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MallCrl 2.0 - '21 SX Double Cab Build

Discussion in '2.5 Gen Builds (2014-2021)' started by Mallcrl, Jan 30, 2021.

  1. Jul 28, 2021 at 3:53 PM
    #61
    GreatBasinTundra

    GreatBasinTundra Beer Me!

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    Kings f/r, TC UCAs, RCI skids, RCI sliders, C4 bumpers f/r, Warn 12s winch, 35s on 17” Rebounds, softopper, wet okole covers
    Nice light setup. I did the Solis lights in a spot on the DS and flood for PS with a pair of squadron sports in yellow. The ARB light output is impressive especially for the price when compared to a comparable light.
     
    Mallcrl[OP] likes this.
  2. Jul 30, 2021 at 7:39 PM
    #62
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Here's some comparison photos, same shutter/ISO/aperture for each.

    Low beams; lows + fogs; lows + fogs + ARB Solid Spot + DD SS3 driving + DD SSC2 Driving.

    The ARBs are the pencil like beam straight ahead, I could probably move them out a bit; then the light to the width of a 2 lane road are the SS3s, and the SSC2s are anything wider than that.

    I also attached a more "accurate" for brightness duo of pics; the first is lows+highs, then with all the bumper lights... We've got about 2500mi ahead of us tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of wide open highway tomorrow night to get some actual distance shots
    IMG_20210730_213651335.jpg IMG_20210730_213647884.jpg IMG_20210730_213656110.jpg IMG_20210730_213626862.jpg IMG_20210730_213635977.jpg
     
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  3. Aug 7, 2021 at 10:48 AM
    #63
    t-bear

    t-bear New Member

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    @Mallcrl Appreciate how detailed you are in your build thread - thank you.

    Have you been able to verify TSS function yet? I've got the bumper waiting for pick up and will use the same front grill insert/sensor.
     
  4. Aug 7, 2021 at 11:39 AM
    #64
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    We've got something like 4,000mi on the setup now and have yet to experience a single TSS warning. For reference, with the AJT relocation and stock bumper it would pop up usually once every 2-3hrs of driving with "dirty sensor" and shut down the radar cruise within 3-4hrs of driving
     
  5. Aug 7, 2021 at 11:47 AM
    #65
    t-bear

    t-bear New Member

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    Great news!
     
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  6. Sep 5, 2021 at 1:34 PM
    #66
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    So a lot has happened over the past week... But as a recap of the Summer, since Memorial Day we've put about 25k miles on the truck, spent a lot of nights camping with it, spent more than one night camping inside it (the front seats are super comfy to sleep on), and done more 20+hr continuous driving stints than I can keep track of. It has been from coast-to-coast and back twice (including one trip that included both Oceans and the Gulf), and one almost coast to coast.

    Just over a week ago I tossed a minimal amount of stuff into the truck and headed West solo. First stop was North Carolina (I know, not very West from Maryland) to strip the bed (errr, sell the RTT and temporarily store the bed rack).
    [​IMG]

    After 3 days on the road, it was time to enjoy the view in picturesque downtown Prescott, AZ
    [​IMG]

    To visit the good folks over at AT Overland and get something installed that we've (im)patiently been waiting 7 months for
    [​IMG]

    As I've posted elsewhere, a huge thanks to all the hard work and amazing customer service by Janine, Ryan, and Mario @ AT. Truly a great group that get the job done and done right. They happily fit me in the day after Overland Expo Mountain West and were able to work with my schedule. Everything was exactly as expected on the topper and after a quick walk around and explanation, I was back on the road.

    So that the specifics are out there, it's an AT Atlas with the front slider window, thermal pack, Truma heater, Maxxfan roof fan, light bar mount, and Rhino Rack Batwing awning options. I could go on at length about why we went with AT; but to keep it short and simple: it is lightweight, AT has an excellent track record, and it allows simultaneous standing space and full sleeping space.

