rig weight, how do you pack?

[scott17818]

so I made the mistake of taking my rig to a CAT scale on one of my recent trips and I was a bit heavy.. I have a 2016 toyota Tacoma TRD OR DCSB see picture below:

I have the usual mods SSO hybrid bumper with stage II (75lbs +23lbs for stage II), 10k synthetic line winch (smitybilt 67lbs), odessey 27F AGM battery (about 20lbs heavier than stock), sliders (mobtown offroad (170lbs), CBI overland steel skidplates (140lbs), bed rack (kbvoodoo 14" with tonneau brackets 45lbs), roll up tonneau cover, Bushveld II RTT (145lbs), Ironman 4x4 4.5' awning (25lbs), 285/70/17 E-load General grabber AT/X on Method racing MR305NV 17x8.5 0ffset rims (about 30lbs heavier per tire including full sized matching spare tire/rim in stock location). and 4 Actiontracs (metal teeth).

this alone puts me at about 860lbs of my payload capacity of 1152lbs. I do have a good suspension system... Dobinson's MRR/MRA with 111R leafpack, and heavy rate coil up front with MRR/MRA shocks.. add in about 300lbs of camping gear (12v fridge (iceco VL65DZ), cooking box, recovery gear box, rinsekit+), spare fuel and drinking water..... and I am overweight before even me getting in the truck, let alone bringing my wife along with me..

before anyone says anything.. I inspect my truck regularly, and I am a fanatic about any noise or creak or groan out of the suspension (its why I got greasable shackles/bushings). i constantly check my brakes condition, and leave extra space when driving. I do plan to upgrade the rotors, and pads (possibly even wilwood big brake kit), as well as regear to 5.29 gears. I do plan to eventually rotate out my heavy items such as sliders, and skidplates and opt for lighter options (doing research on this now)...

how and what do you all pack? do you keep track of vehicle weight?

I ask this as I see teams Expediton overland, and a few others with their rigs packed out, and 3-4 passengers... and lets just say they are probably heavier than I am....



my camping setup:

 

[Staticline40]

so I made the mistake of taking my rig to a CAT scale on one of my recent trips and I was a bit heavy.. I have a 2016 toyota Tacoma TRD OR DCSB see picture below:

I have the usual mods SSO hybrid bumper with stage II (75lbs +23lbs for stage II), 10k synthetic line winch (smitybilt 67lbs), odessey 27F AGM battery (about 20lbs heavier than stock), sliders (mobtown offroad (170lbs), CBI overland steel skidplates (140lbs), bed rack (kbvoodoo 14" with tonneau brackets 45lbs), roll up tonneau cover, Bushveld II RTT (145lbs), Ironman 4x4 4.5' awning (25lbs), 285/70/17 E-load General grabber AT/X on Method racing MR305NV 17x8.5 0ffset rims (about 30lbs heavier per tire including full sized matching spare tire/rim in stock location). and 4 Actiontracs (metal teeth).

this alone puts me at about 860lbs of my payload capacity of 1152lbs. I do have a good suspension system... Dobinson's MRR/MRA with 111R leafpack, and heavy rate coil up front with MRR/MRA shocks.. add in about 300lbs of camping gear, spare fuel and drinking water..... and I am overweight before even me getting in the truck, let alone bringing my wife along with me..

before anyone says anything.. I inspect my truck regularly, and I am a fanatic about any noise or creak or groan out of the suspension (its why I got greasable shackles/bushings). i constantly check my brakes condition, and leave extra space when driving. I do plan to upgrade the rotors, and pads (possibly even wilwood big brake kit), as well as regear to 5.29 gears.


View attachment 237322
my camping setup:
View attachment 237323

Nice rig

I have a similar setup. In the beginning I packed everything including the kitchen sink. Over time I have managed to get that down to a couple of hard cases in the back of the truck. This makes it easier, and lighter, when it's time to go.

 

[zgfiredude]

I think being weight conscious is the important thing. You have a plan to reduce when and where possible on mods, and that's great. As far as the camping stuff goes, all you can do is look at everything with a critical eye and if you haven't used it in two or three trips.....do you really need it? I try to look at my upcoming trip and where I'm going, weather, companions, food, etc and really only take what I'm going to use (small margin for MIGHT use) .

 

[bgenlvtex]

This is how "adventure trailers" were born.

Everybody packs stuff they don't need, until they need them. If those are "comfort items" they are easy to identify and ditch, but for me more than not, those unused items are emergency and back up gear and I'm not going without them.

My dedicated rig is a Gladiator, I'm in about the same boat that you are. As it progressed it became more and more apparent that it wasn't going to be enough truck for long duration events (month(s) ) and I turned to a trailer which remedied the weight thing to some extent and creates its own set of problems not the least of which is cost/weight/mobility. I bought a Power Wagon as a back up plan, but just purely from a dimensional standpoint the PW will not go where the Rubicon will, width being the prevailing issue.

When you start blurring the serious off road equipment (sliders,skids,armor) and overlanding lines it is a recipe for a big fat rig. I did replace my back seat with a Goose Gear plate system, it isn't light, but it is a bunch lighter than that back seat(s) I took out.

