Seriously getting ready for an Expedition..

[Tbars4]

...I blame this set of mod's to my poor daily driver Ranger on ScottB and his crazy idea of spending two weeks in the Mojave Desert and Death Valley..:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293838

...I have camped for years (which I pack relatively lightly) and have lived off the land for a month at a time on horseback...My recent camping has been out of the truck for 2-4 days at a time which included such luxuries as a cheap cooler, a fan, and my portable tv...

...For "Camping Gizmos and Gadget's" here's a link to discuss and share them...

_________________________________________________________________________________

...This set of mod's will be geared toward an "Expedition" type vehicle...Nothing to crazy but it should cover some basics..For now I will leave out GPS as the one I want is out of my budget...

...Since this trip will be in March, the Mojave Desert can be from 32*-100*, rain, snow, or blazing heat...

..This build will cover my upgrades such as:

Spare tire
Refrigeration
Power upgrades
Auxiliary lighting
Storage
On Board Air (OBA)
minimizing/maximizing what I want to carry
(more to be added later)..

...I am doing this on somewhat of a budget and by the seat of my pants so I hope others will chime in with any and all thoughts with possibly info on where to find a killer deal on portable Refrigerators...:biggthump
_________________________________________________________________________________

...Some of what I have gathered so far and what needs to be installed...Most everything was bought on a sale or a deal..

...Swapping my 10x10 "Quik Shade" this trip for a 6x10 shade...The space saver size..

...This was a "Doorbuster" special for $39 at 4WP's this weekend...
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Exterior...&t_s=82&t_pt=9575&t_pl=101724&t_pn=S/B5662424

...While buying parts for the X I bought this U joint press which will be used before this trip and carried just in case during this trip..

..OBA...

...2000 watt power inverter w/ remote switch and usb..

...Hella 500ff already upgraded to 55 watt HID's waiting on install...

...and the start of my spare tire carrier...

_________________________________________________________________________________

...The plans so far are to sleep in the bed but I might upgrade to a tent...

 

[Tbars4]

...Electrical Requirements...

...Currently, my Ranger XL package came stock with a 95 amp alternator and I am running a Red Top Optima...(Yellow Top or Red Top? Q&A)
I've already replaced both pos and negative cables so I'm good to go there...

...A few items I need to address and upgrade to:

Lights Besides the 2 Hellas shown above,(writeup here on HID conversion), I might take this time and run some rock lights using the same ones I did on my X here...

130 amp alt I haven't decided if I'm gonna run an overdrive pulley on my DD yet...I could wind up going thru alternators every year..I'm gonna try and find a used one cheap/free and get it rebuilt before this trip..Wound up just upsizing from a stock 95 amp to a rebuilt stock 130 amp Alternator..

Yellow Top I've talked to a few guys from Expedition Portal on different runs...Those who run larger (50/60 qt.) Freezer/fridges have moved up to the Blue Top as they say it last better/longer using these coolers..This is on repeated long trips. They do not make a Blue Top 34/78 so I'm going to run a Yellow top.

Auxiliary fuse panel I've been dreading giving West Marine a big chunk of cash but I really like their 12 fuse panel as seen in Dannyboy's thread here This will power my lights, cb, arb, misc. switches, and future gadgets..This will be hidden but accessible..

Switches As for now, I am going to be running pretty much the switches that come with the products...Since at least 1/2 if not all of these will also be in a concealed location, this will be the cheapest way for now...Later on I will upgrade to 90ranajo's switches of choice ...

2000 watt inverter This was purchased at a really good sales price and it's purpose will be for the fridge/freezer and laptop. This might come in handy for power tools also so I hope it will last. I might have gotten away with using a 1200 watt inverter but this was only $30 more. It has a usb charger port, 3 110v receptacles, and a wired remote switch I can turn on/off from the cab...Since my Ranger is a single cab, I really need to put some thought into where this is going to live..:scratch:

Fridge/Freezer Found a slightly used Norcold MRFT-60 64 qt. fridge/freezer missing the dc cord...

Wireless Thermometer and Clock..I picked this up so I would be able to keep an eye on the actual fridge temp during this trip...It also has keyhole slots in the back to mount flush without the stand..It has a clock, ambient temp, current fridge temp, and also records the hi/low temp into memory..

...I received my Engel Wireless Thermometer and DC cord from http://cruiseroutfitters.com in Utah...Fast shipping and had the parts in stock...

 

[Tbars4]

....I blame these mod's on Stic-o and Froader...You guys are a really baaaad influence....:

Camera
...First is the GoPro Hero HD 960...(Found it for $161 no tx free ship)
http://www.goprocamera.com/products/hd-hero-960-camera.php

..Picked up a 16 GB card but still need to get the optional suction cup..

Laptop
...I picked up a few month old, slightly used, Samsung N130 LED netbook w/zipper case for this trip...Not only is it smaller in size it has a lot larger hard drive while also having all the latest internet conectabilities, it has a 5 1/2 hour battery life (I already tested) with a quick recharge time.....Some info on it can be found here...
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/samsung_n130/

comparison size shown with broadband card in netbook..

..The net book does not have a cd drive so I picked up this 8GB flash drive to move stuff back and forth..

