PSICO BABBLE
MOVING to the rear and the stock tub has been binned, in its place now lives a Psico canopy that’s every bit as modified as the Hilux it’s bolted to. On the nearside, the custom carpeted drawer system not only houses the pots and pans, but a full slide-out kitchen set-up from Dometic. The trick unit houses a three-burner gas cooker no different than you’d find in a camper or caravan – there’s also a kitchen sink in there ensuring you’re never wanting for cooking gear. Moving back past the stereo set-up and there’s a Travel Buddy oven resting above a 12V coffee machine complete with milk frother.
Moving around to the far side and there’s bulk storage with the dog box, and an ARB Elements fridge on a Clearview drop slide. Back on the outside and shelter is provided under a 30 Second 270-degree wraparound awning, while camping duties are handled by a hard-shell Bush Company rooftop tent. Eagle-eyed readers will spot the custom box mounted next to the spare tyre on the rear. It’s where the Joolca hot-water system lives, bringing all the comforts of home to wherever the Hilux is parked up for the night. It’s fed by an 80L stainless-steel water tank.
Keeping the whole system running late into the night is an extensive 12V set-up, so neat it looks factory fitted. The brain of the system is a Simarine vehicle monitoring system Jeremy has set up to give him info on everything from fridge temperatures and water tank levels to how much of an angle the Hilux was on when coming in to camp. The grunt of the system is a 200amp/h lithium battery from Hard Korr, kept charged by twin Projecta chargers.
The 25amp DC to DC charger keeps it topped up when the Hilux is moving, while a seven-stage 240V charger keeps it topped up at home. When the Hilux is parked up at camp a Victron solar regulator feeds juice in to the battery bank from the twin 120W solar panels mounted up on the roof. Jeremy has wired multiple 12V outlets throughout the canopy and tent, and 240V outlets fed by a PROJECTA 2000W invertor.