Expedition vehicle

[cruiseroutfit]

good point Kurt. Your trips are pretty hardcore

That's just it, they generally are not hardcore but you never know what lies ahead on seldom visited routes and chances favored the prepared. I'm not saying everyone needs a tracked vehicle and a zombocolypse shelter but I wouldn't make a habit of marginalizing your equipment and safety for a novelty. A stock XJ or Toyota pu is going to be far more capable than even a built Rav4 in terms of the minor technical sections often encountered, if you have one rig budget, why corner yourself?

Apart from p-rated tires, what else held the rav4 back from being useful? Lack of a low range? Lack of ground clearance? Traction devices?

Ground clearance, speed over rough terrain and lack of low range. Brett pushed it as hard as one could. It made it in the end with a few minor scrapes and bangs. Try pushing the limits often and parts will fail and your investment could be a waste.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Gotcha. I like brainstorming. I agree, a stock XJ or TJ or a true 4x4 pickup would be way cheaper and practical than a tricked out suc.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Gotcha. I like brainstorming. I agree, a stock XJ or TJ or a true 4x4 pickup would be way cheaper and practical than a tricked out suc.

I'm down on the brainstorm session... I'd like to pick up another Rav4 for the reasons and purposes mentioned, but it would purely be for trips I plan around that rig versus trips I'm already doing. Candace and I took her Rav4 on a couple of 'State Park' camping trips and it worked perfect for that type of traveling. Lets be very clear that to me there is a stark difference between a back-country camping trip and an 'expedition' and my comments were based on the pretense of a micro SUV on an 'expedition'. Total tangent but the work 'expedition' has become a catch-all for anything that isn't rock-crawling... its no longer a day trip trail ride, its an 'expedition' Its akin to going bunny blasting on the west side of Utah Lake and telling all your facebook friends you've just returned from a hunting safari in search of rare beasts Pretentious, perhaps imo but everyone is entitled to dress things up however they desire. Won't stop me from calling Joseph out

 

[Cascadia]

I'm down on the brainstorm session... I'd like to pick up another Rav4 for the reasons and purposes mentioned, but it would purely be for trips I plan around that rig versus trips I'm already doing. Candace and I took her Rav4 on a couple of 'State Park' camping trips and it worked perfect for that type of traveling. Lets be very clear that to me there is a stark difference between a back-country camping trip and an 'expedition' and my comments were based on the pretense of a micro SUV on an 'expedition'. Total tangent but the work 'expedition' has become a catch-all for anything that isn't rock-crawling... its no longer a day trip trail ride, its an 'expedition' Its akin to going bunny blasting on the west side of Utah Lake and telling all your facebook friends you've just returned from a hunting safari in search of rare beasts Pretentious, perhaps imo but everyone is entitled to dress things up however they desire. Won't stop me from calling Joseph out

After reading that, my thread should be changed to "back country camping vehicle". That's what I would be doing, driving around and exploring in the back country.

 

[sixstringsteve]

You're in luck then, you've already got a backcountry camping vehicle, that tundra will be great.

 

[Greg]

I'm going to weigh in, although most of the similar opinions have already been made and I will be repeating some of what has been said. Kurt's advice/opinion is spot on, as usual he and has the offroad driving experience to back up his opinion.

Most people's 'expedition' trips are nothing more than car camping trips with offroad driving to & from. Most working folks trips will be weekend trips... 3-4 days at a time, max. Vehicle selection should be made with this in mind.

Personally, the most important items for me are; Reliability, Capability and Comfort. I do like having a vehicle with some power as well.

One thing I'm big on is having a vehicle that is capable of getting thru the unplanned, rough stuff. You never know what nature is going to do to your intended route when traveling in remote places. Bigger tires and lockers will usually help... I don't like turning around when the road gets rough. This was from a local day trip last year and we could have back tracked, but I figured we were prepared enough to get thru. If I did not have 35's and lockers, I would have turned back.

