On The Road-26 REAR CARGO STORAGE

What a difference the Grenadier makes in terms of my road trips. It will get me to my destination each day faster, and it will save me at least two hours a day by eliminating the need to set up camp every evening and then break it down again the next morning. But because traveling much more than 250 or 300 miles a day is tough on Annie, I’ll probably use that extra time to enjoy some of the campsites where we end up.

And while I am finding things a lot easier at the campsite with the new sleeping arrangement, I will miss the comfort that comes with making a tent your home for a period of time—especially when you’re lying inside listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the fly.

And while the Grenadier may get me where I want to go faster, I’m beginning to discover a few things I don’t like about it. Fortunately, they are all trivial. For example, just about every inch of space in the cab of the Defender is usable and within reach. That is definitely not the case with the Grenadier. So, for cab design, I give it a 1 out of 10. However, I’m hoping the rest of its capabilities will more than make up for that and, on average, make it a worthwhile investment.

In addition to the super-comfortable LUNO mattress, I invested in a BougeRV 9L refrigerator. It runs off the Grenadier’s electrical system while I’m driving and then, when I’m not driving, either on its own battery—which seems to last almost 20 hours—or from my EcoFlow power station.

But I have a lot of things to charge, including the refrigerator, and if I am stationary for a few days, I’ll need some source of electricity other than paying extra for a campsite with an electrical hookup. So I invested in a 220-watt solar panel setup.

I suppose I could carry the panels on the roof rack, but they are better protected inside the vehicle. Right now, I have them stored vertically behind the passenger seat. To avoid having to take them out every time I arrive at a campsite, I also invested in a rear cargo storage shelf for the Grenadier (see photo). It sits between the width of the vehicle 7 inches from the roof The solar panels will take up half the space, the emergency triangles another chunk of it, and the rest for whatever is in need of a final resting place in a vehicle.

They couldn’t get the shelf to me in time to have it installed locally before I leave Tuesday morning, so I’m having it shipped to an INEOS dealer near Columbus, Ohio, where I should be two days after I start the trip. They’ll install it for me there.

That’s all I have for now. I’ll post a few more of these miscellaneous thoughts before I leave, and once I’m on the road, I’ll try to post every day—at least on the days when Annie and I are moving.