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T. Stanley

Rocky Mountain Region Member Rep Kansas
Launch Member

Member III

2,551
Clay Center, Kansas
First Name
Tim
Last Name
Stanley
Member #

25893

Hi from SE Connecticut... I’m recently retired have always had a love for off-roading...my first experience was my 1974 CJ5 in 1978.... had many more in between but then in 2009 bought a 1995 Defender 90...spent 6 years building it and Off-roading mostly day trips and a few weekend trips....
looking to get to the next level overlanding and visiting as many beautiful areas of the country and Canada maybe in my ordered 2021 gladiator rubicon echo diesel.... hopefully here in next week or two? Ordered it 12/09/20...
Hope to see you on the trails now that I have the time
Welcome to the OB crew
 
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jgivens

Rank I
Member

Traveler I

233
Fortville, IN
First Name
John
Last Name
Givens
Member #

28136

Hi - new to the forum, as well as offroading/overlanding - Just picked up a brand new Chevy ZR2 Bison just under 2 weeks ago (the day after Christmas).. loving it so far. I'm in Sacramento CA - I've already taken it out a few times (local OHV park called Prairie City, as well as a snow-wheeling run with a Jeep buddy, and a couple trails). When I'm not working at my day job, I'm a professional automotive photographer - so I'm really looking forward to seeing where I can go with this truck, and get some great shots ;)

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Good to see another ZR2 in the Group. Welcome aboard. I myself have a 98 Blazer ZR2 w/ a 2" body lift.
 
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MarioT'sCJResto

Rank V
Launch Member

Contributor II

1,567
12157
First Name
Christopher
Last Name
Laboy
Member #

22985

Hmm, where to begin. The outdoors have always been a large part of my life and highly enjoyed from a young age. Backpacking trips to Alaska, bush plane drop-offs, and pick-up two weeks later became an almost every year thing as a young adult and beyond. I lived most of my life in North Texas so traveling to destination spots was common, and the older I got, the more I realized that I needed to leave Texas and find my forever home. I left North Texas in early 2016 and made Idaho my home. I live in the middle of everything I enjoy, the outdoors! The area I live in is surrounded by over 10 million acres of state and federal lands, and I could not be happier. “Overlanding” for me has been merely camping out of a vehicle, but the older I get…, the more a little creature comfort becomes…..important.

So what brought me to this corner of the Internet? A TRAILER PROJECT! I have been going through a ton of Youtube videos and here I am. :) I happened upon such unique topics, I had to learn more so spent all evening watching Overland Bound videos. So the Trailer?

A few months ago, I helped a neighbor load several items into a moving truck, and he off the cuff asked if I was interested in buying his little old trailer. For a little steel beast, the price we came to was a steal in my book. I primarily used it for hauling wood from the woods on our firewood gathering runs. Here in Idaho, you acquire a permit for cords of wood, and off you go. A buddy knew I had been shopping for an expedition-style trailer, and he asked, "why not turn Lil Beast into one?" I laughed at first, but we all sat down and started brainstorming. The first thing we did was order a 3500 Dexter Torsion Axle with electric brakes. Pulled the old axle and springs, welded in reinforcements to the bottom, and slapped on the new axle. We removed the original towing point and welded in a 2-inch square tube and ordered an Ark Articulating Off-Road Coupler for 2" Receivers. I'm attempting to locate mount points for Rhino Heavy Duty Bars I had laying around but short of installing an actual track system to the round rail running from front to back, not seeing many options. I figured I would post here for input and updates. Think we are going to weld in a rack that can raise lower the tent using linear actuators, which would also provide a mount point other than the round bar for the RTT....this would also allow me to pull the entire rack off the trailer to use it as a normal trailer with a hoist system in the workshop

I thought it appropriate to lay out all my plans for this little monster. I believe the trailer is an old U-Haul trailer that was decommissioned. 6ft x 4ft. The plan is to install items on the outside of the trailer and the tongue box leaving the interior open to general use etc. The more we plan the less likely that looks LOL


