When your setup works, everything else gets easier
For five years, Allan and Jess from ExploreOz have been living full time on the road, travelling Australia with no home base to return to. Their D-MAX and Goldstream take them to the kind of places most people drive straight past. Dusty tracks, quiet camps, and long stretches of nothing.
But when your vehicle is your home, your gear, and your daily system, it has to work. Every single day.
When Your Setup Slows You Down
Like most, their set-up has evolved over time.
They started out in a 2019 Mitsubishi Triton, running an Ironman fibreglass canopy with a rear fold camper trailer. It worked, but it was never that easy to live with. Getting to anything meant unpacking everything, and simple tasks took longer than they should.
"You'd have to pull ten things out just to get to one thing." - Allan
When they upgraded to the D-MAX, a new problem came with it. The roller cover that never quite sealed meant dust and water were getting in constantly, leaving gear coated orange after a single run.
When that is part of your daily routine, it stops feeling like freedom. It just feels like work.
Jess summed up the old setup simply:
"Everything was dusty, there was just chaos."
The Reset
Moving into the D-MAX gave them a chance to reset and rethink how they travel, not just what they drive.
They needed secure storage for cameras, drones, and valuable gear. They needed better protection from dust and weather. They needed easier access from both sides of the tub. And because they were towing a caravan, they needed to be careful with weight.
Around that time, they kept noticing Utemaster setups on the road, and it quickly stood out as a simple, clean, well-thought-out system. So they decided to go with the Utemaster Centurion MK4 Canopy.
Check out the full build.
Where Everything Became Easier
The difference in daily life has been immediate.
The Centurion Canopy's large side doors mean everything is visible and within reach. No climbing in to dig around. No repacking to find what you need. Just open it up, grab what you need, and go.
"When you're living on the road full time, those small things make a big difference." - Allan
Allan and Jess can pull up to camp, open the canopy, grab what they need, and start setting up straight away.
"Within 10 minutes, we've got camp set up." - Allan
Solving What Matters
When you are towing and spending most of your time off grid in Australia, there are a few things you can't compromise on. Dust. Weight. Security.
The Centurion canopy covers all three.
For Allan and Jess, dust is no longer a problem. Gear stays clean and dry. The weight stays manageable, which matters when towing and trying to stay under GVM. And everything locks with the vehicle, with no exposed weak points. You can leave camp knowing everything is secure.
"We go to some places that aren't the safest, so knowing everything's locked down properly gives you peace of mind." - Jess
With cameras, drones, and the gear they rely on every day, that's not a small thing. They can leave the vehicle, head off on a walk, film, explore, or set up camp knowing their gear is locked with the vehicle and protected inside the canopy.
It's already proven itself out there - dirt tracks, heavy rain, and a couple of solid hailstorms. It has held up through all of it.
A Lighter Setup for Towing and Touring
Weight is one of the biggest considerations for anyone towing a caravan.
For Allan and Jess, it was a major part of the build. They needed a canopy and roof rack setup that gave them the practicality they wanted without taking too much out of their payload.
"When you're travelling Australia, especially full-time, weight's a huge, huge thing." - Allan
The Centurion Canopy weighs 75 kg and the MK4 Cantilever Roof Rack weighs 23 kg, giving Allan and Jess a complete canopy and roof rack foundation at under 100 kg.
That lightweight foundation gives them secure storage inside the tub, carrying flexibility up top, and more confidence when towing their Goldstream caravan. It also gives them a more capable setup for the trips where the caravan stays behind and the D-MAX needs to carry more of the load on its own.
The Big Hidden Win
The biggest shift for them is not a feature. It's how the day feels.
They pull up to camp, open the canopy, and get on with enjoying where they are.
"The idea is to be relaxed and easy going. Pulling stuff in and out all the time gets pretty stressful." - Allan
And now, they don't need to.
Doing More of What Matters
Allan and Jess are not rushing anywhere. They stay longer in the good spots, explore further, and spend their time actually experiencing the places they find.
Their setup now supports that instead of getting in the way.
This is ExploreOz. Doing more of what matters.
Find out more about the Centurion Canopy, or start your build.
