Opinion on mods and gear

[NDMORETIME]

I will be leaving on a three month adventure in about a week and have procrastinated to the fullest. I will be traveling in my 98 4runner which is lifted about 4 inches and running on 285's. My only traveling partner will be my 97 pound choclate lab "Bailey." I will be sleeping out of my 4 runner alot and traveling an extensive amount of miles. I will be heading up to Idaho first for about a 1 month adventure on the rivers and back country. From there I will be heading to alaska by way of canada. I have plans to stay there for about 3-4 weeks and then head back to the states to look for a new place to call home. With all the mileage I will be traveling and needs for this trip I am looking for some recommendations as this will be my first expedition road trip. Would I be better off with a hitch mounted storage carrier or a roof top carrier? I am worried about gas mileage already with the height of my vehicle and think that the added roof rack is only going to make this number even more miserable. The hitch mounted rack would work except I am worried about how sturdy they are on rough roads and will cause a problem for my dog when he needs to get in and out of the vehicle. Also any ideas on required gear and accesories would be greatly appreciated.

eron

[mountainpete]

Leaving in 1 week? Lots of time!

So a couple of questions:

1. How much gear are you planning on taking right now? Don't be afraid to post a list of what you already have.
2. How much space does the dog need? Is the entire rear section reserved? If you are sleeping the vehicle, I assume no...
3. What is your budget?
4. What kind of roads will you mostly travel?

Pete

[mountainpete]

P.S. - welcome to ExPo

[Erick Lihme]

I intend to use a hitch mounted rack as well, and cannot attest to it's sturdiness, yet I've see these loaded down with lots of gear. One thing to consider is the maxium tongue weight of a stock bumper which is usually 350 lbs. Personally, I would load it as light as possible to reduce possible failure on rough roads. Using a large plastic truck from say Walmart with lighter items, and strapping it down with a two ratchet tie downs, it shouldn't be too heavy so that one can quickly remove it, and let the tailgate down. The tailgate should easily clear the basket when down.

If spending time up north in bear county, the US park service will require that food be stored in a metal container outside the vehicle, or in one of their bear proof lockers. This is one of the reasons, I'm going with a hitch mounted basket. I can store plenty of food in one or two of those mid sized aluminum medical boxes which can be purchased at a Army/Navy surplus stores for about $60.00, and keep the bears out of the truck. Containers are light weight, yet tough, and airtight. Ideal!

I've had many experiences with these partially domesticated bears in the parks over the years. They have a fantastic sense of smell. In equally sealed containers, they differentiate between containers which once contain food, and containers with food. They don't bother with the empty ones. Even tied high in a tree, they'll climb higher and jump down taking the limb with the food with them. Bears are determined and clever. They call these bears, Kamikaze Bears.

I can also carry two jerry cans of gas outside of the vehicle, which you should do when venturing up north as stretches between stations can be inconvenient. Also, gas in Canada is expensive at around $6/gallon. At a difference of say $3/g, with 10 extra gallons used late in the return leg of the trip, you could save $30 bucks in fuel. That'd pay for the Jerry cans.

I won't make it to Alaska as hoped this year because of several building projects. One of the destinations would have been the rain forests of the Tlinglit peoples, a sophisticated and interesting culture. Lots of totem poles too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlingit

Have Fun!!

[p1michaud]

Welcome aboard!

Once you give us a few additonal details we will be able to help answer your questions better. Start with the list Mountainpete provided and we will build on that.

Cheers ,
P

[NDMORETIME]

Thank you for the quick and courteous replies. I appreciate the help. This was kind of a spur of the moment decision to quite my job and take off for awhile. I have always wanted to travel and decided I need to before I start my business and get tyed down with responsibilities. I hope I have provided enough new info. Thank you again.




So a couple of questions:

1. How much gear are you planning on taking right now? Don't be afraid to post a list of what you already have.

Well here we go:

I will be taking a 32 0r 52 qt ice chest as I don't have the money for a onboard fridge. I will be carrying two jerry cans for fuel as my 4 runner is only getting about 230 miles to tank, I think. I haven't re-calibrated for the tire size. I am working on the rig now to hopefully increase this number. I will be attempting to build a platform on which to sleep with at least some storage. I will be taking 1 20 degree northface sleeping bag and pad so I can use it for both vehicle and backpack camping. I will have a two person hiking tent. Most of my cooking will be done with an msr hiking stove I think. A 40 pound bag of dog food and maybe a blanket for the dog. I will be carrying clothes and other do dads for daily life. I would like to figure out a way to install some always available power for laptops or cell phone charging but haven't figured that all out. I am still trying to decide on recovery gear that I need to purchase. I have just received the Bill Burke video and am trying to set aside some time so I can figure this out. And thats about it I think.

