Advocate II
Ok. So finally after owning my rig for two years, I'm ready to start building it. I'll start by saying that my 2010 Tundra DC 4x4 with the TRD package wasn't my first choice for my overland vehicle, but with three kids in the back seat (one currently under a year old) and all the extra gear that comes with having three kids (especially the youngest), it was just a necessity to use the bigger of our two possible overland vehicles. The other being a 2008 4Runner 4x4.
The Tundra was originally bought to tow our travel trailer. We had a long trip up to Mammoth/Yosemite planned, and although the trailer was bought with the 4Runner in mind, I just didn't want to put that much stress on the 4Runner for such a long drive. So we bought the Tundra 2 days before we were scheduled to leave. Here it is all loaded up right after we got it:
Fast forward a year and we've had our 3rd son. Now we have a need for a camper shell... our first mod that is leading the Tundra toward being the family overland rig.
So keeping in mind that we now have a campershell, we'll come back to that in a minute.
Fast forward another year, and I've found Overland Bound. I've watched expedition overland for a few years now, as well as many other overland videos, and I've been hooked ever since. I've always wanted to explore our great country anyway. I've always wondered how I could have spent my whole life in the states, and have really only seen parts of 4 out of 50. It's time to get out there and see the beautiful sights that have been provided to us just by being born here.
So I tell my family that we will be going on an overland adventure this summer, and that we will be building the Tundra into our Overland rig. With that in mind, I tell my nine year old son that we need to come up with a name for our rig. (Of course the questions ensue: why do we need to name it, etc.) So after a day or two of thinking he comes up with The Tortoise. I ask why, and he says..... "because it has a shell on its back." I love the simplicity of a kids mind. Sometimes in life we overthink things way too much, and it's quite often a good choice to get a child's perspective on the matter at hand.
So now our rig has a name....
And the build begins.
I finally decided that the OME setup would be perfect for my needs. Not too much, and not too little. It arrived yesterday and is being installed today. Unfortunately in my excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the kit, and a solid profile pic of the Tortoise, but I'll get some when it's done later today.
On Tuesday this last week I also placed an order for some White Knuckle Off-Road sliders. They are scheduled to be ready in about 4-6 weeks. Really looking forward to that mod. Prior to putting the lift on, I've almost high centered on the stupid brackets that hold the lame a$$ nerf bars. With the sliders, at least there won't be any brackets hanging down, and they will still be a functional step for the better half and the kids to get in and out.
I'm still trying to figure out which way I want to go with some of the other setups (i.e. Camp kitchen, totes, bed drawer system, etc.) I won't be doing the RTT thing. I have a 10x14 Kodiak that I prefer to use. Most likely I'll be going with tote boxes, and a camp kitchen from bass pro that I already have.
Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk
The Tundra was originally bought to tow our travel trailer. We had a long trip up to Mammoth/Yosemite planned, and although the trailer was bought with the 4Runner in mind, I just didn't want to put that much stress on the 4Runner for such a long drive. So we bought the Tundra 2 days before we were scheduled to leave. Here it is all loaded up right after we got it:
Fast forward a year and we've had our 3rd son. Now we have a need for a camper shell... our first mod that is leading the Tundra toward being the family overland rig.
So keeping in mind that we now have a campershell, we'll come back to that in a minute.
Fast forward another year, and I've found Overland Bound. I've watched expedition overland for a few years now, as well as many other overland videos, and I've been hooked ever since. I've always wanted to explore our great country anyway. I've always wondered how I could have spent my whole life in the states, and have really only seen parts of 4 out of 50. It's time to get out there and see the beautiful sights that have been provided to us just by being born here.
So I tell my family that we will be going on an overland adventure this summer, and that we will be building the Tundra into our Overland rig. With that in mind, I tell my nine year old son that we need to come up with a name for our rig. (Of course the questions ensue: why do we need to name it, etc.) So after a day or two of thinking he comes up with The Tortoise. I ask why, and he says..... "because it has a shell on its back." I love the simplicity of a kids mind. Sometimes in life we overthink things way too much, and it's quite often a good choice to get a child's perspective on the matter at hand.
So now our rig has a name....
And the build begins.
I finally decided that the OME setup would be perfect for my needs. Not too much, and not too little. It arrived yesterday and is being installed today. Unfortunately in my excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the kit, and a solid profile pic of the Tortoise, but I'll get some when it's done later today.
On Tuesday this last week I also placed an order for some White Knuckle Off-Road sliders. They are scheduled to be ready in about 4-6 weeks. Really looking forward to that mod. Prior to putting the lift on, I've almost high centered on the stupid brackets that hold the lame a$$ nerf bars. With the sliders, at least there won't be any brackets hanging down, and they will still be a functional step for the better half and the kids to get in and out.
I'm still trying to figure out which way I want to go with some of the other setups (i.e. Camp kitchen, totes, bed drawer system, etc.) I won't be doing the RTT thing. I have a 10x14 Kodiak that I prefer to use. Most likely I'll be going with tote boxes, and a camp kitchen from bass pro that I already have.
Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk
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