Johnny's Great Adventure

Share the juicy deets of your worldly travels, and discuss your pipedreams for future trips.
Post Reply
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

:hai:

This thread is for my great adventure trip extravaganza. Here's the general plan:

-Obtain new vehicle
-Quit job
-Go completely AWOL for 3 months touring the US, Canada, Alaska, who knows where who cares
-Find work when I get back, figure up to 6mo unemployed.

Why:
I have seen the light. Sometime around October/November 2018 I had an enlightening experience that left me shattered, broken, deeply depressed, and nearly vomiting. This occurred while I was coming home one day, in the dark, after 13 hours at work doing a job I had no business running. One day I will not exist, I will not be alive, and everything from my perspective will end. I tried to figure out what the purpose of life is. I read novels by the Dalai Lama, read nearly half the Old Testament of the Bible. Bought a Qur'an with intents on reading it. After about 4 weeks the sickness in my stomach went away but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I have spent 11 years of my life in a job that has been slowly killing me. 11 years! I'm 34, 1/3 of my life has been working here already. I remember college like it happened yesterday, I was HALF MY AGE when I started college. Time flies when you're having fun, no, time is limited and it goes by regardless if you're having a good time or depressed.

So what do you do? Work for something that has meaning? Aspire to be something great? Really make a difference in the world? All of it ends. One day, the Earth will be swallowed by the Sun and it too will end. And one day the entire universe will collapse back in on itself and it too will end. Or not, but all these fusion reactors we call stars will one day expire, if you believe science.

These are questions that I do not have answers to. I do not know what I want to do with my life. I do not know what my life's purpose is. I don't even know what I believe. And I need time to escape all the shit I'm in to figure it all out.

So that's the why.

Who:
Just me. GF is on board with this. She took a trip like this after college to figure out her life, drained her savings acct, NFG would do it again. She's encouraging me to do this and find myself.

Where:
Rough outline is as follows:
April
-DC
-Charlotte
-Pisgah National Forest
-Birmingham to see the parents
-Boondock on the Gulf coast
-Canyonlands
-Antelope Canyon
-Grand Canyon
-Sedona
-Joshua Tree
May
-San Diego
-LA
-Death Valley / Alabama Hills
-Sequoia / Kings Valley
-Santa Cruz
-San Fransisco
-Oregon
-Seattle
-Anchorage
-Denali
-Jasper National Park of Canada
-Banff National Park of Canada
-Glacier National Park
June
-Yellowstone / Jackson Hole / Tetons
-Denver
-Ouray / Telluride / mountain passes
-Engineer
-Ophir
-Yankee Boy Basin
-Black Bear up but maybe not the switchbacks into Telluride by myself
-Chicago
-Detroit
-Maybe Toronto

Rough estimate is around 14,000 miles.

The red ones require a 4WD vehicle with ground clearance acceptable enough that I don't get stuck and eaten by a bear. Nothing overly crazy, mountain passes like Engineer and Ophir have been done in stock Foresters with more aggressive tires.

Start south, roll north, get to Alaska while still coldish so I have a high chance of seeing the aurora borealis. Jasper and Banff likely to just be mountain town visits, drive-thrus, and short hikes. Hopefully some snow is gone for CO in June.

How:
Gear needed:
-Camping supplies (stove, fuel, pots/pans)
-Good cooler, thinking a smaller Yeti for ~3 days at a time off grid
-Garmin InReach
-New cell phone because mine is a company phone
-Power brick to recharge stuff overnight. Solar? IDK, probably just recharge it from the car.
-LED lantern things
-Tent footprint (I have a tent)
-Camp toilet
-Camp chair/table
-Camp shower, maybe just a bag with a nozzle on the bottom lol
-Water jugs
-Foam mattress thing
-GPS puck and tablet mount
-Hatchet, axe, saw, whatever

-America The Beautiful National Parks pass
-Possible backcountry camp permits, haven't got too far in that, I know Texas requires one.

