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01-18-08, 10:08 PM
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#61 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by concretejungle
Dave, sweet write-up and hell yea on the trip!
Tell me how your liking your tent? Any changes to that at all?
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i need to slide it back like 2 inches to clear up some room up front on the rack. honestly, as i said above it's a little too plush for a dirty hippy like me. there has only been one incident with the tent and that was my fault. i didn't put the cover back on right and the mattress soaked up a ton of rain. i let it air out in nicaragua and it's been fine ever since. I will have a far better opinion after the deserts of chile and argentina after I get a 5 or 6 nights in a row using the tent. it's just something i've never dealt with. the putting up and taking down of a tent. it's far easier and more comfortable than the mtn hardware tent and thermarest i brought with me. and surprsingly more stable in the wind than I anticipated.
dmc
Last edited by dmc; 01-21-08 at 04:25 PM.
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01-19-08, 10:27 AM
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#62 (permalink)
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beside La Caja China
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ventura Ca. USA
Posts: 1,134
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This trip is the reason I bought my 80 9 years ago. Have I gotten it on the trip yet? no way.
But glad you did!
Enjoy the time, I'm living my dream thru your trip for now.
I'd like to see another shot of the flip screen and maybe your battery set up too.
What other lenses are you using for shots?
And what did you mean by window steel? Like bars?
What's the best food to keep in your fridge?
had any good beers yet?
when it's pissing rain and wind and your'e asking yourself "what the hell am I doing?" know that there's a guy out there waiting to read about it at his crappy job instead of doing real work that is eagerly awaiting the next post because he wishes he could up and go in a heartbeat, and experience what you are right now. you lucky bastard.
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01-19-08, 08:46 PM
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#63 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: chicago
Posts: 689
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DMC,
Loving your write up and but especially the blog. I can only imagine how many MUDers wive's are sick of hearing about this guy who quit the day to day to live the dream for a bit!
one question, I noticed you set your tent up so that it is folded off the back of rig, i see some folks doing it off to the side as well. Any thoughts on having it fold our over the rear hatch?
one remark- That rack looks beautiful. I always like the AO rack for its low profile but this looks a lot more my style with the weight savings. Keep pimping it so he pushes it out to the masses sooner.
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01-19-08, 08:48 PM
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#64 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Pablo,
i'll get to your questions tomorrow and plan to post a few more pics after my adventure with a 4x4 club here in Colombia. Should make for a good time and story to wrap up my ROTW.
dmc
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01-19-08, 09:28 PM
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#65 (permalink)
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Site Addict
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Taylorsville Utah
Posts: 1,756
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NW-sickboy
one question, I noticed you set your tent up so that it is folded off the back of rig, i see some folks doing it off to the side as well. Any thoughts on having it fold our over the rear hatch?
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If I may be so bold...
The tent DMC is using is a bit more square when folded, Which gives you the option to run it off the rear rather than the side, Like mine, Being a RTT its too wide(IIRC~70") to run it off the rear, It would stick way out on the sides.
DMC, Has the $#!T right there, WAY nice set up, Wish I could afford/use it
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01-20-08, 09:55 PM
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#66 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Brian is on the right train of thought. The tent is not square however. but it's close. i want to say 44 vs 48 inches. I have it opening out the back (narrow width) to save as much room on the rack as possible other stuff. I would like to say I put more thought into it than that but nope, it was dictated by size. In Baja in March we ran my friends tent on a set of thule bars (4 if i remember right) and opened it sideways. you can see it on the banner of my home page
there is one thing I have noticed is a huge benefit of it opening toward the back of the truck. sometimes the sheet/mattress get caught in the metal support when the tent is opening. when this happens it can't properly seat itself and thus is not flat. with the tailgate back there i can open the tent, lock the ladder in place, then set the ladder on the tailgate. with it properly supported i can slide the mattress forward slightly so it will not bind. then i lower the ladder to the ground. it may seem like a small thing but it is a big benefit for quick set up.
dmc
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01-20-08, 10:28 PM
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#67 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Utah
Posts: 162
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Tax Payers are the loosers, Dave is the cause...
