Squeaky Penguin's (Trip Reports) Build Thread

There are audi awd cars..vw..ford even now. Sire you can find something if you don't want another subi

 

Keep the subaru and stop modding/playing in it. Youll be better off than starting over to pay another loan. It fits the needs and if you keep your foot from getting heavy the mileage should be great. It's awd and you've already been paying on it

 

Also, I don't have two rigs! I have one...and a tacoma that just plays replacement rig on occasion that is also my dd!

 

Don't really want a German car. If I had to though it would be a BMW over an Audi for sure.

It's 100% stock and I don't drive it too hard.

I constantly beat the EPA estimates on mpg, meaning I get 25mpg. Then factor in the high price of premium...

 

Dat boosted life

 

That's about what I get in my 02. I'm ready to get rid of it to. It was fun for a bit but if I just need a daily I want better mpgs.

Thinking about a tdi but I probably wouldn't be able to get out of my driveway way in the winter.

 

due to ground clearance or no AWD?

I know snow tires are a must for us with the honda. But it does pretty with the snow tires on actually.

 

No awd. It isn't super steep but there really isn't a level spot to get some momentum going. Snow tires are definitely a must.

 

gotcha.

Good point. Im moving to MT where deeper snow is likely. But not too bad. Hoping i won't need an awd car to replace the gals honda.

 

Nice!

Way better than LA!

 

yes much better! Good gig too. Pretty stoked actually. Only be like 2 hours from where i grew up. So plenty of mountain time still!

 

That’s great, man. Glad to hear it!

 

I for some reason thought you could get 29-30 in it.


I will say that Rochelles awd honda crv is a great car so far. We haven't had a truly serious winters storm the past two years in Denver it doesn't seem but it has not once left me to doubt it's on road capability and it regularly gets low 30s when she drives it

 

You don't have a family. Think about it, more people=more stuff and comfortable seating for the family so you can't pack the inside of the truck. Trailer would make it ideal for a family.

But hey you see how I roll. I bring everything when it's just a one location camp site. If it was a bunch of diffefent locations I would pack light.

 

This.

On top of what Ray said, the offroading involved with camping with the family isn’t going to be nearly as technical as the stuff I would do on my own or if it were just me and my lady. So a trailer isn’t going to be holding me back.

The understanding, of course, is that you’re not going to be able to get away from people as easily, since the trailer limits that ability. But with idiots driving tow rigs and UTVs nowadays, thats damn near impossible as it is.

 

I packed a wife, kid, 3 dogs and all our gear for a week in Silverton, once a year for 11 years, and managed to get it all in one 1972 Scout. No trailer or RTT needed.
Brett's a minimalist camper, like myself. You really don't need all that crap.

Best way to pack is, think of it like backpacking. People backpack for weeks at a time with only what they carry on their back.

 

The cool part is that we’re all free to pack how we choose according to our own styles and preferences.

For me, I’ll save my minimalist backpacking experiences for... backpacking. That’s why I have a truck for car camping. I wasn’t attempting to convince Brett of anything, just offering another perspective as to why someone would want to rock an SUV and a trailer. Your experience with the Scout is impressive, but I get the sense that you guys feel like that’s the approach that everyone should take. It obviously has its benefits.

Anyway, in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with packing minimally. There’s also nothing wrong with camping more comfortably. Just be aware of the trade offs, don’t bitch about them, most importantly, get out there.

Sorry for the thread jack, Brett.

 

Are we talking about car camping, or actually wheeling/overlanding/whatever you want to call it with a trailer? I think it's important to differentiate here.

 

I've been on plenty of long isolated trips. And I'd never bring a trailer. Would limit us way too much in where we could go. Half the time we aren't even doing anything THAT hard. And it would still cause issues.

Bringing a family over landing is tough. Not sure of a good way to do it. But usually just going camping with them is fun enough

 

Exactly.

I refuse to call what I do ‘overlanding/expedition’. I’m not traversing Africa on a time scale of weeks or months. I’m lucky if I can get away for a week twice a year. So for me, it’s ‘car camping’ on weekends in my truck. Whether it’s wheeling to get to a spot or just a hitting a KOA (extreme example), obviously depends on a lot of things.

In my case with a family, the caveat is that I will not be likely to do any hardcore wheeling. The risk to loved ones, and the lower tolerance on their part for hectic off-roading is the big driver. The goal there is to get OUT, not to get an adrenaline rush.

So a potential setup for me would possibly be a mildly modded SUV, that might be pulling a trailer that’s set up for mild wheeling as well. Obviously, I would never suggest taking that sort of setup on Holy Cross and expecting good outcomes. I’m sure people have taken trailers on some crazy shit, but for me, it isn’t likely to be what I’d use it for. And, of course, that’s if an SUV on its own doesn’t suffice.