Gear Advice – One Overland

LETS TALK BUMPERS

September 24, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

Lets talk bumpers…

In the overlanding game bumpers are well needed to protect the body of the vehicle, also to attach recovery gear, that bulky spare tire or some sort of overland equipment you need for the trail. Everybody wants something different other then a ARB or some other off the shelf bumper. Maybe you have a vehicle that nobody makes a bumper for, or the bumper doesn’t fit the application you want to us it for…

So here in New Mexico, deep in Billy the kid territory there is a family-owned company named S.O.B Fabrication that can make anything you can dream about for your Rig. Travis at S.O.B started out part time as he worked full time working for the fire department for 6 years! Travis is also an avid off-road camper that puts his product to the test every time he goes on the trail. “Witch is nice to know”

Travis and his father now pursued a full-time operation this year “2021” and putting their amazing fabrication skills to work on custom bumpers/armor. No job is big or small with a CNC plasma table, CNC press brake, Tube bender and all the stuff that you can dream about in a Fab shop. The design of each bumper is very put together to accommodate LED lights, winches, sensors for new vehicles, etc. He is highly recommend for high clearance rear bumpers, which cuts the bed sides behind the rear tires allowing for the bumper to be tucked up as high as possible and also provides protection.

A few members from NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION have recently took there overland rigs to S.O.B for a transformation❕

LEE from NM-E took his Tacoma overland build to Travis for a pair of custom bumpers front and rear with a dual swing out. Once Lee got his Toyota back from S.O.B we headed out camping. At camp I had a chance to look closer and was very impressed on the construction and the welding of the bumpers. The trails Me/Lee takes are extreme so over the months he has put the bumpers to the test! They are rock solid and he doesn’t have to think twice about hitting a rock or crunching down a tree or two.

The results of Lee’s Toyota Tacoma ⬇️

This thing see’s more dirt then most⬆️

Corey from NM-E was looking for some custom bumpers for his Power wagon with dual swing outs aswell. Lee recommended S.O.B. so the NM-E CORE-SIX members ended up taking an overland trip to Lincoln County to meet up with Travis from S.O.B at a remote camp site in the Capitan mountains where Billy the kid and Pat Garret roamed.

After meeting Travis in person and checking out his overland Tundra with a A/T camping unit and custom S.O.B bumpers. I was impressed how down to earth he was and very genuine. The next day after dropping off Corey’s rig we all made a new overland friend. We will be seeing Travis on the trail with us soon!

The results of Corey’s Power Wagon ⬇️

One of the best or if not THE best full size overlanding rig in New Mexico ⬆️

As for me coming from a fabricator aspect, I am really impressed with Travis abilities and the Fab work mixed with the welding skills to make a good product to put on the market. I would definitely recommend S.O.B to anyone looking for a bumper or Fab work on their next overland Rig❕

S.O.B Fabrication

Facebook @Travis at SOB Fabrication
Instagram @sob_fabrication

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WEEKLY RIG WALK AROUND #5 NICOLAS

June 17, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

NAME : Nicolas Villescas

PERSONAL : Since I was born I always felt a calling for the outdoors. After reading books of the great men that blazed the trails of the west i felt a connection with the Mountain Men like Lewis and Clark, Jedediah Smith, Theodore Roosevelt and The Rough Riders or even Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch robbing a train , they all were seeking adventure and I wanted a peace of that. Throughout my life I always had some sort of crazy off-road vehicle to get me away from civilization so I can feel the fresh mountain air on my face with new eyes everytime I go out. I was always in the mountains with my father when I was a young boy either looking for old relics left over from the past, trout fishing on some remote stream or looking for that great camping spot that you can’t resist coming back to…

So right before the pandemic hit I purchased this Toyota pickup to do a Overland build to travel in very remote locations (I couldn’t stay home lol) I needed to get out and explore. So after hundreds of hours spent under the hood/truck and Fabing up everything my self, we also encountered some trial and errors on gear that we had to fix before we set off . Our adventures took us through numerous states with some amazing off grid camping , some epic flyfishing and those memories that we made will always be cemented in me .

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

VEHICLE: 1993 Toyota Pickup

IN CAB: Custom rear floor plastic welded deck for dogs, Inreach with dash mount, HAM radio with dash mount, PA/siren, 15 watt solar panel trickle charging engine battery .