Dave -
I want you to know that your trip is wasting tax payers money....not because of anything you are doing, but because I am not near as productive at work as I use to be. I work for a local government entity and lateley I have been spending waaaay too much time each day looking at your website and drooling over your truck while I should be working hard and earning my paycheck from Utah taxpayers.
Your writing is great, keep it up and know there are hundreds of people looking forward to your next post each day. Rember to take tons of photos, you can always go back and write down your thoughts, but you will never be able to go back and take pictures in the same place, or setting. You only pass this way once on a once in a lifetime journey. Safe travels.
martin
__________________
1998 UZJ100 - Lifted, Locked and Snorkled
1988 Fj62 - Gone but not Forgotten....
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01-21-08, 03:01 PM
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#68 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Posts: 76
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Dave, it was a real pleasure to have you and your cruiser (dream setup) here, yesterday was long but a lot of fun (and mud), wife and daughter were proud passengers of a ride on the trail in your cruiser, guys of the club were very happy with you joining, wish you the best for the rest of the trip, now you have some friends in Colombia!
Warm regards,
__________________
Alvaro Pachón
1994 FZJ80
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01-21-08, 04:10 PM
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#69 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alvaro
Dave, it was a real pleasure to have you and your cruiser (dream setup) here, yesterday was long but a lot of fun (and mud), wife and daughter were proud passengers of a ride on the trail in your cruiser, guys of the club were very happy with you joining, wish you the best for the rest of the trip, now you have some friends in Colombia!
Warm regards,
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i have been having technical issues all day but I finally have them figured out i hope. Just a two pics from yesterday. i took like 200 but i'll post them up when i get a highspeed connection. the wheeling was a blast yesterday. and yep i was the only guy who didn't need to use his winch.  of course i did back down when the rain hit at the hardest spot on the trail. more later.
alvaro a bit off camber...
me working my way up the hill...
oh and both of us at 7 am before the mud and rain...
dmc
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01-22-08, 09:21 AM
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#70 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Posts: 149
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Sweet rig DMC... Looks like you had a great time with Alvaro. Im in Bogota also if you need anything PM me... are you going to be here much longer? maybe we can hit the trails this weekend...
Looks like your trip has been great, wish you the best of luck along the way.
Albertom
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01-22-08, 09:04 PM
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#71 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmc
I'm going to go through each item one at a time and try and elaborate in some decent detail.
6- Toyo 285/16/75 Open Country MT
So I am well aware of the weight concerns regarding the Toyo Open Country MT. I'm not going to enter into that debate here because I am not smart enough to understand the sprung vs. unsprung debate and more importantly I really don't care.
the reality is this. In the last year I have run 3 sets of tires on my 80. Maxxis Bighorn 315s, The Bridgestone Revo 285s and now the Toyo Open Country MTs. I bought the Maxxis for Moab and other rock crawling trips. I ran the Revo's as my daily drivers and for exploration through the deserts of Utah. I love the Maxxis but I only had 4 and didn't want to run a 35 for the trip. The Revo is a great road tire and I have been pleasantly surprised with the off road performance, including a trip to Baja in March. So much so I was ready to purchase a 6th until I came across the Toyos. I'll be honest up front. They were a sponsorship but I will be very candid about their performance. Like most owners I like them. They have handled the weight just fine, the slick wet roads, the mountainous mud and soft beach sand. Have they performed better than any other Mud terrain. i'm not sure. Over the course of my off road experience I have run Dunlop, Goodyear MT's (back in the mid 90s) MTRs, the Maxxis, BFG Mud and All Terrain, Swampers (bias and radial) Revos and now the Toyos.The most surprising thing about the Toyos is how quiet they are on road. Second only to the Revo in my experience. They have 15k miles on them most of which have been winding 2 lane mountain and costal roads and a couple thousand miles of dirt and gravel. They are holding up very well. Like I said, I can't say,since i've never even aired down, that they are a far better Mud tire than others i've owned. however, the road manners are excellent and i've been extremely happy with them so far.
