What is the last thing you bought and plan to buy?

[SinisterJK]

Waiting on an Alu-Cab 270 degree shadow awning and an Alu-Cab Gen3 roof top tent to go on my 4 Runner. Purchased at Asheville Vehicle outfitters

That awning is amazing! I love the coverage you get with the awning and how sturdy its built. Good choice!

 

[M Rose]

@Lanlubber It’s a gps device that can send text messages via satellite signal... most importantly it can send a locator beacon to authorities in the event you have an emergency... I would actually put this at the top of your list Jim, for a piece of mind for the rest of us as you are traveling in remote areas.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Last thing bought was a new sleeping bag and a fridge. My last trip was in colder weather than normal and I got colder than I like when sleeping, so I finally decided to do something about it. The fridge is something that I've been wanting to do for quite a while, and the time hit where it was right to do. I haven't unboxed the sleeping bag yet, but that fridge immediately got set in front of the wood stove (best access to an outlet), plugged in, and run through its paces. Got to fridge temps pretty quick, and I was really surprised at how fast it started freezing the cup of water that I put in it as a test.

Next "purchase" (more like project) is to estimate how much power the fridge uses and buy the parts for a solar generator that can keep it going under common PNW conditions. I've got one that I built a while back that is smaller, and I learned quite a bit from it. The new one will have an upgraded charge controller (MPPT instead of PWM) and bigger battery capacity (I'm thinking a smaller battery size, but 3-4 of them, to balance out in a "bank").

What do you mean by PNW conditions, lack of sun shine ? I too am trying to get equipped for off grid camping power. My two batteries are 135 ah marine batteries ($79 each) from Wal-Mart. I have a 10a charge controller connected to a 100 w solar panel (3- 33a portable panels). I have a 1000-2000 w mod sine wave inverter.

I'm not planning to connect to my rig alternator at this point. I still need a couple of devises to make it all work (hopefully). My batteries will be in a two battery plastic container (vented) in the back of my SUV rig with all the usb and 110v outlets and meters mounted to the container. I'm not going to put it all together until I go to PNW Rally in june so that I can get expert advise and help setting it up with OB friends who attend.

 

[SinisterJK]

What would you suggest for solo guy's ?

Jim, the Gaia iPad interface is great! we use it all the time it was really user friendly after you get to playing with it and easy to learn. The app is totally free and only requires a subscription if you decide to upgrade for a once a year fee to get all the other layers available for free. I bite the bullet and bought the subscription but I used a lot of layers and maps they have in the subscription but I didn't upgrade for probably about 6 months since I was learning to use it. It works amazing without the subscription and you'll determine if you need the additional layering or not ao its not a deal breaker to download the app and not upgrade.. Avenza maps is also really good. Avenza is more like a paper static map thats been uploaded and you can ping yourself in real time and drive the map but its not customizable like Gaia, its literally maps and old maps that have been put out of circulation so one layer may have a road that another layer doesn't anymore but they are both great resources for nav. The Inreach is on our list of upgrades, It's a personal GPS that gives you the ability to communicate with loved ones. The com feature on Garmin is subscription based BUT you can get month to month subscriptions based on use. It gives you the ability to communicate with loved ones or anyone who you give access to track you in the event of an emergency. It's compact enough to fit in your BOB or even in your hiking pack when you'r out of the vehicle and the rest of the time you leave it hooked up charging on the dash or anywhere its not big at all and they sell a TON of mounting options. Would not be a bad idea for your trip in the summer but I would say put that toward the need maybe more want section of the to do list. If you get Gaia I'll take some time and show ya the ropes on it and how I learned to use it besides the plethora of vids on YouTube.

 

[M Rose]

Jim, the Gaia iPad interface is great! we use it all the time it was really user friendly after you get to playing with it and easy to learn. The app is totally free and only requires a subscription if you decide to upgrade for a once a year fee to get all the other layers available for free. I bite the bullet and bought the subscription but I used a lot of layers and maps they have in the subscription but I didn't upgrade for probably about 6 months since I was learning to use it. It works amazing without the subscription and you'll determine if you need the additional layering or not ao its not a deal breaker to download the app and not upgrade.. Avenza maps is also really good. Avenza is more like a paper static map thats been uploaded and you can ping yourself in real time and drive the map but its not customizable like Gaia, its literally maps and old maps that have been put out of circulation so one layer may have a road that another layer doesn't anymore but they are both great resources for nav. The Inreach is on our list of upgrades, It's a personal GPS that gives you the ability to communicate with loved ones. The com feature on Garmin is subscription based BUT you can get month to month subscriptions based on use. It gives you the ability to communicate with loved ones or anyone who you give access to track you in the event of an emergency. It's compact enough to fit in your BOB or even in your hiking pack when you'r out of the vehicle and the rest of the time you leave it hooked up charging on the dash or anywhere its not big at all and they sell a TON of mounting options. Would not be a bad idea for your trip in the summer but I would say put that toward the need maybe more want section of the to do list. If you get Gaia I'll take some time and show ya the ropes on it and how I learned to use it besides the plethora of vids on YouTube.