Buyers Products Company 16 in. x 16 in. x 49 in. Black Steel Trailer Tongue Truck Tool Box - Ordered and the plan is to add more 2-inch squares to each angled side at the tongue and mount and weld the tongue box. This should raise the tongue box just high enough not to interfere with the trailer jack. Thought of updating the jack but it works so I think I will leave it as-is unless it proves to be inefficient
Electrical - The primary function of the tongue box will be to house two Odyssey Extreme Series Batteries and an electrical system. (probably will change this out to a LiFepo4 battery) I plan to install a NOCO Genius 2-Bank battery charger along with a Port Plug power inlet for shore power and BlueSea battery switches. I have a Xantrex 806-1220 PROwatt SW 2000 Inverter along with a Renogy Rover 40 Amp 12V/24V MPPT Solar Charge Controller Battery Regulator that will also find a home in here. We'll center the batteries for weight and go from there
Hot Water Heater - Pretty sure we'll also have room to install a hot water system in the tongue box as well for cooking and showers
Roam Vagabond Roof Tent with Annex - I already own a roof tent and we are trying to decide if we want to directly mount it to the round bars or have a lift and lower rack system for the tent. If we go with a lift and lower system, we'll fabricate that and use the areas you can see in the first pictures on the sides to weld in square iron on each side for the raise and lower bars. More than likely will go aluminum for the actual towers attached to the tent platform
Stabilizing Leveling Jacks 2 - We are devising a method to install mount points and install these on the front end and backend
Custom side boxes - We are roughing up a few drawings for boxes to install over the wheel wells for various kitchen storage etc
Bedliner - I plan to Bedliner the entire interior with black Bedliner and olive drab on the entire exterior
Water Tank(s) - Trying to decide how I want to do this. Considering how tall she is now, I MIGHT be able to squeeze a few Valterra RV Water Tanks on her underside. If not, I will have a custom-built for inside the trailer up near the tongue and go with a drawer system for a kitchen, out of the back...or out of the side with a few select cuts and door placement.







nTE]
Wow now that sounds like a fun project, thanks for sharing the plans. The amount of information shared on this venue is invaluable to say the least, I actually find more worth (ROI) with the information shared here than on your most common used SN Platforms.
Can't wait to see the the build when it's finished.
Best Regards - From UpState NY
 

MarioT'sCJResto

Rank V
Launch Member

Contributor II

1,567
12157
First Name
Christopher
Last Name
Laboy
Member #

22985

Hey OB!!
Name is Shawna, 41 next week, single lady, 19 yr old son serving overseas, currently living in the Mid Atlantic (In lots of local offroad groups in the DMV) but looking at relocation options. LIVING LIFE to the fullest!! Long term goal is to live A LOT out of my rig with a small cabin as base somewhere in the mountains!!

2011 Iceberg FJ Cruiser. Not sure what "experience" level to put... I grew up in the Midwest and spent a lot of time in the outdoors, all our family vacations were extended camping trips and/or road trips. I love wheeling, camping, hiking and the like. I have traveled to most of the contiguous states, Canada and England/Scotland/Whales twice. I had a short stint in the Army. Slowly building out my rig with limited time, and budget. I JUST did my rear seat delete and am getting a NEW set of GOAT armor. I am also a Tread Lightly member and will be taking the Trail Trainer course in May.

Looking forward to connect with others on here, in the interim...

Here are some fun pics!

And check me out on IG: @Fervid.Cruzn
Hello Shawna, and welcome to the team. I can't imagine how proud you are of your son, I hold a special place in my heart for those who serve to protect (Past and Present) can't wait to see when you and your son head off on an off road adventure.
Best regards - from UpState NY
 
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MarioT'sCJResto

Rank V
Launch Member

Contributor II

1,567
12157
First Name
Christopher
Last Name
Laboy
Member #

22985

Hi - new to the forum, as well as offroading/overlanding - Just picked up a brand new Chevy ZR2 Bison just under 2 weeks ago (the day after Christmas).. loving it so far. I'm in Sacramento CA - I've already taken it out a few times (local OHV park called Prairie City, as well as a snow-wheeling run with a Jeep buddy, and a couple trails). When I'm not working at my day job, I'm a professional automotive photographer - so I'm really looking forward to seeing where I can go with this truck, and get some great shots ;)

