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Yep...like I've been saying. Smoke and mirrors.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
Bill Maher absolutely eviscerates the Democrat party in a rare moment of clarity and common sense. I don't often side with Bill (in fact, I think he's an ass almost all the time), but I was cheering through much of this video. Much of the narrative in his rant should be played and replayed more often.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgrZAPUvKyA
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So today I picked up the first piece of the new truck camper puzzle...the truck. Ordered it just the way I wanted it from Ford two months ago...the color, the interior, the options, the engine and payload capacity that I wanted wasn't something I'd find on a dealer lot. Got a great deal on it, too...X-plan pricing as it's called (I own a considerable amount of Ford stock) which has the price to match invoice along with waiving all dealer fees. Also, $4000 in rebates were applied...a 57k truck for 50k. I'm quite satisfied. The guy I bought it from was a good dude, too. The day I went shopping for this thing I had to wade thru a bunch of smelly knuckleheads before I found him...shoulda went to his dealership in the first place, but I worked my way out closest to my house.
Check out that payload capacity! The camper I'll put on is going to weigh around 2600lbs "dry"...and once it's loaded with camping, backpacking, canyoneering and biking gear, water, food, dishes, clothing, other necessities, etc...it'll come in around 3500. Plenty of payload to spare...which is great, 'cuz I won't have to make upgrades to the stock suspension.
Great truck. Nice and quiet even with those burly tires. Fantastic turning radius...just as good as the old F-150 I have. Ridiculous power...I opted for the 7.3L gas (445ci) over the diesel because that diesel is a HEAVY engine...it adds more than 600lbs to the truck, which you have to subtract from the payload. Besides...a big block like that married up to a 10 speed tranny isn't going to scream up hills like a 330 with a 4 speed. Far less complex as well. I know you diesel guys are going "No, no, no!"...but this powertrain will be fine. I DID NOT want to do airbags, etc.
In two weeks I drive to the middle of Kansas to have the bed removed and an aluminum flatbed installed...then I have to wait until the end of February for my camper to be built. It's going to be a Hallmark "flatbed model"...http://www.hallmarkrv.com/campers/hallmark-raton/
Go big or go home, baby. Vacation home on wheels. While it was fun and never really a problem...no more tent camping for me!
^^^I always special order all my new vehicles for a variety of reasons. Two of the biggest being you get exactly what you want and the best price.
Wow, beautiful truck @Byron!
Look forward to seeing more updates in the future.
Thank you, sir. Yep, she's good looking. I had a choice of any color they offered, but my opinion is that if you're going to have a vehicle that is subject to "Desert Pin Striping" you'd best go with a light color. Dark grey, red, blue, black...they'll all show every scratch. I didn't want white 'cuz it's so boring...and silver always looks great. Any vehicle that is silver looks "high tech"...even a cheap car.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandstone Addiction
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This thing is a beast. I was parked next to an older Dodge dually ('02, '03?) and it looked absolutely PUNY next to this truck. When I first got in it and drove I was like "Holy shit!"...but it didn't take long to get the feel of it. I reckon within a few days I'll be whipping it around like a race car. Speaking of...I bedded in the brakes on the test drive this morning and for the first 300 miles I'll drive it nice and easy...then I'll start goosing her a bit. Break that engine in proper.
Functional layout. I've been thinking of getting a small trailer, around 16' and 2800 lbs dry. But yours at just 8.5' covers all the bases.
The demand for RVs has been through the roof this year. I expect that to continue rising, as those on our side- both age and politics- increasingly decide to disconnect from society and hit the road more.
I sold my Jeep and rooftop tent this year after not enjoying the experience the last 2 years. Add this year's car camping trip to Yellowstone to finish the realization tenting is no longer of interest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Byron
4wd SUV and a small trailer for me. A little more space than your setup, since 1/2 the time I won't be alone, and an unloaded SUV for exploring from a base.
Comparing your 8.5' floorplan and a typical 17' plan I'm considering. Your 8.5' is the truck bed length not counting the over cab area, correct? Seems an impossible layout otherwise. Entire length of yours is around 13' I'd guess?
Edit: yes, your unit is 140 to 180 inches in total length.
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Congrats Byron, great project, very utility/swiss army knife unit to be.
