Pat Callinan's Weekend Beach Rig

You know, it’s kind of funny when it comes to what does and doesn’t grab attention. There’s been plenty of times a loaded-to-the-hilt tourer has been overlooked while people fawn over something far simpler that just clicks right. It’s something I’ve noticed the last couple of seasons driving the Everest around, despite being the simplest and most affordable vehicle we take on the trips, it always turns heads.

From the outset I wanted it to be a subtle yet capable do-it-all rig. Something that’d be in its element on any beach anywhere in the country, but still be able to do the school pick-up or trip to the grocery store. I’ve always thought the Everest platform lends itself well to that over the Ranger, or any of the big dual-cab Utes for that matter. Less overhang in the rear and a shorter wheelbase makes it naturally nimbler, on and off the road.

pat callinan 4x4 ford everest off road driving

It’s one of those builds where less is more, and the quality of the gear is far more important than the amount of it. The secret to success on the soft stuff? Well, as Colin Chapman once said. Simplify, then add lightness. The lighter the rig and the bigger the footprint the easier it’ll float over the dunes in the beach or the outback. As long as Josh isn’t behind the wheel it generally hasn’t been the rig you need to worry about off-road.

A bigger set of tyres, Cooper Tyre AT3 in 285/65r18 helps give the Everest a bigger footprint than stock, and that all-terrain pattern keeps it up on top of the sand rather than digging in too. Now, when it came to weight, I couldn’t really add lightness, but I could keep it simple. On the armour front, there’s just a single hoop ARB Summit bar, some steel side steps, and some lightweight engineered under-body armour. No scrub bars or big dual wheel carrier on the back adding weight.

I kept camping mods quick and easy too. Up on the Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform (alloy of course) I’ve got a Bushwakka Extreme Square awning, it weighs just 20kg and near self-deploys itself thanks to the free-standing design and gas struts. It’s perfect for quick lunch breaks on the side of the track or a little shade on the beach. I’ve fitted up a 100AH REDARC GoBlock as well for power, it lives in a cradle behind the passenger seat so it can power the Engel when we’re out bush or pop out and live in the garage back home. In the back, a neat and simple ORS storage setup houses the Enge MT-V40, a few odds and ends for heading bush, like recovery kit and cooking gear, and leaves enough room I can throw the groceries in the back. Combined, the GoBlock, the storage, and the quick shade have been the “game-changers” for making the Everest so practical.

With such a simple build it’s easy to get complacent and think close enough is good enough when it comes to insurance coverage. But the devil’s in the details.

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While I wasted no time getting it on-boarded with Club 4X4 Insurance, it wasn’t until I sat down with pen and paper, I realised the initial “as factory” coverage would have left me nearly $40,000 short if something were to happen.

Sometimes it pays to add it all up.