cjohns716
New member
Hi all,
Pretty new to EP (and loving it so far). Been camping for most my life, and will probably continue to sleep on the ground for as long as my body will let me. What I've recently gotten interested in is having a vehicle to get way back into the backcountry. I'm a big climber and ski tourer and love the idea of setting up camp in the back of beyond and climbing and skiing to my heart's content.
I live in Colorado, and when I moved here, did what 90% of transplants do and bought a Subaru Outback. It's been great. Great in the snow, great on forest roads, enough room to load up and car camp. But it does have limitations. I purposely didn't choose a Jeep or a truck when I bought because the few times that the capabilities would be necessary didn't outweigh the downsides as a daily driver. 2 hours each way (with no traffic...) to ski 40+ days a year, commuting for work, potential future kids, all added up to fuel efficiency being a bigger priority than off-road chops.
5 years later, my life plan has changed a bit, and getting a vehicle that isn't quite as practical as a true daily driver but I'd be able to 1. modify fairly easily and 2. is more capable off road seems like a possibility. I've been looking at a second vehicle, something used and abused (XJ, old Wrangler, old 4Runner, etc.) but I don't really have room to store a second car. Which has lead me to buying something that would be my only vehicle. I still cringe at the thought of a rolling brick and having to fill that tank too often (once COVID is under control and I'm driving back to work every day), which has lead me down the EV rabbit hole.
Seems like a no brainer. Boatloads of torque, high water fording depths, independent wheel motors. Really, the only downside at this point is range, but there are only a few times where 300 ish miles isn't quite enough for an excursion where I couldn't recharge. I like to think I'll keep my next car for a long, long time and I think EVs are going to be the majority of cars before we know it. Honestly, I'd buy an electric Bronco tomorrow (or a Wrangler for that matter) if they were available. Alas, seems like it'll be a few years until a fully electric version of either is on the market.
Rivian I think would be the obvious choice. The truck seems great (maybe remains to be seen how easy lifts and mods are). The SUV seems a bit large for a true off-roader, with 7 seats. The Nikola Badger is obviously some interesting eye candy, though from things I've read, feels prudent to be wary of the company. Bollinger seems too spartan inside to be a daily driver. Plus I haven't seen pricing, but at least from their materials, I'd guess them to be at least as expensive as Rivian, with far fewer creature comforts. The Cybertruck, I'm not keen on the look. TBD on what it looks like when it's actually released.
Any others people are aware of and are worth keeping an eye on? Anyone have any out of the box solutions for storing a second vehicle? I looked into offsite garages and that sort of thing, but frickin expensive.
Cheers all
Pretty new to EP (and loving it so far). Been camping for most my life, and will probably continue to sleep on the ground for as long as my body will let me. What I've recently gotten interested in is having a vehicle to get way back into the backcountry. I'm a big climber and ski tourer and love the idea of setting up camp in the back of beyond and climbing and skiing to my heart's content.
I live in Colorado, and when I moved here, did what 90% of transplants do and bought a Subaru Outback. It's been great. Great in the snow, great on forest roads, enough room to load up and car camp. But it does have limitations. I purposely didn't choose a Jeep or a truck when I bought because the few times that the capabilities would be necessary didn't outweigh the downsides as a daily driver. 2 hours each way (with no traffic...) to ski 40+ days a year, commuting for work, potential future kids, all added up to fuel efficiency being a bigger priority than off-road chops.
5 years later, my life plan has changed a bit, and getting a vehicle that isn't quite as practical as a true daily driver but I'd be able to 1. modify fairly easily and 2. is more capable off road seems like a possibility. I've been looking at a second vehicle, something used and abused (XJ, old Wrangler, old 4Runner, etc.) but I don't really have room to store a second car. Which has lead me to buying something that would be my only vehicle. I still cringe at the thought of a rolling brick and having to fill that tank too often (once COVID is under control and I'm driving back to work every day), which has lead me down the EV rabbit hole.
Seems like a no brainer. Boatloads of torque, high water fording depths, independent wheel motors. Really, the only downside at this point is range, but there are only a few times where 300 ish miles isn't quite enough for an excursion where I couldn't recharge. I like to think I'll keep my next car for a long, long time and I think EVs are going to be the majority of cars before we know it. Honestly, I'd buy an electric Bronco tomorrow (or a Wrangler for that matter) if they were available. Alas, seems like it'll be a few years until a fully electric version of either is on the market.
Rivian I think would be the obvious choice. The truck seems great (maybe remains to be seen how easy lifts and mods are). The SUV seems a bit large for a true off-roader, with 7 seats. The Nikola Badger is obviously some interesting eye candy, though from things I've read, feels prudent to be wary of the company. Bollinger seems too spartan inside to be a daily driver. Plus I haven't seen pricing, but at least from their materials, I'd guess them to be at least as expensive as Rivian, with far fewer creature comforts. The Cybertruck, I'm not keen on the look. TBD on what it looks like when it's actually released.
Any others people are aware of and are worth keeping an eye on? Anyone have any out of the box solutions for storing a second vehicle? I looked into offsite garages and that sort of thing, but frickin expensive.
Cheers all