Larger tires roll over and thru the rough stuff easier... they also rob power and mileage. My GMC build is intended for back country travel, with the idea that when things get rough, the truck will be totally capable of handling it.

On the other hand, our '03 Toyota 4Runner has nothing more than an Old Man Emu 2" lift and 265 BFG AT's and it's a great mild-trail backcountry rig. It's been over Black Bear Pass, we've camped out of it and it's great for covering lots of miles in the dirt and on the road. Good power, excellent traction control, reliable and fun to drive with the V8!

My question for you is, where do you want to go? How rough of a trail would you like to travel? SUV or pickup? You need to decide if IFS is plenty or you need a solid axle and go from there. Your budget dictates your choice too. Make a list of what you want and do not want and start narrowing it down.

My vote goes to a FZJ Land Cruiser... like this one - http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/14970741

Spend a little money on a OME suspension, run 33's, put some sliders on it and drive it anywhere and everywhere. They're slow, get 11 MPG but are incredibly overbuilt, reliable and capable, even one without factory lockers. If you decide you need lockers, toss an ARB in the rear down the road. I took my unlocked FJ80 on Hole in the Rock with 33's and had no problem, they are pretty impressive offroad.

 

[comingdown]

Man, I thought was mistakingly on one of my wifes marriage and family therapy threads by accident for a moment. A long read, but i would have to agree with Greg, i too have a 96 FZJ 80 and i love it as far as all around wheeling, relaibility and capability goes. The fuel mileage aint the best but everyone knows that. I am still not expedition ready, but i do get out regularly. I have a nice ground tent and all the camping stuff you could need. I keep it in some rear storage drawers that i built myself for them. I would like to do a fridge and on board shower, possible a RTT but i am not completely sld that the benefits outweigh the cons IMO. Basically i bought the vehicle bone stock and used the crap out of it. I decided i wanted to do an OMe lift and 35"s which i did. my next step wil lbe to do 4.88s and a turbo because it coudl use a little more umpf on the freeway, especially pulling long hills. I build things as i see the need. Both my bumpers are beat to crap but they are stock and i plan on repalcign them one day so i am not worried about that. Just get out there, that is the best. it would surprise you what a stock vehicle can do.

 

[Coco]

Are you talking about the same FZJ80 that had a major role in the major motion picture My Darling Companion?!

 

[airmanwilliams]

I like airmanwilliams, he is a super nice guy who would give anyone the shirt off his back. What I also like about him is that he admits that his mods are for looks, not for wheeling. Now, i'm not saying you're like him, i've seen you wheel some really tough trails before. You've got skill and you've been out a lot. But consider the idea that the main reason (whether they know it or not) people spend thousands on their vehicle is for looks. Airman does it, but he admits that it's all for looks, and that's perfectly fine.

I like you to Steve. Yes I will admit that most of my mods so far have been for looks and comfort for a dd. I have realized that at this point in my life with working at min. wage, wife being on a teacher salary and being busy with my school I dont wheel like most of you since I cant afford to say break an axle or something of the sort so my mods have gone a different direction than I first set out to do.

This is all the reason why im steering towards getting an xj lately or a couple stock sidekicks. I love that stock the xjs and sidekicks are very capable of tackling some backroad adventures with the wife and son. Plans I have are to get one of those two and maybe if its a sidekick again add just a 2 inch lift with 235/75R15's then add undercarraige protection, tube bumpers, drawer system in the back for camping with a platform on top that folds forward when the seats are folded forward so I have a sleeping platform in the back, and lastly another overhead dvd player for my son because ive learned with having one in my sidekick that they are MAGIC and keep my wife and son occupied well. I have also looked at toyotas for the fact that there are a TON of reviews of keeping them stock for back country trips and that if you ever want to get aftermarket parts for them there are a MILLION manufacturers for every part.

I vote go with a sidekick, xj cherokee, or 4runner.