DMC South America Expedition and ROTW write-up

[dmc]

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?

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

[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.

[NW-sickboy]

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.

[dmc]

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

[Vitesse_6]

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?
.

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

[dmc]

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

[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

[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,

[dmc]

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,

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

[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

[dmc]

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.

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

[dmc]

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

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

[dmc]

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

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

[dmc]

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.

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

[beno]

You've grown a beard!
Nice.

Welcome to the club.....

-o-

[SOCALFJ]

Great rig, great trip, thanks for sharing!

[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.

[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.

[dmc]

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.

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

[dmc]

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.

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

[Grolar]

Originally Posted by dmc

however until someone steps up i have no problems continuing my thread if there is interest.
dmc

(this was a display of interest)

[dmc]

Originally Posted by beno

You've grown a beard!
Nice.

Welcome to the club.....

-o-

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