Cynicalriders "J0hnny5 is ALIVE!" 01 build thread.

Is that what he's running? I know he went to aluminum armor, but not his tent setup.

 

Yeah go check it out. He got a new lower bed rack and then had custom canvas made for it. Looks great.

 

Good point. I'm sure I would find a way to roll off it, and that would be quite the fall.

I might - pending year-end review.



Sorry for cluttering up you build with all this silly EAF talk Mike.

 

This is TW after all..

Would not feel good landing on a pile of gear

 

Damn, wish I took a better look at that at RT. I definitely won't be able to afford something that fancy, but it's pretty good inspiration of something to work towards for me. Always avoided the concept of an RTT and swing out, mostly due to being cheap, but would love to go to a route like this one day. I want to stay low and light if I can. The other downside of a low rack is trouble getting shit in and out. Right now all my boxes are really easy to get to. With a bed rack on, that definitely won't be the case. That's why I was always intrigued by your rising RTT setup you had, but I'm sure that adds a bit of weight too.

Lolol it's okay, I am in the middle of fine tuning my own setup and love the flow of ideas. I'm hooked on some larger adventures even though I'm a harder core wheeler at heart. Trying to find the balance of a rig that can get it's ass kicked (while kicking ass) on the trails but still let me carry everything I need for a week+ adventure is going to be a challenge. My wife already pulled the trigger on my christmas gift (fridge), so I'm really stoked for that.

The biggest take aways from the last trip is needing to find a way to better organize the shit I am carrying so it's not like tetris every time I setup and break down. The fact that I needed to move my clothes bag from the passenger seat, then move my tent from the back seat, setup the tent, move the mattress pads to the tent, and do it all in reverse etc was a pain in the ass. Everything needed to go in the truck in a certain order. The other part was I had my shovel blocked in by my kitchen box and tables. Not fun needing to pull all that out just to take a shit.

 

Do you fall out of your bed now?
Your current setup is just a bench and I haven't heard you flop on the floor yet...

 

Would a bed slide and waterproof storage boxes have helped? Im personally becoming more and more partial to bed caps, but Ill admit they aren't the most appealing

 

I apparently rolled off once and yelled for help in my sleep. I have no recollection of the event.


I sleep on the bottom of the bed now.

 

I like the idea of a bed slide, but they do add weight which is a downside. Most of the issues arose from storage in the cab not in the bed though. I did have three water/weatherproof cases in the bed for most of my essentials which keeps the stuff inside safe, but the actual cases would get covered in disgusting mud if I did ever encounter it. And because of the CO2, tire, and jerrys in the bed, I am losing some bed storage as well. Long and short of it is that a first gen is limited on storage, and you need to utilize every spot you can.

I do think I brought WAY too much food in the dry box, and can utilize that for some dry storage that would normally be in the cab. I'm really betting that a low RTT will give me the ability to remove the sleep shit from the cab, keep in the RTT all the time, and only things in cab will be fridge and clothing. But if get an RTT then I will be needing to pack/remove boxes in a certain order vs just getting from the side of the bed. Everything's a damn trade off. Another reason why @Blackdawg 's rising bed rack was an appealing concept. Speaking of which, Monte are you still running that?

 

The rising bed rack was sweet. But honestly that bed rack weighed as much as my tall one with the roof rack haha But knowing what i know now. Id make it different. And if this wildernest doesn't work out, you'll get to see rising bed rack v2.0 haha

 

An aluminum rising bed rack would be titties.

 

no doubt.

The other annoying part was it took up some space in the bed. Wasn't super easy to pack around always. But i have a fix for that the next time.

 

I've read it's 250lbs for the small ones and 350lbs for the full size.



I think the biggest perk of these tent topper(?) is having standing room and access to everything in the bed. With our beds only being 6ft it isn't long enough for anyone taller than Brett to lay down and stretch out so it either has to extend over the cab or off the back of the truck. Personally, I think the Wildernest has accomplished the best so far. It has the least amount of wind drag than anything else too.

I think that a setup similar to the thing Brett posted but extends past the bed of the truck instead of the cab would be perfect. It could sit lower than the roof line then but probably interfere with a swingout.

Or an RTT with a removable floor over the bed.

 

yeah if they pushed it backwards it would work fine i bet. Even if you lowered it a bit i doubt it'll hit most swingouts. Wouldn't hit mine i think.

That is the thing im worried about when i try to mount my 'nest..

 

Y'all are so concerned about weight... I guess that must be a 1st gen thing.

Seriously though, My setup works well but it does weigh a ton. The ass end of my truck sat up about 3" higher without the cap, RTT, and rear swing-out on it.

Monte sold me on a CVT when we first met back in 2012 - I can't picture doing trips any other way.

 

yeah. Rigs can be pigs. I used to not care as much. But recently I've come to realize how much more fun it is to drive a bit lighter. But not much. Rig is still a pig

 

You've also gotta be able to put that LT to work

 

You know the way I wheel and how I enjoy getting tippy. I can’t imagine doing the sketchier tippy spots being as tall as you are. I would have definitely rolled on Moab Rim I can tell you that much but that was only because I picked a shit line too.

 

oh i do..trust me. Its the rear thats the freakin problem. And that i can't seem to keep the front wheels on it..