New Vehicle, new to all of this.

[Jwatt38]

Hey everyone. New guy here. New all around.
I just purchased a 93 suburban, I got that fancy Silverado edition, it’s needs some love to get it road worthy as it was a river toy, mud toy. I think I’m ok there regarding what I need to do and the order in which I need to do it.
As far as a “build” goes, that’s where I get a little overwhelmed. Do I wanna sleep inside, rtt, or bring a big tent? Do I take of the tire/wheel situation (running 36” super swampers)? Where does recovery fit it? What tools? Where does everything go? So many options.
I do photography work, into hiking and backpacking all that, mountain biking.....want to try kayaking, plan on hunting in the near future......I have a family( 4 of us), the oldest is out and on his own and the younger one is a teenager, so very soon it could be just me and the lady or just me.
I think all the cool stuff is cool. Of course. Cause I’m a dude. But my money doesn’t flow like that so I have to be thoughtful and know this will change over time and evolve.
So my question is this I guess, how did you plan your rig? How did you land on this or that? Where did you start?

 

[Marine]

I started out with just a tent, my bow and as things progressed I decided what I needed not what I wanted. The best I can do for you is get it road worthy and enjoy the misadventures

 

[rayra]

100cu' behind the front seats with any Suburban, an RTT seems a useless expense for fashion. An 8person ground tent is <$200.
Hit the 'vortec and gmt800 mechnical' link in my sig and there's a roster of Suburban / Tahoe owners' build topics in this forum. Lots of ideas. Including one built out for camping and use by a photographer.

For starters I'd strongly suggest a baselining of all maintenance. Go over everything, lube everything, change all the fluids. 'Examine the entrails, divine the future' of your maintenance needs. And 36" swampers, post pics!
As for the rest of 'overlanding', I suggest going out and using it first, figure your needs the practical way. It costs a lot less And with a 30gal+ fuel tank / ~400mi range, you don't need to festoon your rig with fuel jugs.
Start with whatever camping gear you have, take some shovels, tow / recovery strap. Keep the long wheelbase in mind for high-center possibilities and try to keep the wheels out of deep ruts until you get a feel for driving that beast AND until you've done all your maintenance AND checked your u-joints. Because you get that much vehicle stuck in a rut, with those tall tires and let your lack of experience with it 'give it all she's got', you're going to wish you brought your hiking gear too as you hike out for a tow or some new u-joints.
Enjoy your Sub. They've got a ton of room for family / friends and gear.

And you should start with reading @CrazyDrei 's topic for both the Good and the Bad of it. Whole thing's a great promo and cautionary tale, at the same time.

 

[CrazyDrei]

Welcome, guess we wanna see your rig, lol.

Your generation Suburban is an awesome truck, 42.5 gal gas tank, and more room than some tiny houses. It's perfect for what you want to do with it, all you need to do now is get out and do it.

running 36” super swampers

Weak, I say you get at least 37s, or maybe even step upto 40s!

enjoy the misadventures

Completely agree, just go out there and have fun.

Start with whatever camping gear you have, take some shovels, tow / recovery strap.

This is a perfect start kit for any truck, but once you get out and get stuck a couple times you'll either learn how to navigate obstacles better or will get really good at recovering yourself.

RTT seems a useless expense for fashion

There is enough room in the back for 2 adults to sleep comfortably behind the second row. Kids can always sleep in a $20 walmart tent on the ground.

Best advice is to enjoy the cheap gas and to get out and play instead of building a dream truck that never leaves your driveway.

 

[Jwatt38]

As she sits now.

Goal number 1 is def get it road worthy.

I was thinking the RTT thing was not a likely route from me but I know it’s an option. Will most likely be sleeping inside this bad boy. Been sketching some ideas.

 

[Jwatt38]

@Shovel Thank you for that reply....man, yes. this has sort of been my line of thinking, this wording is all spot on.

This rig just needs some proper love, it seems like it was sort of taken care of, used hard for sure as a river toy gets used, but taken care of. Example, I found cigarette butts in the ashtray, not one burn hole in the whole vehicle. Theres no tape or wire holding anything together, its missing some bolts here and there......

 

[Overlandtowater]

Welcome, I'd drop down to 35s and base line the rig with maintenance. I planned my rig based on my needs, I kayak fish so everything is based on finding access to fishing spots. I am not done with it yet but it's not far off. So I will camp inside the truck atop a drawer system that will house my fishing gear,cooking supplies, toolroll. Hang my rods off the ceiling. All that to say almost everyone has different wants when it comes down to it. Find what you think will work and go from there changing what you need when you need to. Keep it simple and enjoy.