dealer options that are a waste of time

[fezzek]

Hi all - so new to overlanding, I haven't even got a truck yet!

The next 3 years will probably see me get a truck and use it for camping trips/overnight/3 night 4 day trips. Longer term the goal is to do a few weeks at a time a few times a year and ultimately (10 years time) do long trips around the national parks. No desire to do rock crawling, but do want to be "slightly over engineered" for forest trails and national parks in case I take a wrong turn or get caught in some nasty weather and it becomes a bog. I do like remote camp sites and being off grid, but I'm not going to drive on extreme roads to get there if that is required to get there.

With all that said, I need to start with a truck that will be solid and reliable for the long haul. I have a lot of well used camping gear, but I'm too old to sleep on the ground. Truck camping is where I am heading. Possibly into something like the AluCab or similar which will add a lot of weight in the future.

If I'm looking at a truck for a daily driver and a gradual return to trips, are there any options that are a waste of time to get from the dealer? I want something reasonably comfortable for now, and I know I will add to it over time. i.e. is the FX4 on a Ford F150 good enough, or will I just replace it in a few years time? With an Alucab, will I replace all the suspension as well?

I guess I see the truck as the foundation for this. I'm going to make do with my camping gear for now, maybe add a cot and a canopy and sleep in that. Ideally the Alucab is a long term thing as if there is enough comfort in it, my wife will join me.

Any thoughts?

Martin

 

[Mustang03]

If you're even *thinking* about enough comfort to entice your wife, think about truck campers. Here are some info/ratings to get you started: Truck Camper Rankings Archives | Truck Camper Adventure

 

[ChapelThrillOverland]

Hi all - so new to overlanding, I haven't even got a truck yet!

The next 3 years will probably see me get a truck and use it for camping trips/overnight/3 night 4 day trips. Longer term the goal is to do a few weeks at a time a few times a year and ultimately (10 years time) do long trips around the national parks. No desire to do rock crawling, but do want to be "slightly over engineered" for forest trails and national parks in case I take a wrong turn or get caught in some nasty weather and it becomes a bog. I do like remote camp sites and being off grid, but I'm not going to drive on extreme roads to get there if that is required to get there.

With all that said, I need to start with a truck that will be solid and reliable for the long haul. I have a lot of well used camping gear, but I'm too old to sleep on the ground. Truck camping is where I am heading. Possibly into something like the AluCab or similar which will add a lot of weight in the future.

If I'm looking at a truck for a daily driver and a gradual return to trips, are there any options that are a waste of time to get from the dealer? I want something reasonably comfortable for now, and I know I will add to it over time. i.e. is the FX4 on a Ford F150 good enough, or will I just replace it in a few years time? With an Alucab, will I replace all the suspension as well?

I guess I see the truck as the foundation for this. I'm going to make do with my camping gear for now, maybe add a cot and a canopy and sleep in that. Ideally the Alucab is a long term thing as if there is enough comfort in it, my wife will join me.

Any thoughts?

Martin

I have a 2012 Toyota Tacoma with a deluxe camper shell. It's reliable and has great resale value. The Tacoma is very upgradable. Having a camper shell also allows either massive storage or storage and a place to sleep. I recently built out a sleeping platform with a mattress in the bed of my rig. If you're handy you shouldn't have any problems with this project. I'd be happy to send pics or answer any questions. My 2 cent

 

[fezzek]

Yes, I agree. As much as I might be more than happy with a well kitted out alucab, my wife may want a camper. I'm reasonably handy, and have done a lot of aluminum projects with 8020 profile, built a car from scratch (my wife did all the wiring, and plumbing, I did all the mechanical stuff).

As long as she has a sit down toilet and somewhere private to brush her teeth I think she will be ok.

So back to my original question, given the truck wont be fully loaded up with a camper or alucab for a few years are there dealer options that are a waste of money?

