Mountain State Overland - Overland Conversion

Awesome, thanks!

 

How you liking the arb front bumper? Looking to get a bumper and looking for inputs on what to go with. I like the full hoop style on the bumpers.

 

Not to hijack msoverlands's thread Acerwin, but I have the same bumper and am glad I went that route. It is very well designed and fits the truck better than most other options in my opinion. I recommend shopping around on the net for a base model bumper cover to cut up if you have reservations about chopping up your stock one - I found one on ebay for about $90 delivered. I also suggest mounting with a bit more space between the bullbar and the fender than ARB recommends as the body does move around a bit relative to the fixed mount bar.

Keep poking around in the builds and your pockets will end up empty like the rest of us!

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

Thanks @inv3ctiv3

 

There's quite a few options out there for our trucks these days. The ARB Bull Bumper is bomber, not doubt about it and I'm sure all the rest are constructed very well. There's definitely some years of research and design behind ARB bumpers and the look is just an added plus. Even though we haven't needed them yet, even on some of the tougher terrain we've explored, I could see a need for shackle points on the front. Regardless, the Bull Bumper is tight and is designed to be abused. Cheers!

 

Dude, you're not hijacking. Thanks for stepping in and offering the advice! We've been swamped lately with post-production work for our next episodes. Thanks a million for speaking up!

 

Nice looking truck and fellow Virginian!

Hoping to set mine up for overland / expedition in the future as well.

 

Cheers to ole Virginia! There's just one of us over here - the other two are across the border in the Mountain State.

 

Nice - and we have a Rockbridge County Taco too!

 

Just glad to see some semi-locals on here, subbed to the YouTube channel as well, great stuff.

 

I'm obliged!

I look forward to catching the episodes as soon as we get electric back here in NJ but at least I've got the gear to make due in the meantime.

Are you guys planning to be at the Mid Atlantic Overland festival again this year?

 

4 States 4 Days - TRIP REPORT/BUILD UPDATE

Part 1: In this episode of Mountain State Overland, the team kicks off Season 2 with an overland trip from southern WV to Laurel Bed Lake in southwestern VA. This is the first leg of a two part adventure across four states.



Part 2: In this episode of Mountain State Overland, the team leaves VA to explore eastern TN and western NC. Their trip will end in Boone, NC and they're stopping in to learn a little bit about what sustainability means Lost Province Brewing Company.



THE GIST by Jamie, Team MSO Cook

When we started planning this trip we wanted to make our season opener something to remember, and I think that we did just that. As we travel deeper into Appalachia we found new challenges, and our team’s talent began to shine almost immediately. We began our journey in Justice WV, where we met up with Jason and Matt A. (owner of Blue Ridge Overland Gear). We also invite Joe along again and the gang from 4xFish (Matt and Caitie) and Venture4wd.com (Chris and Brandie) accompanied us as well. Also along for the ride was our old friend from Season 1, Rick Stowe and of course Jason, Jeremy and I from Team MSO. The goal was to hit the trail starting out in Justice and end up in Boone, NC where we would spend one last night before heading our separate ways. We are calling the expedition “4states4days” and we covered 400 miles of back country roadways and some pavement along the way.





HIGHLIGHTS

We traveled through parts of West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee before reaching our destination in Boone, NC. We had a great time with these guys/gals and they all brought their own energy to this trip which made it that much better. Matt A., more than demonstrated his expertise on the trail, directing us through some of the most challenging sections we have faced yet. There were definitely numerous times we felt that we might lose a vehicle early on in our journey on the first day. We also hit a point on the trail that we all felt turning around wasn’t an option, even if we wanted to, as we couldn’t get back through the obstacles that we had already overcome. We ate some good food and filmed more "Backcountry Cooking" as well on this trip. We had some killer campsites and some unusual visitors, a group horses came in to check us out...you don't see that often.

The next to last day of the trip we hit a great swimming hole and then went into Boone and met up with the owners of Lost Province Brewing Company for an interview and then had some great pizza and even better beer!





LESSONS LEARNED

We know our equipment is solid and all the modifications were worth it. We learned that Maxtrax and our Warn Zeon winches are our best friends, and the ARB USA Bull Bar Bumper rounded off the trifecta to get the job done. We found out that some good team work with a great group of people is key to the success of the trip. Matt A. is a wealth of off-road wisdom and was responsible for helping get us through a really tough section of trail toward the beginning of the trip. The Land Cruiser is still a beast…..it made it through terrain that I still can hardly believe, course Matt A. was driving so really there shouldn't have been any surprise there. We learned that there are times that you have to winch from the front of the vehicle and the back…at the same time! The gang from 4xFish taught us that you should always bring a shovel or digging tool with you on a trip. Chris showed us his driving skills in the Cherokee, getting past the toughest obstacles....and making it look easy! We learned that a hammock at camp is another key item, I will personally bring one from here on out. Jason brought them in the past, but seeing Rick camping in one and Chris and Brandie lounging in one around camp really confirmed it.




