Car Camping / Trip Reports / Photos / Buildouts / “Overland” / Expedition Rigs Area (homeless?)

Here is my not-quite-yet-expo truck and daily driver. Currently saving right now for mid travel front and rear suspension.
Going to run all pro expo leafs with B110s and shackle flip next.

 

Any of you guys with a lot of weight resting on the bed rails experienced cracking behind the tail lights or next to the tail gate?

Any pictures would be helpful.

Thanks

 

Tented on the beach last night...

 

I posted more pictures and commentary over in the Death Valley thread, but for those of you only in here, here's some of the truck specific pictures.

 

What rear bumper is that?

 

Relentless DIY with my own swingout on it.

 

Gotcha, it looked like a All-Pro 2nd gen and I knew that wasn't right

 

I got my Relentless aluminum skid mounted up on Thursday before heading out to Kingman, AZ as my dad and my stopping point before making the long haul to Flagstaff in the morning for overland expo.


Walked away with some free swag from FrontRunner Outfitters. They left a t-shirt on my windshield in the parking lot but I didn't even know they had a booth.

Didn't take a lot of pics but these were a couple cool ones.

I thought this new Colorado was nice. First one I've seen that turned my head.


And the ultimate tailgater made me jealous...


Met up at the expo with @fishfinder and set off to find camp in the surrounding forest. We found some awesome spots, but it was super windy so we settled for another pretty cool little sheltered spot.

Camped that night and I slept like a baby. Apparently the wind got strong enough to rip my stakes out of the ground though...

Saturday morning, we decided to pack up and explore the forest. I have some videos I'll try to upload, but for now, a few pics.


After we had our fill, @fishfinder and his fiancé were off to Powell and Moab (Jealous...)

My dad and I originally planned on going to the expo again, but decided we saw everything and didn't feel like paying another 50 bucks to get in. So, we headed out to our place in Havasu traveling as much on dirt as possible.

Out here I bought a new Optima Battery and installed it. My stock battery died after I left the car electricity on for 30 min or so without running anything and I had to jump it...

Since my dad has a big garage here, I was able to install my Morimoto Lightbar on the roof. It's not wired yet, but that will be coming soon.

I love FrontRunner, but man they make it a pain in the ass to get some parts off. I had to go to the store for tools twice... Mostly because I don't think ahead. Just maneuvering in tiny areas.

 

What radio is that?

 

Yaseu FTM350AR

 

Ah, looks cool. I wonder if the FTM-400XD has the same features as that. Looks cool, it gives you altitude, heading, speed and gps coordinates. Is that part of the APRS system?

 

For you gents who want a roof rack, but are on a budget:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ermbs-d-i-y-rack-system-build.433500/#post-12515431

 

The 400 should have more features as it's the new version of the 350. The data page is just one of several it has due to the built in GPS, it does some basic navigation to GPS coordinates too. APRS also uses that information to transmit.

 

Thanks for the info, great pictures by the way!

 

I redid my rear suspension this weekend. Well mostly. I need longer shocks now but I'm very happy with my Dakar leafs even though they seem to sit kinda flatish. The rear is noticeably higher and I have way less body roll now. If I wasn't going away for work for a week id throw the tent on and test them out. Still debating if I go with an xj shackle on my shackle flip too....soo many decisions

 

From Joshua Tree a couple months ago:

 

Nice. 65qt? I love ny Whynter. One of my favorite mods.

 

A fridge is definitely a game changer. Beer slushies might be my favorite part about owning one. Haha.

For sure throw some liquids in there as trying to keep air cold by itself is extremely inefficient.

 

Nice, where you headed? I used my Indel B fridge this weekend at Joshua tree... is really is a game changer. Loved it.

 

I finally did something about my kitchen bag/bin. Up until last week I was using an old picnic bag/cooler for organizing all of my kitchen items. It lasted me many years and was great for keeping everything organized. I used the large center "cooler" for pots, pans, plates, cutting boards, and any other oversized items. It had tons of pockets for other items and a seperated compartment with straps for holding cutlery. As great as it has been I've been meaning to replace it for a while now as none of the zippers work anymore and it's literally falling apart. I was considering buying another bag but ultimately decided against it as I wanted something a little bigger and more durable.

Inspired by @Crom I set out on the look for an appropriate toolbox to repurpose as a "kitchen chuck box".

After looking at a few different brands and models I ultimately decided on the Dewalt TSTAK's.

I ended up going with 4 different models.

Flat Top -

$20 DWST17807 DEWALT TSTAK II Tool Box, 13", Flat Top, Holds Up To 66 lbs, Flexible Platforms for Stacking (DWST17807)

DWST17807


Double Shallow Drawer - DWST17804

Single Deep Drawer - DWST17803

Deep Box -

$32 DWST17806 DEWALT TSTAK Tool Box, Extra Large Design, Removable Tray for Easy Access to Tools, Water and Debris Resistant (DWST17806)

DWST17806


Here are some pictures of everything loaded and nicely organized.




Overall I'm very happy with this unit. I just got back from a 5 day, 4 night camping trip and it was a complete game changer for us. The drawers make grabbing small items super easy and the shallow drawers even come with removable dividers to keep everything organized and seperated. The deep drawer comes with a bunch of small plastic bins that can be used for a variety of purposes. I removed a few of these so I could store larger kitchen utensils but kept two for organizing large garbage bags and recycling bags. The deep box fits my pots, pans, kettle and some small bowls perfectly. The unit loads up nicely in my truck and when it's time to set it up at camp it sits securely on the ground next to my camp table and does not budge when digging around and opening the drawers, etc. Hopefully it should last for many camping trips to come.