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Hey there, no need to show us such a sweet looking rig. I was looking at the ZR2 myself, it's such a great platform to build off. If you find yourself looking into adding a winch, check out Vice Designs for their Integrated Winch Mounts. Can't wait to see what you do next, and what trails you hit - until then Best Regards - from UpState NY
 
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MarioT'sCJResto

Rank V
Launch Member

Contributor II

1,567
12157
First Name
Christopher
Last Name
Laboy
Member #

22985

Finally. This is not my first time posting to the new members forum, however this time I get to do as an actual member, #26286! Hello, again, my name is Michael. I hail from Long Beach, SoCal and I overland in a '18 Subaru Forester XT. A little something about the Forester:

1.5" ADF multilink spacer lift
King Standard Springs
Bilstein B6 struts
Upgraded Rallitek end links
Strut tower bar front and rear (curious to hear peoples thoughts on strut tower bars and their pros/cons with overloading/softroading)
17" Black Rhino Rumble wheels
225/65/r17 Falken Wildpeak A/T Trails (Soon to be 235/65/r17 Wildpeak AT3Ws)
K&N box washable (non oiled) air filter
Perrin Charge Pipe
Derale Transmission Cooler
Perrin Air-Oil Separator
Primitive Triple Armor: Skid, Trans, and Rear Diff.
Invidia Q300 Catback Exhaust (thinking of selling to go back to stock for better clearance)
Scangauge II Electronic gauge
Rhino Rack Crossbars
Rhino Rack 2.0m Awning
Thule Canyon XL Cargo Basket
And a bunch of subtle interior/exterior mods

A little something about me:
GIS Technician for an Environmental Planning Firm
BA from Long Beach State
SoCal native
Love film photography, music, reading, cooking, film, and obviously the outdoors, overloading & camping.
I'm relatively new to the overloading and trail riding world so I would love to get some more experience and insight from some vets/avid trail runners. I have a trip coming up soon, hopefully, where I will be driving back from TX. I plan on taking a week to explore Big Bend NP, White Dunes NP, Barry Goldwater Range in AZ, and Anza-Borrego. If anyone would like to share some of their experiences or some spots worth checking out in these places I have a thread up in the forums: Winter Road Trip: TX to CA. Please feel free to hit me up if you're local to me, want to talk shop, or hit the trails. I am looking to grow my overloading community away from just 1, haha. Looking forward to, officially, being a part of the crew here in 2021. Cheers!
Welcome to the Team;
SoCal / Long Beach - I had an offer to work out of LB for 3rd Party Payers, I sometimes I wonder what Life would have been like if I had made the move. How do you like the Ignik Gas Tank? Did you pick that up at REI? I happen to have that in my Cart at the moment, with a few more supplies.
Well Take care, and enjoy the sunshine - Best Regards from UpState NY
 

Kaaae

Rank I

Contributor I

203
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States
First Name
Steven
Last Name
Murray
Member #

26015

Hey Folks, new member here. I am finally returning to the overland and off the beaten path camping community. Originally I had an LR4 that I thoroughly enjoyed and put through its and its warranties paces. But i jumped into the Telsa world for many years, but now i am back into a new D5. So far the D5 has been upgraded with compomotive rims, proud rhino lift, Falken AT3W shoes and Proud Rhino rock sliders.

Here is to enjoying the plush comforts while getting out of florida to enjoy nature.

K.
 

Kent R

Executive Director
Staff member
Mod Team
Moderator
Member

Pathfinder III

5,200
El Dorado, Ca
First Name
Kent
Last Name
Reynolds
Member #

1632

Ham/GMRS Callsign
K6KNT
Service Branch
Retired Firefighter
Hey Folks, new member here. I am finally returning to the overland and off the beaten path camping community. Originally I had an LR4 that I thoroughly enjoyed and put through its and its warranties paces. But i jumped into the Telsa world for many years, but now i am back into a new D5. So far the D5 has been upgraded with compomotive rims, proud rhino lift, Falken AT3W shoes and Proud Rhino rock sliders.

Here is to enjoying the plush comforts while getting out of florida to enjoy nature.