Wireless Service
...I have had Sprint Wireless Broadband since it came out for about $75 a month for truly unlimited plan...Their customer service made me drop them after over a dozen of years as a good paying customer..:thumbdwn:

...I found out Virgin Mobile "Broadband 2 Go" uses the same Sprint network but are completely a separate entity...They just recently went to $40 a month truly unlimited service after you purchase their usb card...I've had it a couple months and hope I can find some service out in the desert...
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband/

...I recently received a email saying as of 2/15/11, this card will no longer be unlimited even to current users...It will be full speed access until you reach 5GB of usage. then the speed will be cut in half for the rest of each month..:thumbdwn:

 

[Tbars4]

...Miscellaneous

Radiator and hoses Something not to be overlooked in the middle of the desert..I have a stock single core radiator and as luck would have it, an end cap started leaking this week..I received a 2 core radiator from 90ranajo but the hose orientation was wrong..I'm going to try and have it rebuilt with proper end caps for my Ranger...This also creates the opportunity to replace those radiator and heater hoses while they are just old and tired, not busted...:biggthump


...For trash and a multi purpose duffle bag I picked up a couple Trasharoo's and also a weatherproof license plate holder from them...

 

[Brian1]

Good topic. I too am looking for a 12v portable freezer fridge. Seems like the options are Waeco, Engel or ARB. The new ARB 50qt is very nice. So far I am leaning towards getting the ARB.

 

[Tbars4]

...I found a really nice brand new 50 qt fridge for a third the price but it was made by Woodcrest model rf1...I couldn't find any info for it though..

 

[Mountaineer1113]

....

Looks like someone was a little impatient for a response lol

Sounds like a fun trip. How much beer is involved? lol

 

[Tbars4]

...Those are saved for inserting pics and info of the progress...

...This project could drive me to drinking but we shall see when the trip comes around...

 

[lynchy wa]

Gday mate, you've probably thought of this option but I'll chuck it out there anyway

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RRP-220-Rugg.../370455720605?pt=AU_Tents&hash=item5640e1b29d

just an alternative sleeping arrangement. Have a good trip.

 

[Tbars4]

..Thanks for adding that...:biggthump

...I would really like to see that in person as it seems to have a lot of cool features built into it...

 

[lynchy wa]

The best bit is you get up in the morning roll it up and move on. Theres nothing worse than trying to pack up a tent hungover as f***! Me mates son when they go camping digs a pit under his swag, fills it with a few hot rocks from around the fire then covers them up with sand and bungs his swag on top. Keeps the little bugger toasty on cool nights.

 

[Keeper0311]

Some stuff I always have in my truck.

Parachute cord, not necessarily in that quantity. Quite use full for just about anything, and it will hold quite a load.

A good E-tool. I recall you saying you're trying to save on space, and I also assume weight.

A few water proofing bags. Throw an extra set of clothes in here, compress it down. Save space, keeps stuff dry. Hard to destroy the bag, and it floats very well.

Throw a box of chem lights (glow sticks) in there for good measure. Useful for marking your location at night.

 

[Brian1]

I carry this with me, it is a nice kit that is pretty easy to find a place to store it.

 

[DB_1]

Can't go wrong with either the ARB or an Engel fridge/freezer.
I have an Engel model 27 and couldn't be happier with it other than I wish I had gotten a bigger one if I was doing trips longer than a weekend.
The settings go from 1-5 with 5 being freezing. I usually keep it around the 3 setting and I can leave it on all night and won't drain my battery (yellow top) the next morning.

Mine is still for sale if anyone is interested...comes with the transit bag and slide lock mount. Here's pics and specs of all the Engel models:

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/engel/

 

[Tbars4]

...I too am looking for about a 50 qt, and I sure didn't need to know Engel's shop is pretty close to me..I need to stay away from there..:

..You might go ahead and add your price as someone may want to take it off your hands..

 

[Scott B.]

... I have an Engel model 27 ...

Mine is still for sale if anyone is interested...comes with the transit bag and slide lock mount. ...

I'll bite - how much? And, why are you selling it?

(We could save shipping if I pick it up out there...)

 

[Scott B.]

On-board Air

I've had a compressor in my truck for 12 years (Brian - remember the Colorado run in 2000, just outside of Animas Forks? But I digress...)

I have used it for filling tires, albeit slowly, and do not have an air tank. I have thought about adding an air tank for years, but really can't see a reason for one.

So, why are you adding an air tank? For air tools?

 

[DB_1]

...I too am looking for about a 50 qt, and I sure didn't need to know Engel's shop is pretty close to me..I need to stay away from there..:

..You might go ahead and add your price as someone may want to take it off your hands..

Expedition Exchange is just a dealer but they have a lot of other goodies on their site too.

I'll just PM (or they can PM me) anyone who's interested in the fridge. Don't wanna turn this into a for sale thread.

 

[Tbars4]

So, why are you adding an air tank? For air tools?

...A couple reasons...

1) I will be able to hit a switch and already have 200#'s of air in storage before I get out to fill my tires..

2) The compressor runs less thus stays cooler and lasting longer

3) You need a tank to hold air if you do use air tools

4) When I turn on the compressor it will fill up the tank then shut off on it's own...When I use the ARB it will fill itself back up and be ready for air tools or tires..

5) ...:scratch:...Cause it's really cool and I don't have to raise the hood or tote my compressor bag around anymore...:

 

[DB_1]

Any reason you went with the Viair over a Puma compressor? Puma has a tank and twice the CFM's. I paid $200 for mine a few years ago, but they are still a good deal at $230 on Ebay.