Alu-Cab Review – 18 Months with the Icarus Roof on Our Land Rover Defender

If you're researching an Alu-Cab Icarus for your Land Rover Defender, chances are you've spent hours comparing pop tops, watching YouTube videos and reading forums trying to work out whether it's worth the investment.

We were exactly the same. 

Eighteen months ago we fitted an Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion to our Defender 110, Skafta, and since then it has become our home for countless adventures. We've travelled to Germany for Abenteuer & Allrad, explored the Isle of Mull, spent many weekends in the Lake District and used it in everything from warm summer evenings to cold mountain nights. We've also had extensive experience now fitting them onto both our full camper commission Defenders and on a fit only basis for customers. 

With bigger adventures planned—including Iceland and overland trips across Europe—we've now lived with the Alu-Cab long enough to give an honest review.

After 18 months, would we choose it again?

Absolutely.

What is the Alu-Cab Icarus?

The Alu-Cab Icarus is a premium aluminium pop-top roof designed specifically for the Land Rover Defender.

Unlike traditional fibreglass roofs, the Icarus is built from aluminium and is designed to be expedition-ready. It provides standing room inside the vehicle while creating a full-size sleeping platform upstairs without permanently increasing the footprint of the Defender.

One of its biggest selling points is that it remains incredibly practical for people who actually use their Defender for travelling rather than just occasional camping weekends.

The Icarus is a complete roof replacement on the Defender - you literally unbolt the old roof and Icarus bolts on instead. This means you have the option of selling your old roof and making a few hundred pounds to help go towards the Icarus which helps! 

Where We've Used Ours

Over the last 18 months, Skafta has travelled thousands of miles with the Alu-Cab fitted.

Some highlights include:

Abenteuer & Allrad Festival in Germany

We took the ferry from Hull over to Rotterdam and hot footed It along the German autobahns to the Abenteuer & Allrad Festival in Germany which is known to be the biggest off road festival in Europe. We spent 3 nights camping at the festival whilst enjoying explored what the market had to offer in the overlanding world. It ended up being a very hot few days but we were pretty cool in the Alu Cab as we had the windows open for ventilation and we do find the insulation to very good. 

Exploring the Isle of Mull

We spent 7 days exploring Mull in 2025 and absolutely loved it. The Defender was the perfect vehicle to get around the single track roads and made the driving enjoyable as you are in such an iconic vehicle. We also loved how easy it was to park everywhere and explore what this fantastic island as to offer. You can read about our trip here. 

Numerous trips throughout the Lake District

We spend a lot of time camping in the Lake District and are currently trying tick off all the Wainwrights. The Defender is the perfect camper for getting across some of the Lakeland high passes and also getting into some of the tight car parks for the start of the walks. We have found it much easier to do this in Skafta than we did in our big LWB Sprinter Camper. 

Weekend escapes across Yorkshire and Northumberland

We have spent time camping and green laning in Yorkshire and spent time in the gorgeous Northumberland. We have spent many weekends where we spend one day off on a hike and the next day green laning letting the Defender do the climbs for us! 

The roof has seen motorway miles, mountain roads, strong winds, heavy rain and cold nights, and it's never given us reason to doubt it.

Looking ahead, we already have plans to explore Iceland and spend much longer travelling through Europe on off-road adventures, which is exactly the type of travel the Icarus was designed for.

Off Roading with an Alu Cab

We have spent a great deal of time off roading in Skafta with with Alu Cab fitted including:

Green lanes in Yorkshire and the Lake District

We absolutely love our days out on the Green lanes taking everything at our own pace and parking up for our lunch with a brew (without any effort!) We have some amazing green lanes in Yorkshire from dead easy beginner routes through to gnarly experienced only tracks. 

Taking her around the Land Rover Experience off road course at Skipton 

We took part in a trek event with Land Rover Experience at Skipton and had such a fantastic time. The course was pretty challenging in places with some steep tracks and some scary cambers (scary when you are top heavy!). We particularly enjoyed the big water crossing which was very photogenic! We would highly recommend anybody wanting to see what their Defender can do to go and take part in one of these events - they have Land Rover experiences dotted over the UK so there should be one not too far from where you live. 

Dedicated Off Road Training with UKLR Events 

We did a full days bespoke training at UK Land Rover Events based near Robin Hoods Bay. We did half a day in Collin's classic Defender to see how it felt without the alu cab and then half day in Skafta to feel the difference. Collin's course is tough and really put Skafta and Laura as the driver through their paces! We learn't how to use a winch safely, recovery techniques and how to handle the Defender on seriously rough terrain

How does the Alu Cab Affect Off Road Ability?

We were surprised by how little the Alu Cab affected the Defender's ability cope off road. Skafta has never missed a beat with anything we have put her on and I think will always do harder stuff than our nerves will let us do! 

The main thing to be aware of is the fact that the defender is very top heavy (we have a roof rack too so we probably have 170KG up top) so it does handle differently with more sway and feels very scary on high off- cambers. You wouldn't be able to do as extreme high cambers as with a normal roof defender due to the weight and risk of tipping over. That said they are still very capable and we tested it to 25 degrees which was as much as we would ever want to do! 

