Customer Spotlight: Sergio Medeiros

On this “episode” of 67 Designs Customer Spotlights, where we share the stories of some of our customers, we get to know Sergio Medeiros. Medeiros, who is originally from San Paolo, Brazil, travels around the world full time with his wife (of 26 years!) in their Defender. Read on to hear more about their epic adventures. 

Proud owner of a: white Land Rover Defender 110. There is a Land Rover factory in Brazil, so they are pretty common on the roads and not as expensive as they are in the states. Sergio also loves it because there is so much space in the vehicle and it is easy to maintain. 

Featured upgrades: Sergio’s Land Rover is decked out with the following...

• Original 300Tdi Diesel engine
• Modifications in the engine is only an aluminum radiator, silicon hoses and upgraded 120A alternator
• BFGoodrich tires A/T 265-75-16
• Suspension Upgraded 2” lift 
• Terrafirma HD springs
• Terrafirma BigBore Expedition shocks.
• Warn 9000i front winch
• ROADSHOCK LED Lights
• Power Off Road (Brazilian made) rock slider, rear latter, winch base and roof rack 
• Front Runner Outfitters Hood spare tire brackets
• Custom made rear aluminum storage box for camping stuff and custom made propane tank brackets 
• Rhino Overland gullwing window, internal storage box, preparation table and a pair of recovery tracks from
• Rotopax set of two 2 gallons jerry cans with brackets 
• AluCab 270 degrees side awning 
• AluCab Shower Cube
• AluCab Popup Icarus roof conversion
• Custom made aluminum storage box (goes on the roof rack)
• Two solar panels (275w total) 
• AMEC Brazil 120amp alternator
• CTEK 40-186 D250SA 5-Step charging controller 
• Power Bright Pure Sine Power Inverter 600 Watt
• Blue Sea battery switch 
• Set of 3 Optima gel batteries - one red for the engine and two yellow for the house
• Custom made stainless steel internal water tank (18gal)
• Seaflo 42 Series water pump
• ACUVA UV LED filtration water system
• Rallye Design Brazil racing leather front seats and cubby box 
• Custom made lower cabinets, marine grade wood 
• Custom made upper cabinets (kitchen) made from aluminum and PVC plates.
• WAECO CF35 refrigerator- quadrivolt 
• Eureka propane camping stove
• 67 Designs Universal for Phones and GoPro holders
• 67 Designs Series 22 Defender Rail (custom made)
• Nemo Equipments external Shower 
• MSR Spare diesel/gasoline stove

Customer of 67 Designs since: 2017

Inspiration for buying the Defender: In February of 2015, they decided to leave their home of 40 years. Sergio and his wife decided one day—why wait until they are in their 70s to travel and explore the world? The typical get up for work, work all day and come home at night routine was not fulfilling for them. So, they bought the Defender and decided to completely change their lifestyle because—why not?

First adventure with the vehicle: December 2013. Their first trip was really awesome—they did a 30 day trek from Brazil to Ushuaia, the end of Patagonia. This trip completely changed their lives. They came home and decided that they were going to make overlanding their lifestyle. 

Most recent adventure: They got to explore the Baja Peninsula. Due to COVID-19, they could not do too much but Sergio said the camping on the beach was “amazing” and a “paradise for overlanding.” 

Most memorable adventure: When I asked Sergio this question, he did not tell me a story or about a trip, as I normally hear. He said that the people they have met have been the most memorable parts of their years on the road. They were born and lived in Brazil for 40 years, so once they hit the road, they began to create a new family, an overlanding one. Here are some highlights out of the “hundreds”:

• Washington, USA: They met a trucker at a rest stop, who invited them to his house in Sacramento on their way back from Alaska. Sergio now considers him a brother. 
• Tijuana, Mexico: Every time they go to the town, they have a place to stay with a mechanic, who they met fixing up the Defender. He is a “HUGE brother.”
• Peru, South America: On their first year out on the road (that they planned to be only a year), they met a couple from Germany. They swapped stories and the couple told them “you guys did the most difficult thing already [by getting out on the road], why are you limiting yourselves to one year—take your time and do this trip in whatever amount of time it takes”. They have been going for 6 years now.

Upcoming adventures: Sergio and his wife are planning on flying back to Brazil soon for two months to visit family and renew his driver’s license. If the borders are open after that, they will head into the US. If not, they will do more exploring in Mexico. 

Dream adventure: When next possible, their dream adventure is going to be made reality. They are going to ship the Defender to Europe, go all throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and then ship the Defender back to the US. They plan on this taking a few years—so cool!

Advice for those who are just beginning overlanding: “Do what really makes you happy and do not wait to do so. Everyone that stops me says ‘I want to do this after I am retired.’ Most people have so much more than I have and I am doing it—you can do it too. It is not the same when you are older—take the risk, if it is a risk, and do it right now.”

#1 place he has camped: Next to the Arctic Ocean by taking the Dempster Highway. They got to see the “amazing” aurora borealis. Sergio made sure to mention that the Dalton Highway does not take you to the Arctic Ocean, so if you are going up there, take the Dempster. 

Fun fact about Sergio: Sometimes to have fun with friends, he uses fake teeth. 

Notes from the writer: He and his wife have been all over the world—from backpacking in Spain, Portugal, Vietnam and Thailand to now taking the journey of a lifetime. You can just tell from talking to Sergio—he cares about people just as much as he cares about traveling. “The places are there, but the people make all the difference.” I also love how Sergio corrected me when I asked him about trips—”It is not a trip, it is a lifestyle.”

Check out his work here: Sergio and his wife have an amazing blog linked below, along with social media pages where you can keep up to date with their adventures. They also manufacture and sell buffs, so make sure to check that out too! 

• www.projetomundocao.com.br
• @projetomundocao 
• https://www.youtube.com/c/projetomundocao 
• https://www.facebook.com/projetomundocao

© 67 Designs, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Spotlight by Kate Della Pietra.