great G wagon video very capable even stock :)
- Thread starter r3run33
- Start date
Johnny Christensen
Adventurer
It does things very well in stock form. The desire to modify them with portal axles and serious looking kit, is not really related to practical use.
Johnny Christensen
Adventurer
Yup, and for the price of portals and other expo bling gear - you can almost do a round-the-world tour in the stock G.
Now what would you rather do? Create grand memories for the rest of your life. Or have a mean looking truck for a brief time - before you sell it for another build project.
Now what would you rather do? Create grand memories for the rest of your life. Or have a mean looking truck for a brief time - before you sell it for another build project.
What is Expo Bling going to cost you think? $50k max. You can't even go around Europe with that money, forget about around the world. A newer stock G with those stock tires cant go too far before getting stuck and then how are you going to get it out with that stock bumper with no winch? They should fill those holes with water and shoot the video again showing how the G does. And forget about taking that newer G anywhere remote unless you got a Unimog full of tools and Star diagnosis and spare parts following you around. It all depends where you want to go and how you want that experience to be. If you go unprepared because you didn't want to spend anything on expo bling it could even cost you your life.
Johnny Christensen
Adventurer
Have you ever considered that getting stuck is not leathal if you are on friendley terms with the locals? You can't tour europe on a 50K budget? Try avoiding hotels and resturants, and use the vehicle as your base. I'm amazed that some actually believes that their world will fall apart without the latest bragging rights gear.
I use a 20 year old G and have very ordinary job, no millionaire trust fund to support me. Guess what, plenty of travel can be done if you put your mind to it. But then again, I'm not shy of getting a little cold, dirty and tired when I'm out.
thebigblue
Adventurer
Hear hear Johnny
My only 10 year old G just hit the 320.000 km mark, it´s still almost stock (bigger 33" tires - no lift), ********** full with electronics, but still it has seen most of remote Morocco, Western Sahara and Iceland to name the more remote places I've taken her
I had scratchs in my paint, the Defenders, Discoverys and Cruisers in the party broke down with serious damages. And a simple pair of Maxtrax saved her from sliding of on a step hill in the Pyrenees this spring ... no winch needed, - just saying
My only 10 year old G just hit the 320.000 km mark, it´s still almost stock (bigger 33" tires - no lift), ********** full with electronics, but still it has seen most of remote Morocco, Western Sahara and Iceland to name the more remote places I've taken her
I had scratchs in my paint, the Defenders, Discoverys and Cruisers in the party broke down with serious damages. And a simple pair of Maxtrax saved her from sliding of on a step hill in the Pyrenees this spring ... no winch needed, - just saying I'm not saying you need to get all the most expensive gear or the world will fall apart. Looks like you are jealous of others since you think it's all for bragging rights. Like I said it's all about where you are going and how you want your experience to be. My idea of traveling is not driving and camping right through everything. You usually need money to enter any good museum and a lot of places you can only camp on designated campsites which you may have to pay for. It also depends on if you're going alone or a group. If you're going to travel a road nobody's been through in 5 years would you rather spend most of your time cutting downed trees with an axe or handsaw or invest in a good reliable chainsaw. If you're going to travel on unplowed roads in the winter with 3 or more feet of snow those portals and big tires are going to be a blessing unless you want to be outside most of the time hooking up the winch rope and shoveling.
Johnny Christensen
Adventurer
I'm not jealous of other people's excessive gear. But what is bothering me, is that the tendency of tying up all your availeble money in "stuff" and then thinking that this traveling thing is so expencive - that they never get going. And that is a shame, becourse cheating youself by placing financial or mental barriers in front of yourself, you will miss out of the experiences that should be your end goal. That is, if you WANT to go places and see things. I know that some people don't, but let's assume for argument sake that they do.
What I'm saying, is that the G is in factory design a very good vehicle for traveling. It can take some very punishing conditions. Putting on boutique designer portal axles, 2000 USD roofracks and other kinds of bling, is not a requirement and serves mostly to build something that looks great / mean / tough.