Martin

 

[MMc]

I started with small trucks. I got tired of camping small, so I moved to a 1/2 ton truck (American). After a couple of years I was dragging butt down roads and add a leaf springs. That truck was totaled and I purchased a 3/4 ton, I love it. I added progressive leaf springs to improve the empty ride, ( the best upgrade ever). This is my driveway Queen and is mostly used to overland. Everybody is making great trucks these days. I would look at aftermarket support and ease of getting parts where you plan to travel too. I spend a ton of time in Mexico so it’s Ford or Ram for me.
Alucab is a great product, I love them. With all the new innovations being done now there may be something even better when you purchase.
I hate all the high end electronics these days. I prefer to KISS it.

 

[Wellspring]

Ask your wife what she will do when she has to use the "facilities" at 3 AM and may not navigate down the next level well (climb down a ladder or otherwise to get out). My wife stated quite simply that if she had to do that, and fell off the ladder from a rooftop tent or some other configuration where she had to climb down to get out to do her "thing", divorce papers were forth coming to be served to me when we returned home shortly thereafter.....

We've been tent camping for years, now.

Happy wife; happy life...

 

[Billiebob]

F150s are gospel.
Without fault if yer into light weight.
Better room than a Taco but Tacos are OK if you like kneecaps in yer eyeballs.

Daily driver says yes to a pickup/camper. Consider, do you want a short box or would a regular cab long box be better.
For me.... the biggest waste of money in options is a back seat. An 8" box with a longer camper, zero camper overhang is a far better buy.

Otherwise, go for all the GVWR options but understand there will be a gas mileage trade off.
AND definitely go for all the traction options like lockers. Selectable are best.
The extra upfitter switches might be a nice option.

On the used side, if you decide a long box XL will work.... check the used auctions of municipal trucks.
I think next to a back seat, carpeting, leather, chrome are a real waste of $$$ in a camper.
If an XL hits all the buttons, some come with AC.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I've got a GMC Sierra with Leer shell on the bed of it. I built out a platform like @ChapelThrillOverland.

Added and air mattress and some sleeping bags. This past spring, we went 5,742 miles, saw something like 13 states and 4 or 5 National Parks. We did fine like that as long as we stayed at a private or state campground with a restroom and a shower.

I thought about the slide-in campers but you really need a "3/4" ton (F250, GM 2500) for those slide ins, otherwise you are dragging your wagon and killing your truck quickly.

We have seriously considered towing a short,travel trailer of some type, preferably robust off road-y. That way theres privacy for the private stuff, and we can unhook and tool around in the truck only, for the day.

For us, a back seat was a must. That's where Scout the Thunder Beagle lived during the drive times. No if, and, or but. With me driving and the Lady Beagle as co-pilot, there was no way the dog was going to behave on someone's lap or even on the seat between us. I thought about a platform so he could go back and forth from the truck bed to the back seat, but although my shell has a slider window, my truck does not. I didnt want him in the bed alone while we drove and I dont have a professional hunting dog truck bed cage. He needs to be with his pack, so the back seat is mandatory.

What could i have done without? Leather seats. They are not warmer in the cold nor cooler in the heat. They need to be heated and cooled, and that costs energy.

What would I like to have had? Backup sensors. My truck is a 2014 SLE. I have a backup camera but not sensors. The sun may get in your eye, the sun may wash out your camera view. Water or ice may obscure it. But those backup sensors rarely lie.

 

[Pretzel]

These are just my opinions of things I didn't want when looking for my truck:

• Air bag suspension
• Sunroof or panaramic glass roof
• Heated/Cooled seats
• Auto-Adjust cruise control
• Factory running boards - in fairness here, this is a decision you may want your wife's buy-in on. My wife would have appreciated them, but from my point of view they were just an impediment to ground clearance (I've demonstrated to her several times now where I would have damaged running boards vs. the ease of her entry to the truck)
• Overly complex media center - haven't needed anything more than my phone so far, paired by BT for audio books and notifications. Redundancy provided by my wife's phone when she's with me.
• Leather seats

Options that were on my wish-list:

