Let's discuss offroad adventure and "Gucci" vehicles

[LocoCoyote]

The difference is clear. Randy and Derrick Trent could tell every square inch of those rigs and could out build and out fabricate all of them in there sleep. Not to mention, build a better rig that will do the same thing. You are comparing an OEM manufacturer to a Nascar, a mini van to a Corvette! Again, show me the owner that has a clue on how to change his broken axle shaft or knows what a 300m shaft is. Better yet, tell me right now what size Ujoints are in your axles and drive shafts? That's my point, unprepared

The next time you are sitting on the side of the road in backwoodsville wherever, tell me about how you fabricated whatever part you broke or about how you can build your rig in your sleep.....but tell me after the tow truck (if you are lucky enough to be able to find one) gets you back to your shop.

in the meantime. I will keep driving......

 

[hitek79]

What a weird thread. I don't get why the OP cares so much, and what his ideal solution would be.

 

[zelatore]

What a weird thread. I don't get why the OP cares so much, and what his ideal solution would be.

I think you've hit the nail on the head - instead of the OP bashing all the 'gucci' rigs and telling us how the builders have no clue what they are doing, how about he shows us his solution? If he's playing in the MOG/EarthRoamer price range and has the mad fab skilz he claims, he should be able to build quite the vehicle.

So let's hear some positive suggestions on what you are building.

 

[motoz]

Is it just an American thing that people are so willing to label themselves as a type of person and defend there title so adamantly ???

I just don't understand the need to typecast by saying I like 'this' so this makes me 'that'.

Who really cares what you drive, your budget or where you travel. The fact that your doing it in any form it manifests is all that really matters.

 

[Yuman Desert Rat]

Oh boy, we are going to size things up eh? You'll fit right in around here lol.

36030's in my SWB/MWB Cruisers and rear of 100, 35031's in my 100 Series front... Our race car runs the 60070's. Toyota stuff, I've sold/installed a few (thousand) of them

Alas, I'm woefully unprepared. I best quit traveling. Do you teach classes


Edit: It's all beside the point. I meet global travelers quite regularly in my travels... they don't need to know the size of their u-joints, hell some can't even nerd out about the size of the ring gear on their 8" HP front axle BUT they are out doing, not talking about it and not staying home until they have the part numbers memorized. The vehicle is merely a medium to the adventure that is overlanding... not the entire aspect.

:iagree::clapsmile

 

[kojackJKU]

OP has a very small penis and he feels he needs to compensate by telling everyone here how inadequate they and their rigs are while sitting at home feeling sorry for himself. Meanwhile, All of us with Gucci rigs as he would call them are out traveling, wheeling, enjoying the world, fwith our families, he goes out and proves he's a man on the rocks for an hr a week and then goes back home to memorize parts and part numbers.

Poor guy.

 

[LocoCoyote]

Is it just an American thing that people are so willing to label themselves as a type of person and defend there title so adamantly ???

I just don't understand the need to typecast by saying I like 'this' so this makes me 'that'.

Who really cares what you drive, your budget or where you travel. The fact that your doing it in any form it manifests is all that really matters.

Yep....you nailed it!

 

[southpier]

Can someone refer the OP to pirate? Seems like he may find kindred spirits there.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/newbie-general-4x4-discussion/219725-attention-post-padding.html

you're welcome

 

[RubiconGeoff]

I don't have a Gucci budget, but I enjoy comfortable long-distance backcountry exploration as well as rockcrawling on trails like the Rubicon. That's why I have a modestly-built Jeep on 35's and an inexpensive Lifetime Tent Trailer that I've upfitted for use on harder trails. I'm not interested in dragging the trailer through the Rubicon Trail, but I don't mind using a regular tent every now and then. For the majority of trails, I can haul my trailer and either set it up as a base camp and go play in the rocks for the day with the Jeep, or I can make multi-state trips with two queen-size beds, a heater, a luggable loo, and a propane camp stove, and I can have a comfortable and restful night, night after night. I don't have granite countertops or flushing toilets but my wife and I are perfectly comfy and have every bit as much fun as the Gucci crowd, with arguably more backcountry capability and vehicular flexibility. "Overlanding" doesn't require a Gucci budget.

