Greetings from Tennessee! My signature is getting to be a little cramped, so I'm starting a thread.
Here's where I will write all of my experiences and impressions down about the endless flow of gear I buy for the 4Runner and for our family of 5 to go camping and exploring. This won't be a very drool-worthy build...
my intentions are to best mod and outfit my truck to fit our family's needs on our adventure trips. I have plans for trips out West in the next year in addition to a couple more places to see in the East. Tennessee alone has proven to be an absolutely beautiful state with plenty of places to get away from humanity and enjoy God's green earth.
As she sits Oct 2018:
Suspension:
• OME 2883 up front
• Wheeler's T13 in rear
• Bilstein 5100s all around
•
Airlift 60809 in the rear
• Poly sway bar bushings
front and
rear
This setup performs great for me, and I'm all in
for less than $1k!
I also have
JBA high caster UCAs up front. Took about an hour to install. I get great alignment with high caster (3.5° each side) and no shaking on the highway.
Tires/Wheels:
• SCS 17 x 8.5 F5 wheels
• LT Nitto Terra Grappler G2s. I have been extremely impressed with the G2s in all situations. Review thread with updates in sig.
Armor:
•
MetalTech TE sliders. I wanted them high and tight, so I bought the Trail version and cut up my rocker panels even more to make them fit.
•
RCI Aluminum skids
Other mods/additions:
•
@
Antman
's rocker panel trimming mod (to fit TE sliders)
• Chrome delete (it just blinds me too much, especially the handles and liftgate emblem)
• Replaced chrome handles with OEM black handles (followed
@
sp8ball
's
writeup)
• Rear Differential breather (ARB kit)
• Husky Weatherbeater liners front, rear, and cargo. I went with these over all others because of the height of the lip all the way around. They do a good job keeping your dirt in the liner and not on your carpet.
Current adventure/camping setup Sept 2018:
Up top, I have a
42" all-weather Plano rifle case bolted to my
LFD Crossbars. In it I keep the following:
• a full toolbag (basically the exact same shopping list in
@
Xtremluck
's
post),
•
tire repair kit
•
tow strap
• impact driver with batteries and charger (Home Depot homeowner special)
• Walmart torque wrench
•
ARB tire deflator
Next to the Plano are my Maxtrax (I bought these and the mounting pins on an eBay 20% off everything sale). I have yet to come across anything I couldn't get out of with ATRAC, but I still carry these because I'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
In the cargo area, I'm using three
Plano 1719 trunks. They happen to fit perfectly between the wheel wells, and if I decide to carry any of them on the roof or in the hitch basket, they have a channel for weatherstripping all the way around the inside of the lid so I can keep the rain out. I
really wanted to build my own drawers, but we use the 3rd row too much for me to yank it out. So, my setup needs to be flexible first.
L to R, we have a
Marmot Halo 6 tent in the black trunk; our entire camp kitchen and lighting setup in the green trunk; and a tarp, extra tie downs, and sleeping pads in the gray trunk.
In our camp kitchen/lighting trunk, we have the following:
•
Camp Chef Everest stove
•
First Aid Kit
•
Luminoodle Basecamp with battery
•
14" Fiskars hatchet
• Sven Saw (for heavier-duty jobs)
•
Bear spray
• other tools (Gerber multi tool, a very sturdy
SOG knife, LED lanterns and flashlights)
• a couple of LifeStraws from my bug out bag
• plates, cups, utensils, pots, skillet, small cutting board, bug spray, paracord, trash bags
Our cooler and 5gal water jug get strapped down on top of the Planos for easy access, and our camp table, sleeping gear, and chairs get thrown in around it.
Sometimes, we throw the hitch basket on as well to bring extra toys, bikes, etc. Here's a pic of our camp kitchen setup, and you can see the hitch carrier, too:
As you can see, I'm keeping it pretty simple.
COMING UP
Short term:
•
@
Plastics guy
's front end bump stops! I have them; just need the time to install them.
•
@
Raingler_Nets
mil-spec upper half cargo net is on its way. I hopped on to the recent group buy. This will make me feel better about having several loose items stuffed into the cargo area.
• I have plans for adding an awning (leaning toward the ARB 2500), and some mounts for my
Fiskars D Handle shovel up on the roof rack.
On the horizon:
• TE headlight conversion
• Low profile hybrid bumper
• TE rockers/fenders/bumpers conversion