Should I change vehicles?

[hoch]

I would absolutely replace a Ridgeline. The limitations you are running into are exactly what I would expect with that platform...

From what I read, Ridgeline seems to meet @ATL Bob s current needs. It's a good balance between daily duties and offroad capabilities for a lot of people. Ridgeline is more capable than what people give it credit for. I think he will be fine for a long time and should hold off on making any changes for now. Whether it will meet his future needs, that is to be determined. But that trajectory can often change.

When I first started taking my family camping offroad, I thought I'd be going on crazy rock crawling ventures, so I bought a smaller midsize truck and slapped on tires, armor, etc. Well, turns out, my family doesn't like getting bounced around on days on end. They got carsick and eventually hated going out. What they really enjoyed was heading out into the backcountry on forest service roads. They loved being in the wilderness, but not via rock crawling roads, 2mph in 4lo the whole time. So my current truck is a fullsize, mostly stock truck. Seems to meet my needs fairly well.

** Here is a video of a Honda Passport with the same drivetrain as the Ridgeline.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Outfit it as best you can as needs arise. Once you've exhausted all options and the need for a new rig is there, then go that route. Save as bit here and there for another rig. Be mindful of upgrades so they can transfer to another rig, however not all of them will depending on which route you go. This is where I'm at with my rig, except I know I need a different rig. I've been making due with mine until I am ready to switch (both monetarily and availability wise).

 

[tjZ06]

What about keeping the Ridgeline, or trading it in on an even more daily driving friendly vehicle (like an Accord, if you want to stay with Honda) and getting a dedicated Overland rig? There are obvious downsides (two vehicles to keep insured, registered, maintained, in fresh tires/brakes/etc.) but also upsides (leave it setup and packed to go for trips minus perishable food to make weekend getaways quicker, can bias way more towards capable vs. on-road comfort, if you do hurt/break it while wheeling you're not left without a daily driver, etc.).

Net-cost would obviously be WAY higher if you were to go to an Accord + a Gladiator or whatnot, but if you went with something like a TJ or WJ for the weekend it wouldn't be so bad. IDK, just a thought maybe to consider...

-TJ

 

[Dilldog]

Most who know me know I am a big fan of using what you own, Im not a fan of consumer culture.
Anyway, from what you describe you are literally the EXACT market that Honda was targeting with the Ridgeline, a person who just wants to get out a bit to camp and mountain bike, honestly thats what most XUVs are built considering. I personally have seen Ridgelines do some impressive things. One of the places I used to shoot at a lot was at the end of a decent trail. My 86 Toyota that was locked and bobbed would have trouble with this trail. Two of my buddies have run Ridgelines up this trail all loaded up (4 dudes weighing around 200lbs each, thousands of rounds of ammo, and many rifles and pistols, probably 1000lbs of guns and ammo in the back of each). The only disadvantage I saw the Ridgelines exhibit was lack of lower end torque, they have a rev happy engine.
Also my Neighbor has one, he his wife and son do a lot of outdoors stuff, hauling kayaks and mountain bikes to remote areas a lot. He has told me he is extremely glad he got rid of his Ford F150 FX4 and got the Ridgeline.
Finally why does your wife dislike ground tents? Is this an opinion that will extend to all tents? I know you said you are not a fan of the whole trailer idea, but really think about what will make your family comfortable. There are few things worse that getting everyone out to enjoy what you love only to make them miserable.
Honestly the more I run a 4 wheel independent suspension XUV the more I like it. From where I stand 90% of my time is on pavement, so it simply doesnt make sense to own a rig geared towards 10% of my time, especially when my current vehicle only isnt capable of 1% of that 10%. There are certainly limitations to these guys, but they are capable of more than most people think or try. I would encourage you to just run the Ridgeline, and when you actually hit the wall so to speak change vehicles. Unless you are planning on doing Moab or the Rubicon or one of those other destination trails I bet the Ridgeline will be able to get through.

 

[JCWages]

Colorado ZR2......

 

[MOAK]

Here's the thing, every time I think I might want to go full size, or up our comfort level, we encounter something like this. Here we are on the way to a campsite. More often than not this happens on the way to and from our much preferred, isolated, primitive campsites. We don't like having to turn around and I can only think of one time and that was because of deep snow in the Dixie National Forest. If you aren't into back country primitive camping (yet) then stick with your ridgeline until you find yourself turning around a lot. Ultimately you need to please yourself and your family.

 

[hoch]

Here's the thing, every time I think I might want to go full size, or up our comfort level, we encounter something like this. Here we are on the way to a campsite. More often than not this happens on the way to and from our much preferred, isolated, primitive campsites. We don't like having to turn around and I can only think of one time and that was because of deep snow in the Dixie National Forest. If you aren't into back country primitive camping (yet) then stick with your ridgeline until you find yourself turning around a lot. Ultimately you need to please yourself and your family.

Elephant Hill can be challenging. People take full-size rigs through regularly. Only place I’d be hesitant is the squeeze. Jeep would make it easier. But there are lots of remote places you can take a full-size in Canyonlands and surrounding places.

