Camping/Overlanding Thread

I almost love it.... but I would look at it a lot..... like a lot a lot....

 

Great weekend out at Roosevelt Lake:





Breakfast tacos:

 

I head out often going places and added a heater set up about a year ago. I finally got around to making a little video about it. I really like going out all 4 seasons.

Alberta Canada


Moon Pass Idaho


Death Valley

https://youtu.be/8j5GsPgwUBc

 

Ehrenburg AZ:

 

We've been out exploring and discovering for a couple of years now, and the last two of them we've been using an Alu-Cab, Alu-Cabin on our 2022 Tundra TRD Pro. I don't work for them, nor anyone who installs them, but I wish I did to have saved myself a little money, but we couldn't be happier with our Cabin choice, thus far into our adventures with it.

I'm not sure where the best area of the forum may be to post this, but after using it for a while, we wrote up a very general overview of our thoughts and if anyone wanted to read it over or had questions I could help answer, let me know either with a direct message on here or replying to this thread.

We're in Ontario Canada, down near the Kitchener-Waterloo area and we've used our camper for our trips so far that have taken us through the Eastern provinces, with also a hopeful upcoming trip this July 2025 onto Newfoundland!

Hope you enjoy the read and photos.

https://www.4regoverland.ca/post/gear-review-alu-cabin-by-alu-cab

 

I'm going to poke this old thread... looking for some opinions/validation.. I have a 2022 tundra SR5 2wd and lately I'm intrigued by the thought of building a camper/rooftent setup with the RSI smartcap and get into camping.. I'm new to it and don't see myself doing too much "overlanding". Plus I want to get a RZR and trailer it out for camping trips...

With that info, does anyone here really think I should look at getting a 4x4 before doing this? I'm thinking I should be OK with the 2wd and knowing my limits.

 

This is the fun game of should I and here is why. Most people will always recommend 4x4 because they have a better resale and its better to have and not need versus need and not have.

Now, what kind of driving do you plan on doing? I have run 2x4s and 4x4s and am back in another 2x4 now. Good tires, smart planning and a realistic approach will decide how my trip goes. I do not want to take my DD and put it in a position where I need a winch or 4x4. Only time i get nervous is the boat ramp. Other than that, I dont care and I drive nation wide with it.

So, TL/DR... Its up to you but you can have a lot of fun off paved roads with a 2x4.

 

This is the validation I needed. I've had a Wrangler and a Chevy 2500 in the past and the only time I ever used 4x4 is when I purposely went and did some extreme trails with the Jeep. But I feel like I'm in the same boat as you. This is my daily and my only vehicle (besides my wifes) and I don't want to wreck it on any crazy trail. My thought is, 2wd should be fine for some basic camping and pulling a trailer with a RZR. Then I can rip the RZR and break that. HA! But another thought I had is- my setup should be modular and if I decide to upgrade to a 4x4 in the future, I can move it over and be all set.

 

Facts.

 

Made it. More details later.

 

What a weekend. Far from overlanding and I am completely ok with that. Went down to Fort Desoto and got to see the post storm damage site. The county definitely rushed to get this cash cow open, but it was worth it. Things like the playground is still closed, but that didnt impact my trip. The last section of beach opens today, but I focused on family and fishing. The Tundra did much better this trip pulling the rig and I think I found its sweet spot, so we will see how it does in the GA mountains in April.





Walked over to my family's site and had a wind down drink



and then back to mine to get some shut eye:



We left right as the rain started and Florida cooled over 25 degrees... Woke up this morning cold again lol.

 

Mohave National Preserve this past weekend. Got a bit chilly

 

The wife loves those

Not sure about FL, but the Total Wine by us has a huge selection of those drinks now.

 

Same. We have ABC liquor down here (I dont like their owners but, meh..) and they have a decent selection. Total wine is lit with almost half an aisle of it. That is where I got these.

 

Hodge Road with the new bak revolver x4s to cover the pew pews

 

Anyone have experience with a solar generator?

