The Mentality of heavy bulky gear...

[AA1PR]

I am new here to this forum, & just starting out modifying my truck

I was a long time hiker, with lightweight gear. I try to carry on this ideal into my SUV days now. titanium pots & cooking gear, UL stove, hammock & fly plus dehydrated food..

I do not understand why one has to have such luxurious items on board their vehicles.

You are attempting to get your vehicle into remote areas where one would think: fuel, mileage, & weight would be their greatest considerations.

too much weight uses excess fuel, bogs you down in mud etc

someone please explain what I am missing, I also would love to have all the amenities of home too, however it takes away from the experience I imagine

even with this all said, I still want to add an on board air compressor for starters, items to get me back home basically

 

[Roaming Robertsons]

Convenience.

I have a fridge, stove, propane tank and cabinet that all weigh more than a titanium pot. But they don't weigh too much for my truck to handle. I work a lot of hours and when I want to get away, I want to get away fast and easy. My truck is loaded all the time and all I have to do is fill the water jugs and fridge and I'm gone.

I can carry and sleep six in my rig and have bulky stuff to have a convenient kitchen setup for everyone to eat comfortably and easily. I camp in the desert and it can be hot and windy so my awning and walls can make shade or a wind break.

All in all, my bulky items probably add a couple hundred pounds to my rig which it doesn't seem to notice. They cause me to get out in it more often so to me they are worth every penny and every pound. I even found a use for the wiffle ball bat.

 

[frgtwn]

Quote: "even with this all said, I still want to"

This is where it starts. The "I" is where the difference lies. I have no interest in "backpacking with a truck." I can do that just fine the old fashioned way. Or not. However, enter truck, and I want my cast iron, for starters, and, oh, for eggs. And, they are just not mine, if not cooked in cast iron.

And the list goes on. Each choice is so individual, though there are trends of course. Some things become important after experiencing the difference they make. My first hot backwoods shower for instance was so memorable, I knew that would rise toward the top of the list.


It is difficult to equate "experience." I can say, that there is nothing quite like a cold swig of orange juice while watching the desert sun rise over the eastern horizon.



Dale

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Lightweight and compact, it's what I strive for. Especially since I'm driving one of my Jeeps (XJ or the CJ 7) and space is at a premium.

However, being a disabled Vet, there are some amenities I cannot do with out, if I want to enjoy my trip.

Somewhere along the journey, we all strike a balance of what we really need, and what we can do without.

A lot of that comes from trial and error, finding out that are things you never use while out and about, and realizing there's something that may make the trips more comfortable and enjoyable.

For me, I need a comfortable camp chair, and one with solid arms so I can get up on my feet. My friend Paul on the other hand, is fine with sitting on a cooler, stump, or even a spare tire.

Every body is unique, but I agree with your concept. Lighter is better, and Less is More. I bring the minimum gear I need, to be the most comfortable I can be.

:coffeedrink:

 

[Patman]

Naturally it all depends on what you plan on doing and where you plan on doing it.

There's no question that light weight gear has its place. But its all in context. If I was taking a samurai with my wife and daughter on a week long trip to Johnson Valley I'd probably rock some Ti pans and sporks and leave as much as I could at camp. However if we were going for a 2 week long expedition to explore as much dirt track as we could on the west coast in a Suburban I wouldn't stress the weight so much.

I think there are people who take it the extreme in both directions. A couple of hundred pounds matters when you're pushing the limit, but if your just exploring and car camping its neglible. I don't need a 4 burner stove, satellite tv and 4 cases of beer chilling in the fridge. But at the same time I see no need to have self heating rations, a space blanket and a water purifing straw as my entire kit either. If I wanted to be a minimalist camper I'd hike.

 

[Xterabl]

I thought long and hard for an answer, but alas there was none.
But in a flash, I glanced back at the op...and peripherally, in the sig line, I observed:
"I explore in style"
And so there you have it. Style --we all like to travel in it; and we all have our own definitions of it.

 

[AA1PR]

I know we all do things differently. I knew this was going to stir the bee's nest as most online posts do, however that is not my intention

guess it all comes down to our individual comfort levels & I can relate to that

basically I am amazed at the amount of gear some people haul, for my general topic. their vehicles are overloaded like a pack mule & others I must admit go light aftetr poking around on the forums a bit


"OP, I'll ask you a similar question. Why do you wheel a Big v8 Yukon when something like my 4 cylinder Trooper will carry 4 people, plenty of gear, gets better mileage and fits better on many trails? Not trying to be a jerk It's an honest question."

I am disabled now and my off road adventures are quite limitied, would love to do that if I could & that just happens to be what I own, when I found this forum, would love to have a small lightweight jeep to explore our backwoods trail systems in my area, but can't[rough terrain] & don't

was trying to get a feel for the overall consensus of what people pack & carry I guess, am more pleased to see overlanding takes on so many definitions

 

[MarcFJ60]

It's all up to you. The beauty of bringing a car is that you don't HAVE to make the same compromises you do on foot. The same way you live differently out of your house versus how you live out of a tent. And we all live differently out of our houses, from modest to luxurious. There's not a right or wrong answer, it's just what the individual wants to do.

In my case, why would I deal with the discomfort of a bivy when I have a 6000 pound SUV with more than enough room and power to lug a 60 pound canvas tent and a comfy cot?

