rig weight, how do you pack?

[kunstmilch]

so I made the mistake of taking my rig to a CAT scale on one of my recent trips and I was a bit heavy.. I have a 2016 toyota Tacoma TRD OR DCSB see picture below:

I have the usual mods SSO hybrid bumper with stage II (75lbs +23lbs for stage II), 10k synthetic line winch (smitybilt 67lbs), odessey 27F AGM battery (about 20lbs heavier than stock), sliders (mobtown offroad (170lbs), CBI overland steel skidplates (140lbs), bed rack (kbvoodoo 14" with tonneau brackets 45lbs), roll up tonneau cover, Bushveld II RTT (145lbs), Ironman 4x4 4.5' awning (25lbs), 285/70/17 E-load General grabber AT/X on Method racing MR305NV 17x8.5 0ffset rims (about 30lbs heavier per tire including full sized matching spare tire/rim in stock location). and 4 Actiontracs (metal teeth).

this alone puts me at about 860lbs of my payload capacity of 1152lbs. I do have a good suspension system... Dobinson's MRR/MRA with 111R leafpack, and heavy rate coil up front with MRR/MRA shocks.. add in about 300lbs of camping gear (12v fridge (iceco VL65DZ), cooking box, recovery gear box, rinsekit+), spare fuel and drinking water..... and I am overweight before even me getting in the truck, let alone bringing my wife along with me..

before anyone says anything.. I inspect my truck regularly, and I am a fanatic about any noise or creak or groan out of the suspension (its why I got greasable shackles/bushings). i constantly check my brakes condition, and leave extra space when driving. I do plan to upgrade the rotors, and pads (possibly even wilwood big brake kit), as well as regear to 5.29 gears. I do plan to eventually rotate out my heavy items such as sliders, and skidplates and opt for lighter options (doing research on this now)...

how and what do you all pack? do you keep track of vehicle weight?

I ask this as I see teams Expediton overland, and a few others with their rigs packed out, and 3-4 passengers... and lets just say they are probably heavier than I am....


View attachment 237322
my camping setup:
View attachment 237323

Apologies for being slightly off topic, is that an "on suite" (shower/privacy room) on the back of your awning? If so whats the set up, fine to private message so as not to hijack, if not disregard.

 

[kunstmilch]

On topic though:

I used to thru-hike so I came to this only after my health wouldn't allow me to hike everywhere. But I have always done long roadtrips and love off highway driving, not new to overlanding, just the name, which im sure is common for this group.

I have for years heard my 99 GMC K2500 7.4l suburban was too big and heavy to go off-road with. Pfft.

I always packed super light using my hiking gear but as time goes on things change...as they do. As of about 7 years ago I started to go out with my partner and as you all know, this changes things lol. In order to have more comfort and enjoyment for her on our long trips, and really in order to get her to want to go on the pan American highway trip we are prepping for, we are modifying the vehicle and loading up for living in, which changes things.

So far, most of the modifications dont change the weight by much...so I have 33" tires which are heavier, but switched from steel wheels to aluminum minimizing the effect on unsparing weight. We did add a fridge, and a lithium house battery. I am adding weight in noise reduction (second skin audio damplifier pro, spectrum, luxury liner pro, and megazorb) this adds weight, no way around that. Then thinsulate insulation (light). Changing out the carpets for vinyl flooring. Etc.

As for packing...

Kitchen:
We have a large fridge (ICECO v65 something or other) a small stainless steel kitchen setup we bought off a member that has a propane stove and sink combo. Will be packing an 11lb propane yet to buy. We're experimenting with induction as well. Food weight is variable but we dont pack light. We have a full Magna pot and pan set up which isn't particularly light and is a luxury to cook with, (partner is a trained chef amongst other things) and full knife set etc.

