Upgraded Mitsubishi L200: A Journey to Our Ideal Overlander
Our Mitsubishi L200 has recently undergone some major upgrades, transforming it into our ideal overlander.
From a new chassis mount canopy to suspension and wheel upgrades, as well as adding some home and interior comforts to our roof tent – it's all coming together beautifully!
Back in early 2018, we embarked on designing and fabricating our own chassis mount canopy. Our first iteration was completed just in time for the spring edition of the 2018 Adventure Overland Show. Since then, we've been rigorously testing it, making necessary updates and ensuring it fits our needs. Inside the canopy, we installed a fridge slide (soon to be replaced by our drop-down version), a second battery with a split charge system, an inverter, our onboard air system, and of course, the roof tent.
While working on our custom chassis mount canopy, we decided to go all in. Our to-do list included a new cat-back stainless steel exhaust and an additional fuel tank. With the original tray removed, it was the perfect time to get everything fitted.
The initial test run to the AOS Spring edition was a success, with all the upgrades working flawlessly. This success encouraged us to take things even further. Outside, we mounted the roof tent directly to the top and the awning to the side, using custom brackets. At the front, we added bespoke twin Jerry can holders to the existing front roof rack.
We didn't stop there! We fitted a 40mm lift kit, a winch bumper, and a winch to the truck. In early 2019, we decided to add more storage. The canopy was designed to include a ‘hidden’ drawer in the back, which we installed using heavy-duty sliders. This drawer now houses our recovery gear.
In preparation for even bigger adventures, we upgraded some of the wiring. We wanted all holes and changes to the canopy finalized before painting, so we added USB charging units and an interior light to the RTT. We also enhanced the inside of the canopy with new lighting and upgraded some of the switches for better functionality. Additionally, we fabricated a set of heavy-duty rock sliders for extra protection while off-roading, incorporating a small kick-out at the rear of the car. Painted in Raptor, they not only enhance the truck's look but are highly functional as well.
With the L200 almost exactly how we wanted it, we decided it was time for a fresh coat of paint. The canopy had proven its worth, so we painted it black. To avoid a dark interior, we chose a light grey for inside. The truck was stripped down, and the entire body was resprayed in black. All accessories received a fresh coat of black Raptor to tie it all together.
We're thrilled with how the L200 has turned out in its new livery. For regular updates, check out our Instagram and Facebook pages.
We chose the Mitsubishi L200 for its immense potential as a reliable overlander.
When we first got our hands on the L200, it was decked out in chrome and boasted a side-exiting dual sports exhaust. However, the aesthetic of the L200 rapidly evolved. We swapped out the wheels and tyres, de-chromed it, added a canopy and snorkel, and upgraded the interior sound deadening. This was just the beginning of our journey, as we geared up for a UK adventure! We fabricated a double roof rack, refurbished the canopy, and made a few suspension upgrades. After a successful shakedown of the racks in the stunning Lake District, we set our sights on a European overlanding adventure.
For our European adventure, we built fully-fitted full-length drawers for the bed, a battery and storage box to replace the rear seats, a dual battery system with an inverter, an awning, and a fridge. This setup has been working perfectly for us. Following our two major adventures, we added some sign writing and made a minor adjustment to the rear rack to eliminate flex.
Our Mitsubishi L200 has truly transformed into the ultimate overlander, ready for any adventure that comes our way.
Mitsubishi l200
Our Mitsubishi L200 has recently undergone some major upgrades. In short, we’ve made it into our ideal overlander. A new chassis mount canopy, suspension and wheel upgrades, some home comforts to our roof tent, and some interior comforts too!
In early 2018 it was decided that we were going to design and fabricate our own chassis mount canopy. The first iteration was to be completed for the spring edition of the 2018 Adventure Overland Show. Since then we’ve been putting it through its paces, making updates here and there and ensuring it was suitable for what we wanted.
Inside the canopy we fitted our fridge slide, (soon to be replaced by our drop down version), the second battery and split charge system, an inverter, our on board air system and the roof tent.
While we fabricated our custom chassis mount canopy, we decided to go all in. On the to do list was a new cat back stainless steel exhaust and an additional fuel tank. With the original tray taken off from the car it was the perfect time to get it all fitted.
The initial test run to the AOS Spring edition was successful, with all the upgrades working well. This then pushed us to go even further.
Outside, we fitted the roof tent directly to the top and the awning to the side, mounted with custom brackets.
To the front of the truck we fitted our bespoke twin Jerry can holders to the existing front roof rack.
We later went on to fit a 40mm lift kit to the truck along with a winch bumper and winch.
Early in 2019 we decided to add some more storage to the truck. The canopy had been designed to have a ’hidden’ drawer in the back. We added the drawer in, using heavy duty sliders, allowing us to house our recovery gear inside.
In preparation for bigger things to come, we decided to upgrade part of the wiring. We wanted all holes and changes to the canopy to be finalised prior to painting, so it was the perfect time to add USB charging units and an interior light to the RTT. We also added some new lighting to the inside of the canopy, and upgraded some of the switches to more suitable components.
We also fabricated a set of heavy duty rock sliders for the vehicle. We wanted to provide extra protection to the canopy whilst off-roading, so a small kick out at the rear of the car was incorporated into them. Painted in raptor they aid the look of the truck and are functional too.
With the L200 nearly where we wanted it, we decided it was time for some fresh paint! The canopy had proven its worth and the decision was made to get it painted black. Not wanting the interior to be too dark, we opted for a light grey inside. The truck got stripped down, and the whole body was resprayed in black. All the accessories got a fresh coat of black raptor to help it all come together.
We’re very happy with how the L200 has turned out in its new livery. Check out our Instagram and Facebook pages for regular updates.
2017 / 2018
Black Rocks Sands near Porthmadog, North Wales in May 2017.
We purchased the Mitsubishi L200 as another platform that had huge potential to be a reliable overlander.
When we acquired the L200, it was heavily chromed, and featured a side exiting dual sports exhaust.
The aesthetic of the L200 quickly started to change. We replaced the wheels and tyres, de-chromed, added a canopy and snorkel and upgraded the interior sound deadening.
It was at this point that the real work started, as we had to prepare for a UK adventure! So we made a double roof rack and refurbished the canopy, along with a few suspension upgrades.
After a successful shakedown of the racks in the Lake District (UK), we started to prepare for a European overlanding adventure. This included building fully fitted full length drawers for the bed; building a battery and storage box to replace the rear seats; installing a dual battery system with inverter; installing an awning and a fridge.