BUMPERS: Front- ARB front bumper, 10,000 lbs Warn winch with Warn remote control, Aussie 9in LED lights, ARB compressor.

Rear- Custom rear bumper with full size spare tire, Krazy Beaver shovel mount, axe mount , high lift mount, pelican case / shower, Sak-it trash bag .

DRIVETRAIN: refurbished 3.0 V6, Toyota helix snorkel modified for stock air box, 160 amp high output alternator, Manual transmission with heavy duty clutch.

SUSPENSION: Front – 83 Toyota pickup front differential with 4:10 gears, Trail gear 3in SAS kit with frame reinforcement/ Trail gear heavy duty springs , Custom splined driveshaft I made, Fj80 third member, custom HUB LED lights that turn with the vehicle.

Rear – Stock 93 rear differential with 4:10 gears, ARB old man emu springs, ARB shackles, ZUK mod for the extra weight of the overlandy gear, braided brake line.

CAMPING UNIT: 23ZERO 62 walkabout soft shell tent, 23ZERO winter insert, HARDKORR amber/white flexible LED light for inside the tent, HARDKORR amber/white LED light outside the tent, custom-made stainless steel tent rack, Rotopaxs gas/water/diesel, custom diesel heater, ARB 47zero fridge, custom-made stainless steel fishing rod holder, Expedition Essentials 5lbs propane holder, custom heated shower unit.

POWER: 2 Renogy lithium 100ah batteries, one Renogy 100 watt solar panel fixed with custom stainless steel mount on isolators, one 200 watt Renogy suitcase solar panel, custom waterproof control box. This set will power the heater/fridge/lights all night long.

EXTRAS: Adventure Trailer Chaser with one 100ah AGM battery, 23ZERO 72 soft tent , Rhino rack batwing , matching set of rims, air bag suspension, Maxtraxs with mount on trailer.

WEEKLY RIG WALK AROUND #4 COREY

June 8, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

Name- Corey Ryan

From- Originally from CA but relocated to Albuquerque when I was in the military and have been here for over 20 years. I got into off-roading early in my youth as I lived an hour from the Rubicon Trail and would often ride shotgun with friends and family on that famous trail as well as many other in the area. My first vehicle was a 1977 Jeep Cherokee with 33” tires which I thought was huge ha ha ha. Fast forward many years and I owned several Jeep’s. Going to Moab and Las Cruces frequently was fun but I also loved camping and often wished I could do both which lead me into the overlanding lifestyle. This was a better fit for me as my family was growing and wanted to participate as well. Our family outgrew my last Jeep that we loved but decided to transition into a full size vehicle capable of doing all the things we loved.

Vehicle- 2019 Dodge Ram Power Wagon

Which comes from the factory with 2” lift, lockers front and rear, sway bar disconnect, skid plates, and Warn 12k lb winch.

Drivetrain:

Mostly stock since it’s all 1 ton stuff. Flowmaster 50 series exhaust with the resonator cut off.

Suspension:

Thuren front 1.5” coils with Fox 2.0 specially tuned shocks for the truck. In the rear I kept the factory coils to maintain payload ability but added 1” spacers, Fox tuned shocks, and Airlift 5000 airbags with Daystar cradles. The rear also got the Thuren rear track bar. Custom frame mounted rock sliders from AVS outfitters.

Wheels & Tires:

AEV Salta wheels in a limited run Bronze and the AEV trim rings that I had powder coated black. Wheels are wrapped in 37/12.50/17 Yokohama MT’s. Matching spare to complete the set.

Overlanding Setup:

With three kids storage is everything and the more stuff kept out of the cab of the truck the better.

Decked Drawers with dividers and boxes containing our kitchen, camp gear and off road recovery gear. I had 12v wired to the bed to power our fridge that is mounted to an Alu-cab tilt/slide on top of the drawers. Mountain Hatch tailgate table to provide a flat surface for cooking and bar duty. To get a stable platform for our iKamper 2.0, a Leitner ACS forged bed rack was added and allowed us more storage with the four storage pods and a place to carry extra gas and water. Ironman off road 4.5’ awning off the back was placed over the tailgate to give shade during cooking and hanging out.

Power/lightning:

Extra power is provided by a Jackery 500, some lightning was added but since it’s one of those rarely used items the good not great theory was implemented to same money. Baja Design Squadron Pro lights in amber were added to the A-pillar and the front bumper light mounting bar from Randy Ellis Design holds 4 China Design LED lights, two 9” clear and two 6” amber. Lights were all wired up to a Switch Pro knock off which works great.

