Hello errybody,
I've been lurking on this forum for quite sometime now, and am bored out of my mind visiting my family for the holidays, so I figured this would be a good time for me to talk a bit about my setup and journey.
Truck Specs:
2005 Chevrolet Duramax Extended Cab Shortbed
LLY Duramax w/ 5in straight pipe, intake, and conservative tuning
Kryptonite Leveling Kit w Fox Reservoir Shocks
Hammerhead Offroad Bumper with Warn M15000 winch
Hallmark T/C Specs:
2008 Hallmark Guanella LX
18k BTU heater
3 burner stove
30gal fresh H20 w DIY heated tank
3 way fridge
30Lb propane supply
300W solar system to be installed
Overview:
I live between Park City, Utah and San Francisco and have been on a mission to find the perfect rig for four season camping in the rugged west.
Getting to this point has been a very long journey, during which I have learned a great deal. I've gone through almost every type of camping setup from purist lightweight thru hiking gear to custom built car camping setups, camper van, RTT on a 4x4, and now finally this. My goal throughout this whole process has been to find a setup that allows for maximum flexibility, access to remote locations with dependability and safety, and (as I get older) comfort. I started as a weekend warrior and now spend approx 90days a year overlanding in my rig. Every chance I get, I take my rolling 4x4 hotel to the gnarliest, emptiest, most beautiful place I can get to. Having access to the varying terrain of the west, I've encountered everything from b-hole puckering logging roads on the lost coast, to getting stuck in a 6 foot deep snowbank in the high sierras for 3 days (before the M15000 obviously), to Moab desert trails, and all the rockies has to offer, baja is next on this list.
My crew consists of one very patient girlfriend, one 65lb mutt, and an 80lb pitbull. Our missions are generally activity based i.e flyfishing remote waters in the sierras and PNW coast, mountain biking & skiing in the sierras or rockies, surfing in s. cal and mex, sailing our hobie tandem island, etc.. So needless to say we carry A LOT of gear.
Long story short, this rig has performed amazingly given what I've put it through and demanded from it. The Hallmark TC is second to none in quality for the price, weighs in at just below 2000 loaded (no bathroom), and we absolutely love it compared to all the rigs we've had. That being said- the one area that my soft sided pop-up suffers in is wintertime camping. No matter what, its just not as efficient as a fully enclosed setup. Given that I've only spent $30K total on this rig it has performed far beyond my expectations. But trying to do more than a 100 days in the rig this upcoming year is leading me to consider yet another option and the most ridiculous yet- A Sportsmobile... Opinions?
Hopefully this is helpful to someone, and if not, here is some expedition vehicle porn that I'm proud to say I've done all the work on myself.
-WR
I've been lurking on this forum for quite sometime now, and am bored out of my mind visiting my family for the holidays, so I figured this would be a good time for me to talk a bit about my setup and journey.
Truck Specs:
2005 Chevrolet Duramax Extended Cab Shortbed
LLY Duramax w/ 5in straight pipe, intake, and conservative tuning
Kryptonite Leveling Kit w Fox Reservoir Shocks
Hammerhead Offroad Bumper with Warn M15000 winch
Hallmark T/C Specs:
2008 Hallmark Guanella LX
18k BTU heater
3 burner stove
30gal fresh H20 w DIY heated tank
3 way fridge
30Lb propane supply
300W solar system to be installed
Overview:
I live between Park City, Utah and San Francisco and have been on a mission to find the perfect rig for four season camping in the rugged west.
Getting to this point has been a very long journey, during which I have learned a great deal. I've gone through almost every type of camping setup from purist lightweight thru hiking gear to custom built car camping setups, camper van, RTT on a 4x4, and now finally this. My goal throughout this whole process has been to find a setup that allows for maximum flexibility, access to remote locations with dependability and safety, and (as I get older) comfort. I started as a weekend warrior and now spend approx 90days a year overlanding in my rig. Every chance I get, I take my rolling 4x4 hotel to the gnarliest, emptiest, most beautiful place I can get to. Having access to the varying terrain of the west, I've encountered everything from b-hole puckering logging roads on the lost coast, to getting stuck in a 6 foot deep snowbank in the high sierras for 3 days (before the M15000 obviously), to Moab desert trails, and all the rockies has to offer, baja is next on this list.
My crew consists of one very patient girlfriend, one 65lb mutt, and an 80lb pitbull. Our missions are generally activity based i.e flyfishing remote waters in the sierras and PNW coast, mountain biking & skiing in the sierras or rockies, surfing in s. cal and mex, sailing our hobie tandem island, etc.. So needless to say we carry A LOT of gear.
Long story short, this rig has performed amazingly given what I've put it through and demanded from it. The Hallmark TC is second to none in quality for the price, weighs in at just below 2000 loaded (no bathroom), and we absolutely love it compared to all the rigs we've had. That being said- the one area that my soft sided pop-up suffers in is wintertime camping. No matter what, its just not as efficient as a fully enclosed setup. Given that I've only spent $30K total on this rig it has performed far beyond my expectations. But trying to do more than a 100 days in the rig this upcoming year is leading me to consider yet another option and the most ridiculous yet- A Sportsmobile... Opinions?
Hopefully this is helpful to someone, and if not, here is some expedition vehicle porn that I'm proud to say I've done all the work on myself.
-WR
