Dick's Dank Yank Wank Tank

Tepui tent, not sure on model. Racks were both Front Runners.

 

And there was a third awning on the pass side.

 

LOL, yeah, that was overkill, but I think an RTT is definitely in the future, and I could mount it either on the truck cap or on the teardrop, which has an option for mounting plates to hold cross bars. I can see at least one awning, too.

 

Exactly.

I could do alright in the truck bed if it were just me and I planned for it, but I can also see the "rooftop fort" being cool for Ben and his "best friend in the whole wide universe forever" when he gets a bit older.

 

Also note that if we do any shorter offroad overnight trips without the trailer, we could all still sleep on board.

 

There were a few places in Utah, Like Capitol Reef/Escalante for example, where the driving logistics and making progress to the next destination on the route make things complicated. Securing the trailer overnight in a safe spot while heading out on a 100-mile overnight backcountry trip would have opened up more options. I'll take the teardrop on well-graded byways, but if crossings or other unknowns may be a factor, it isn't wise.

 

You get those weather stripping issues squared away yet?

I decided I don't have time, so I'm throwing down some taxable write off money towards new bulb seals (2, because doubling down on leak prevention), new tailgate seals, new cab-side bed seal.. possibly window seals but I don't think I need them. My appointment is at 2 today.

 

The leaks from the 3rd brake light gasket, the separated bulnb seal at the top of the door, and the flappy bits at either end of the bulb seal are squared away. No leaks there.

I do get a tiny bit of blown in intrusion at the front roners of the bed, where most people do. But it is minimal and intermittent, so it can wait. Would not do on a long trip with lots of gear, but...LOL what happened to my life.

 

That looks damn nice.

 

Thanks, it was a pretty rapid hack job done under duress of no time for anything. 1/8 neoprene rubber plumbing gasket material, and 3M gray auto trim/molding tape. Best I could source on short notice. The real challenge will be that stupid huge gap below the ends of the proprietary bulb seal above the tailgate.

 

Looks really good. I did a hack improvement job on mine before my last trip, it helped. The irregular shaped surfaces are so difficult for me. : I have my whole tailgate apart right now... lol

 

OTOH.. I'm gonna go spend $XX+.. and they won't warranty the work because it's not a new shell.

 

Just off, or apart? Are you putting in a perimeter dust seal? Have you found any off-the-shelf tailgate seals that are worth a damn, or are you just making your own? I think we had this discussion somewhere before, dejavu.

 

Well I got mine done.. turned out everything looked great, except the seal for the fold down window and the glass seal against the tailgate. I was also missing a piece altogether than sealed against the bed rail on the cab side. They also removed the third brake light and re-sealed there also.

Told me to squirt Scotchguard on the carpet near the corners of the shell and on the bottom to each side of the rear window. Waterproofing it makes the carpet not wick any moisture/water that it hits and then prevents said wicking action from sucking water back further into the interior of the shell. Will do when it's warm and dry outside. Annual re-coating and I should be GTG.

 

Yes, because when it sits on person X's truck instead of person Y's truck, the manufacturer was absolved of all materials and workmanship.
:sirbediverelogic:

 

Are you referring to longevity issues? In Rob's other posts he linked to, they seemed to have a clear performance edge over some of the alternatives, including the Phillips version of 921.

Mine are still in transit in Kent, WA, but with any luck, or lots and lots of luck, I'll be able to install them this weekend and do a comparison against stock bulbs, anyway.

The VLED site shows them out of stock for a few days, and they are a whole dollar cheaper each at Wheelers, so Count Cheapula approves on this basis alone. PLus shipping will be effectively free with that strap along for the ride.

 

Yes, I've seen other LED reverse lights on this site in the past few years that had useless patterns for reversing. People take pictures of how bright they are on the truck. Wow, they are a lot brighter. Sparkle sparkle. All I care about is how light it is behind the truck, and how wide.

I trust Rob's input. From what I understand, he is not a little young ricer punk. And the design/arrangement of the emitters themselves is promising to bounce a lot of light around space and the light housing reflector to flood the field of view, not project it directly back, and not using a magnifying lens, which is what I've seen on the shitty ones.
I have a snatch already, and no winch, and no tires or suspension to get me into any trouble, and no time to try to get into trouble anyway. I'm currently squirrelling ducats for the wheels and tires, and lift. After that, I'll spend more time thinking about getting unstuck.

 

same ones dude, Wheelers even says they are from VLEDs.

 

I was out tonight in a creek canyon, looking for a fellow that maybe at the bottom of the sandstone cliffs in there. We just went in as a team of two, to assess the conditions, before I send anyone else in there. Sad circumstance. Careful planning to do, then a daylight push with more people into there. It has snowed about a foot since the last time he was seen by anyone.
Fun, challenging terrain in there. Ding would have enjoyed it. a few Tib/Fib breaking gaps between large boulders here and there, partially hidden by the snow, and the snowshoes helped cross the creek a couple of times. Lots of bush wacking. On the slopes, the snowshoes came off the feet, hung onto the combined pair, and were used on the uphill side of the slope to punch into the snow vertically, and help anchor me, while traversing the slopes. Next time i'll bring the ice axe, as a better tool.