Mountain State Overland - Overland Conversion

Ok, the break's over - let's talk shelter now...

We spent a lot of time looking over the options; ground tents, tepees, canvas walled tents, hammocks, etc. before we settled on the idea behind a roof top tent (RTT). And then it was finding a company that's doing it right; that's how we stumbled on Cascadia Vehicle Tents - more widely known as CVT.



We opted for the Mt. Bachelor on the Tacoma and setup wasn't tough at all. All the parts needed were supplied including open-end wrenches (FWIW - find a set of ratchet wrenches or you'll be at it for a while).

We're mounting the tent to a Prinsu Design Studio TopRac. I haven't had a chance to share the details of our TopRac install, but we'll get there. The TopRac sits at a very low profile so find someone with small hands to reach under there and do your tightening.



The tent is resting on several of the TopRac crossbars and essentially distributing the weight more evenly across the six TopRac mounting points on the roof of the cap. I mounted the tent clamps as far out as I could per preference. I was worried about rattling but the tent carries just enough weight to rest on each crossbar.

Next came the ladder install. I wanted the tent to fold away from the Oztent Foxwing so I'd end up installing the ladder for access from the passenger side of the truck.



The only modifications we made during the install was to 1) accommodate the mounting brackets for the Foxwing, and 2) bend the spring rods that on the awning side of the RTT. I pulled the brackets and drilled two new holes so I could bring the awning a little further away from the RTT; that solved the first problem.





The spring rods weren't going into the tent without bending the first 1-2" so I could fit them in behind the Fowxing. With a little patience, I got the spring rods installed and the fly lifted.

Overall, with only two nights under the stars; I'm very pleased and I'm finding new ways to set it up faster each time it unfolds. And after our recent trial run working the trucks at Greenbrier Offroad Adventures, I feel very comfortable with the center of gravity. Oh - the negatives: kiss your garage goodbye and say goodbye to most drive-thru joints (it's healthier that way).

 

The small hands part is so true... So what is the plan for storage/install/removal/etc.? Always curious what other people do with theirs. Congrats!

 

Back at ya ZS #fistbump #appalachia

What's the plan, ha!? Keep it on there of course; year round and we're give this tent a work out!

In all seriousness though, two people to remove it no doubt - its a bulky 125lbs. If I had a taller garage door I'd figure out some sort of hoist. It really won't take much to lift it off, the wife can help with that but MSO will be rolling non-stop this year so it'll stay on the rack until winter at least.

 

Standing by for more trip pics!

 

You asked, you shall receive - a shot from what will be MSO Route 5.

 

Looking good love the trip pics!

 

Would love to tag along on a trip if you all ever need an extra vehicle!

 

Sweet looking good guys!

 

Keep in touch, you're not far away at all!

Thanks guys, it's all coming together; storage, fridge and rear power next!

 

Great project!!! Keep the updates!!!

 

Goose Gear storage shipped and arrived; more details coming soon. Here's another shot from our trip to Greenbrier Offroad Adventures. Had a great time with Chris and the GOA Team; if you're ever in the area look them up!

 

Great Looking truck!!! Cant wait to see pics from all of the adventures.. I love what you guys are doing.

 

VIDEO

In this pre-season episode of Mountain State Overland, Team MSO hauls the camera equipment over to Greenbrier Offroad Adventures to put their recent truck builds to the test. With a few lessons to learn, the Team preps themselves for their travels in southern Appalachia during Season 2.

TRIP REPORT by Jamie - Team MSO Cook

When we started planning this excursion it was a means to an ends. We were hoping to get out in the woods and have a little fun while filming some footage and testing out some of the gear. Let me give you some details about our hosts - Chris is the owner of Greenbrier Off-Road Adventures LLC, and Tracy is one of the instructors; both a great resource when we found ourselves in a pickle. Their trails are located on the property of the world famous Greenbrier Resort. Their vehicles of choice are specially equipped Jeep Wrangler Rubicons and let me tell you one thing - they are beefy rigs! These highly trained guides accompany and instruct guests on advanced driving techniques necessary to traverse The Greenbrier's private 10,000 acre mountain preserve. The terrain varies from modest unpaved roads to some seriously extreme terrain. The thirty-mile course has rocks, ruts, creek crossings, steep hills, gulleys and mud pits. We felt this was the perfect place for us to test out our skills.



In a nutshell, we had a great time with Greenbrier Off-Road Adventures LLC! They are a solid group of guys and they love getting out on the trails and showing people how it’s done. They were able to help us cut our teeth and introduce to the recovery options available when using ARB bumpers, Warn Zeon winches and Maxtrax to help navigate the obstacle that presented themselves. I'll have to tell you that they certainly didn't take it easy on us either. Within the first hour we were up to our waists in mud pits and rocky rutted terrain. There were several occasion that we got in a little over our head and thanks to the efforts and training we were able to get out of the the tight spots and keep pushing forward. The entire trip lasted around 4-6 hours. It was some of the most extreme 4X4 action that I personally have ever seen. We gained a lot of knowledge and experience that will aid us in our adventures to come for Season 2.



Here's some of my take aways from the trip - put a tow strap on the bumper first!! Ha, seriously though planning ahead can save you a lot of worry and damage later. As we traveled through the tight terrain and crossed streams, sometimes driving in the creek bed the entirety of that particular leg of the trail we gained confidence in our skills as a team and in our abilities to manage whatever the landscape threw at us. We used the winches a few times and tested out the suspensions and the BFG KM2’s on the Tacoma, all performed great! We learned that there will always be things that are out of our control when in the backcountry but with a little knowledge, teamwork and sound judgment we can conquer whatever we come across.



Again, this was one awesome experience and I highly recommend it to anybody that wants to spend half a day on some seriously challenging terrain. The guys at Greenbrier Off-Road Adventures were nice enough to take us out on the trail at no cost to us; however, there are fees for their trips. If you want to do something really cool and you’re anywhere the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs WV check these guys. I promise you won’t regret it!

 

Looks like you had a lot of fun love all the pics you have posted keep the great pics coming!

 

Awesome. Love seeing updates from yall.

 

I stumbled across you on Youtube, then found you on here. I knew it had to be someone on here, with a great taste in trucks and all.

 

Thanks @headhunter247 - and here's our latest pre-season video, "The Build."

In this pre-season episode of Mountain State Overland, Jason and Jeremy highlight some of the equipment that's been installed on the Tacoma and 4Runner in preparation for Season 2. Stay tuned in TW, we'll be kicking off Season 2 by the end of June!

 

Subb'd! This build is awesome! can't wait to see what else you're going to do