2021 Ford F150 || Building the Ultimate Overland Setup

[SherpaWill]

Sherpa Roof Rack

One of the most exciting parts of builds for me has to be the roof rack. As a small business owner it is always fun to get to see your product in action, let alone install one on your own truck and put it to use. We started the business back in 2017 and focus on building the toughest aluminum modular racks in the industry. It as a blast watching out engineers work on refining the rack for the F150 platform. These trucks are notorious for wind noise after installing a rack and our team wanted to make it silent. My truck must have received 5 different iterations before landing on the final design.

I have to leave a little plug here… if you‘re interested, check out: https://sherpaequipmentco.com/products/storm
We have a growing catalog and support F150/250/350 and will be launching stuff for RAM owners soon.

 

[Todd780]

Exactly. At the time we bought it we were planning on towing a 6000lbs travel trailer with a truck that has 13800lbs capacity.
BUT, I really wish I could have people jump in my truck and drive it with the camper in the bed. With airbags on the truck, it really does handle the camper soo well. With roughly 15k miles on the setup, I can’t justify the decrease in comfort of going to a Super Duty. It is too nice the way it is.

Now the thing that could push me to a 250 is wanting to tow a trailer with my 4Runner behind it across the country.

I have the Max Tow on mine. I'm rated for 14,000 lbs towing.

However, I'll never be able to get close to being able to tow a trailer that heavy. You would likely exceed your payload rating with the weight distributing hitch and tongue weight way before you get to a 14,000 lbs trailer.

And to be honest, I wouldn't want to tow more that 7,500 lbs or so with any half ton of any make.

Side note, if you're not already familiar with it, a good recourse for our trucks is: https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/

 

[SherpaWill]

CHROME DELETE

I was talking to a buddy of mine who owns both an auto body and overland gear shop, Midguard Adventure Equipment. We decided it was time for me to take a trip down to Houston to get rid of some chrome. I can’t thank him enough for the work his team did on the truck. They absolutely nailed the paint color on the mirrors, handles and rear bumper. They even painted my chrome window trim pieces.

 

[SherpaWill]

Camper Upgrades

The Bush Company 270 XT MAX Awning
While down in Texas we added one of the greatest pieces of gear for the camper. A 270 was something we knew we were going to add from the get go, but we hadn’t heard about The Bush Company awnings until we spoke with Rex at Midguard Adventure Equipment. I’ve owned a few cheaper 270’s in the past and always struggled with how flimsy they really were. This thing is in a class of its own. It is so over-built that I am beyond impressed. The first day we installed the awning, Rex had to do a demo and began doing pull-ups from the arms of the awning. As it was explained to me this is the only “mass-manufactured“ 270 awning that advertises that you don‘t need to deploy legs, even in moderate wind. Since it was installed I have had the awning deployed in high winds and even a decent bit of snow.
The other great feature about the XT MAX is that it wraps all the way from the front of the overhang on the camper, all the way around the back. I can’t wait to get some walls for this thing and have a fully enclosed awning room.



2000W Renogy Inverter

One thing we knew we wanted in the new camper was the ability to charge our phones without being connected to any type of external power. But the one thing we were missing was an inverter. We also got used to having a Keurig in our last camper, and man was it nice to have on those mornings when you want to hop out and get going without pulling out the coffee making supplies. I kept my eyes peeled and came across a crazy deal on a 2000W Renogy Inverter. This should give us more than enough capacity to run just about anything we would want.

The install was fairly straight forward and it was more a matter of finding a spot to fit the box out of sight. I settled on mounting it in the main storage cubby under the seat. I then used a small flush mount power strip that I plugged into the front of the inverter, rather than hardwiring it in. May not be the technically correct way, but it accomplished a few goals at the same time.

