That makes perfect sense to me. Did you notice any hinge damage from weight on the ladder? My first choice that seemed optimal was Wescott ladder with 2 3 gallon rotopax and upgraded hatch struts. 2nd option is Rigd carrier with sidehack.

Yea I always want to be prepared because no matter what the weather is we make it work since the season we draw is just what it is. Doesn't matter if its feet of snow out there. Last year My friend's son snapped his front driveshaft and stretched the Tcase chain in a ram 3500. He put chains on the rear and we pulled the driveshaft and we kept hunting. This time around taking my rig out there I have a winch, rear chains, full recovery gear and traction boards. Especially because we are so far off any main roads, getting stuck out there could end pretty badly. I also got a garmin inreach this year for that reason.

As for Jerry cans, most of the time I would only put fuel out there as it would be too cold. Last year most of our water was outside or in the camper tank and it all froze solid when the high of the trip was 10F. We lived off 12 gallons of water for the week. Most of my hunting/fishing/camping is done below freezing. I typically won't camp unless its at least <60 during the day, but I have camped down to -25F. I take 2 aquatainers inside the 4runner just in case, which is also why there is no room for fuel inside lol.

I would just buy some gas cans of your choice and strap them to the roof rack. Doesn't need to be fancy if you're only using a few times a year. I've just used the 5 gallon Costco plastic gas cans. Same one I use for my lawn mower. They seem to work as well as anything for a few times a year. I think the marine gas tanks are probably the best shape for a roof rack if you want to make it a regular thing to put one up there. And they hold a lot more than the rotopax ones. Just need to add a ball valve to replace the outboard quick connector and the'll even gravity feed down to fill your tank and come with a siphon pump and hose.

Good luck

no damage to the hatch, but its a little wobbly when the hatch is open. I contribute the "wobble" to the added weight on the ladder on only one side of the hatch over time (trasharoos and rotopax). Its those little things you notice as you're vehicle ages.

IMHO, i think RIGD is a good deal if u can find it used for around or under 1k with all the accessories. I would not pay full price for their hipster BS pricing.

My buddy bought the RIGD used with the intention of modifying it for dispersed camping as you can see in his instagram pics. It works really well.

yea for this year I may buy a good gas can and carry it. I will reassess after thiss eason. I thought about it and what may be smarter is to possibly invest in an ATV and trailer and set up the 4runner as my base camp, as eventually I will probably be doing some hunts alone, and it is a lot easier to get an ATV through bad terrain than a fuill size car.

Ok that makes sense. I'd still say the roof is your best option. And really no need to get a spendy Rotopax or Jerry can, get something generic till you sort out your long term needs.



Also, I prefer the Nato fuel cans to steel Jerry cans if you're going the 5 gal/20 L route. And FWIW 2 2 gallon Rotopax will fit in the same space a jerry can fits. So for instance I frequently carry 1 Nato can water, 1 Rotopax water and 1 rotopax fuel in my Jerry can holder on my bumper. Or obviously and permutations of that.

Agreed, This year I will probably hold off and carry a fuel can, then reassess the situation after that unless I find an unreal deal on a bumper or something before then.

Mini Specter cans are good for the roof. They come in 5Gallon and 2.5 gallon half sizes. The half sizes are short and will stack well in a rack side by side and strapped down.

Yeah I have 2.5 gallon water jugs when I wanna carry water inside the cab. They are a great size

I bought a Yamaha Rhino this year. I'm in Alaska right now and basically the entire state is a giant swamp. So most everything is either mud or spongy "muskeg" which is more or less peat bog of bottomless soft stuff. And many areas have a 1500lb weight limit for vehicles. It's old school by UTV standards. But it's the smallest, lightest, 4 seat setup I could figure out that I could also actually get. (wanted a Honda Pioneer 700-4, but couldn't find one new or used anywhere here). Even being old and half worn out - the little bugger is pretty impressive on little tiny 27" tractor tires.

There's a lot of downsides - it's really a toy, not an adventure mobile, no heater, noisy, bugs get in, etc. And they require a lot of maintenance. It's not all good. But it's a decent option to have an accessory toy vehicle. Especially if the terrain where you're at matches up with the atv's strong points. And for me - at $7k it was cheaper than just the cost to ship my FJ40 up and back, not to mention I'd also need to buy a trailer for it here.

The Specter 5g use to come in BLUE for water, now its OD green same as their other cans, but marked WATER In the center.. best not mix and match!

I have found they hold up well to high heat, some bloating of cans but they shrink back when cold. ONe thing though for those who havent used SPecters before. They have a screw on cap hose for easy filling of our gas tanks with a hose that just slides in with no mess. Its not easy to pour from a large container with no funner, or hose into a gas port with the usual anti back flapper plate in it.

Having to haul 40 lbs up or down from a roof rack does not sound like a fun time...at all.

Those RotoPax are stupid expensive and require proprietary mounting hardware and don't get you much capacity in return. IMHO, get one or two 5 gallon metal jerry cans from Harbor Freight.
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While you're there, get yourself a hitch mounted utility basket.
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You can carry extra water, propane etc.

Easy and inexpensive and accomplishes your goal. Doesn't need to be fancy.

That said, I had a buddy make me a swing out gas can carrier. VERY cool. But, even after 4 days in Death Valley, still didn't need to use any of it. I thought for sure I would be dipping into my spare gas seeing as the MPG is a dismal 12-14 MPG at best. A lot of wasted time/money on that carrier.

Yea I would need it mostly for hunting so I am looking at a canam outlander max dps 700 to carry 2 people and hunting gear. I may also consider a honda too. Will have to assess it and see how much I really want to continue investing into my adventures though after this years trip.

I ended up just looking on the used market and found a good deal... So....

its mounted up, but I will replace the tire carrier with a dual jerry can holder instead so I can carry any mix of fuel/water needed for each trip.

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i live in cali, where they make the color decisions for me lol.

I have red scepters for fuel. everything else is water.

I live in Canada..behind the iron curtain..they still let us have Specters.. maybe Santa sends you some for Christmas this year..