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

Jealous. Was up there a few weeks ago. First time actually getting to explore the area.

I'm hooked on the Eastern Sierra's now and absolutely cannot wait to go back.

 

It's a remarkable area. There is an unbelievable amount of places explore and experience. And the history of the area is quite interesting.

Here are some posts I've made about our last trip.

Lake Tioga, Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, June 2016
Fossil Falls, CA, July 2016
Crowley Lake, July 2016
Convict Lake, July 2016
Mammoth Hot Springs, July 2016
Laws Train Museum, Bishop, CA, July 2016
Silver Canyon, CA, July 2016
White Mountains & Ancient Great Basin Bristlecone pine forest, Part #2 July 2016
Volcanic Tablelands, Aug 2016
Mammoth Hot Creek Geological Site, Part #2, Aug 2016
Bishop Creek, Lake Sabrina, Aug 2016
Bishop Creek, North Lake, Buttermilk Boulders Part #2 Aug 2016
Keogh Hot Springs, Alabama hills, Aug 2016

 

Yup, there so much up there it seems endless. Already have another run planned and hoping to pull it off this Labor Day.

Here's my trip report from our July trip.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...el-lakes-mono-lake-bodie-coyote-flats.444125/

 

Find any of the nudist colonies that visit the hot springs up there all the time? Haha

I've been a few places up there. Always a blast and beautiful! Convict lake is my favorite.

 

Thankfully no.

 

Most times my girlfriend and I were there it was all college students. Better than old dudes haha. Seeing as we were in college at the time.

 

I hear that!

 

I modded my ARB Fridge to enhance it's effectiveness. The proof behind this mod is over on Expo. Stumpalump is the author.

Two things were done here, and stock is on the left, and mod on the right.

1. An aluminum bar is used to force all the airflow of the ball-bearing fan to go through the radiator fins.
2. Insulation with an aluminum reflective barrier was used to insulate and block heat from the dairy shelf above inside the fridge.

 

So much excite to finally have this bad boy in my possession and mounted up. Gone are the days of digging the MV-50 out of the tote, assembling it, opening the hood, hooking it up and waiting forever for tires to air up. Damn thing was expensive but definitely a solid unit. Can't wait to use it in the field.

 

Very nice. I love my ARB twin. Huge time saver.

 

I'm gonna do the same

 

Seen one in a 4Runner. Looks nice. I'm sure you will like it.

 

Gonna run an air locker?

 

I was looking into it and originally that was my plan. I talked myself out of it due to a couple things:

• Price - over $100 bucks!
• Put's it next to the hot radiator. 12V compressors already generate a ton of heat as it is.
• If something were to fail or become loose it has a straight shot to get caught up in the fan/belt.
• I'd rather have a nearly 560 dollar investment in a cleaner and protected environment.

Probably over-thinking it but I'm super happy with where it's mounted now. That storage area was full of useless shit anyways lol.

 

I saw their deal and it looks good, but if you don't need the manifold nor have the desire to mount it in the engine compartment you can save a bit of money.

As far as worth the investment. One of the things I absolutely HATE at the end of a trip is having to deal with airing up. It's always been a chore to get the MV-50 setup or trying to find a gas station that has a decent pump. I only hooked this ARB up real quick to test it but it's an absolute beast. Also, half the annoyance was having to get the old compressor ready whereas this one is grab the hose, hit the switch and go.

 

Can this be done on other fridges too? Or is it specific to only the ARB model?

 

Haha I had the same hate for airing up tires. Now it's a breeze. OBA is a very rewarding project to have accomplished.

I see no reason why you couldn't. Pop that bitch apart and see what you can do.

Sounds about right. The twin is the same, but about half the time. I can put 18-20 PSI in my 33" tires in about 1 minute, 5 seconds at 500' above sea level. It seems to take a little longer at elevation.

Heart of my OBA system.


Quick disconnect installed in hitch.


Truck airing itself back up.

 

Yea just lazy. Thanks for the info tho, I'm planning on taking it apart after camping season is over.

 

Okay so I have 2 pelican 1660 cases (Massive ones) and they are just to big and heavy for me. Right now I use one and it holds all my cooking supply and dry food as well as a change of clothes and some odds and ends (not even half full). I'd like to have 2 cases, one for cooking and food and another for clothes, blankets and odds and ends. I already have a box mounted permanently with tools and spare parts. So I guess my question is what size pelican case do you guys use/recommend? Looking to possibly get rid of these 1660s as well.

 

I like the flatter, almost rifle case looking ones for odds & ends. Might be too small for pillows and such, depending on how fluffy they are.

If you're trying to get rid of those, I'll take one off your hands.