What to put on my vehicle?

[Danny Philpott]

Hello everyone! This is my first post, so its also a little intro to myself. My name is Danny and I have wanted to get into overlanding for a while now. I currently drive a 2006 ford freestyle. sadly it is the fwd version. As i continue to save for my dream rig (2021 Bronco) I want to start some very moderate overlanding in the freestyle. The freestyle has almost no form of a market for it.

My big question is, what would be some good ideas of things i could do, more so on a budget to my freestyle? thanks in advanced and i cant wait to join in on the forums more.

 

[North40overland]

Welcome Danny! No doubt you are going to have a blast. Since you are looking to change platform in the future I would probably stick to things you can transfer from your freestyle to your Bronco. I would focus on camping quality of life items like a fridge, waterport, stove, etc. You could even look at seat back molle panels, Ram Mounts and other semi-perm items. All of these things will be easily moved over to your new platform when the time is right, and allow you to enjoy your experience in the meantime. I would shy away from mods because you can't take them with you. You could think about a gear basket because it can be placed on a different rack, something by rinorack, gobi or FrontRunner where they have different backbones for different vehicles. Hope that helps and welcome to the community!

 

[MMc]

Get some camping gear and go. Don't worry about putting stuff on your rig, just get out there and have some fun. As you get out you'll see and figure out what you want. Start with a Ice chest , stove, tent, and some chairs. Have you camped much? Check out the online shopping place for gear.

 

[Mike W]

Get some camping gear and go. Don't worry about putting stiffen your rig, just get out there and have some fun. As you get out you'll see and figure out what you want. Start with a Ice chest , stove, tent, and some chairs. Have you camped much? Check out the online shopping place for gear.

This, end thread. You can learn what you like, need, want later. Just get out and have some fun. The Bronco would be a lot of fun to get into more remote places, but take your time.

 

[grubworm]

i had to google 'freestyle' to see what it is...
yeah, plenty good to start with. as said, get basic gear and go. the wife and i got into this right after getting married a couple years ago and after going on several trips, we found our niche and how we like to travel. i have a lifted tundra and she has a jeep sahara and with both of us having very capable 4x4 vehicles, we generally prefer to find a nice state park and set up a base camp and do a lot of hiking versus running trails. you wont know what you like until you get out and see what there is. we travel a lot and go all over the US and for the majority of the trips we do, your freestyle would have easily gone where we went. if you decide you want to run trails or go deep in the bush, then yeah, you will need to upgrade, but there is plenty to see and do with what you already have

the wife's jeep sahara is basically our grocery getter and stays in the carport and then i see all sorts of basic 2wd cars out on actual mountain trails...its a crazy world we live in...

 

[Trail_pilot]

I 100% agree with the above statements. Take your time and figure out what you need vs what you want. I have built up a few rigs and they end up overkill for what is a actually NEEDED vs what I wanted or though was a great idea at the time and it's cost me a lot of money in the long run. Get out and do some camping somewhere and slowly work out what you think you NEED for your setup.
Take it from me lol. I have a 2006 Jeep wrangler that's got more money into it than it was new and I still have a long of stuff i want, a short list of stuff I need, and a few things I look at every time and think " why did I do that?".

 

[Danny Philpott]

Thank you all for your feedback! That’s definetly what I will have to do. It seems like everyone agrees with the same type of stuff to get. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Danny Philpott]

Welcome Danny! No doubt you are going to have a blast. Since you are looking to change platform in the future I would probably stick to things you can transfer from your freestyle to your Bronco. I would focus on camping quality of life items like a fridge, waterport, stove, etc. You could even look at seat back molle panels, Ram Mounts and other semi-perm items. All of these things will be easily moved over to your new platform when the time is right, and allow you to enjoy your experience in the meantime. I would shy away from mods because you can't take them with you. You could think about a gear basket because it can be placed on a different rack, something by rinorack, gobi or FrontRunner where they have different backbones for different vehicles. Hope that helps and welcome to the community!

That’s a great idea to get the gear I need that will transfer strait over to the bronco when the time comes. Thanks a lot!

 

[iBrick22]

May be the wrong spot..................... But i have searched all over the internet. I have went to lowes, home depot and other hardware stores. I CANNOT find any mounting hardware to mount my ARB awning to the brackets. WHERE ON EARTH can I find the right size T bolts? I have bought so many bots of all shapes and sized and they just dont work. Iv looked up Tbolts on amazon and came close to finding what I need, but cannot find them. ANY help would be appreciated.. again, sorry if this is the wrong spot I just signed up to this site.

 

[Billiebob]

Hello everyone! This is my first post, so its also a little intro to myself. My name is Danny and I have wanted to get into overlanding for a while now. I currently drive a 2006 ford freestyle. sadly it is the fwd version. As i continue to save for my dream rig (2021 Bronco) I want to start some very moderate overlanding in the freestyle. The freestyle has almost no form of a market for it.

My big question is, what would be some good ideas of things i could do, more so on a budget to my freestyle? thanks in advanced and i cant wait to join in on the forums more.

Good tires with a bit of grip and durability. Keep the STOCK size.
Other than that add some miles, mud, dust and pinstripes and enjoy.

People used to overland in Tempos and Crown Vics so yer already moving up.
ps, if yer thinking of a different vehicle in the future, just drive this one, do not waste a penny on "upgrades".
Think how you sleep, cook, store, refrigerate food and what gear you will use. If the trip does not include biking leave the bikes and rack at home.
Pack only the essentials. Focus on the mission.