    Ignore the looped power wire in the photos, I ran that prior to driving out there and advised them to keep it long as I will be redoing my battery box now that the bed is "interior" space.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Two days later, I was back home on the East coast, unloaded the truck, and reloaded it for a weekend of camping in the new setup, and as with any good camping trip (at least for us), that meant rain!
    [​IMG]

    We've spent two nights in it, and there is definitely a bit of a learning curve/adjustment from the clamshell RTT that we've used for 9 months. First surprise was that my measurements were off (or I didn't read, not sure which one, probably the latter) and our newly purchased Exped Megamat 15 didn't fit, so we ended up using AT's included mattress. We've camped exclusively on an Exped Megamat 10 for the past two years, so this was a change. I didn't really mind it, but my GF didn't sleep as well as on the Exped (she's a much more picky sleeper, thus how we wound up with the first Exped mattress). We have become very accustomed to having one space to handle camp cooking/storage and another space to sleep in, so blending those two together takes a bit of reworking. Additionally, the truck is tall, there's no two ways about it. With just the topper, we're still something in the neighborhood of 140lbs lighter than the previous set up, and the truck has always been high in the rear. We grabbed an inexpensive stool to use to get in the bed, however that lasted exactly 1.5 days before deciding it wanted to quit its job. I think some Alu-Boxes or similar are in our future, as reaching the straps on the awning isn't possible from the ground as I'm "only" 6'. For those wondering, including the roof fan, the truck is now somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.5' tall, with the bedrack/RTT combo the top of the shark fin was at just about 7'4" or so.

    We've already got some plans worked out for how to best make use of the space, as well as adding some interior and exterior lighting, etc. More on that in the coming weeks
     
  7. Sep 5, 2021 at 2:30 PM
    #67
    t-bear

    t-bear New Member

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    Glad you are enjoying your set up. I think you choose wisely.
     
    Mallcrl[OP] likes this.
  8. Sep 5, 2021 at 5:24 PM
    #68
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    Clearance lights, Light bar in front bumper, Ditch lights, CB Radio, AGM Battery, SLEE Sliders,
    You didnt by any chance see my Habitat while out in Prescott did you????
     
  9. Sep 5, 2021 at 7:13 PM
    #69
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Was it one of the many in production? The magnitude of the production process was definitely more than I expected when I arrived, maybe I had my expectations set too low. Between what was in the parking lot, on pallets awaiting shipment/install, or in production there are a lot of examples of every variation
     
  10. Sep 6, 2021 at 1:52 PM
    #70
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    Due late this year, early next year. I am very excited. I want to make a hot shot out there and camp my way back when they finish it.

    Ryan

     
    Mallcrl[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  11. Sep 6, 2021 at 1:54 PM
    #71
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    What is the mounting bracket over the cab on the front portion of yours?

    Ryan
     
  12. Sep 6, 2021 at 7:58 PM
    #72
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    This is definitely the way to do it!

    It's the AT Light bar bracket, I have a 50" Diode Dynamics light bar sitting in the garage waiting to go on there..

    Also placed an order of parts to redo the bed electrical setup. Going to be redoing the battery box (now that it lives "inside"), moving the components around, adding quick connects for solar and the shore power, more USB chargers, as well as more lighting in the topper. Spending some time with the crew over @ AT just further reinforced my love of Blue Sea and Victron products, much to the dismay of my wallet...
     
  13. Sep 12, 2021 at 5:56 PM
    #73
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Lots of progress on the bed area, but apparently I'm horrible at remembering to take photos, so I'll take a few over the next few days and add them to the thread.