In Jim’s situation Gaia is good, but without having ARPS, there isn’t any way for us to track him on it while he travels. And if he gets into a situation in the Backcountry where there isn’t cell signal his iPad will be useless to get a message out for help.

 

[SinisterJK]

In Jim’s situation Gaia is good, but without having ARPS, there isn’t any way for us to track him on it while he travels. And if he gets into a situation in the Backcountry where there isn’t cell signal his iPad will be useless to get a message out for help.

True, In my rig I was able to fix that by running a Dual Skypro GPS. It's an aviation grade GPS unit that requires no subscription no nothing, just power. The unit can tether uptimes 5 bluetooth connected devices and it feeds GPS signal into them. Our iPads and phones work great when connected but what happens when we loose signal? Thats where the Skypro Comes in. I use it all the time and its awesome, still have yet to find a place where she will not get signal. It won't feed you any internet but you can continue to feed Gaia, Avenza even your phone or tablet GPS signal. It's rechargeable and its background Is in aviation as the GPS unit a lot of smaller planes use to feed them GPS signal to their interments. And it's not expensive. They run about $130 I found my NIB on eBay for about 85 bucks. No subscription, No nothing, buy it once and thats it. Even comes with the update cable so when there's new updates to the firmware you download them for free right of the Dual site.

 

[M Rose]

True, In my rig I was able to fix that by running a Dual Skypro GPS. It's an aviation grade GPS unit that requires no subscription no nothing, just power. The unit can tether uptimes 5 bluetooth connected devices and it feeds GPS signal into them. Our iPads and phones work great when connected but what happens when we loose signal? Thats where the Skypro Comes in. I use it all the time and its awesome, still have yet to find a place where she will not get signal. It won't feed you any internet but you can continue to feed Gaia, Avenza even your phone or tablet GPS signal. It's rechargeable and its background Is in aviation as the GPS unit a lot of smaller planes use to feed them GPS signal to their interments. And it's not expensive. They run about $130 I found my NIB on eBay for about 85 bucks. No subscription, No nothing, buy it once and thats it. Even comes with the update cable so when there's new updates to the firmware you download them for free right of the Dual site.

Can you send out a distress signal with it?

 

[SinisterJK]

Can you send out a distress signal with it?

no it just feeds GPS signal to your devices Distress would have be the Garmin

 

[HIALT2D]

@Lanlubber It’s a gps device that can send text messages via satellite signal... most importantly it can send a locator beacon to authorities in the event you have an emergency... I would actually put this at the top of your list Jim, for a piece of mind for the rest of us as you are traveling in remote areas.

As much as I would like to upgrade from our SPOT device to the Garmin InReach, I just can't justify the cost at this point. We have had the SPOT for several years now, long before Garmin came out with the InReach. We travel to Baja quite a bit and most of the time have no cell or internet service. The SPOT allows us to stay connected when we are not together & with family when we are together. I also use it when doing solo trips in the van & on solo fishing trips when I am far from anyone else.

A couple of times a year SPOT offers the device at 50% off, which is when we bought ours. I think it was $74.00. I believe their service plans are a bit cheaper as well. They have also recently come out with an upgraded device (more expensive) to try and compete with Garmin.

 

[HIALT2D]

That is much the same I'm going through except the HAM test. I'm to much of a wimp to commit to taking it.

I was right there with you just a month & 1/2 ago... I am not a "techie" guy at all & I've always struggled with understanding anything to do with electricity and/or electronics. I looked into the HAM thing a while back & scared myself into believing I would never understand enough of it to pass the test. Then I decided to just go ahead and see if I could make some sense of all of it so I purchased the book "HAM for Dummies". That helped so the next thing I did was buy the Gordon West "Technician Class" book. That helped even more and I started feeling like I just might be able to get through this. Next, I downloaded one of the practice test apps onto my phone & when ever I had a minute or two, I'd read through the test questions, all 428 of them!!! Finally, after a couple of weeks I started taking the practice tests & found that I was doing well enough to pass the test. Honestly, I still don't understand some of it, but am able to memorize the correct answers for the parts that still don't/never will make any sense.

Now, I'm walking around with ear plugs in and tin foil on my head trying to hold it all in until I take the test this next Saturday

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

@Lanlubber It’s a gps device that can send text messages via satellite signal... most importantly it can send a locator beacon to authorities in the event you have an emergency... I would actually put this at the top of your list Jim, for a piece of mind for the rest of us as you are traveling in remote areas.

Thanks, that's pretty neat. Kinda pricy for me but there was another devise for just over $100 that would work for emergencies.

 

[JDGreens]

Do you have an SUV or a Van ?

It's an Xj,

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

As much as I would like to upgrade from our SPOT device to the Garmin InReach, I just can't justify the cost at this point. We have had the SPOT for several years now, long before Garmin came out with the InReach. We travel to Baja quite a bit and most of the time have no cell or internet service. The SPOT allows us to stay connected when we are not together & with family when we are together. I also use it when doing solo trips in the van & on solo fishing trips when I am far from anyone else.

