I've got a big old to-do list to plan for spring and summer. So far there are three small trips planned and one larger one in the works towards October to revolve around Overland Expo East 2017.
• My first order of business is to share some Subaru gear. I got the awesome privilege of becoming a Subaru Ambassador, so I'm looking forward to going to car shows in the Detroit area (not exactly my cup of tea, but a great chance to share some gear and experiences).
• I've been getting more and more into "bushcraft-type" camping lately, and I love the idea of a minimalistic camp setup. I plan on taking a lot of quick overnight trips and documenting those - gear, locations, and what I've got in the Subaru, since it's going to be my dedicated camping car.
• I'm participating in a rally here in Michigan in April. We'll be using a $500 budget to build up a 1999 Subaru Forester, and I'm both excited and nervous for the event. Should be a great time, but I get terribly car sick and I'm the co-pilot / navigator
• Our first trip of the year is going to be Memorial Day weekend, just doing some light camping at a friends' cabin. It will be the first time we'll be out as a family, so I've got to prepare for comfort. It will also be the first time we use the new incoming Oz Tent RV3, which I'm very excited for. I had a very interesting time trying to figure out the logistics of traveling with that tent. It's 6.5' long when packed up, and that won't fit inside the little Subaru. I could just strap it down to the Euro crossbars, but that didn't make me feel very comfortable. My last option was to throw it in the Thule roof box, but it's too short! My conclusion was to get a different roof box. I traded in the Thule Force L box for a Thule Pulse Alpine box, meant for skis and snowboards. It's a few inches shorter, thinner, and much longer at almost 7.5'! I saw one on a BMW this weekend and I like the low-profile design of it, and it should house the Oz Tent and all our camping gear with no problem.
• Second trip of the year is going to be a multi-day "overland" trip through the upper peninsula. Again, the Subaru and Oz Tent will be used, but I'll have to gear up a bit differently. We'll be traveling down some fire trails and doing a bit of light off-roading, so the Subaru is going to need to get some beef. I'm outfitting it with Geolandar all-terrains (removing the Altimax winter tires), installing a Primitive aluminum skid plate, and replacing the Euro-style crossbars with a Thule square bar setup. Reason for the last item is so I can use my ARB awning. I have a LabRak mount that works great with the Thule square bars, and the Euro wing bars aren't compatible with anything I can use the awning with. I'm also looking at the SSD front light bar to mount some Hella long-range driving lights to traverse the trails at night. We'll be hitting a very rustic cabin for a night or two, and then heading up the Keweenaw peninsula. I'll be looking into the possibility of taking kayaks for this trip, which would involve a trailer since the roof will be tied up with the Thule box. If that's the case, my options for a hitch and wiring are a Class II hitch that hangs under the fascia of the car. It's much cheaper than the alternative, but I do not like the design at all. The alternative is the Torklift "Eco" hitch, which mounts behind the fascia and uses the Euro fog light cover for the ball mount. It's a great design, very beefy, and is tucked up so that my precious ground clearance won't be an issue. Either way, the plan is to build a cheap trailer and put the kayaks on it. Total weight would be less than 500lbs.
• Third trip of the year will be our annual family weekender up to Mackinac Island. We will stop at a family cabin on a lake, so I'd like to bring kayaks along with the bikes. I'll have to cram both bikes on the crossbars next to the Thule box, and pull the kayaks on the little trailer.
Just waiting for that lovely tax return to drop and I'll continue the Subaru build to gear up for some pretty great family adventures this year
