Expedition Accessories - The little things

[SARguru]

Nav: like martinjmpr i like dedicated gear so I have a Garmin nuvi1450 i went with it because it has a 5inch screen. It displays a compass if i need it. i have the 1450 mounted with a ram mount suctioned on my speedo guage. i use it as my speed indicator (truck is from US so gauge are in MPH and here its posted in KPH). Nice feature is that when i am over the posted limit my speed is in red and in US it shows me posted limit as well. I mount it there because it easier to see, im always looking at my speed anyways, it works for me and when i am out of the vehicle its out of sight. Ive been planning on mounting a ram ball to the top of the speedo console so i can ditch the suction cup, my procrastination gene is strong. One reason i dont use my iphone for nav is because in the US i turn off my data because canadian cell providers charge a rediculous data roaming fee. Garmin doesnt need to be connected.

Comms. I have two yaesu ft-7800 remote mounted in my centre console. Im going to install a 3rd radio which i want to use for APRS. I plan on putting in a CB only because its still so popular with the off-roaders, uniden makes one that everything is in the hand mic, its powered by 12v and has an external antenna model 75. It wont take much room its very low on my list. I had a globalstar sat phone car kit, i terminated the service when their network was brutal. I am thinking of getting Inreach no high on priority either.

Music: i have had sat radio for 6 years, absolutely love it, cant stand "free" radio due to the non stop yapping, most annoying thing on plannet are the various morning shows. My suburban stereo also permits the controlljng of my iphone music or ipod, both of whicb have rediculous amount of music like 10 days worth of not hearing the same song twice, i like sat because of the selection. On a long ride i find Caliente a very entertainjng station that immediately relieves bordom and spirits.

Camera: my digital camera got contaminated during a moab sand/wind storm, i havent replaced it yet. I find the iphone takes great pics so i use it. On my next road trip im going to get a mount for my go-pro so that i can film some of the drives. I wish i would have done that while i went thru raineer, death valley, arches, colorado etc.

My suburban has the "drivers information centre" so i get outside temps, transmission temps, average fuel econo, actual fuel econo, fuel range, tire pressure, etc i look at this data all the time. I dont think i could have a vehicle thag didnt give me this info.

Rest of gear is dependant on where and what i am doing, since this is my daily driver

Thats my story

Nic

 

[1leglance]

Awning
camp table
propane fire pit (way too many fire restrictions in the southwest)
GCI Xpress lounger folding camp chair, super comfy, packs small
fridge
acer netbook for nav, pdf repair info, photo backup, music, videos for when weather sucks
ham radio for comm, weather report

lots and lots of cigars

 

[kai38]

I always want to know how cold it got during the night so I hang this temp gauge on the RTT's zipper
Runs about $8.00 - $10.00

 

[LR Max]

Really depends on you. The problem is that you can bring enough crap to the point you need a 5 ton truck to follow you around to carry it.

For me, I try to keep things paired down a lot. On a recent 5 day trip, I'd say I could've gotten away without carrying my big camera equipment (DSLR + lenses + light stands). Actually the point and shoot in the center console got more of a workout.

Just to reduce confusion, I pre-loaded everything I needed on my GPS. That made life a lot easier. FYI, GPS works A LOT better if you set it up beforehand with all the tracks, routes, and waypoints you need beforehand.

Sunglasses and chargers, otherwise I could've taken everything else out of my console.

Since it is getting dark so early, light was a huge concern for me. I wasn't camping in open-fire areas so I brought along my Petromax lantern. That was a HUGE help. Just being able to light up the area was great. On top of that, I brought along one of my cordless LED drop lights. If you do not have one of these, your life is incomplete. House work, vehicle work, fixing a flat on the side of the road, camping, crawl spaces, this thing is AWESOME.

Otherwise, I caution you on taking too much crap. When the crap gets stacked so high your truck becomes unstable, you have a problem.

 

[nutcracker]

Where do you get one of those? Love it!

you mentioned little things? well here

An absolute must on my truck



Bear head bottle opener

 

[eurosonic]

Where do you get one of those? Love it!

Google bear head bottle opener

 

[jeeps4fun]

Get rid of the clock, watch, phone, etc. The only time you should worry about is I'm hungry time, I'm sleepy time, I'm thirsty time, I'm horny time, and It's fishing time.

Quoted for posterity sake.

 

[biere]

Have to have, a full tank of fuel and some time.

GPS, I am going with a garmin that is still smarter than I am until I finish learning what all it can do and I will get something else for off road use. Lifetime maps and me hating cities makes a garmin kind of handy so I got one on sale a month ago.

CB is area dependant but when sitting in a major traffic jam it is nice to ask the truckers what is going on and if things will be moving or should an alternate route be found. I have some friends who still love their cb radios so I have an old cheap cb to install once I find an antenna for it.

Satellite radio is interesting but I had it for a year and did not renew it. I don't drive a ton and I like a dvr with my cable or satellite tv. Satellite radio had DJs telling me about new stations or specials or other crud I did not care about. I found myself channel hopping for music. I also found some songs repeated at regular intervals, for instance it almost seemed like a couple times a month certain songs were played on my off days.

So no dvr for satellite radio but I have an ok cd collection and will be installing a radio with an mp3 player input. Already have an mp3 player and the phone will also get some songs installed on it.

I have a dumb smart phone but my droid could have done a lot of the above. But I cracked its screen and dropped down to a simpler smart phone.

As much as I like the idea of a smart phone or netbook or tablet doing everything my vehicle needs it to do I would hate to have that one item die on me. If one thing dies I can work around that.

 

[hrt4me]

If you want to see the outside temperature and don't mind doing a little work, I have a setup that I bought for my '99 4runner and never installed - should fit fine on a 1st gen Taco. It's an A-pillar mounted gauge pod and a digital outside thermometer with a remote sensor. I no longer have that vehicle so PM me if you're interested in buying the temp gauge and pillar pod.

I am interested in additional details if you still have this available...

 

[fowldarr]

I like having satellite radio, but I drive quite a bit, I have an iPod full of songs as well (over 15,000 songs!)I guess I like music. Other than that, I keep an extra knife, flashlight, a basic car repair toolkit (couple of wrenches, pliers, jumper cables, etc). Because we are a family of six, we have a trailer we take on bigger trips, super nice to drop it at camp, and have the vehicle to explore. Before our big trip this summer, I plan to outfit it with water with spigot (maybe even hot water), some extra interior and exterior lights, and an awning.i don't drink beverages of the alcoholic variety (anymore) but the trailer does have a bottle opener attached, makes for a great way to meet people camping nearby. Chairs. For everybody. An extra pair of sunglasses. A break down fishing pole behind the seat with basic tackle, and a breakdown ruger 10-22 (provides hours of relatively cheap entertainment for the kids)

I carry more crap than I realized.....

 

[madmax718]

the only thing I really like having is a volt meter and oil pressure gauge. Everything else, I can kinda eh.. live without, doesn't bother me. Having moved from a full size rig to a med sized, you really miss the center console. My Blazer had one so large I could fit my boots and sneakers in there.

 

[hbmurphy]

you mentioned little things? well here

An absolute must on my truck



Bear head bottle opener

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