You put out a number of 50.000 USD and say- that it is not enough. I'd say that it is a very good sum to go traveling with, you will have no problem exploring europe and a large chunk of africa too. Museums, campgrounds, gasstations, ferries, local attractions will all welcome you and you will go far.
What I'm trying to say, is don't waste your money or life in waiting, GO!!! as it is not that complicated.
What I'm saying, is that the G is in factory design a very good vehicle for traveling. It can take some very punishing conditions. Putting on boutique designer portal axles, 2000 USD roofracks and other kinds of bling, is not a requirement and serves mostly to build something that looks great / mean / tough.
You put out a number of 50.000 USD and say- that it is not enough. I'd say that it is a very good sum to go traveling with, you will have no problem exploring europe and a large chunk of africa too. Museums, campgrounds, gasstations, ferries, local attractions will all welcome you and you will go far.
What I'm trying to say, is don't waste your money or life in waiting, GO!!! as it is not that complicated.
McBride
Adventurer
This thread is funny. This same conversation has been happening between men for centuries; battle axe vs broadsword, horse vs mule, prop plane vs jet. I can imagine a conversation happening around a fire amongst pioneers on the Santa Fe trail. The guy with a horse and pony comments to the guy with a big covered wagon and a team of 8 horses - something about the advantages of being fast and light - while the wagon guy is chomping on bacon from the whole pig he has hanging in his wagon and drinking water from one of his 50 gallon barrels. It's timeless.
I'm in a quandary as I agree with both sides of this debate. I've been a backpacker my whole life - well over 1000 days out, most of it guiding - Minimal gear but well equipped for the worst - lots of winter backpacking. I've also used mostly stock vehicles to travel the back country - Land Cruisers, Range Rovers, GMC trucks and most recently G Wagens - they all got thru my adventures.
But Ilian's point is solid. What you consider "difficult" or "extreme" or "normal" or "practical" might be very different from somebody else's thoughts on the matter.
A portal G can absolutely go places where a stock G can't. My buddy's expedition Unimog can absolutely go places where my portal G can't. They are different animals. Similar but different in their capabilities. Some terrain requires greater vehicle capability, drivers skill and experience and specialized equipment "bling".
I think "bling" is relative as well. If you use it, it's not bling - it's equipment, a tool ... If you have it but haven't yet used it, and you go on offroad adventures, it could be considered that you are well prepared and/or take minimal risks ...If you have an off road expo rig and you don't go out on off-road adventures then it's just bling.
Because of my work I can only go on adventures in the winter and so my equipment has had to be adapted. I like remote and absolute solitude and I usually travel alone - it's how I recharge. I am comfortable with the higher level of exposure and risks associated with solo back country/mountain travel in winter conditions. I usually push my vehicles limits and often get stuck in the snow - and I'm not talking highways - just back country dirt tracks - an average trip might be 8-10 days out. That's the main reason for the portals and 35's - so I don't have to turn back as soon and so I'll have a better chance of getting thru or out after the big storms. Crossing ranges in the snow is awesome - once you get beyond 14" - 16" of snow you rarely see any other vehicle tracks. This will be my first year with portals and I'm super excited to see where I can go. I have a lot of extraction "bling" and I use it regularly to free the camper. I would be an idiot to go in without it (and other winter kit essentials). There are usually no locals and no 911 when the conditions get beyond what a close to stock vehicle can handle - my experience is that starts when the snow is dense and is about skid plate depth - it just packs up under the skid plates and your wheels spin - how gnarly your tires are doesn't matter when there's no weight on them. You go days without seeing signs of another vehicle. I have no expectation for rescue, never have - just get yourself out. It's an adventure and your on your own! Hopefully your prepared for the worst case scenarios and/or a long stay.
For some of us, that kind of adventure travel is normal and our vehicles are built accordingly. To say it's practical is relative; I'm sure there are those who would say it is.
Everybody is different and that's a good thing. Homogeny is better left to things like milk.
