Flyer's '02 Tundra adventure build

toyotech

Expedition Leader
Loving the build. Hope you are enjoying the bumper. The new fuel carrier looks nice. The RTT looks so comfy and set up must be a breeze.


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Flyer69

Observer
Loving the build. Hope you are enjoying the bumper. The new fuel carrier looks nice. The RTT looks so comfy and set up must be a breeze.


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Thanks Jose! It's worked out really well for me so far. And yes, setup on the RTT takes all of 30 seconds with a beer in one hand.:beer:
 
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
Pretty sure if my Tundra was a 4x4, I'd be cloning your build ;-)
 

Flyer69

Observer
JB Awning

I also recently picked up a 2.5-meter James Baroud awning and a pair of Front Runner load bars and 40mm mounting brackets, but I only took a few photos and none of them show how it mounts up. I will be swapping out my old Yakima tracks for a pair of much beefier Front Runner tracks soon, and I will do a better job of taking photos then. When I bought the JB awning, I also ordered their fancy $100 mounting brackets thinking I would need them, but I ended up returning them because the factory brackets worked much better for my rig.

The fancy brackets:
JB Fancy Awning Brackets.jpg

The factory brackets (there are actually 3, which will be great for when I add a 3rd load bar to my rack system):
JB Factory Awning Mounts.jpg

In the garage (sorry, not much detail here)
JB Awning open box.jpg

Here it is pitched on my rig:
JB Awning 1.jpg

The factory guy lines are generic white cordage, and the tensioners are plastic. I ordered some 3mm Glowire and some aluminum Bar Tensioners from Lawson Equipment. Lawson is a small mom & pop outfit that makes really high quality cordage. The Glowire has reflective strands in it so people (hopefully) won't trip over the awning guy lines at night. The bright orange color helps during the day too.

Lawson Glowire 3mm.jpgLawson Bar Tensioner 3mm.jpg

I almost bought a Rhino Rack awning, but decided on the JB for a couple reasons. JB has cleverly attached the cover to the awning fabric/frame so that it wraps tightly around the rolled up awning and has a solid velcro closure all along the bottom edge. It also uses 3 velcro straps for extra security. To me this means no flapping cover at highway speeds. I'm sure there are sturdier (and heavier...) awnings out there, but so far this one seems like it will meet my needs and keep the canopy-mounted weight down. The real selling point for me, however, was the optional wall kit to create a nice room. The walls are made of the same thick, waterproof, aluminized fabric and has the same kind of screened zip-open windows as the RTT, which I am already super impressed with. Having spent a lot of time in backpacking tents and experiencing a few zipper failures, I think the curved shape of the window openings will make for easy opening/closing and less stress on the material and zippers themselves. I think it looks pretty cool too. If I could wish for one improvement, it would be for the awning to somehow attach to the top shell of the RTT, so that the ladder and tent entrance could be sheltered. I've seen pictures of a similar Autohome vestibule, but I suppose a guy can't have everything...

This pic is from the internet, but I promise to post a few of my own once I get it all together:
JB Awning sidewalls.jpg

It will be great for a little wind shelter, for showers, and for one of these to keep my wife and daughter happy: :sombrero:
Hassock.jpg

BTW, speaking of showers, I've always been a fan of the good old-fashioned SunShower, but I stumbled across another neat shower device the other day from one of my favorite backpacking stores and thought I'd share:
http://www.dutchwaregear.com/simple-shower-bottle.html
simple_shower_on_bottle.jpgsimple_shower_stream.jpg
 
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toyotech

Expedition Leader
Nice. Mod bug got you lol. That awning is huge!! It extends so far out. Does the awning zip back in the bag or Velcro. I got confused.


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Flyer69

Observer
Nice. Mod bug got you lol. That awning is huge!! It extends so far out. Does the awning zip back in the bag or Velcro. I got confused.


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The awning has a ~12" long flap (instead of a storage bag) that is made of some kind of black vinyl coated canvas that attaches to the frame at the same place as the awning fabric itself. If you zoom in close you can see it as a black strip at the truck end of the awning. The flap just lays on top of the awning when it's open. When it is all rolled up, the flap wraps around the awning from top to bottom. It has velcro all along the edge, and the mating velcro strip is along the inside bottom edge of the awning frame. There are also velcro straps at each end and in the middle that go all the way around the rolled up awning.
 
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Flyer69

Observer
How is mpg with all those extra pounds?

I have been running a ScanGauge since last year before adding the RTT, bumpers, etc, and the mpg penalty has been about 1 mpg. I average 15.5 to 16 hwy on most trips. City mileage is more like 12 or so with all the stop signs and whatnot. That's the biggest reason I went with a hardshell RTT, as I plan to leave it mounted all the time and didn't want a brick on the roof.

How does my mpg compare with you other Tundra owners out there?
 

theBullfrog125

Adventurer
That's good mileage IMO considering you have the V8. I get about 17 average loaded down with my 3.4l and bumper, rack, RTT, etc
 

toyotech

Expedition Leader
10-12 around town. Unsure on highway but it does a lot better. Weight doesn't seem to after my mpg much.


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