 

[JCWages]

Here's the thing, every time I think I might want to go full size, or up our comfort level, we encounter something like this. Here we are on the way to a campsite. More often than not this happens on the way to and from our much preferred, isolated, primitive campsites. We don't like having to turn around and I can only think of one time and that was because of deep snow in the Dixie National Forest. If you aren't into back country primitive camping (yet) then stick with your ridgeline until you find yourself turning around a lot. Ultimately you need to please yourself and your family.

I like the idea of a full size until I turn my head and look at one. They are everywhere around here. They look gigantic compared to my truck and I start trying to imagine navigating the trails I drive. I remember all the tight turns and the pinstriping, the narrow shelf trails and all of the places a long wheelbase is likely to high center and I dismiss the idea. I like being nimble enough to do tight "Jeep" trails without risking body damage or having to put a 6" lift and 38s to clear rock gardens. :) Then again, we're talking more wheeling than overlanding. If my family were any larger then I'd be in a full size for sure.

 

[ATL Bob]

Thanks for all the inputs!

You are caught up in Rig envy

Most definitely - it's hard to resist all the rig porn you can find in the build threads!

I would also be slow to get a Gladiator if that is what you have your eyes on. Wait until Fiat gets the bugs worked out of that one.

I was interested in them ever since the first rumors started, but I couldn't wait any longer since their release kept getting pushed. I know early adoption isn't very prudent, but It's hard not to lust after a new shiny toy. I know I should wait...I'm hoping this thread can quell some of the desire.

** Here is a video of a Honda Passport with the same drivetrain as the Ridgeline.

This clip was extremely helpful and regaining some perspective. When I bought the vehicle I knew the majority of the time it would be used on paved roads - so that's what steered me from the Tacoma to the RL. The accounting of mileage use from the producer was quite telling: 4% of his miles were off-road. He lives in CA so I think his opportunity to use the vehicle off-road is 10x what is available to me. I think I would really have to be searching for rugged trails to find a need for more vehicle capability. I would like to hear if others in the Southeast think there are enough trails in the GA/TN/NC to warrant any more capability.

Finally why does your wife dislike ground tents? Is this an opinion that will extend to all tents? I know you said you are not a fan of the whole trailer idea, but really think about what will make your family comfortable.

This is probably the largest factor in considering something different from the RL. My wife has an irrational fear of snakes/bugs/dirt/etc... that drives the need for something other than a ground tent. I'm fine camping with just the kids, but I would like to wife to join us occasionally and I think she will enjoy it more as she gets to sees how much the kids love it. I've rented a R-Pod and it was great. If I had a place to store at travel trailer I would probably go that route. However, I would have to store it offsite and probably only use a few times a year. That brought me to the RTT or BedCamper option. A vehicle mounted tent would allow me to have it easily accessible at home and it is much more cost effective. The problem is there is only 1 option for a bedrack (JSport). They even sold out of that one and are developing something different. I've found some universal ones, but will have to find a fabricator to custom make some mounting hardware. All of which can be overcome, but when you start adding up all the small hoops I need to jump through to make the RL work, a different platform starts to sound reasonable (at least when you are surfing the interwebs and lusting after all the cool rigs out there).

 

[DrivingTacoLoco]

I'm a Tacoma fan. I got a DCLB. Does everything you need and more. Get a second gen and you will be happy.

 

[MOAK]

I like the idea of a full size until I turn my head and look at one. They are everywhere around here. They look gigantic compared to my truck and I start trying to imagine navigating the trails I drive. I remember all the tight turns and the pinstriping, the narrow shelf trails and all of the places a long wheelbase is likely to high center and I dismiss the idea. I like being nimble enough to do tight "Jeep" trails without risking body damage or having to put a 6" lift and 38s to clear rock gardens. :) Then again, we're talking more wheeling than overlanding. If my family were any larger then I'd be in a full size for sure.

Yup, did the full-size thing a lifetime ago. After my ex wife totaled my 76 Landcruiser I went full-size. My first was a 1960 F100, that truck was beyond cool, then a 72 F250 then an 89 F150. Cool trucks every one of em, but not cut out for overland remote trail use. Fire roads, sure no problem, elephant hill? Sure, really tight, but good luck getting through SOB hill or out and over impossible hill.

 

[tjZ06]

I like the idea of a full size until I turn my head and look at one. They are everywhere around here. They look gigantic compared to my truck and I start trying to imagine navigating the trails I drive. I remember all the tight turns and the pinstriping, the narrow shelf trails and all of the places a long wheelbase is likely to high center and I dismiss the idea. I like being nimble enough to do tight "Jeep" trails without risking body damage or having to put a 6" lift and 38s to clear rock gardens. :) Then again, we're talking more wheeling than overlanding. If my family were any larger then I'd be in a full size for sure.