Extra mentions:

Center-Lok brand overhead rifle rack, GOFSR Ready Light camp light, ZOLEO satellite communication, Jet Boil Genesis Base Camp stove, Waterport solar shower system, Krazybever Murder Shovel, Estwing camp ax, rum and coke.

Gas or electric chainsaws

June 2, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

Let’s talk chainsaws….. Most overlander never carry a chainsaw but it is definitely a NEED! over the years of cutting trees for fire wood or a fallen tree over the trail. I have always used gas powered . Seems like technology has caught up …..

I would say the benefits of having a gas powered chainsaw on the trail would definitely be power/long term use. But the reliability is sometimes a hit or miss depending on numerous circumstances. Also a gas powered chainsaw is super loud if your try trying to be discreet or unnoticed. You also have to pack extra fuel on your rig and normally the saw is mounted/carried outside .. but my STIHL MS 170 16in costs $200 bucks … Witch is nice!

So this last trip my friend took his 14in Electric Stihl chainsaw and wow I was amazed how reliable and durable it was . Also quiet! With the 40 min run time on the batteries, is perfect for cutting wood for the campfire or even a full tree . The weight/size of the saw is about the same weight as a gas powered 170 Stihl saw . You can also store it inside your rig with no extra gas to carry.. But! The price tag is steep ! $400 for the saw, $200 for each battery , $150 for a fast charger….. BUT she will turn on everytime with the same power as a gas powered chainsaw!

If you can justify buying the saw, it is well worth the money ! Each unit has its cons and pros . You can research the products on there website to compare all the details . I will be replacing my saw for electric after using/seeing how awesome this saw works on the trail!

RIG WALK AROUND #3 Ricky

May 27, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

NAME– Ricardo Chacon

From– Los Angeles CA , overlands in Texas and New Mexico

I used to be into sports cars then a buddy of mine purchased an older Toyota, and he started taking me on adventures. I was hooked! We got in trouble alot in that old thing lol. lots of good memories wheeling together. So I decided to purchase an off-road vehicle and build it myself with my own hands. I want my family to have some of the same experiences I had in the mountains to make new memories. The adventure is everything for me/wife and daughters !

VEHICLE – 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE

DRIVE TRAIN – DANA 30 front Chrysler 8.25 rear with ARB air lockers and ARB dual compressor.

SUSPENSION Fox Racing Performance 2.0 reservoir shocks

WHEELS/TRAINS – 33×12.5 Dick Cepek on VISSION 355 MANX OVERLAND

CAMPING UNIT – SMITTIBUILT XL roof top tent on top of RHINO-RACK PIONEER PLATFORM.

POWER SOURCE/LIGHTING – GOAL ZERO 400 battery with Boulder 100 briefcase solar panels, ARB Series 2 freezer, battery fans.

EXTRA MENTIONS – Coleman propane stove, kitchen ware.

WHY DO YOU LIKE CAMPING ?

Makes me connect with nature and I love the feeling of freedom from the remote outdoors.🤙

WEEKLY RIG WALK AROUND #2 TONY

May 25, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

Walk around of the Battle Cruiser 2.0 (BC2.0)

Personal information:

Mervine(Tony) Manuel

Retired US Air Force 24 years Veteran

Tent Camp over 50 years

Started overlanding in July 2019 (Angel Matos took me on a 4 day expedition New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah) Loved the experience and started my journey.

Battle Cruiser 2.0

1998 GMC Suburban SLT, 5.7 V8 Vortex, 4×4

3in leveling kit from Torch off road,

Tires are 265 x 70r x 16 BF Goodrich Ko2 (31.5)

Stock 480 gears

Automatic push button 2high, 4high, and 4low

Roof Top Tent is Smittybilt XL Gen 1 with additional 2.5 inch memory form and annex

2 Haul Max roof racks

1 ARB 4.5ft Awning

Homemade 5.5 PVC water tank 4.5 gallons of water

Waterport water system, solar container 3.5 gallons fresh water

Generic Recovery boards from Amazon

Bull guard

2 x 100 watt Solar panel with 135 amp hour AGM battery from Wal Mart with Honda 1000 watt Inverter

6 x 20 LED Solar light for perimeter security light from harbor freight with mounting magnets

