Sudden revelation

[gatogordo]

Well I stumbled upon this forum and though hey cool I ought to try that and I do need a pastime as I will retire soon. Well reading the newbie thread I see that I have been an overland for near fifty years now. My first vehicle was a VW squareback and I slept many nights in the back all over the country. Next was a Mazda B 1600 took it all over and slept in it . Over the years I have cemped and slept in virtually every car I have owned; but, I am ready to refine it a bit or possibly a lot.

As I began to get the bug and started to do me mental math I could see the dollars piling up. Then I realized hey I have two vehicles and can use either of them to ease into perhaps taking the overlanding experience up a few notches. Soooo... I currently own a Ford 150 King Ranch with 150 thousand miles why not start with that and see how it goes. That being said I am looking for moderate DIY upgrades to up my game and help decide if I want to dive in deeper.

So, to define my mission a bit further and set some parameters so that I might get useful suggestions know that: I will be starting out tent camping, on the ground. I figure you need a kitchen for that and if thoughtfully acquired that kitchen purchases can be something carried over to the next iteration of overland vehicle for me. The same can be said for recovery gear, comms, etc.

So on to the original question: what ideas do you guys have for the truck itself? Let's start with tires. I will need to replace my tires very soon why not select some that will enhance my overlanding experience. The truck is two wheel drive and does have the electronic positrac option. It has stock wheels and tires currently.

Regards,

GG

 

[pluton]

BF Goodrich All Terrian (AT KO2) is a well-known tough but expensive tire. That's what I have used on 4 vehicles over 24 years.
However, it'd be a shame if you spent big $$$ on KO2s and then moved on to another vehicle in 10 K or 15K miles, leaving at least 35K available miles unused on the tires that you paid big $$$ for. I hear good things about Cooper tires, they seem to have all terrain type tires for a bit less dough.
Look for at least Load range C (6-ply equivalent), if not Load range D or E. I've seen folks decide to "four wheel" on P-rated tires (the ones they often sell you with the vehicle) and it's often a sad scene.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I like the Falken Wildpeaks on my Ram.

 

[MOAK]

I’m with you- started doing this thing back in mid 70s using a 66 VW bug. No tent, just a bed roll, a Coleman stove and a cheap cooler. Had lots of Ford pickups, my favorite being a ‘60F100 2wd. Did a lot of desert running in that thing. Then bought a 76’ Landcruiser. Ex crashed it, moved back east and back to ford pickups until 98 and bought a jeep. Did the jeep thing until 10 years ago, now have a Landcruiser. I’d recommend nothing less than E rated all terrain tires of any major brand. You can’t go wrong with any of the 3 Gs ( Goodyear, Goodrich, General ) and the C ( Cooper ) . Be sure to purchase a popular size. I prefer a 255/85/16, but if I’m in BF Egypt, and suffer a tire failure I want a tire that the nearest tire dealership will have in stock, so I go with 285/75/16s. Auxillary lighting? Never needed, and hardly ever used. A good set of fog lamps, a couple of camp lanterns and one of those headlamps that strap to your head is all you need or want. Tents? Im a big fan of OZ tents. They are strong, heavy canvas, 3-1/2 season tents that deploy easily with one person. A bit pricey, but you’ll never need to buy another tent. As far as everything else, buy quality stuff and keep it light. The KISS methodology is your best friend. Good luck !

 

[leeloo]

Get some brand named AT ones like Cooper, Yokohama, Falken, Goodyear. If you fixate on one model, you might miss a good deal on some very similar tires.
Than focus on making your camping a comfortable one. Get a solar panel and a portable battery like a Bluetti, Jackery, ecoflow. All this you can transfer between vehicles.
For kitchen, if you think drawer system, or bed rack, there are some that anchor in the bed, so this you can transfer as well to another vehicle. but you can start small, like a box system to organize the kitchen, it is what I used for years, and it still works for me. I got a Frontrunner box that contains only kitchen stuff, and I can use it as a stool in a pinch.
For shower, in US you can have the Geyser thing, very smart , portable and small, consumes very little water.
Many options out there.

 

[AggieOE]

I love the idea of gear and modifications that can go between vehicles.
As @pluton said, it would be a shame to spend money on tires that you don't get all your miles out of. I'd look for a good cost-effective AT if your plan is to change in the relatively near future.
Ditto what @leeloo said, look at only things that can work with different applications.

I'm sure these are things you already have or know but I think the basics are:
1) Tent and interior sleeping set-up
2) Comfy chair
3) Pop-up table (I still use a plastic one from Academy)
4) GOOD cooler
5) Stove, Collapsible Bins for washing, Water jug with a spigot
6) Solar Shower Bag

That and a full tank of gas will get you somewhere!

Good luck!

 

[smritte]

Like everyone else, all my gear is in box's. I swap between two vehicles.
X3 on the falcons. I have them on my Tacoma and BFG's on my Cruiser. Both are fine.
In my group we have a 2wd Tacoma. Slight lift and tires. He goes almost everywhere we go.
Like a few of us, I started this back in the 70's. My vehicle was a 2wd Datsun pu.

 

[Akicita]

Get a dog ( Dick never went anywhere in Marine 1 without his buddy Lucky)!

View attachment 256734

Dick??? That's Ronald Reagan. . . .

