Mods: Can “more” ever be less-is-more too?

[Roy Park]

Biggest Benefit:
!. Drawers - There is very little I need that doesn't fit in the drawers.
2. Awning - I run hot, so a bit of shade in the desert is nice.
3. Suspension - The performance of upgraded coilers and shocks are undeniable.

Least Beneficial:
1. RTT - The folding types are more work than a quick deploy ground tent. The pop up types are too small for my family.
2. Inverter - Running a pot of coffee is nice but boiling water and pouring over a filter is almost as easy.
3. The Baja Design RTL - They don't work as turn signals and the chase lights are too close together.

Honorable mention: TT bumpers probably are the most useful for clearance but to be honest, if you're not gonna need it where you're going, they're overkill. I love them, but don't consider them a must for everyone who wants to explore.

 

[DirtNap]

Ya, it’s amazing the level of prowess locals can toughen up to with no equipment.

Speaking of...
Just ran across a photo of my Papua New Guinea story.
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Markuson at 23...
View attachment 1842540

 

[SGT0311]

Mark, nice topic for discussion albeit that it's highly personal / preference based. I have built a handful of different 80's, a 40 and a 60 over the years and have always needed / wanted them to hunt, camp, explore and wheel in places like Moab and the Colorado Rockies. Fortunately none of them have had to be daily drivers so I could set them up not having to worry about mileage and people messing with them in a parking lot. With my 80's I always had them loaded and ready for the next trip, and with my military / OCD tendencies everything had it's specific place based on usage. I have always felt the need to have redundancy, which again is the throwback from my military days, and quite honestly I need to get over, because really... how far out there do any of us go regularly.

Like Mark, I have usually set up the trucks to sleep in the back of to where I could find a spot and be in the sleeping bag in minutes. Worked great for the last several years....

Fast forward to today... my 6 year old son is starting to really enjoy getting into the mountains with me, so I am feeling the need to have a practical and cool set up for us to enjoy. I run a refrigerator on the rear drawers and really don't plan to eliminate that, so the two of us sleeping in the back really isn't possible. Ground tent??? Been there, do that when I need to but would rather not. Leaning towards an Alu-Cab RTT, already have an awning, should be good, right??? Now my wife wants to go along.

So after all that planning, load outs and truck set ups that I have done over the years it comes down to flexibility. I am planning to be able to up load for a heavy trip or down load for a quick easy trip.

I have owned two Kimberley Kampers over the years, one before my son and one since, which has been now sold. They were cool as anything out there, it was just too much crap to lug around for short duration trips or foul weather. A trailer is something that I am weighing heavily of getting back into, probably something simple that can also be configured up or down based on load size.

With my 200 I was planning to throw the Slee book of goodness at!!! But, I have slowed down my build to try and only add what I feel is necessary for what I'm using it for so far. Kind of nice not having all that stuff hanging off of it and all that goes with it. But the next time I'm in the woods and bury it in a snow drift, bumper and winch will follow.

It's cool to see what works for one compared to the next. Mark and Cole, I have really enjoyed watching your builds and you have taken them to the next level!!! But Ken seems to really get it done and logs some serious miles!!!

 

[Markuson]

^^Good stuff, and a very similar mindset regarding flexibility that’s ready to go. That is my goal. My sleep-in-back mode is when it’s just me. But I have no kids...so 2nd row is rarely necessary.

My fridge’s normal spot is on the floor behind front rower passenger...and it stays in my truck 24/7. This is why another little project will be setting up an external male AC plug that lets me simply plug an extension cord when home. I like having my fridge in 2nd row because it can be accessed without stopping. Just turn around and grab stuff.

My rig will soon be for dirt and trips only as I’ll soon have a full time daily driver (in about 5 weeks). That goes a long way toward faster prep time to head out of town rather than having to load & unload...which means disappearing for the weekend will take very little time.

Totally agree about everything having its spot. That a lot of my motivation for Velcro and other organizing...because the more easy-access spots I have, the less digging. Digging makes a mess and messes suck. My drawers are super organized, and I have additional Alu-boxes that can go in if I have passengers or plan to tent camp.

Anyway... Thanks for posting. Good stuff.