[Builds] “Marsha” The Swiss Army Knife Build (1 Viewer)

[swhme]

When the end of the line for the 200 series was announced, we immediately called our dealer and got an allocation for a 2021 Heritage Edition in Blizzard Pearl with the intention that it would be my wife’s daily for a few years, then I’d build it up for adventure. We took delivery in April ‘21 with 4 miles on the clock, and have put on just 18k since. My son said it looked like a “marshamallow,” so we’ve called her Marsha ever since.

And, after 2.5 years, the time for adventure has arrived.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this build for a while, and tried a number of things on my 100 to see what I like and what I don’t. I ended up realizing a few things:

• While the RTT is great fun, I don’t want one on this truck. Why?
  • It takes up the entire roof. So no storage space for anything else, and no ability to use your sunroof.
  • Sleeping inside the truck is just better. On a short trip without a lot of gear, setup takes just a couple of minutes. Even if you’ve got a lot of gear, if you pack it right (in cases, not loose), it only adds an extra minute or two to unload and set up the site. It’s easier to keep warm. It’s more secure. It’s easier to get out to pee in the night.
  • RTT makes the truck too tall for the car wash.
• I want to be able to fit a handful of different use cases:
  • I want to drop the kids off at school without my truck being TOO out of place and crazy looking.
  • My hobby is nature photography, I want to be able to jump in my truck after I help my wife put the kids to bed, head into the mountains to a spot I’ve scouted, park, crawl into the back, sleep, wake up at 5am and take photos at sunrise.
  • I want to be able to take one kid with me and go out exploring and both sleep inside the truck.
  • I want to be able to take the whole family with me and sleep in the truck + ground tent.
  • I want to be able to take the whole family with me and pull an Airstream to act as basecamp for longer adventures, and then have Marsha when we arrive for exploring.
  • I want to do the Pan-American highway in a few years with one kid. Some day, I’d like to drive around the world (probably 15 years out, since I’ll probably wait until both are out of high school)
• I want to keep worry to a minimum:
  • I need to be able to self-recover
  • I need to carry enough fuel for at least 500 miles
  • I need to be able to communicate. And, if I can get internet, I can work while I’m exploring, which means I can explore more.

With all this in mind, I sketched out what I thought I would need, and then reached out to Slee to design a build. After a week of back and forth, we landed on quite the laundry list:

Armor:

• Slee Front bumper w/ 9.5 comeup winch
• Slee Rear bumper with tire mount, jerry can mount, propane mount, maxtrax mount, hi-lift mount
• Slee Skid plates / Cat guards
• Slee Sliders
• Gamiviti roof rack

Recovery:

• Comeup Slim 9.5rs Winch w/ Factor 55 Fairlead and Shackle
• ARB Twin Compressor w/ bumper remote coupling
• Hi-Lift jack (rear mounted)
• MAXTRAX (rear mounted)

Suspension / Tires:

• 3” lift
• OME BP51 Suspension
• SPC upper control arms
• Spare HE wheel
• Toyo Open Country AT3 285/70R18 (~34”)

Lighting:

• Front-facing:
  • Baja S2 Amber Fog Lights
  • Baja S8 White/Amber 20” Bar
• Side: Baja S2 White (one on each side) for camp site lighting
• Rear: Slee bumper LEDs for camp site lighting
• Under: Slee puddle lights under sliders
• Interior: 2 LED surface mount lights on the rear tailgate

Communications:

• GMRS: Midland MXT575 hard mounted w/ hidden brain, stubby +3db antenna on hood.
• Starlink permanent install on roof rack with a Star-Mount. This should provide high speed internet while driving or camping anywhere without heavy tree coverage or very tight canyon walls.

Misc:

• Add 24gal LRA aux tank
• Eezi-Awn Dragonfly 180º awning
• Redarc Trailer Brake Controller
• 10lb Propane Power Tank
• 95L Roam Box on roof

Interior:

• Victory 4x4 rear window MOLLE panels
• Victory 4x4 rear shelf
• ARB Drawers w/ fridge slide and slide-out table. These drawers are the same height as the second row folded flat, so I can sleep inside. I’ll be running an ARB Elements fridge (weatherproof), which I can put outside and sleep 2 inside.
• Gamiviti dash mount w/ 2x Peak Design MagSafe phone mounts and 1x InReach Mini Mount
• ProClip iPad Pro mount (lower console) for nav and entertainment
• DesertDoesIt Seat Jackers and seat front MOLLE panels

Power / Electrical:

