What goes on TOP and what goes INSIDE??

[theBROFESSOR]

I’ve read a lot of articles on the checklists and everything we should have with us before we leave. I’ve read @Michael article on taking 3 boxes and why. And I’ve looked at so many members’ rigs and their amazing drawers and storage solutions etc. but from your experience what goes where? I’ve got all these storage boxes and drawers and places to put things...

I dont want to be climbing on the roof of my FJ 3x a day while traveling getting food out of my storage cases for lunch before we set up camp for the night. But then again I don’t want to put something inside that I won’t need until I go to bed. I also dont want to pull up at camp right at dark and have to pull cases off the top without a light because my light is in the case on the top.

I know it’s different for everyone and experience is the best possible answer but I want to know your experience so I can get a head start. It’s cheating and I get that. I dont Care. I didn’t get my college degree without... well u know. Lol.

So for you...what goes inside and what goes on top of your vehicle?

 

[slomatt]

Personally I don't like to put anything on top of my truck, except for sometimes the garbage bag if it is stinky. I'd rather have everything inside the truck where it is secured and protected from weather. Putting things on the roof decreases gas mileage and raises the center of gravity of the vehicle.

An exception would be if you are carrying a lot of people in the truck or are going on a multi-week trip then you might run out of room in a smaller vehicle, in which case I would put light weight and infrequently used items on the roof.

 

[Quicksilver]

An empty Plano box for trash (we usually bring back more than we take out), and fuel cans if I'm going out long enough to need them. Also, Xterras have a wet box up top in which I put my recovery straps. Will also put a bow saw in there one of these days, whenever I get around to buying one. Quick fist mounts on the rails hold my shovel and axe. And I just got a pair of Maxsa recovery boards for Christmas which will likely go up there, once I figure out how I want to mount them. Will likely have to make some brackets of some kind.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Nothing goes on top which is why I got a trailer. And with the limited cargo capacity of a TJ, pretty much everything goes in the trailer.

 

[AZ WANDERING BEAR]

For me on extended trips up top are things I don't want in the cabin of the 4Runner. The roof rack has:
- 5 pound propane bottle on a universal Front Runner mount
- a Plano box with recovery gear (gets muddy and nasty if used and I'd rather keep it out of the cab)
- up to 4 jerry cans or water and/or fuel
- three ammo cans (one the water hose that connects to the water cans so it doesn't drip inside the cab, one for the gasoline siphon system, and one for fluids such as oil, WD-40, etc).
- MaxTrax

Don't like climbing up on the roof much. The propane tank can be accessed by standing on the sliders as can the Plano of recovery gear and the ammo cans. The water or fuel can be accessed from the ladder. Only the MaxTrax require a trip up on the roof.

 

[Quicksilver]

... ammo cans...[snip]...one for fluids such as oil, WD-40, etc).

I like this idea. I've been looking for something to put things like this in, so they don't leak all over the inside of the rig. I've got a couple of ammo cans in the garage, and this never occurred to me. I am going to adopt this.

 

[theBROFESSOR]

OMG you guys are so helpful. I've got a couple Plano cases to put up top that fit on my roof rack perfect but wasn't sure what went up top because Im like you guys...I don't want to have to get up there unless I absolutely have to. Definitely going to fill one with recovery gear, oil (need a couple ammo boxes now lol), water hoses, saw etc. PERFECT!

 

[theBROFESSOR]

An empty Plano box for trash (we usually bring back more than we take out), and fuel cans if I'm going out long enough to need them. Also, Xterras have a wet box up top in which I put my recovery straps. Will also put a bow saw in there one of these days, whenever I get around to buying one. Quick fist mounts on the rails hold my shovel and axe. And I just got a pair of Maxsa recovery boards for Christmas which will likely go up there, once I figure out how I want to mount them. Will likely have to make some brackets of some kind.

