So I have narrowed things down a bit and made more decisions. I am really close to buying a set of drawers, I know what I want, it is pretty well decided on. Also I am getting a new fridge slide that will drop down since the fridge will be on top of the drawers. This I have also pretty much decided on. I have also decided that a rear bumper is happening, reasons being I don't really want my spare under the truck, I sliced that up good down in Johnson Valley last winter just doing mild off-roading. I plan to do some pretty good off-roading down south and don't want to deal with 6" gashes in my spares sidewall. On top of this I already have good jerry cans and would rather not be pulling 5-gallon cans off the roof. Plus less weight up top the better. My next big reasons for the rear bumper are I have a FR BBQ I like and want to take, it's meant to strap to the spare tire. I also have a Howling Moon trash bin that I want to use, it needs to strap to my spare tire. Last reason is for carrying my highlift jack. In the past I carry this inside the truck but that won't be possible with this build and I do not want it up top.
I feel x2 jerry cans will be enough spare fuel so not planning on doing any aux fuel tank. It would be nice (had 500+ mile range in my Taco) but it is not needed at all. It is pretty much 45mph in Central America everywhere. The 100 gets over 16mpg if I am doing 55mph so my range greatly increases in Latin America, doing 80mph my range sucks but not going slower. If I am geting decent mpg I can get close or even over 400 miles with the two jerry cans.
I am not getting crazy with things like hot water onboard or lots of lights. For camp lighting I may just go with some LED clip ons because they are cheap and easy to use and go anywhere I want, ie not fixed. I already have a couple Baja Design LEDs I will probably mount at the back of the truck but besides this, nadda. I will have a fuse panel at the back of the truck, run power ports, the BD lights and my fridge off this. That is about it. Headlamps work for any and every thing else.
As far as the rest of the build, there is not a lot I want or feel I need to do. Lockers would be nice but not really needed and I have a winch. I do plan to get far off the beaten track so they would be useful but not used enough to make it worth the expense. For air I am just going to get a new air compressor, my old Viair is getting pretty beat, I have had it since 2009. Upgrading and replacing it is on my list. I am still going to get set up with GPS but have not looked into it at all yet. A stereo is happening in the 100 too because the stock one is just beat and I need good tunes for the road. I will likely do a few security things to the truck but won't be detailing that much here in the thread. I may also do Slee skid plates, just have to wait and see. I am going to do some Fluidfilm or similar to the chassis for rust proofing. My chassis is in really good condition and I want to try and keep it that way, lot's of time camping on or near the beach so it needs something in the way of rust proofing. Not much else to do to the truck other than some maintenance stuff. I am betting I have to go to HD rear coils though and maybe even air bags. The truck is going to be heavy, that I have no doubts about.
My truck is kind of beat on the outside simply because the clear coat is shot in a few places. I also have the few dents in my fender from the ditch incident in June. Last weekend in Oregon I pin stripped the heck out of both sides of the truck. I am leaving all this alone for the time being. Not even close to being worth it to me to pay to have this fixd up here in the USA, just costs way to much. Plus I will be beating up the truck more on the trip. I am playing with the idea of having the truck painted down south in Mexico or say Colombia. Pretty cheap to do it down there compared to up here.
As far as adventure gear. I already have a really nice inflatable kayak for running rivers. I already have a surf board but will likely pick up another along the way. I need to get some new rock climbing shoes and a new rope, otherwise I am set for that gear. I also need a bit of new fishing gear but from my experience most of that is best to buy on the road. I may grab a good spear gun though before leaving as these are harder to come by on the road. I already have backpacking gear which doubles as river or sea kayak gear. I also already have snorkeling gear. I need x2 new camp chairs since I only currently have two. I need a little bit of stuff for my kitchen but not much, mostly already set up in this department for both base camp and light weight camping. I am buying a "trainer kite" because who doesn't like to fly a kite on the beach!? It will also help me learn kite surfing which I plan to learn on the trip. If and when I get to S. America and I want to go snowboarding or climb some mountains I will just have to pick that gear up down there. I already have dry bags and tons of other outdoor gear so I don't need to buy to much. I do have one big expensive purchase though in this department. That is x2 Trak Kayaks. I want sea kayaks on the trip, I could even say I need them. Having taken a 16.5ft bright red sea kayak all the way down to Panama before I know without any doubt that is not the way to go. Not only is it big and bulky it is a huge flashing sign on the truck saying "I am a gringo!". The Traks are collapsible kayaks that pack down into golf bag sized bags. I have used them before and have a buddy who is sponsored by Trak. That is about it really, got wet suits already and my padi card.
If things start happening fast for the new company I will need more gear fast, for this I will simply do a mad dash back up north if I am not in S. America, grab the gear and head back down south. Or just get it shipped to me. I certainly may end up renting a house somewhere at some point for a home base. Even if I just want to explore a certain area for a month or more. Luggage wise I will be going light. The amount of clothes I own will become pretty small when the trip gets started. I got no issues washing stuff regularly in camp or hotel bathrooms.
Cheers