• 4WD on the fly (many people like manually locking hubs for reliability though)
• Differential Lockers (at least rear)
• 33" tire size
• Skid Plates (I knew this wouldn't be in my budget for a while so I wanted at least factory protection for the time being)
• Solid recovery points
• As high rated tow hitch as was reasonable
• Good tie-down locations in the truck bed

 

[ThundahBeagle]

These are just my opinions of things I didn't want when looking for my truck:

• Air bag suspension
• Sunroof or panaramic glass roof
• Heated/Cooled seats
• Auto-Adjust cruise control
• Factory running boards - in fairness here, this is a decision you may want your wife's buy-in on. My wife would have appreciated them, but from my point of view they were just an impediment to ground clearance (I've demonstrated to her several times now where I would have damaged running boards vs. the ease of her entry to the truck)
• Overly complex media center - haven't needed anything more than my phone so far, paired by BT for audio books and notifications. Redundancy provided by my wife's phone when she's with me.
• Leather seats

Options that were on my wish-list:

• 4WD on the fly (many people like manually locking hubs for reliability though)
• Differential Lockers (at least rear)
• 33" tire size
• Skid Plates (I knew this wouldn't be in my budget for a while so I wanted at least factory protection for the time being)
• Solid recovery points
• As high rated tow hitch as was reasonable
• Good tie-down locations in the truck bed

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Mostly I agree with this list. However I differ in some respects:

-airbag suspension seems unnecessary to me. If you do a lot of hauling or towing, get better springs or an HD. Air springs eventually get brittle in the cold and some years down the line you are losing air.
- in an Overlanding truck, I suppose a sunroof or panoramic sunroof can have a similar effect as driving a new Jeep with the roof panels off. So sunroof is not a hard "no" for me.
-heated/cooled leather seats. If I have to use energy to regulate my swamp-ass, it's a waste. If I have to put a towel down to prevent my ass from sweating, I dont need leather
- agree about auto adjust cruise. The less I have to do the easier it is to fall asleep on the highway late at night. But regular cruise is a great fuel economy tool. Set it at 55 and watch your mpg rise.
-factory running boards. I realize they reduce clearance but if your truck is raised it sort of evens out. The lady needs them to get in and out. I use them to reach the antenna on the roof or to reach the roof rack nearest the front of the bed.
-ovey complex media center...I didnt used to care about this, but seeing what Jeep has done with theirs has been eye opening. 2020 Jeep Gladiator vs 2014 GMC...no contest. All the off-road apps, such as added gauges for oil and trans temp, battery voltage, etc. A lot I have in my GMC, some cars dont. Plus pitch and roll, latitude and longitude of current position, distance to empty based on recent consumption, S.O.S apps. I'm starting to think this isnt so bad. Plus the phone connectivity and features make everything hands free, even if you want to text. Unreal. Very handy

Wants
-4wd on the fly I already have. I dont need it, but I do ike it. But dont need it. I do like to shift that, rather than a dial, but...progress
-lockers other than the GM G80, well, I wouldnt know. I never had anything else. I'm betting I'd like them
-33 inch tires - i really want these. I like a knobby look, but I know that kills fuel economy and with the right tire, I may not need big knobs...Never thought I'd hear myself say that...
-skid plates. I always buy z71 offroad packages, so I always get factory, rudimentary skid plates. Even if the new front ones are plastic and I want to change them. But the tranny and diff are still good metal
-solid recovery points. Again, I seek out the z71, which comes with recovery hooks
-high rated tow: I seek out trucks (and my 99 Jeep GC) with tow packages. I like the added frame rigidity, protection of fuel tank, larger flow coolant and air. I've never really towed though, but always want the option
-my latest truck came with 6 good tie downs in the bed. Cant complain.

-I'd like to have a sliding rear window in my truck

- I do not see any real value to the GMC multi pro tailgate.