And what Johnny just said, Go! I remember my first backpacking trip - carried my gear in a cardboard box.
William
I'm in a quandary as I agree with both sides of this debate. I've been a backpacker my whole life - well over 1000 days out, most of it guiding - Minimal gear but well equipped for the worst - lots of winter backpacking. I've also used mostly stock vehicles to travel the back country - Land Cruisers, Range Rovers, GMC trucks and most recently G Wagens - they all got thru my adventures.
But Ilian's point is solid. What you consider "difficult" or "extreme" or "normal" or "practical" might be very different from somebody else's thoughts on the matter.
A portal G can absolutely go places where a stock G can't. My buddy's expedition Unimog can absolutely go places where my portal G can't. They are different animals. Similar but different in their capabilities. Some terrain requires greater vehicle capability, drivers skill and experience and specialized equipment "bling".
I think "bling" is relative as well. If you use it, it's not bling - it's equipment, a tool ... If you have it but haven't yet used it, and you go on offroad adventures, it could be considered that you are well prepared and/or take minimal risks ...If you have an off road expo rig and you don't go out on off-road adventures then it's just bling.
Because of my work I can only go on adventures in the winter and so my equipment has had to be adapted. I like remote and absolute solitude and I usually travel alone - it's how I recharge. I am comfortable with the higher level of exposure and risks associated with solo back country/mountain travel in winter conditions. I usually push my vehicles limits and often get stuck in the snow - and I'm not talking highways - just back country dirt tracks - an average trip might be 8-10 days out. That's the main reason for the portals and 35's - so I don't have to turn back as soon and so I'll have a better chance of getting thru or out after the big storms. Crossing ranges in the snow is awesome - once you get beyond 14" - 16" of snow you rarely see any other vehicle tracks. This will be my first year with portals and I'm super excited to see where I can go. I have a lot of extraction "bling" and I use it regularly to free the camper. I would be an idiot to go in without it (and other winter kit essentials). There are usually no locals and no 911 when the conditions get beyond what a close to stock vehicle can handle - my experience is that starts when the snow is dense and is about skid plate depth - it just packs up under the skid plates and your wheels spin - how gnarly your tires are doesn't matter when there's no weight on them. You go days without seeing signs of another vehicle. I have no expectation for rescue, never have - just get yourself out. It's an adventure and your on your own! Hopefully your prepared for the worst case scenarios and/or a long stay.
For some of us, that kind of adventure travel is normal and our vehicles are built accordingly. To say it's practical is relative; I'm sure there are those who would say it is.
Everybody is different and that's a good thing. Homogeny is better left to things like milk.
And what Johnny just said, Go! I remember my first backpacking trip - carried my gear in a cardboard box.
William
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Arktikos
Explorer
Holy Hell, why not? I could.
DUTCH
Curmudgeon
+100%
Well said McBride! When I said $50k I was thinking of people like McBride and others who have built their trucks better than most of us. Usually $20-25k is enough to get an older G ready for expedition travel. Lets face it, most of us don't take a brand new vehicle to outfit and modify so some money will have to go towards making the vehicle reliable enough. I'm also thinking of camping gear included in that $20-25k amount unless you like eating MRE's all the time and sleep in the drivers seat.
calicamper
Expedition Leader
The G is a impressive machine but that video doesn't show anything heck the C-class based GLC video is more impressive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kFubPR-NYA
Good friend is a G nut to the 10th power. Even joined him on a Gwagon fathers day trip a couple of years ago tagging along with my Toyota Sequoia he lead the mild off roaders on a route just north of the Rubicon. The day before a few of them yes in G's did a large section of the Rubicon. Yes they are impressive machines big $$$'s too LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kFubPR-NYA
Good friend is a G nut to the 10th power. Even joined him on a Gwagon fathers day trip a couple of years ago tagging along with my Toyota Sequoia he lead the mild off roaders on a route just north of the Rubicon. The day before a few of them yes in G's did a large section of the Rubicon. Yes they are impressive machines big $$$'s too LOL
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