Next big expedition (2 Viewers)

[Dirty Koala]

This about sums it up! Quoting @Tikicruiser

'I think I suffered from culture shock tonight. Stepping off the plane, Colleen picked me up and we had a preplanned dinner with two other couples at the Palm in Tyson's. I sat there the whole night, thinking how much better the steak was under the stars, sipping Whiskey from the bottle, stinking like a campfire, and watching Mitch fall over in the bushes. I couldn't begin to explain to the people there how great the trip was, but really didn't care. How can you explain to people why winching trucks out of a canyon at dusk and sleeping in the dirt is so much fun. '

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

I took well over 1,000 photos, and this is a lot from the first 300. I'll get more up soon.

 

[76FJ40]

Great pics Bart, thanks for being the expedition's photographer.

 

[Pacer]

Greg and Ben, I assume you guys slept in your trucks and I understand why Morgan suggests not bringing one on a trip like this...
But I am curious to know, with all of these roof top tents to evaluate, who had the best roof top setup?

 

[Von Hayek]

Greg and Ben, I assume you guys slept in your trucks and I understand why Morgan suggests not bringing one on a trip like this...
But I am curious to know, with all of these roof top tents to evaluate, who had the best roof top setup?

I cannot speak to anyone else's tent, and I have never used another rooftop tent, but Steve's Roofnest was shockingly comfortable. The mattress was comfy. I was worried that it would not insulate against the cold, but it did. And I was concerned it was going to be pretty tight for two, but we slept head to toe and it was just fine. It was tight but not cramped and I slept well every night. And after using it a few times, collapsing it was a breeze.

However, it is not fireproof.

 

[Crusha]

Greg and Ben, I assume you guys slept in your trucks

We did, and, for me, it's getting old. Too tight, not comfortable enough, pain in the ass getting in and out, and I was often cold. I ran the buddy heater on pilot, but it was not much help most of the time. It did get pretty cold a few times, 17 degrees one night.

I'm actually contemplating a small hard shell RTT for excursions like this. Steve's RTT was so easy to open and close, it's made me think about revisiting the RTT, but definitely not the standard type.

 

[Dirty Koala]

Any of the new hard shell RTT's are the way to go for simplicity and comfort. I have an Eezi-Awn Stealth Aluminium Hardshell. It is amazingly comfortable, and the canvas is very Heavy Duty. You actually have no idea when the sun comes up as it is a complete blackout in there.

Setup is a 1 minute process. Unbuckle 4 latches and give the back a little push. Then slide the ladder out and put it on the side.

Packing the tent down takes about 3 mins as it's a bit slower to pull the tent down against the strong lift struts. I think this extra time is mostly due to me storing too much sleeping gear inside the tent (4 sleeping bags, 2 large pillows and a large wool blanket.)

Earlier this year my wife and 2 kids slept in the tent for the 1st time while I was in a hammock, in the morning my wife said it was the best night sleep she has had all year...I felt very justified in the price I paid for the tent after that.

Greg and Ben, I assume you guys slept in your trucks and I understand why Morgan suggests not bringing one on a trip like this...
But I am curious to know, with all of these roof top tents to evaluate, who had the best roof top setup?

 

[apinti]

Jeff is just busting Mitch’s balls. It was @DriverRob who blew up his rear diff on Rose Garden. We had to winch him half way up, and tow him out to the highway.

It was also Mitch who saved the day on HITR, when he heroically appeared with a brand new driveshaft (nestled in bubble wrap) for Morgan’s 80.

If Captain Backplan did not have the d/s, we would have been SCREWED!
Morgan could never have driven out in front wheel drive, and it would be way too dangerous to tow him out.

Our only option would be to drive two trucks, one being an 80, back out to the highway. Pull the d/s from the 80, and shuttle it back to Morgan. This would be a full two days, plus a full day to get Morgan back to pavement.

Mitch was prepared, and saved us a lot of wasted time.

Thanks, Mitch!

Well , Im glad we could solve all the problems that we faced. In all honesty, I think Greg was the star of the recovery on the rose garden. He took charge of the recovery and everything worked out in the end. I am proud of the way all of us came together and solved all the problems we faced in this trip
Now, are you boys ready to plan the next one?

 

[apinti]

Great pics Bart, thanks for being the expedition's photographer.

I have tons of pics and videos to post as soon as I figure out how/ where.

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]

 

[Von Hayek]