The Adventures of Ash and Baby Taco

Ash and his dang lips. Out playing fetch before I gotta hit the books again.

 

Yeah of the fenders and cab mount.. if you chopped it too..

 

1-4month by Gage McKeag, on Flickr

 

Dude are you running spacers and 4.5" backspacing?

 

.75" borla spacers

 

do you ever have a decent amount of weight in the truck? how do the 4.88's feel then? Idk if ill go with 35's might stick with 33's but am planning on turning the truck into an overland/expo build where ill be away from civilization for weeks at a time, thus need to bring a lot of gear, plus all the armor ill have on the truck. I'm assuming ill have 1000+ lbs of extra weight with armor and gear, plus if I was to bring my atv's on a trailer id be towing an extra 1000 to 1500lbs max

 

TBH alot of people start building with the idea of doing "expedition" length trips but in reality they do an occasional week long excursion and draw it out like it was something remarkable. I am not trying to say you are one of those individuals but you should really think hard about it.

If you actually want two week long trips then I highly suggest you start rethinking about trading in for the bigger cab and a V6. The Reg cab is a great truck but it is not made to haul heavy loads. I have anywhere from 0-300ish pounds in the bed, front and rear bumpers and sliders. It moves alright under that weight but it is no speed demon. I can basically maintain the speed limit at this elevation. Below 5k elevation I see a noticeable power change but not a lot of people plan two week long expeditions at sea level.

If you haven't already, I suggest taking a weekend road trip with a passenger. They are not going to be comfortable for long with a bench seat. Heck, its pretty cramped with just the pup and I.

I'd just say no to the quads. If you are going to build the truck you might as well use it. I haven't towed anything since the gear swap but I can't imagine it would be an easy task for the truck. A small trailer that all the RTT guys are adopting would probably be alright but anything bigger would drag on hills.

I'm not trying to scare you away. Just realize every ounce counts with our trucks. If you aren't a minimalist camper then its going to be a tight fit when packing for weeks off road.

 

Yeah your probably right, I think 4 day trips might be the max ill be doing, especially when i get out of college, thanks for the perspective

 

The reg cab will be fine for you then. Your biggest issue and the first you should address is dry storage. I use totes. I have a large one I leave in my truck and I keep my tools/recovery gear/spare parts in it. I have a pelican case that is strapped to the bed rack and it holds my fly rod/waders with room to store random items. I have a small box that is for kitchen use. That has a Coleman stove, propane, pot/pan, and all my spices. Any extra room I use for my dry goods (chips, bread, etc). If you can spend the money I would invest in a fridge. I still use a cooler but after seeing a few people utilize them it's much nicer. Since I use a cooler I try to pack a few days worth of items that need to be kept cool and then items that should be cool but will be fine regardless (hotdogs and such). My tent and clothes often get packed into my backpack. Since I normally ride with my pup up front I put it in the passenger foot area. This is to keep it dry but it also allows quick access to electronics such as my camera or GPS when on the road.

The best thing you can do is just start getting out. Create a packing list as you load the truck. Before heading home go over the list and make notes/cross off items you don't need. If you sat on a log the whole time then dont bring a camp chair next time. If you brought food that was not camp friendly make note of it.

 

Yeah currently I just do some hiking/backpacking and have found some off-road trails that I could turn into a multi day trek, but I've been wanting to get into rafting/kayaking because Alaska is great for it. Yeah, currently just keep a 24-72 hour survival pack in the truck (contains full medical kit, MRE's, stuff to make a fire, shelter, and all that other jazz), some recovery gear and a truck gun. The fridges are nice, but I tend to not carry any perishable goods when I'm out and about, but a fridge might be a reason to. Thanks for the advice

 

Have you heard of pack rafts? My buddy has one and they are sweet. One day I'll get one but I can't justify the cost for fishing.

 

Yeah a lot people run those up here. they are expensive for sure, but I think they hold up pretty well

 

the brand I see the most up here is alpacka raft

 

Rafting is awesome, nothing more fun than hitting big rapids in inflatable "duckies." I love spending a few days going down a river. Options here a somewhat limited but they are epic!

 

We have so many rivers in alaska there is really no excuse I haven't taken up rafting

 

I've towed a reasonable amount since my regear. No campers or anything. But a pallet of concrete on a trailer. Also had about 1500lbs in the bed. Truck is definitely still a pig on highways. I rarely find myself going over 70 just cause how high the rpms are with 33s. Going to 35s in about a week though

 

Hi there. Nice build! I have seen your truck around town quite a bit and was wondering who drove that tiny beast.

 

Nice to finally see a local on here! I recognize your truck as well! Your build is coming along well. How love have you been in Laramie?

 

Nice build BT! Slick little truck.

 

Actually I lived in Laramie for 24 years and just recently moved to Casper for work. Couldn't find a mechanical engineering job there, which still bums me out. Still head back there almost every weekend. As far as my build goes, haven't put enough time in to it yet but its coming along finally. Me and my brother were always stoked to see your truck around town, its cool to finally see what all you have done to it!