1 x 60in multiple light LED 12 volt battery plug

3 drawer system (made from old wooden desk)

Rope, hammock, water hoses, lighter, tools, and bug spray

ARB side awning wall, 20x 12 stakes, hammer, mosquito punk, solar panel cord and solar panel connection

Stanley 2 pot system, generic jetbowl, 4x coffee cups collapsible wash basin, and 1x LED Lantern

1 large draw that holds Coleman grill/stove burner, 3x cast iron skillet, cooking/eating utensils, cutting board, single burner with wind deflector, and 2x 1lb propane tanks and 1 single liquid fuel tank

The barn doors are in the back for easy access: at this time no fridge yet but is in the works in the near future. Storage bin and military 3 stage sleep system.

Night time view of the annex and exterior lighting in the rear with awning deployed.

Me and my copilot Stela Manuel married for 34 years, looking forward to Big Bend National Park in Texas expedition October 2021…

Future plan- dual battery system and fridge/freezer…

WEEKLY RIG WALK AROUND #1 Tortuga Blanca Overland

May 18, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

I am going to start doing a RIG walk around every week and I want Lee to be the first start it off! So here we go!

Over the past year of overlanding crossing multiple States, traveling thousands of miles and camping in very remote parts of this great country we live in , not only me and Lee have become best friends but we have become brothers.

Vehicle: 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4×4

Suspension: Total Chaos 2 inch long travel upper and lower control arms, King 2.5 coil overs with reservoirs, Limit straps front and back, King Double bypass shocks in the rear, King bump stops, Front body mount chop, Lower control arm cam tab gussets, Welded spindle gussets, McNeil Racing fiberglass front fenders, 2 inch extended chrome moly front axle shafts, All Moog steering joints, Outlaw Overland rear axle housing brace, Alcan 1000 lb. over stock rear springs, Total Chaos welded hoop kit for shocks, Welded shock mount relocation on axle housing, Archive Garage ‘Hammer Hangers” and rear brace, Archive Garage Shackle flip kit, Extended brake lines, Custom Firestone airbags using Daystar cradles so the suspension can flex properly.

Drive Train: 4.0 motor, 5 speed auto transmission, Scan gauge 2 engine and trans monitor, add a trans cooler 3 times stock size with inline filter, Mounted a 11 inch fan to the front of the trans cooler for trail riding, CSF Aluminum race radiator with the trans fluid bypass, Disassembled the clutch fan, baked out the factory oil and replaced it with RC car 10k oil for more pulling power from fan, High output alternator will the next install, Dual battery system from Matt at Off Grind Engineering, Odyssey batteries, Dual ARB air compressor, 3lb air tank mounted under rear bumper Slee Off-road compressor mount, SPOD lights and Locker controls, Nitro 4.88 gears, Nitro Chromo Moly rear axle shafts, ARB air locker in front diff.

Bumpers and Body Armor: Custom made bumpers from Travis at SOB bumpers right here in New Mexico, Front bumper has full hoop coverage over head lights with integrated led bar and amber running lights, Warn 12k Zeon winch, Rear bumper is a High clearance dual swingout with metal molly system on driver with 2 gas jerry’s and spare tire on passenger, Rock sliders are ALL-PRO off-road as well as the belly skids.

Tires and Wheels: 16-inch Method 305 Flat Black Wheels, BF Goodrich 285/75/16 KM3 Mud tires.

Comms and Lighting: Communication is HAM radio with Midland Antenna and Cable, Rigid Industries hood pod lights, RI 30 inch light bar, Baja Designs squadron rear back up lights, Expedition Essentials dash media bar, RAM mounts, Garmin InReach satellite tracker/SOS, 10 inch tablet with Gaia GPS mapping.

Camper Unit: Alucab Canopy Camper, Alucab 270 awning, Alucab shower cub, 2 126 watt Sunflare panels, RedArc power monitor, front runner shovel, pickaxe and axe mounts, Blue Ridge Overland Trash bag, Snowmaster Refrigerator, AT Overland propane tank mount, Prinsu roof rack, MaxTrax recovery boards, Lifer Saver Jerry can/ Gas.

Extra Mentions: ARB tire plug kit, ARB tire deflator, Blue Ridge Overland tool bag, gas and battery Stihl Chainsaws, Custom Med Kit, Custom built shower unit, Custom built water filtration system, Recovery Kit, Goal Zero solar generators, Cook Partner stove and Dutch oven.