Safety:
Boo boo kit plus 2 trauma kits trauma kits labeled and sit behind headrests.
3 fire extinguishers (Element, so weight and space is negligible) front drivers and passenger side, rear at kitchen.
Emergency blankets.
Emergency rations etc.
gloves, safety glasses.
welding goggles

Recovery:
So far, no winch, no max tracks (I know I know) we have an on board air system (modified ac compressor).
On board welding system (premiere power). Welding wires double as jump cables (for another vehicle).
Spare alternator regulator and a spare alternator we dont bring with us for now but might for a real expedition).
Tire patch kit, 2 full spares.
Rope

Clothes:
(self explanatory)
Fabric repaire kit

Shelter:
Mattress lives in back.
Tent (will be switching to something like the Gizelle at some point)
blankets and bags.
Electric blanket (not needed so far)

Tools/spares:
Bottle jack (compressor compatible)
socket and wrench set
common bolts and screw for truck
tape, zip ties, wire etc.
parachute cord
pliers etc.
lots of stuff here..but not the kitchen sink

Im sure im forgetting a bunch of stuff but it also depends on the trip, not bringing two spares for a weekend trip. not bringing a bunch of stuff if we are just going to a designated camp site right? AAA can take care of us for that. These are for tracking through the desert or longer overlanding.

I still have to weigh us in all packed up but still am making mods to the truck...luckily the suburban has a big payload as it was designed for 9 passengers plus 375 lb of gear so ive got room, but obviously that room gets eaten quick. (especially as I gain weight! lol)

 

[kunstmilch]

Doh! forgot comms! lol

 

[CR-Venturer]

It's an old saying among backpackers and the military, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain, and I think it's true in Overlanding as well. Tons of good ideas on this thread.

My first adventure vehicle was a 99 CR-V:

The curb weight of the vehicle is only just over 3000lbs, and the payload was about 850lbs or so. Keeping the weight down was a critical factor in every decision. This was one of the two biggest driving factors in my decision not to run a RTT. Instead, I went with a cot tent setup:

It has some of the advantages of an RTT, but it cost me $50 on sale and it weighs 25lbs all in. Aluminum is a great way to save weight as well - I designed and built the roof rack myself from extruded aluminum, and the skid plate was also a custom build out of aluminum plate. I can attest it worked like a charm and saved the vital undercarriage parts many times over.

Rather than fabbing a complete winch bumper, I went with a custom steel bracket that replaced the factory bumper core and situated the winch inside the factory bumper skin.

As for other gear, a backpacking mentality is crucial. The standout example was the huge 10x10 canopy I used to bring along. I finally got sick of how huge, bulky and heavy the thing was, and what a pain in the butt it is to setup and take down, and I fabricated my own awning mount and bought a backpacking nylon tarp from amazon for something like $22.

not a great pic of the setup but you get the basic idea:

Now that I'm running with a 2006 Dakota, I have WAY more payload, but I intend to keep the same lightweight, low cost mentality. I saved the roof rack from Ganbaru (along with almost all the rest of its gear) and it's going to be installed as a bed rack on the Dakota.

 

[a12houk]

It's an old saying among backpackers and the military, ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain, and I think it's true in Overlanding as well. Tons of good ideas on this thread.

My first adventure vehicle was a 99 CR-V:
View attachment 237730
The curb weight of the vehicle is only just over 3000lbs, and the payload was about 850lbs or so. Keeping the weight down was a critical factor in every decision. This was one of the two biggest driving factors in my decision not to run a RTT. Instead, I went with a cot tent setup:
View attachment 237731
It has some of the advantages of an RTT, but it cost me $50 on sale and it weighs 25lbs all in. Aluminum is a great way to save weight as well - I designed and built the roof rack myself from extruded aluminum, and the skid plate was also a custom build out of aluminum plate. I can attest it worked like a charm and saved the vital undercarriage parts many times over.

Rather than fabbing a complete winch bumper, I went with a custom steel bracket that replaced the factory bumper core and situated the winch inside the factory bumper skin.

