Backing with purpose

Over the last two decades, the writers at go! have formed close relationships with different cars. In the 2000s and 2010s there were Toyota Condors and Renault Dusters, and now our dirt-road tourer of choice is a Suzuki Jimny. This diminutive 4x4 is very capable off-road, but packing space comes at a premium. As a result, we’ve discovered some great gear to make life easier when travelling in a small car.

- BY PIERRE STEYN AND SOPHIA VAN TAAK

FRONTRUNNER SLIMLINE II ROOF RACK

Even with the back seats folded down, there’s still very little storage space in the back of a three-door Jimny – especially when your 35ℓ camping fridge (see p88) takes up almost half the space! It’s no wonder almost all Jimny owners who are serious about gravel travel use a roof rack.

The most popular rack is this Frontrunner Slimline II – and it’s available for lots of other vehicles, too. The Jimny one is as long and wide as the roof, and it’s easy to assemble and mount yourself.

It does weigh a fairly hefty 31,5kg, so if your last name isn’t Etzebeth, you’re going to need help picking it up and bolting it on. Once it’s on, however, there’s space for jerry cans, ammo boxes and camp beds.

Please don’t overload your roof. Every car’s roof has a carrying capacity – check the owner’s manual. If you put too much weight up there, you can damage your car and affect its road-holding capability.

R10 850 frontrunneroutfitters.com

FRONTRUNNER 20L JERRY CAN

Did we mention that the Jimny is small? This also applies to its fuel tank, which has a capacity of only 40 litres (three-door and five-door models). If you want to tackle the sandy roads of a place like Mabuasehube in Botswana, you’ll need to carry extra fuel.

That’s where the famous jerry can (a German military design that has hardly changed since World War II) will come to your rescue.

This one is made of 0.8 mm steel with a petrol-resistant enamel coating. Two cans fit neatly on their sides in a Frontrunner “tray”, which is sold separately (R1 190) – you simply bolt it to your roof rack. Now you can clamp your jerry cans and secure them with a lock. A jerry can funnel (R65 from Frontrunner) makes it easy to pour fuel from the can into your tank.