Budget:
Vehicle: Up to $20k
Trip itself: $9-10k
-2 hotels or airbnb per week (staying with friends or DFD'ers if they'll have me, reduces this)
-5 nights in campgrounds per week ($2600 on camping fees alone!!! Boondocking reduces this)
-4 restaurant meals per week
Unemployed millennial lyfe for 9mo total: $16k
Roughly $30k lit on fire (Maxmath resale value of vehicle included in this :hubba: ). I can afford this.

Where I'm a little stuck:
-Want a new mountain bike. My hardtail will be seriously out-gunned in Sedona and Colorado. So full squish. Trek Remedy, Kona Process, or Santa Cruz 5010 are leaders in my mind.
-Vehicle....

The vehicle:
My STI could technically do this trip. Throw a roof rack on it, bike mount, and space pod and go. But it is not ideal for it. I would not be able to do any of the off road stuff with it, and most backcountry (FREE) camp spots in the US require traveling dirt roads for a few miles. Nothing a CUV couldn't handle, but my STI cannot at all, so I think it should go. The Free bit is sort of important, as camp sites in a campground will be $20-40 a night which will destroy a budget quickly. But they do have benefits like some have hot showers, most have toilets, fire rings, etc. The bike is the wrench in this. The bike is coming with me, this is non-negotiable. I don't know how to tote it along. Roof rack works until you get off road. Hitch works until you're dealing with salt and winter spray. Inside works until you have to sleep in the car because it's 10F and windy as shit outside.

So. I need to be able to sleep inside the car if needed. Long day, nowhere to sleep, illegal to set up camp on side of highway or whatever, pull over and crawl in the back and lights out for a bit. Bike needs to be able to be in the car from time to time. When I'm in San Diego or LA, or off for a hike, or driving through Alaska with salt/chemical spray all over the place. Throw it on the roof if I need to sleep in the car, that's fine, put it back inside to continue on. I'm 6'2", I cannot lay down in a Crosstrek.

Fuel mileage is sort of who cares because the difference between 35 MPG and 18 MPG is like $1k. So meh. Lower fuel cost is better though.

Cruise control required.

Size, eh, not retarded long. I don't want to sell it immediately when I get home, so full size trucks are likely out. If I can sit up on the sleeping platform to make some coffee that's awesome. Need ~30" of head space to do that.

Price wise the closer to $15-20k the better. It becomes a wash with my STI around that price range.

I do not want an old broken piece of shit that I'll need to constantly fix on the side of the road.

In my mind this leaves a few good options:
-4th or 5th gen Toyota 4Runner. 5th gens are huge, I think I could figure out a bed AND interior bike storage in these.
-Jeep Grand Cherokee but reliability scares me on these
-Older land cruiser
-Tacoma extended cab with a bed cap, although this is a little less useful actually, and likely a lot colder to sleep in. Frontier beds are shorter sadly. Dakotas might work. There's that Doge reliability again though plus they're old and likely beat to shit now.

I figure I'll need to build a sleeping platform in whatever I buy. Pull the 2nd/3rd row seats out temporarily, which will also boost interior cargo carrying. Interior ceiling mounted cargo net thing for blankets, helmet, jackets and whatnot. Exterior roof mounted cargo basket for jerry cans and recovery shit like MaxTrax, shackles, and slings.

Exterior accessible spare highly desired.

That's about all I got so far.

Now tell me I'm :wrong:
User avatar
ChrisoftheNorth
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 47112
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:10 am
Drives: 4R

You really need a 4x4 van. A Quigly converted fleet van should be doable in your price range.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
User avatar
SAWCE
Command Chief Master Sirloin
Command Chief Master Sirloin
Posts: 21764
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:26 pm
Drives: Ebombtra
Location: The mountains

You already know I love this. I wish I'd been smarter with finances when I was younger and I could pull something like this off.

