So, for the last several years I have been using Suburbans for my Camping/Overland rigs. I had a 1990 2500, and then a 2008 2500. I still have the 2008 2500, but with the cost of fuel, its size and several other factors, I am going to reserve its use for towing our travel trailer.
I needed a new car, something that gets good mileage. My wife recently traded a 2019 Forester for a 2022 Outback. I really liked it and the mileage it gets, so I found a 2023 Outback Onyx Edition. This will be the new camping/Overland rig.
This will be a complete shift for me. My 2500 Suburban could hold my gear, and gear for 4 more families and still not overload it. This Subaru will require a much more minimalist approach to packing. However, I spent quite a few years doing Motorcycle Adventure riding and had to be very careful about weight.
For work, I either fly someplace every Monday, or if the customer is closer (less than 9 hour drive) I will drive. So, this car will still need to take me to the airport every Monday. With that I want to keep the build sane with respect to drivability and gas mileage.
Outline for the build:
No RTT, we will sleep inside the car.
No Roof rack, unless going on a trip that requires the extra storage. I already have the rack, same rack from the Suburban with one section removed to make it shorter.
Being a 2023, the headlights are outstanding, it also came with fog lights. So no extra lights needed.
I will be adding some ditch lights when I find some small ones that will not create a lot of drag effecting gas mileage. No 6in Hellas.
I will be doing a 1in lift. This will put it just over what the Outback Wilderness comes with.
Full Ralli-Tek Skid plates to protect the engine, trans and rear diff. I will need this as I am not going to go big lift and big tires.
I will be replacing the 18in wheels with 17in wheels and Falcon Wildpeak A/T Trails in the stock size. (to maintain MPG)
On the interior I will not do a "build" with drawers and platform. To keep things light and keep what head room there is, I will use a 4in foam mattress directly on the folded seats.
These cars have an 11.6in touch screen. I will use Android Auto to run Gaia and other maps. This will help reduce interior clutter.
For comms I plan to use the Midland MXT275. This will allow the radio to be mounted under the seat and I will only need a mount for the mic.
I am going to have some fun with this reducing weight and creating light options for camp comfort. I will be using a lot of back packing type gear and minimalist tactics to reduce weight and try to maintain gas mileage above 25mpg. It will be a fun challenge. My Suburban gets 12 MPG unloaded on the Hwy, if I can get 25 MPG loaded on the Hwy, I can go twice as far for the same money.
Anyway, here is the new project:
I needed a new car, something that gets good mileage. My wife recently traded a 2019 Forester for a 2022 Outback. I really liked it and the mileage it gets, so I found a 2023 Outback Onyx Edition. This will be the new camping/Overland rig.
This will be a complete shift for me. My 2500 Suburban could hold my gear, and gear for 4 more families and still not overload it. This Subaru will require a much more minimalist approach to packing. However, I spent quite a few years doing Motorcycle Adventure riding and had to be very careful about weight.
For work, I either fly someplace every Monday, or if the customer is closer (less than 9 hour drive) I will drive. So, this car will still need to take me to the airport every Monday. With that I want to keep the build sane with respect to drivability and gas mileage.
Outline for the build:
No RTT, we will sleep inside the car.
No Roof rack, unless going on a trip that requires the extra storage. I already have the rack, same rack from the Suburban with one section removed to make it shorter.
Being a 2023, the headlights are outstanding, it also came with fog lights. So no extra lights needed.
I will be adding some ditch lights when I find some small ones that will not create a lot of drag effecting gas mileage. No 6in Hellas.
I will be doing a 1in lift. This will put it just over what the Outback Wilderness comes with.
Full Ralli-Tek Skid plates to protect the engine, trans and rear diff. I will need this as I am not going to go big lift and big tires.
I will be replacing the 18in wheels with 17in wheels and Falcon Wildpeak A/T Trails in the stock size. (to maintain MPG)
On the interior I will not do a "build" with drawers and platform. To keep things light and keep what head room there is, I will use a 4in foam mattress directly on the folded seats.
These cars have an 11.6in touch screen. I will use Android Auto to run Gaia and other maps. This will help reduce interior clutter.
For comms I plan to use the Midland MXT275. This will allow the radio to be mounted under the seat and I will only need a mount for the mic.
I am going to have some fun with this reducing weight and creating light options for camp comfort. I will be using a lot of back packing type gear and minimalist tactics to reduce weight and try to maintain gas mileage above 25mpg. It will be a fun challenge. My Suburban gets 12 MPG unloaded on the Hwy, if I can get 25 MPG loaded on the Hwy, I can go twice as far for the same money.
Anyway, here is the new project:
