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Alu-Cab Icarus Defender pop-top review
Outfitting a Defender with an Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion is one of the most substantial modifications you can make, and one of the most impactful in terms of day-to-day use. A pop-top like this adds a permanent, quickly deployable living space, turning the Defender into a practical home on wheels rather than just a capable expedition vehicle. It allows you to set up camp with minimal effort and live comfortably for longer periods, whether at a remote basecamp or a simple roadside stop. With several pop-top options for the Defender available globally, the question remains: does the Alu-Cab Icarus justify its price and reputation? We installed it several months ago and can’t wait to dive into this preliminary review.
What is the Alu-Cab Icarus?
The Icarus is a complete lifting roof system designed specifically for the Defender 110. Its aluminum frame and black powder-coated finish make it lightweight yet strong, while the dual-layer 400 gsm ripstop canvas offers insulation, weather protection and extra darkness.
It’s an extremely simple system to use, where gas struts assist in lifting the roof, as well as the integrated bed platform and access hatch. This design makes setting it up a breeze and a quick one-person job.
The roof includes integrated cargo rails, a foam-insulated roof lining, mosquito-netted windows, and built-in lighting. Bedding can be left in place when closed, and the pop-top adds just 180 millimeters to vehicle height while keeping overall weight down. The Icarus delivers the functionality and durability to make long-term overlanding more comfortable and practical.
The roof conversion is done in a day or two and is relatively straightforward. Removing the Defender roof is easy, and so is bolting on the main structure of this new Icarus unit. It might only take a couple of hours to swap it out, then it’s just a matter of finishing up the plethora of minor accessories that make it all work.
What is it?
- Icarus pop-top lifting roof for a Land Rover Defender 110
- All-in-one solution, a lifting roof with a bed platform and integrated lights
- Pop-top that allows you to fully transform your Defender into a camper
- Insulated and ready for all-weather use
- Aluminum structure
- Black powder-coated finish
Tech specs
- Fabric: 400gsm UV-resistant, ripstop canvas. Double-layered and waterproof.
- Polyethylene closed-cell foam insulation
- Total weight Icarus: 125 kg
- Additional weight to vehicle: 65 kg (125 kg Icarus – 60 kg original roof)
- Additional height to vehicle: 180 mm
- Thickness of mattress: 70 mm
- Total mattress size: 233 x 120 cm (bed area slightly longer and 10 cm wider)
- Size of main bed area/frame: 193 x 130 cm (mattress size: 183 x 120 cm)
- Size of access hatch: 57 x 120 cm (mattress: 50 x 120 cm)
- Roof load static: 200 kg (stationary, roof closed)
- Roof load dynamic: 150 kg (moving, roof closed)
- Roof load camp: 50 kg (stationary, roof open – realistic load capacity
- Integrated cargo rails
- Gas struts assist with lifting the roof, bed platform and access hatch (Nm respectively: 500 Nm long strut on side, 400 Nm short strut on side, 150 Nm external helper struts, 350 Nm bed platform and 200 Nm, access hatch)
Pros
- Integrated all-in-one solution, allowing you to turn the Defender into a real camper
- Easy to set up; open two latches, and push it up
- One-person setup
- Heavy-duty aluminum structure (improves the rigidity of the vehicle too)
- Heavy-duty powder coating
- All-weather setup
- Integrated bed platform that stores against the ceiling with gas struts
- Ability to leave all bedding inside (duvets, as well as pillows)
- Besides some accessories, it’s ready to install out of the box
- Comes pre-wired with lighting
- Integrated cargo rails eliminate the need for a full-length roof rack
- Combined with the right interior, it allows us to register the Defender as a campervan in the Netherlands
- Dual-layer canvas for elaborate insulation and increased darkness in the morning
- Insulated setup (double fabric & insulated ceiling)
- Fine mesh mosquito nets in all three openings
- Comfortable 7 cm (two-piece) mattress with washable cover included
- Integrated roll-up rain awning at the rear window
- Handlebars on the rear of the roof and on the bed platform to assist in set-up and packing.