    This "phase" included
    • Removing the NOCO battery box, unbolting the tray from within, and mounting that tray to the DECKED system directly
      • Also removed the AC Charger, 12 outlet fuse block, and SmartShunt from the box and moved them into the "open" (but not really open)
    • AC Charger was moved to inside the rear bumper, it is bolted to the steel support of the bumper cap, with a NOCO covered 120v plug in the rear license plate area
    • Terminal style MRBF fuses were replaced with a common-feed block of MRBF fuses
    • Ground terminal post added to remove multiple grounds from the Smart Shunt itself
    • Anderson SB350 quick disconnect at the bed to be able to more easily disconnect the truck and second battery
    • Added (x2) dual USB chargers to the passenger side rear upright of the Atlas
    • Added Blue Sea OLED Ambient Temperature (passenger side) and Voltmeter (drivers side) to the rear uprights
    • Added (x2) 1m Diode Dynamics RGBW strip lighting to illuminate the "lower level" of the Atlas, these are mounted at the seam between the upper and lower sections and controlled via the Diode Dynamics RF RGBW controller (which has a ridiculous range)
    • Added a Victron SmartSolar 75|15 solar charge controller, wired to a SAE quick-connect outlet in the rear bumper for a solar "blanket" panel I have. In 2.5 years I think we used this solar panel twice with our 4Runner, this was more of a "why not" addition
    • Added a Victron Phoenix 500VA inverter w/ VE.Direct bluetooth dongle, because who doesn't want to be able to individually connect to 4 separate Victron devices (shunt, charger, solar, and inverter) and see what the electrical system is doing (no, I refuse to upgrade to a ColorControl or Cerbo GX/Touch50 set up in this truck, that's the plan for the next build, whenever/whatever that may be)
    • Built mounts for all the moved electrical tidbits out of 3/8" HDPE, which bolts into the OEM bed rail, all of which is covered by 3/8" or 1/4" HDPE to "hide" all the electrics and battery in the drivers front corner of the bed
    • Added a BedRug universal mat to the top of the DECKED system, literally <5 minutes with a box knife and it looks like it was meant for it. It is about 2" too narrow to go "wall to wall", but close enough and is MUCH nicer to sit/stand on than the plastic
    • Replaced our ARB Elements 63 fridge with an ARB Zero 63. No fridge slide here, it is held in place via the fancy method of a ratchet strap around its waist to the passenger rear of the bed
    • Added a tailgate seal and a rubber "flap" (intended for under household doors) to the rear hatch of the Atlas to prevent water from dripping in when it is open in the rain
    • Sealed the front drain holes in the bed, as well as added rubber grommets to seal the 4 upper corner wiring holes in the bed
    • Removed the WeBoost OTR antenna from the bed stiffener, this will be (hopefully) remounted to the front bumper when some authentic GME brackets arrive from Australia this week. I also have a 580mm GME UHF antenna that arrived a few weeks ago from Oz to go on the bar on the bumper.
    • Removed the Feniex 4200 Mini controller, and replaced it with a single rocker switch to trigger the backlighting on the side SSC2s and the 2 amber KC Cyclone ground lights under the rear bumper

    I think that's about everything, I still need to mount the Diode Dynamics SS 50" lightbar, the SSC2 side lights, and run the wiring, but that'll be for another time (like later this week)
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
    Blang805 likes this.
  14. Sep 14, 2021 at 3:39 PM
    #74
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    I remembered to take a few pictures today... Don't mind the conveniently displayed AT hat, my girlfriend tossed it in there the other day, and there it has stayed.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  15. Oct 18, 2021 at 6:37 PM
    #75
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Couple more recent updates to the truck...

    Finally got around to adding a Diode Dynamics Stealth Series 50" LED bar to the brackets on the front of the Atlas. Also pictured (kind of) is the new-ish GME antenna and GME mount on the ARB Bumper.

    The GME antenna isn't a perfect match to GMRS, but is fairly close and yields acceptable SWRs, and while the look may not be loved by all, I definitely think it fits well with the ARB bar.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    The truck will finally see some more dirt this weekend down in North Carolina for another OEX 101 and recovery class.

    OH! I've also got an LFD Off Road front skid plate that needs to be installed sometime this week before we head down to NC, more photos of that when I install it
     
  16. Oct 19, 2021 at 7:49 AM
    #76
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    Where is this course?
     
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  17. Oct 19, 2021 at 10:17 AM
    #77
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Overland Experts teaches it; they offer classes in CT, VA, and NC primarily. We did one of their classes in VA last year, the rest has been at their location in NC
     
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  18. Oct 19, 2021 at 3:20 PM
    #78
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    Will be awaiting a post action report. They have another class in Dec.
     
  19. Oct 19, 2021 at 5:15 PM
    #79
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Their classes are definitely worthwhile; my GF and I have done their 101 course a handful of times (Once in VA with our 4Runner with both driving, then at the start of this year driving each of our new-to-us trucks in NC, then she did the Ladies 101 class in May in her Tacoma); as well as a few other events held down at their property (a few trail days @ Big Creek Rocks and the Overland Challenge)... We've been patiently waiting for one of their recovery classes to be available at the same time that we are available, and the whole weekend class is a great reason to head down there, plus it gives my girlfriend some off-pavement seat time in the Tundra... We find ourselves down in that area more frequently than we probably should (I think we're at something like 15 trips down to NC so far this year).
     
  20. Oct 19, 2021 at 5:20 PM
    #80
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    Any regrets on the AT?
     
  21. Oct 19, 2021 at 6:21 PM
    #81
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    None thus far at all... Well, I do regret not having them install my Expedition Essentials Maxtrax mount... I'm not looking forward to drilling 9 holes into the side of the topper. Other than that, if I were to do it over again, I'd get one or two of the 175w solar panels installed from the start. The only time I've ever considered having permanently mounted solar would be helpful to us to and the way we travel is a few paragraphs down.

