Another Around the World Tacoma

Love following your thread. Sent my wife a link to post #1 on the first page with "???" and she said "One day."

That's a start!

 

Just read through your build thread, excellent start.

Hopefully one day you two can hit the road as well. The world is a big place with a lot to see!

 

I can appreciate the amount of time that went into putting this together and I can see how it can be extremely beneficial to folks.

My truck is just a daily driven commuter and I have a great appreciation for this build thread. Maybe sometime in the future I may convert my truck into something like this and use it as a camper for my wife and I.

Thank you.

 

This is where my thoughts are also. I've put a fair bit of searching into finding a well secured mount that could deal with being bumped that would either go high on the door or above the door. An image I saw from someone with a camera mounted above the door showed the spare blocking the space immediately behind the bumper area (space where one would be walking while going in or out of the door). I need to check angles between camera locations and spare.

This all is inspired by a new nickname "Signage" that a nephew has given me. We came across a "No Motor Vehicles" sign on a trail where the trail crosses into a different county. Being responsible I turned around in the tight space and backed into the sign during the process. Sign was on a 3" pipe immediately off the trail. I had lost it in my mirrors during the multi point turn.

 

Ah, that's something I didn't even consider, depending on its angle.

If I do find anything I will share it here.

 

This epic - looking forward to following along!

 

Thanks Nate, I appreciate it!

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one but I've read every post, I just usually never post anything. Keep the updates coming!

 

Hell yes, you got it!

A bonus photo from the photos I put together to use in the trip report for the group North Rim trip a few weeks ago:

NRGC - 2023 - 47 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

 

I'll just add as the sole stock Taco on that trip, all those @Baja Designs lights made the Bernard Williams quote come true after a post sunset, dark hunt for a campsite- "There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope Baja Designs"

It was as if daylight itself was exploring the aspens for a level spot to accommodate the crew.

 

Hey @MR E30,

The rig is looking great! Do you have more photos of the trip? Would love to check out the spots you guys were able to see!

Best,
Bill

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support 
Email: Bill@bajadesigns.com Phone: (760)560-2252

 

Here's a handful that I grabbed. Still waiting on Mike to finish up the edits of his.

 

Have you thought about putting the back up camera in the spare or will you bag block it?

 

Hey @OnePuttBlunder

Amazing pictures, that trip must have been a really fun trip for all of you. Did you guys do any trailing at night? If so how did your guy's lighting package do?

Best,
Bill

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support 
Email: Bill@bajadesigns.com Phone: (760)560-2252

 

Just a couple hours leaving point sublime to try and find a new campsite. Mike lead the way with his LP6s. I was just running my fogs as to not totally blind the two ahead of me with my bar.

I'll be making a switch to BD on the fogs and adding BD ditch lights soon

 

Hey @OnePuttBlunder

When you are ready to order email me at Bill@bajadesings.com and I can take care of you!

Best,
Bill

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support 
Email: Bill@bajadesigns.com Phone: (760)560-2252

 

Chris,

The bag would definitely block it, as the bag covers almost the entirety of the wheel.

Still strategizing a new location for one.

A chilly 34 degrees this morning, was not expecting that (saw low 40's last time I checked weather), but the day is warming quickly.

 

It feels great to be back on the road, spending a lot of my time in close proximity to the Tacoma. Our time in Phoenix allowed us to take care of a lot of things, but we are both glad that it is over.

We headed back to Cornville, AZ on Friday night, as we wanted to 'finish' the trail that we started. Prior to getting started, we did a 5-mile hike to a cave in Sedona before we spent the rest of the weekend working on the trail.

Stacy free-handed this trail sign and then I showed her how a Rotozip worked. She carved out the letters with precision, we darkened the inside of the letters, and then we stained the sign.

Buried a 4x4 30" into the ground and affixed the sign to the top.

Trail Sign 2 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Trail Sign 1 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We added a bunch of stairs (24 of them iirc) to the steepest sections of the trail (no photos).

We weren't originally going to include a bridge over this wash, but we decided to in the end. The up and then down got annoying after a while.

Bridge 1 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Trying to get artsy

Bridge 2 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We used a 16' trailer to pick up the supplies from the local HD. I forgot to snap a picture with the trailer attached to the Tacoma. Thankfully the mileage wasn't that large, as hauling the trailer pulled our mpg's down into the low 12's!

Turns out the trail is used by more than just people

Footprints in the Sand by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I have been practicing with my Nikon D500 and Nikkor 200-500 f/5.6 super telephoto lens, and I have been having a blast with it. This body and lens combo is always highly praised, and I can see why. It is so ridiculously sharp and quick. You can certainly take stunning photos with a lot of different cameras and lenses, but having some higher end gear certainly makes it much, much easier.

These were all shot handheld (camera and lens combo weighs ~7 lb.). The lens has some serious vibration/movement reduction in it (4.5 stops). Hit the focus button and it's as if you became perfectly still for a moment, even though you definitely aren't. Haha

D500 + 200-500 Artistic 3 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

This one was shot from ~60 feet away from the truck

D500 + 200-500 Artistic 2 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Blurred background right out of the camera

D500 + 200-500 Artistic 1 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Alright, enough of that.

