Swede71 Build

[Swede71]

Tested out the Dometic cfx65 this weekend with the Yeti 400 and running off of the 4runner battery. Testing at home showed that the Yeti is more than capable to power the fridge/freezer and that as small as the Nomad 28 solar panel would charge enough daily. Unfortunately when I tried using it in the field it had some sort of electrical issue with the 12V connector so I was unable to run it all weekend to verify. The good news is that I was able to test my new group 31 battery running the fridge/freezer. Ran it for 15hrs straight at -11C(Beer was nice and chilled) and the battery dropped from 12.6V to 12.1V, so am happy with that. Removed the bottom part of the rear seat behind the drivers and it was the perfect space for the fridge/freezer. Have another Yeti 400 at home, so will run the dometic during the week to see how long it lasts and what is the smallest size solar panel I can get away with to charge it during the day.

The ARB add a room and awning was able to withstand some crazy winds we had on Sat night, was worried at first when I saw an awning off of a camper trailer blow off.

 

[greatape]

Tested out the Dometic cfx65 this weekend with the Yeti 400 and running off of the 4runner battery. Testing at home showed that the Yeti is more than capable to power the fridge/freezer and that as small as the Nomad 28 solar panel would charge enough daily. Unfortunately when I tried using it in the field it had some sort of electrical issue with the 12V connector so I was unable to run it all weekend to verify. The good news is that I was able to test my new group 31 battery running the fridge/freezer. Ran it for 15hrs straight at -11C(Beer was nice and chilled) and the battery dropped from 12.6V to 12.1V, so am happy with that. Removed the bottom part of the rear seat behind the drivers and it was the perfect space for the fridge/freezer. Have another Yeti 400 at home, so will run the dometic during the week to see how long it lasts and what is the smallest size solar panel I can get away with to charge it during the day.

The ARB add a room and awning was able to withstand some crazy winds we had on Sat night, was worried at first when I saw an awning off of a camper trailer blow off.

Beautiful pics..Is that a chain saw hanging off the ladder?

 

[Swede71]

Beautiful pics..Is that a chain saw hanging off the ladder?

You Bet, and driving down the highway on route to camping, or a bumpy backcountry road it stays nice and secure. And the best part is that no one cuts me off in traffic anymore when it is attached.

 

[greatape]

You Bet, and driving down the highway on route to camping, or a bumpy backcountry road it stays nice and secure. And the best part is that no one cuts me off in traffic anymore when it is attached.

Lol..nice!

 

[Swede71]

Pictured next to a friends Pajero, never realized the height difference until now with all of the mods. And Pajeros stock are amazing vehicles on their own, have owned a few myself.

 

[Swede71]

After a few weeks of having everything installed, noticed the paint on my rock sliders coming off from pressure washer in a few spots, am considering having them sand blasted in the fall then linex'd.

 

[TheBelafonte]

Rig is looking stellar, a little inspiration for Me and my blank slate of a T4R. Can you tell me what led to your decision to go with the Skybox over cargo boxes or any other option?

I'm moving out to Colorado with the fiancé and dog and the 4Runner is our vehicle. We're driving down through the south and up through Texas and New Mexico.

I was planning on getting a couple Plano trunks to strap down to the Gobi Rack I purchased but am wondering if the right move is a cargo box. I don't see many on here so your opinion and experience will be greatly appreciated! Cheers.

 

[Swede71]

Rig is looking stellar, a little inspiration for Me and my blank slate of a T4R. Can you tell me what led to your decision to go with the Skybox over cargo boxes or any other option?

I'm moving out to Colorado with the fiancé and dog and the 4Runner is our vehicle. We're driving down through the south and up through Texas and New Mexico.

I was planning on getting a couple Plano trunks to strap down to the Gobi Rack I purchased but am wondering if the right move is a cargo box. I don't see many on here so your opinion and experience will be greatly appreciated! Cheers.

