All things Overlanding thread

Vinsil said:
My worry would be on the mounts of the ladder. Static and dynamic loads are two different things and while the ladder is fine to climb up and down for an average size person, moving down the road and trails with 80-90 pounds of moving liquid on it will put stress in all directions. Now, I see guys that mount all kinds of crazy things to those ladders...highlift, roto packs, etc. so maybe I'm off on my thoughts but I have never seen two jerry's mounted to one and I haven't owned a gobi ladder but they seem to mount by pinching the hatch seems.

Maybe someone has done that and will chime in....

Not to mention I can't imagine how strong the struts would need to be...yikes.
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Ok cool, thanks for the insight from both you and [MENTION=139970]greatape[/MENTION]
 
All - Thanks for all your contributions and I look forward to seeing more as the days pass. The admin has graciously stickied this thread, making it easier to find and post to!

In the meantime, here's something I found recently which aligns nicely with the OL theme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbQpMh3TS9M

No crazy mods and an adventure trailer overland video.
 
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v_man said:
As we all know the spirit and purpose of overlanding is...to take pictures of yourself to share on social media. So enough talk and please more pictures of overlanding....

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Awesome thinking out of the box w/ that bollard technique

Used them climbing thru the years...Nice post!
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subbed...

I hate how mainstream the term overlanding is lol The vaping joke had me rolling

My version of it (right now) is to go out to my favorite state forest for a weekend to wheel, camp, and have a good time. I always try and find new trails and see new overlooks/ landmarks. We are definitely required to be "self sufficient" at least for a few days because we're a good ways from the nearest pavement let alone a store/ gas station. We've had a couple scares on running out of gas, but it all worked out.

This summer, I'm going to be doing a week (or so) long trip in the Appalachians :) It won't be remote, but we'll be having fun and enjoying every moment and that's all that matters.
 
Hltoppr said:
Even before I could drive I was following the Camel Trophy, Bill Burke, and reading about trails like Black Bear in Colorado.

I've grown up using a 4wd vehicle to get to school and work, head out in the weather and for camping, fishing, skiing, etc. Close to 20ish years ago I started going farther with my Jeeps and Land Cruisers....multi week trips and trips into Mexico.

At the time, the US market seemed to be focusing on rock crawling...putting 44" tires on everything, and all I wanted was to go fly fishing someplace cool.

I began building trucks for travel, and found that places like Australia and Africa had things that made this easier...vehicle fridges...awnings...roof top tents! I was on the phone at 5am to order a first edition of Tom Sheppard's Vehicle Dependent Expedition Guide from a bookstore in London, and found a few folks here in the US who were interested in travel who have become great friends.

Now, some of these friends are industry leaders in bringing "Overlanding" to the US, and it's been amazing to see how much it's caught on. (The first "Overland Expo" was just a few friends camping, teaching and driving for a few days....)

I've always seen "Overlanding" as being open to so many demographics...each person can take or leave what they want, and it encompasses those who just want to take the Subaru to a trailhead or drive the entire Pan American highway self sufficiently.

Sometimes, however, I think the focus is too much on equipping the "perfect" rig; rather than getting out and exploring.

I don't think Overlanding needs a particular definition, just go explore and use the lessons to make the trip more enjoyable!

-H-

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How better to frame a conversation but thru experience...Well spoken Indeed..
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el_kab0ng said:
All - Thanks for all your contributions and I look forward to seeing more as the days pass. The admin has graciously stickied this thread, making it easier to find and post to!

In the meantime, here's something I found recently which aligns nicely with the OL theme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbQpMh3TS9M

No crazy mods and an adventure trailer overland video.
Click to expand...

I'm glad this thread got stickied , thank you for your part of that ! I enjoyed watching the first 3 parts of those videos , when I got to the 2nd one where their going through the Sand dunes and Medano Pass I was like, Wait a minute I saw them there ! Sure enough , we were there the same day and I remember admiring the Turtleback trailer as we passed . The 3rd video is all local stuff to me and a good reminder to slow down and enjoy what's around me .
 
Anyone with a water tank and hot water set up? A few friends have eco-temp portable water heaters and basic marine water pumps either to an aluminum tank or some jerry cans.

My thought is to do something similar using the front runner wheel well water tank, water pump (in a ammo can so I can move it around if need be) and then have on board water with the hot water option with an eco-temp.

Only issue I see is they all have trucks, so if the system leaks it's ok - with the 4Runner it's all inside.

Thoughts? I want to see your set ups too!
 
