Another Around the World Tacoma

@chrslefty
That is Dan Grec, his views are incredibly valid. I felt that stove video was obe of the absolute best on stoves on all of YouTube. I've got 2 of those dualfuel Peak1 or sportster coleman stoves, they have never let me down since 1991!

 

I didn't realize he had such a following, he definitely has some good points and tells a story well.
I was looking at the peak 1's, I believe is how I came across the video. Glad to hear they are working well. It looked to be just a bit bigger than a jet boil. I've been thinking about trying to condensed my fuel types down but man that jet boil is so fast and easy.

 

Chris,

Thanks for the Grec recommendation. I have been following him for years, watch most of his videos, and even read both of his books.

I forgot to mention in my last post, but we are once again having a small propane leak at the swivel connection near the stoves little metal connector. This is the third time this exact location has leaked, with three different hoses.

It is heavily influencing my decision to just ditch the propane altogether, especially since the Dickinson fireplace is such a let down as well.

I haven't finalized the decision, but we very well may switch entirely to electric cooking (induction cooktop(s)), as we are soon to have 335ah of batteries, and electricity will never leak or require an assortment of various connections to transfer it from one location to the next. The thought of cooking off of solar power as well is certainly appealing. It will be safer to not carry a propane tank in/on the truck also. And it will free up a decent amount of space inside of the closet area of the camper. Maybe move our wetsuits or some exercise gear down into that space instead.

I hesitate to put all of those different things on just one system, but the more and more I experience this day to day thing the more it makes sense. We do have a jetboil that we carry in our backpacking setup that we can use in a pinch, just in case.

I don't like to do things twice, or redo things once I thought I had it all figured out, but I will likely redo the entire electrical system, power command center panel and all (not the solar panels though, or the batteries), with higher quality components, under the overarching idea that this system will do a lot more than I originally intended. Victron will probably be the way I go, but I haven't finalized that decision yet. I want the ability to plug the truck into shore power, like an RV, a feature I don't currently have.

I don't know yet, but leaky propane is certainly a powerful motivator!

Also, still no word or testing has been done on my faulty Renogy battery as of today. They have started ghosting me, not even sending any update messages. Such a massive letdown and still frustrating, even after all of this time. They work diligently to not have to honor their word, a thing that I do not appreciate one bit.

Word of caution: DO NOT BUY RENOGY PRODUCTS!!

 

Man I'm definitely outta the loop. I didn't find the video tell last week. Lol

That sucks to have to redo the wiring but at last you'll have that much more experience on what works and how to build a more robust system.

 

@MR E30 sorry to hear about the leak. I'm using a 5lb propane with old Coleman dual burner. Terrible for simmer, but good otherwise.
I carry my Coleman dualfuel sportster as a small backup... probably overkill, but I love the cooking and kinda swap back and forth.

I just purchased one of the Duxtop induction burners. After a good bit of research and videos and review reading, I settled on this one:
duxtop Portable Induction Cooktop Burner, Induction Hot Plate with LCD Sensor Touch 1800 Watts, Silver (BT-200D3)

$112 Duxtop Portable Induction Cooktop Burner, Induction Hot Plate with LCD Sensor Touch 1800 Watts, Silver 9600LS/BT-200DZ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FLR0ET8

I don't have to whine noise folks often complain of with induction stoves. Like ALL OF THEM, the actual hotspot is only 4" in center. As I use a carbon steel small wok, that actually works with wok cooking technique, but I still wish I could find one with an actual coil 6" across... they don't exist though.

I will give you my review and power usage after a bit more cooking, mostly just using it in my kitchen from my power station right now to track power.

 

Dare I ask what mpg you get

 

It depends:

Our aggregate mpg's since around a year before we moved into the truck to today is right at 16.7 mpg (hand calculated).

Short drives (<10 miles) around town often yield about 13.5-14 mpg. Very cold weather (long engine warming time) can drop that to the low 12's.

Long 2-lane highway stints at 55-60 mph yield us ~18.5 or so mpg.

Long freeway stints at ~65 mph yield us right around 17 mpg, depending on the frequency and intensity of the elevation changes.

The few times I have driven at 75 mph for a while have dropped the mpg down to the single digits. 9.8 to be more precise.

We simply do not drive the truck this quickly anymore. 65 mph is the upper limit for sustained driving.

Our worst mpg on a drive longer than 50 miles yielded us an mpg of ~6.5 (truck dash display).

Our best mpg on a drive longer than 50 miles yielded us an mpg of ~97.5 (truck dash display again). These both occurred on the same road, the road that is basically from the Pacific Ocean to the highest point on the Baja Peninsula, which was a very twisty, paved, two lane road with grades up to 12%.

