My wife and I are starting to get into overlanding in a mild way - crosscountry in the USA to visit various kids in college. Going off the advice of "the best vehicle is the one you have", we are planning to just use our current car - a 2014 Mercedes GL 450. We have done a lot of camping and so we are thinking the next step is to get a rooftop tent and some more built-in slide out drawers for the back to hold the stove, small fridge, etc. Anyone have any tips or recommendations to get going? It would be really nice to get a water storage solution so we can do cooking & camp shower. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!
Tips on prepping a standard vehicle for mild overlanding? (GL 450)
- Thread starter ultradad
- Start date
It's easy to get carried away, so I'd start off as simply as possible and add as you deem necessary. It's also tough to gauge how much room everything will take up and how to orient all your packing before you start. You could start looking around frontunneroutfitters.com . They have a pretty good website with lots and lots of different products, you can also search by vehicle to see what you think fits your needs and space. I do not think goose-gear.com has mercedes specific products, but looking there also will give you a range of what storage solutions to expect. A fridge and slider system eats up a ton of storage space, with a roof top tent you lose almost all roof storage space, add in water too and you are looking at a much smaller vehicle than when you started. I say all that to keep it in the back of your mind as you go through the process, not to scare you off.
Finally for water storage, this is my favorite thing I have found so far https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/front-runner-footwell-water-tank.html
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Todd n Natalie
OverCamper
Are you going to want to venture far off road?
Would towing a small trailer like a teardrop, boler, r-pod instead of modding the Benz work for you?
Would towing a small trailer like a teardrop, boler, r-pod instead of modding the Benz work for you?
That is a good idea, we should look into that!!
dreadlocks
Well-known member
I second the idea of a lil trailer, as for the MB.. the first thing any standard vehicle needs is good tires, some good All Terrains w/matching full sized spare that you rotate in with the rest to keep fresh and in good condition is how I'd start off.. If you got bigger than 18in wheels I'd consider downsizing to 17-18's as well, more sidewall is always good, the costs will go down and you'll be at a common truck tire size so chance of pulling into some old tire shop in BFE is likely to have what you need on hand, and in stock.. 19in+ truck wheels are not common at all and your choices will be severely limited just by that.. I cut my maintenance costs dramatically by selling the OEM 20in wheels that came on my German SUV on craigslist and putting 17in wheels on it.