 

[Run dog]

Thanks for all the good feedback, I'll see you on the trail or at next years EXPO.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Thanks for all the good feedback, I'll see you on the trail or at next years EXPO.

I'll look for you at KOH in your expo costume. Perhaps we can meet up and play name that part number on random rigs... lol

 

[Robert Bills]

Thanks for all the good feedback, I'll see you on the trail or at next years EXPO.​

​

I'll look for you at KOH in your expo costume. Perhaps we can meet up and play name that part number on random rigs... lol​

​

OP has a very small penis and he feels he needs to compensate by telling everyone here how inadequate they and their rigs are. . . .

Pretty much sums up this thread for me.

In Run Dog's world, my 55 years experience offroad is woefully inadequate and I am unworthy. Funny thing, I don't give a rat's behind what Run Dog thinks. In fact, I have to wonder whether Run Dog has an offroad rig at all or whether he actually spends his days in his mother's basement staring at a computer monitor and imagining a life.

Run, dog, run.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

OP, can you please explain to me just why in the hell having all that technical information knocking about your head is important? I have a 2005 Nissan Frontier. Do I know the part numbers for every little part on it? No! There's thousands upon thousands of parts on it! Do I know the number for each of my u-joints? No, I carry a spare for each, so I don't have to. Do I know the number for my serpentine belt? No, I carry a spare because I don't have to. I know my truck. I know the weak points, and I know exactly what is the most likely to break when pushed too far. I have a box with those parts in the back of the truck.

COG and body roll, etc... Don't need the numbers. My butt lets me know something isn't right when it starts absorbing my seat. That kind of technical information is immaterial. I know what obstacles my truck will or will not go over, because I know it, I trust it, and I've spent enough time with it. Besides, my brain has better things to memorize, like what the best line through the rocky bits on Sawtooth Lake Trail is, or where's the best place to eat near the Independence Mine trail (it's the Roadkill Cafe, by the way).

And you're saying, "let's see these rigs take on the Rubicon or KOH." First of all, I know of several people on here that have done the Rubicon n their expo rigs. But I think you're missing the point. Overlanding, expo, all that, it's about eploring, experiencing, and traveling. It's not about conquering the landscape. This hobby we participate in is about the sights and the places, and being prepared if we have to traverse some rough stuff. It's not about purposely seeking out the rough stuff. A lot of people, myself included, are building their rigs for the sake of preparedness. Because they want to be able to continue on their journey if they reach a bog or a water crossing or a rocky hill, instead of saying, "well, I can't do this, might as well turn around and head home." You're really not giving mech credit at all to the amount of thought that goes into these vehicles. These are designed to be self-contained mobile life support centers.

And now you've gone and insulted the people on here by saying they are unprepared because they don't carry every single part with them as a spare, can't spout off every part number off the top of their heads, and don't know how to change a 400lb tire (why is this important to me? I drive a Nissan!). That is an absurd argument. That's like telling an everyday recreational scuba diver that he should be using double tanks and carrying a spare decompression cylinder simply because he's going underwater. An open water diver doen't need all that crap anymore than I need to carry spare axle shafts. Welcome to the land of 33" tires and stock powertrains bucko, where caution is the name of the game. We go out and explore in the full knowledge that the vehicle we're in has to get us home. Being light on the stupid pedal and not overbuilding the truck with giant tires and needless engine mods keeps them more reliable. Hence the need to carry less crap and be less concerned about specs and numbers.