On the Maxsa mounts. They have the holes in them to mount just like the Maxtrax so the mounts for the Maxtrax should work right?

https://www.carid.com/rhino-rack/pioneer-maxtrax-side-mount-bracket-mpn-43159.html?view=799145&gclid=CjwKCAiAvf3RBRBBEiwAH5XYqKxJ6uAzSxsSY-4oApkpEaxl21XsA2qJnk8XU0tAbNXUhqsUwdTm8BoCxrQQAvD_BwE
https://www.carid.com/rhino-rack/pioneer-maxtrax-side-mount-bracket-mpn-43159.html?view=799145&gclid=CjwKCAiAvf3RBRBBEiwAH5XYqKxJ6uAzSxsSY-4oApkpEaxl21XsA2qJnk8XU0tAbNXUhqsUwdTm8BoCxrQQAvD_BwE
I would think so. Looks like they are identical. Not sure if someone on here has some you could compare the length for the holes.

 

[Quicksilver]

Not sure if they would fit or not, but it would be cheaper to make something myself. I have a few thoughts on using some scrap material from work, which will cut costs even more.

 

[phxdsrtrat]

My rack is primarily used for vehicle related liquids (Rotopax for fuel and a small case for oils in their original sealed containers), a low profile toolbox for recovery gear (straps, D-rings, snatch blocks, etc) and mounts on the rack for a shovel and axe. I keep everything as low profile as possible to decrease wind resistance. Not enough weight to raise my center of gravity. Everything else goes in the truck under the cap or in the trailer.

-Curtiss

 

[theBROFESSOR]

My rack is primarily used for vehicle related liquids (Rotopax for fuel and a small case for oils in their original sealed containers), a low profile toolbox for recovery gear (straps, D-rings, snatch blocks, etc) and mounts on the rack for a shovel and axe. I keep everything as low profile as possible to decrease wind resistance. Not enough weight to raise my center of gravity. Everything else goes in the truck under the cap or in the trailer.

-Curtiss

You guys are not helping with that "in the trailer" part. lol. Just kidding. Maybe one day I can do the trailer thing. They are so amazing. Not practical around here though. Its just me and my wife. Plus I consider it a challenge to get everything we need in a small space for some reason. Im weird like that. lol.

 

[TerryD]

We use a pop up canopy instead of a vehicle mounted one so it usually gets strapped to the roof. Also, our 10 man tent gets strapped up there occasionally too. On the east coast, trails are so tight that anything on the roof takes a beating so we usually manage to pack everything inside and use a hitch carrier for the cooler. I feel like a small trailer may be in our future is we don't just break down and get a ruggedized popup camper to tow.

 

[theBROFESSOR]

We use a pop up canopy instead of a vehicle mounted one so it usually gets strapped to the roof. Also, our 10 man tent gets strapped up there occasionally too. On the east coast, trails are so tight that anything on the roof takes a beating so we usually manage to pack everything inside and use a hitch carrier for the cooler. I feel like a small trailer may be in our future is we don't just break down and get a ruggedized popup camper to tow.

Trails are same way here. Heck most of the time on day trips Im having to check if limbs are going to rip off my high lift jack so getting my plano cases to the destination are much more of a chore. I want a roof top tent one day but it'll have to be a hard case enclosed. The soft ones would be shredded after a few trips. There is a new place here in my town who has started offering some offroad pull behind campers I have never seen before. Really nice. But getting those to some destinations would also be too much of a hastle. About to pull the trigger on a Oztent I believe. As much as I would love the view from on top, the budget just will not allow at this time.

I also have purchased a nice hitch carrier. I bought it mainly for toting dead deer and other hunting needs but itll come in handy for transporting extra items around to camp spots. Love it.

 

[TerryD]

For us, the camper would be to establish a base camp most of the time instead of towing on the trail. At the same time, I'm buying my Xterra parts to build a vehicle to tow with as well as off-road. I've pulled trailers off-road my whole life on the farm and for most of what I do, I think I could manage it quite well with some extra spotting from the wife and kids.

 

[Preston Tiegs]

For me, it's just the light bulky things. Keeps the weight low, and saves space inside. Camp chairs, tents, pads, maxtrax, etc.

 

[Lremoore]

For us on the roof goes the oztent and side panels, windbrake, light foodboxes (for the week) additional fuel if required, everything else goes inside but packed in order of requirement when setting up camp.
We are going down the trailer route as we normally set up base camp so this would give us more space

Sent from my SM-N950F using OB Talk mobile app

 

[phxdsrtrat]

You guys are not helping with that "in the trailer" part. lol. Just kidding. Maybe one day I can do the trailer thing. They are so amazing. Not practical around here though. Its just me and my wife. Plus I consider it a challenge to get everything we need in a small space for some reason. Im weird like that. lol.