2. How much space does the dog need? Is the entire rear section reserved? If you are sleeping the vehicle, I assume no...

I was hoping to keep a very large section on top of the sleeping platform open for him. He is a good size dog and would prefer to not have to unload a lot of stuff inorder to sleep in the back of the rig.

3. What is your budget?

My budget is a little on the low side. I have plenty of money available I would just prefer to spend as little as possible. Roughly 6k. For the first month I am hoping to work a couple days a week to help supplement this issue. I am also considering washing dishes along the way to help with the fuel costs.

4. What kind of roads will you mostly travel?

I would like to say that I will be off the beaten path as much as possible but I don't know how smart that would be. I am not the most experienced outdoorsmen in the world. I would like to say that I will not be doing any level 4 or 5 level roads due to not having a winch or lockers on my rig. But I would like to make it back into the woods and high mountain lakes quite a lot.

[Grim Reaper]

I just can't wrap my mind around a hitch carrier. Especially where you are headed.

What a pain in the butt it would be to have to either pull it or load over it to get stuff in the back of the truck. Then the departure angle problems. Then think just how much dirt it is going to be covered with. Go look at pictures of vehicles that have run where you plan to run. You cant even read the license plate.

Even with the loss of MPG I think I would go roof for that trip. I might even go with one of the fancy hard case storage set ups. That would clean up the aerodynamics. Something like this: http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=185 Use it for your lighter stuff like bags, tents, tarps, clothing. Keep the heavy stuff down low in the truck.

For the fuel I would consider some sort of fixed rack on the back of the truck. Dirty fuel can is not a big deal. And that makes it easy to get at so you can fill it.

You might also consider a second spare. I hear the roads your will be on take their toll on tires. A flat 285 should fit the stock spare location under the truck depending on your hitch. I am actually about to try to Jam a 33x12.5 under my 86 4Runner. I figure with no air in it I can squeeze it in. Just carry a small compressor to fill it when needed. Then a 2nd spare on the rear rack.

As for food container. Metal box chained to a tree away from camp a little bit.

8000lb or better Winch would be mandatory on the front.

As for spares and assuming you will be traveling roads that may not be in very good shape:


Spare front axle shaft assembly. Should work either side. Junkyard item all though you could pick up a Reman from Autozone for about $120.

Spare oil filter and enough oil to do oil change. This would be in case you swamp it or punch a hole in the pan.
Enough gear oil to do the rear diff and manual transmission and case
.
If it’s an Auto then you need the fluid and filter for it as well for the same reasons.

JB weld and assorted bits of metal. You can make a patch for a pan out if this.

Tools to do the work. The hubs take a 22 or 30mm socket. You need to have one.

A Factory service manual for the truck. You can fix anything with the manual as a guide if you have the tools.

Multi meter

Maybe a rear drive shaft. You can strap it to the frame out of the way. Junkyard

Due a tune up and keep a couple of the longest plug wires and the old cap. Set of plugs
Toyota’s are pretty good about bending tie rods. Get a spare from the junkyard. Get a log book and measure the tie rod lengths so if you do bend one you can adjust the spare to proper length and get the alignment close so you don’t tear up the tires before you can make it somewhere. Again you could radiator clamp the spares under the truck.

I know the idler arm on my 86 is weak and pretty common to bend. Snoop around to see if it is on yours as well.

On my truck the lower radiator hose has a similar shape to the up and just a little longer. I carry a spare lower that I can make work for the upper in a pinch. I also carry a couple feet of the most common heater hose diameter.

Small acetylene torch and solder. You can pinch and solder a tub shut in the radiator with these if you take some damage.

If you run two batteries then you can weld if you have some welding rods and jumper cables.

Spare set of brushes for the alternator….most common part to fail on a Toyota Alternator. $15 with tax from Autozone. You can solder them in with the acetylene torch.

Hand winch. Sometimes you need to go side ways. Shop around, some are better then others. The best have gears on both sides of the drums.

Two 20ft recovery straps. One can work as a three saver and sometimes you just need a little extra length.

Put a set of quality aux lights on with hard covers. Lots of busted lights on the Alcan. If you loose a headlight then you at least will have lights.

Gallon of pure antifreeze. The rest can be filled from your drinking water supply if you have a radiator problem.

Normal camp gear after that.

[BigAl]

Have you considered no racks. Maybe just pack efficiently in plastic lockers/ rubber maids and when you get to the sleeping destination put the storage containers outside or under the rig. I'm thinking 1 man and 1 dog in a midsize SUV could pull it off. Fight the urge to over pack.