My set up is specific for use as a vehicle to get us to those hard to get to places in comfort, long road trips and as a daily driver, for 2 people and 2 large Akitas. I went with the Yakima box being I wanted lockable storage for security/dryness and I also wanted a certain amount of space between the box and awning for storage of minimum 3 front runner boxes, chainsaw, kit for chainsaw/fuel etc. It also offered the best storage when compared with all other options out there. So if you are as specific about it as me, some call it anal lol, then go over all gear you plan on carrying now and in the future measure accordingly then you will know what you need for your specific requirements. You will also find it evolves as you go, since I started this set up I have removed the seat behind the drives and have added a ladder chainsaw holder all for better accessibility. And I am sure I will make more changes as I go, basically looking to minimize without giving up comfort as best I can, cause crap can add up quick in the vehicle. Next Summer it will change again being I plan to have an off-road camping trailer from S Africa behind the 4runner.

 

[TheBelafonte]

Thanks for the info. I think the setup your running now may be best for me. What size Skybox do you rub? Does it interfere with the ladder/hatch at all?

 

[Swede71]

Thanks for the info. I think the setup your running now may be best for me. What size Skybox do you rub? Does it interfere with the ladder/hatch at all?

I went with the skybox 18 carbonite, I measured first and it fits perfectly for what I need, does not get in the way of the rear hatch or ladder.

 

[JB_TRD]

Hello, what trailer are you looking at? thanks.

 

[Swede71]

Hello, what trailer are you looking at? thanks.

I am talking with a few manufacturers and working on becoming the Canadian distributor for one of them. Once it is all done I can let you know.

 

[Swede71]

Did some hiking and fishing in K-Country this weekend, full extent of all the fires from BC was very obvious with all of the smoke and even ash falling. Figured it was a good way to test the Yeti 400 to see if the Nomad 100 could power it enough to run the Dometic fridge/freezer with very little sun coming through the smoke. Temp was 31C or 87.8F, Solar panel was able to give between 24W - 30W of power to the Yeti, left the Dometic at -14C or 6.8F, just to see. Also left the fridge/freezer outside in the sun. Did some hiking & fishing came back after 8hrs and the Yeti 400 was still topped up, so am happy with those results however am hoping we get rain soon to put those fires out. Either way am happy with these products, makes for comfortable camping/road trips with very little space used.

 

[Swede71]

Adding a 2017 Silver Limited 4Runner to the Family

Will be adding a 2017 Silver 5-seater Limited 4Runner to the family on Saturday. Girlfriend loves mine so much she wants one as well. Took it for a drive yesterday, they drive nicely.

 

[DeepSea88]

Awesome!!!

Will be adding a 2017 Silver 5-seater Limited 4Runner to the family on Saturday. Girlfriend loves mine so much she wants one as well. Took it for a drive yesterday, they drive nicely.

Just looked over your entire build.....wow!!!! Looks amazing!!! Well done!!!

 

[Swede71]

Just looked over your entire build.....wow!!!! Looks amazing!!! Well done!!!

Thank you, it took several months of researching on this forum which offers an awesome amount of info with other peoples experiences/builds. Then several more weeks of painful waiting and waiting and waiting for everything to arrive. After everything, I do now understand a bit why some people get a bit up in arms when asked about what is the best lift/suspension etc for anything but a mall crawler. Being every build is specific to what the person wants to do as mine is specific to my needs. I guess lol there are different types of mall parking lots when considering a mall crawler build lol. Is there one speed bump or two, is there a height restriction when going through the burger king drive thru, does this color of rims match my eyes.

 

[Swede71]

We now have 2.

 

[Swede71]

Great weekend, hiking camping and fishing for cut throat trout. Smoked a few, nice way to eat them.

 

[Swede71]

Sept Long Weekend Fun, Lots of Pics

Awesome long weekend in the back country, camping, hiking, fishing and just enjoying life. Best part we did not have any smoke from the fires, so perfect views of the sky at night for stars.

 

[Swede71]

We went from a very hot summer to winter pretty quick, spent a night in the Rockies relaxing around a real fire this time, fire ban was lifted Friday, had been on most of the summer. Smoke in the eyes was worth it, miss that smell and the taste of food cooked over an open camp fire. Last week hot and wearing shorts, this week -6C at night or about 21F, either way awesome time with a toque on. Although Jager my big male Akita, was limping lots from his right shoulder so we did not hike much or go fishing at the lake which is a steep grade down a mountain to get to, hoping he gets better soon, gotta say do not have kids however these pups become part of the family pretty quickly, and it is tough watching them trying not to show pain which they clearly are in. Did not sleep well that night being there were several tracks of a medium sized wolf pack near the campsite, thinking I need to protect my pup while he heals, the joys of camping in the back country.