-love remote start for those cold or snowy winter mornings. Even my 1993 big Blazer Silverado had it

-If you live where it snows, a good set of winter tires is helpful

-tow mirrors! Love them on a truck even when not towing you have better vision. Dodge/Ram has an ingenious set-up, where the mirrored pivot 90degrees and become tow mirrors

-fluid film the undercarriage

- get a full size / matching spare tire

-hill descend/ ascending control. Well, if they wont give us granny gears anymore...

I like the esthetic of the 5 little DOT cab lights on top. I understand what it's for and when it's not required, I just like them

That's all for now

 

[huachuca]

My wife does join me; probably wouldn't be doing this otherwise. I'm on the north side of seventy so age and physical abilities certainly played a part in our decisions. It sounds like your style is / will be similar to ours - boondocking and dry camping on remote public lands that don't require hard core access and having a vehicle built well enough to get you out should you overextend things a bit. We've always enjoyed setting up a base camp where we'd stay for multiple days and then use the truck to explore backroads and attractions in the surrounding areas. We soon found that shells, truck campers, rtt's etc. just wouldn't work for us in that scenario and chose small quality ground tents for sleeping along with a separate good screen room for cooking, weather and kicking back. Twenty years or so back, we added a small molded fiberglass camper (19' Scamp) and that's worked out well. Its primarily for sleeping, bathing, the head and additional storage for clothes and gear but it has AC, heat, hot water heater, fridge etc. and we carry a genset along so have all the comforts of hookups if desired. We still take a ground tent and often spend a night or two on the trail away from our base. Point being - your choice of accommodations will impact many of your vehicle options.

I've turned my share of wrenches in the past but that no longer holds any interest and now prefer to get a truck that meets as many of my needs as possible directly from the dealer. However, those needs are structural and performance based not cosmetic and/or snake oil - ie. 4WD, lockers and skids are a must but not window vents or paint protection. Other 'performance' options that have no appeal to me are cold air intake, auxiliary lighting, modified exhaust, enhanced electronics for nav and music (although extra USB ports are very nice), jacked up aftermarket suspension to accommodate huge tires and bed mounted spare tire. Could be me just getting cautious but I don't want anything that grossly changes the mission of the truck as developed by the mfr.

We have a 4WD Silverado extended cab long bed on the farm so I'm well aware of the difference between midsize and full size - midsize is just a better fit for us when camping and exploring. I came from two Tacoma TRD Off-Roads (05 & 12) that were great trucks but felt underpowered with the current engine offering and now have a 19 ZR2 gasser with the Bison package. It has the Chevy offered dealer installed 9.5 RS ComeUp winch (Awesome and quality as good as the Warn on my TJ) and the premium sound/nav as the only other options (really had no choice on the electronics as I bought off the lot). Very comfortable truck for long (500+) towing miles per day, the DSSV shocks just absorb everything on and off-road, mileage is 16 towing / 22 over road, adequate power, lockers front and rear, full skids, bumpers with recovery points, large gas tank, smooth eight speed tranny (none of the problems reported by many others), heated steering wheel and seats (good for old bones). I really can't think of anything in the option list for this truck that I'd omit, If you're into mods, there's still plenty to be done - replaced the side skids with frame mounted units for better protection and bed access, added a 110V inverter (Chevy really dropped the ball on not having this), GMRS comm, bed mounted tool box, recovery gear, better reverse lighting, rear shock skids, bed tie downs, on board air, Bed Rug (love it), bed mounted 12V Anderson connector, MFC and MWC holders, fifth wheel hitch for the camper. About the only other big upgrade still being considered is a Rhino Rack roof rack for additional storage when pulling the camper. FTR, Toyota does have much better interior storage than the Colorado. Good luck and hope to see you on the road some day.