 

Yes, I have jackery 880 and a goal zero yeti 1000x have both a rtt mounted 100w flexable panel and a HF Thunderbolt 100w foldable panel

 

Would you buy the goal zero again having used it? I'm in the market but need to justify that price before I get ahead of myself

 

I understand. the Goal zero charges up slower than the jackery. yed the jackery is an 880 vs 1000 , but the charger for the goal has a lower power rating. a faster charger us available but never in stock. they both function well. mu jackeru is the one that has the raised handle like an igloo playmate cooler. but they now have one with the folding handle. I prefer the goal zero only due to the handle.
I would buy either again. I got the goal zero on Amazon during a black friday sale. jackery at harbor freight on a sale with a coupon.

note both units work well with the renergy flexible panel and the HF thunderbolt panel. You do not have to buy the jackery or goal zero panels

 

Excellent, thanks. I'm trying to power an 8000 btu mini split while off grid and think this is the easiest route.

$495 12V Air Conditioner 8000BTU, Mini Split 12 Volt Air Conditioner, Semi Truck APU 12 Volt DC AC, Cooling Low Noise for Big Rig Sleeper, Semi Trucks, Pickup, Trucks, Car, RV, Vans, Buses

https://www.amazon.com/Conditioner-...=&hvlocphy=9030104&hvtargid=pla-2281435177578

 

I have a Jackery 300, 500 and 1500. The 1500 stays home as that's for emergencies to power one of my fridges along with a 200w portable solar panel.

I use the 300 for lights, phones, etc. The 500 is used for my portable fridge. I have two 100w foldable/portable solar panels that I use when camping. Usually for a weekend or even long weekend trip, I don't bother recharging the 300. I use one of the 100w panels on the 500 to keep it at 100% during the day. At night, the 500 drops to maybe 70-75% and then is back to 100% by lunchtime assuming optimal sun on the panel. I have friends with the GZ's. They're okay. I honestly don't see much of a difference, other than price. Harbor Freight sells the Jackery, and occasionally, they'll have a coupon with "no exception". Find that and they'll honor it for the Jackery. I used a 25% one for my 500. dropped $100+ off the price. I have a couple sets of the GZ mini lights. Those are great and you can daisy chain up to four together. I've switched to a cheap LED strip that has adhesive, for inside my GFC. Ordered a second one to put in the roof of the actual tent. Uses so little power, can change colors and the adhesive means it's semi-permanent in the back area. Light is pretty good too.

$10 phopollo RGB Smart LED Strip Lights, 16.4ft LED Lights for Bedroom, Bluetooth APP Control, DIY Multiple Colors on One Line, Color Changing LED Strip Lighting Music Sync, USB Powered

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQCQS8D4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

I've had great luck with HQST folding 100watt panels, connected with an inline mppt to the "house" battery in the back of my Tundra or directly into an Anker power station.

For any power stations, look into Li-ion vs LiFePO4. Older generations used Li-ion and have a lot less charge/discharge cycles than LiFePO4 cells.

 

Wow that looks like a big power draw

 

That AC would kill your battery in short order.
Could not find how many watts it uses in the discription so I may be wrong

 

I belive I saw 600 or 700 watts

 

I saw 750 watts... however, the bigger issue is that it is 12-volt input. I don't think the Jackarys support more than like 150 watts through 12 volt. You would probably better off with 12 volt lithium battery or finding a unit that runs on 120v so you can use the bigger inverter on the Jackary.

EDIT: Or any other 'solar generator' unit I am not playing favorites as I have not used any of them.

 

Most van folks using similar 12v mini splits have 600-800 Ah of LiFePO4 batteries and about as many watts of solar. Lots of juice needed to get 8 hrs of use at night.

 

Plan B is just a regular ol window unit

 

Currently 750 watts and 400 of solar running basic RV appliances.

 

Our camper pulls double duty from time to time, heading out on a hut trip next week for 4 nights. will try and take some pics

offset the Dickenson heater so a small chair fits beside it. Not much space when the bed is set up so every bit counts.

Also built a cover for the heater from corrugated plastic to keep dust off in the summer months.