So I have started the Tundra build for a couple of longer trip next year through Moab and Zion, out to Santa Monica, Oregon, etc. As well as overnighters in northern Alberta and BC when I get day or two breaks at work (I'm a field geologist, so I occasionally get days off in remote scenic areas of northern Canada).
I started with the dealership pre-installed Crewman platinum, Revtech levelling kit and 34 on 20 wheels and tires, KO2. I don't really want the 20's, but for reasons unexpected I have 3 spares now with 70% left, so I'll live with them until the tires are done. I added Airlift 5000's to the rear end for now to hold my gear, canopy and tent.
I went with the ARE CX-HD canopy, solid windoors for security, and put a Treeline Outdoors Redwood RTT with Annex on the truck. I added an ARB 63qt fridge as well. There were no solid good comparison of the ArkPak vs Goal Zero powerpaks aside from priced, so I ended up with both an ArkPak 730 with a rebranded Odyssey 105AH Deepcycle battery and Ark's 60w folding solar panel, as well as a Goal Zero 1400 lithium powerpak, a Badlands 100w briefcase panel and a Nomad 100 folding panel. I'll try and do a nice comparison write up on those later.
So far the CX-HD is moderately impressive, but the fit and finish on this canopy left a lot to be desired for the price. Rough finish and some areas left blotchy and messy. I can get it cleaned up but I was a little disappointed after the cost and the 6 week wait time.
I am going to be tuning the suspension over the winter now, and for the purpose of reliability and ride quality, I'm deciding if I go full blown super-ride adjustable shows that require rebuilds and fine tuning, or a quality reliable and far less expensive shocks that will get me where I'm going all the time. I'm not racing. So far factory shocks just eem to fade too fast on rougher longer roads.
Now my questions. Whats the best way to run a pass-through port on the canopy doors? A basic RV passthrough, or is there a nicer waterproof model to get for this application? I want to be able to charge and plug in the powerpaks while they are inside without running more cabling out to the front end of the truck permanently.
Any tips on the shock choices? I always liked Bilstein and OME on other vehicles, but this Toyota is new to me. I already have Total Chaos UCA's ready to install as well.
I started with the dealership pre-installed Crewman platinum, Revtech levelling kit and 34 on 20 wheels and tires, KO2. I don't really want the 20's, but for reasons unexpected I have 3 spares now with 70% left, so I'll live with them until the tires are done. I added Airlift 5000's to the rear end for now to hold my gear, canopy and tent.
I went with the ARE CX-HD canopy, solid windoors for security, and put a Treeline Outdoors Redwood RTT with Annex on the truck. I added an ARB 63qt fridge as well. There were no solid good comparison of the ArkPak vs Goal Zero powerpaks aside from priced, so I ended up with both an ArkPak 730 with a rebranded Odyssey 105AH Deepcycle battery and Ark's 60w folding solar panel, as well as a Goal Zero 1400 lithium powerpak, a Badlands 100w briefcase panel and a Nomad 100 folding panel. I'll try and do a nice comparison write up on those later.
So far the CX-HD is moderately impressive, but the fit and finish on this canopy left a lot to be desired for the price. Rough finish and some areas left blotchy and messy. I can get it cleaned up but I was a little disappointed after the cost and the 6 week wait time.
I am going to be tuning the suspension over the winter now, and for the purpose of reliability and ride quality, I'm deciding if I go full blown super-ride adjustable shows that require rebuilds and fine tuning, or a quality reliable and far less expensive shocks that will get me where I'm going all the time. I'm not racing. So far factory shocks just eem to fade too fast on rougher longer roads.
Now my questions. Whats the best way to run a pass-through port on the canopy doors? A basic RV passthrough, or is there a nicer waterproof model to get for this application? I want to be able to charge and plug in the powerpaks while they are inside without running more cabling out to the front end of the truck permanently.
Any tips on the shock choices? I always liked Bilstein and OME on other vehicles, but this Toyota is new to me. I already have Total Chaos UCA's ready to install as well.
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