As for other gear, a backpacking mentality is crucial. The standout example was the huge 10x10 canopy I used to bring along. I finally got sick of how huge, bulky and heavy the thing was, and what a pain in the butt it is to setup and take down, and I fabricated my own awning mount and bought a backpacking nylon tarp from amazon for something like $22.
View attachment 237732
not a great pic of the setup but you get the basic idea:
View attachment 237733
Now that I'm running with a 2006 Dakota, I have WAY more payload, but I intend to keep the same lightweight, low cost mentality. I saved the roof rack from Ganbaru (along with almost all the rest of its gear) and it's going to be installed as a bed rack on the Dakota.

Agree with trying to go light weight!

I take the least amount of gear necessary to enjoy the trip while still being safe.

 

[KAIONE]

LIGHT IS RIGHT!!!!!!


I’ve always correlated my off-roading, car camping, “Overlanding” to my backpacking. The whole “ounces = lbs and lbs = pain”

$.02

 

[scott17818]

Apologies for being slightly off topic, is that an "on suite" (shower/privacy room) on the back of your awning? If so whats the set up, fine to private message so as not to hijack, if not disregard.

No worries.. this is my setup.. the 4.5" awning is from Ironman 4x4 smallest one they make.. plan to get a 270 soon. Was able to remove about 300lbs of stuff for my last trip this weekend, and the truck did well..

 

[oldmopars]

I seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum. I came from Adventure motorcycle riding. We were very limited, like under 50lbs of gear total. I still use most of the same gear and mentality.
Then my rig is a 2500 Suburban. I removed the back 2 rows of seats and with everything I pack I don’t think I have brought it back up to the stock curb weight. I have no roof top tent, a mattress in the back. I do have a winch and dual battery system, roof rack, and stock 40 gallon fuel tank. Some cooking stuff, recovery gear, etc.
Crazy thing is, I have a 6.0l V8 and still get 14mpg, better than most report in their Toyotas. I also have a 500 mile range, no need for additional fuel. She is a big girl, but she does everything I need her to do, and never every come close to overloading.
All that said, I think the full size rigs are sadly overlooked for Overland rigs. They are cheap too(used).

 

[Alanymarce]

I guess we're at the other end of the spectrum - the aim is to make the vehicle lighter than it was when new. We've succeeded with the one in which we made our most recent trip around Western Canada. Rear seats out - mass reduced, bed installed (2x4 and plyboard) - mass up again but less than it was. A small cooler rather than a fridge, no additional electrics, plastic boxes for food, nylong bag for a tiny stove, one pan, 2 plates, 2 cups, 2 plastic glasses, KFS, and minimalist personal kit.

No suspension modifications (the Wrangler used on this trip is adequate for most conditions), no winch, no lift, standard wheels, no snorkel (this would probably not be the case in some continents but is really not necessary in Canada, no awnings, no extra lights.

 

[rgallant]

Interesting discussion - my Discovery has about a 1500 payload my rtt, awning, roof bars and me take up about 300 of that. I will load up for along trip, including 40 liters of gas and pop up to the local land fill and get weighed. So far I run about 900 or so all in.

I try an keep weight down and load nothing higher than the lower edge of the windows. Traveling solo has some advantages.

 

[[DO]Ron]

Maybe just semi on topic, but I always wonder how people strap so much stuff on their roof. I see pictures on Instagram of cars with a roof rack, RTT, awning, shovels, lights, and god knows what strapped to it.
Sorry for putting this in Kilo's (KG), but I know nothing about lbs ;). But I know my dynamic max weight is 80 KG. a Frontrunner rack would be 21 KG and the RTT I'm looking at would be 49 KG. Thats 70 already. Then I see some with an awning from the same brand, but thats also 10 or 12 KG for the most basic one, that along puts you over weight without even adding the brackets and stuff. I guess some people just don't care, or know, but I always wonder..