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On my trucks I've always stored everything inside the vehicle. This lowers wind resistance, keeps the COG low, prevents damage from weather, and helps deter potential thieves. If I spend the night at a motel while in transit, or leave the vehicle unattended all day while hiking (or even parked...

I have an Edgestar FP430 that is 15+ years old and still running fine.

In my opinion precision is more important than accuracy. As long as I can get repeatable results, then I'm not too concerned if the gauge is 100% accurate. Interestingly, the accuracy of many dial gauges is specified as "±3-2-3%" (Class B) which indicates that the middle 1/2 of the range is...

Years ago I carried a full Craftsman socket set along with a full toolbox and a jack stand. There was one occasion where drill and a screw extractor were useful, but the vast majority of the time this was just excessive weight and wasted space. Since then I've worked to reduce my tool kit down...

For about 15 years I have stored my kitchen gear in a an Akro-Mils box with a folding lid. It has held up great, but I've always been annoyed at having to pull everything out to get to my stove which lived in the bottom of the box. Also, the lid doesn't seal very well and is definitely not water...

I have a Kenwood VX-71 and extended both the control panel and mic using these CAT6 cables. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DAS3N7U/

Recently I've been using a collapsible crate from Costco. The sides are vertical so it is very space efficient when loaded, and as the food supply is used up it can be collapsed to save space if needed. It lives in the truck full time and is also useful for holding small items purchased at the...

In my experience the Haltec CH-360 chucks didn't hold on to the stem all that well and leaked. I've had better luck with the H5265 which has more lugs that engage the stem. https://www.amazon.com/Haltec-H5265--Standard-Lock-Chuck

I sold my ZJ a long time ago, but still miss it sometimes. It wasn't the most reliable truck on the planet, but it was great on the trail.The fenders were heavily cut to allow 33x12.5x15s to fit with only ~3" of lift which kept the center of gravity low. Build details can be found here. Most...

Here are my recommendations for what you *need* to get started in offroad travel. 1) Sense of adventure. 2) Common sense. 3) Knowledge of the principals of tread lightly and leave no trace. 4) Let someone know where you are going, and when to expect you back. 5) First aid kit 6) Fire...

I keep my inside in the recovery bag.

Ignore the Jeep that snuck into the photo.

I'm a big fan of Prana Zion pants. They dry quickly and don't look very touristy or 'tactical' (other than the cargo pocket). I've got 4-5 pairs, the oldest have seen heavy use for 5+ years and are just starting to get a little threadbare. The Prana Brion is a similar design, but does not have...

Is this the Tundra in Soquel? It seems that all Toyota Trucks in the Bay Area are 10-20% more expensive than other parts of the country, so while it may seem expensive for some areas this is unfortunately inline with other local Craigslist listings.

I've run Bighorns in 265/75R16 for the last ~30k miles. They have a good amount of tread left and work well offroad. That said, they are very loud and do not work well in snow. I'm going to move to a KO2 soon (or something similar) due to the noise. - Matt

Warning.... possibly boring electrical calculations ahead. All wires have some level of internal resistance which increases linearly with the length of the wire. In other words a 20' length will have twice the resistance of a 10' length. This resistance causes a voltage drop that increases as...

Trail ratings are pretty vaguely defined, so I'd take them with a grain of salt. Ultimately the best way to determine if and how you need to modify your truck is to start on easy trails and work your way up to the point where you start running into the limitations of your vehicle. You'd be...

The new battery tray looks good. Did your dual battery kit come with wiring, or are you going to have to custom fab some battery cables? - Matt

We designed Adam's system so that it is fairly easy to remove the two center boxes, just a few bolts. On my drawer system I built a platform that extends over the rear seat so I can sleep in the truck. - Matt

Here are some pictures of the progress we have made with the drawers. The carcasses and boxes are 1/2" baltic birch plywood assembled using rabbit joints, glue, screws, and 18g brads. The slides are attached using threaded inserts with threadlock on the screws. Adam bought some really nice...