• SwitchPros panel for control
• 2x 135amp Dakota Lithium house batteries
• SmartShunt for monitoring house battery charge
• 20 USB-C power points throughout cabin, 4 with USB-C PD for charging laptops, tablets, cameras, etc.
• 2000W pure sine inverter to be able to run a small electric heater, cooking gear (rice maker, toaster, etc)
• Internal and external Anderson connectors for fridge
• External solar connection
• 300W Redarc solar blanket
• BlackVue front and rear cameras, backed up to cloud (thanks, StarLink!)
• Compustar Remote Start

Marsha is scheduled to go in for her big makeover in mid-January. They’ll have her for about 5 weeks, then I’ll get her back just in time for our annual Big Bend trip in March, which should be the perfect shake down! I am super excited, and can’t wait to have her out on the trail!

 

[swhme]

Roof plan when fully loaded

 

[swhme]

Marsha today

 

[empty80]

Nice! You’ll be very satisfied with Slee’s work and products, and you are in a great location to use it too!

If you decide to get rid of your Yakima Load Warrior let me know!

 

[swhme]

Nice! You’ll be very satisfied with Slee’s work and products, and you are in a great location to use it too!

If you decide to get rid of your Yakima Load Warrior let me know!

I’ll definitely be selling it— I’ll DM you

 

[kcjaz]

Nice plan. Always good to have a plan. My build has been a bit (actually totally) random but still fun. I didn't realize Starlink could be used while moving down the road but after googling, sure enough, SpaceX has a new version of the RV antenna that allows it. Its just a bit pricy ($2500?) but considering the big picture, and use case, not that big a deal. Having internet most of the time would be very nice. On my last big adventure I had a wreck in a remote area (totalled the truck). I was with a group so it worked out, but I had no cell service. And I was unable to call my wife for 3 days. We had Ham radio and a couple guys were playing with APRS so if it had been really bad we had the ability to get help. My point here is that comms is very important, especially when you go solo or solo with a kid. I would suggest you upgrade your GRMS to Ham and get a license. Many ham radios can also do GRMS if you run in a hamless pac.

 

[swhme]

Nice plan. Always good to have a plan. My build has been a bit (actually totally) random but still fun. I didn't realize Starlink could be used while moving down the road but after googling, sure enough, SpaceX has a new version of the RV antenna that allows it. Its just a bit pricy ($2500?) but considering the big picture, and use case, not that big a deal. Having internet most of the time would be very nice. On my last big adventure I had a wreck in a remote area (totalled the truck). I was with a group so it worked out, but I had no cell service. And I was unable to call my wife for 3 days. We had Ham radio and a couple guys were playing with APRS so if it had been really bad we had the ability to get help. My point here is that comms is very important, especially when you go solo or solo with a kid. I would suggest you upgrade your GRMS to Ham and get a license. Many ham radios can also do GRMS if you run in a hamless pac.

The $2500 is the “high performance” antenna— a number of folks run the “standard” antenna modified into a flat housing on vehicles with good success using both in motion and while stationary— that’s what I’m going to do, since the power draw of the high performance is significantly higher. Plus, with my build, I’m going to have it on a detachable mount, so I can move the antenna into the sun if we’re at a campsite with heavy tree cover.

I’ve thought about ham, and just don’t have the mental bandwidth right now but I’m running 4 layers of sat comm redundancy: starlink, garmin inreach, Motorola defy satellite link, and Apple iPhone satellite sos. If I were out on a multi-day with a kid and couldn’t check in, my wife would have a heart attack!

 

[wiseinvestor]

Can't wait to see how it all comes together. Your roof rack plan has reflections of my setup with the T4, a rooftop case, and firewood. (I use a drifta firewood bag) I just wish I had a 21 HE!

 

[swhme]

I spent the afternoon with Tim at Gamiviti world headquarters getting my rack mounted up! Dropping off at Slee tomorrow for the big projects to start.

 

[rlynch356]

+ Following..

Mine started in earnest this last weekend as well... and our builds are on the same path so to speak.

Couple of items for thought... The Gamiviti dash dock plate, is plenty strong enough for a full sized iPad, off road. I am using 67d mounts, also has enough room for a phone mount, Inreach and 2 powerwerx USB A-PD sockets.. I have them wired up to a dedicated circuit on ignition power using an EasyAS ignition sensing relay and a separate relay to handle the power.. they put out 75w/each - enough to charge a MacBook Pro.. and the iPad Pro (older one) uses a lot of juice when running Gaia..
Powerwerx Panel Mount Combination USB QC3.0 and USB Type-C QC4.0 75W Fast Device Charger - https://powerwerx.com/panel-mount-usb-typec-qc40-75w


what are the Bedrolls - on the rack? Look way to small to be swags... (what I use sometime), just trying to figure that out.