A couple of times a year SPOT offers the device at 50% off, which is when we bought ours. I think it was $74.00. I believe their service plans are a bit cheaper as well. They have also recently come out with an upgraded device (more expensive) to try and compete with Garmin.

What you have is more to my pocket book liking. I need only something simple. I don't even own a smart phone because it's smarter than I will ever be. I'm hoping to learn a few things from you OB members out on the trails or at rally meetings over time. So far what I've learned is that I need a lot more info and schooling before I go swimming.

 

[M Rose]

@Lanlubber im sending a dm

 

[Retinens803]

Baja Designs Squadron Sports
Chainsaw Case
Built platform to make sleeping in the rig flat.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

It's an Xj,

So, you only have a small space to heat. I'll have to check out your heater. I was planning to buy a buddy heater (the smallest one) but it's a little overkill for small spaces like yours or my LRD2.

 

[Highlighter]

So, we all probably have a huge list of upgrades and things we want to buy..
So what is the last thing you bought, and what is next on the list?

Last things I bought that where on the list are a pack of zip ties and some good working gloves :P

Next thing, besides actually getting a Landcruiser is going to be some locking nuts for the spare tire and a spare lamp kit ;)

I bought a shovel.

 

[JDGreens]

So, you only have a small space to heat. I'll have to check out your heater. I was planning to buy a buddy heater (the smallest one) but it's a little overkill for small spaces like yours or my LRD2.

I had bought a mr buddy heater about ten years ago, very disappointed with it because it was worthless above 7,000 ft in altitude, which is where we would do 90% of our camping. And you're correct that for such a small space mr buddy heater would be to much. I watch a u-tuber (Chayote works), and he was doing a review on the heater I bought. I went through his link to the Co. That he got his through but couldn't find the heater. So I looked it up on e-bay ($85 free shipping)and Amazon ($$ higher). I hope it doesn't have the same safety shut off as mr. Buddy cause it is very compact and uses a butane/propane mix which should work well in winter weather conditions. I had a hard time locating the fuel in my area so I located a case of 28 unites ($58) and purchased them through another company I located on the net. There is a very nice compact stove ($20) that they sell at Walmart that uses the same fuel canisters. You will find that that same stove is found all over the net selling for between $35-$50. Both the heater and stove come in a very nice case.

Today I went to Home depot and purchased a Carbon monoxide detector ($15). That I'll mount just under the headliner. Once I get the heater I'll run a test on its effectiveness on warning me of any danger. Also got a -25° extra large sleeping bag from my wife for my birthday. I can't wait to try winter camping at the end of the month.

I will try to share what I think of this heater after it arrives and I get to put it through it's paces.

 

[Kardolf]

What do you mean by PNW conditions, lack of sun shine ? I too am trying to get equipped for off grid camping power. My two batteries are 135 ah marine batteries ($79 each) from Wal-Mart. I have a 10a charge controller connected to a 100 w solar panel (3- 33a portable panels). I have a 1000-2000 w mod sine wave inverter.

I'm not planning to connect to my rig alternator at this point. I still need a couple of devises to make it all work (hopefully). My batteries will be in a two battery plastic container (vented) in the back of my SUV rig with all the usb and 110v outlets and meters mounted to the container. I'm not going to put it all together until I go to PNW Rally in june so that I can get expert advise and help setting it up with OB friends who attend.

Lack of sun (more like prevalence of clouds) is the predominant issue. Even on nice days, it feels like the tree canopy does it's best to limit how well solar works up here. I currently have a 100w panel connected to a small (12AH, I think) battery in a box with some USB ports a voltage meter, and a PWM charge controller. But I want to revamp what I'm doing to get more efficiency, so a newer MPPT controller, and better batteries.

I'm curious which battery you have.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I had bought a mr buddy heater about ten years ago, very disappointed with it because it was worthless above 7,000 ft in altitude, which is where we would do 90% of our camping. And you're correct that for such a small space mr buddy heater would be to much. I watch a u-tuber (Chayote works), and he was doing a review on the heater I bought. I went through his link to the Co. That he got his through but couldn't find the heater. So I looked it up on e-bay ($85 free shipping)and Amazon ($$ higher). I hope it doesn't have the same safety shut off as mr. Buddy cause it is very compact and uses a butane/propane mix which should work well in winter weather conditions. I had a hard time locating the fuel in my area so I located a case of 28 unites ($58) and purchased them through another company I located on the net. There is a very nice compact stove ($20) that they sell at Walmart that uses the same fuel canisters. You will find that that same stove is found all over the net selling for between $35-$50. Both the heater and stove come in a very nice case.

Today I went to Home depot and purchased a Carbon monoxide detector ($15). That I'll mount just under the headliner. Once I get the heater I'll run a test on its effectiveness on warning me of any danger. Also got a -25° extra large sleeping bag from my wife for my birthday. I can't wait to try winter camping at the end of the month.

I will try to share what I think of this heater after it arrives and I get to put it through it's paces.

Thank you for this info, very informative for me sense I'm still looking.