[DaveInDenver]

Have you considered no racks. Maybe just pack efficiently in plastic lockers/ rubber maids and when you get to the sleeping destination put the storage containers outside or under the rig. I'm thinking 1 man and 1 dog in a midsize SUV could pull it off. Fight the urge to over pack.

Good advice. We use Rubbermaid Action Packers and things like that in the back of our truck. Stuff slides under the truck or goes in the front seat at night to free up floor space in the back. The only exception is that I would still carry fuel outside the truck, though.

[kcowyo]

First and most important tip -Take half the clothes and twice the amount of money you think you'll need.

Check Darren's set up for living out of a 3rd Gen 4Runner for weeks at a time. I know he pulled his passenger seat out for one extra long trip to Canada. If you're not gonna need it and have a place to leave it, remove it and you just opened up some extra storage space up front.

Bring the smaller cooler. Ice, food and drinks are available everywhere. Speaking from experience, it's much easier to pick up a few things more often as you go, than to have a huge cooler to pack around. Just about everyone that sells gas, sells ice too. I would apply this line of thinking to big 40# bags of dog food too.

I prefer packing in soft duffel bags as opposed to hard sided boxes or totes. I find duffel bags easier to move, stuff, pack and work around. Plus duffel bags don't rattle and vibrate or rub up against something else.

Regarding power for cell phone and a laptop; you could invest in a power inverter based on your intended useage. I went simpler and bought a 3 hole adaptor for the cig lighter. The 3 hole will allow for simultaneous charging of a cell phone, laptop, radar detector, Sat Radio, whatever you have. Then add a Micro Inverter, to plug your laptop into which plugs into your 3 hole adaptor. I've run this set up for several big trips on the road over the last year and experienced no problems. Quick, simple, cost effective and no additional wiring labor necessary. I would make sure the 4Runner's battery is on the newer side.

Roof racks or hitch rack? Roof rack everytime. Less of a worry in parking lots and when you're not with the vehicle. Deviants can quickly grab your gear off a hitch rack, most won't make the effort to pull something off a roof rack. I would make a few attempts at packing the Runner with what gear you have before investing in a rack though. See what kind of space you'll really need. Ideally, fuel and a second spare tire would go up top only. If you do need more personal storage, the previously mentioned cargo box would be ideal for a secure and aerodynamic solution.

Spare parts? I seldom bring them and surely not enough to rebuild the whole rig. I figure if I break down on the road and it can't be patched or temporarily fixed, someone will be along soon who can give me a ride to someplace that can help me fix the problem. This is North America afterall, not some third world jungle. And that's when the flavor of the trip really happens anyway. It's personal preference, but I prefer not to load down my Toyota, sacrificing weight and space with spare parts that I'll likely not need. Spare belts, hoses, duck tape, JB Weld, fluids, handtools and fuses should be on board.

Recovery - straps, shackles, hi-lift and a come-a-long. If you don't have a hi-lift, you'll need a jack big enough to lift a 4Runner with a 4" lift & 285's, off the ground. I like the looks and weight of the ARB Exhaust Jack myself. Pricey but lightweight and easy to store. I wouldn't worry about a winch. If the trail looks beyond your skill or your 4Runners ability, turn around and find another trail. Why risk it when you'll be alone? I've seen plenty of this country without a winch. Probably more than most of the people who own a winch. Don't fall for the must-have-it hype, cost and weight.

Odds & ends -
1. Invest in a quality first aid kit, maybe one for your dog's special needs to.
2. Bring a notebook to document your spending. Start with your total amount and subtract each day. I found this made me more aware than just logging, "$50 in gas today, $10 in food, etc...."
3. Bring lots of batteries (double A's, triple A's, 9 volt, whatever your stuff requires). They seem to go fast or disappear on me.
4. Bring books to read. Even with a pup, camping solo effects the mind in funny ways. Having something to read, helps.
5. A headlamp in camp is much more user friendly than flashlights, but carry both.
6. Buy and bring a fire extinguisher, every vehicle should have one.
7. Pick up a decent air compressor like the MV-50.
8. Get a camp toilet chair thing. Trust me, the stomach never erupts when it's convenient. Don't forget the TP.
9. Stock up on travel size toothpaste, deodorants, asprins, Advil, shaving cream, hair goop, whatever you use daily. You want the comforts of home but smaller.
10. Maps are the windows of the world. Bring lots of them.

This is what I can think of based on my experiences with multiple month-long adventures. You will likely need less stuff than you think to enjoy yourself. Be flexible with your schedule, take your time and savor the trip.

Best of luck to you on your journey -