FINAL THOUGHTS

I highly recommend bringing new friends, and old ones, on trips as they make the experience that much more memorable. We will definitely incorporate a shovel into our tool bag from now on as they can be instrumental to success. This was a challenging and awesome experience, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I think that if you are inclined to get out and explore there are a lot of offerings throughout Appalachia. Just spend some time doing the research and picking the brains of those who have been there before you head out, and then go have your own adventure. I'll leave you with this thought - when you look back at at your experiences what would you like to see…..I think it might be that you did something memorable, not that you put in time at the office or on the job. Get out and make some memories, whatever they may be!!

 

Hey @2012Taco - no, we won't be making the trip up to PA this year for the MAOF; family vacations already mapped out for that weekend. Hope you have a blast up there if you make it!

 

You guys should of come to North Georgia so I could wheel with you guys and see the sick builds in person!

 

Ahhh I see I see, be sure to take pictures and post them up!

 

We'll be in your neck of the woods very soon! In fact, we're taking over the Nantahala Gorge Labor Day weekend; come find us!

 

Will do!

 

Gettin Somewhere - TRIP REPORT

Part 1: In this episode of Mountain State Overland, the team travels deeper into the Appalachian Mountains in search of some truly unique destinations and epic terrain within Tennessee and North Carolina.



Part 2: In this second half of our trip through Asheville, the team at Mountain State Overland samples some suds and explores more of western North Carolina's wild landscapes.



THE GIST by Jamie and Jason

Hey TW! Wow, its been a few weeks since our last post; hope everyone has enjoyed another fantastic summer your own backyard!

"Gettin Somewhere" took us deeper into Tennessee and the heart of North Carolina. It was looking like it was just the 4 core members of MSO on this adventure. We had hopes to include a writer for Roads and Kingdoms online magazine but plans feel through the night before we left; things don't always work out the way they are intended but we make due. After all, we were off on another adventure!

We started in Del Rio, TN. We'd be heading back toward Boone, NC where we ended the 4 States 4 Days expedition. We planned a few truly unique stops in NC and aimed at hunting down some local folklore. "Epic off road" made the storyboard for this trip as well. With a little hope, a few of the trails might give the trucks a bit of a workout.

The team rendezvoused in Wytheville, VA and logged a few hours on tarmac before we hit gravel and left the painted lines behind. I-81 was far from uneventful however. The havoc from heavy rains resulted in a string of accidents including one truck flipped over on its roof. Thankfully it appeared that nobody was injured and we kept moving. This definitely left us setting "safety" at top priority for the long weekend ahead.



HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights? Hmmmm. Having the whole team back together again was by far a highlight for me. Gaby wasn’t able to go on the first trip and season opener but he was back again with his equipment for this run at Appalachia.

Another highlight - Pounding Mill Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway; wow! Add this to your "must see" list.

Oh! Day 2 camp was epic! We hoped to witness the infamous "Brown Mountain Lights" after the fireworks settled in the valley below, but the only light we saw were our drone hovering above camp. I wonder if anyone saw those LEDs in the distance ;-)

And another - Brown Mountain OHV Area. There are few publicly owned (NFS) trail systems that include designated “Jeep trails” on the East Coast and Brown Mountain is one of them. Overall, there's nothing super technical, but you can certainly test your skill set in this NC trail system. We hit Brown Mountain on the Monday after July 4 so we didn't see a lick of traffic (except a couple dirt bikes). This trail system certainly offers more for two wheels and ATV/UTV riders, but the Jeep trails are certainly wide enough to accommodate most mid-size rigs.





LESSONS LEARNED

Practice flying a drone before you fly it in the woods. After its third wreck, Gaby's drone got shipped back to DJI for repairs; $600 later, its a worthy bird again!

Hammocks. I don't know how to sum it up other than, "some good tunes and bourbon on ice." Hammocks are your friends folks. At the end of a hard day on the trail there's nothing like kicking off your shoes and swaying under the trees.

Eat good. Enough said.





FINAL THOUGHTS

In planning for these types of trips it’s good to be flexible and to really try and keep the true meaning of what you are doing in mind. In our case we wanted to get deeper into Appalachia, see some cool sights along the way and capture film for you guys to enjoy when you can't hit the road. My advice to all is simple - get out there! Find a place where the pavement ends, the trails begin and make some memories of your own.