    I can say that every iteration of camping/travelling setup we've used has pros and cons, and each time it gets closer to "perfect". With that being said I will probably only keep the truck for another 12-16 months before the next progression occurs, but I'm quite confident the AT Atlas will be on the truck through that duration. Their latest product, the Aterra XL is high on the list for a replacement to our current setup (it would be on a truck substantially better equipped for the weight than a Tundra).

    We are currently in the planning phase of a 2-ish week winter trip through CO/UT/AZ encompassing the last 10 national parks that we haven't visited in the lower 48... With daytime temps in the 30s and overnight lows in the 0s/10s it should put a few things to the real test. One of those is keeping the water thawed. Heating the tank isn't a problem (electric heating pad while driving/parked and not in "camp" mode), but knowing that we'll have a few hotel stays mixed into those weeks should be interesting as I understand my 103aH aux battery will only last so long.

    After that the next "big" trip will hopefully be next summer, which, if it plays out the way we are hoping, will involve a good bit of time in Alaska and Canada.
     
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  22. Oct 20, 2021 at 12:20 PM
    #82
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    LFD Off Road steel front skid was installed yesterday.

    A couple key takeaway points
    • The ARB "integration plate" (between the bumper and the OEM skid) needs to have a slot cut in it for the LFD skid to bolt up. It's still off in the pictures as my dremel is entirely too slow to cut through it, I'll get it cut with a cut off wheel and put it on in the near future.
    • For working on the ground, a skid of this size is a bit of a pain to jostle around. The floor jack definitely came in handy to lift it up into place.
    • It has two drop out panels, one for the oil filter and another for the oil pan drain, quite the neat feature.
    • As with most (all?) aftermarket skids, it removes the necessity for the skid plate spacers with a diff drop
    • I don't believe this skid is actually available for sale as of yet, but I do know they have the second skid (trans/t-case) already in the works as well
    • Finally, ignore my not great spray paint job... I was using paint left over from when I did my GF's Tacoma skid, and was painting outside on a fairly breezy day, it definitely is not my best work
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  23. Oct 25, 2021 at 1:49 PM
    #83
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    AAR?
     
  24. Oct 25, 2021 at 7:47 PM
    #84
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    A fantastic time as always. We were able to assist in coaching the other students on the obstacle course during the 101 portion of the weekend, and my girlfriend handled the Tread lightly training (we are both Tread Trainers). For the recovery portion of the class I confirmed that the ComeUp winch works just fine, and through the weekend's trail rides confirmed that a full size truck w/ topper (that is >8' tall) can navigate any of the normal areas of their property.

    It was really nice to get some hands on recovery experience, specifically in abnormal recoveries . The shift from their normal classes included the fact that (almost) everyone in the class camped together for Friday/Saturday night, which really made it all much more cohesive. Plenty of good questions/answers around the campfire both nights.

    I took one photo all weekend, and that was about 3 minutes after we got to camp on Friday afternoon...

    20211022_145134-01.jpg
     
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  25. Nov 11, 2021 at 10:34 AM
    #85
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Small update.... I drilled a hole in a very expensive piece of metal!

    In preparation for our Winter trip, I wanted to add mounted solar panels with the consideration that the truck could be parked for hours or a day at a time, while the water tank heating pads are running due to ambient temps (and the heater in the Atlas won't be running).

    I was debating between 200w-350w, and logistically for installation, 2 100w panels seemed to be the easiest solution. I could have mounted another 100w panel at the front, or another 100w panel at the rear, but this kept everything fairly neat/tidy and still gives my GF a spot to stand at the rear to take photos from.

    The panels are TopSolar 100w flexible panels. I can't say I have any true reason in picking them over Renogy or any of the other brands, other than they had good reviews, were fairly inexpensive, and quick shipping from Amazon. AT Overland uses SunPower E-Flex panels (170w), but there was no convenient (aka quick) way to get those. They are wired in series, and the wiring enters through a generic 2 port cable gland/box. Wiring then runs down the interior wire chase woven into the fabric of the topper, down the drivers rear corner, and under the DECKED system to the front. The charge controller is the same Victron BlueSolar 75/15 I used for the rear bumper solar wiring. The rear bumper solar connection is currently not hooked up, if I do decide that I want a portable "blanket" in addition to whats on the roof, I'll grab another charge controller. When I looked at the charge controller earlier today it was pulling in ~75W in partial sun, yielding a 5.5A charge to the batteries.

    [​IMG]

    The panels are held to the roof with 3M 5952 VHB tape, the entire perimeter of each panel, and then 4 strips across each.

