Keeping it simple (and reliable)

[Erik C]

What are people doing to simplify their equipment, lighten their load and increase reliability of vehicle and equipment? What are you doing without that you thought you needed? Cooler instead of fridge? Heating water instead of water heater? Compressed air instead of air compressor?

 

[M Rose]

I was a cooler guy for years... upgraded to a fridge last year and in the year I have had it it’s paid for it’s self by not having to buy ice. But I also go out for weeks at a time, and when not out the fridge doubles as a freezer for home use.

Compressed air is heavier than an air compressor... and more expensive all the way around... plus side... it fills tires faster than a compressor.

I do heat water on the stove.

No RTT, a ground tent is lighter and if not needed for the trip can be left at home easier. (My solo trips I sleep in the back of my rig.).

Camp kitchen is a very basic. A cast iron skillet used over the fire, and a JetBoil backpacking stove. I have one kitchen knife, plate doubles as a cutting board, 1 spatula, 1 stirring spoon, paper plates, and plastic flat ware.

 

[Billiebob]

What are people doing to simplify their equipment, lighten their load and increase reliability of vehicle and equipment? What are you doing without that you thought you needed? Cooler instead of fridge? Heating water instead of water heater? Compressed air instead of air compressor?

I think you are thinking backwards here.

If you need cool food daily, chuck the cooler, buy a fridge.
If you need hot water daily. add an instant hot water heater.
Why would anyone NEED compressed air????

Simplify is easy, if you did not use it last trip, sell it.
Best way, list what you need or miss as you have that revelation and list what is just taking up space.
Should do this every trip, keep the list handy.

 

[smritte]

Over the years you figure out what you need/dont need. I like simple but I'm not a minimalist. I just built a new trailer. I'm now learning again, what I need to bring or more importantly, not bring.
You asked about reliability. Some things I wont cheap on. If I buy a $100 fridge and it ruins my food because it only lasted six months, I have only myself to blame. I don't own an ARB fridge but I do own a whitner and an edgstar. Both are name brands, both use the Danafross compresser and both are half the price of an ARB. My whitner is almost 10 years old and has been mounted in my M100 trailer. Works great.

Vehicle reliability is all about preventative maintenance. The key is to know how long something lives and replace it before it breaks. Key word, "preventative".
If you have a used high mileage vehicle, it needs to be baselined. I have better than 10k into my Cruiser in just that. All Toyota parts. Why OE? Because I know how long they last.
I can say now, most of my rig will go 20 more years before I need anything expensive replaced.

 

[Road]

What are people doing to simplify their equipment, lighten their load and increase reliability of vehicle and equipment? What are you doing without that you thought you needed? Cooler instead of fridge? Heating water instead of water heater? Compressed air instead of air compressor?

.
Oh bloody hell, I am still getting rid of stuff I bought four years ago thinking it would be necessary to survive, or that I wanted because I thought it'd be cool to have as part of a complete rig.

Much of it was still brand new, a lot still in-the-box, and a bunch of it so lightly used it still fetched a great price when I sold it. The more I got out there and the more long-term back country stays I made, and the more I found I'd rather be solo than part of a traveling group, or god forbid, a convoy of vehicles all doing the same exact thing for several days, the more I realized I really did not need a lot of the stuff I thought I would. My style evolved differently.

- A Murder Spork (Krazy Beaver Shovel of thicker/stronger steel, with serrated teeth, other cool features) - cool looking and very functional bit of kit, but I found myself reaching for my long-handled shovel and never missed the murder spork when I didn't bring it, even when stuck.
- A Pioneer Rhino Rack roller, that facilitates loading one's rack with ladders, lumber, etc. Knew exactly how I would install and use it, though never did. Even if my RTT was not up there, I don't see the need, in my case, for the roller.
- My Oztent RV-5: once I settled into using my RTT and van and being solo far more than having, or being with, company, I no longer needed a big ground tent.
- Baofeng 8w handheld radio and accessories. Never used it, never installed it, sold it to someone who will.
- A terrific Frost River Isle Royale waxed canvas backpack, with hip belt, great padded shoulder straps, etc. An amazingly well-made bushcraft style pack. One of those items that becomes a family heirloom, as in "This used to belong to your Great-Grampa Road, you know, who used it all over the US and Canada!" has become "I've never used this and now it's for sale so my kid doesn't have to when I'm gone."
- I have a Snow Peak Pack & Carry Grill with all the extras that I'll be selling, too. Used on two short trips, I think, and though I love it and would love to keep it, it just does not fit my packing style and keeps getting shoved to the back. So it's going, too.