A tank in the spare tire location is a great idea! I think I kept getting hung up on using the tire lift as part of the system, but have to get away from that and make up some brackets to hold a tank there. An idea for down the line for sure - no rear bumper yet, and for some reason I wanted to be uber glamper and have two spares :D
 
So I see a ton of people running RTT's. I'm intrigued by the idea, but the $2500-3000 price tag baffles me a bit. What confuses me is the actual benefits of going this route vs. a ground tent.

I've been reading and watching videos and I like the idea in some ways but still curious to the actual benefits.

Can someone enlighten me? Also, I have three boys, 11, 8 and 6.

Are these even big enough for us all? I see CVT has some 4 person models that look pretty big but also looks like it would take up the entire roof.

Am I mad? LOL!

Now the trailer idea seems like it might be a better option but...unless I fab my own they are big money. :wow2:

I'm not cheap but I do have the skills to build a trailer if that is the route I take.

My uses...2-4 day trips at most and mostly doing back country routes.
 
greatape said:
That is a question for a lot...I have a RTT I run on my roof rack and have enjoyed it a lot, however personally, I wouldn't want more than 2 in it...yes, one could fit a couple of small kids to plus up 4 on most quality models but I have used the annex w/ a couple of Oztent stretchers in the bottom for the kids..you could make it work.

RTT comfort is awesome compared to all my years of back country camping. Now, a high quality large ground tent like an Oztent RV series is very nice because there are large, you can run stretchers and actually stand up in them and the accessory add-ons a plus.


An Off-road trailer on the other hand, depending on your trail manors (meaning tight switchbacks), I believe is and awesome piece of kit for the family. One could buy/customize or fab to ones liking. For me, I have plans to purchase a trailer eventually and run a RTT on it as well as possibly one on my rig w/the whole family.

Either or the RTT on your rig is your basecamp, so if you want to move...pack it all up...a trailer of course gives the benefit of leaving it there of course

Off-point but super cool are some of the bed campers that have come out like the AT habitat and others...that system would be awesome w/a trailer for the family...

If there's not one..lol, this could probably be a thread in itself
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Thanks for the explaination. My wife mention putting the kiddos in the annex when we watched some videos last night. My one big concern is the RTT eating up real estate on the roof and packing enough gear for five starts to get...interesting in a 4 Runner sized vehicle. I now use my slide in truck camper and my megacab for camping. It works great but we want to get a little more backcountry and more...streamlined.

I hear ya on the trailer and it honestly would be ideal for the load out and options it gives by using only one vehicle. When my oldest turns 16...we plan to have him drive his own but by then...he might not want to camp with us much longer....


I've had similar conversations about slide in campers with new folks, everything is always a compromise. Thanks for the insight it helped!
 
Ecotechne. Don't have it yet but your setup gives me some hope though. Is your RTT close in size to the CVT Mt. Denali? That is the one I'm considering or at least their shop is a little over an hour from me...
 
greatape said:
No, the Denali is considerably larger than the RTT I use. Mine is 48'"x 56" and almost 14" height wise when closed. Also, a considerable weight difference as well at 120lbs to 187ish I believe
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Thanks for the advice and help. They have a rental program I'm going to take advantage of and see if this will work for us. I love that I don't have to buy in before trying it out and they are local to me.
 
Never thought about renting. That's actually a great idea. Let us know what sort of costs you're exposed to and what the experience is like (on road and on trails).
 
Glad to see this post and hope to see a dedicated section for Overlanding on here.

I'm actually transitioning my rig to be more for overlanding. I don't have to do much but I'm thinking I might bring it down a little.

As I get older the long camping trek's sound much more appealing than the go out and romp and get shaken like a martini on rocks.

Just purchased a Garmin GPSMAP 64ST for the expeditons and hikes. Should be a nice addition. Going to be getting my "cockpit" a little better adjusted for comm's and accessibility.
 
I am building my 4Runner to be a dedicated offroad and overland vehicle, got a few cars to drive so the 4Runner will be our weekend or long trip vehicle. Check out my Instagram at yota_overlanders for more information on the build
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Jetblack3s love the setup in the back.

Hey so this is my first post. Go easy on my please. What do you guys think will be good first modifications to do on my Runner. I was thinking of getting a Toytec lift first but one of my friends said I should get armour first like rocksliders. Just want to know what you guys think i should do. :bounce:
 
Antono24 said:
Jetblack3s love the setup in the back.

Hey so this is my first post. Go easy on my please. What do you guys think will be good first modifications to do on my Runner. I was thinking of getting a Toytec lift first but one of my friends said I should get armour first like rocksliders. Just want to know what you guys think i should do. :bounce:
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The factory skids aren't awful, especially if you have a trail which has a better fuel tank skid than the SR5.

I would do sliders then lift, and that's plenty unless you are going over major rocks

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