The LX Camper Build Thread (1 Viewer)

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I did consider that one, but I'll be putting this thing on/off all the time. Per Outdoor Gear Lab: "However, the initial installation is quite a pain. It is still totally doable, but if you are planning on leaving the box off of your car most of the time, then throwing it on for a weekend getaway, you will probably be better served by a product that is a bit easier and more convenient when it comes to installation. If you plan on leaving the cargo box installed on a semi-permanent to permanent basis, the more laborious installation procedure shouldn't be a deterrent at all, and you should stick with the SkyBox and spend a little less."

The other thing that makes me prefer the Thule are the mounts. They grab on both sides of the bar they sit on, where the Yakima grabs on one side.

I remember seeing someone try to use the Yakima on a roof rack (I think it was prinsu?) and the feet don't fold all the way around. They just sort of "clamp" the bars, which makes it look like hard acceleration could send the box flying. The Yakima website fitting guide also says they can't guarantee fit on 3rd party racks, probably for this reason. I might be wrong though.
We put ours on and take it off all the time. No issues there. Build quality is very good. Better than the Thule, IMO. And i have a Thule bike rack, so I'm brand agnostic. Yakima feet wrap all the way around the bars on our QX80.
 
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Good to know it's easy to put on and takeoff.

I found the thread for the mounting issue on this forum: Toyota-4Runner.org

It looks like the FrontRunner slats are a bit wider than the standard bars and the Yakima feet can't quite fold around.
 
I did consider that one, but I'll be putting this thing on/off all the time. Per Outdoor Gear Lab: "However, the initial installation is quite a pain. It is still totally doable, but if you are planning on leaving the box off of your car most of the time, then throwing it on for a weekend getaway, you will probably be better served by a product that is a bit easier and more convenient when it comes to installation. If you plan on leaving the cargo box installed on a semi-permanent to permanent basis, the more laborious installation procedure shouldn't be a deterrent at all, and you should stick with the SkyBox and spend a little less."

The other thing that makes me prefer the Thule are the mounts. They grab on both sides of the bar they sit on, where the Yakima grabs on one side.

I remember seeing someone try to use the Yakima on a roof rack (I think it was prinsu?) and the feet don't fold all the way around. They just sort of "clamp" the bars, which makes it look like hard acceleration could send the box flying. The Yakima website fitting guide also says they can't guarantee fit on 3rd party racks, probably for this reason. I might be wrong though.
I have 2 Yakama skyboxes (16 and 18). They are easy to take on and off and securely attach. I’ve had the 16 for 10 years and the 18 for 5 (only use the 18 with the 16 when hauling 10-12 pairs of skis and need >195 cm for speed events) Just did 7 days and ~3k miles, much off road and above the arctic circle with the 16 on top.

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I have 2 Yakama skyboxes (16 and 18). They are easy to take on and off and securely attach. I’ve had the 16 for 10 years and the 18 for 5 (only use the 18 with the 16 when hauling 10-12 pairs of skis and need >195 cm for speed events) Just did 7 days and ~3k miles, much off road and above the arctic circle with the 16 on top.

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Would love to hear more about the AC trip. Did you take the the Dalton hwy?
 
Would love to hear more about the AC trip. Did you take the the Dalton hwy?
Yes, I live in AK. Go up there almost every late Aug for hunting. Road was in some of the the best conditions I can remember, but it’s still rough in places. If you have questions or would like input to plan a trip PM me.
 
Congrats! and enjoy the build out! I think we share the same taste in indoor outdoor carpeting. I did the same with bed option just a little different. Its a big drawer with a bifold top that flips into a bed. Hinged in the back with a piano hinge. The top slides out on wooden tracks and opens. Slides back in. We only use it in the winter. Way too hot and stuffy unless its cold. It fits all of our camping gear. I kept it a straight box between the wheel wells. It's worked out well because we store a bunch of soft items around that area. Spare tent, sleeping bags, pads, shoes, blankets, ect. Got the full sized ARB roof rack with mesh bottom. Will never regret that purchase. So easy to load and shift gear around as needed. Not a slave to anchor points. Also supports a full sized awning and tent which is a game changer. Welcome queen sized cot with air mattress and memory foam topper. Last trip was out to Potter County PA. We got there a day before the rest of the group. They had a 7 hour hike in. We had a 1 hour drive to the spot from the road. Happy camping! Get a large cast iron dutch oven. Ultimate camp supper can be made with these bad boys.

Unless you are really banging around the factory plastic skid plates will keep brush and sticks at bay. A decent set of sliders will offer a lot more protection from real damage. Take all that money and just get a lift via suspension. 2" will give you a lot more security than stock height. Tires. If you are camping, hitting trail roads, a few rocky roads you don't need too many upgrades on an already capable vehicle.

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Unless you are really banging around the factory plastic skid plates will keep brush and sticks at bay. A decent set of sliders will offer a lot more protection from real damage. Take all that money and just get a lift via suspension. 2" will give you a lot more security than stock height. Tires. If you are camping, hitting trail roads, a few rocky roads you don't need too many upgrades on an already capable vehicle.

I do agree with the sentiment that suspension and tires will go further and avoid banging up the factory steps. As he has an LX, it already has a substantial suspension lift on demand and could get even more with a mild sensor lift.

Cool camp setup you got there.
 
@Lester did that great camping setup! I like the outdoor sleeping setup for the summer. We got a little fan and some window mosquito nets to make it more bearable inside, but your setup seems much more comfortable in the heat.

Could you or @TeCKis300 help me understand why sliders are a "must" and skid plates are not so much? I've heard of the "damage multiplier" from hitting the factory steps and rocker panels, so that makes sense to me.