In4 lots of stories and details from the road, and of course if you make it all the way down to SD you're more then welcome to crash at our pad for however many days and do laundry and stuff. I'd hit the road with you for a day or two leaving SD if you find yourself wanting more human interaction.
Last edited by SAWCE on Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

Detroit wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:20 pm You really need a 4x4 van. A Quigly converted fleet van should be doable in your price range.
They are hard to come by. But yeah that would work. I'd want to sell it as soon as I got back though. Maybe not a big problem.

Running water and a soft bed would go a long f'ing way to making this trip more comfortable.
Last edited by Johnny_P on Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

SAWCE wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:23 pm You already know I love this. I wish I'd been smarted with finances when I was younger and I could pull something like this off.

In4 lots of stories and details from the road, and of course if you make it all the way down to SD you're more then welcome to crash at our pad for however many days and do laundry and stuff. I'd hit the road with you for a day or two leaving SD if you find yourself wanting more human interaction.
Would be really cool to go exploring with a friend :wub: thanks bud
User avatar
ChrisoftheNorth
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 47112
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:10 am
Drives: 4R

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:23 pm
Detroit wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:20 pm You really need a 4x4 van. A Quigly converted fleet van should be doable in your price range.
They are hard to come by. But yeah that would work. I'd want to sell it as soon as I got back though. Maybe not a big problem.
People are :triggered: for these things the same way you are. I think you'd be fine.

I honestly dont think any SUV is going to fit the bill for what you want to do (which is an awesome plan BTW).
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
User avatar
SAWCE
Command Chief Master Sirloin
Command Chief Master Sirloin
Posts: 21764
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:26 pm
Drives: Ebombtra
Location: The mountains

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:24 pm
SAWCE wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:23 pm You already know I love this. I wish I'd been smarted with finances when I was younger and I could pull something like this off.

In4 lots of stories and details from the road, and of course if you make it all the way down to SD you're more then welcome to crash at our pad for however many days and do laundry and stuff. I'd hit the road with you for a day or two leaving SD if you find yourself wanting more human interaction.
Would be really cool to go exploring with a friend :wub: thanks bud
:fuckyeah:
User avatar
goIftdibrad
Chief Master Soft Brain
Chief Master Soft Brain
Posts: 16746
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:01 am
Drives: straight past the apex

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:06 pm :hai:

This thread is for my great adventure trip extravaganza. Here's the general plan:

*snip post of maximal :millennial: :millennial: :millennial: :poop: *
sounds awesome. you have crash pad in BR.

RE: vehicle
1. you'd be surprised what you can do with good tires and 2wd.
2. You want the toyoda taco, and perhaps do some work to insulate the back bed area so you are not tenting so often; tenting will get old. I say taco over 4 runner because its a bit more of a blank slate to fix up with out runing it for resale.

3. have you heard of our lord and savior, the ford transit? Lightly used they are quite affordable, and check all your boxes other than 4wd, but all the other :millennial: vanlyfe fucks do it fine so you can too. Might even pick up a partially kitted out used for within your budget.

4. can you give my resume to your boss as part of your resignation letter.
brain go brrrrrr
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

Detroit wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:26 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:23 pm

They are hard to come by. But yeah that would work. I'd want to sell it as soon as I got back though. Maybe not a big problem.
People are :triggered: for these things the same way you are. I think you'd be fine.

I honestly dont think any SUV is going to fit the bill for what you want to do (which is an awesome plan BTW).
I think plenty of SUVs would work decently for this. But a van would make things easier.
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:45 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:06 pm :hai:

This thread is for my great adventure trip extravaganza. Here's the general plan:

*snip post of maximal :millennial: :millennial: :millennial: :poop: *
sounds awesome. you have crash pad in BR.

RE: vehicle
1. you'd be surprised what you can do with good tires and 2wd.
2. You want the toyoda taco, and perhaps do some work to insulate the back bed area so you are not tenting so often; tenting will get old. I say taco over 4 runner because its a bit more of a blank slate to fix up with out runing it for resale.

