NAS LR3 build with an overseas twist

[Ray_G]

Wow Ray..It looks like an amazing property down there but it looks like the garage would be a selling point to me as well ! Insulation and lift would be 2 things I would do first..Rovers need addressing pretty often after all. Congrats !!
All I know now that, thanks to your review, I will defiantly never buy a soft top RTT but steer your route and source a clamshell or partial clamshell hardshell Roof Tent.
After completing a 8000 miles road trip with soft-shell, it is not for us for sure. Scary and very loud in moderate winds and fuel economy goes way down with it. I lost around 100 miles to a tank driving with it on top of Prospeed roof rack. Cheers !

Wow that is a drop in fuel economy.

By comparison, my truck may have seen 1mpg...perhaps .5, with the addition of the autohome. I can get between 250-300mi on a tank depending on how I'm driving, and that hasn't drastically changed since putting the RTT.

To your point about the garage, insulation will be going in for sure. The roof already has it which is nice, but the walls as you can see will get it added probably this fall. Lift will be longer term, but is definitely in the works.

 

[Ray_G]

Despite the reality that the new house has taken over funds, time, and attention the workhorse still gets some love amidst the labor.

By labor I mean:

Then a day later

But the latter got us this:

As well as this:

During the week I decided it was time to wrap up the solar plunge though. We have a long road trip up to WI where we'll be using the RTT to sleep a bunch, and quite frankly when we downsize our NOVA dwelling situation I won't be able to plug the genius in as much so I figured now was the time.

I grabbed a victron mppt controller and a 100w flexible panel, and off we went. Panel mounts to aluminum runners between the l track on the RTT. It's low and tucks in well. Wiring runs down the a pillar to the controller which is in the aux battery box tucked under the brake lines.

Overall looks good in my opinion, and just as importantly works well with no impact on the RTT raising and such.

Spent the weekend moving the S1 but also popped in on the ROVERS event at Twin Mountain, love Galen's series.

Want...

Obligatory full moon night shot.

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[jerdog53]

Nice!

 

[Ray_G]

Trailer loads continue and she just keeps hauling.

Knocked out the first oil change in the garage. A lift will be nice but the fumoto and some ramps still makes this super easy.

Speaking of the garage...I fall deeper for it every time I'm in it.

RTT still earns her keep as the bedroom till we get more furnishings in place. We got hit with some seriously intense storms Sat pm. No issues with water ingress but the roads around the area took a hit (& washouts caused an hour and a half detour for the beginning of the trip to Wisconsin by way of Indiana.

Rear tailgate, remains perfect for food prep vice eating fast food.

Someone didn't appreciate the picture taking...

Stopping at one of PhD cohort's place in Indiana...good sun, good time to get bugs cleaned off the windshield and dry off the outside and air out the inside of the tent since we will be sleeping in it quite a bit this week

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[Ray_G]

Northern WI, everyone packed into the matriarch's house...we are like, it's ok-we'll camp.

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[Ray_G]

Some glamour shots.

Necessity is the mother of...making space for important things.

Like this

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[Ray_G]

So another trip complete. It is difficult to understate how superb of a vehicle these trucks are for long haul road trips. Particularly when you add in the fridge.

If I'm being honest I kind of wish I hadn't retained all the stuff in the back we take when we go camping-i.e. the rotopax, the full set of tools, full set of recovery gear, etc. But it's also worth noting that the wife, two daughters, and I managed to get their tentage, sleeping bags, and our baggage (two North Face duffels, the wife's REI suitcase b/c she just wasn't, and backpacks, into the truck.

Managed to do over 2650mi in the past week plus a day or two, including hauling more stuff up to our trailer and then shooting out through Indiana to visit one of the wife's PhD cohort, up to MSP to grab the kiddos coming in from Montana, way up north for the 4th (+ time on the Brule river, and then the MIL's retirement party on Sat). Sun am, into the truck for the long haul back. No hiccups, no issues, just utility.

I do have some actual tech in stock...but the main components of that are manifested for Aug arrival in the container...

 

[T.J.]

2nd of 3 straight weekends we'll spend in the truck down. Nothing significant to report with the truck other than she works. In this case I started my Fri am in Va Beach.
View attachment 517299
When done with work down there, drove back to Northern VA, linked up with the wife, drove to WV to be there for the next morning's start time. Arrived circa 1030, tent was up and we were in it in minutes. Ended up setting up in the shade of the park's office, both to minimize sunlight first thing in the am and be ready for the LR MD folks that were coming up.
View attachment 517300
As is often the case at Twin Mountain, it seems dry but the trails down in the draws retain a lot of water. So the easy trail ended up being less than easy. First a Dii lost traction and almost ended up in the stream, and was so out of position that we ended up winching her over the log bridge and up/out backwards. The LR4 that followed her got the right line, but with the spirited driving managed to tear a hole in his sidewall. So as he got to the bridge his front tire was totally flat and required changing....
View attachment 517301
Plenty of other action to get the group out took place. As the above shot notes, maxtrax/action trax were used extensively along with the winches. I was in Coyote for all of this and will post some more pics there since this is about the D3 for the most part. That said, never get shots of myself so this cracked me (screenshot from a video), coil sprung 3 in the background came across with no issues...and I got a good workout throughout the day hauling muddy MTs.
View attachment 517302
Eventually we got everyone out. As we made dinner that night I got a good shot of the back of the truck being used for pretty much everything: prepping kabob, eating hummus, pouring wine, and airing up someone elses tires. All at the same time.
View attachment 517303
Final shot of two of the three coil sprung trucks on site this weekend together.
View attachment 517304
Love the sticker, may have to get it in dark gray/black for my truck.
And finally my two girls together.
View attachment 517305
A few days of 'down time' doing the regular job, and then memorial day will make the 3rd weekend out in the tent in a row.
r-
Ray

I know that silver LR3, and the Scottish owner.

 

[Ray_G]

As both a Scot and a Marine he is disreputable....thus we got along swimmingly.


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[Ray_G]

More to follow....


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[Ray_G]

But before I refresh the coils to get after some Heavy HD in the back...routine issues.

I hate roofing nails. (& living in townhouses where folks get their roofs redone throughout the summer so you end up not knowing even how long you had them)

Ended up as copilot for some backroad exploration this weekend. Using topo maps to scout and validate places to send folks and to explore ourselves.

A navy base...in the mtns of WV.

Now to hop bike on the bike, go back to my place, where my 3 patiently waits.

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[Ray_G]

Early am oil change.

Picked up a Milwaukee 18v chain saw to put in the truck for the winter. Immediate test delivered good returns, even if I wasn't quite wearing all the appropriate safety equipment.

Tucked it in the back for now. It will likely move to a different spot before it's all said and done.

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[Victory_Overland]

Nice!

 

[Ray_G]

Some shots from exploring the forest service roads around our house...after we put the tent back on for next weekend with a hasty hoist install.

Best time of year

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[Ray_G]

Guy Fawkes, always an adventure.

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