 

[scott17818]

starting to think the only way to continue my build is to adda trailer.... and honestly I've been looking at it for a while...

 

[LostWoods]

Just food for thought, think about what you've done, then think about what others have done and realize how many overlanding youtube personalities are driving around with a load that would make an F150 squat. Payload was the #1 reason I got rid of my Tacoma. The capacity just isn't there and while the Jeep only carries an extra 400#, it's the difference I needed. You will hear from all kinds of people who will tell you not to worry about it but the reality is that being that far overweight can be considered negligence and if you find yourself dealing with your or someone else's insurance, I find it's a better strategy to not give them any more ammo than you have to.

All that in mind, the real payload of your rig is the GAWRs, not the GVWR. As long as you are respecting your axle weights it's unlikely you will have issues. Given how most of these rigs space out the weight it generally works out unless you do something stupid like a 900# slide-in that pretty much sits entirely on the rear axle. If you want something like that, buy more truck or the aforementioned trailer.

Edit: one more thing to keep in mind, ratings are intended for a normal use case, meaning on-road driving. Off-road has a far greater impact on wear and tear. For an occasional trail rig it's fine to be around your max payload or a little over but if this is something that sees dirt a whole lot more, I would be much more weary of what I pack.

 

[Ragman]

I try to stay very close to recommendations which absolutely limits my gear choices (that and the extra, useless weight carried in the driver's seat!). I think it is clear that a vehicle CAN be driven when very overloaded (I can attest to that) but I find that there is an impact on steering, braking distances, headlight aiming, etc that impact the safety of the vehicle. Raising the center of gravity also has negative impacts. So if you drive your vehicle while overloaded I don't think you will have catastrophic failure in the first 10 miles but over time parts will wear quicker and emergency driving situations may be more hazardous. I think this is more of an impact when on the highway as you won't notice as much on slower off highway driving (other than maybe the center of gravity).

Just something to ponder.

 

[Advtres]

In the same boat as you when I weighed out my beastie. With humans, dog, water and fuel I am treading the fine line of being a big beefy.

Since we are still tied to day jobs and responsibilities on the home front, we manage with a slimmed down gear profile and tend to try to be more of the backpacker mentality - When we wander (1 day to 2 weeks), it is mostly to go to set up a basecamp here and there, trek on foot, or bike from there to have a poke around in the great-outdoors.

The ways I manage to keep the beef on the low fat side is to go with aluminum where I can for armor, keep the kitchen lite ( ie we cook at home and bring with us so we can re-heat and use freeze dried options ), keep the mods on the truck lite where I can ( ie., I have not upgraded my rims, because the TRD rims come in at a nice 24 lbs, vs other options 35+), I didn't add an awning, I have a portable one that weighs about 7lbs, works great.. the list goes on....

The reason on why I am a little scope locked on weight is what others have said on the thread. More weight means more stress/strain on everything.
I noticed when trekking down a trail with the rig it responds, moves differently when fully loaded. Not to mention when heading up grades - tranny, engine and components all get a work out hefting that weight up... Food for thought if you get out more then a couple times a year.

In general I think it is the small things that add up, you know like snacking at home

When we are able to do more extended trips, ( ie a month, or more ) than a trailer will be the next step.

Just so darn customizable to your way of traveling.

 

[Marn]

Two humans, two dogs, bedding (sleeping bag/pillows) , beer cooler, clothing, and dog accessories (small bag and a dog bed) are all that go in our jeep. Only a couple hundred pounds if that, aside from the humans. This has left plenty of capacity for mods to the actual jeep without worrying about adding too much weight.

Everything else goes in a trailer. The decision to be trailer based had nothing to do with weight, however, but it helps keep the jeep lighter.

 

[tjZ06]

My rig is heavy, for sure. But it's a 3/4 ton and everything I pick in terms of parts are meant to carry the weight. From the wheels/tires to the air bag setup in the rear to all of the solid axle swap and steering components they're all "over-built". If there was some magic way to take 1k lbs off the rig, I'd do it. And I try not to over-pack, but I'm also not going to forgo the amenities the Fourwheel Camper provides.



-TJ

 

[LostWoods]

My rig is heavy, for sure. But it's a 3/4 ton and everything I pick in terms of parts are meant to carry the weight. From the wheels/tires to the air bag setup in the rear to all of the solid axle swap and steering components they're all "over-built". If there was some magic way to take 1k lbs off the rig, I'd do it. And I try not to over-pack, but I'm also not going to forgo the amenities the Fourwheel Camper provides.

-TJ

Aside from narrow trail access, 3/4 ton pickups are seriously slept on in this hobby. You could easily build a single cab that has a wheelbase only sightly worse than a mid-size but you'd have over twice the payload and super beefy solid axles front and rear. Given what most people actually do for trips, it's an amazing choice if you want amenities and range.

Not great for impact but I'm not sure it's any worse than these people who load up a midsize then wonder why they have to full send just to get up a hill.