Why do I like Camping?

My love of the outdoors started when I was a young boy growing up in a very rural part of Mississippi. I was raised on a small farm, where I worked hard labor at a very young age with my grandfather learning what it was like to work with your hands and have something to show for it at the end of the day. We owned a little grocery store called “Ready’s Grocery” where we sold normal products, gas, and fruits and vegetables we had left over from my granny canning. I fished after work in the morning until dark nearly every day. I didn’t even know about my love for the outdoors until I grew up, I just lived it! At 18 I joined the United States Marine Corps as a 0311 infantryman, which later was deployed to Japan where I became a Jungle Warfare Instructor. This was right up my alley, I lived in a hammock under a tarp nightly in triple canopy vegetation teaching Marines repelling techniques, survival, land navigation, tactics, SERE level B, and human tracking. So, my life was living in the jungle constantly, crossing rivers, constantly wet, drying our boots and clothes by the fire nightly! After leaving the Marine Corps I became a Federal Agent for the Department of Energy transporting our Nation’s Highest Assets. Which requires constant field training, again right up my alley for living and loving the outdoors. But with all this said and as I’ve gotten older life has just gotten to fast! I always think back of those times as a young boy and being with my grandfather swinging on the porch with not at care in the world. Reflecting on how everything has changed and the direction we as a nation are headed got me thinking on how to temporally escape it. I bought a Tacoma years ago that had some gear I’d never seen before “RTT” etc.. So, my wife and I started going camping a lot after that, researching other gear etc. Until it has completely consumed our life! We do this year-round nearly every weekend! If we are not out I’m generally turning wrenches and do vehicle maintenance to go out. It has became a lifestyle and passion to explore and enjoy the outdoors and meet new people. It’s a running joke around the fire at night. How could anyone like doing this! LOL We love this life and will never leave it. THE READY’s

What could I tell someone that’s getting into “overlanding”

I would start with is the love of the outdoors what you crave? If so, it doesn’t take that much to get out there and start doing this. Yes, you can spend your life savings in vehicles, parts, gear, etc. But you don’t have too. Matter of fact you should just take what you need to get to camp, recover yourself, protect yourself, eat and sleep. Do this for several weekends straight, it might not be what you were thinking it would be in the first place and you haven’t wasted a ton of money because your buddy does it and you thought you would like it. If you do decide to get into this sport well that’s another complete story on what works, what doesn’t, what not to do, where to start, etc. So, my advice is get out and enjoy nature, respect nature, leave places cleaner than you found them, follow fire bans and the laws on protecting it. And see if its for you!

5 THINGS NOT TO DO OVERLANDING

May 6, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

Over the past year of camping on the trail and trying to figure things out on the rigs a few of us came up with the 5 things you don’t want to do “overlanding”.

1) Weight/Suspension! Know the gear you are going to be using on your rig before upgrading you suspension, like how much water you are taking ,how heavy is that ARB fridge with food is, tools , bedding, RTT etc…. It’s all about the weight! We all came across this problem before . Upgrading the suspension before adding your millions of pounds of Overlandy gear and seeing the rear end sag… it sucks! Knowing I have to put more time/money into it again. So know what your going to be adding to your Rig before finding the suspension ! A few of us have learned the hard way.

2) Don’t sleep under a Widowmaker…. (Dead tree) . I’ve seen this and it’s very common that people do not LOOK UP. So when you make camp next time look at your surroundings and make sure there isn’t a tree that can kill you when you’re sleeping in your cozy RTT.

3) Being inexperienced on the trail…. Know what you and your vehicle is capable of. Have a planned route and know what the terrain is. If you don’t know ,do your homework. There are groups out there that are willing you help with boots on the ground Intel. The Gaia app is a good app for trip planning . There is numerous other places to find trail details like trailsoffroad.com, Onx off-road app .

4) Not having fire awareness . ALWAYS BE AWARE OF THE CAMP FIRE ! We don’t need our Forrest on fire now . DONT BE THAT GUY! make sure the fire is watered down and dead before moving locations . Always make sure there isn’t a RED FLAG warning before you start a camp fire in your NF.

5) DONT FORGET THE COFFEE! Every good adventure starts with a cup or two and enjoy the good views where ever your camping next!

