The Tactical Panda's Sometimes Funny Great White Money Pit Build and Observations on Life thread.

Not knowing any better at the time, I just ditched the cover. I don't know where it is.

As far as results go, this is not a mod you do to enhance performance. The factory filter is made out of foam rubber and will deteriorate after a while. This is a replacement that will not deteriorate.

 

Me and the Dog are in Atlanta this weekend for the Atlanta Takeover event.

Pictures to come.

 

The Dog and I attended the Atlanta Takeover event at Stone Mountain, GA over the weekend. The Tactical Panda was the Belle of the Ball. Lots of oohs and ahhs from total strangers. The owner of Xenon Depot*com was there and he was so impressed that he gave me a free set of LED fog light bulbs and even installed them for me right there on the spot!

He asked me to give him a walk-around of my truck and trailer while his videographer recorded the whole thing. The video should be up on YouTube later this week.

Stay tuned.

 

Atlanta Takeover 2020

 

Well, I hate to say it but I'm thinking about selling my Overland Trailer. It has become just too much of a money pit to keep it going on my retirement income.

Last weekend's trip to Atlanta was a real eye-opener. I spent $160 just in gasoline for the trip down there and back (1200 mile round trip). That trailer has so much drag on it that it really tore into my gas mileage. I think I got about 11-12mpg.

And if that is any indicator, then there is no way I'm ever going to be able to afford going on an extended multi-day cross country trip which was the goal of this whole exercise to begin with. And when I factor in food and everything else it's just too rich for my blood.

I have not decided 100% if I'm selling it or not, but it's leaning in that direction.

P.S. And please don't start asking me questions like "How much do you want for it?" Thanks.

 

Man, I understand that sentiment for sure...

Good luck with whatever your decision will be

 

Here's the video I promised.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__VbYwgHczM

 

Some friends said "Well, just keep it and go camping somewhere close to you" but the whole point of this project was to be able to go on long-distance trips to the western U.S. I want to see things like Mt. Rushmore, Custer Battlefield, The Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and a whole bunch of National Parks. I want to meet some of my E-Friends that I have known on Social Media but never met in person.

I can't do that locally.

I started an Instagram page where I have begun to document my builds and my adventures. And I added a PayPal link to collect donations if anyone is so inclined to contribute, but I'm not expecting a lot.

https://www.instagram.com/wvmontani/

 

Finally made a walkaround video of my overlanding trailer. Still haven't made one for the truck yet.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZsQaaoiszw

 

A stop in Williamsport, MD the Saturday after Thanksgiving. A non-narrated video of the Cushwa Basin area on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGHyPHFSyls

 

This morning I installed a new dog hammock made by Duluth Trading Company in the backseat of the Panda. This is by far the most rugged dog hammock I've ever bought.

https://www.duluthtrading.com/scouts-mobile-mudroom-36201.html

https://youtu.be/AgU7u7JAMkE

 

I was bored so I created some art.

 

OK. So right now my life is in a serious stage of Suck. My mom, who is slowly drifting into Alzheimer's, is in a rehabilitation facility recovering from pneumonia, my dad is in the hospital suffering from a severe attack of vertigo along with a compression fracture of the L2 vertebrae that he got when he took a fall, and yesterday my Heat Pump went tits up.

 

That sucks. Sorry to hear it.

 

One day at a time.....My mom broke and dislocated her ankle on November 10th of last year. My Dad passed away on Thanksgiving. My mom was in rehab until mid December and then has required help at home since then from initially 24/7 to now once or twice a week for a day or so. She just drove for the first time again yesterday for a half mile. Trying to figure out living arrangements for my mom and also help out my neighbor who is going to retire and sell her home but is in no shape to physically do much of anything and has no relatives that are close either personally or living close by.

Breathe deep, tackle one obstacle at a time, ask for help. Accept it when it is offered, even if it is not quite what you need. Best of luck. Vent here when inevitably things don't go quite as planned.

 

Update:

They did an MRI and now they are saying Dad had a small stroke and not vertigo. He is currently in the same Rehab facility as my mom now.

And we found a place for them. It's an assisted living facility back in our home town of Morgantown WV. My brother still lives there so he can look after them.

 

Found some USB-powered Christmas lights on Amazon and thought they'd make good low-voltage/power saving interior lights inside the rooftop tent on the trailer.

$13 Green Convenience Christmas Lights 33ft 100 LED Battery String Lights with Timer Memory Function USB or Battery Powered Waterproof String Lights for Indoor Outdoor Decoration

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0819MTFWZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8

 

Finally! An update.

When pulling my overland trailer I often have trouble seeing what is going on behind me. My truck's rearview mirror is partially blocked by the pillars on the trailer that support the RTT. So how do I get a better view of what's going on back there when driving?

The solution (for me, anyhow) was to install this AUTO-VOX Solar Wireless Backup Camera system.

AUTO-VOX Solar 1 Wireless Backup Camera for Car, 5Mins DIY Installation, Back Up Camera System Wireless with Digital Signal, License Plate Rearview Camera with 5" Monitor for Trucks/Trailer/RV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B1BFRNX?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

The installation is so simple that even your boss could do it.

The system consists of two parts: In rearview camera/battery/solar charger and in display module for inside the cab.

This is the display module. Is comes with a suction-cup windshield mount but I instead ordered some RAM mount pieces so I could install it on my Expedition Essentials TPAM system. The most difficult part of the install was hiding the power supply cable.



Here is the camera unit.

It easily mounts behind your license plate. The camera is on top and the solar-charged battery is at the bottom. No wiring, no muss, no fuss. The camera transmits the video signal (digital; not analog) to the receiver in the cab.



Now how cool is that?