 

[ogwhalebone]

Fun stuff. I flipped from 21 Tacoma short bed off road w bilstein lift, add a leaf, rsi smart cap and a cvt roof top. Made a big mistake realizing after that, with gear, I’m over payload. Really wimpy and limiting for long trips

Did a ton of research and bit the bullet and sold it. Just picked up a mint 2019 f150 fx4 super crew short bed w tow package, 3.5 EB, 36 gal tank, 302a package and only 18k miles at a great price so am about neutral so wifey is happy

build plan
- Either icon 2.5 cdcv or fox 2.5 dsc
- Basic Method 17 inch wheels … no bling just function w 34 inch Falken wild peak at3
- AAL or deaver pack depending on sag
- Four wheel camper project m and gear
- local sliders
- basic skid plates
- maybe a winch

The Question …. Anyone have real experience w either of these suspension kits? Ideally on an F150. We are gonna run it hard but not beat it and no rock crawling. Particularly curious about short travel, low speed ride comfort/performance as well as on hwy performance of the “hybrid” digressive icon vs the linear fox. Want to do this once do it right or will be taking heat at home so

welcome sharing any real practical experience on pro cons

 

[SherpaWill]

Fun stuff. I flipped from 21 Tacoma short bed off road w bilstein lift, add a leaf, rsi smart cap and a cvt roof top. Made a big mistake realizing after that, with gear, I’m over payload. Really wimpy and limiting for long trips

Did a ton of research and bit the bullet and sold it. Just picked up a mint 2019 f150 fx4 super crew short bed w tow package, 3.5 EB, 36 gal tank, 302a package and only 18k miles at a great price so am about neutral so wifey is happy

build plan
- Either icon 2.5 cdcv or fox 2.5 dsc
- Basic Method 17 inch wheels … no bling just function w 34 inch Falken wild peak at3
- AAL or deaver pack depending on sag
- Four wheel camper project m and gear
- local sliders
- basic skid plates
- maybe a winch

The Question …. Anyone have real experience w either of these suspension kits? Ideally on an F150. We are gonna run it hard but not beat it and no rock crawling. Particularly curious about short travel, low speed ride comfort/performance as well as on hwy performance of the “hybrid” digressive icon vs the linear fox. Want to do this once do it right or will be taking heat at home so

welcome sharing any real practical experience on pro cons

So we have a 2004 Toyota 4Runner we race with on Icons new CDEV (Electronically Adjusting) shocks that will come out for our platform soon. We got the opportunity to ride in a couple of their other trucks with the same suspension and it’s pretty mind blowing. I’ve always been a big fan of the DSC stuff from Fox. Their DSC shocks are pretty much top of the line. I know I’m between both myself but at this point it’s really a toss up and you’ll have a solid setup either way.
Having ridden in a lot of vehicles with Digressive and Liner shocks, I don’t know that a normal person would be able to tell the difference. There will be all kinds of keyboard engineers that jump into that kinda conversation. I would say buy based on the quality and longevity of the shock and what fits your budget. Hope this helps some!

 

[bajaphile]

The Question …. Anyone have real experience w either of these suspension kits? Ideally on an F150. We are gonna run it hard but not beat it and no rock crawling. Particularly curious about short travel, low speed ride comfort/performance as well as on hwy performance of the “hybrid” digressive icon vs the linear fox. Want to do this once do it right or will be taking heat at home so

Personally have had some bad experiences with Icon shocks, as I had installed them a few rigs. Had 1 shock leak on 3 different rigs within a year. I do not recommend them anymore. I do like Fox or King for a high end shock and Bilstein's never have given me an issue.

 

[ramblinChet]

I mean at this point it's a done deal. He bought a brand new truck, modded it and has a build plan. The idea of checking payload on the doorjamb has sailed. No point in changing platforms now unless you want to lose $15k overnight on trading it in. Best you can do is upgrade to help the truck handle the camper better even if it doesn't change payload from a sticker and legal standpoint.

I guess if the safety and life of your family and others is not worth $15k then your argument is sound.

 

[sn_85]

I guess if the safety and life of your family and others is not worth $15k then your argument is sound.

You're not wrong and I don't disagree with you...but read the tone of the thread. Dude ain't swapping trucks at this point, he said so himself. So the best advice would be to upgrade and modify the truck as best as possible to handle the camper.