Also 2 up sleeping in the rear is fairly challenging with a fridge, Pic of my setup in the back with goose gear cabinets. I guess you could have it come out the side door but that would comprise total length..

I gave up that possibility unless I removed the rear seats completely and went custom for the rest of the storage setup. Mine is a single person sleeper.. but nothing is left on the ground at night (which was my main goal, everything that comes out of the truck at camp goes back in before bed, makes the morning so much easier).

Dakota lithium is now making a 280ah Group 31 battery.. possibly more space efficient. I fit a G31 100ah renogy battery in the cabinet in front of the fridge.. so pretty sure the new Dakota will fit, until I finalize the design of the electronics cabinet which will replace it and span vertically to the top of the fridge... that will fit 2 G31 batteries, but not sure why anyone would need 560ah in a truck (?). Normally mine never goes below 85% in the summer..

Just questions as it also shapes my build..

Nice Pudgy btw...

 

[swhme]

Couple of items for thought... The Gamiviti dash dock plate, is plenty strong enough for a full sized iPad, off road. I am using 67d mounts, also has enough room for a phone mount, Inreach and 2 powerwerx USB A-PD sockets.. I have them wired up to a dedicated circuit on ignition power using an EasyAS ignition sensing relay and a separate relay to handle the power.. they put out 75w/each - enough to charge a MacBook Pro.. and the iPad Pro (older one) uses a lot of juice when running Gaia..
Powerwerx Panel Mount Combination USB QC3.0 and USB Type-C QC4.0 75W Fast Device Charger - https://powerwerx.com/panel-mount-usb-typec-qc40-75w

Nice-- I'm doing two phone mounts, InReach, ham radio head and flashlight charger on the gamiviti dash plate, and I do the iPad on the proclip mount. I'm going to have a total of 20 usb-c ports added throughout the truck

what are the Bedrolls - on the rack? Look way to small to be swags... (what I use sometime), just trying to figure that out.

we'll see if I end up actually putting them up there. Idea was that the camping gear can go up there when we're traveling with 4 to free up interior space

Also 2 up sleeping in the rear is fairly challenging with a fridge, Pic of my setup in the back with goose gear cabinets. I guess you could have it come out the side door but that would comprise total length.

Yeah, we won't sleep in there with the fridge. I'm running an ARB elements so it can go outside when we're sleeping inside.

Dakota lithium is now making a 280ah Group 31 battery.. possibly more space efficient. I fit a G31 100ah renogy battery in the cabinet in front of the fridge.. so pretty sure the new Dakota will fit, until I finalize the design of the electronics cabinet which will replace it and span vertically to the top of the fridge... that will fit 2 G31 batteries, but not sure why anyone would need 560ah in a truck (?). Normally mine never goes below 85% in the summer..

That's interesting-- Slee already ordered/received my batteries, so the 2x 135ah are going in, but this is good to know if I decide I need more capacity. The Starlink draws a constant 45w when it's on, so that needs 90ah per 24 hours on its own. I'm having it hooked into the switchpro so I can turn it off easily to conserve battery when needed.

Nice Pudgy btw...

Thanks! It's getting harder and harder to justify holding on to every day

 

[PatrickBateman]

Following

 

[rlynch356]

I did not realize the starlink used that much... I'll have to consider that when I get one at some point... but I also don't say put as well..I am usually moving daily so power is not usually an issue.. Now if you running an induction cook top I can see it being an issue.

interior space for clothes, bedding and water (if its freezing out) are always an issue... but I highly recommend not having either outside if possible.
its ok until its not and then it sucks.. (been there), possible trip killer.

cool start looking forward to it

 

[swhme]

One more week ‘til she’s ready to head to Moab!

 

[empty80]

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One more week ‘til she’s ready to head to Moab!

Is that the normal slee aux battery tray tucked next to your drawer setup or something a little more bespoke?

 

[swhme]

Is that the normal slee aux battery tray tucked next to your drawer setup or something a little more bespoke?

Yeah it’s tucked under one of the wings of the drawer system

 

[rlynch356]

Is that the Victory4x4 rear shelf? (I just installed the Kaon one is why I am asking and the brackets are different)
Electrical looks top notch...

Also are the Aux batteries run in parallel or powering 2 different "zones" - I was thinking of a way to get at least 200ah for induction cooking and going propane-less..

 

[swhme]

Is that the Victory4x4 rear shelf? (I just installed the Kaon one is why I am asking and the brackets are different)
Electrical looks top notch...

Yep, victory rear shelf and rear window panels