The Defender 90 is the best Land Rover and my favorite of all Land Rovers. I just love the proportions the capability and the manuverability. I currently have a third Defender 90 and if the adventures that I had in the first 2 are anything to go by then this one is going to be just as much fun. The first one was my dream car a white 1997 Defender Tdi and the second one was the one and only Land Rover that I bought brand new a yellow 2003 Defender TD5.
My First Defender 90 Tdi
My D90 Tdi was my dream car that I bought with 60K on the clock from a Land Rover dealership friend of ours Clive Crossman. I was only too happy to trade in my Opel Kadett to make this D90 my only vehicle because its the best Land Rover.
Initially the D90 had an easy life because I still had my 109 camper Lemon so all my overland trips were done in Lemon. The D90 got to go on the funtrips like this one to Tiffendel ski resort in the eastern cape. The drive up to Tiffendell from Rhodes can be quite tricky especially if the weather changes. So my D90 was the designated taxi to ferry our friends up from car parking area.
On this particular trip my heart sank as we were climbing up the pass and I hear a terrible screeting sound from the front of the vehicle. It didn’t sound good. After stopping and inspecting it turned out to be just a stone suck between the disc brake and backing plate.
Tiffindell was such a novelty being the only commercial ski resort in South Africa. It sits at 2,720 m (8,920 ft) on the south facing slope of Ben Macdhui. Its was tiny with only one small slope. But it was massive amounts of fun snowboarding and learning to ski and we always had an amazing time. Sadly its closed at the moment.
Defender 90 Tdi Camper Setup
Eventually I decided to rather kit out the D90 for overland trips and sell Lemon the camper. The D90 was just so much more comfortable to drive and Candice and I could easily fit into it for overlanding.
One of the first trips we did was to Ponto du Ouro in 2003 with a bunch of friends. Back then it was still a challenge to get there through the thick sandy tracks. Looking at this footage now its amazing to believe this in Ponta du Ouro with these desolate beaches and none of the developments on the hillside. We camped in the campsite right on the beach.
I had converted my D90 into a mini Lemon. With the inspiration from the Lemon camper build. The difference was that everything was removable so I could keep the vehicle as standard and turn it into a camper quickly. I made a floor box for storage and that served as a seat. I had space for a fridge and also made a kitchen unit to carry all the essential cooking items. The awning provided shade and the rooftop tent was the bedroom.
This system worked really well and we had a great time with some kitesurfing and diving.
Brand New Defender 90 Td5
And then in a yellow flash I suddenly had a brand new yellow D90 TD5 standing in my garage. I had convinced myself that this new TD5 was the best Land Rover and so much better than the Tdi that I had to get one. I fitted a water tank to it on the left hand side and transferred all my camper setup from the Tdi.
Namibia Overland Trip
The first trip we went on was an amazing trip into Namibia with a friend of ours Luke and his family. We drove across through Botswana on the Trans Kalahari Highway, through Windhoek up to Swakopmound. It was my first time in this area and it was fascinating to see the German architecture and culture in Swakopmund.
We spent a couple of days in this area mainly to kitsurf in Walvis Bay. This coastline is well know for some fantastic wind and we weren’t disappointed.
Then we travelled down to towards Sousousvle and camped at Sesriem. It was mid December so the heat was something else.
The next morning we were up early to visit Sousousvlei sand dunes. The plan was to take in the sights and then board down the dunes. We had taken with some specially made hardboard for a bit of sand dune surfing. The full video from this is one of my most watched videos on my first youtube channel. Click on the link above to check the full video.
Driving through a sandstorm
The next part of the trip was crazy heading into Luderitz. The road driving in was ominous like driving in a sand storm. Our plan to camp in the exposed campsite was not going to be possible in 43 knots of wind. We didn’t stick around and headed out oafter just spending the night. After that trip I had to replace my windscreen because it got so badly sandblasted.
We passed by the Fish River Canyon which is the largest Canyon in Africa at 160km long 27km wide and over half a kilometre deep. At the southern end of the canyon we stopped off at Ais Ais and enjoyed the hot springs. We then crossed back into South Africa at Vioolsdrif and meandering down the beautiful west coast visiting the scenic coastal towns and stopping off a few times on our way down to Langebaan.
Langebaan is one of my favorite places because of the beauty and the solid reliable wind that blows here. That meant some world class kiteboarding and a whole lot of fun.
The Landy of Love
This was an unforgattable trip in the best Land Rover. Not because it was done in such a cool D90 or because we visited so many beautiful places. In fact it had nothing to do with the places we visited. It was special because on Christmas day we spent the night at a beautiful spot overlooking clanwlliam dam and I snuck an engagement ring that I had been carrying the whole trip into the pile of presents. And Candice and I got engaged on that trip.
And then of course we got married and had to go on honeymoon. And yes we drove there in the yellow D90. We travelled to Bilene in Mozambique and there was no camping instead we stayed at Mahelane resort for a very memorable and exclusive honemoon and we were virtually the only guests there. The Defender 90 is such a fun and cool vehicle and still remains my favorite of all of them. Looking back on the adventures and fun times that we had makes me smile. I have no doubt that this Defender 90 will bring some more smiles and leave us with more amazing memories.
You can see the full video as these Forward Controls Conquer Lesotho at The Overland Legend on YouTube