I could go on. A lot was purchased thinking I'd be adventuring differently than I am now. A lot could be kept for potential future use, and I still think all the purchases were smart when I made them.

Though I look at my adventure gear like my wardrobe. If I haven't used something in a year--with the Big Pause of 20-21 excepted--then do I really need it? Will I really even use it in the next year, or is it just taking up space?

What I've learned in getting out there so much more regularly and for longer and longer than I used to--not just road-tripping from one gig to the next but camping for months at a time--is that so much of what we buy is not necessary.

We think it is because everyone else is buying it, hanging it all over their vehicles, and posting up about how they just got this cool thing or that. Or, because we're following the leader; that if someone we follow on forums or social media bought something, then we think we should, too. So much of what we think we should have is a fad.

There are some things that are worth spending big pesos on, and some things that are not.
What those things are will be different for different folks.
The trick is getting out there before you spend too many big pesos and determine for yourself what you really want or need. Then spend the big pesos on the shit you really want.

.

 

[smritte]

thinking it would be necessary to survive, or that I wanted because I thought it'd be cool

This describes so much of my gear. I don't even want to think of how much I've spent.

 

[Road]

This describes so much of my gear. I don't even want to think of how much I've spent.

.
I hear ya, man.

Though I endeavor to buy smart--like my hardshell RTT and kitchen box and other gear I've bought barely used for wayyy less than new--I've spent extravagantly at times when I had the pesos 'cause I thought "Yeah man, I work hard! I'm gonna treat myself and this is cool. I'll use the hell out of this!"

Then I find out in real world experience that I don't. Or I leave it behind because I didn't use it at all last big adventure, or I found out I dragged it along only to keep moving it out of the way to get to the gear I reached for more often. Could be a firepit, comms, backpacks, or whatever.

Getting out there and doing it, especially on long adventures encountering a variety of environments and weather in one trip, I've learned: "Simpler is Better; Fancy Is Not Always Necessary," and that a lot of what I thought would be handy or needed, was not.

Like I wrote, though, what works for one might not for another.
.

 

[MidOH]

Gasoline instead of diesel.

Solid front axle instead of IFS.

Less gear. One backpack per person only. Just like backpacking. Only a truck is involved.

If your overlanding route passes tons of small restaurants, take advantage of that.

If you only need a car, get a Taco or Jeep. If you need a small truck for a camper, get a larger one. If you need a 1/2 ton, get a 3/4 ton. If you need a 3/4 ton, get a 1 ton. If you need a diesel 1 ton, get an F550.

 

[Boostpowered]

Don't start doing this hobby to begin with.
It will save you lots of money.

 

[Anak]

Why would anyone NEED compressed air????

How do you air back up without it?

Or are you so hardcore you no longer touch pavement?
(That will be the next step up for the elitists, just give it time.)

 

[slightNine]

We went full circle over the last few years. I have always been a camper, and thankfully my family loves it as well. Basic car camping was our MO.

We started looking at ways to go farther and stay out longer and settled on the idea of a square-drop off-road trailer. This of-course led us to a truck purchase to tow it with. And a garage full of gear that we didn't need any longer.

Loved camping with the trailer. Sort-of.

There were a lot of things we loved about it like having a kitchen that was always set up. On board solar power and a hot shower were cool, the fridge was game changing though.

