The Ultimate Tommy Campers & Land Cruiser 79 series build

If you’re anything like us and love getting off the beaten track, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about the ultimate off-road set up. After two years of travelling with a Patriot Camper trailer, we knew we needed something different for full-time life on the road. We also realised that our off-road adventures require a reliable and well-equipped vehicle. As much as we loved our Patriot Camper, the idea of no longer towing, having a fully self-contained setup, and most importantly, a place to escape bad weather without having to crawl into a rooftop tent. 

That’s when we came across Tommy Campers. Pairing a Tommy Camper S6X model with a Toyota land Cruiser 79 series felt like the perfect solution. Tough, reliable, and capable of handling Australia’s diverse terrains.  In this blog, we’ll dive into the specifics of our Tommy and all our choices to make this camper setup an overlander’s dream! 

In this blog, we’ll dive deep into our dream touring setup, how we built it, and why we love it. For a visual tour of our set-up, check out our YouTube video:

Why we chose the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series

The Toyota Land Cruiser 79 series is an Aussie icon, built to last. It’s known for its durability and reliability and I would say that it’s most likely Australia’s most desired 4WD among overland enthusiasts, as well as tradies, farmers, and the mining industry. We chose a 79 series dual cab because we wanted the extra cabin space and the ability to carry passengers if needed. Plus, there’s an insane amount of aftermarket options to customise this beast. Want a different suspension? Done. Extra fuel tank? No problem. It’s like LEGO for grown-ups.

You can find everything you need to know about our 79 series build here.

The Tommy Camper S6X – The Ultimate Slide-on Camper

What makes Tommy Campers Special?

Tommy Campers can come as a bare shell, a fully fitted-out camper, or anything in between. Together with Tommy Campers, we chose a fully custom ready-to-go camper with all the bells and whistles.

Key features:

• Lightweight Construction: 3mm thick aluminium body, Tommy Campers are designed to handle rough outback conditions and terrain.

• Quick set-up: The pop-up mechanism allows for rapid setup and pack-down

• Comfortable interior: A cozy sleeping area with a queen-sized mattress, storage compartments and well-designed kitchen facilities.

Tommy Campers S6X Dimensions

• Length 2100mm
• Width 1900MM
• Bed length 2050MM
• Standing room height 1980MM
• Standing room length and width 1100 x 1320MM
• Door opening width 1540MM
• Dry weight 328kg

You can find all models and dimensions overview on the Tommy Campers website.

Tommy Campers Price List

If you’re looking at getting one, a new Tommy Camper ranges from $20,000 to $60,000. 

Our S6X started at just under $25,000 (empty shell), but we chose almost every feature that Tommy Campers has on their list, ending at $55,000. And honestly, it’s worth every cent. 

I would say that the average Tommy Camper is sold at between $40,000 and $50,000.

Tommy Campers

Our Power System – Keeping us off-grid

Since we work on the road full-time, a solid power setup was a non-negotiable. We opted for the Enerdrive | Dometic’s 4×4/Canopy Power System. 

They are engineered to provide reliable, high-quality power solutions for off-grid adventures, tailored to meet diverse energy needs. This was a big item on our long wish list. We needed a solid power system because we work on the road full-time. 

Tommy Campers provided us with a 12-way fuse box, voltmeter, USB outlet, 12V cigarette plug, Anderson plug & isolator switch, solar isolator & Lithium battery reset, mounted to a face plate located next to the fridge.

This setup means we can charge six cameras, two laptops, drones, and everything else without worrying about running out of juice. Together with 400Watts of solar on the roof, this is a dream power system for every travelling content creator!

Our Enerdrive Power System has a 2000W inverter, a 200ah lithium battery and 40A DC to DC charging. We have an app on our phone to monitor everything, and with the solar on the roof, we hardly have to charge the battery. We are either charging while driving, or the sun does the job. This takes away a lot of stress when travelling like we do. Now we can go off-gridd and stay for longer periods at those beautiful remote locations!

This system even allows us to plug in a portable solar blanket if our camper is in the shade. We’ve been camping with a gel battery and an older system for years, so this upgrade is a game-changer! But if you want to charge the Tommy, it’s very easy. Just make sure you have the correct extension cable, 40A. 

Summary:

• 2000W inverter
• 200Ah lithium battery
• 40A AC-DC charger
• 400W solar on the roof
• Plenty of USB, 12V and 240V outlets

Our Kitchen and Storage Setup

We wanted a functional and easy kitchen, so we based it on the L-shaped design from our Patriot Camper. Tommy Campers helped us customise it and we couldn’t be happier.

Water Storage

A standard Tommy Camper comes with 75L of water, but we chose an extra water tank, giving us 150L of water in total. We connected a 12V Water pump to our second water tank. So we have two water taps in total, one on the left and one in the rear, which is plumbed to the 12V pump providing 35Psi. 

Kitchen features

65L Upright Fridge with a custom slide-out drawer underneath

You can choose whatever fridge you like in a Tommy Camper, and with the space provided, you can go all the way up to 110L. However, we opted for a 65L standing fridge because we asked for a custom slide-out drawer underneath it. We loved the L-shaped kitchen design from our Patriot camper trailer and tried to create that same look and feel. Tommy Campers did an excellent job integrating extra storage and a cutting board with the slide-out drawer. Mission accomplished! 

