Greetings,
I never thought of myself as a jet-setter, but right now I am starting to feel that’s exactly what I am! Since our last newsletter, I’ve been to the east coast of Australia and the west coast of the USA. The time difference between these two parts of the world is around 17 hours! My next destination is the Allrad Show, Badkissingen, Germany. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing new places, but the travel can take its toll.
While on the east coast of Australia, I attended the Brisbane Show. From there it was to the west coast of America for the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona – What a contrast in overlanding styles!
Australia has been into the 4×4 game for a lot longer than any of us. It is the birthplace of brands like ARB and OME, TJM, Oz Tent…. you name it. Whilst the US market has only recently adopted what we know as Overland travel, the potential is huge, I am excited!
As we all know, Alu-Cab is into hardcore aluminium overland gear. Our line of accessories perfectly suit the overland explorer/adventurer in all corners of the planet. There are few products that we don’t produce.
What excites me the most though, I think, is that the more people start to use our products, the more they start to understand how our designs are really dynamic in comparison to what they are used to. So many people feedback to us with regard to how easy our gear is to work with, and that setting up camp is a pleasure because we design our gear with specifically this in mind.
From the onset, Alu-Cab has focussed on our products being built tough, but also, super convenient to use. Check out some of our customer videos showing how easy our products really are to operate.
The Alu-Cab Expedition Tent: https://web.facebook.com/didextreme/videos/460464060954135/
The Shadow Awning: https://web.facebook.com/didextreme/videos/460575494276325/
We strive to take the hardship out of hard-core overlanding.
FEATURED PRODUCT: The Alu-Cab Canopy; the true original.
Although Alu-Cab has made it’s name with our canopies, today that is really just a part of what’s on offer. When building your hardcore overlanding rig, however, the canopy is where you want to start. The perfect place to store your gear – strong, secure and dust-free.
Once this is in place, you can start adding some of our quality accessories. We all know that a properly kitted vehicle, needs a large amount of top quality equipment.
So start off by fitting the canopy that best suits your needs.
This could be a smooth or tread-plate unit, with side-opening doors, in either a black or silver powder-coated finish. We choose to powder-coat our canopies because it’s the most durable finish.
The black coating is a stippled black. This really helps to reduce signs of scratching, normally a major problem with a black finish.
If one is really into hard-core off-roading, scratching through bushes and branches, then I would suggest ordering the tread-plate finish. The tread-plate further eliminates visible scratches. It also gives the canopy a far more rugged look.
So either you want the smooth-plate more “executive” look, or the tread-plate “camel man” finish. The choice is yours.
Once you’ve decided on your choice of canopy, you now have the perfect platform to design the rest of your layout, with our modular accessories.
At Alu-cab, keeping weight to a minimum is vitally important to us, without compromising on strength. So, by building our frames from extrusions, we manage to build one of the lightest but strongest canopies on the market.
This enables one to load directly onto the roof. No added internal frames required. You can climb onto your roof, using it as a viewing platform when filming and game viewing, or pack your extra gear directly on top. It offers 400 kilograms static weight and 200 kilograms carrying weight. Sometimes, you might want the whole family up there, to enjoy the view.
No roof rack required. The canopy also comes standard with mounting-rails down each side. These can take most universal roof racks or our Alu-Cab load bars. These load bars enable one to fit things like our Gen 3 Expedition Tent or Shadow Awn. Equipment like bike racks, boats, boards you name it, are all easily fitted to the load bars. The perfect solution for your packing needs. Our aluminium load bars are by far the strongest on the market, with their 3 sided T slots. They offer so many solutions for the explorer/ adventurer / outdoor enthusiast.
So now you have a canopy with load bars.
From here, the options just keep building: eg, the Gen 3 Expedition Tent. This tent is a life-changing product for any over-lander.
(If you have ever fought the old battle of erecting a ground tent or the throw-over conventional roof top tent, then you will know that camp-building is a true relationship tester!! Many a marriage has been left hanging in the balance after setting up camp)
If you and your partner are considering getting into camping, then take my word on this. Fit a Gen 3 Tent with a Shadow Awning attached and you have the perfect camping combination.
The Alu-Cab products come together, to create the perfect solution for all your camping needs. This is just to wet your appetite.
On that note, until next time travel often, go equipped.
Jeremy Bergh