And lest we forget the biggest motivation for car camping versus backpacking: COLD BEER.

 

[MarcFJ60]

If I can read a bit more between the lines, it seems what you're really wondering is not why people don't go ultralight, but why some members go a bit, ahem, "over the top" with mods. And while I don't understand the utility of much of it, I understand how it happens.

<Begin sexist opinion>
The highly modified vehicles are almost exclusively owned by men. And being a man, I understand we are all just oversized boys who like to play and imagine adventures and we may never take. Add to that a genetic desire to build crap, and we end up with "one hell of a recreational vehicle." It may not always be totally utilitarian, but it is . . . cool.
</end sexist opinion>

While I probably wouldn't do a lot of the mods some members have done, I do get a lot of inspiration from them.

 

[AA1PR]

"If I can read a bit more between the lines, it seems what you're really wondering is not why people don't go ultralight, but why some members go a bit, ahem, "over the top" with mods."

not making any suggestions

I can relate with going over the top, when I was younger I had an old 73 Gold Duster that I took to the extreme

4X4 are new to me, that is all & I think I like this overlanding idea, just have to find what works for myself

 

[john101477]

AA1PR - i do not feel that your stirring the pot as you put it but maybe looking for a new perspective based on your past experiences. I recently went ULTRA light into the Tetons. Armed with a jet boil, 4 meals, a blanket, pillow, two coats, and camera gear. Yeah I was pretty much miserable. At home I have enough gear to be out for 2 weeks with out a store or gas station so...
Anyways what I am trying to get at is depending on the time out, things like a shower, better than average cooking gear, and a cooler with COLD beer, all become more important. Yeah some folks go over board with some things but it makes their trip more comfortable for them. Heck I have a wife and 2 yr old daughter to take so certain toys even get thrown in like balls and play buckets and books. My wife loves a shower so obviously the shower and porta privy goes. I like good food so the little BBQ and stoves go. then figure a gallon of water per person per day X3...

 

[Sirocco]

If your going to go UL then you might as well ditch the 4x4 for a bike or canoe. There are far more satisfying ways to travel if your prepared to go UL... but then you dont have to.

G

 

[AxeAngel]

Echo the previous comments. It all boiled down to what you enjoy. Some people want more comfort than others. Whatever it takes to get them outdoors and exploring is ok with me. Remember we all enjoy exploring and getting out there. How we go about it shouldn't matter. When my girl and I go backpacking we like to cover 30+ miles a day but like to sleep in a good bed (hotel). Different strokes for different folks.

Car camping is infinitely more luxurious than backpacking and easier to do. After a stressful week at work I don't want to backpack. But I'm fine with loading up the truck and car camping.

A little bit of luxury goes a long way, and we all know luxury is the lubricant of life.

-Sam

 

[wardrow]

A little bit of luxury goes a long way, and we all know luxury is the lubricant of life.

-Sam

That is so true.


Welcome to the portal. Load up your truck with your current gear and go live out of your truck for 30 consecutive days. By the time you are done you will have an idea of things that would make your time out more comfortable. :coffeedrink:

Again, Welcome to the portal.

 

[Corey]

Age, now that I am much older than in my earlier days of camping and remote backpacking for a week or more at a time at Mount Rainier, I enjoy having things along with me that make it more comfortable.

Could I use a lightweight backpacking tent, backpacking stove, dehydrated food?
Sure, did that for years car camping when I was not backpacking, or later using one of two tent trailers that I owned.

I am an equipment whore now, and proud of it
One only has to look at my gear review or blog to see that.

I am up in age now and enjoy the comfort of a roof top tent, the ease of setting it up/taking it down, not having to get rocks out of the way for a tent, ect...

The ARB fridge allows me to have food for a week long camping trip or more without worrying about ice or the slushiness of it melting.

Nice full size stove and cast iron pots means I can cook a nice meal faster than I could on some small backpacking stove, and eat better.
Food tastes way better to me when I am out camping, so I tend to fix better meals sometimes than when I am at home cooking during the work week or on a weekend.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, eggs are not eggs unless cooked with cast iron.
Light weight pots can not match the culinary taste of a meal prepared in cast iron, at least not for me.

Having a sore back sometimes from working long years, and now Osteoarthritis in the right knee, I really appreciate having some non backpacking gear along with me including nice camp furniture.

If I wanted to pack sparse and save weight, I would not have bought my rig which can haul all my gear and a roof top tent with ease, and just stick to backpacking.

Different strokes for different folk's.
I use to be a minimalist, but I have a much better time with my present gear I have now that I have ever had when being a minimalist ages ago.

The goal is to have a great time when camping/overlanding, and I have achieved a pretty happy medium with my current setup.

Plus I am not concerned at all with the price of fuel, my employer pays me very well.

I also enjoy having my own crapper and shower with me.
Sure I could crap over a log, did it for years backpacking.
My body also moved easier back then too.

Also I have never ever slept better camping than I do in my roof top tent.
Something about being up off the ground and a thick 3" mattress underneath of me makes the sleep more peaceful.

Plus its nice to have a variety.
Just think if we were all minimalists, we would be nothing more than clones.
Nothing wrong either way of taking lots of gear or less gear.
The important thing is getting out there and enjoying camping while you still can.