Modular Shelves

We opted for four shelves in our kitchen, but again, this is a personal choice. They are bolted in there, so you can choose whatever you like. We mounted our Travel Buddy oven there and we use the top shelf for our TC (Tommy Campers) perfect-fit storage boxes, which are ideal for keeping herbs, salt, pepper, oils, and more. 

Drop-down kitchen table & sink

Our modular kitchen comes with a drop-down kitchen table and sink. Wim mounted a water tap and connected it to the rear water tap, which is pressurised, so doing dishes feels like home now. If we could change one thing, we would’ve mounted the rear tap closer to the sink and connected that tap to the hot water system. This would make it possible to do the dishes with warm water. I think we are glamping now!

Awning, storage and heating – staying comfortable

The perfect awning setup

Storage & Security

We chose a reinforced spare tyre holder for the rear, but you can go without, or choose a can holder. Regarding weight distribution, it’s not ideal to have all that weight hanging in the back, but unfortunately, we had no other option for our spare tyre. At least we can still use a wheelie bin bag, which is a camping essential!

Finally, the best part of a Tommy is the inside! Because let’s be honest, if it weren’t for the inside it would just be another canopy setup. A ladder and a lockable door make walking inside really easy, there’s an LED strip mounted right above the stairs so walking outside in the evening is a bit easier, especially after a few wines. 

Lockable rear door

Closing a door and being able to lock it in those remote and dodgy areas is a dream. We’ve camped in many dodgy areas the last couple of years and the more remote you go the more sleep you’ll lose during the night. This feels safe! 

Inside bench storage

Inside we have a 1100mm bench with storage underneath. We keep our portable toilet in there. YES! Your own toilet inside. Let us be honest: everyone hates getting up at night and walking outside to go to the bathroom. Especially when it’s raining or you’re beach camping. This will keep your bed linen sand-free a bit longer! We thought we would smell something (especially Wim’s number twos) because it’s inside, but honestly, the smell is gone pretty fast with our fans and the large mesh windows. 

Sirocco Fans

The Sirocco fans are a dream! Not just for warm weather. We keep them running all night, and even during the day when the rooftop tent is open, we keep them running just to get some cool fresh air. 

Slide out table and inside storage

We opted for a custom slide-out table to be able to work from our 1100mm bench. Right underneath, we have a large drawer where we keep our clothes. It’s more than enough for the two of us. 

The inside of a Tommy Camper

Queen Size Mattress

Inside Power Points

We have a 12V Roof Console, with 2 x USB and 2x USB C ports (right above our heads when sleeping) and phone storage. 

We have a double socket plug connected to our inverter, which makes charging our laptops much faster and next to our bench we have some extra USB and USB C ports as well. 

Keeping warm – diesel heater

A heater will be on your list once you’ve travelled to Tasmania in a rooftop tent. Hence the reason why a heater made it to our essentials list. It’s not for sleeping because we use sleeping bags when it gets cold, it’s more for working in the early morning and late evenings. Wim was editing with hand gloves sometimes and that’s no fun! 

Tommy Campers Storage Compartment

We not only have extra storage underneath our bed, but you can also access it from the outside. On the right side of our camper we keep our portable toilet, baby Weber, camping chairs and table, but also storage boxes for shoes, camping floor mats, pegs and some gear, like chainsaw, drill driver, etc… 

Sealed storage boxes

We noticed you want a sealed storage box to store your stuff that gets wet and dirty, such as floormats and pegs.

Hot water system

Our last item on that side is our hot water shower and shower tent. Tommy Campers installed a Duoetto MK2 Electric hot water shower on the front interior wall of our camper, which is wired in with a USB port for the shower tent light. The beauty of this water system is that it holds 10L of water and keeps it at a set temperature. When using the shower, you immediately have the water at your temperature. Wasting water in the beginning doesn’t happen anymore. You can heat the water while driving, instead of using precious power from your battery storage. 

Shower Tent

We got our shower tent from The Bush Company. They just launched their Outdoor House, and like with everything, what these guys do, it’s the best in the industry. They use the same canvas, and colour, as what they use for their popular awnings. It’s the perfect match! 

Roof racks and Maxtrax

We mounted our Maxtrax on both sides of the camper, which makes the camper look a bit more tough. Because we travel with our surfboards, we asked for roof racks, and they painted them in Sandy Taupe with the gullwing doors. This makes the Tommy match our 79 series like a dream! It is as if the Tommy Camper was designed for the 79 series. As a surprise, Jason, the owner of Tommy Campers, installed LED lights in our roof racks and Stedi Rock lights on all sides.  

These guys gave us an unmatched service and customer experience.  Over 10 years of experience and a passion for camping make Tommy Campers a top player in the industry. 

Why we love this setup

Going from a camper trailer to a slide on setup has been a game changer for us. We can go anywhere, set up in seconds, and have a fully self-contained home on wheels. No towing, no hassles, just adventure.

If you’re considering a setup like this, we’d say go for it! It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every dollar if you love off-grid camping and exploring remote places. We’ll share more about our build and life on the road, so keep an eye on our YouTube channel for updates.

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