Then there's the RTT for our son. We bought and mounted a soft shell CVT to the roof of it. Pretty sweet! That is until you inevitably grow tired of all the time spent setting it up and packing it away.

The RTT further increased the fuel consumption beyond what towing a brick already had.

We sold the trailer this winter and started putting together a smaller, more fuel efficient, and more nimble build using just the truck. But this time we're bringing along some of the things we learned along the way.

Fridge: Must have for us. No more stopping for ice, no more soggy food, and the first swig off a cold one doesn't taste like potato salad occasionally any more. Lol

Solar: No more batteries to buy for everything. Collect sun, then recharge all the lights etc. Allows us to keep the vehicle power completely isolated from our camping stuff.

Propane tank: those little green bottles are expensive, cumbersome to pack, and require recycling. We went with a 5lb refillable bottle with the adapter hose.

Kitchen: Having this ready to use was huge for us. Less time setting up and packing away=more time to enjoy wherever we are. A chuck box type setup will always win with me over totes.

Writing this out I realized that we have cut a lot of consumables out of our set up which should lead to a lower footprint in the long run.

Of course, I have a whole new pile of gear that needs to be sold again. Lol

 

[tjZ06]

FWIW a 10lbs Powertank with accessories is heavier than the VIAIR compressors I use (I now have both). I don't think you're saving weight going away from a compressor, unless you're dragging around a giant compressor with tank.

-TJ

 

[rgallant]

@Erik C start simple drag everything out of the garage /storage look then

1. Look at everything and put in 3 piles must have, nice to have, why do I have this
2. For each pile look at what is there and ask when did I last use it - if you can not remember it should go to the why do I have this pile.
3. Then get rid of duplicates of stuff, that are just in case items

Then go through your recovery stuff and make sure it is in good shape and something you will and know how to use

I still run a cooler, USB chargeable batteries, and an RTT. But I tend to only go for about 5 days at time now and the Disco will need fuel at least once in that time.

 

[MOAK]

Over the years you figure out what you need/dont need. I like simple but I'm not a minimalist. I just built a new trailer. I'm now learning again, what I need to bring or more importantly, not bring.
You asked about reliability. Some things I wont cheap on. If I buy a $100 fridge and it ruins my food because it only lasted six months, I have only myself to blame. I don't own an ARB fridge but I do own a whitner and an edgstar. Both are name brands, both use the Danafross compresser and both are half the price of an ARB. My whitner is almost 10 years old and has been mounted in my M100 trailer. Works great.

Vehicle reliability is all about preventative maintenance. The key is to know how long something lives and replace it before it breaks. Key word, "preventative".
If you have a used high mileage vehicle, it needs to be baselined. I have better than 10k into my Cruiser in just that. All Toyota parts. Why OE? Because I know how long they last.
I can say now, most of my rig will go 20 more years before I need anything expensive replaced.

OK- this is getting really weird, or is it just a cruzer thing? Over the years I too am anal retentive about preventative maintenance. I just automatically do things like pulling the head every 125k or so. I don't know about twenty more years as we do put roughly 10,000 miles on per year. I'm at 322,000 miles and am confident that the driveline, ( 1st,2nd&3rd members) will go another 100k or so before its time for a new driveline.
The big thing about this hobby is the constant change with our stuff. Just when we thought we were done changing things up? I broke a rib last time out and packing up our basecamp ground tent was a royal PITA. It took my wife and I, useless as I was, about 3 hours to pack up. Then, on the move, we slept on the ground in our small tent. Sleeping on a 1/2" mat in a bag on the ground with a broken rib is no picnic. Setting up basecamp again took another 3 hours. I was useless. We got home and decided to switch everything over to an RTT. Ya, we gained about 300 lbs on the trailer, but lost about 100 lbs off the cruzer. I am constantly weighing stuff, if it can be replaced with something lighter, I'm on it. If it becomes cumbersome to pack or unpack? It's gone. As I sit here I'm trying to figure out how to convince my wife that an "over the fire" popcorn kettle is cumbersome at best, not needed, nor would it be "fun", ( who will clean up all that black soot so we can repack it with our kitchen gear?) especially since where we are going we won't be making any open fires.
I'm also constantly going through my tool bag attempting to lighten that load. Do I really need impact sockets? I've been dragging 4 or 5 of em around since my Rubicon days. No, they wont be coming this trip.