 

[AggieOE]

These are just my opinions of things I didn't want when looking for my truck:

• Air bag suspension This would be very useful with a loaded truck (3-4 night trips) or with a camper
• Sunroof or panaramic glass roof Unless you're 100% certain you'll get a camper that covers it and not maybe a trailer, this would be nice for those 3-4 night trips driving through the backcountry
• Heated/Cooled seats Traveling and living as a Daily, I would use these every single day
• Auto-Adjust cruise control I agree, I think driver's should remain in control
• Factory running boards I agree, I hate factory ones unless they retrack
• Overly complex media center I agree, Navigation is kinda worthless these days when you can have your phone or tablet with constantly updating maps mounted right next to you
• Leather seats I disagree here, Leather (which I don't have but wish I did) would be MUCH easier to wipe crumbs, dog hair, dirt, etc. off of.
• Power Seats
• Crawl Control
• Expensive to replace headlight/taillights
• Bug and Window Deflectors

Options that were on my wish-list:

• 4WD on the fly (many people like manually locking hubs for reliability though) 100%
• Differential Lockers (at least rear) 100%
• 33" tire size Or able to fit one
• Skid Plates (I knew this wouldn't be in my budget for a while so I wanted at least factory protection for the time being) At least some
• Solid recovery points 100%
• As high rated tow hitch as was reasonable 100%
• Good tie-down locations in the truck bed 100%
• Lumbar Support
• Upgraded sound system. No matter if you listen to Rock, Country, Pop, Folk, or NPR, quality sound is enjoyable.

I was about to create a list like this too but I found myself taking thing off as soon as I wrote them. As such^^^^

I think an XLT or Lariat F150 with the FX4 package would be a nice option for you.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

My wife does join me; probably wouldn't be doing this otherwise. I'm on the north side of seventy so age and physical abilities certainly played a part in our decisions. It sounds like your style is / will be similar to ours - boondocking and dry camping on remote public lands that don't require hard core access and having a vehicle built well enough to get you out should you overextend things a bit. We've always enjoyed setting up a base camp where we'd stay for multiple days and then use the truck to explore backroads and attractions in the surrounding areas. We soon found that shells, truck campers, rtt's etc. just wouldn't work for us in that scenario and chose small quality ground tents for sleeping along with a separate good screen room for cooking, weather and kicking back. Twenty years or so back, we added a small molded fiberglass camper (19' Scamp) and that's worked out well. Its primarily for sleeping, bathing, the head and additional storage for clothes and gear but it has AC, heat, hot water heater, fridge etc. and we carry a genset along so have all the comforts of hookups if desired. We still take a ground tent and often spend a night or two on the trail away from our base. Point being - your choice of accommodations will impact many of your vehicle options.

I've turned my share of wrenches in the past but that no longer holds any interest and now prefer to get a truck that meets as many of my needs as possible directly from the dealer. However, those needs are structural and performance based not cosmetic and/or snake oil - ie. 4WD, lockers and skids are a must but not window vents or paint protection. Other 'performance' options that have no appeal to me are cold air intake, auxiliary lighting, modified exhaust, enhanced electronics for nav and music (although extra USB ports are very nice), jacked up aftermarket suspension to accommodate huge tires and bed mounted spare tire. Could be me just getting cautious but I don't want anything that grossly changes the mission of the truck as developed by the mfr.

We have a 4WD Silverado extended cab long bed on the farm so I'm well aware of the difference between midsize and full size - midsize is just a better fit ... ... and now have a 19 ZR2 gasser with the Bison package..., fifth wheel hitch for the camper. About the only other big upgrade still being considered is a Rhino Rack roof rack for additional storage when pulling the camper. FTR, Toyota does have much better interior storage than the Colorado. Good luck and hope to see you on the road some day.

Sorry. Did you just say that you 5th wheel tow with a Chevy Colorado Bison??

 

[huachuca]

Sorry. Did you just say that you 5th wheel tow with a Chevy Colorado Bison??

Well....sorta....kinda. Its not a true fifth wheel but it does use a hybrid bed mounted hitch. The rails, legs and cross member are standard of the shelf Reese Hitch parts but Scamp adds a flat plate with a ball to the truck end and the trailer has a conventional bumper pull coupler welded to a 'neck' that extends over the tailgate. Sounds a bit hinky but I have better than twelve years and over 150K miles dragging it around the country - first by a couple of TRD Offroad Tacomas and now the Bison. The trailer comes in around 3,500#s with all our gear aboard, pulls like a dream and the Colorado get between16 & 17 towing if I keep the speed around 60. There's a link in my previous post to the Scamp site with more info on the camper.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Well....sorta....kinda. Its not a true fifth wheel but it does use a hybrid bed mounted hitch. The rails, legs and cross member are standard of the shelf Reese Hitch parts but Scamp adds a flat plate with a ball to the truck end and the trailer has a conventional bumper pull coupler welded to a 'neck' that extends over the tailgate. Sounds a bit hinky but I have better than twelve years and over 150K miles dragging it around the country - first by a couple of TRD Offroad Tacomas and now the Bison. The trailer comes in around 3,500#s with all our gear aboard, pulls like a dream and the Colorado get between16 & 17 towing if I keep the speed around 60. There's a link in my previous post to the Scamp site with more info on the camper.

View attachment 207390

View attachment 207391

Huh. Wow. I was about to ask, at 3500lbs, is it worth all that extra equipment and effort just to tow with a 5th, but it seems it's less a matter of weight than it is the fact you get that overhang to sleep in. Lot of extra space.
Cool!

 

[fezzek]

thank you all for the advice. Im still torn between the normal F150 and upgrade later, FX4 and probably upgrade later, or the Tremor package and it's probably more than enough except maybe if I need to update the suspension for the extra weight. Im tempted to go down the path of a standard F150 because I like the idea of the power pro and the 7.2kw onboard power.

The ideal long term solution would be the F150 tremor with the 7.2kw power pro pack but that isnt going to be an option with the tremor package. Which then leads me to the standard F150 with the powerpro and update suspension later once I have the camper installed. Downside is, I lose the built in modes for offroad and the simplicity of pushing a button and it locking the front and rear is appealing, albeit a luxury :)

Either way, with 2nd hand prices so crazy, and the chip shortage new trucks are hard to get, I have time to keep looking.

Martin

 

[huachuca]

Huh. Wow. I was about to ask, at 3500lbs, is it worth all that extra equipment and effort just to tow with a 5th, but it seems it's less a matter of weight than it is the fact you get that overhang to sleep in. Lot of extra space.
Cool!

Thanks, I'm sure we don't qualify as true 'overlanders' and I'm good with that. You're right - lots of extra space plus a hot shower whenever we want, flush john for Mama, A/C if its really hot (or furnace if cold), comfortable mattress, good sized fridge with freezer, and small enough to fit down most primary USFS or BLM roads when looking for a campsite. Home is (and always will be) NC but we love travelling, camping and exploring all across the US and especially in the southwest. We also like having the grand kid along with us whenever possible and this setup makes all of that feasible with minimal effort. Although most of our camping nights are now in the Scamp, we have room for our tent, bags and pads and usually take them along 'just in case'
.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Thanks, I'm sure we don't qualify as true 'overlanders' and I'm good with that. You're right - lots of extra space plus a hot shower whenever we want, flush john for Mama, A/C if its really hot (or furnace if cold), comfortable mattress, good sized fridge with freezer, and small enough to fit down most primary USFS or BLM roads when looking for a campsite. Home is (and always will be) NC but we love travelling, camping and exploring all across the US and especially in the southwest. We also like having the grand kid along with us whenever possible and this setup makes all of that feasible with minimal effort. Although most of our camping nights are now in the Scamp, we have room for our tent, bags and pads and usually take them along 'just in case'
View attachment 207398.

Sounds like what I'd want. I didnt know they made Scamp anymore, let alone with a "mamma's attic". That's great!

I sometimes think of trading in my GMC Sierra for a ZR2. The only reason would be parking size, as the fuel economy on the 5.3 DFM engine is similar to that of the 6 cylinder. Well, that and the fact the ZR2 is so nice off road