Help With Exterior Storage Ideas 100 Series

sean257

Adventurer
Hello, new to the LC world here. So new in fact, that I have not even actually touched or driven our, new to us, rust free 2000 LX470 (140k miles) yet. It is 1500 miles from me. We are picking it up Saturday.

This summer we plan to load up and drive it from Missouri to Seattle on a combination of two lane pavement, dirt, gravel, and maybe a trail or two for about 40 days.

We’ll be staying in an assortment of Airbnb and hotels, so we won’t need a tent or kitchen. We will need a good cooler for drinks and lunches while out exploring and hiking.

It looks as though some places will be pretty remote and we’ll be traveling solo, so I am thinking we should probably take a gas can, shovel, maybe some sand mats, tow straps, and a come along.

Here is where I need help. The easy way would be bumpers, winch, roof rack, and I love that way. What I’m wondering is there a more practical way, such that if we sell the vehicle after the trip, I won’t just lose all of that money. I think I can get away with leaving the spare tire in stock location.

Could I get away with just a roof rack? Any ideas or suggestions would be great!
 

RND1

Observer
Congrats! You will discover the 100 series platform is very capable off road simply with a good set (including spare) of AT tires such as BFG K02's. With a 33" tire and AHC, your rig will be very capable out of the box. Most of us remove the running boards to prevent any damage to the rockers. If I was doing what you're doing, I would get a set of maxtrax, a highlift jack, tow straps, and a portable compressor to air back up. All of this can go on the roof or in the back depending on how much other gear you're bringing.
 

sean257

Adventurer
Thanks! The seller has been awesome and dropped it off so I could get 285/75 K02's installed and the running boards removed!4F9BC00E-191C-4A2E-AFAB-5B93B94F5151.jpg

ABB218F1-0E47-4BB0-9122-A48323D62AB7.jpg
 

RND1

Observer
Nice - you're well on your way! Time to baseline the maintenance and make sure you do the heater tee's before your road trip. If you aren't already aware, there's a very active 100 section over on ih8mud.com.
 

Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
Hello, new to the LC world here. So new in fact, that I have not even actually touched or driven our, new to us, rust free 2000 LX470 (140k miles) yet. It is 1500 miles from me. We are picking it up Saturday.

This summer we plan to load up and drive it from Missouri to Seattle on a combination of two lane pavement, dirt, gravel, and maybe a trail or two for about 40 days.

We'll be staying in an assortment of Airbnb and hotels, so we won't need a tent or kitchen. We will need a good cooler for drinks and lunches while out exploring and hiking.

It looks as though some places will be pretty remote and we'll be traveling solo, so I am thinking we should probably take a gas can, shovel, maybe some sand mats, tow straps, and a come along.

Here is where I need help. The easy way would be bumpers, winch, roof rack, and I love that way. What I'm wondering is there a more practical way, such that if we sell the vehicle after the trip, I won't just lose all of that money. I think I can get away with leaving the spare tire in stock location.

Could I get away with just a roof rack? Any ideas or suggestions would be great!

It sounds like you know what you need. Maybe add a small pick or a rock-chisel with a small sledge in case you need to dig in very hard ground. A portable 12V compressor will be good because airing down makes an amazing performance difference on the trail.

If you want to be able to sell it as stock, and keep everything for your next truck, you could just get a set of roof bars and a roof box (Thule, etc) and toss all your lightweight stuff up there, and keep your heavy stuff in the back of the truck. Depends how many people you will have with you.
 
Congrats! You will discover the 100 series platform is very capable off road simply with a good set (including spare) of AT tires such as BFG K02's. With a 33" tire and AHC, your rig will be very capable out of the box. Most of us remove the running boards to prevent any damage to the rockers. If I was doing what you're doing, I would get a set of maxtrax, a highlift jack, tow straps, and a portable compressor to air back up. All of this can go on the roof or in the back depending on how much other gear you're bringing.

What he said. A roof box would work well for what you're doing. Also, Landshark outfitters sells a nice set of drawers you could put in yourself very easily. I think the next owner would appreciate the storage. If you've never had a 100 before you'll probably like it so much you'll want to keep it!
 

borison

Adventurer
What he said. A roof box would work well for what you're doing. Also, Landshark outfitters sells a nice set of drawers you could put in yourself very easily. I think the next owner would appreciate the storage. If you've never had a 100 before you'll probably like it so much you'll want to keep it!
X2. Why would you want to sell this rig after the trip? It looks perfect and sounds like a cream puff.
 

JDHFJ40

New member
A simple solution that is temporary is a hitch hauler basket that goes in the rear 2" receiver. I have an aluminum one that is only 4" wide but is very light and easy to put on and off. We can access my wife's Honda pilot with it on the back (unless there is a large item such as a cooler on it). It can also be moved from vehicle to vehicle and if you want to remove it once you get to a hotel or AIRBNB, it is easy to store.

Based on your original post, I think the type of thing you are looking at. Another reason I like it is that it doesn't cause wind drag like a lot of stuff on a roof rack will cause.
 

sean257

Adventurer
Thanks for the replies. Picked her up last weekend. We drove a few trails around Sedona last week and are now making our way back east towards STL. I grabbed a large Coleman Extreme cooler for food and family drinks and a Yeti 20 for beer.

I’m still looking at rack ideas and possibly roof box. We want an awning for when there are no trees to make shade. The racks for the receiver would work for carrying extra gear, but I’ve already drug the empty receiver across the rocks, so I’m guessing I’d have already broke a receiver rack.
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redthies

Renaissance Redneck
I’ve built my own hitch racks before, and I’ve made them so the frame leaves the receiver and immediately turns up at a 45* angle. If you do that, you won’t have departure issues. I’d build one for you, but since I’m just north of Seattle it might not be practical.

In my personal experience, putting a bunch of weight, and especially fuel on a roof rack is just asking for trouble. I know lots of people do it, but I’m not a fan.
 

sean257

Adventurer
Thanks Redthies. I have seen a couple that raise up like that, and they look like they would work. It seems like it may cause issues with getting into the rear/ lowering the tailgate?
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Depending on what and how you load it, there is definitely potential to interfere with the gate and hatch. It just depends on what your priorities are. When I traveled down to Mexico and spent 4 months there I had the rack pretty loaded up, including a Honda Z-50 for beer runs. I was willing to just use the rear doors for access to the back then. With just coolers etc on it I could open the hatch. If you have a fridge on a slide or a drawer system, then obviously this isn’t the best option.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
If you want to do the awning as well, maybe do a simple roof rack for light weight stuff, and look into a hitch mounted swing out for the fuel etc. This could keep the heavy and flammable stuff off the roof, and still give you easy access. You could easily customize something like this (its rated for 300 lbs):

https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchswing/
 

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