Yeah, I totally thought it would get more use but well, since buying it new in 2007, there have been maybe 5 times the 3rd row was occupied. I had a new 06 Land Cruiser before this... I try not to think how 'uneventful' that ownership could've been...
@jwest
Now I've gone and done it. Fortified myself with a couple beers and hit the garage while the wife was out with some friends.
3rd row is now sitting behind the Porsches in the garage. I just need a buddy to help me get it to the attic next time she is out.
If I get in trouble, I'm telling her this bad man on the internet goaded me into it.
It was a little more of a pain than the second row seat, but 20 minutes with a T50 bit sees it going in or coming out. On the plus side, I was able to remove some hidden marbles, Baskin-Robbins spoons and other assorted accoutrement from when the Rover was on mommy duty early in its life.
Practically speaking, I have historically rolled with two pelican cases. One containing my recovery gear, and one containing my tools. I think the contents of both of those will fit in the newly available space and allow other gear to move into the pelicans.
I'm now mentally debating whether I want to just throw the rubber liner over it, or find a local shop with a plasma table and fab up some kind of rigid cover. I'm kind of leaning towards just throwing the mat over it for easier accessibility to what is down there. I'm hoping the rear portion of the sleeping platform would provide enough protection from flying contents in the event of a rollover since it is rigidly mounted to the factory D-rings with 4 turnbuckles and it's plywood cover is secured to it with 10 separate T-nuts.