The last two bits of info are hardly practical. I just like sharing them because that road was quite the drive!

 

Ya know at 60mph you really get to take in the scenery ! It's a nice cruising speed if you're not in a hurry. My last trip I averaged around 11mpg.

 

@MR E30 where are you guys riding out this heat?

 

@MR E30
116F in Phx again last week, over 100 days above 100F lol! I know you're alive, saw you post elsewhere I hope you've been somewhere cooler for the summer in that truck!

 

@MR E30 hope you guys are ok. I was hoping for a "1year in our truck" around sep 1st. Been 3 months since last post, hope all is well.

 

Dave,

All is well and I do have a large catchup post planned, but this summer has been extra busy, so I have fallen behind.

I'll have loads to share early next week.

Thanks for checking in.

- Mike

 

Busy getting it done!

 

Alright, it is time for a long overdue update.

This will be a long one, so buckle up. Haha

We have been lucky enough to spend the hot summer months far north, north of Salt Lake City, with Stacy's brother.

This meant that the truck got a bit of a break, after a while, as we still relied on its functionality for a while after we got here back in June.

When we arrived the GSA needed an oil change, so that was done at 6,142 miles.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Her brother is extremely active and very enthusiastic, so we had a summer of adventuring every weekend to all of his favorite places.

Evening shot of a structure at a bird sanctuary

Sunset at Bird Sanctuary by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We went to a bunch of waterfalls, which is a weird thing to say as AZ has so few of these. Haha they were beautiful though.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We made numerous visits out to the Great Salt Lake, sometimes with the motorcycle, sometimes with our feet, and sometimes with our bicycles.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Antelope Island was favorable to us often enough to not get eaten alive by the bugs. We were even out there during the Orb Weaver spider festival, which was insane to see. The spiders were literally everywhere, hanging out on their huge webs.

We spent one day going to the northern portion of the Great Salt Lake, as we really wanted to swim in it. We made a stop off at Promontory Point, the exact location where the western and eastern railroads met, a long, long time ago. They reenacted the ceremony, and we were able to take a close look at the two trains that met at that point, and snagged a photo with me holding a replica of the golden spike that was driven into the final tie, officially linking the east and west via rail.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We made the drive up to the northern portion of the lake (at a place called the Spiral Jetty), because the salinity up there is much, much higher (the southern portion, near SLC, is a lot lower (~8% iirc) and the water is much dirtier), just a few percent away from the Dead Sea (which is at 33%, compared to our experience at 30% salt) and it was quite the experience. The water was pleasantly warm, and you could literally sit in it. It was surprising to interact with water in that way. Go out far enough and you just stand there, effortlessly, engaging no muscles at all. This is an experience I look forward to repeating one day, both here at the Great Salt Lake, and at the Dead Sea.

This was a photo from a particularly heinous 27-mile bike ride around the entirety of Antelope Island.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We did a lot of touristy things, visiting museums, watched an air show, going places, etc. and I didn't get photos from all of them, but this visit, and the thing I saw, took my breath away, and was certainly worthy of a photograph.

The stunning, almost unimaginable, SR-71A Blackbird

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

One of my all-time favorite feats of engineering, actualized, right in front of me. I just stood still for a while and took it all in. Simply majestic.

We did a handful of very strenuous hikes, this one to the top of Mt. Ogden.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Alpine lakes are some of my favorite things.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We spent an entire day hiking to the very top of Mt. Timpanogos. What an incredible hike, as you pass numerous waterfalls, a glacier (or what's left of it this time of year), huge scree fields (where you can hear, but not see, the water running underneath your feet), culminating in the summit of the mountain itself. It was a very popular trail, but we still had a blast.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We spent a long weekend up in Idaho, doing a variety of activities.

Floating a river a bunch of times (loads of people got dumped right at this spot, including one of my nephews)

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We went into 4 caves on the Idaho trip. This is me laying on my back, working my way back through a very tight squeeze that no one else (even the two small kids) wanted to attempt. Can't say I blame them. Haha

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

On the way to our final cave, Ice Cave, the Ram got a flat, so I taught the youngest nephew how to change a tire, having him do everything he was physically capable of doing.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Tire fixed, we had the opportunity to rappel ~90 feet down into the Ice Cave itself.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We wrapped up the trip by stopping at Bear Lake and taking a dip. The water was cold, but not ice cold, and remarkably clear. I have never seen such a large body of water that was so crystal clear, and it excited me to go and find more, far north, when our adventures take us in that direction.

Summer Adventures by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I think that's all that I have as far as pictures go from this summer. And what a busy one it was.

