What next? Fridge, Drawers or RTT?

A

AFdude

New member
With Summer approaching and the excitement of some great journeys planned this year, I've been in a bit of a rush to finish off my camping/expedition setup. Last on my list of "wants" are Fridge, RTT, ARB Drawers and Expedition One Rear Bumper. Without dipping into the travel budget, I have about $2500 remaining in the build budget before trip time (June) and I know for sure I can't accomplish all 4 without busting that number. Therefore, rear bumper is off the table until this Fall.

So that leaves the 3: Fridge, Drawers and RTT. How do you crack that nut without busting $2500? I don't think you can, well not at least with what I'm finding on Amazon. Also, I realize the fridge is going to most likely incorporate a deep cycle battery too... So more $$$

So of the 3, which two would fit the bill? I already have some kick ass camping gear from my adventure bike setup that I can carry with me in the 4runner, but it's just not as comfy and convenient as a RTT. And heck, I could always carry a RTIC or Yeti type cooler.

But I know someone will mention it: building my own drawers is out of the question. I built some for my LC200 and let's just say I'm more of a measure once, cut twice kind of guy. Doh! They looked and functioned like, well, not good.


The build is pretty strong for now. Just on to the clean-up items.


So which way to go?
 
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Rig looks good!

I love my CVT RTT and my Yeti. My vote is that route. Fridge and drawers are on my list of wants one day. But I feel the RTT is my best way to enjoy ~$2500 or less.
 
How many days in a row will you be camping?
I would rather use a good cooler and sleep in a RTT than have a fridge and sleep on the ground.

Edited to add, RTIC is having a pretty good sale right now.
 
WVhillbilly said:
How many days in a row will you be camping?
I would rather use a good cooler and sleep in a RTT than have a fridge and sleep on the ground.

Edited to add, RTIC is having a pretty good sale right now.
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Valid point.

I'll be setting off to the NE part of the country for a couple months this summer where I'll be working, but having Fri-Sun off every week. So my camping times won't really stretch past 3 days with the exception of the travel to and from Texas, where I'll probably take a few extra days.
 
Too easy....... Fridge...

I bought mine in 2003 and I still use it to this day, and its got a couple hundred thousand miles of use in vehicles and who knows how many dirt roads. It’s a mod that moves from vehicle to vehicle......
 
Jhalko said:
Fridge.

I have all and the fridge is the best mod on/in my truck.
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Indel B has to be one of the most cost effective too. Has yours been trouble free? I don't have much experience with them. But what I do know is their portability is hard to beat, especially since I'll be in a hotel while I'm away for work. It may be a good way to expand my grocery storage instead of having to make several trips to fit food in those small hotel type fridges.
 
RTT’s have their own conveniences and inconveniences. Have you ever folded one up? I’m assuming you’re looking at the folders not the hard shell, per your budget. It’s the last thing I want to do in the morning because you get just sweaty, and just dirty enough to make you want to not do it. Especially if you’re running a rain fly and anti condensation mat, makes fitting the tent cover tight. Comfort is superior though.

A roof awning and cots are an affordable comfortable sleeping solution.

I’d vote fridge. Forgo a deep cycle battery until the stock one dies, carry an emergency jump start for peace of mind. Or just get a nice cooler and plan provisioning stops. Fridges are awesome though, used mine today doing a walkthrough on a property that turned much longer than expected. Had cold beer, cheese, salami, and crackers at the ready.

What are your intentions with the rear bumper? At least for now, if a full spare fits in the stock location, you can always carry extra fuel and whatnot on the roof.

I’m curious, do you still have the cruiser?
 
cots >>> RTT

I vote fridge, I use mine every day for drinks and lunch/snack food. It is not just a camping/"overlanding" accesory. My wife is jealous, and we've already decided that when we have kids she's getting a fridge for whatever vehicle she drives just for the convenience.

I also love being able to do all my grocery shopping at lunch to avoid the after work rush.

I disagree with keeping the stock battery, my fridge killed my stock battery pretty quickly. In warm weather it couldn't keep the fridge running overnight and would shutoff frequently, it was okay for drinks but you couldn't trust it for anything perishable. The highest shutoff setting for my Dometic is 11.8V, and that was just too deep of a cycle for the starting battery to do repeatedly. My deep cycle can last all weekend (although you'll need to do a lot of driving or throw it on the charger if you drain it that much).

You can get a fridge, deep cycle battery, battery charger, jump pack, and voltage booster fuse for well under $2,500 (fridge ~$700 depending on what you want, 31m battery ~$200, noco genm1 charger $75, noco gb40 jump pack $125, voltage booster fuse ~$50), that is less than half of your budget. You still have plenty of money to get a good cot sleeping setup, or even a budget or used RTT.
 
We just returned from a weekend out and my new ARB Element 63 was awesome. It was running off the stock battery with no issues. It ran for a day before I needed to run the truck to charge the battery. If you running around everyday, I think you can get away with the stock battery for a little while. I mounted my fridge on an ARB drawer, thought process was that if its 300 buck for a slide a few more buck and I have a drawer.
 
e60ral said:
cots >>> RTT

I vote fridge, I use mine every day for drinks and lunch/snack food. It is not just a camping/"overlanding" accesory. My wife is jealous, and we've already decided that when we have kids she's getting a fridge for whatever vehicle she drives just for the convenience.

I also love being able to do all my grocery shopping at lunch to avoid the after work rush.