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yep i'm now quoting myself. So over the weekend I had a chance to really put the tires to use. I have to say i was VERY impressed with them. I also think I impressed a few Colombianos as well. As you can see above Alvaro took me out with some buddies into the hills west of Bogota. It was muddy and slick. Me and the trail leader (blue fj40) were the only two trucks NOT to use our winches. Although i'm not 100% sure about the rover. he was at the back and seemed to do very well for himself. I used mine to help a Patrol get out of hole but not for self recovery. And truth be told the rain hit as we approached the hardest section of trail. Only the 40 made it before we turned around. The Toyo's cleaned themselves well, i had good traction and they pulled my heavy ass truck up the hill better than all the others. Lockers helped considerably. Having now used the tires in actually muddy terrain I am sold on them. Up next (well after more glorious Colombia) are the Andes of Ecuador and Peru then come the deserts. back to my roots.
for now you can all the pics of the wheeling trip here
dmc
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01-22-08, 09:11 PM
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#72 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Utahfj62
Dave -
I want you to know that your trip is wasting tax payers money....not because of anything you are doing, but because I am not near as productive at work as I use to be. I work for a local government entity and lateley I have been spending waaaay too much time each day looking at your website and drooling over your truck while I should be working hard and earning my paycheck from Utah taxpayers.
Your writing is great, keep it up and know there are hundreds of people looking forward to your next post each day. Rember to take tons of photos, you can always go back and write down your thoughts, but you will never be able to go back and take pictures in the same place, or setting. You only pass this way once on a once in a lifetime journey. Safe travels.
martin
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so the real question is since you work for the state there are probably 4 people standing around while one works which means it's now 5 people doing nothing? i'll try to kep the writing up. spent too much time over here on mud the last week. i'm trying to save all my colombia thoughts for one long post in a few days.
dmc
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01-22-08, 09:18 PM
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#73 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by albertom
Sweet rig DMC... Looks like you had a great time with Alvaro. Im in Bogota also if you need anything PM me... are you going to be here much longer? maybe we can hit the trails this weekend...
Looks like your trip has been great, wish you the best of luck along the way.
Albertom
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I am in Armenia tonight. Left Bogota this AM and had the amazingly beautiful drive down here today. tomorrow Cali then Ipiales and into Ecaudor by the weekend. I had really bad communication issues in Bogota. My phone stopped working which is my email and internet connection then when I bought a Movistar SIM it lasted for 2 calls. it was frustrating to say the least. it's too bad i got this too late would have nice to sit down and chat.
dmc
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01-22-08, 10:13 PM
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#74 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PabloVTA
This trip is the reason I bought my 80 9 years ago. Have I gotten it on the trip yet? no way.
But glad you did!
Enjoy the time, I'm living my dream thru your trip for now.
I'd like to see another shot of the flip screen and maybe your battery set up too.
What other lenses are you using for shots?
And what did you mean by window steel? Like bars?
What's the best food to keep in your fridge?
had any good beers yet?
when it's pissing rain and wind and your'e asking yourself "what the hell am I doing?" know that there's a guy out there waiting to read about it at his crappy job instead of doing real work that is eagerly awaiting the next post because he wishes he could up and go in a heartbeat, and experience what you are right now. you lucky bastard.
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PabloVTA,
Sorry for the delayed reply
So each one in order. every time try to break down a post into differy quotes I screw it up so i'll just do one at a time.
One of my goals and reminders is that I am very lucky and grateful to be where I am and a lot of people can share my experience and fulfill a little bit of their dream vicariously. I'll do my best to keep the posts current and entertaining.
I took another deck shot but the dual battery is hard because it is tuck so tightly in there. Tomorrow i'll try another one...
here is the deck. if you check out my first ROTW in my sig you'll see my old one. the double din is far better for offroad purposed. i miss the pocket for my ipod but the glovebox works okay. not having a detachable face is the biggest downside but i prefer the new deck.
the friend who does my stereo stuff told me the other day that alpine just announced the replacement for my deck. I think he said it is the w210. it will play video from the ipod and display album covers. something mine cannot do. to play the video i have i need to plug it into the aux port which i rarely ever do. the quality is too grainy that way.
