All things Overlanding thread

my Xmas gift was an ARB fridge cant wait to start using it. im building some drawers for it too. I have an RTT too and ready to roll lol. we should run the TAT together
 
Porqupine82 said:
There was a huge interest in overlanding in my area, but no organized unit. I created Overland Tennessee, and we now have 8 committed members who are the best friends one could ask for.

Many people focus on the vehicle aspect of Overlanding, and I am completely opposite. The vehicle is only a vessel for your journey... The people, time, and location are the most important aspect of it. I have built a capable rig, and just ordered a winch and bumper (it's neverending) but that's just to get more remote!

Speaking of Overlanding, have you seen the overland Time/speed/distance rally I'm organizing?

overlandtennessee.wixsite.com/redclayrally

Great little event to get your feet wet, with huge sponsors, and thousands of prizes to be won.
Click to expand...
already sign up bud Im following you on instagram too. i see you have a 4th gen as well. Ill see you at the rally
 
el_kab0ng said:
Did you go with an ARB fridge or something different? How do you power it at night? Dual battery is something else that seems to be a necessary item for multi-day journeys, but the electrical wiring is pretty intimidating.
Click to expand...

I'm running an ARB fridge full-time, so far just off a single battery. I replaced the OEM battery with an Odyssey 34R-PC1500. So far it seems like I can easily go three or four days parked without a problem.

I work from home and don't drive daily so I added an on-board battery charger, but I'd have that even with dual batteries as this avoids needless cycling. I'll most likely add solar before going dual battery.
 
el_kab0ng said:
Did you go with an ARB fridge or something different? How do you power it at night? Dual battery is something else that seems to be a necessary item for multi-day journeys, but the electrical wiring is pretty intimidating.
Click to expand...

I'm Scottish, so always looking for a good deal. I found a Waeco for a great price near me, few years old. I don't have a dual battery yet, but I ran 4gauge wire from the house battery to the cargo area and wired up a blue sea fuse panel to run a 12v outlet and USB outlet. I'll run an extension cord to the fridge to get it going and plugged in before a trip, then switch over to 12v. I've been unplugging it at nigh to not risk draining my battery - especially since it's just the stock battery and not a deep cycle.

I don't need the fridge running all the time, it's my weekend driver.

I feel you on the intimidation factor for wiring. Scares the crap out of me all the time. Research and a friend that knows more than me have helped!
 
Spenny said:
When you decide to do this, I've just invited myself. I know we'll get along and be best of "overlanding" friends
Click to expand...

As long as your not one of those " crazy liberal Californians " my mom warned me about . Actually half joking , I'm originally from Apple Valley- Lucerne Valley area California , not to far from one end of the Mojave Road .
 
owyheerat said:
What time of year did you do this?
Click to expand...

The Mojave Road was in December and Dusy was in late October ... The Dusy is only open abut 4 months out of the year and the Mojave Road is too hot from about April to October (IMO , no A/C in my truck)
 
hounddogman said:
As long as your not one of those " crazy liberal Californians " my mom warned me about . Actually half joking , I'm originally from Apple Valley- Lucerne Valley area California , not to far from one end of the Mojave Road .
Click to expand...

I wear cowboy boots at least 5 days a week as my dress shoes and have a CCW. Only thing liberal is me spending money on my 4Runner and gear!

I scoured all their routes last night, I think I might end up doing some pieces in New Mexico. Complete it over a few weekends.
 
Didn't plan to but roof rack paid for today. I guess that is my next mod!

I think it will benefit my needs by freeing up cargo space as it's a premium with a 80 pound dogo and three boys. Will also provide space for some roto packs. They are awesome, used them in my sxs days and the slim profile works well in that area.
 
Spenny said:
What rack? I've been eyeing the Frontrunner full length after ditching my gobi stealth
Click to expand...

Was looking at that one as well. I didn't want to drill into my roof.

Did the ecotechne rack, no drilling and one of the lowest profile racks I've seen.

IMG_0128.jpg


IMG_0129.jpg


Group buy going on now...price is great!

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/231110-ecotechne-roof-rack.html
 
susanbanthony25 said:
Why did you ditch the gobi?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It worked great as a sexy rack. As a super functional rack I feel it had some downfalls. With the sides coming up to make it a "basket" you loose that space as well as loose the ability for anything to overhang. If it does overhang whatever it is is a few inches higher than the rack and moves that weight up.

I had a 200lb RTT on top and took the whole rack up, also because of the basket style that 200lbs was now 3" higher than it should be. I also didn't want to have a roof rack light bar anymore (glare on the hood) and felt it would look odd with no light where it rises in the front. AND, I had pods in the rear, but they impacted by surfboards, so made the racks day to day usefulness go down for me. Yes I could have changed the pods to smaller single row pods but those are expensive.

Also also also, I have no idea how people put an RTT on the gobi stealth, it as one of the hardest things I'd ever done

Other than all that, it's a super sexy rack! But I also feel lighter racks exist that will over more function over form.
 
Spenny said:
After grinding out a hole for my snorkel, drilling into the roof doesn't seem so bad now
Click to expand...

LOL!


Well you'd be past the point of caring about holes then.

My only wish is that it was aluminum for the weight savings. But no RTT for me and I'll keep fairly light things up top so it's a wash.
 
I go back and forth on RTT's. Super glamper-sexual? Absolutely. Cool Factor? Big time. Convenience? Yesish.

I still travel alone 90% of the time, so I only need to worry about me. Hammock, inside the runner on a platform, or on the ground. The frontrunner rtt being 88lbs and super low profile is very tempting. If I had kids or a wife, I'd own the RTT already.
 
Spenny said:
It worked great as a sexy rack. As a super functional rack I feel it had some downfalls. With the sides coming up to make it a "basket" you loose that space as well as loose the ability for anything to overhang. If it does overhang whatever it is is a few inches higher than the rack and moves that weight up.

I had a 200lb RTT on top and took the whole rack up, also because of the basket style that 200lbs was now 3" higher than it should be. I also didn't want to have a roof rack light bar anymore (glare on the hood) and felt it would look odd with no light where it rises in the front. AND, I had pods in the rear, but they impacted by surfboards, so made the racks day to day usefulness go down for me. Yes I could have changed the pods to smaller single row pods but those are expensive.

Also also also, I have no idea how people put an RTT on the gobi stealth, it as one of the hardest things I'd ever done

Other than all that, it's a super sexy rack! But I also feel lighter racks exist that will over more function over form.
Click to expand...

If you are looking for a super functional rack especially for Overland use...K9 or Frontrunner all day long...both tried and true on global expeditions and provide awesome capabilities/mounting options on top and underneath
 
Yea, I'm leaning towards the Frontrunner, cost and side to side rack instead of front to back. I avoided them before because of the drilling required. But I'm not getting rid of the 4Runner until it's dead so, what's a few more holes!
 
Love this thread.

Not to derail the conversation you guys are having, but anyone every build their own trailer?

I have a couple of big trips planned out, but no exact start dates set unfortunately. As I was planning them, I started doing more and more research on adventure trailers. They seem like they would incredibly helpful. Being able to put a RTT, water, fuel, all of my cooking stuff, solar, and a table all in the trailer and just leave it at a campsite when I want to explore sounds awesome.

Anyone ever build their own??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 313 (members: 6, guests: 307)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,307
Messages
3,554,048
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top