I disagree with keeping the stock battery, my fridge killed my stock battery pretty quickly. In warm weather it couldn't keep the fridge running overnight and would shutoff frequently, it was okay for drinks but you couldn't trust it for anything perishable. The highest shutoff setting for my Dometic is 11.8V, and that was just too deep of a cycle for the starting battery to do repeatedly. My deep cycle can last all weekend (although you'll need to do a lot of driving or throw it on the charger if you drain it that much).

You can get a fridge, deep cycle battery, battery charger, jump pack, and voltage booster fuse for well under $2,500 (fridge ~$700 depending on what you want, 31m battery ~$200, noco genm1 charger $75, noco gb40 jump pack $125, voltage booster fuse ~$50), that is less than half of your budget. You still have plenty of money to get a good cot sleeping setup, or even a budget or used RTT.
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Fair enough on the battery. I ran my fridge in a stock Tacoma for awhile and it seemed fine, hence my suggestion. I understand how it can stress the factory battery though so yea, best recommendation may be to sell the Panasonic while it’s good and upgrade to a deep cycle right off the bat.
 
DannyLlama said:
How so if you dont mind me asking
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dot_tom said:
I agree. The RTT makes camping a lot more enjoyable. The comfort, ease of setup was a major selling point. Nothing like a tent.
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Having a solid and stable sleeping platform with no air mattress allowed me to sleep peacefully at night without tossing and turning. Being able to pop the tent up in less than 5 mins is incredible and you never have to worry or fuss about the poles, finding flat surface, making sure there's no rocks to puncture, etc. Plus they are also MUCH thicker than a normal ground tent, so when we used it at Yellowstone, in the rain and snow, we were toasty inside, with our 0 degree bag. It was incredible.

If you find the Tuff Stuff brand, its a LOT cheaper than the other name brand ones, and they all come from the same factory in China. They're local in Santa Ana and I think I paid $1000 out the door for mine, WITH the annex room and floor.

I just picked up a Dometic CFX-40 Fridge, so I think my camping life is about to change again haha. We'll see if it beats the RTT.
 
JSparky said:
RTT’s have their own conveniences and inconveniences. Have you ever folded one up? I’m assuming you’re looking at the folders not the hard shell, per your budget. It’s the last thing I want to do in the morning because you get just sweaty, and just dirty enough to make you want to not do it. Especially if you’re running a rain fly and anti condensation mat, makes fitting the tent cover tight. Comfort is superior though.

A roof awning and cots are an affordable comfortable sleeping solution.

I’d vote fridge. Forgo a deep cycle battery until the stock one dies, carry an emergency jump start for peace of mind. Or just get a nice cooler and plan provisioning stops. Fridges are awesome though, used mine today doing a walkthrough on a property that turned much longer than expected. Had cold beer, cheese, salami, and crackers at the ready.

What are your intentions with the rear bumper? At least for now, if a full spare fits in the stock location, you can always carry extra fuel and whatnot on the roof.

I’m curious, do you still have the cruiser?
Click to expand...

You make some very valid points.

I'm seriously even considering a hard shell RTT however I'll need to change my roof rack. Luckily it's not too costly as I have the ARB setup all I need is the flat rack itself, which is around $450. I could even sell my current rack to make up the costs. Currently I'm finding hard shell RTT models around $1500-1900. Also the idea of a hardshell is nice for maybe some better fuel economy and easier tear down and expansion. I was turned into the hardshell when I got to wheel my BIL's Patrol in Australia last year. That thing sets up so fast.



The fridge seems to be winning the subject for what to do next. I may make that happen first. But damn I really want them ARB drawers too.

I went from FJ, to FJ TT, to 5th gen Trail, to LC200, 3rd gen Taco, and now back in a 5th gen ORP. I should have just kept my '14 Trail. The LC200 was nice and I felt so inspired by all the sweet 200's I saw in Australia, (seriously, they have it made there) but once I did suspension, wheels, tires and sliders the MPG went to almost 11mpg and made my range about 190 miles per tank. Not good, right. Well, around the same time I was reconsidering a build my wife gets into a car accident and we replaced her car with a new Tundra 4x4. Ergo, no real need for the 200 so I traded it in. Used the equity in that to drive the tundra down (1794 edition- loaded) and I settled on something "different" and got a 17 Taco TRD OR. Nice truck but the engine/tranny powerband/shifting issues, wheel bearing, 15.6 MPG (stock) and seeping rear diff made me find a leftover 17 5th gen again. I don't have the v8 of the 200 nor the issues of the taco. I'm good now. Here to stay for a while.

The quality of the 200 is quite nice though. Also everything is more expensive in the aftermarket for it.

I still want the rear bumper for knowing my roof rack, in the current configuration or if I upgraded to the flat rack would be just about 100% utilized by the tent. Therefore, gas/water storage and spare relocation are what I'm looking for. I'm willing to be a little more patient on the bumper since it's not highest on my list.
 
so it sounds like range and fuel efficiency is a concern, or at least has been in the past so that is another mark against the RTT (the hard sheels are better than the fold-out style, but they still have an impact)

have you ever tried sleeping in a hammock? some people don't like it, but if you can get used to it it's really awesome and nothing beats it for weight savings (weight is the enemy).

I generally use a cot with a self-inflatable pad on top and it's like sleeping on a mattress. I sleep under a tarp if there is bad weather and use a mosquito tent that clips on to the top of the cot to keep insects away. Setup/takedown is quick and easy. here is my current setup:
e60ral-albums-mine-picture50992-cot-setup.jpg


although i'm going to use some of my tax refund and get this (reg or XL, not sure yet):
https://www.oztent.us/products/tent-range/1-man-tents/jet-tent-bunker
 
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