Indeed...the wait time for my unit was nearly 5 months...and although the "flatbed" is the most expensive unit they produce, the other units they sell aren't cheap either. A small slide in that's and empty shell is still going to cost 20 grand. I also took a look at the flatbed that is produced by Four Wheel Campers and they guy there told me the wait for a build is one year. They can't make them fast enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by dougrz
Also, the dealership where I bought my truck (Phil Long Ford) had a HUGE commercial sales lot, my guy there told me Ford is selling Transit vans in huge amounts and nearly everyone is converting them to campers. I'd say it's a matter of the products they're producing being so much more appealing than they used to be. Technology is literally turning them into a home away from home.
The trailer is a good idea because you'll have the car to explore...but the problem is that you'll be limited where you can go. I wanted to be able to take mine all the way to the end of HRR or into the Cedar Mesa backcountry, the Abajos, North Rim stuff, etc...so it's a trade off.
Let me know when you get set up...we'll go camping! I'll have the condo and you'll have the mansion.
EDIT: Those rooftop tents seem so gay to me...everytime I've seen one I'm like "What a pussy!"...those things just seemed like such nonsense...just pitch that thing on the ground and get that stupid contraption off the roof of the car. I always figured they were afraid of bugs. No offense, Doug...but I never did really understand those things.
Well, look at a camper/trailer as extra wussy then. Having been a hardcore backpacker for years, going car camping was wuss to me. Trying a rooftop was the next wuss step. Still too much work for too little gain in comfort, though there was a gain.Quote:
Originally Posted by Byron
Plus I had a 2 door TJ with zero room to pack anything and it seemed plausible to move sleeping up top. No. I'd never recommend one to anyone of any age or adventure status. They serve zero legit purpose.
Now I'm going full wuss with a trailer. In the span of 10 years- tent packing up the bases of 14ers and through utterly remote areas to a trailer. Damn how the mighty fall with age.
It's all good man...I'm with ya.Quote:
Originally Posted by dougrz
When I was bugged out for a month last April I got lucky that it only rained on me one night. But I thought "Man, this could really suck if the weather got bad for a while". In fact I've been on long road trips where the weather drove me home...this is the solution for that.
BTW...I'll likely feel sorry for tent campers now...but I'll still never understand those rooftop contraptions!
Exactly what happened to me on a big CO mountains Jeep trek in 2018. Rained on me for 4, 5, 6 straight late afternoons and nights with classic summer T-storms. Drove me nuts and made pitching and shuttling stuff in/out of the tent bad. Thought the roof top would solve that, leaving bedding in place with a cushy mattress, too. That it did, but the drawbacks otherwise too great.Quote:
Originally Posted by Byron
@Byron...This deserves it's own thread. :2thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by Byron
Have you ever considered something to get you even Further into the backcountry? Something like an enduro, ATV or S by S? You will have the the perfect outfit to set up a base camp and venture out in all directions for miles without putting your lawn chair and Camp Chef away.
Speaking of OHV's, our family spent Fall Break in Escalante and since I hadn't "driven" to the Hole in the Rock since I was about 5 yo (been there by boat many times) and since it's legal (for the time being... :facepalm1:) we decided to trailer the machines to Hurricane Wash and ride the rest of the way. We happened to run into Mike K as he was just pulling onto the main road from the 40 Mile Ridge road. He wasn't very excited to see us on OHV's, but I made it a point to let him know that we never ride off the road and do all we can to respect other people. He seemed pleased that I told him that as I know he is not fond of OHV enthusiasts. He said that he was checking out TH's for his new revised Canyoneering book. Always good to run into Mike, one of the most fascinating people I've ever met.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that OHV's can be used for purposes other than tearing up the landscape or pissing off others.
^^^I'd laugh my ass off if it wasn't true.
Yeah...when I get the flatbed installed in a couple weeks I'll go ahead and do that...but it's gonna be 3 more months before the camper gets mounted on it. It's gonna be SWEET!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandstone Addiction
In regards to OHVs...been there, done that. In fact, here's a little story for ya...
I was living near Los Angeles between the ages of 15-30. In Southern California, their's three things that "outdoorsy" people did...hang out at the beach, make trips to Lake Havasu and ATVs. So I owned all that stuff...a dirt bike, a street bike, a jet ski, an ATV...a three wheeler, remember those? I must have rolled that thing a thousand times and all you had to do was turn it over and it would start right back up. There's a reason they outlawed those things!