K.
Welcome To Overland Bound
I am curious what your thoughts are regarding the D5
Check the forum calendar and Meet-Up page for events, and the Trip Planning page for trips being planned by members. These pages can be filtered by region.
Overland Bound Meetups
Overland Trip Planning
You are in the Southeast Region, local information can also be found in the “Overland Bound by Region”
OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY
Your Regional Director is @AdventureWithDanan . The closest Member Representative to you for local information is @Cendee & @radwelder
Quick adult & youthTread Lightly online awareness course.
Tread Lightly | Online Courses
Tread Lightly! Youth Online Course
 
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T. Stanley

Rocky Mountain Region Member Rep Kansas
Launch Member

Member III

2,551
Clay Center, Kansas
First Name
Tim
Last Name
Stanley
Member #

25893

Hey Folks, new member here. I am finally returning to the overland and off the beaten path camping community. Originally I had an LR4 that I thoroughly enjoyed and put through its and its warranties paces. But i jumped into the Telsa world for many years, but now i am back into a new D5. So far the D5 has been upgraded with compomotive rims, proud rhino lift, Falken AT3W shoes and Proud Rhino rock sliders.

Here is to enjoying the plush comforts while getting out of florida to enjoy nature.

K.
Welcome to the OB crew
 
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T. Stanley

Rocky Mountain Region Member Rep Kansas
Launch Member

Member III

2,551
Clay Center, Kansas
First Name
Tim
Last Name
Stanley
Member #

25893

Location: Birmingham Alabama
Rig: 2020 Tacoma
Experience: Novice
Welcome to the OB crew, to get started we have some extremely useful information in our Boot Camp threads here in the forums, check it out. Ask questions! There are tons of experienced overlanders here and they are willing to share their knowledge.
 

MarioT'sCJResto

Rank V
Launch Member

Contributor II

1,567
12157
First Name
Christopher
Last Name
Laboy
Member #

22985

@MarioT'sCJResto hello and thank you! I love the growler! It’s more than enough LP for me and my partner and it’s footprint is minimal. The carry case is very convenient and durable. It’s so much cheaper than the little Coleman canisters.
Thanks for the input, I had stocked up on those mini Coleman canisters - picked up 4 cases from BJ's. I can use them for the Stove, and Mr Buddy Water Heater. I can use this Growler for the Mr. Buddy Heater.
 

DharmaBum

Rank V
Member

Enthusiast III

1,515
Denver, Colorado, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Sniezak
Member #

26286

@MarioT'sCJResto hello and thank you! I love the growler! It’s more than enough LP for me and my partner and it’s footprint is minimal. The carry case is very convenient and durable. It’s so much cheaper than the little Coleman canisters.
Thanks for the input, I had stocked up on those mini Coleman canisters - picked up 4 cases from BJ's. I can use them for the Stove, and Mr Buddy Water Heater. I can use this Growler for the Mr. Buddy Heater.
Great to know about the Mr. Buddy. I’m probably gonna be in the market for one in the coming months.
 

T. Stanley

Rocky Mountain Region Member Rep Kansas
Launch Member

Member III

2,551
Clay Center, Kansas
First Name
Tim
Last Name
Stanley
Member #

25893

Hello. Im from marinette wi

My starter rig is a 03 chevy tahoe
(I intend to use what i got till its scrap)

My experience level for overlanding is none. Super interested and excited to get out there. Any info on just starting out is welcome and appreciated.
Welcome to the OB crew, a great place to start learning the ropes is in our Boot Camp threads here in the forums. ask questions, there are plenty of knowledgeable overlanders here that willingly share information.
 
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Ravin88

Rank II
Member

Enthusiast I

404
Marinette, WI, USA
First Name
Tim
Last Name
Liesch
Member #

27918

Hello. Im from marinette wi

My starter rig is a 03 chevy tahoe
(I intend to use what i got till its scrap)

My experience level for overlanding is none. Super interested and excited to get out there. Any info on just starting out is welcome and appreciated.
Welcome to the OB crew, a great place to start learning the ropes is in our Boot Camp threads here in the forums. ask questions, there are plenty of knowledgeable overlanders here that willingly share information.
Thank you very much for a quick reply. I will for sure check it out.
 
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