3. have you heard of our lord and savior, the ford transit? Lightly used they are quite affordable, and check all your boxes other than 4wd, but all the other :millennial: vanlyfe fucks do it fine so you can too. Might even pick up a partially kitted out used for within your budget.

4. can you give my resume to your boss as part of your resignation letter.
Yeah Transits are good vehicles. I really want 4WD. Don't need crazy overlander shit, just ability to not get stuck in snow/sand/etc.

Taco with a cap could work decently. There are a few on the used market. I agree tent camping could get old quickly, hence the sleep inside bit.
User avatar
goIftdibrad
Chief Master Soft Brain
Chief Master Soft Brain
Posts: 16746
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:01 am
Drives: straight past the apex

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:56 pm
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:45 pm

sounds awesome. you have crash pad in BR.

RE: vehicle
1. you'd be surprised what you can do with good tires and 2wd.
2. You want the toyoda taco, and perhaps do some work to insulate the back bed area so you are not tenting so often; tenting will get old. I say taco over 4 runner because its a bit more of a blank slate to fix up with out runing it for resale.

3. have you heard of our lord and savior, the ford transit? Lightly used they are quite affordable, and check all your boxes other than 4wd, but all the other :millennial: vanlyfe fucks do it fine so you can too. Might even pick up a partially kitted out used for within your budget.

4. can you give my resume to your boss as part of your resignation letter.
Yeah Transits are good vehicles. I really want 4WD. Don't need crazy overlander shit, just ability to not get stuck in snow/sand/etc.

Taco with a cap could work decently. There are a few on the used market. I agree tent camping could get old quickly, hence the sleep inside bit.
Oh, i forgot to mention, for the bike a small enclosed trailer could also be a storage solution. Alternatively, you could get a teardrop to sleep in as well. But the one vehicle solution is better.

they make the euro vans in 4wd too but they get $$$$
brain go brrrrrr
User avatar
ChrisoftheNorth
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 47112
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:10 am
Drives: 4R

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:49 pm
Detroit wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:26 pm
People are :triggered: for these things the same way you are. I think you'd be fine.

I honestly dont think any SUV is going to fit the bill for what you want to do (which is an awesome plan BTW).
I think plenty of SUVs would work decently for this. But a van would make things easier.
For the length of time you're talking, you really want something you can sleep comfortably in. An SUV isn't going to do it, trust me.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
User avatar
ChrisoftheNorth
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 47112
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:10 am
Drives: 4R

Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:01 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:56 pm

Yeah Transits are good vehicles. I really want 4WD. Don't need crazy overlander shit, just ability to not get stuck in snow/sand/etc.

Taco with a cap could work decently. There are a few on the used market. I agree tent camping could get old quickly, hence the sleep inside bit.
Oh, i forgot to mention, for the bike a small enclosed trailer could also be a storage solution. Alternatively, you could get a teardrop to sleep in as well. But the one vehicle solution is better.

they make the euro vans in 4wd too but they get $$$$
Teardrops are stupid expensive, and become a liability when going off the grid.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
User avatar
CaleDeRoo
Senior Master Sirloin
Senior Master Sirloin
Posts: 8010
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 8:46 pm
Drives: C5
Location: CLT NC

Are you willing to pay for a conversion? These Nissan vans are dirt cheap

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory ... =229473052

Image
Image


I have no idea how much conversions cost btw
User avatar
max225
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 42430
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 12:49 am
Drives: Taco+ Bavarian lemon

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:06 pm :hai:

This thread is for my great adventure trip extravaganza. Here's the general plan:

-Obtain new vehicle
-Quit job
-Go completely AWOL for 3 months touring the US, Canada, Alaska, who knows where who cares
-Find work when I get back, figure up to 6mo unemployed.

