I decided a dog guard would be a good idea to ensure that the camping and recovery gear I was carrying in the back of the Discovery stayed out of the passenger area in the event of any catastrophic off-road incident. It also maked it possible to stack things higher in the back without fear of them falling forward over the seats when braking.

I looked around at the different types available and decided that the mesh guard offered by Paddocks would suit my needs, especially as it was the cheapest! A camping trip to Derbyshire also meant I could buy it over the counter and therefore avoid paying postage.

Fitting was pretty straightforward, although a little fiddly. There was also one important deviation from the instructions provided.

The guard is supported on two brackets that must be bolted to the inner wings near the rear seat backs. Four threaded inserts, or Rivnuts, have to be installed in the wings to provide mounting points for these brackets and the instructions give dimensions for their location. However, if these dimensions are followed then it becomes impossible to use a roller blind cover, as the dog guard brackets will obstruct the blind mountings. By moving the position of the brackets up by about 30mm the roller blind can still be used whilst the fit and integrity of the guard isn’t affected.

The fitting instructions also say that it’s necessary to remove some of the interior trim to fit the Rivnuts. In practice it’s possible to merely release the trim along one edge and pull it aside to provide enough clearance.

The guard is secured to the brackets by two bolts into captive nuts. These bolts have small hand-wheels which means the guard can be easily removed without tools, leaving only the mounting brackets in place, if it’s necessary to carry bigger loads.

I attached an elasticated cargo net to the load bay side of the dog guard, to store coats in. The net, which I bought from Disco Doris, is secured with cable ties and has a length of aluminium tubing threaded through one edge to hold it in shape.

When the pole is detached from it's fixings, it folds down and lies across the rear trim panels, making it easy to take coats in and out.

I also clipped an umbrella to the bottom rail of the guard, in a space just above the load bay roller blind.