We opted to stay at her brothers because she is close with her family, and one day soon we won't have the luxury of simply popping in and saying hi for a while. So we wanted to fit it in while we could. We will likely stop and spend time with another of his siblings and kids before we retire and embark on our long journey around the globe.

We are also hyper focused on our final financial goal, as we are getting very close, and that final number is decreasing towards zero very rapidly. The excitement is high to have that weight off of our shoulders, but it is also a bit distracting at times too. Work has been very busy for the two of us as well, so being able to just put our noses down during the day and focus on work has been nice as well. Plus, we had a lot of nights playing Super Smash Bros on the GameCube I bought for the kids, and it's always fun to beat, and then be beaten by, little kids.

We wrapped up our time here in SLC by attending our yearly truck trip with a close group of friends, this time to the San Rafael Swell.

It was all planned and led by @TailHook, and he did a great job picking a route that allowed for some leisure, and some very technical driving.

I will be doing a full day by day writeup of that trip here in a little bit, but here are some of my favorite photos from the 9 day adventure:

HSWOR - Day 2 - 24 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

HSWOR - iPhone Photos by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

HSWOR - Day 3 - 48 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

HSWOR - Day 5 - 76 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

2.5 hours of being the primary spotter for (7) trucks down Fix It Pass. Unfortunately, when I was done and exhausted, I then had to drive my own truck down this rather tricky section.

HSWOR - Day 5 - 97 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

@chrslefty and @Sixthelement (who also spotted all (7) trucks down this section) making sure I get the Trail Limo down in one piece.

HSWOR - iPhone Photos by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Camera is totally level. My eyes are glued to my side mirror, as the rear driver side fender was just inches away from that massive wall boulder. Phew.

HSWOR - iPhone Photos by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

HSWOR - Day 5 - 109 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Tight squeeze, just two inches from the top of the cell antenna to the roof of the box culvert.

HSWOR - iPhone Photos by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Top of the World style vantage point near second to last camp

HSWOR - Day 7 - 141 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The Tacoma was simply amazing. Even fully encumbered, doing some of the most technical offroading I have ever encountered, it was remarkably composed and worry-free. It just ate it up. Definitely a testament to the fact that what I built can most certainly get the job done. I am beyond impressed with it. I love this truck and all that it represents.

I did knock my front end alignment out a smidge, so I will be looking into more front end upgrades to help keep my alignment more true through the rough stuff in the future.

Stay tuned for the whole story!

As for the Tacoma itself, we have a couple of changes planned:

First, we are ditching the propane entirely, as I have had my third leak from the same spot, on three different hoses, and I am tired of the air quality alarm constantly going off.

This means we will be swapping to an induction cooktop, and removing the Dickinson Fireplace. I already have an idea for blocking the (5) holes that the install of the fireplace required me to drill into the camper. We will then fill that corner with more custom pouches to hold small items.

Second, we will be upgrading/redoing (some) the electrical system, primarily for the introduction of the induction cooktop. We currently have 200ah in the truck already, and I now have another 235ah of battery to add to the setup (finally picked up Wills 135ah Dakota Lithium battery while on the Swell trip). So, I will rework the system to get all of this incorporated effectively. Removing the propane tank from the inside of the camper will give me back that space to be used for the additional battery that will be installed back there. Powering everything off of electricity will feel pretty good too, as we almost always have electricity to spare, even with just 200ah. I will share my findings and reasonings on that system upgrade as I get to it.

Thanks for reading!

 

I will post an update about the truck and camper itself, and how it has held up and what we like about it here in a little bit. I know this was specifically requested, and I will discuss it in more detail, but work got in the way during my last post.

 

@MR E30 wow, what a busy summer! Great writeup, thx so much and for the pics too!
You guys sure accomplish a lot!

 

Here is a video I actually made today, testing energy used for reheating 1 meal 1 person, induction cooking. Just to help with some Watt-hrs baseline usage. I actually have a series Im editing, with electric kettle, and small microwave. All bases on truck camping using powerstation or battery, and a dc fridge, for energy use calculations.

https://youtu.be/nxYuy0RuKsM

 

Dave,

I appreciate this video and the information contained within it. I am in the beginning stages of this upgrade (to induction cooktop) and the time and energy usage info is great. I appreciate how thorough you were with the entire process.

I look forward to seeing the other two videos as well.

 

Sounds like you guys had a great summer! It's always great getting to spend quality time with family, especially for an extended amount of time. Looking forward to reading the San Rafael Swell write up. Looks like a great area to explore & wheel.

 

Just a note on the Blackbird, the 2 seat trainer variant is the SR-71B.