Out with the IFS

May 4, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

Over the few months of being on the trail with the 93 Toyota the front suspension was super stiff “no flex really” and I was always replacing parts and getting alignments after every trip…. I decided to upgrade.

After doing research I decided that I would go with Trail-Gear SAS “solid axle swap” …

I found the axle in Flagstaff Arizona. I drove to pick it up with my father on a weekend. While on the trip I bought the Trail Gear SAS 3in lift kit for the front, for the rear I purchased an ARB old man emu leaf springs with Trail-Gear 6-in shackles. With all the weight of the Overland gear I needed to add a coil spring in between the frame and leaf springs this is called a ZUK MOD. This did not impede the way the axle flexed nor did it make it rough on washboard roads which was a plus.

This took me about a week of cleaning and a weekend to install . After installation I found out there was binding from the driveshaft due to the low pin third member. I had to swap it out with a high pin from an fj80 due to the drive shaft angle. The front and rear gear ratio is 410s .

After about 8 months of traveling on the trail with the kit , it was well worth it ! Traveling on washboard roads , going over obstacles , and over all durability of the front end made a big difference and well worth the upgrade .

5 Things an Overlander Needs to Know: Getting Started

April 28, 2021 Published by NEWMEXICO-EXPEDITION

We all know how WILD this last year has been… With a worldwide pandemic, the constant chaos of life, and ever-evolving society,this year presented in own challenges in just figuring out how the heck to spend your free time – and not go crazy trapped inside some four-walled building. For my wife and I, Overlanding was the escape we never knew we needed until it found us – and thanks to the turbulence of 2020 we got pretty good at being “overlandy” pretty quick.

I have family that’s spent years out “Overlanding” and when the pandemic hit it was the perfect opportunity for me to really find out what the scene was all about. I spent countless hours learning about WHAT my ‘Overlanding Rig’ would need, and planning how I could assemble it. Being a fabricator I was able to watch those dreams come true – from inside of my own garage. Once I had the vehicle, we started making trips and learning all about the Overlanding lifestyle and would you would and would not need to be successful.

The last year of being able to get out and explore new places, enjoy new views, breathe fresh air, remember what LIFE is about has been liberating and wonderful but it would have been even better had we known these things before we started! –

Planning a Route – this is THE MOST important part of the trip. Without a destination, and idea of how to get there – you don’t have any trip planned at all! For us, it was about discovering all the options. I tried out all different apps and maps to find what combo would be best for us. We landed on a couple of different apps to use, that all help provide us different recon info.
GAIA App = trip tracking & milage detail/weather conditions
OnX Offoad App = land details (what’s private and what isn’t), Gates along the trail that are locked and you will need to consider.
Where are you sleeping – Good quality tent – (preferably one off of the ground) I did alot of research and wanted a hard shell RTT “like the falcon roofnest” but it would not fit inside my garage…so I went with a 23zero 62 walkabout soft shell and man I couldn’t be happier. The tent fits my wife and two dogs easily. The quality of the fabric is super durable and thick. The accessory list for these tents are great ! Boot bags /winter inserts / hardkorr lighting ect.. Plus the company is amazing!
Staying warm in the cold months – Heating your tent. Over the past year camping through the seasons we learned many things…. we used a heating blanket and that did not do the job and it used alot of amps through out the night. Tried a propane buddy and NO NO ! my tent was a freezer with ice inside from the condensation from the propane! NEVER AGAIN! Mind you camping in the dead of winter isn’t for the weak… So had to fix this problem fast or my wife WOULD NOT CAMP AGAIN ! So we all have that tote or bag full of bedding that takes up so much space! Well NO MORE with a diesel heater ! Fixed all my problem and I also added a 23zero winter insert to help hold in the heat and keep the tent at a nice 73 or whatever desired temperature I want all night with one blanket.
Storing your food – coolers are such old news. I used a yeti cool for years! So when I went on 3-6 day Expeditions the cooler had to go . I was tired of watered down food . So with the fridge technology these days I made the jump. A fridge is a great investment and it will not disappoint you at all. Changed my experience while camping forever! Food is fresh and drinks/ whiskey is cold!
Communication– on my rig a do run a fixed HAM radio but the INREACH satellite messenger is the most valuable thing you can have if broken down or need help in the middle of BFE . I can communicate with anyone any where . They have different plans depending on you how much you use it. I would say this is a must have .

I hope this helps someone with a little bit of knowledge from the trail.

Category: Gear Advice