I also owned various POS vehicles (I never had much money)...so when I was 26 I got sick and tired of breakdowns, so I saved my ass off for two straight years and bought a nearly new Toyota truck. It was the first vehicle I'd ever owned that would go more than a couple hundred miles without crapping out. At that same time, I began dating a new girl, so to impress her, I suggested we go visit the Grand Canyon...I'd never been there.
So we drive out, I walk to the edge and my mind was BLOWN! It was a life changing event...all I wanted to do was come back and backpack in...and I did, but that's a whole 'nuther story in itself! Anyway...I went home and sold every single mechanical toy I owned and completely switched over to non-engine stuff...I bought a kayak, camping gear and a mountain bike (a KHS "Montana" that I still own, BTW)...I was totally over gas, oil, maintenance, registration, hauling it around, etc...never looked back.
I get what you're saying about using one to explore further afield, but aside from the camper itself, the only accoutrement I'll have is a drone...the stuff the Beech does looks interesting to me...it'll be a tool for scouting out hikes from base camp. So it's all about the legs...wether hiking or a bike. Pulling a trailer is not on the menu...nor is owning yet another toy.
All of the cool kids wear these nowadays
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Attachment 95881[COLOR=var(--secondary-text)][COLOR=var(--secondary-text)]YestaemrtldauesSfSpltfmuogygaut1mc2nf:s1ohr2mhAeMdc ·
[COLOR=var(--primary-text)]APOD: Eye of Moon (2020 Dec 02)
Image Credit & Copyright: Zachery Cooley
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201202.html
Explanation: Who's watching who? The featured image of the Moon through a gap in a wall of rock may appear like a giant eye looking back at you. Although, in late October, it took only a single exposure to capture this visual double, it also took a lot of planning. The photographic goal was achieved by precise timing -- needed for a nearly full moon to appear through the eye-shaped arch, by precise locating -- needed for the angular size of the Moon to fit iconically inside the rock arch, and by good luck -- needed for a clear sky and for the entire scheme to work. The seemingly coincidental juxtaposition was actually engineered with the help of three smartphone apps. The pictured sandstone arch, carved by erosion, is millions of years old and just one of thousands of natural rock arches that have been found in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, USA. Contrastingly, the pictured Moon can be found up in the sky from just about anywhere on Earth, about half the time.
https://www.instagram.com/zachcooleyphoto/?hl=en
Starship Asterisk* • APOD Discussion Page
http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=201202
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Sure...if you've got a nice set of tits and can suck a golfball thru a garden hose...and you think I'm cute.Quote:
Originally Posted by caverdan
But seriously...I'd go camping with you anytime. I've warmed up to ya these past few weeks. Not too fond of caves, though. BTW, don't be jealous...you too can have it all! Just go for it...unless you're one of those tightwad type dudes that uses both sides of the toilet paper.
It is pricey...when it's all said and done it's going to touch 130K.
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My first wife was of American Indian descent, she was called "five horses", or as I found out later nag nag nag nag nag.
Not bad. That's right...I was going to throw down an Indian joke in the joke thread...but I reckon I'll put it here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob L
An Indian woman was in a teepee getting ready to have a baby. Outside, a young boy asked Flying Eagle, his father "Father, how is it that I got my name?"
Flying Eagle said, "When a child is born, the husband looks outside the teepee and names the child for the first thing he sees...hence my name, Flying Eagle. Why do you ask, Two Dogs Fu*king?"
Yeah, once it's all done I'll bring it down and show it to ya.Quote:
Originally Posted by caverdan
The diesel they're making for this truck is 10 years old now and it's considered pretty bulletproof, but I got the new big gasser because I'm really not going to need all that power or especially, the weight. It's a very heavy engine and would knock 700lbs off my payload capacity. If that were the case, I'd have to fortify the rear suspension...and that's something I want to avoid.
Had that old 7.3 in a van, huh? Yeah...those Navistar engines were quite the headache...although they say that one was the best of the bunch. The later ones were awful.
whoaaa--I had no idea they had a tank division with spinning turret.
they are prepared beyond compare.
That was actually pretty good. Thanks for sharing.