I start thinking the same thing when I catch myself dreaming about Gladiators. You basically have to do 37-38"s to get decent break-over and departure angles out of them (which means a 2.5-3.5" lift) and they end up Yuge with a very long wheelbase. Lately I've even found myself thinking a 2-door JL is the solution... but then I see how much sh....tuff I pack for "Overlanding" trips and think again. Alas, it seems the 4-door JK/JL really is the best all-around platform in the "new" world... but urrrrrrrybody has one. That's why I'm partial to the WJs, similar, but actually smaller than JK/LUs, decent V8, pretty nice interior etc. But they have their downsides (*cough*Dana30*cough*) too... and lately it's been seeming like Jake wants to keep the grey one, so I have to re-think everything.

-TJ

 

[JCWages]

I start thinking the same thing when I catch myself dreaming about Gladiators. You basically have to do 37-38"s to get decent break-over and departure angles out of them (which means a 2.5-3.5" lift) and they end up Yuge with a very long wheelbase. Lately I've even found myself thinking a 2-door JL is the solution... but then I see how much sh....tuff I pack for "Overlanding" trips and think again. Alas, it seems the 4-door JK/JL really is the best all-around platform in the "new" world... but urrrrrrrybody has one. That's why I'm partial to the WJs, similar, but actually smaller than JK/LUs, decent V8, pretty nice interior etc. But they have their downsides (*cough*Dana30*cough*) too... and lately it's been seeming like Jake wants to keep the grey one, so I have to re-think everything.

-TJ

Aye, I agree. The 4dr JK/JL fits the bill nicely for a more rugged trail rig. For milder trails the WJ, T4R, mid-size trucks etc, work better due to better ride/handling on-road and reliability. It all comes down to the trails you want to run and what level of comfort you demand. :)

 

[tjZ06]

Aye, I agree. The 4dr JK/JL fits the bill nicely for a more rugged trail rig. For milder trails the WJ, T4R, mid-size trucks etc, work better due to better ride/handling on-road and reliability. It all comes down to the trails you want to run and what level of comfort you demand. :)

Yup, totally. Even w/ the 4" long-arm on the grey WJ and ~32"s it rides exceptionally well and is very quiet onroad. I just wish it fit 35"s as easy as a JK/JL.

-TJ

 

[Dilldog]

I like the idea of a full size until I turn my head and look at one. They are everywhere around here. They look gigantic compared to my truck and I start trying to imagine navigating the trails I drive. I remember all the tight turns and the pinstriping, the narrow shelf trails and all of the places a long wheelbase is likely to high center and I dismiss the idea. I like being nimble enough to do tight "Jeep" trails without risking body damage or having to put a 6" lift and 38s to clear rock gardens. :) Then again, we're talking more wheeling than overlanding. If my family were any larger then I'd be in a full size for sure.

Honestly when I was doing the full sized thing I always gravitated towards the short wheel base stuff. I loved my 82 F150 short box. 33s with no lift and plenty of power so no need to regear, and it had a 9" rear so again no worries there. My other was an 85 K5, even shorter than the 150. I really liked the size of both rigs, and neither seemed too big for the trails in the Cascades.

 

[AZDIYGuy]

I'm curious, have you upgraded to something new yet?

I'm slowly cleaning up my burned-paint 2010 Ridgeline in hopes of getting decent resale value and getting something I can do some light overlanding in. Honestly, the Ridgeline has been a really good pickup. I'd downsized from a Dodge Ram, and preferred the mid-size.

 

[ATL Bob]

COVID-19 put a screeching halt on any big purchases so I'm still in the Ridgeline. It is a great vehicle, I just wish there was some aftermarket support. I parked beside a Gladiator Rubicon the other day with 35's on it - great looking truck. I can't believe how long it is, but it offers so much less cabin space and smaller bed than the Ridgeline. The new Bronco looks sweet...the rumor is they will use the same platform for the Ranger. So maybe it is best I have to stick with the Ridgeline for a while so the gremlins are worked out of the gladiator and I have chance to see if anything more compelling comes to market.

 

[MMc]

COVID-19 put a screeching halt on any big purchases so I'm still in the Ridgeline. It is a great vehicle, I just wish there was some aftermarket support. I parked beside a Gladiator Rubicon the other day with 35's on it - great looking truck. I can't believe how long it is, but it offers so much less cabin space and smaller bed than the Ridgeline. The new Bronco looks sweet...the rumor is they will use the same platform for the Ranger. So maybe it is best I have to stick with the Ridgeline for a while so the gremlins are worked out of the gladiator and I have chance to see if anything more compelling comes to market.

Sounds like you are suffering from rig envy. I waited for a couple years to order my last truck, saved up and paid cash. Having my dream rig without a payment is the best.

 

[Billiebob]

Yep, the market is changing fast. I'd wait a few years. Chevy and Toyota will likely step into the fray too. I hear Hummer is coming back with pure electric pickups..... I'd keep the Ridgeline, a bit of aluminium fabrication, maybe adapt someone elses rack. Bolt on is no where near as much fun as one of kind.