New squatch-mobile inbound!

[Madison5716]

5 hours ago, NorthWind said:

You don't want to drive it? You love driving!

 

Oh, goodness, that would scare me. AND I haven't driven a stick in decades. I'd have to practice!

[MIB]

^^^^ If y' can't find 'em, grind 'em.  

[McGlencoe]

14 hours ago, NorthWind said:

 

What bed rack or canopy do you like? Tent? 

 

How about a rack for a canoe?

 

For a fixed height bed rack, I like the EVO bed rack.
 

For an adjustable bed rack, I like the Road Armor unit.

 

There are a number of tents that are good. For the traditional "pop-up book" style tents, it's hard to beat ARB for quality. But I've done a couple ROAM Adventure tents lately and they seem to have the same quality as ARB at a better price. For a hardshell tent, James Baroud is the top end, but they are very expensive and have big distribution issues here in the states.

 

For canopies, we sell the RSi Smart Cap canopies and though we get really good reviews on them, I haven't installed one yet, so can't say from a personal viewpoint. I have messed with ARE canopies in the past and they are very nice.

 

The only canoe mounts I've done are the Rightline foam pads.



 

[NorthWind]

7 hours ago, McGlencoe said:

 

For a fixed height bed rack, I like the EVO bed rack.
 

For an adjustable bed rack, I like the Road Armor unit.

 

There are a number of tents that are good. For the traditional "pop-up book" style tents, it's hard to beat ARB for quality. But I've done a couple ROAM Adventure tents lately and they seem to have the same quality as ARB at a better price. For a hardshell tent, James Baroud is the top end, but they are very expensive and have big distribution issues here in the states.

 

For canopies, we sell the RSi Smart Cap canopies and though we get really good reviews on them, I haven't installed one yet, so can't say from a personal viewpoint. I have messed with ARE canopies in the past and they are very nice.

 

The only canoe mounts I've done are the Rightline foam pads.



 

Thank you. 

 

[wiiawiwb]

We're spending your money faster than Usain Bolt in the 100-meter dash!!

[Catmandoo]

On 10/14/2021 at 9:17 PM, McGlencoe said:

There are a number of tents that are good.

 

Good luck with that one. The universal problem that the vendors don't like to deal with is the insane condensation inside.  All your stuff will get gooey. You need to figure out a tent heater and ventilation.  I have seen solar panels powering a marine grade ventilation fan. A very expensive set up on a hard top tent.  Diesel powered vehicles can utilize a 'parking heater'. You have to get the hot air up into the tent.

Don't even think about bringing a propane heater into the tent.

The temperature related condensation has a basic relationship with the weather. If the dew point is above the expected low temp., you are screwed. If the dew point is below the expected low temp., you might be OK. Maybe yes, maybe no. Location is a factor. Being in the mountains and a clear cut environment will have very cold wet air coming down on you during nighttime.  Being in a thick stand of big wood is nice because the relative humidity is lower than open areas, feels warmer and condensation may not show which is  good for microphones and cameras.

 

Tepui tent was purchased by the Swedish rack firm Thule. Of course they modified some designs and raised prices.

 

Buyer beware. There is the tent price, mounting rack and a plethora of accessories that you are supposed to buy.

[MIB]

I looked into roof top tents.  It would be ok for me solo but there's no way my GF could get in and out safely.   Plus our garage is not quite tall enough to be able to open one up to dry out, I'd have to remove it for that which defeats the purpose.

 

The ideal would be a slide in camper but that takes more truck than I've got right now.   A "topper" (what we call a "canopy" here) would do pretty well .. but same situation with only a 5 foot truck bed.   

 

I think I'll be using a reg'lar old ground tent for a while longer.   Hammocks are looking better but that means you have to have trees and some of my favorite camping spots are out in the high desert where there aren't 2 junipers within strap distance for 50 miles.   I don't think sage brush will support one .. just guessing, but I feel like I'm pretty close to right. 

 

Gotta scoot .. looks like I'm going camping in 10-15 minutes.   What gear to take, what gear to take? 

[NorthWind]

Oh my gosh, I had no idea that there were so many options for Jeep mods! Wow, this is a whole new world for me.

 

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice, and if you have any more, even if it's something to avoid, I'm all ears. Or, uh, eyes, in this case.

 

[gigantor]

50 minutes ago, NorthWind said:

if you have any more,

 

An affordable must have accessory is a Hi-Lift Jack and Hi-Lift Mate.  Very effective low-tech solution if you get stuck or get a flat tire in the field. I always take them with me when off-road. They also make an inexpensive mounting kit for Jeep hoods.

 

 

[gigantor]

I carry mine on the front brushbar.

 

[NorthWind]

1 hour ago, gigantor said:

I carry mine on the front brushbar.

 

Cool, @gigantor. I didn't know you had a Jeep.

[gigantor]

25 minutes ago, NorthWind said:

I didn't know you had a Jeep

 

Love it. Sport S with a manual like your Gladiator.

 

[NorthWind]

Great minds...

[Catmandoo]

On 10/16/2021 at 11:13 AM, MIB said:

Plus our garage is not quite tall enough to be able to open one up to dry out, I'd have to remove it for that which defeats the purpose.

 Some tents attach to the base via large YKK zippers.  Open up the tent but not all the way to have slack in tent fabric. Remove all the internal stuff like the mattress. Un zip 2 zippers. The canopy and rainfly slither off of the support tubing. Separate as needed. Have spacer boxes so when you fold up the bases, you have a volume close to the real tent and the cover goes back on. Drying the tent material is part of the program. Washing the tent fabric and rainfly is important.  Takes minutes to remove and re-install if you have zippers.  One person job.

[McGlencoe]

On 10/17/2021 at 2:51 PM, NorthWind said:

Oh my gosh, I had no idea that there were so many options for Jeep mods! Wow, this is a whole new world for me.

 

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice, and if you have any more, even if it's something to avoid, I'm all ears. Or, uh, eyes, in this case.

 

 

I work in the off-road industry and work on Jeep Wranglers, Gladiators and even the new Ford Bronco almost everyday, so if you have any specific Qs, post up. I'll help the best I can.