I only have one lens for the 20D. I don't know the exact math off the top of my head but the 18-200 essentially behaves as a 35-300 because the CCD on the 20D is not a 1:1 but like a 1:1.18 or something like that. i'm fairly new to the world of non point and shoot cameras and didn't have the skill or money to go the multiple lens route.
Steel for the windows. let me see if i can find a pic real quick. okay no luck. but i'll look again in the morning. it is midnight and i've been up far too long. basically it is used to prevent entry to the vehicle. actually i found one. more on the same site. one every cruiserhead should have bookmarked...
i would have done mine on the inside. i looked into security film but was told it will not work on curved glass. two installers told me the same thing. essentially you take expanded steel. bolt it to the body and then the glass is not the only thing keeping people out of your truck. they can shatter windows but need a torch to get through the steel.
Food for the fridge is milk for my cereal, cold water, gatorade, cherry coke (when i can find it) or other beverages. I was buying fruit in bulk but figured out it was easier to buy it everyday. once i hit the deserts and leave the small towns behind it will include things like cheeses, meat, veggies etc.
I don't drink beer. sorry no help. but colombiana is a pretty good cola and the juices down here are amazing. i get one almost every day for lunch. any kind of fruit you can imagine.
the pissing rain i love. sometimes the oppressive heat makes me question my sanity but yeah. i'm well aware of how good my life is right now. and if i forget i hope you remind me.
dmc
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01-22-08, 10:23 PM
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#75 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Corrales, NM
Posts: 4,925
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You've grown a beard!
Nice.
Welcome to the club.....
-o-
__________________
1997 FZJ80 with and without lots of stuff.
2001 Honda Accord 3.0L V6 VTEC Coupe EX.
In and out of focus, time turns elastic.
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01-23-08, 03:22 PM
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#76 (permalink)
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"The Adventure Duo"
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Coronaheim CA
Posts: 4,254
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Great rig, great trip, thanks for sharing!
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01-23-08, 09:49 PM
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#77 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: San Diego
Posts: 365
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Dave
Great trip!
Thanks for letting us live vicariously through your adventure.
Quick question...
You went from 35's to 33's. Do you think that 265/75's would have worked for everything you have done so far on this trip? Or have you needed the extra clearance/height that the 285 gives?
How did the 4.88's fare here in the states with the 285's before you left? (hwy driving, etc.)
Thanks.
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01-23-08, 09:51 PM
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#78 (permalink)
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fatherofdaughterofromer
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Englewood, Colorado
Posts: 7,893
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Dave,
I'm going to leave this sticky'd. Keep up with the updates on your trip. Looks like your on the trip of a lifetime.
__________________
Ken Romer ~ Friend of Shaman
Keeper of the FAQ, Defender of Newbies, and Slayer of Tards
Commander Rising Sun 4WD Club - K0ROM
97 LX450, Supercharged, Locked, and lots of other stuff ROTW
96 LX450 - ROD's
06 4Runner - Wife's
99 4Runner - daughterofromer's
03 BMW Z4 Roadster
05 AT Horizon
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01-24-08, 04:12 PM
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#79 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blupaddler
Dave
Great trip!
Thanks for letting us live vicariously through your adventure.
Quick question...
You went from 35's to 33's. Do you think that 265/75's would have worked for everything you have done so far on this trip? Or have you needed the extra clearance/height that the 285 gives?
How did the 4.88's fare here in the states with the 285's before you left? (hwy driving, etc.)
Thanks.

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I would not go smaller than 33s. Baja and Colombia would have been a challenge. I'm sure the deserts ahead will dictate the need too. I have 35s at home but went with 33s for two reason. one, less stress on the truck. two and more importantly availability. yes i have 6 tires but you never know how much abuse or bad luck a tire can suffer on a trip like this. 285s are very common in Latin America. I think 315 and 265/75's might be harder to come by. Hopefully I won't have to find out.
I only had the 4.88s for about 3 weeks before I left. I also live at elevation (4600feet) so my experience will be different than the coastal folk. It didn't seem too bad to me. 3100 rpm for 75mph. may be a bit high but it didn't bother me. i could stay in O/D all the time on the freeway. before the gears it would be constantly downshifting over all the overpasses. it was nice to have all the power back too.
dmc
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01-24-08, 04:26 PM
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#80 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Romer
Dave,
I'm going to leave this sticky'd. Keep up with the updates on your trip. Looks like your on the trip of a lifetime.