Most of the time it's just me + 1. If it's me and the boy (he's 11 now) it's just the truck. I sleep under the cap, he sleeps in the back seat. When it's all 3 of us the trailer comes along for obvious reasons. The point of this post was to point out keeping your CG low and your wind resistance low by keeping everything on the rack "low" as much as you can is quite beneficial.

The other point was leaking vehicle fluids inside the vehicle is not good.

As an engineer I'm really big on the "as much as possible in as small as possible space" thing. It is absolutely ridiculous how much stuff we have when both the truck and trailer are in play for a trip. We're talking almost a luxury bath setup in the middle of freaking nowhere. Which, is how I get my very, um, lets just say much younger than me and not used to roughing it wife to go with me on my adventures. Not going to call out millennials here cuz I'm sure there are lots of them that like overlanding as much as I do. My wife does too, with a few concessions.

-Curtiss

 

[theBROFESSOR]

Most of the time it's just me + 1. If it's me and the boy (he's 11 now) it's just the truck. I sleep under the cap, he sleeps in the back seat. When it's all 3 of us the trailer comes along for obvious reasons. The point of this post was to point out keeping your CG low and your wind resistance low by keeping everything on the rack "low" as much as you can is quite beneficial.

The other point was leaking vehicle fluids inside the vehicle is not good.

As an engineer I'm really big on the "as much as possible in as small as possible space" thing. It is absolutely ridiculous how much stuff we have when both the truck and trailer are in play for a trip. We're talking almost a luxury bath setup in the middle of freaking nowhere. Which, is how I get my very, um, lets just say much younger than me and not used to roughing it wife to go with me on my adventures. Not going to call out millennials here cuz I'm sure there are lots of them that like overlanding as much as I do. My wife does too, with a few concessions.

-Curtiss

I totally get it brother. I've had a dream of being able to take my home to the wilderness. Cannot do that without a trailer for sure. For now I just pick what I have to have and what I can live without. Until then...

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Right now I run with my spare wheel in my cargo basket. This makes it a heck of a lot easier to get to versus pulling everything out of the back of my rig to gain access to the spare wheel bay. I utilize the wheel bay in the back to hold other gear, which keeps the rig cleaned out for daily use. Once I add on an extension or two to the basket (Yakima LoadWarrior) I will be able to throw one or two of my Plano cases up there as well if needed. I have a couple different sizes of cases so it makes packing the rear of the rig easier. Since I sleep in the back, I want to make it as easy as possible to set up camp. It's all still in the making, so maybe a slim drawer system will be added with access to the spare wheel bay for the other goodies that are in there. On my most recent trip, I ran everything in the back of the rig and used the rack to hold a case if needed at night. I was able to fit everything in the rig on the nights where it called for rain/snow, but it was rather cramped. I'm beginning to streamline my setup and find more places to store stuff inside the rig in somewhat unused spots. I like the idea of having access to the gear I will need regularly inside the rig versus having to search for it. Things like the first aid kit, flashlight, and knife are all easily accessible as they either sit in the console, door storage bin, or are strapped to the inside of the rig and easily accessible. I don't really want to have my cases on top of my rig, but if I must, I will look into some lower profile ones that will not impede the aerodynamics much more than the basked and spare already do. Keep in mind, it's just my dog and I in my rig, so I can usually run without a lot of the excess that you would have with more people.

 

[TrippinStfflr]

I dont have a roof rack but being a full time RVer I have some experience with packing gear. The common theme is evaluating what you use often or will need to get to quickly, and keep it close and easily accessible. The items that dont get used often and never will, get stashed in the more difficult locations to access. You can even split your vehicle up into "zones 0 thru 5". Zone 0 being maybe the drivers seat or where ever you spend the most time all the way to Zone 5 being somewhere that you never wanna go( under the vehicle?). I cant say I actively use this system but Im definitely aware of the methodology as I change how I store my gear in my trailer or truck.