 

[gatogordo]

Thanks for the inputs folks, seems to align with my current thinking pretty much and I already have a lot of the gear, looking to upgrade for comfort mostly. We have only taken it a few times but do like our inflatable bed...lol. There could be a trip to Colombia and further in the future.

lpd

 

[gatogordo]

BF Goodrich All Terrian (AT KO2) is a well-known tough but expensive tire. That's what I have used on 4 vehicles over 24 years.
However, it'd be a shame if you spent big $$$ on KO2s and then moved on to another vehicle in 10 K or 15K miles, leaving at least 35K available miles unused on the tires that you paid big $$$ for. I hear good things about Cooper tires, they seem to have all terrain type tires for a bit less dough.
Look for at least Load range C (6-ply equivalent), if not Load range D or E. I've seen folks decide to "four wheel" on P-rated tires (the ones they often sell you with the vehicle) and it's often a sad scene.

I don't have an issue with paying good money for good tires. In fact I will put a thousand dollars work of tires on a two hundred dollar car in a heartbeat. I hate changing flats and don't think I have changed a flat on one of my vehicles in over twenty years.
By the time I move on from a car is is pretty much of little value, The last two I gave away.

GG

 

[gatogordo]

Get some brand named AT ones like Cooper, Yokohama, Falken, Goodyear. If you fixate on one model, you might miss a good deal on some very similar tires.
Than focus on making your camping a comfortable one. Get a solar panel and a portable battery like a Bluetti, Jackery, ecoflow. All this you can transfer between vehicles.
For kitchen, if you think drawer system, or bed rack, there are some that anchor in the bed, so this you can transfer as well to another vehicle. but you can start small, like a box system to organize the kitchen, it is what I used for years, and it still works for me. I got a Frontrunner box that contains only kitchen stuff, and I can use it as a stool in a pinch.
For shower, in US you can have the Geyser thing, very smart , portable and small, consumes very little water.
Many options out there.

Okay, so looking at tires as during last years vehicle inspection they tried to sell me some tires and I talked them out of it I am sure they will reject them this year. So shopping around it seem that I can size up from 265/60R18's to 275/65R18's and that will increase the height by 1.6 inches and the width by about .5 inches. I am thinking that should not be an issue on an F-150 half King Ranch p/u. I have never rubbed tires with the 265's. Is there a better place in the forum to ask that question. Worse case I figure a mild lift would solve that issue? Thoughts? There does not seem to be much difference in prices if you shop around.

GG

 

[Van123]

Id only try to persuade you against upgraded tires because its 2wd. However, it all depends on where you want to go. That being said I went with KO2s for my F250, and my goodness are they sticky. Decent in the sand too. Don't forget about a way to air down and up for comfort and ride quality. I went with an ARB portable air compressor just so I could use it between multiple vehicles easy. Then I got a tire plug kit and kept that close to the compressor.

 

[gatogordo]

Id only try to persuade you against upgraded tires because its 2wd. However, it all depends on where you want to go. That being said I went with KO2s for my F250, and my goodness are they sticky. Decent in the sand too. Don't forget about a way to air down and up for comfort and ride quality. I went with an ARB portable air compressor just so I could use it between multiple vehicles easy. Then I got a tire plug kit and kept that close to the compressor.

Thanks for the feedback Van. I don't think of it as an upgrade since the tires on the vehicle will need replacing (most likely) when I go for my past due inspection this weekend. Just checking online the KO2's don't seem more expensive than the Michelins that are currently on the truck. IDK time will tell, although the Michelins do have a longer mileage warranty. I did think about it being 2wd and not gaining anything from the front axle. But would I be losing anything? To me it's kind of like giving a dead man an enema... you know it isn't gong to help anything; but, then again it won't hurt anything either! Or am I overlooking something? Yeah I have plenty of those tire plug kits laying around in my tool boxes, glove compartments and such.

Air Compressor is next on my list as I am only an hour drive from Freeport where you can drive right onto the beach and airing up and down.

Regarrds,

GG

 

[Ragman]

I currently move between vehicles so nothing is hard mounted in my trucks (JKU Wrangler and F150 5.5 ft bed). My sleeping is either in the vehicle or in a ground tent. When in the F150 I take a good cooler but still try to carry mostly shelf stable food, cooking/kitchen items go in a chuck box of some sort (fancy or plain doesn't;t matter), a couple of chairs, fire starters and wood processing tools (I prefer a bucksaw to an axe) and a food container. Nothing fancy and I have been out for a month like that. I have a video on my YouTube channel on how I loaded my JKU for a month if you are interested I can provide the link. With a PU you can carry more so a nice table (as mentioned above) if you are not sticking to established campgrounds, a tarp that you can string up if you are traveling where the weather is dicey or there is no shade, etc. but no need to go overboard. I have done a month on a motorcycle so I have learned that less is more even if I don't always practice it!

I have a new truck ordered that may become a dedicated overlander but I am not sure yet.

For tires I prefer Cooper but that is totally personal preference and there are a number of AT tires out there. I would also suggest not trying to get to the most out of the way places in the most rugged terrain, simply stick to the factory size and go where that will take you to see if the whole overlanding thing suits you. If you love it like the folks here then you can get more serious on the next truck. At 150K and being in TX you should not have rust related suspension failures like we can have up north but I would suggest a thorough inspection of suspension, brake lines, hoses, belts, etc before heading off the beaten path.

Have Fun!

 

[AggieOE]

I think you're on the right track there. For beach driving, larger tires will always be better. I don't know how much it'll affect your mileage and speedometer though.

If you travel solo on the beach, don't forget about traction boards!

 

[MazeVX]

Like you said, you probably have everything you need.
As far as tires go, I'd suggest a moderate AT like Cooper discoverer AT3 maybe the 4S version, which is significantly better on gravel and dirt than a street tire but still nice on the road.