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We started our son at ~7 months and wish we'd done earlier. It took him several nights to get used to sleeping in the tent. He's three now and LOVES camping. Our daughter was born this summer and was camping at around three weeks old. Crawling is a tough age for camping, but immobile is easy...

SHARP utility blade and a metal straight edge is the best way I've found.

I have no firsthand experience with XJ longevity, but everything I've read says that this unibody vehicle does not have a 15-year offroad lifespan. It'll last that long on-road, but start flexing it offroad and the unibody starts to fail. I'm sure others with more experience can weigh in...

A snatch block would at MOST double the winching time; if you're at the edge of what you can pull, it makes each stroke much easier. It decreases the stress in all components involved, except the strap that the block is anchored to (halves the stress on the winch or jack). As far as anchor...

Something else to consider: you can't run chain through a snatch block. If you find yourself getting stuck deeper than your hi lift can comfortably pull you out of, you can double the pulling power of your setup pretty easily if you have synthetic (or wire) rope. My setup is similar to yours...

That's a little like asking, "Should I get a ball peen hammer or a 3 lb mini sledge? Keep in mind, this will be used to hit things. What kind of mud? How deep? There are "muddy areas and trails" where a 265/76/16 is plenty, and there are "muddy areas and trails" where 37's are nowhere near...

My 60 with 3.70 gears, H55 trans, and 265/75/16 tires (~32x10.5) consistently does 14.5-15 mpg mixed town/highway on winter gas. 16.5 all highway, and add 1 mpg for summer (less warm up, better fuel). I've gotten as high as 19-20 mpg, but usually plan on 17.5-18 highway mpg in the summer on...

I have an H55 and 3.70 gears, and have run 235/85's, and it works very well. I'm at a little over 2k rpm at 60mph, and 2500 at 75mph. The 2F doesn't have the grunt that a 12ht does, so if my gasser can do it I'm sure your diesel can too. I've not done much towing with it, but towing with...

Have you considered a 255/85/R16 like the Cooper Discoverer ST? Much milder tread, and the width makes a bigger difference on highway mileage than the weight. It is a little over 33" in diameter, so a little smaller. How are you geared?

I got one of these off Steep and Cheap last year. It's definitely not the level of quality that you get from the Mountainsmith cubes or (obviously) Eagle Creek modular setups, but it does a good job of keeping my kitchen, first aid, and other misc stuff organized and out of the way. I've grown...

That's good to know. I had considered them, but they did not end up making my top 2-3. In the end I was more than willing to give up some mud performance and sidewall toughness for road manners, but I've always wondered just how much difference there is on-road between those and a good...

You might consider Interco's TrXus MT. I've not run them personally, but they seem to be a good mix of sloppy performance, plenty of factory siping, and a good stout carcass.

If you're going ground up, why not consider a Mercedes diesel? An OM617 is SMOOTH, very efficient, and while not in the same league as a Vortec power-wise, adequate. Super reliable, quiet. I've driven Sprinter vans with this motor and it's great. An Isuzu 4BD1/4BD2 (what they use in the NPR...

I've got about 15k on my Duratracs on my FJ60 (right at 5k lbs). I measure about 4/32 of tread used up (14-15 /32 remaining). If I run them ALL the way down to 3/32, that means I'm about 1/4 of the way through them. They are IMO better tires in pretty much every regard than the BFG AT's I ran...

edlaffoon, I know who I want to have on the trail with me if things go sideways!

Mike, what are your thoughts on accessibility? Is it primarily a bear thing for you? Do you unpack it for quicker access once in camp? I'm just thinking that even if you're not starting from the driver's seat, most any situation where I need a firearm for protection is a situation where I...

That's the HV35, not the MV50. The MV50 draws double the amps, and flows 2.5x as much air compared to that compressor. Totally different item. -Eric

Something to think about... When you've buried the truck, how do you retrieve the shovel and bridging ladders from underneath to dig it out? That's something that I try to think about when I'm stashing stuff: Under what conditions will I need to access this, and how does that change my ability...

In general I'll offer help if someone looks like they're in over their head, and the only danger is to themselves or their rig's mechanicals. I'll be a little more firm in a recommendation that they take a minute and reassess with someone more experienced if the road they're headed down leads...

I heard they were going to answer the "what's the REAL fording depth of an 80 series?" question.:)