Why:
I have seen the light. Sometime around October/November 2018 I had an enlightening experience that left me shattered, broken, deeply depressed, and nearly vomiting. This occurred while I was coming home one day, in the dark, after 13 hours at work doing a job I had no business running. One day I will not exist, I will not be alive, and everything from my perspective will end. I tried to figure out what the purpose of life is. I read novels by the Dalai Lama, read nearly half the Old Testament of the Bible. Bought a Qur'an with intents on reading it. After about 4 weeks the sickness in my stomach went away but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I have spent 11 years of my life in a job that has been slowly killing me. 11 years! I'm 34, 1/3 of my life has been working here already. I remember college like it happened yesterday, I was HALF MY AGE when I started college. Time flies when you're having fun, no, time is limited and it goes by regardless if you're having a good time or depressed.

So what do you do? Work for something that has meaning? Aspire to be something great? Really make a difference in the world? All of it ends. One day, the Earth will be swallowed by the Sun and it too will end. And one day the entire universe will collapse back in on itself and it too will end. Or not, but all these fusion reactors we call stars will one day expire, if you believe science.

These are questions that I do not have answers to. I do not know what I want to do with my life. I do not know what my life's purpose is. I don't even know what I believe. And I need time to escape all the shit I'm in to figure it all out.

So that's the why.

Who:
Just me. GF is on board with this. She took a trip like this after college to figure out her life, drained her savings acct, NFG would do it again. She's encouraging me to do this and find myself.

Where:
Rough outline is as follows:
April
-DC
-Charlotte
-Pisgah National Forest
-Birmingham to see the parents
-Boondock on the Gulf coast
-Canyonlands
-Antelope Canyon
-Grand Canyon
-Sedona
-Joshua Tree
May
-San Diego
-LA
-Death Valley / Alabama Hills
-Sequoia / Kings Valley
-Santa Cruz
-San Fransisco
-Oregon
-Seattle
-Anchorage
-Denali
-Jasper National Park of Canada
-Banff National Park of Canada
-Glacier National Park
June
-Yellowstone / Jackson Hole / Tetons
-Denver
-Ouray / Telluride / mountain passes
-Engineer
-Ophir
-Yankee Boy Basin
-Black Bear up but maybe not the switchbacks into Telluride by myself
-Chicago
-Detroit
-Maybe Toronto

Rough estimate is around 14,000 miles.

The red ones require a 4WD vehicle with ground clearance acceptable enough that I don't get stuck and eaten by a bear. Nothing overly crazy, mountain passes like Engineer and Ophir have been done in stock Foresters with more aggressive tires.

Start south, roll north, get to Alaska while still coldish so I have a high chance of seeing the aurora borealis. Jasper and Banff likely to just be mountain town visits, drive-thrus, and short hikes. Hopefully some snow is gone for CO in June.

How:
Gear needed:
-Camping supplies (stove, fuel, pots/pans)
-Good cooler, thinking a smaller Yeti for ~3 days at a time off grid
-Garmin InReach
-New cell phone because mine is a company phone
-Power brick to recharge stuff overnight. Solar? IDK, probably just recharge it from the car.
-LED lantern things
-Tent footprint (I have a tent)
-Camp toilet
-Camp chair/table
-Camp shower, maybe just a bag with a nozzle on the bottom lol
-Water jugs
-Foam mattress thing
-GPS puck and tablet mount
-Hatchet, axe, saw, whatever

-America The Beautiful National Parks pass
-Possible backcountry camp permits, haven't got too far in that, I know Texas requires one.

Budget:
Vehicle: Up to $20k
Trip itself: $9-10k
-2 hotels or airbnb per week (staying with friends or DFD'ers if they'll have me, reduces this)
-5 nights in campgrounds per week ($2600 on camping fees alone!!! Boondocking reduces this)
-4 restaurant meals per week
Unemployed millennial lyfe for 9mo total: $16k
Roughly $30k lit on fire (Maxmath resale value of vehicle included in this :hubba: ). I can afford this.

