Seriously getting ready for an Expedition..

[Tbars4]

..More useful items..

..I went to the Sand Sports Super Show this year and came away with a few items worth looking at..:biggthump

..I ran into Tom, (formerly of Rourke), who has started his own company and hopefully will be back to join us here as a Vendor..
http://www.grindtoolabrasives.com/

..and you can never have enough of this and now in multi colors for fixing your friends vehicles..
http://www.rescuetape.com/

..For those who use a cooler but are running out of space inside their vehicle..
http://www.magnacool.com/

...For those looking for a fridge, I found this new company Pro Eagle (Calif. and Ill.) and they sell their fridge with cover included, a 3 year warranty, and in the $500 plus range..
http://www.proeagle-products.com/about-14

35qt. and 45qt. shown

..I thought I would include this trailer set-up for ideas for Brian1..

...and I found this local company BlitzPro where you can order switches online or pick them up in person..
https://squareup.com/market/bpgb

..some of the many standard and custom switch art and lit colors available for about $20 each..

..Oh..and if you are ever out in the Sands at Glamis and need anything in the way of help, get stuck, need fuel, whatever, these gals are the Glamis Rescue..
http://www.glamisrescue.com/mobile.php

https://www.facebook.com/GlamisRescue?fref=ts

 

[Brian1]

..I thought I would include this trailer set-up for ideas for Brian1..

Haha, no thanks! About the only thing I would use from that trailer would be the 2 blue tops

 

[gmanpaint]

I like the custom switches. Not sure what I would hook up to the zombie switch tho. Lol

 

[Tbars4]

...I ran into this company at the Off Road Expo..:biggthump

http://www.funtreks.com/gps-data-cards/funtreks-data-cards

..They have developed and are continuing to map and allow use of other regular GPS devices guide you to and thru trails in various States.

..If you have a Garmin or similar GPS in your vehicle and it has a slot for micro-SD cards then you may already be able to use their data cards..

..They already sell trail guide books which are great to use and now they've added these data cards..You can purchase the data cards by themselves but you will not know alot of info on the trails you choose like what is the difficulty rating..

..Unfortunately they were not also selling GPS units as mine recently died and
I would have went for a package deal on the spot...

 

[RockRanger]

Interested in those Fridges. Will have to keep an eye on them. Thanks for the coverage Ted.

 

[Tbars4]

.I talked to them this weekend also and they are currently working on getting their fridge page added.

...Im just getting the news to EF to quickly...and you are welcome..

..i need to set that thing up so give a holler so i can schedule it...

 

[turboexplorer]

I have both fun trek's Colorado books and loved them when I did all the passes there.

 

[DB_1]

Just received my new Pelican 20 qt. (their smallest) cooler today. Yes the same maker of the tough Pelican cases. Let me tell you this thing is built like a tank. I've been doing a lot of research on coolers lately and i've owned quite a few over the past years...usually whatever I could find locally at Wal-Mart, Target etc.

I've also owned an Engel fridge freezer which was awesome but I really didn't have room for it in my truck and always had a fear of destroying it off-roading.

I wanted to step up to cooler that would perform better, meaning I dont have to run back to the store every 1-2 days for ice.

Upon my research I had only heard of a couple brands of...let's just call them "super coolers". Yeti and Grizzly were the only ones I had heard of to date of and Yeti seems to be to one everyone raves about. I came across 2-3 other brands of "super coolers" and one that caught my attention was the Pelican brand.

Based on features alone the Pelican seemed like the better cooler for me. Yeti has these rubber stretch latches and rope like handles that seem like they would eventually would wear out. They do offer replacements for a fee on their website...hmmm.

Pelican has a beefy plastic handle (dual folding handles on larger models) and locking latches that look like they are built to last.
As like most of these coolers they have a freezer grade seal on the lid.
Pelican also has a build in bottle opener whereas the Yeti offers one as $25 add on...not a deal breaker for me but still. Yeti was the most expensive of the super coolers I looked at and their interior capacities aren't even true to spec's. Not really picking on Yeti but they are the most expensive and well known, i'm sure they perform just as good as any other.

I will keep you updated after i do a few off roading adventures with it but I have confidence it will do the job.

 

[Brian1]

Added a 3 wall room set to my awning made by ARB. Also picked up a Masterpull Super Yanker rope and added a pair of 9" LED lights to the front. Last trip out I wound up doing 80 miles in the dark to get to camp so I made getting new lights a priority.

 

[OffTrac]

Just received my new Pelican 20 qt. (their smallest) cooler today. Yes the same maker of the tough Pelican cases. Let me tell you this thing is built like a tank. I've been doing a lot of research on coolers lately and i've owned quite a few over the past years...usually whatever I could find locally at Wal-Mart, Target etc.