I'll bet you're one of those people aren't you? You know, when a guy starts telling you about his latest off road experience and you go, "Oh that? That's not off roading. That's nothing! When we did KOH last year..." I hate that kind of bulls***. Just because we're not doing it as hardcore as you doesn't mean we're doing it wrong. Why do you feel the need to crap on everyone else's fun?

Oh, and by the way. Sportsmobiles are awesome. I have seen, firsthand, those vehicles go over some really gnarly terrain without skipping a beat. I would have zero reservations about buying one.

 

[DiploStrat]

Faster Dead Horses

While I doubt that this dead horse will go much faster, no matter how hard I beat it, please allow a few Parthian shots.

First of all, welcome. Rumor (and my posts, perhaps) to the contrary, there is room here for everybody and every interest here. I just get a bit prickly when when people confuse 'wheeling with overlanding. To me, wheeling is simply something that you may be forced to do to get somewhere; I would not drive to a trail just to take it. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't.

... I looked at the Tiger because We already have a Dodge 3500 as the platform. However, it's not really designed for offroad travel. We are really leaning on setting up the Dodge to run 42" Iroks, bypasses, Raceline beadlocks, Air Lockers, Atlas T-Case, skids, hydro assist steering and an XP pop up for low center of gravity.

Why would you say that a Tiger is not designed for off road travel and then propose to use an XP Camper? They are both based on exactly the same trucks and can be set up as mild or wild as you wish. Mark Wassman makes a nice product, but it has a lot of compromises that flow from its flat bed mount. Look again. Now, if you want to argue that with 40" tires you have to have a pop-top, then that may be reasonable. On the other hand, should you want air-conditioning or a pass through … You get the picture. There are a lot more Tigers going around the world than XP's. That said, these folks are definitely overlanding with an XP Camper: http://songoftheroad.com

Here is another, interesting take on the problem, just arrived in Japan after driving across Asia. Not what I would do, but interesting: http://turtleexpedition.com/vehicles/turtle-v/

On a side note, I spent 3 years in Afghanistan literally living out of a 40k lb MRAP and much prefer a smaller platform and want to build it for hunting in the NW and touring Alaska while still young lol. :ylsmoke:

With respect, you cannot equate travel in a war zone to overlanding. Mil spec vehicles generally have very limited range and massive recovery support (much like off road racing). Overlanding means unsupported travel, much closer to the local population; can't do that in a war zone.

Please consider these examples of the differences between wheelin' and overlanding.

-- Tires: For hard core 4x4 traction trumps tread life. Who cares how long it lasts if you can't climb the hill? But for overlanding, 40,000 miles vs. 20,000 miles could be huge, especially if you are considering paying for air freight.

-- Fue: Racer may want a booster pump to avoid starvation; overlander wants a second water separator to avoid the risk of blown injectors.

-- Size: Smaller is better for both, even if the overlander may be more worried about a parking space in England than a narrow canyon in Colorado, but what about living space? As soon as the vehicle is stopped, I want every inch of floor space I can get. I like traveling at any time of the year, so I want my camper heated and cooled. That alone makes me rule out any form of pop top, but others simply put on another layer. You can have a similar discussion on the virtues of 4x4 vans vs. camper format vehicles. I would love the shorter overall length, but the van gives up a tremendous amount of shoulder space and general has much less insulation.

-- PITA (Pain in the Ankles): Driving to the campsite, pitching a tent, and then scraping the skid plates for a week before moving again is one thing, but breaking camp every night and making it again the next day gets real old after a few weeks. Or a few months. After years of living in the back of a truck, I won't even put up with a folding couch - I want a queen sized bed that I don't have to fold out every night. Similarly, after years of cooking on Camping Gaz and portable stoves, I want a real cooktop.

There are no wrong answers but you have to remember that the questions are different.

So, tell us about this Rubicon RAM. :Wow1:

 

[NikonRon]

I seriously doubt that he knows all the part numbers, probably took him 2 hours to type out his post with all the research that was involved. Ron