Where I'm a little stuck:
-Want a new mountain bike. My hardtail will be seriously out-gunned in Sedona and Colorado. So full squish. Trek Remedy, Kona Process, or Santa Cruz 5010 are leaders in my mind.
-Vehicle....

The vehicle:
My STI could technically do this trip. Throw a roof rack on it, bike mount, and space pod and go. But it is not ideal for it. I would not be able to do any of the off road stuff with it, and most backcountry (FREE) camp spots in the US require traveling dirt roads for a few miles. Nothing a CUV couldn't handle, but my STI cannot at all, so I think it should go. The Free bit is sort of important, as camp sites in a campground will be $20-40 a night which will destroy a budget quickly. But they do have benefits like some have hot showers, most have toilets, fire rings, etc. The bike is the wrench in this. The bike is coming with me, this is non-negotiable. I don't know how to tote it along. Roof rack works until you get off road. Hitch works until you're dealing with salt and winter spray. Inside works until you have to sleep in the car because it's 10F and windy as shit outside.

So. I need to be able to sleep inside the car if needed. Long day, nowhere to sleep, illegal to set up camp on side of highway or whatever, pull over and crawl in the back and lights out for a bit. Bike needs to be able to be in the car from time to time. When I'm in San Diego or LA, or off for a hike, or driving through Alaska with salt/chemical spray all over the place. Throw it on the roof if I need to sleep in the car, that's fine, put it back inside to continue on. I'm 6'2", I cannot lay down in a Crosstrek.

Fuel mileage is sort of who cares because the difference between 35 MPG and 18 MPG is like $1k. So meh. Lower fuel cost is better though.

Cruise control required.

Size, eh, not retarded long. I don't want to sell it immediately when I get home, so full size trucks are likely out. If I can sit up on the sleeping platform to make some coffee that's awesome. Need ~30" of head space to do that.

Price wise the closer to $15-20k the better. It becomes a wash with my STI around that price range.

I do not want an old broken piece of shit that I'll need to constantly fix on the side of the road.

In my mind this leaves a few good options:
-4th or 5th gen Toyota 4Runner. 5th gens are huge, I think I could figure out a bed AND interior bike storage in these.
-Jeep Grand Cherokee but reliability scares me on these
-Older land cruiser
-Tacoma extended cab with a bed cap, although this is a little less useful actually, and likely a lot colder to sleep in. Frontier beds are shorter sadly. Dakotas might work. There's that Doge reliability again though plus they're old and likely beat to shit now.

I figure I'll need to build a sleeping platform in whatever I buy. Pull the 2nd/3rd row seats out temporarily, which will also boost interior cargo carrying. Interior ceiling mounted cargo net thing for blankets, helmet, jackets and whatnot. Exterior roof mounted cargo basket for jerry cans and recovery shit like MaxTrax, shackles, and slings.

Exterior accessible spare highly desired.

That's about all I got so far.

Now tell me I'm :wrong:
:mahtroy: You're like a brotha from another motha.... We have a lot of similar thoughts etc, slightly different approach on the trip. I don't know that I would buy a bunch of one time use shit for the trip, and try to get things used or that are able to be repurposed when you're done. Technically, you could just rent an RV and tow a small shitty 4x4 or side by side behind it. Why not do something like that ? Granted you won't have the "street cred of a spice rack" in the back... but you will be far more comfortable.

Feel free to stop by my place and I am right in between Santa Cruz/SF/BayArea I can certainly tell you about 1-2 weeks worth of activities out here that I think you would enjoy. You're more than welcome to stay with me, if you're here before May/June when I may be selling my place.
User avatar
goIftdibrad
Chief Master Soft Brain
Chief Master Soft Brain
Posts: 16746
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:01 am
Drives: straight past the apex

[user not found] wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:35 pm I mean, this is pretty much perfect: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/ ... az.202236/

Ship it back east for $1200, throw new tires on it, and gear up.