 

[ramblinChet]

You're not wrong and I don't disagree with you...but read the tone of the thread. Dude ain't swapping trucks at this point, he said so himself. So the best advice would be to upgrade and modify the truck as best as possible to handle the camper.

Occam's razor - the simple solution is often the best. The proper truck for the desired load is the correct solution.

Unless he is a suspension engineer and plans to perform testing under SAE standards he will likely end up with a vehicle that handles even worse and is more dangerous. Hack jobs with air bags, random spring and shock combinations, etc. was pretty cool back in the 80s and 90s. Those who mix and match components and self-righteously proclaim "it feels much better" make me laugh.

I am just here to share the truth.

 

[NORDFORD]

Occam's razor - the simple solution is often the best. The proper truck for the desired load is the correct solution.

Unless he is a suspension engineer and plans to perform testing under SAE standards he will likely end up with a vehicle that handles even worse and is more dangerous. Hack jobs with air bags, random spring and shock combinations, etc. was pretty cool back in the 80s and 90s. Those who mix and match components and self-righteously proclaim "it feels much better" make me laugh.

I am just here to share the truth.

Yeah, yeah. We all bow at your feet in awe of your greatness. Please stop plugging up this guys thread with your righteousness.

 

[SherpaWill]

I can safely say I wouldn't do anything I felt was a danger to myself or my family. I also have a fair understanding of what I am doing. It sounds like a scale is in my near future.

Got the truck out last week during one of our company wheeling trips. It was fun to load up the truck and test out some new products. We have been playing with some new bed rack shapes and testing with some of the heavier tents out there. Really liked the idea of switching back to a soft-sided tent from a CVT Mt.Hood. The hard shell is convenient but really lacks in the size department.



On another note, prep is in full swing as we get ready for a company trip this coming week. I am excited to get to explore some new areas of southern Utah. This is also the last chance to really test the camper out on a week-long trip before heading out to Alaska. I have been working on adding additional power within the Camp-X as we are rocking a new fridge. We decided on the Dometic CFX3 75DZ. Also built a little cubby under the fridge (all aluminum) to add some storage and provide a place to secure the fridge to. Hoping to add a drawer to it in the future. Really want to find a new design for building drawers that doesn't involve heavy drawer slides. We will see what I can come up with there.

For power, I just added a flush 12V under the cabinet and ran it under our table footrest, over to the Redarc cabinet. From there it goes to a blue sea fuse block. Nice clean and simple.

 

[Ozarker]

Looks good, but you paid extra for the chrome.

 

[Todd780]

I can safely say I wouldn't do anything I felt was a danger to myself or my family. I also have a fair understanding of what I am doing. It sounds like a scale is in my near future.

Got the truck out last week during one of our company wheeling trips. It was fun to load up the truck and test out some new products. We have been playing with some new bed rack shapes and testing with some of the heavier tents out there. Really liked the idea of switching back to a soft-sided tent from a CVT Mt.Hood. The hard shell is convenient but really lacks in the size department.

View attachment 770738 View attachment 770739

On another note, prep is in full swing as we get ready for a company trip this coming week. I am excited to get to explore some new areas of southern Utah. This is also the last chance to really test the camper out on a week-long trip before heading out to Alaska. I have been working on adding additional power within the Camp-X as we are rocking a new fridge. We decided on the Dometic CFX3 75DZ. Also built a little cubby under the fridge (all aluminum) to add some storage and provide a place to secure the fridge to. Hoping to add a drawer to it in the future. Really want to find a new design for building drawers that doesn't involve heavy drawer slides. We will see what I can come up with there.

For power, I just added a flush 12V under the cabinet and ran it under our table footrest, over to the Redarc cabinet. From there it goes to a blue sea fuse block. Nice clean and simple.

View attachment 770740

Company wheeling trips? Sounds like a fun company to work for! Am I correct in guessing the company name is what is on your doors?

 

[tacollie]

Truck looks good. What are your MPGs with the OEV and 35s?