    Tonight/tomorrow will be the true test, it's supposed to rain for hours. Hopefully I applied the sealant on the cable box appropriately, and it will have had ~30 hours of cure time before it starts raining tonight.
     
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  26. Nov 11, 2021 at 1:50 PM
    #86
    Punisher29073

    Punisher29073 New Member

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    2019 Tundra TRD Pro
    Clearance lights, Light bar in front bumper, Ditch lights, CB Radio, AGM Battery, SLEE Sliders,
    May the power of the sealant gods be with you sir. Side note, How bout them water tank heaters? How cold do you camp in?
     
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  27. Nov 11, 2021 at 5:20 PM
    #87
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Anand
    Maryland
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    So, in the past we have ground tented in temps down to single digits (with a Mr. Buddy heater) and we have RTT'd into the low 20s with no heater. This winter we're planning a several week trip through CO/UT/AZ to knock out the last of the National Parks in the continental US. We're hoping that we'll be able to camp during most of the nights on the trip, but during the colder days and those nights that we will be in an Airbnb or hotel worry me a bit.

    In an average winter (no "big" trips) we probably camp ~10 nights with overnight temps in the 20s, and another 10-15 nights in the low 30s. With the Atlas we're hoping to get at least a handful of nights of solid snow camping in this year.

    Back to the tank heater... We use a plastic 11 gallon Front Runner water tank in the bed (I think there are photos somewhere in this thread?), and most of the 12v tank heaters are intended for 20+ gallon tanks. So instead I ordered a 3 pack of water elbow heaters, total draw of all 3 is ~1.65A. I also ordered a thermostatic controller, to switch them on at 30ºF ambient and off at ~35ºF. As a bit of insulation, I was going to wrap the tank in some 3M Thinsulate material I have left over from the cab of the truck. We should have nights that are below freezing coming up in the next few weeks to test out the system before the trip so I can report back on how well it works.
     
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  28. Dec 1, 2021 at 7:28 AM
    #88
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    Been a few weeks, time for a few updates...

    Did a one night shakedown trip this past weekend to test the heater and our "interior space". Arrived at a campsite around 4pm, spent our 3-4 minutes setting up and didn't leave the topper until around 9:30am when we packed up and drove home. Ambient temps were around 40ºF at arrival, overnight low was 28ºF, and about 36ºF when we packed up.

    Couple things we learned...
    • The heater puts out a ton of heat, and we left it on "night" mode most of the time (essentially very low fan setting and only the lowest heat output).
    • Without the thermal liner it cools down quickly when the heater stops running (our thermal liner should be shipping this week from AT)
    • Given the fact that we have a 6.5' bed truck (larger "movable" sleeping platform, smaller cab overhang), a lot of heat gets trapped "under" the sleep platform. The "downstairs" stayed probably 7-10ºF warmer than the sleeping area. I've ordered some 80mm ducting (proper size per Truma's manual) to point the air upwards.
    • Running on night mode and having the Maxxair fan on the lowest speed in "ceiling fan" mode, it only draws ~1.2-1.4A
    • We've always camped with our heads at the front of the truck, without the Thinsulate liner, it's a little chilly at that end so we spun around (heads facing the rear) and it is WAY nicer!
    • The Wrappon Green toilet is.... unique. Definitely convenient, definitely a bit of piece of mind not worrying about the 2 tanks freezing with our previous cassette style toilet; but still have to figure out the coagulant ratio.
    • We found we can flip the sleeping platform onto the cab overhang portion and both set up our Helinox Chair One's to get work done
    • We need to add a bit of 3M Thinsulate or similar between where the bedsides and the DECKED drawers meet to try to limit cold air from the thermal bridging
    Also took advantage of a BF sale last week and ordered a new set of tires. The current tires have ~35k miles on them, are a little cupped, but still have >40-50% tread left. The switch of tires is simply to have a fresh set before trekking through UT/CO in January. I've absolutely loved the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W's (had 2 sets on our 4Runner and the GF's Taco has them as well), but they appear to be like a mythical creature to find now. That being said, I couldn't find any tire in 285/75/18 that has the 3PMSF rating (had 3 separate orders from DiscountTireDirect get cancelled because their website showed in stock, but they weren't). Finally decided to bite the bullet and move to a 35x12.5/18 and BFG KO2's as TireRack had them in stock. They were mounted yesterday and seem to fit fine (no rubbing since I already have a BMC). They'll get ~700mi of highway use tomorrow as I make the trek down to Apex Overland in NC to have some fluids changed and a look over before we leave in a few weeks

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  29. Dec 18, 2021 at 6:14 PM
    #89
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    I'm in the middle of a laundry list of things that need to be done or tidied up on the truck before our next trip (next week); one of the things I finally got around to installing was the Expedition Essentials Maxtrax mount. I ordered it months ago and had been waiting on some red Maxtrax to arrive. When I was down at Apex getting the fluids swapped out, I grabbed 2 pairs of Gray Maxtrax to tide me over until I eventually get the red ones.

