007
Explorer
I bought this truck new in 2000
2001 Regular cab 4wd
5spd
manual Tcase
2.7litre
4.30 gears
Manual everything, AC
I purchased it on the fear that trucks would soon be made without manual windows, transfer cases, door locks, and all the other simple stuff. I didn't know a lick about proper Overlanding but I'm from Montana and spend most of my time in the outdoors, hunting, camping, exploring and gathering firewood for the long winters.
I realized I would always have a need for a reliable 4wd pickup, and this one was still simple enough I could maintain it myself. I liked that it was compact for our narrow wooded roads and had a lightweight 4cyl motor that was reliable and efficient.
I spent the first 7 years bone stock and just piled gear into it like a Gypsy for trips, and overloading it with firewood like an unloved Donkey. It has 106,000 hard miles on it without a single failure.
Eventually I became bothered by its meager payload and looked into a suspension upgrade. I happened to come across forums that offered all sorts of suspension upgrades for rock crawling and opted for the Donahoe/Icon upfront and Dakar springs in back setup.
Not long after, I discovered my tribe here at the expedition portal and subscribed to our spiritual manuscript (the Overland Journal) and became a true Overlander!
Building a regular cab expo rig requires a great deal of space management, A topper would have been nice, but I need open cargo for firewood and dead beasts that I gather on hunting trips. An SUV type rig is out of the question, nothing like the awkward silence of sharing cabin space with an animal you just murdered! I like jeeps but they don't really offer enough cargo space for wood and game.
I also had to have sleeping quarters that are hospitable for two people during cold winter trips lasting a couple weeks. I choose the 1400 EZI-AWN T-top for this because it has a lower standing room that I can heat. Its so nice to come home to a wall tent and peel off your cold wet clothes and change into something else while standing up in a heated room. I can't imagine spending two weeks in -20 F weather without the t-top.
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For the RTT I had to build a custom rack, it needed to be tall enough so that I could stand under the overhang portion of the tent, but I loathed the idea of it being too high and top heavy. The first rack placed the tent completely higher than the cab and was soon replaced by a new rack that was sturdier and placed the tent lower. I am happy where it sits now, before it would really effect the handling of the truck when I was driving aggressive.
The next order of business was a fridge. I opted for the ENGEL 35 qt because of its proven reliability, compactness, and durability. The smaller size has been plenty adequate.
I upgraded the power supply with 2 Sears platinum batteries and a LUNA dual controller. I love this setup, the second battery is mounted at the front corner passenger side of the bed under my toolbox. This helped distribute the weight and keeps mass between the tires.
I also have two sceptor fuel cans mounted in a custom frame just behind the toolbox with the same centered weight theory in play. The cargo in the bed is essentially 4 rows of stuff, the heaviest things are at the front and the lightest towards the back.
1st row: is the tool box which contains Chainsaw, propane, tools, parts and the spare battery.
2nd row: is the fridge and two spare fuel cans bolted down securely.
3rd row: consists of two sturdy metal boxes bolted down. These are used to store trip specific gargo, hunting gear, backpacking stuff winter clothes etc.
4th row: these items are not bolted down (except the water tank) but fit very secure, two action packers, (one for pantry food the other for kitchen ware and supplies) a large tackle box to organize small items (battries, bugspray, duct tape, rope, candles, gun cleaning kit, you name it) A coleman 2 burner stove that runs on unleaded and a 5 gallon water can strapped and tapped with a spout.
On the sides by the wheel wells I've mounted the Hi Lift jack, a shovel, lug wrench and ammo can for recovery equipment.
These rows form a relatively flat space that I can stack wood, or animals on (up to the height of the tent). I can also lower the tailgate for additional room.
Every setup has its pros and cons; The pros of this setup are simplicity, good mileage 20+, and its quick and nimble. Being lightweight and having tuned IFS is golden!
The cons of this setup; Only room for two, setting up is a little harder than a flip-pac or camper, truck is immobilized when setup, and cargo is less hidden or secured.
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