But if that same rock that would bang up the factory steps, would hit just 1 foot closer to the middle of the car, it could do major damage there too right? I'm no mechanic but looking at the bottom of the car it seems like there is a lot that can be hurt from bumping on a rock?

Update: I decided to ask this in a separate thread: Why do people get rock sliders, but not skid plates?
 
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There's different schools of thoughts on sliders. It really depends on the type of wheeling you do.

I don't agree they're a must, at least for the LX, unless doing more difficult technical off-roading. You'll know if you need them. The LX has several things working to its advantage including a pretty large stock lift. I wheel with a group that is pretty modded with 37" and 35" tires, and the LX platform still has excellent clearance. There are things to do before - upsized tires, wide tires and lower offset wheels to keep terrain off the sides, sensor lift. At that point, you can do even medium to difficult trails without clearance issues.

Sliders are good insurance however. Once getting into more difficult trails, and off camber situations, they'll enable you to tackle more extreme stuff without fear of damaging the door sill which is a tender and expensive part of the body to fix.

I personally won't go further than sliders as I need to payload capacity of the chassis to haul the travel trailer. If rock crawling is your thing, then sure.
 
Really great info @TeCKis300 , thanks!

One reason I've been considering this is simply because I'm pretty new to this. And also quite risk averse. I recently turned around on a trail because I just wasn't confident enough. A guy in a Land Rover LR3 (which I think has lower clearance than the LX) quite easily did the trail, so I could have probably made it too, but I just wasn't having a whole lot of fun worrying about all that I might break.

New wheels (Icon Vector 5) and one-size-up tires (Falken P285/70/R17) are coming soon. Slee sliders soon after. Hopefully that'll be enough to get me going for a while and I can hold off on skid plates. :)
 
My willingness to give it a try went way up after adding sliders / skids. Due to unavailability for LX sliders for 18 mths, these were both done at about the same time earlier in the spring. Really nothing I won't try now as long as there are trees around to self-rescue off of.
 
Really great info @TeCKis300 , thanks!

One reason I've been considering this is simply because I'm pretty new to this. And also quite risk averse. I recently turned around on a trail because I just wasn't confident enough. A guy in a Land Rover LR3 (which I think has lower clearance than the LX) quite easily did the trail, so I could have probably made it too, but I just wasn't having a whole lot of fun worrying about all that I might break.

New wheels (Icon Vector 5) and one-size-up tires (Falken P285/70/R17) are coming soon. Slee sliders soon after. Hopefully that'll be enough to get me going for a while and I can hold off on skid plates. :)
Falkens are great. I'm very impressed with mine.
 
Off to a great start. How is the platform mounted to the floor?
 
Thanks! It’s actually not mounted to the floor. The mat is really sticky and it’s somewhat heavy so it doesn’t slide around.

It also doesn’t have a lot of room to slide (half inch on all sides) so even in a really fast and sharp corner it should be fine.
 
Thanks! It’s actually not mounted to the floor. The mat is really sticky and it’s somewhat heavy so it doesn’t slide around.

It also doesn’t have a lot of room to slide (half inch on all sides) so even in a really fast and sharp corner it should be fine.

My $.02 is you’ll eventually need a more secure option. See if you can attach to the tie downs via L bracket, turnbuckle, strap or even HD zip tie if nothing else.
 
There's different schools of thoughts on sliders. It really depends on the type of wheeling you do.

I don't agree they're a must, at least for the LX, unless doing more difficult technical off-roading. You'll know if you need them. The LX has several things working to its advantage including a pretty large stock lift. I wheel with a group that is pretty modded with 37" and 35" tires, and the LX platform still has excellent clearance. There are things to do before - upsized tires, wide tires and lower offset wheels to keep terrain off the sides, sensor lift. At that point, you can do even medium to difficult trails without clearance issues.

Sliders are good insurance however. Once getting into more difficult trails, and off camber situations, they'll enable you to tackle more extreme stuff without fear of damaging the door sill which is a tender and expensive part of the body to fix.

I personally won't go further than sliders as I need to payload capacity of the chassis to haul the travel trailer. If rock crawling is your thing, then sure.

I found an unexpected use of sliders on Lippincott pass in Death Valley some years ago. An oncoming truck refused to back up a hundred meters to a safe pull out spot, so the two trucks in my group had to go around the oncoming vehicle in a very tight spot, while that oncoming driver was “spotting.”

My friends truck instantly slid one wheel off the road (steep cliff). We used both our winches to pull him back on the road, with my winch being attached to his sliders, so as to pull sideways and ensure he doesn’t go further off the cliff.

Edge case scenario, but we were very glad to have that winch attachment point on the side.

Personally, I got sliders on my Tacoma after I did a u turn on a seemingly empty gravel road, and dented my rocker panel on a huge boulder that was sitting on the side of the road and I had somehow missed.

Sliders have their uses.
 
Don't get me wrong as sliders have their place. As I'm optionally taking more difficult trails and lines, it's time for insurance, and I have a set of Slee's on order. I was only making the point that I don't believe they're required, just as any other mod. Nor necessarily the first mod. That's depends on how the individual uses their vehicle.

I'm getting the Slee formed sliders. Not sure they have winch attachment points like tube sliders?
 
Don't get me wrong as sliders have their place. As I'm optionally taking more difficult trails and lines, it's time for insurance, and I have a set of Slee's on order. I was only making the point that I don't believe they're required, just as any other mod. Nor necessarily the first mod. That's depends on how the individual uses their vehicle.

I'm getting the Slee formed sliders. Not sure they have winch attachment points like tube sliders?

You could pretty easily wrap a soft shackle around the step itself, or one of the two inner mounts (they are are BEEF). I've also stuck a hi-lift under my step and they happily supported the weight of my big fat truck with no deflection or deforming.
 

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