Our tent is old. That's a good thing, I think. We've had it since we started this whole adventure thing, now almost exactly a decade ago. It's performed well during that time, and though I've often lusted after something GFC-ish, I can't say that the tent has ever let us down in any way that a much more expensive camper would have solved. In fact, there are really only three features I've found myself "missing" - if one can miss something they've never had - in well over 1,000 nights sleeping above the bed of the truck. A hardshell wedge…
6 CommentsCategory: Shop Talk
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TL;DR - My 26-year-old door handle finally broke, and I've replaced it with a metal one.
There are so many things I've loved about my Tacoma since the first day I got it. Nowhere on that list has been any of the stock lighting. Over the years, I've taken care of the most prominent offenders. My first mod - back when the truck was still just a truck - was disabling the daytime running lights. Then, mostly to finish the "look" I was going for (I was explicitly trying to copy another truck I thought looked great at the time) I added Hellas to my front bumper. But it wasn't until I added fog lights -…
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TL;DR - There's a new version - based on customer feedback - of the LutzAuto Speedo Correction device that I ran until a couple of them failed, and I'm giving it a try again.
TL;DR - I had to put a new starting battery when my lights were left on by the facility that stores it in Las Vegas. I also took the opportunity to "capture" the battery a little bit better.
TL;DR - I got this little inflator as a gift about a year ago, and it has exceeded all of my expectations.
TL;DR - We initially settled on Peak Refuel as the brand that seemed the best for dehydrated meals, but getting a good, dehydrated dinner when backpacking is not something you get by looking to one brand. Evaluating meals individually - and ignoring the brand of each - led to a much better experience our second time around.
The last year has been another amazing one. While it felt like I wasn't ever getting out quite enough, it turns out that there two more trips than the previous year, so maybe I'm just spoiled. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed the stories and shared a story of their own. I always try to mention it when those stories are shared, because I really appreciate hearing about memories or experiences that others have had at the places I've been able to discover. It somehow - even when it happens after the fact - makes those places even more special…
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Have I mentioned that I'm a terrible drone pilot? As much as I love our little buddy for all the cool angles it's able to get, I'm nervous every time it takes to the air, as I know there's a good possibility that it will be the last time it flies. I knew this would be the case when I got it, and on the recommendation of Mike @mk5, I also got the DJI Care insurance. For a mere $250 dollars, they'd give me the privilege of sending in another $99 and my broken drone - up to four times…
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TL;DR - The Kenda's have performed VERY well in all conditions (better than the S/T Maxx) and have been a great tire. I'm trying to find a way to get lighter wheels so I can keep running them.
TL;DR - The lithium system provides so much more power than I know what to do with, that I find myself turning off the charger so that the battery has a chance to cycle below 90%. The cabinet that I built is good, but needs a few updates.
Several years ago, I installed Diode Dynamics SS3 fog lights into my Relentless bumper and they've been fantastic! At the time, I wired them into a three-position - single-pole double-throw (ON-OFF-ON) - switch that I installed in the driver side kick panel, where the three positions allowed me the ability to have the fog lights: ON - turn on directly | OFF - off | ON - turn on when the low beams were on. This was great until I decided to reuse the switch location for my ABS disable switch, which set me on the path to finding another…
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For a long time, I've wanted to disable the ABS on my 1st gen Tacoma. In fact, when I originally ordered the truck in late 1999, I explicitly ordered it - more than a month before I was going to take delivery, which was quite a bit of lead time in those days - with no ABS. Unfortunately, the day I went in to pick it up - after being assured the previous week that they'd have the truck I ordered on the lot - they still hadn't acquired a truck with the options I'd requested. Instead, they had a…
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TL;DR - I've needed to rebuild my front coilovers for a few months now but have procrastinated the job since it's rather time consuming. However, when I heard my front lower spherical bearings starting to make noise, I knew I couldn't put it off any longer.
TL;DR - The spot where my NMO ham radio antenna mount punches through the roof has been rusting for years. I think this was due to poor design of my original antenna. I've cleaned up and repainted the roof, and I think the antenna I use now will not cause the same problem again.
TL;DR - I've upgraded the wiring (Big 7) and alternator under the hood so that I can more quickly charge the new LiFePO4 electrical system that I recently installed.
I've been using the Canon RF system for four years and in that time, I've come to enjoy shooting the full-frame mirrorless Canon R6 and Canon R5 bodies. I've also enjoyed the two lenses I picked up when I first moved into the mirrorless ecosystem, a Canon RF 24-240mm F4-F6.3 IS USM lens for most day-to-day shooting, and a Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM lens for wide angle and low-light situations. Both lenses have been fantastic, and for the most part when I'm out adventuring, have done everything I could hope. In fact, there's only been one situation…
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TL;DR - I had driveline vibes that I thought were a result of the center carrier bearing, but I now think were due to a bad u-joint. Both were replaced and the vibes are gone.
TL;DR - I tried to swap back to my OEM Tacoma seats because I wanted their functionality, but it only lasted one trip; the scheel-mann are way more comfortable.
Original TL;DR - I'm swapping out my scheel-mann seats and going back to the originals. Their functionality (sliding, folding) is better, and they weren't that much less comfortable.
Nevermind.
TL;DR - I replaced my greaseable SPC upper ball joints with the "lifetime" variant that SPC now offers. I'm not sure I believe that it's a lifetime part, but time will tell.