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romer,
I appreciate it but honestly as soon as someone else bumps me you can unsticky it. Maybe if people get sick of looking at my name up there they might sign up for an ROTW themselves.  I'm not sure i'll have the same consistent internet access once I leave Colombia so updating might be difficult. however until someone steps up i have no problems continuing my thread if there is interest.
dmc
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01-24-08, 05:59 PM
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#81 (permalink)
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Wannabeen
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Bethesda, MD
Posts: 987
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmc
however until someone steps up i have no problems continuing my thread if there is interest.
dmc
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(this was a display of interest)
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01-24-08, 07:42 PM
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dmc
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This message has been deleted by dmc.
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01-24-08, 07:44 PM
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#82 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beno
You've grown a beard!
Nice.
Welcome to the club.....
-o-
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yep, even though it doesn't feel like it down here i've grown the annual winter beard. i'd go total hippie for the entire trip but fears of a skullet and unhappy officers of the law with my appearance have prevented it.
dmc
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01-25-08, 07:44 AM
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#83 (permalink)
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The Notorious BHM
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Posts: 1,058
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I don't mean to sound paranoid, but I would consider removing the part about the cash stashes. Who knows who is reading this?
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01-25-08, 08:20 AM
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#84 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 232
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he already made the mistake of leaving the 35's at home, they're gone now.
__________________
Troy DeMill
Wasatch Cruisers
1997 Lexus LX450 "El Diablo"
1995 4Runner "Old Black"
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01-25-08, 11:12 AM
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#85 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Coachella Valley, CA
Posts: 632
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Great Adventure. Do keep us updated on your travels and off road expeditions which you are encountering. You may have a book or a documentary in the making...(if you wanted.)
__________________
James
97 FZJ80, "La Mula," ARB, HIDs, Tire Carrier, Sliders, OME 850J/863 springs, L shocks, 295/75/R16 ATs, Slee TC Skid Plate, Rear Storage, CB, LEDs, SS Brake Lines, Rear work lights, HIRs, CDL pin 7
01 325I Sport Packaged DD
http://bohemianjsr.blogspot.com/
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01-25-08, 11:42 AM
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#86 (permalink)
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You want to do what...?
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: PRK
Posts: 11,763
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congrats!! what a trip!
tell us a bit more about the formalities and administrative stuff of border crossings, insurance, taxes etc? A nightmare or no big deal?
And what about space? An 80 with roof rack is plenty big to be fully self-sufficient out there in comfort or are you cramped and hurting for more room?
__________________
 : '97: 90K, 3xlock, 285 MT/Rs on steelies, Hanna sliders, 851+1.5"/863/N73/N74E/SD24, ARB bull with M12, Kaymar with duals, Kaymar rack, Slee TC skid, 2m/440, more stuff, loose nut behind the wheel!). Custom HD roo bar for sale!
 : '03: 115K
DDs: Accord, Prius
 : souped-up DR650
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01-25-08, 03:17 PM
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#87 (permalink)
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Wannabeen
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Bethesda, MD
Posts: 987
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Yep, curious as well - now you're nearly out of Colombia, what was in your opinion the hairiest country you wandered? Did you feel threatened or unpleasantly watched anywhere, especially because of your rig and/or its US licence plates?
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01-27-08, 10:01 PM
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#88 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 15
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Hey Dave,
Just spent over an hour reading the whole thread. Great job. It is a treat to hear about your travels. We all wish you well back home.
Take care, my friend. Be safe.
Cheers,
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01-27-08, 11:08 PM
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#89 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Wandering the Western Hemisphere
Posts: 595
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let's just say the ROTW is not what she used to be. i'll post some pics tomorrow. On The Road To Ushuaia
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01-27-08, 11:42 PM
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#90 (permalink)
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Wannabeen
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Bethesda, MD
Posts: 987
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Sorry for you and Ruby Claire, Dave. At least you're OK and she still runs and is going to drive you to your goal. Best wishes from far away.
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