The Southwest is in the midst of a cold-snap it seems, so temps here have been pretty cold. Colder than we like to be sure.

Low 30's in the morning, with the temps dipping below our comfortable 40 degrees at around 1 am.

We have been combatting this pretty effectively with two strategies. The first is with a cheap 12v electric blanket. It is a Stalwart brand from Amazon, and I purchased it after watching a few YT videos on electric blankets.

It uses a cigarette lighter for power, and luckily the ACCC has (4) lighter ports up in the tent area. It has no on/off switch or varying levels of heat. If it is plugged in and the red light is lit then it is on. We place it underneath our fitted sheet. It is wide enough to span the entire bed, and long enough to cover our upper bodies (shoulders to hips).

It releases a pretty pleasant heat tbh. It will not roast you, and it would be pretty ineffective if you were out in the open (sitting around a fire in a camp chair), but it is definitely effective enough when used how we use it, laid atop a mattress and then covered with blankets.

The first night that got really cold we didn't have it in place (weren't expecting temps to plummet), and I woke up numerous times to reposition the blankets to stay warm. The second cold night I woke up around 3 am and plugged it in and within minutes I was comfortable enough to sleep through the rest of the night.

It uses ~3a per hour, which is a relatively tiny amount for our current setup (200ah).

Our second strategy involves prepping the water we are going to use for breakfast in the morning, by getting it into the pot and on the stove, ready to go. I then wake up a little early and hop down, turn on the propane at the tank, and fire up the stove. I hop back into bed and we slowly wake up as the water begins to boil. This quickly raises the air temperature inside of the camper (we leave one side window cracked at the top corner to control condensation inside the tent) to a level that is comfortable to get out from under the covers and get dressed. The electric blanket keeps us warm under the covers, but it does not radiate heat out and into the tent itself.

Stepping outside however? Yeah, it doesn't do anything to help with that. My hands are still cold at almost 11 am.

Temps are back on the rise in the next couple of days, which will be nice.

I still am impressed by this new stove also. It has a really 'professional' feel to it. The old Camp Chef, when using the built in igniter, always sounded and felt flimsy. This one has a nice solid 'thunk' to it, and it works 100% of the time, unlike the old Camp Chef that worked maybe 33% of the time (even brand new). The enhanced simmer control has been very handy as well. I can't believe it took stove manufacturers so long to think of adding this to their products.

On another note, though I only have photos of half of the truck so far, it is finally time to present what @POOLGUY asked about months ago; some interior shots!

I will get photos of the camper asap. Stacy works in there during the day so I haven't had a convenient time to photograph it yet.

These photos represent what the interior of the cab looks like as we are driving/living in the truck. Everything has a place, and we work hard to make sure things end up where they belong. I'll do my best to describe each photo as well.

Driver front. Very minimal. I have a charging cable for my phone, and a phone holder mounted up on my Dashtop Multi-Mount (DMM) above the radio. Nothing other than that. The phone has Gaia, which is what I use to navigate offroad.

Interior Layout Driver Front by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Passenger front. Also very minimal. When required, I will mount my GMRS radio to the other side of the DMM. We only use this when traveling in a group.

Interior Layout Passenger Front by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Driver rear. This side houses my camera gear (atop the shelf), as well as our computer bag, XTool D8 and laundry detergent (behind drivers seat on floor). Under the shelf is my backpacking backpack and our canyoneering ropes. The netting holds my bike helmet and a daypack and some other small things.

Interior Layout Driver Rear by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Passenger rear. This side houses all of the tools and related items, as well as a bag filled with our canyoneering gear (behind passenger set on the floor). Another backpacking backpack and more rope under the shelf, with our sand-free mats and yoga mats sitting on top of the shelf. Another daypack and other small items are stashed in her side of the netting. We also wedge our shoes between the inside of the cab behind the backdoor and the plastic bin/cover (the OEM piece behind the back seat). We tried to figure out where to put our footwear for a while, but this ended up being the simplest and most practical option. Dirt and dust falls into an area of the truck that we don't really touch/things aren't there to get dirty.

Interior Layout Passenger Rear by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

So, it's kind of full, but it isn't jam packed either. We prioritized 'filling' this space as best as we can, due to the weatherproofing of the cab of the truck, the centralized location for the weight, and because we don't want a whole lot of stuff in the camper itself. The backseat of the cab is very much a 'closet' or storage area, whereas the camper is more of a 'living/usable space.

I'll get photos of the camper itself, which is much less filled, tonight (hopefully).

Upcoming plans: We have a family thanksgiving in St. George towards the end of the month, and Stacy's brother secured permits to canyoneer (3) canyons in Zion NP in the middle of November. So, we will be pushing north, despite the cold, in order to have some fun and see some family, before we head out to warmer weather. We will likely end up at Gooseberry Mesa next week to experience that place (I visited once years ago) and to spend a couple of days riding our mountain bikes.

Until next time.

 

Be safe and have fun!

 

I am about to do this with my rear spare. I do not have a bag over the spare. It is expensive, but I'm considering ordering the victory4x4
License Plate & Camera Relocation Kit https://www.victory4x4.com/product/LPRLC2.html I do use my spare in the rotation when I rotate and I'm concerned about having to disconnect every ting to do it easily.