Andrew Lewthwaite from Alps Creative is no stranger to the Open Country SUV range, having trialed several patterns across multiple off-road vehicles, enabling his explorations and content generation around his homeland of New Zealand.
When he arrived in Australia almost 18 months ago he reached out immediately and let us know that he was building a car to take he and his partner Maxine on their dream trip around Australia.
“I had Open Country A/T II on my first Ford Ranger and Open Country R/T on my next Ranger, but the latest generation Open Country A/T III is amazing to drive on. They look the part, too - they’re more aggressive in to the sidewall, but amazingly without any extra road noise. I think the car drives better now for having them fitted than when we first got it!” he exclaims.
Open Country A/T III was a fantastic fit for the couple and their Land Rover Defender, Riley. In 285/75R16 fitment it gives them a safe, wife footprint whilst commuting on road, with the Open Country A/T IIIs legendary grip combined with plenty of side wall to support their adventure offroad.
“We’re doing some big on-road stretches in between towns,” he begins, justifying his choice to choose a capable all-terrain tyre over something more aggressive. “We’ll do a bit of overlanding through South Australia, and we’ve already done some light off-roading to get to a few camp sites around Notch Point in Queensland, but given that we’ll be living out of the car as well as touring in it, we want to take care of our home on wheels,” he adds.
To handle the trip, the Defender has been decked out with airbag suspension to assist with the extra load from the on-board water system, extended range fuel tank and the rooftop conversion, completed in conjunction with Headspace Campers.
You can follow the duo and their Defender at @rileytheroamer.