 

[tjZ06]

Aside from narrow trail access, 3/4 ton pickups are seriously slept on in this hobby. You could easily build a single cab that has a wheelbase only sightly worse than a mid-size but you'd have over twice the payload and super beefy solid axles front and rear. Given what most people actually do for trips, it's an amazing choice if you want amenities and range.

Not great for impact but I'm not sure it's any worse than these people who load up a midsize then wonder why they have to full send just to get up a hill.

I completely agree, and I thought about buying a regular cab before I decided to SAS this truck. But I've had this truck like 12 years now and love it, and honestly the back seat space is kind of needed with a Fourwheel Camper. There's not a TON of storage inside of them.

-TJ

 

[archer75]

I have a Ram 2500 so I don't have to worry about the weight. But with our kids and dogs I need the cab space and room for all that gear for us all. If it were just the wife and I we would be fine with a smaller rig and a lot less gear. But it's really nice not having to worry about space or weight.

 

[MOAK]

I’ve a lot to say & little time to say it. My truck completely loaded down, pulling a trailer, scales out at just under the vehicles modified GVWR. Modified GVWR? Yes. The addition of an OME heavy spring set is recognized in Australia as a legal way to increase the GVWR. My axle weight is well balanced, and I have full float axles. The stock brakes, according to Aussie certifications do not need to be upgraded and I’ve never felt the need to do so, primarily because of having trailer brakes. How much does the 80 weigh fully loaded? Just at 7,000 lbs including 100lbs of tongu weight. The trailer scales out at 1300 on the axle. I must note that the 80 is carrying 12 gallons of water and 50 gallons of gasoline. The trailer carry’s an additional 5 gallons of fuel and 25 gallons of water. Naturally as we travel the weight goes down. You are thinking about a trailer so be sure to consider the weight of a trailer. Most commercially built trailers are way too heavy to be practical for what we do. Good luck with your quest.

 

[Kevin108]

How do I pack? Less every trip. I need to weigh in though. The GX is heavy just by itself.

 

[smritte]

Edit: one more thing to keep in mind, ratings are intended for a normal use case, meaning on-road driving.

^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^
When it comes to diffrent ratings, most are projected for street. My Cruiser tops out at 6800. When I put it on the balance scales at work, the weight is almost 50/50 on the nose. Having a heavy vehicle is one thing, having an unbalanced heavy vehicle means poor road manners in dirt.

Staring with my Jeeps, I began using trailers for gear. My M-100 was 700 pounds. This made multi day trips better. Leave the trailer and take the jeep out. Later with all the accessories it ended up at close to 1500 pounds. Same thing only now I had more comfort. less on my Jeep.

All my rigs are armored, big tires, bumpers and winch. Their gonna be heavy. The suspension has to be built for it. There's a point that people brought up where you can over weight an axle. You can over weight your brakes too. These are things most don't take into account when they build.

 

[05EXCURSION]

I run a full size vehicle and used to load the crap out of it, then realized that had to pack and unpack too much stuff when camp site set up time came. Went with a military trailer that fit my vehicle. Now I only carry recovery gear and tools in the vehicle. Trailer now has become base camp. Just make sure you get a trailer that can handle the abuse.
Now I have to transfer over all the water tanks and battery bank in to the trailer

 

[grubworm]

GVWR is an outdated misogynistic term that is "ochopbobic" and toxic in nature as it does nothing to promote inclusivity. ALL vehicle types should be celebrated and recognized as being special and unique. when i hear terms like "overweight", "oversize", "beyond legal limits"...i say: Don't put your labels on me!
by being 'body positive' and 'vehicle positive', we are no longer bound by other people's "standards" and are free to truly be ourselves.
so... go out there and be who you truly are!

 

[bgenlvtex]

GVWR is an outdated misogynistic term that is "ochopbobic" and toxic in nature as it does nothing to promote inclusivity. ALL vehicle types should be celebrated and recognized as being special and unique. when i hear terms like "overweight", "oversize", "beyond legal limits"...i say Don't put your labels on me!
by being 'body positive' and 'vehicle positive', we are no longer bound by other people's "standards" and are free to truly be ourselves.
so... go out there and be who you truly are!

View attachment 237636

It's 2022.

This is the way.

 

[joseluis.17g]

I come from a autocross back ground, so weight is a big deal and I took that mentality in my build, it´s a sum of a lot of little things, biggest thing you can do its going with skinnier tires, 255/80r17 are a bitt taller, and I bet ligther or better yet, go 255/75r17, it's only half an inch lower, I bet you could loose 5lb per corner plus the spare, thats an easy 25 pounds and thats rotating mass.
Are you carrying metal shackles? those weight a ton soft shackles it's were it's at also aluminum pulley instead of the old snatch block.
Its probably not a good idea on a gas engine, but in my diesel I deleted the rear mufflers, it's stright pipe from the cat back, that save me another 20 pounds, and its bearly noticable
You didn't mention taking the kids with you, if thats the case, ditch the rear seat, with seat belts and head rest theres another 20 pounds right there


Al those things quickly add up, and all things mention above don't compromise confort or anything at all