- Roof is 5-7 cm wider than tent base, therefore creating space for fabric and additional rain protection
Cons
- Can only carry 50 kg of roof load, more would risk breaking the hinge, welds and overall structure of the unit
- The cargo rails don’t go all the way to the front
- Our roof developed some white stains in the first week already
- The tent fabric sits somewhat loose when the tent is opened (you most likely want to keep the bungee up to prevent flapping in the wind)
- Condensation forms heavily on exposed metal parts in the tent area
- White roof lining, which stains extremely easily (dust, fly poop, etc.), one of the biggest design flaws we’ve seen
- Yellow glue is visible through the white roof lining
- Heavy-duty stitching, which unfortunately looks very wobbly at sections
- The mattress is narrow and slightly short. The two parts (main and access hatch part) move away from each other, resulting in a 10-15 cm gap during the night.
- You can’t access the downstairs area when your partner is still sleeping with their head on the pillow and access hatch
- LED lighting is all white (no amber or red function)
- Does not come with USB ports, nor is there a connector for solar panels
- Mosquitos can find their way from inside the vehicle up to the sleeping area
- No Velcro straps to keep windows (blinds, or mosquito nets) rolled up/in place
Would we buy this roof conversion again?
There are pros and cons to every setup. Rooftop tents have their advantages but also limitations, while the Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion offers a different set of possibilities, and some drawbacks too. For us, a pop-top combined with a livable interior remains the single most transformative upgrade for a Land Rover Defender. It changes how you live, sleep, and interact with your basecamp, far beyond simple comfort or ease of use.
The Icarus is well-designed and made of high-quality materials. It’s easy to set up, functional straight out of the box, and doesn’t require any additional modifications unless you want to tailor it to your personal needs. You can install it, test it, and then decide which optional upgrades suit your lifestyle.
It has a long list of pros. Quality, finish, integrated features, and optional accessories make it an appealing choice. Yet there are also small design details that could be improved. Some can be adapted to or tolerated, while others are minor annoyances, especially given the price point.
Overall, we are very pleased with the conversion and it does live up to its promise. The high-quality structure, powder coating, bed platform and sleek design (both inside and out) stand out as particular highlights.
Would we buy it again? That depends. When we installed ours in South Africa, it was considerably cheaper than in Europe, making it an easy decision. In Europe, however, there are several premium pop-top options available across the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. Your choice will depend on factors such as cost, customizability, roof load, design, bed platform functionality, global support and spare parts, and how you intend to live and sleep in it.
Ultimately, the Icarus remains a strong contender for anyone wanting a fully integrated, practical pop-top solution. We encourage you to assess your needs, consider alternatives, and visualize how you would use it on the road, and then decide if it’s the right fit for your Defender. And remember, we are here to brainstorm with you to see what fits your needs.
Our approach for gear reviews
As long-term overlanders we fully understand the need for high-quality and reliable gear. We know that if gear isn’t up to standard it can hinder your adventures, resulting in discomfort or a dangerous situation.
We write our reviews after extensive testing and with you – an adventurous overlander – in mind. We hope you appreciate our information, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Pro Tips
We combined the installation of the Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion with the installation of some of their accessories. These include the fold-up backrest and the interior dropdown table.
They have been expensive upgrades that have had a positive impact on how we live in the vehicle. Especially on windy or rainy days and evenings, it’s proven to be useful to have that backrest and a table. To sit comfortably and watch a movie, or to have dinner upstairs.
There are a few drawbacks to these upgrades. The backrest opens up the bedroom area more, allowing easier access for mosquitoes to come up. Keeping them out of your vehicle is essential. The dropdown table is slightly oddly positioned, so don’t expect to use it for work on a laptop. It’s better suited to put your laptop on to watch a movie, or use it as a storage table for when having drinks or dinner upstairs.
Additionally, there are a few upgrades we recommend straight away:
- Upgrade lighting to a 3-type version (white, amber, red)
- Put silicone sleeves around the zippers against rattles in windy conditions
- Install foam insulation on the exposed metal parts where the sidewalls meet the roof lining (against condensation)
- Upgrade the latches in case of the old version (they break)
- Keep in mind that you might need to upgrade the 1000mm side gas struts in case of a heavy load
- Try minimizing roof load by not installing a roof rack, but load bars instead
- To prevent the two mattress parts from moving away from each other during the night, we recommend installing a longer mattress (main or smaller part), add a smaller part at the end, or keeping them in place with Velcro straps.
- Lastly, a design flaw near the hinge system heavily drops rain into the footwell when the door is open. Fidget Overland has designed a 3D-printed gutter extension kit that solves this problem. You can find their products on eBay; here on the UK store, here on the global store.
Check out these product shots
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