. I've never been with them myself but I've heard good things about Atlas. Also, the trans Pyrenees is on my list of trips to do so I'm quite jeaous, but I'm waiting until my children are a little older before going travlling again :rolleyes: