I was lost, but no idea if I am found?

[medievalman86]

Hello all,

I will say, Im still a bit lost, as in im not sure what exactly im looking for.

See, I imagine vehicle choice as a Venn diagram I only have room for one vehicle. If i could afford 2-3, life would be alot easier.

First circle:

I like speed, I would love to take a car on a formula one track. Not so hip with straight lines and constant left hand turns, but gimme a mustang or mseries/amg and Id be happy as a clam..

but doing what i think is called rallycross - you know, speeding on dirt roads - also interest me - i think.

Mudding and rock crawling do not. Speed and handling is what interests me. So that's maybe one circle. But see, I dont care about anyone elses time or even my time. So, i get the feeling that clubs, while being positive things, Im more interested in finding access to places where - I can do what i want, without fear of breaking rules of the road, or rules of "______ auto club" .. See, on my mustang, I love it stock. If i ever did any upgrades, it would be to help it do what it already does better. So, better breaks, a strut bar, etc.. But bigger turbo or ecm tunes? nah... im happy with stock HP/Torque Better air filter or inter-cooler? sure, new cam? hell no. new rear end gearing? nope.

Second circle

Practicality Do I love being able to hit 74 on cruise control and get 33 miles to the gallon in my mustang? hell yea! but guess who has a bug out bag and a tool set in the trunk of their mustang? <<<<<-- me, that's right.. Guess that's my inner boyscout and bean counter. - Yes, my inner psyche is that of a bean counter- sorry. Do i get terrified parking in fields on my mustang? you betcha! again, stock vehicle but... But, How often do i enjoy interstate on ramps and off ramps in a week? a few times for sure. How often do i visit dirt roads? one a month or less. But to what i really want to do with the sports car in the first circle- I dont do any of that, at all. I have no idea where to really find a location where "I can just zoom through dirt roads, as fast or as slow as i want for miles at a time" and the closest to a paved formula one track for me, is about 5 hours round trip... that's a bit on the high side for a regular weekend romp for me....

Third Circle

Re: "boy-scout" I miss camping. I miss backpacking... but I also like road trips. Id love to do route 66, but I don't know that i can afford to stay in hotel rooms for whole week or two while i meander the route. But, camping (stealth or otherwise) is potential..

Fourth Circle

Failed party host, while i dont reasonably expect folk to help me seem less "standoffish / reserved" - I used to very much try and host regular parties and road trips during college. Not large things, but inviting 3-4 folk over for beer and halo, or a road trip to no where in particular. A mustang is kind of hard to do that? Yes, Ive transported 800 pounds of humans on a road trip or 2 and gotten 35mpg but as fun as the mustang is- its not exactly hospitable to folk- so to speak..

All that to say, I don't know all the terms.. I don't quite know how to do some of the things i mentioned...... I certainly know i can throw supplies in my mustang and get a spot at a local state park.. over-landing to me seems like backpacking with wheels...

"Two roads diverged in the forest, but i was too lost to just pick one and go with it."

So thats me, at worst ill simply enjoy hearing other tales of overlanding, looking at cool set ups, etc... at best- perhaps someone will have some insight, or ill randomly stumble across a forum post somewhere that answers my confusion. Almost out of questions to ask..

 

[HighVoltOverland]

Welcome to Overland Bound!
I'll be honest, not quite sure what sort of feedback you are looking for, but the universal advice I can give is to work with what you have and if you find it doesn't meet your needs make plans to improve it!
Based on the limited info you provided, if you find your mustang lacking, it may be worth looking into something like a subie or something like the baby bronco.
My rig goes 0-60 in under 3 seconds, but also has 15inches of ground clearance when I want it, let's me have a kitchen that I can comfortably cook for 8, and has let me meet some cool new folks. for me it's great, it fits all my circles. But some, they don't like it, which is cool too!

I would recommend to start, maybe try finding a local softroader group and try to find a place that supports dispersed camping, so you can get a feel for what you may want/need in a rig outside of a parking lot style campsite.

 

[MidOH]

Generally I want to make it home without breaking down. So I usually cross speed off the list.

A perfect 4 wheel drift in a huge Superduty across a snow covered road is a thing of beauty, though.

Will likely donate my Mustang to "Cars for kids".

A Raptor might work for you. Alamabamba is fullsize country. I used to park my f550 right on the FL pan handle beach. Go to Meguires while I was there.

Or a Ktm Exc500. We do this on bikes too.


Buuuuut. You said stealth camping. Slide in truck campers are made for this. A Bundutec or Fwc camper are the top choices. On a F350 Tremor. Any parking spot is a camp spot.

Check out the Bundutec Roadrunner and Bunduvry hard sides. A couple fantastic fans running at night keeps them cool. But roof top AC sure is nice anywhere I can plug in.

(I currently use ultralight backpacking gear only) Have to keep 300# of lead weights in the bed of my truck for a soft ride. (Removed if every person brings their own cooler)

 

[medievalman86]

Welcome to Overland Bound!
I'll be honest, not quite sure what sort of feedback you are looking for, but the universal advice I can give is to work with what you have and if you find it doesn't meet your needs make plans to improve it!
Based on the limited info you provided, if you find your mustang lacking, it may be worth looking into something like a subie or something like the baby bronco.
My rig goes 0-60 in under 3 seconds, but also has 15inches of ground clearance when I want it, let's me have a kitchen that I can comfortably cook for 8, and has let me meet some cool new folks. for me it's great, it fits all my circles. But some, they don't like it, which is cool too!

I would recommend to start, maybe try finding a local softroader group and try to find a place that supports dispersed camping, so you can get a feel for what you may want/need in a rig outside of a parking lot style campsite.

Adding two new terms to look up

Dispersed Camping
Softroading

The downside of lack of knowledge on the vehicle side, is not sure what questions Im really supposed to ask..

I could say "2-3 folk plus dog, camping at a campsite with water hookups" in which case, most anything with enough cargo space is fine, as the area is most likely paved, or very compacted dirt.
I could say, "off road" but then, and perhaps due to my lack of knowlege of terms - does he mean mudding? or does he mean rock climbing, or? so "speed racing on dirt roads" is the best way to ask as i see.

recently just learned the term glamping which is just as expensive as "hotel" it seems like lol.

thanks for the welcome!

baby bronco eh?

 

[medievalman86]

Generally I want to make it home without breaking down. So I usually cross speed off the list.

A perfect 4 wheel drift in a huge Super-duty across a snow covered road is a thing of beauty, though.

Will likely donate my Mustang to "Cars for kids".

A Raptor might work for you. Alamabamba is fullsize country. I used to park my f550 right on the FL pan handle beach. Go to Meguires while I was there.

Or a Ktm Exc500. We do this on bikes too.


Buuuuut. You said stealth camping. Slide in truck campers are made for this. A Bundutec or Fwc camper are the top choices. On a F350 Tremor. Any parking spot is a camp spot.

Check out the Bundutec Roadrunner and Bunduvry hard sides. A couple fantastic fans running at night keeps them cool. But roof top AC sure is nice anywhere I can plug in.

(I currently use ultralight backpacking gear only) Have to keep 300# of lead weights in the bed of my truck for a soft ride. (Removed if every person brings their own cooler)

Yea- but tbh alot of that stuff factors into the practicality sphere. My brother for instance got a decked out gladiator, but at no point has he had any interest in using it anywhere NEAR its capability. Closest he has come to using it is generic state part with tent sites.. stuff that an old beat up 1991 dodge dakota with 300k miles and a transmission hanging on by one bolt (since we talking alabamba here :P ) could of handled.

While I have thought about Hot-shot trucking - where a f350, or 3500, etc would be very useful im not quite there just yet in terms of "do i really want to invest in that".

I had looked at ranger tremor/raptor or even fx4 and putting a sleeper thing on the bed.

I test drove a 1500 Ram, a f150, and a ranger.. gonna hit up a tacoma, maybe tundra, and some jeep options soonish.

 

[HighVoltOverland]

Yea- but tbh alot of that stuff factors into the practicality sphere. My brother for instance got a decked out gladiator, but at no point has he had any interest in using it anywhere NEAR its capability. Closest he has come to using it is generic state part with tent sites.. stuff that an old beat up 1991 dodge dakota with 300k miles and a transmission hanging on by one bolt (since we talking alabamba here :P ) could of handled.

While I have thought about Hot-shot trucking - where a f350, or 3500, etc would be very useful im not quite there just yet in terms of "do i really want to invest in that".

I had looked at ranger tremor/raptor or even fx4 and putting a sleeper thing on the bed.

I test drove a 1500 Ram, a f150, and a ranger.. gonna hit up a tacoma, maybe tundra, and some jeep options soonish.

I think if you try to be prepared for EVERYTHING, you aren't ever going to be happy.
If you want to be prepared for what you enjoy, and the emergencies that you are exposed to (you are much more likely to have have hurricanes/ tornadoes vs theWildfires we get in the West) that will probably serve you better in the long run.

Also, I'd recommend hopping on some forums for the rigs you are interested in, maybe find some YouTube people, that can help give you ideas/ feedback on the pros and cons of the individual platform much better than the "I drove a tacoma 20 years ago and now drive an AEV Prospector" type of stuff you may encounter on overland biased forums.

 

[Kent R]

Hello all,

I will say, Im still a bit lost, as in im not sure what exactly im looking for.

See, I imagine vehicle choice as a Venn diagram I only have room for one vehicle. If i could afford 2-3, life would be alot easier.

First circle:

I like speed, I would love to take a car on a formula one track. Not so hip with straight lines and constant left hand turns, but gimme a mustang or mseries/amg and Id be happy as a clam..

but doing what i think is called rallycross - you know, speeding on dirt roads - also interest me - i think.

Mudding and rock crawling do not. Speed and handling is what interests me. So that's maybe one circle. But see, I dont care about anyone elses time or even my time. So, i get the feeling that clubs, while being positive things, Im more interested in finding access to places where - I can do what i want, without fear of breaking rules of the road, or rules of "______ auto club" .. See, on my mustang, I love it stock. If i ever did any upgrades, it would be to help it do what it already does better. So, better breaks, a strut bar, etc.. But bigger turbo or ecm tunes? nah... im happy with stock HP/Torque Better air filter or inter-cooler? sure, new cam? hell no. new rear end gearing? nope.

Second circle

Practicality Do I love being able to hit 74 on cruise control and get 33 miles to the gallon in my mustang? hell yea! but guess who has a bug out bag and a tool set in the trunk of their mustang? <<<<<-- me, that's right.. Guess that's my inner boyscout and bean counter. - Yes, my inner psyche is that of a bean counter- sorry. Do i get terrified parking in fields on my mustang? you betcha! again, stock vehicle but... But, How often do i enjoy interstate on ramps and off ramps in a week? a few times for sure. How often do i visit dirt roads? one a month or less. But to what i really want to do with the sports car in the first circle- I dont do any of that, at all. I have no idea where to really find a location where "I can just zoom through dirt roads, as fast or as slow as i want for miles at a time" and the closest to a paved formula one track for me, is about 5 hours round trip... that's a bit on the high side for a regular weekend romp for me....

Third Circle

Re: "boy-scout" I miss camping. I miss backpacking... but I also like road trips. Id love to do route 66, but I don't know that i can afford to stay in hotel rooms for whole week or two while i meander the route. But, camping (stealth or otherwise) is potential..

Fourth Circle

Failed party host, while i dont reasonably expect folk to help me seem less "standoffish / reserved" - I used to very much try and host regular parties and road trips during college. Not large things, but inviting 3-4 folk over for beer and halo, or a road trip to no where in particular. A mustang is kind of hard to do that? Yes, Ive transported 800 pounds of humans on a road trip or 2 and gotten 35mpg but as fun as the mustang is- its not exactly hospitable to folk- so to speak..

All that to say, I don't know all the terms.. I don't quite know how to do some of the things i mentioned...... I certainly know i can throw supplies in my mustang and get a spot at a local state park.. over-landing to me seems like backpacking with wheels...

"Two roads diverged in the forest, but i was too lost to just pick one and go with it."

So thats me, at worst ill simply enjoy hearing other tales of overlanding, looking at cool set ups, etc... at best- perhaps someone will have some insight, or ill randomly stumble across a forum post somewhere that answers my confusion. Almost out of questions to ask..

Welcome To Overland Bound
Sorry for the generic greeting but I am on a one month trip up the US Continental Divide from the US/Mexico border to the US/Canada border.
You can see our progress here: Garmin Explore™

Here is some helpful information about the forum
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If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me, hopefully I can get you going in the right direction. @Kent R or Kent@OverlandBound.com

 

[HighVoltOverland]

Adding two new terms to look up

Dispersed Camping
Softroading

The downside of lack of knowledge on the vehicle side, is not sure what questions Im really supposed to ask..

I could say "2-3 folk plus dog, camping at a campsite with water hookups" in which case, most anything with enough cargo space is fine, as the area is most likely paved, or very compacted dirt.
I could say, "off road" but then, and perhaps due to my lack of knowlege of terms - does he mean mudding? or does he mean rock climbing, or? so "speed racing on dirt roads" is the best way to ask as i see.

recently just learned the term glamping which is just as expensive as "hotel" it seems like lol.

thanks for the welcome!

baby bronco eh?

I think it depends on the region, mostly.
In NY for me it was forest roads
When I was stationed in Georgia off-roading meant humane trails and mud.
In Utah it meant Rock Crawling (mostly)
now in SoCal it is usually a forest service road or the wide open desert, but two hours north it would be back to the forest in the mountains.
All these words are just us trying to describe something better, to me for the longest time, glamping was anything not done out of a backpack.
Then I got into motocamping and glamping was anything that couldn't fit on a motorcycle.
Then I broke my back, and nerve damage robbed me of the ability to shift consistently, and now glamping means anyone with a trailer.
I'm sure in a few years when the RTT fails to give me a good night sleep and I get a trailer glamping with be a yurt or nicer.

Dispersed camping- in most states (sorry, much more common out west with all of the federal land that states don't own) you can find established pay sites, or you can find places that allow dispersed camping (also called primitive camping or boon docking). Dispersed can be nice as the trails usually get rough enough to dissuade the massive 5th wheel from taking valuable real estate, and even allows for several weeks of free stays (NV has some famous/infamous communities of people creating communities on BLM land)

Softroading to me (me included on most weekends as I only have time for an 18 hour adventure and not a six month long circumnavigation) is what 99% of the overloading community actually does, and is something that maybe 80% of a stock vehicle with better than a Camry clearances can navigate responsibly.
Decently maintained, compacted dirt roads that lead to a spot that you can camp for free.

Yeah the Baby Bronco (Bronco Sport) is a surprisingly capable vehicle, despite what the Overland Lords may try to say.
My wife and I shared a Ford Escape for years and we had some great memories (with a full sized dingo) in places that instagram would tell you you need a raptor or jeep on 37s to camp at

 

[FishinCrzy]

Here ya go. I thought I saw an article about Mustang was going to make an off-road version. Coulda been my imagination.

Top Gear’s Top 9: off-roading sports cars

Super-SUVs are *not* sports cars that can cut it up off-road. These are the real deal

www.topgear.com

 

[DintDobbs]

@medievalman86 I have two lines of thought, which lead to two end results.

The first, the easiest and cheapest (for now), is to decide what you realistically can do with your vehicle, based on what's available within the radius you're willing to drive to get to it, and choose the one that best suits your actual practices. There are lots of sporty SUV's and crossovers and dirt-worthy sport sedans on the market. Lancer, WRX, Focus RS, Escape, Crosstrek, to name a few.

The second, while you have stated that it would be less practical for you at the moment, would be to pick up some cheap secondary beat-around probably used SUV like a 1995-2005-ish Explorer, Trailblazer, Rodeo, Trooper, XTerra... There are options, and some can be had for super cheap. SUV's are cheaper than pickup trucks, their short wheelbases are more maneuverable and more fun, and passenger accommodations are generally better in SUV's compared to trucks. It's in the name - sport utility vehicle.

There are plenty of quick SUV's and crossovers, AND there are plenty of dirt-worthy sports cars. Mitsubishi, Subaru, Lexus and Audi make some interesting options. Sadly, if you want to keep it American, your selection is pretty much limited to the Focus RS, but those aren't too shabby. In any case, you get a speedy and nimble car that isn't heavy and can tackle dirt easily.

Don't let anybody tell you your Mustang is the wrong car for the job. It isn't the best all-rounder, but you CAN carry camping stuff in any car.

 

[grubworm]

next time youre driving thru alabama, stop at a gas station and pick up a copy of auto trader...thats where you'll find gold!

 

[medievalman86]

@medievalman86 I have two lines of thought, which lead to two end results.

The first, the easiest and cheapest (for now), is to decide what you realistically can do with your vehicle, based on what's available within the radius you're willing to drive to get to it, and choose the one that best suits your actual practices. There are lots of sporty SUV's and crossovers and dirt-worthy sport sedans on the market. Lancer, WRX, Focus RS, Escape, Crosstrek, to name a few.

The second, while you have stated that it would be less practical for you at the moment, would be to pick up some cheap secondary beat-around probably used SUV like a 1995-2005-ish Explorer, Trailblazer, Rodeo, Trooper, XTerra... There are options, and some can be had for super cheap. SUV's are cheaper than pickup trucks, their short wheelbases are more maneuverable and more fun, and passenger accommodations are generally better in SUV's compared to trucks. It's in the name - sport utility vehicle.

There are plenty of quick SUV's and crossovers, AND there are plenty of dirt-worthy sports cars. Mitsubishi, Subaru, Lexus and Audi make some interesting options. Sadly, if you want to keep it American, your selection is pretty much limited to the Focus RS, but those aren't too shabby. In any case, you get a speedy and nimble car that isn't heavy and can tackle dirt easily.

Don't let anybody tell you your Mustang is the wrong car for the job. It isn't the best all-rounder, but you CAN carry camping stuff in any car.

Yea, I carry camping stuff all the time, I even can fit up to 15, 8foot tube lights in my mustang (facilities management ftw lol )

But but it's the difference between graded dirt roads and not graded? that I'm keeping an eye on so to speak with choices.

Cheap beaters is a thought for sure!

 

[roots66]

Hello and welcome to the OB family.

 

[genocache]

I dunno, having something fast does have it's advantages, for me though they are outweighed by a slower mode of transportation. Don't get me wrong the distances we have to travel out West to get somewhere nice and back are vast and time consuming. However once I get there I want to slow down and enjoy being there. I've done some fast and slow travel by car, motorcycle and bicycle. For me, I enjoy the slower pace, as was once said it's not the destination it's the journey. Fast can get you into trouble quicker offroad.
I can only afford 1 car, my choice is an older Land Rover with a few upgrades. It will do 65 on the flat all day long and 7 offroad if I need it to, plus give me 22mpg.
Choose wisely Grasshopper! plenty of good advise already given^^^^

 

[Michael Golden]

Hello all,

I will say, Im still a bit lost, as in im not sure what exactly im looking for.

See, I imagine vehicle choice as a Venn diagram I only have room for one vehicle. If i could afford 2-3, life would be alot easier.

First circle:

I like speed, I would love to take a car on a formula one track. Not so hip with straight lines and constant left hand turns, but gimme a mustang or mseries/amg and Id be happy as a clam..

but doing what i think is called rallycross - you know, speeding on dirt roads - also interest me - i think.

Mudding and rock crawling do not. Speed and handling is what interests me. So that's maybe one circle. But see, I dont care about anyone elses time or even my time. So, i get the feeling that clubs, while being positive things, Im more interested in finding access to places where - I can do what i want, without fear of breaking rules of the road, or rules of "______ auto club" .. See, on my mustang, I love it stock. If i ever did any upgrades, it would be to help it do what it already does better. So, better breaks, a strut bar, etc.. But bigger turbo or ecm tunes? nah... im happy with stock HP/Torque Better air filter or inter-cooler? sure, new cam? hell no. new rear end gearing? nope.

Second circle

Practicality Do I love being able to hit 74 on cruise control and get 33 miles to the gallon in my mustang? hell yea! but guess who has a bug out bag and a tool set in the trunk of their mustang? <<<<<-- me, that's right.. Guess that's my inner boyscout and bean counter. - Yes, my inner psyche is that of a bean counter- sorry. Do i get terrified parking in fields on my mustang? you betcha! again, stock vehicle but... But, How often do i enjoy interstate on ramps and off ramps in a week? a few times for sure. How often do i visit dirt roads? one a month or less. But to what i really want to do with the sports car in the first circle- I dont do any of that, at all. I have no idea where to really find a location where "I can just zoom through dirt roads, as fast or as slow as i want for miles at a time" and the closest to a paved formula one track for me, is about 5 hours round trip... that's a bit on the high side for a regular weekend romp for me....

Third Circle

Re: "boy-scout" I miss camping. I miss backpacking... but I also like road trips. Id love to do route 66, but I don't know that i can afford to stay in hotel rooms for whole week or two while i meander the route. But, camping (stealth or otherwise) is potential..

Fourth Circle

Failed party host, while i dont reasonably expect folk to help me seem less "standoffish / reserved" - I used to very much try and host regular parties and road trips during college. Not large things, but inviting 3-4 folk over for beer and halo, or a road trip to no where in particular. A mustang is kind of hard to do that? Yes, Ive transported 800 pounds of humans on a road trip or 2 and gotten 35mpg but as fun as the mustang is- its not exactly hospitable to folk- so to speak..

All that to say, I don't know all the terms.. I don't quite know how to do some of the things i mentioned...... I certainly know i can throw supplies in my mustang and get a spot at a local state park.. over-landing to me seems like backpacking with wheels...

"Two roads diverged in the forest, but i was too lost to just pick one and go with it."

So thats me, at worst ill simply enjoy hearing other tales of overlanding, looking at cool set ups, etc... at best- perhaps someone will have some insight, or ill randomly stumble across a forum post somewhere that answers my confusion. Almost out of questions to ask..

Welcome to the Overland Bound Community. Glad to have you join us..