The next sort of phase of this project has me adding some bits to the truck for everyday use like hauling firewood and motorcycles and whatnot. Using it as an everyday beater. But I'm also adding some things to promote overlanding function as well.
I like having a headache rack on a truck just in case of a crash or accident to keep things from crashing through the rear glass and into the cab. I think that's just pragmatic if you have a truck bed stocked with gasoline cans and tools and stuff on a trip or if you're hauling stuff around locally. Stuff happens. And it's a good way to get a front hoop by the cab for an overhead rack you can use for gear. Pairing it with a goalpost at the end of the bed helps make a materials rack but also a good platform for elevated camping. I got a lot of good ideas at the expo I'm hoping to capitalize on.
So, I'm going to work on building or buying something like this:
Ideally I'd like to buy a tubing bender and start doing my own tubing stuff, but that's a lot of capital to invest in something I use infrequently. I have a welder and all that already. I'll just have to see if the cost:benefit works out for buying or paying to have it made. Frugal is the name of the game here.
I've also been haunting the accessories section of the forum and reading up on tablets and software for nav and music. Black Friday deals are upon us. So, I'll probably be buying a 7 inch tablet and a ram mount, and maybe a ram mount for my phone too. I've been looking around for a CB to install in the truck as well, along with an antenna for the new rear bumper.
Recovery gear is another story too. Now that the original plastic bed liner is coming out, and I'll probably paint the bed surface in bedliner, I'm going to put some quick fists in to the bed sides and attach some hand tools, maybe make a place to secure my chainsaw. Or maybe I'll put those on the rack setup. I'm also shopping pretty hard for a winch too. It's getting pretty tight in the budget, but I'm going to keep my eyes open for a Warn product. But the guys over on the Dodge forums say that an extra cab 1500 really finds a 9.5k or 10k winch to be bare minimum and that a 12.5 is really what I'll need. That shoves me into a more expensive product bracket and maybe out of reach of Warn product, unless I buy used on eBay or get lucky on craigs or something. Still kind of liking the idea of using receivers front and rear with a removable winch so I don't have to ride around with the winch permanently mounted. The big grille/fenders and radiator placement in the Ram usually means a winch needs a bumper that juts forward a bit.
But as the truck sits, I can throw a shovel, axe, hatchet, and my camping gear in the back, along with a gas can or two, and head out onto some backroads to have some fun. So, it's pretty okay right now. My biggest enemy right now is ground clearance and traction, and probably not having a way to drag the truck out of a mudhole. But I could probably do most of the TAT with it like it sits right now, if I camp on the ground and judiciously choose my lines through muddy sections and rock. On the highway, the things just bebops down the road with no drama. The Rancho dampers and steering parts really straightened it out, and the Kumhos aren't loud at all.
So far, so bueno. But I still have work to do.