Rig Review is a new type of post that I'm going to try to write up after most trips, where I'll note any things that worked really well, or could have been better. The idea has always been to optimize the Tacoma build and setup over time, so there's nothing really new from that perspective.
I won't talk about everything I've got going on - just new equipment to the trip and/or any outliers that deserve a mention. At the very least, I figure that long-term, real-world reviews of the products I use are good for everyone!
October 16, 2018.
F.U.Rain 2018 was two more weeks in the wild, hot on the heels of The Re-Tour. The truck once again performed well, getting me everywhere I needed to be with relative ease. The difference with this trip was the wet and muddy weather. Certain pieces of kit worked well in those situations, while others ...didn't.
TL;DR - I've moved from the traditional two-burner camp stove to a one-burner + grill, and this works fantastically for the type of cooking I like to do on trips.
The small and medium size boxes.
TL;DR - These are some new containers that I got on a recommendation from Monte @Blackdawg, because they fit well in the bed of a first gen Tacoma. I've got to say, so far, I'm impressed. They are relatively light (for their size), waterproof, and durable. Oh, and they fit really well in the bed.
TL;DR - I love the look of these Stealth6's, but I'm on the hunt for new wheels; or at least some solution to the amount of mud that gets thrown into/onto the truck when I run around in wet weather.
The zipper for the rubber cover got dirty (muddy, not dusty) and that made it really hard to get closed. I'm going to clean it well, and then keep an eye on it over time, since I've never had an issue with it before.
Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews
Unchanged from previous Rig Reviews
There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather than highlight those things again, I'll simply link to them here.
- The Swing-Out Table - as expected, it was unusable on this trip.
- The Electrical System - continues to have the limitations of a single battery system.
- The Ham Radio Antenna - continues to have the shortcoming mentioned.
- The CVT Roof Top Tent - stargazer windows in the rain fly continued to be a significant issue.
I also had problems with wide wheels and tires with my Jeep. I had a soft top with zippers and I'll tell you that the mud WILL DEFINITELY ruin the zippers. I use wax on zippers that are giving me trouble. Big Foot says you haven't found any wheel well "flares" that you like, but I would recommend getting some and narrowing your tires...the mess and frustration of mud in and on your truck is not worth it if you ask me after having lived with it for a few years way in the past. UJ
Yeah, I've already got skinny tires for my truck (10" wide) so I don't think I can go narrower there. And I'm all about pulling them back under the wheel wells rather than trying to get flares that will somehow cover them more when they stick out.
...so I'm likely to go back to some OEM wheels that move everything back towards the centerline of the truck about 1", bringing everything back to stock from that perspective.
how's the mud been lately?
No super-recent mud, but I'm looking forward to getting out again here soon for some high elevation stuff! Of course, while I hope there's no mud there, I'm sure those hopes will be dashed within a few minutes; I've already seen photos of the area, and there's snow on the ground. 😢
Oh, and I do have a trip I'll be posting tomorrow, but of course, that happened a few weeks ago!