    Drilling 9 holes in the side of the Atlas was both easier than expected and a bit worrying. I used stainless 1/4"-20x2" bolts along with 1.5" fender washers and lock nuts on the inside. For sealing I used a 1/16" neoprene between the mount and the side of the topper as well as a dab of silicone on the threads and a rubber sealing washer under the head of the bolts. After 24 hours of "curing", it got the hose test and no leaks.

    The mount is SOLID. Super easy to put the Maxtrax in/out and the included key/lock can be supplemented with an additional padlock.

    [​IMG]
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  30. Jan 12, 2022 at 10:39 AM
    #90
    Mallcrl

    Mallcrl [OP] New Member

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    The nearly month later update on all things truck related.... We're nearing the end of our trip (just the return drive and a few stops), and a little over 6,000mi in. We've been fortunate enough to complete all but one of the National Parks in the lower 48 (New River Gorge remains).

    We've driven through heavy snow, rain, ridiculous cross/head winds (thanks Oklahoma), and >80 degrees of temperature variance. As with so many other updates, the best way is in bullet-list form
    • The tailgate seal is in fact, NOT sealed. Everything we've done on the East coast has been pretty much fine, with at most a small amount of water intrusion at the rear of the bed (just enough to see the spray in bedliner be "wet"; however, after hours of driving through blowing snow and on snowpacked roads, we found a small covering of very frozen dirty snow/ice on both bed stiffeners, the floor of the bed at the tailgate, and the rear edges of the bed. Additionally, after ~70mi of moderately paced dirt/gravel travel through Capitol Reef NP, even with the front slider window opened slightly, we had a coating of dust on everything inside the topper. I plan on removing the seal I added to the tailgate once the weather warms up at home and replacing it, as well as further sealing any penetrations in the bed of the truck that I can "easily" reach and may have missed.
    • After a day of driving on snow covered roads, it's an interesting sight to see the ENTIRE rear vertical face of the truck be coated in snow. This adds a bit of "clean up" time before you can open the hatch.
    • The AT Overland Insulating liner, while making closing the topper much more of an ordeal, works. We spent plenty of nights well below freezing and having the Truma heater set to 56 degrees seemed to be the happy place of comy/cozy with nothing more than a blanket for bed covering. Heat is now routed at a 90 degree angle from the heater through a simple 4" Silicone elbow connector used for intake or turbo piping, which allows us to send heat upward instead of heating the lower level. That being said, I also added a layer of 3M Thinsulate SM200L (left over from the interior of the truck) under the mattress on the cab-over portion as an extra insulator.
    • The CampKing inflatable mattress (essentially a knock off of the Exped that we loved in our RTT/ground tent) is actually surprisingly good. I can't bring myself to say that it is more comfortable than the Exped, but it is definitely on par with it, and at a fraction of the cost.
    • The Wrappon toilet has now been moved to the "wonderful" category. Thus far on the trip our camping has usually included arriving at our campsite, popping the top, climbing in and not getting back out until it's time to hit the road in the morning; with arrival and departure being at or below freezing, and the nights only getting colder. Having a fully self-contained camp setup has come in handy more times than to justify the cost.
    • 102aH of AGM battery power seems to be the very solid "sweet spot" for us for camping in these conditions. Getting into camp around 4-5pm, and hitting the road ~16hrs later with the heat running all night, charging GoPro batteries, powering the roof fan and a portable USB fan, lights, the toilet sealing element, etc usually left us with about 70% SoC in the morning. One night where the inverter was left on all night (no attached load, just parasitic draw), our SoC in the morning when we packed up was about 62%, still far above the 50% "warning" level. In warmer weather (no heater running) we're usually down to around 85% overnight.
    • Overall fuel economy is probably around 11MPG-ish; in the Oklahoma winds we were in the upper 8s on traditional fuel (E10 87oct) but in the low 10s on non-ethanol 87oct. Since then we've been bouncing between 10.5-12.2MPG despite the countless mountain passes; I can't rave about having the 46gal LRA tank enough.

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