Recent content by Switch

In other news, I've always wanted to see the Mojave desert when when it was flooding. In the video below, we are using our GPS to make sure we are actually on the Mojave Trail. We crossed the river where it was about a foot deep and normally would have been dry. The water level at the Afton...

I run a single piece of 1 inch webbing that is 12 feet long in a loop from the bow of the canoe to under the driver's side hood hinge then under the hood to the passenger side hinge and then back to the buckle at the bow of the canoe. So, the webbing forms a triangle with the top (buckle) at...

Last week I did a long overdue rear seat delete in my access cab. What I noticed about how people approach the seat delete is the Law of the Instrument in full display. Welder's build with steel, carpenters use wood, people with money buy kits from Cali Raised or Goose Gear. I live a mile from...

When I saw these Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Rectangular Griddle - 15 x 12.25 Inches. Jumbo Chef’s Serving Platters I knew they would be a perfect way to make a collapsible Dutch oven. It took some trial and error. First I learned that just putting one griddle on top of the other like a clam shell...

Last weekend I checked off a few more items on my project list. My wife has been asking for this for a while now. We use the truck bed as a sleeping platform and she cannot close the tailgate because it weights more than she does. So the idea was to add some straps to pull the tailgate...

On our last desert trip, we figured out that if the wind kicks up (~50mph) , we don't need to take the whole awning down. We just need to "reef" the tarp so it does not pick up wind.

We just got back from our Spring Break desert trip and one take away from that awesome journey was that our 8 year old solar panel just wasn't performing like it used to. So I'm trying a new panel that has twice the power at 100W. Like my old panel, I'm using adhesive magnetic strips. One...

Here's a project I forgot to write about. On our Spring Break trip, I noticed that my old DIY 4" ABS water storage tank had moved around quite a bit while on the trail, so I decided to make a mount for it to keep more secure. I designed the mount using FreeCAD and printed on my Prusa MK3S...

My Renology solar panel charge controller died. But is was really old so not a heart break to replace. I really like the quality of my Victron Energy Smart Battery Protect 12/24-Volt 65 amp (Bluetooth) so I purchased the Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) -...

Here's how I mounted our Starlink mini dish to our Tacoma. There are lots of mounts available on Etsy but I figured there's no point in having a 3D printer if I don't use it. And I didn't see anything that was quite what I would make myself: streamlined with integrated magnetic mounts. So...

A few weeks ago my DIY awning came to the rescue again in mixed weather. I'm still anxious on how this awning performs in strong winds. But when the gusts picked up, I discovered I could bring in the leading edge of the awning to reduce the surface area. In sailing, I think this is called...

The second ammo can i used to store utensils, spices, and miscellaneous kitchen supplies. I use Akro-Mils 05905 Storage Cases because 3 fit snugly inside the ammo can leaving just enough for two 12oz MSR fuel cannisters and some olive oil. I store regular charcoal lighter fluid in one MSR...

I guess 18 years is long enough. Its time to remodel the kitchen... The "kitchen" in this case is three M548 ammo cans. They snap in the bed of my Tacoma like Legos™. On longer expeditions, when I need extra fuel and water, they also snap like Legos™ but between the wheel wells. I...

Here's a demo showing how my 360° 9 switch console works. Each switch position corresponds to the geometric position of the light on the truck: Top center: Front LED light bar Top corners: Left and right cornering lights on the bumper Sides: Left and right side lights on the A Pillar Rear...

Today I upgraded the attachments for the tank. The old Super Quick Fist® never worked very well so the tank would rotate or slide back and forth. Not a lot but enough to be a nuisance. Then one broke part way and it was time to revisit the whole problem of mounting the tank to the rack. Now...