Come sell your STI to me, we'll take it.
v8 :doe: will drink gas
brain go brrrrrr
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:39 pm
[user not found] wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:35 pm I mean, this is pretty much perfect: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/ ... az.202236/

Ship it back east for $1200, throw new tires on it, and gear up.

Come sell your STI to me, we'll take it.
v8 :doe: will drink gas
Yeah 15-16 highway ish. Dunno if that’s a huge issue. The others I mentioned will only do 20-22.
User avatar
goIftdibrad
Chief Master Soft Brain
Chief Master Soft Brain
Posts: 16746
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:01 am
Drives: straight past the apex

Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:44 pm
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:39 pm

v8 :doe: will drink gas
Yeah 15-16 highway ish. Dunno if that’s a huge issue. The others I mentioned will only do 20-22.
it will be way worse off road too, and fuel become an issue out in the great wilds.

Think of fuel like the rest of th world and use gallons per 100 miles....
6.25gal/100mi at 15 mpg
vs
4.55 gal/100mi at 20 mpg
brain go brrrrrr
User avatar
ChrisoftheNorth
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 47112
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:10 am
Drives: 4R

Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:51 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:44 pm

Yeah 15-16 highway ish. Dunno if that’s a huge issue. The others I mentioned will only do 20-22.
it will be way worse off road too, and fuel become an issue out in the great wilds.

Think of fuel like the rest of th world and use gallons per 100 miles....
6.25gal/100mi at 15 mpg
vs
4.55 gal/100mi at 20 mpg
Total range is more important than cost IMO.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
User avatar
Tar
Chief Master Sirloin
Chief Master Sirloin
Posts: 14126
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 6:06 pm
Drives: Beige Family Sedan sans Dent
Location: Canuckistan

Sounds extraordinary! Being in your shoes Johnny I'd do something similar.

You've got a place to stay in Grand Bend/Mississauga (west side of Toronto area) if you come this way.
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

Detroit wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:52 pm
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:51 pm

it will be way worse off road too, and fuel become an issue out in the great wilds.

Think of fuel like the rest of th world and use gallons per 100 miles....
6.25gal/100mi at 15 mpg
vs
4.55 gal/100mi at 20 mpg
Total range is more important than cost IMO.
That
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

[user not found] wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:58 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:44 pm

Yeah 15-16 highway ish. Dunno if that’s a huge issue. The others I mentioned will only do 20-22.
Add a jerry can or two off the back on a hitch rack.

20-22 MPG on any brick-shaped vehicle on the highway is extremely optimistic, especially once you get into the elevation.
Jerry can would happen on nearly any vehicle I end up with. Except maybe a suburban because 31 gallon tank lol.
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

Tarspin wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 5:08 pm Sounds extraordinary! Being in your shoes Johnny I'd do something similar.

You've got a place to stay in Grand Bend/Mississauga (west side of Toronto area) if you come this way.
:wub: thanks Mario
User avatar
D Griff
Trollistrator
Trollistrator
Posts: 28784
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 8:49 am
Drives: Bicycles/Two Feet

Dude this is awesome! I'll run you staying by the fiancee, I'm sure she wouldn't mind :doe:

You'd be at home in our tiny ass :millennial: apartment.

I'm in full support of the plan, bail on the job you hate, see the world, enjoy your life, you've worked hard for it.

I'm kind of tempted to try to buy the STI :plac:
User avatar
Johnny_P
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Chief Master Sirloin of the Wasteful Steak
Posts: 40485
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:52 am
Drives: Blue short bus
Location: Philly

D Griff wrote: Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:37 pm Dude this is awesome! I'll run you staying by the fiancee, I'm sure she wouldn't mind :doe:

You'd be at home in our tiny ass :millennial: apartment.

I'm in full support of the plan, bail on the job you hate, see the world, enjoy your life, you've worked hard for it.

I'm kind of tempted to try to buy the STI :plac:
:plac: :plac: :plac:

Would love to shred some MTB trails with you brah.
Post Reply