If you were seriously into your off roading and want to do majorly gnarly stuff I would say avoid an Icarus conversion and maybe go for a roof tent you take on and off depending on what you have planned but certainly for everything we want to do in the future Skafta handles the off road terrain perfectly. 

We've Seen Most of the Alternatives

Working professionally converting Land Rover Defenders means we've had the opportunity to fit and inspect many different pop-top roofs.

We've worked with Ex-Tec roofs, DriveLodge roofs and have spent time looking over Poppin Rovers conversions too.

Each has its strengths and there isn't necessarily a "bad" option. However, after experiencing all of them, we still keep coming back to the Alu-Cab as our favourite.

Here's why.

Why We Still Prefer the Alu-Cab

1. You Can Leave the Mattress and Bedding Inside

This is probably our favourite feature.

The Alu-Cab allows us to leave a proper mattress, duvet and bedding inside when the roof is closed.

That might sound like a small thing, but when you're touring it makes a huge difference.

At the end of the day you simply release the catches, lift the roof and your bed is already made.

When packing away in the morning, everything stays exactly where it is.

No stuffing sleeping bags into lockers.

No finding somewhere to store pillows.

Just close the roof and drive away.

It genuinely makes using the Defender far more enjoyable.

2. Installation is Surprisingly Simple

Compared with many other Defender pop tops, fitting the Alu-Cab is remarkably straightforward.

Remove the original roof.

Fit the new one.

Because the inside arrives professionally carpet-lined and finished, there is very little internal trimming compared with many traditional conversions.

From a converter's perspective, it's a well-engineered product that clearly has installation in mind.

Don't get us wrong there is certainly an art to fitting one and it's still a time consuming job to get right (not to mention lifting it into place really requires lifting equipment to be done safely) but compared to other roofs we have used the Icarus is a ready to go package. 

3. The Roof Rack is a Huge Advantage

One of the biggest reasons we chose the Alu-Cab was its ability to carry equipment.

A Defender travelling for several weeks quickly fills up.

Having a roof that can safely carry roof racks, recovery boards, solar panels, storage boxes or lightweight expedition gear massively increases what the vehicle can do.

Unlike many pop tops, the roof is designed with this type of use in mind.

For overlanding, it's one of its strongest features.

4. The Bed System is Brilliant

We've used a number of different bed systems over the years.

Some require boards to be moved.

Others involve folding mattresses or awkward sections that never quite sit flat.

The Alu-Cab system is refreshingly simple.

It opens in seconds, feels solid and gives a generous sleeping platform. We love the fact the bed is on gas struts so is super easy use and always stays where it should be. 

When you've been walking all day or driving hundreds of miles, that's exactly what you want.

5. Excellent Insulation in Cold Weather

One thing that has really impressed us is how well insulated the roof feels.

We've camped during some very cold UK nights and never felt the roof was the weak point of the vehicle.

The insulated construction makes a noticeable difference compared with thinner fibreglass alternatives and gives confidence for future trips in colder climates like Iceland.

If it's a super cold night you can sleep with the small back hatch open to make sure the heat from the diesel heater comes into the roof but even when we sleep with the hatch down we are toasty enough in the UK winters. 

6. Fantastic Accessories available 

One of our favourite additions to our Defender is the 270 degree shadow awning - in fact it's probably one of best camper accessories for all our builds. It's so easy to use and gives you a massive space covered for both shade and rain. 

We also love the shower cube which again is easy to use and gives you the ability to have an outdoor shower easily powered with the Nomadia gas instant heat portable showers which neatly fits into one of our front runner storage boxes on the roof. 

There are also lots of other accessories available from Alu Cab like storage pouches and drop down tables if you like the utilitarian look. 

Are There Any Downsides?

No product is perfect, and the Alu-Cab is no exception.

It Changes the Look of the Defender

This is completely subjective.

Some people love the expedition appearance.

Others prefer the cleaner lines of the original Defender roof.

Personally, we think it suits Skafta, but there's no denying it gives the vehicle a much more purposeful, overland-focused look.

It Can Feel Heavy to Lift

If you're carrying a roof rack and equipment, the roof naturally becomes heavier to raise.

Fortunately, upgrading the gas struts makes a significant difference and transforms how easy it is to open.

It's certainly not something that would stop us buying another one.

Would We Buy Another One?

Without hesitation.

Having used the Alu-Cab for 18 months, travelled extensively with it and compared it directly against several other Defender pop tops, we still believe it's the best option we've personally used.

Whether we're heading to the Lake District for a spontaneous weekend, crossing to the Isle of Mull or planning much bigger adventures through Iceland and Europe, we've never wished we'd chosen a different roof.

For us, that's the ultimate test.

Final Verdict

If you're looking for a premium Defender pop-top roof that prioritises practicality, durability and genuine expedition use, the Alu-Cab Icarus would still be our first choice after 18 months of ownership.

No roof is perfect, but for the way we travel, it's come closer than anything else we've experienced.

We'd happily fit another one tomorrow and probably are! Nearly all of our Defender conversion customers have chosen to have an Alu Cab because it's so practical and premium and we are delivery a premium product. 

If you are interested in an Alu Cab fit or a full Defender conversion please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!