 

[MOAK]

FWIW a 10lbs Powertank with accessories is heavier than the VIAIR compressors I use (I now have both). I don't think you're saving weight going away from a compressor, unless you're dragging around a giant compressor with tank.

-TJ

ya, I carry a medium sized Viar compressor, @ 10lbs. Thats all one really needs for what we do. The weekend warriors? I could see using c02 for that. After wheelin till late in the day, one wants to air up quickly so they can drive back home.

 

[tjZ06]

ya, I carry a medium sized Viar compressor, @ 10lbs. Thats all one really needs for what we do. The weekend warriors? I could see using c02 for that. After wheelin till late in the day, one wants to air up quickly so they can drive back home.

Yup. I just picked up a couple Powertanks used (for a great deal, found here on OB) since I now have 6 x 35" tires on the ground with the trailer. If I air all 6 down to 15psi or so, I could see it taking over an hour to air back up with my VIAIR. But even with the Powertank, I think I'll carry the VIAIR as a backup "just in case" so that's just more weight overall...

-TJ

 

[smritte]

OK- this is getting really weird, or is it just a cruzer thing? Over the years I too am anal retentive about preventative maintenance.

For me its a "mechanic thing". I'm like this with all my vehicles. Decades of working on cars and decades of working 4wd events. Seeing people's vehicles fail due to improper maintenance and me having to field repair them so we can get back to camp. Reading forum posts with people complaining about their poorly maintained vehicles.
Sometimes I camp/wheel alone. Last thing I need is a two day walk back to civilization because of something I didn't maintain.

 

[smritte]

Yup. I just picked up a couple Powertanks used (for a great deal, found here on OB)

I borrowed my buddies power tank for a trip once. None of my local welding shops were set up to refill CO2. I had to drive an hour away to fill it. I don't mind the 15 min wait on my Viar.

 

[tjZ06]

I borrowed my buddies power tank for a trip once. None of my local welding shops were set up to refill CO2. I had to drive an hour away to fill it. I don't mind the 15 min wait on my Viar.

15min isn't too bad. With my D'max truck when I go to 25 and have to get back to 75, it takes a good 10 minutes per tire. I then like to give it a couple minute rest so it basically ends up being an hour to air back up. Of course, now that I have my Jeep (kinda) done, the truck will get used for way less trips where I foresee airing down. I have a few places local where I can get the co2, so that isn't a big deal in my case.

-TJ

 

[JimBill]

As you can see it is a journey. No perfect kit for all, or even individually, that covers all timespans and trips. Weather, family, trip itineraries and lengths, health, mood, and so on are all variable.
I have resigned to accept this mindset, and given up on defining the perfect kit.

I pull from the garage and load up for each trip depending on my best guess for what that particular trip is asking for. Through experience I have narrowed it down quite a bit so the choices are not overwhelming.
A couple of examples would be tent and gas. I have a big tent for hunting camp and cot, a light weight 4 person for fair weather overlanding, and a heavy 4 person 4 season tent that can seal up tight for dust storms or blizzards. I can choose to load up 1, 2, or 3 gas cans. And so on. So much more after that is trying to meet the perceived comfort expectations of your companion. As stated in an earlier post, solo trips can be as basic as backpacking gear, 12'er of soda, log of salami, and a full tank of gas.

Setting up a base kit that goes everywhere with you when away from home is where I started. Long roadtrip, hunting, fishing, touring, going to the offroad park.... recovery, safety, and snack gear all go. I then built up on that.
Then work out your vehicle weight budget (payload capacity available). That will help greatly to understand the limitations of what you can bring.