I've also owned an Engel fridge freezer which was awesome but I really didn't have room for it in my truck and always had a fear of destroying it off-roading.

I wanted to step up to cooler that would perform better, meaning I dont have to run back to the store every 1-2 days for ice.

Upon my research I had only heard of a couple brands of...let's just call them "super coolers". Yeti and Grizzly were the only ones I had heard of to date of and Yeti seems to be to one everyone raves about. I came across 2-3 other brands of "super coolers" and one that caught my attention was the Pelican brand.

Based on features alone the Pelican seemed like the better cooler for me. Yeti has these rubber stretch latches and rope like handles that seem like they would eventually would wear out. They do offer replacements for a fee on their website...hmmm.

Pelican has a beefy plastic handle (dual folding handles on larger models) and locking latches that look like they are built to last.
As like most of these coolers they have a freezer grade seal on the lid.
Pelican also has a build in bottle opener whereas the Yeti offers one as $25 add on...not a deal breaker for me but still. Yeti was the most expensive of the super coolers I looked at and their interior capacities aren't even true to spec's. Not really picking on Yeti but they are the most expensive and well known, i'm sure they perform just as good as any other.

I will keep you updated after i do a few off roading adventures with it but I have confidence it will do the job.

Just want to add Orca to that discussion. Made in Missouri, too.

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Forum Runner

 

[OffTrac]

Added a 3 wall room set to my awning made by ARB. Also picked up a Masterpull Super Yanker rope and added a pair of 9" LED lights to the front. Last trip out I wound up doing 80 miles in the dark to get to camp so I made getting new lights a priority.

Nice setup. How much interior space does that give you?

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Forum Runner

 

[Brian1]

78" x 98" and tall enough to stand under

 

[2TimingTom]

78" x 98" and tall enough to stand under

k

Is the intention to sleep in it or just a larger enclosure for bad weather?

 

[Brian1]

Mostly weather and additional shade when the sun is at an angle.

 

[Tbars4]

...I think he is renting rooms out..

 

[DB_1]

That awning looks nice Brian...puts my umbrella to shame:

Just want to add Orca to that discussion. Made in Missouri, too.

In my research, i've seen around 4 or 5 cooler brands that would be interesting to do a head to head comparison with.

This weekend will the first time using my cooler and it should be a good test. I'll be loading it tomorrow morning and returning sometime Sunday. All my beverages will be refrigerated prior to loading with a mix of some frozen waters and gatorades. Daytime temps will be mid to upper 70's so it will be fairly warm.

Another camping item I recently got is a Thermarest self inflating air pad. After using one (Eddie Bauer brand) at my friends house while spending the night I was sold on it. I could've paid less for chinese made pad but opted for the US made Thermarest. I may regret not getting a wider pad as this one is pretty narrow...we'll see how it goes.

 

[DB_1]

So it's day 4...technically 3.5 days...and there's still ice in the Pelican cooler. There's some leftover waters and Gatorades floating in water and a little bit of ice...i'm impressed.

The Thermarest mat worked great, I never liked air mattresses because they are too soft and spongy. The air pad seemed to have just enough support without being too soft. As I suspected it was a bit narrow but i'll live with it.

 

[explorersport24]

+1 to the Pelican Cooler. I have the 35 qt model, and it has been excellent. It has held ice for up to 6 days during Maryland summers, opening the lid 5-6 times a day. Like DB_1, I also refrigerated my beverages and food before loading. Also, their customer service is top-notch. I had a problem with my drain plug, and they sent out two new drain plugs without question. The Pelican also has a lifetime warranty.

 

[Tbars4]

.Dave..I use a REI AIRRAIL mattress which is narrow and has an R value of like 4 or something...It has built in side air rails that actually keep you on the mat.

..I tend to toss and turn a lot and never thought I could stay on it but it works out perfect.

..The R Value is awesome too as it keeps the cold ground from penetrating thru to your sleeping bag...I recently did some trips out to the Hammers where I stayed in the back of the Ranger.

..I forgot the pad/mattress and the cold came up thru the bed of the truck...Next weekend took the pad and it was like night and day and was actually down in the 20's that weekend.
______________________________________________________________________

..I just received my new Shovel from my friends over at Krazy Beaver Tools. I will be testing it out at King of the Hammers as well as a number of other trips including the ""Overland Expo to Moab" trip this year..

It easily breaks down into three separate pieces, is "Made in the USA", and seems well built to last..It has reinforced teeth for digging and cutting wood..

Let them know you heard about it here..Thanks..

 

[Tbars4]

...I just found this link for the Cadac Safari grill for $99 for those who were looking for them and they can be found online at Home Depot..

http://m.homedepot.com/p/CADAC-1-Burner-Safari-Chef-Propane-Gas-Tailgating-Grill-5025/205198466