I finally took the Trooper on her first full length adventure, documented below.
WARNING: Lots of pictures, many poorly done!
I tried to be as prudent as possible with my picture taking (most trips i usually end up with 5 or so), but there is still a lot of gaps and most of them are just iphone quality. The trip was from October 1st-21, from Lincoln, Ne>Wyoming>Montana>Idaho>Wyoming>Colorado>Wyoming>Nebraska, covering about 3,000 miles. A few "hiccups" along the way, but so are the woes of driving almost 30 year old trucks, and the adventure doesn't start until something goes wrong! Ill get more into this later. Spent most nights in National Forests in the back of the Trooper, Ill Try and explain my system, What i liked, and what I'd change in the future. I really enjoyed camping this way, imo the perfect size "camper" for one person, especially with a few more changes and additions as I'm able!
I have a thread for the truck, but for continuity's sake,
1991 Isuzu Trooper LS 4 Door
2.8/Manual (174,000)
Kelly Edge AT lt245/75r16 on PC Gen 2 Steelies
Rancho 5000's - new before trip
Dynomat/sleeping platform
Thule Roof Rack/Box
Sportrack Swing-a-Way 4 Bike Hitch Rack
Right before the trip, I installed the Rancho's (RockAuto) in place of some very very worn originals.
Also replaced the driver's door hinges (junkyard) and driver's vent window rubber gasket at that time (Jerry Lemond).
Making a mess packing for the trip.
Emergency Box with lesser used tools and spares that are hopefully unneeded.
-Ratchet Straps
-Bolt Cutters
-Radiator Hoses/tape/etc
-Thermostat
-Spare bulbs for all lights
-Old belts
-Jumper Cables
-Oil, Duct Tape, Epoxy, Rope, Fixaflat...
Would like to cut a hole in the rear floor and ad a fuel pump to the box. Anybody have any suggestions on things to add here?
I previously had a narrower Thule cargo box mounted on the stock rack, but i have no picture. My plan was to mount a metro rack upside down next to it to have a half box/half basket, but i decided to try this using one big box after finding this one on of craigslist for $10! Its a Thule again and even had the key. I had bought the gutter mounts on Craigslist as well with too short of cross bars, and ended up splurging on new ones as no used ones became available before the trip. Ill take a picture of the contents if i think about it, but the contents are mostly permanent. Lighter Bulky camping Stuff and "emergency" use items.
-Canopy
-Folding Chairs
-Folding and Roll Up Camp Tables
-Collapsible Bike Repair Stand
-Aluminum Full Sized Floor Jack
-Peak Jump Start Box/Air Inflator
-Axe/Shovel
-Cum-A-Long/Tow Ropes
There's quite a bit of room up there still if i have a passenger or add a few more things to my car camping kit, most will go up there to keep easy access to the platform for quick camp setup. I was borrowing the canopy for this trip, and it is quite large. It was great to have, but i think i will replace it with a smaller one, or even awnings alone, and that will open up even more room.
I built a Chuck box to go where the rear seat is, but decided it was just too heavy and bulky for me to use on my own. Also no need for it too much on this trip as most of the cooking i did was just for me and my backpacking stove or the fire was sufficient.
I ended up getting a smaller Coleman stove and i think I will end up making a similar box to fit this one and be more manageable when camping alone, but i did set up a makeshift kitchen box in a rubbermaid for this trip. I only used the big stove a handful of times, but it was good to have when i needed. Pretty much everything I had in the homemade box fit in the rubbermaid.
-Dual burner Coleman gas stove
-MSR Backpacking stove & Fuel
-Coleman Gas
-Assorted Spices
-Rags, wet wipes, scrubbers, natural soap, washtub, etc
-Optimus Terra Weekend (used for majority of cooking)
-Retired kitchen 10" frying pan and medium sized pot
-Cutting board, kitchen knives, tablesettings for 4
WARNING: Lots of pictures, many poorly done!
I tried to be as prudent as possible with my picture taking (most trips i usually end up with 5 or so), but there is still a lot of gaps and most of them are just iphone quality. The trip was from October 1st-21, from Lincoln, Ne>Wyoming>Montana>Idaho>Wyoming>Colorado>Wyoming>Nebraska, covering about 3,000 miles. A few "hiccups" along the way, but so are the woes of driving almost 30 year old trucks, and the adventure doesn't start until something goes wrong! Ill get more into this later. Spent most nights in National Forests in the back of the Trooper, Ill Try and explain my system, What i liked, and what I'd change in the future. I really enjoyed camping this way, imo the perfect size "camper" for one person, especially with a few more changes and additions as I'm able!
I have a thread for the truck, but for continuity's sake,
1991 Isuzu Trooper LS 4 Door
2.8/Manual (174,000)
Kelly Edge AT lt245/75r16 on PC Gen 2 Steelies
Rancho 5000's - new before trip
Dynomat/sleeping platform
Thule Roof Rack/Box
Sportrack Swing-a-Way 4 Bike Hitch Rack
Right before the trip, I installed the Rancho's (RockAuto) in place of some very very worn originals.
Also replaced the driver's door hinges (junkyard) and driver's vent window rubber gasket at that time (Jerry Lemond).
Making a mess packing for the trip.
Emergency Box with lesser used tools and spares that are hopefully unneeded.
-Ratchet Straps
-Bolt Cutters
-Radiator Hoses/tape/etc
-Thermostat
-Spare bulbs for all lights
-Old belts
-Jumper Cables
-Oil, Duct Tape, Epoxy, Rope, Fixaflat...
Would like to cut a hole in the rear floor and ad a fuel pump to the box. Anybody have any suggestions on things to add here?
I previously had a narrower Thule cargo box mounted on the stock rack, but i have no picture. My plan was to mount a metro rack upside down next to it to have a half box/half basket, but i decided to try this using one big box after finding this one on of craigslist for $10! Its a Thule again and even had the key. I had bought the gutter mounts on Craigslist as well with too short of cross bars, and ended up splurging on new ones as no used ones became available before the trip. Ill take a picture of the contents if i think about it, but the contents are mostly permanent. Lighter Bulky camping Stuff and "emergency" use items.
-Canopy
-Folding Chairs
-Folding and Roll Up Camp Tables
-Collapsible Bike Repair Stand
-Aluminum Full Sized Floor Jack
-Peak Jump Start Box/Air Inflator
-Axe/Shovel
-Cum-A-Long/Tow Ropes
There's quite a bit of room up there still if i have a passenger or add a few more things to my car camping kit, most will go up there to keep easy access to the platform for quick camp setup. I was borrowing the canopy for this trip, and it is quite large. It was great to have, but i think i will replace it with a smaller one, or even awnings alone, and that will open up even more room.
I built a Chuck box to go where the rear seat is, but decided it was just too heavy and bulky for me to use on my own. Also no need for it too much on this trip as most of the cooking i did was just for me and my backpacking stove or the fire was sufficient.
I ended up getting a smaller Coleman stove and i think I will end up making a similar box to fit this one and be more manageable when camping alone, but i did set up a makeshift kitchen box in a rubbermaid for this trip. I only used the big stove a handful of times, but it was good to have when i needed. Pretty much everything I had in the homemade box fit in the rubbermaid.
-Dual burner Coleman gas stove
-MSR Backpacking stove & Fuel
-Coleman Gas
-Assorted Spices
-Rags, wet wipes, scrubbers, natural soap, washtub, etc
-Optimus Terra Weekend (used for majority of cooking)
-Retired kitchen 10" frying pan and medium sized pot
-Cutting board, kitchen knives, tablesettings for 4