 

[rtexpeditions]

May be the wrong spot..................... But i have searched all over the internet. I have went to lowes, home depot and other hardware stores. I CANNOT find any mounting hardware to mount my ARB awning to the brackets. WHERE ON EARTH can I find the right size T bolts? I have bought so many bots of all shapes and sized and they just dont work. Iv looked up Tbolts on amazon and came close to finding what I need, but cannot find them. ANY help would be appreciated.. again, sorry if this is the wrong spot I just signed up to this site.

You might consider reversing the nut bolt setup and use a channel nut and standard bolt. A fastener supply company (bolt supply) should have channel nuts, they usually come with an attached spring which you remove. You also use them sideways to the original intention so they will fit in the track.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Good tires with a bit of grip and durability. Keep the STOCK size.
Other than that add some miles, mud, dust and pinstripes and enjoy.

People used to overland in Tempos and Crown Vics so yer already moving up.
ps, if yer thinking of a different vehicle in the future, just drive this one, do not waste a penny on "upgrades".
Think how you sleep, cook, store, refrigerate food and what gear you will use. If the trip does not include biking leave the bikes and rack at home.
Pack only the essentials. Focus on the mission.

This.

If you are saving for a new Bronco, you're gonna need some $. Save that money by not spending a dime on unnecessary upgrades to a vehicle you plan not to have. Do make sure any maintenance is done on the vehicle, however. Used car prices are way up compared to a year ago. You might get more than you expected for it when it comes time to sell.

Go get yourself a Coleman 48 quart cooler for 20 bucks and fill it with goodies and lots of ice. Grab a tent at Dicks for another 20. A coleman 2 burner stove for 40. A tarp and some rope. Bring blankies or sleeping bags and just head out there.

 

[Danny Philpott]

Hello everyone! This is my first post, so its also a little intro to myself. My name is Danny and I have wanted to get into overlanding for a while now. I currently drive a 2006 ford freestyle. sadly it is the fwd version. As i continue to save for my dream rig (2021 Bronco) I want to start some very moderate overlanding in the freestyle. The freestyle has almost no form of a market for it.

My big question is, what would be some good ideas of things i could do, more so on a budget to my freestyle? thanks in advanced and i cant wait to join in on the forums more.

Good tires with a bit of grip and durability. Keep the STOCK size.
Other than that add some miles, mud, dust and pinstripes and enjoy.

People used to overland in Tempos and Crown Vics so yer already moving up.
ps, if yer thinking of a different vehicle in the future, just drive this one, do not waste a penny on "upgrades".
Think how you sleep, cook, store, refrigerate food and what gear you will use. If the trip does not include biking leave the bikes and rack at home.
Pack only the essentials. Focus on the mission.

I will definitely take this advice! Really appreciate it!

 

[Danny Philpott]

Good tires with a bit of grip and durability. Keep the STOCK size.
Other than that add some miles, mud, dust and pinstripes and enjoy.

People used to overland in Tempos and Crown Vics so yer already moving up.
ps, if yer thinking of a different vehicle in the future, just drive this one, do not waste a penny on "upgrades".
Think how you sleep, cook, store, refrigerate food and what gear you will use. If the trip does not include biking leave the bikes and rack at home.
Pack only the essentials. Focus on the mission.

This.

If you are saving for a new Bronco, you're gonna need some $. Save that money by not spending a dime on unnecessary upgrades to a vehicle you plan not to have. Do make sure any maintenance is done on the vehicle, however. Used car prices are way up compared to a year ago. You might get more than you expected for it when it comes time to sell.

Go get yourself a Coleman 48 quart cooler for 20 bucks and fill it with goodies and lots of ice. Grab a tent at Dicks for another 20. A coleman 2 burner stove for 40. A tarp and some rope. Bring blankies or sleeping bags and just head out there.

Thanks for recommending those items, I will need to go pick them up soon. It will definitely take a fair amount of time to save up for the bronco, so I will do my best like you both said and not spend what I don’t really need. Appreciate it!

 

[genocache]

Welcome Danny,
Some good advise up there ^^ Get what you need, Think about where and when you are going camping, will you need a 40° sleeping bag or a 10° bag? Do you camp alone, like to cook, need a 2 burner or a 1 burner stove? Keep costs down by keeping an eye on Craigslist and yard sales. Buy backpacking/bikepacking gear, there are lots of peoples who quit those endeavors. Sleeping in the car? Don't need a tent, just a foam pad.

 

[Deleted member 14476]

Along with what everyone else said, don’t forget about recovery. Get a good jack, a full size spare, a recovery strap, shovel, and some maxtrax!

 

[Dave Snyder]

All good advice especially on the recovery gear. Kind of ruins your day if you can't get out of where you got yourself stuck.

 

[TrippinStfflr]

That doesnt look like a bad little rig. Would be nice if it was awd but at least you got plenty of room.
Great advice from all the other members. I'd just add that maybe go out with a group if you're unfimiliar with the trails just in case you get stuck. Always make sure someone knows where you are. You can have lots of fun without having to push your vehicle further than its designed.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Danny, I dont know what your range is at this point, but I will say, there is no off-roading allowed in Yellowstone or the Badlands. There are, however, paved and dirt roads throughout both that lead you through some very stunning terrain, and some campgrounds with nice views.

None of that requires 4x4, AWD, or a big truck or SUV. The National Parks Pass costs $80 and gets you into any national park in the country, which are usually $35 a pop. Usually you will get half off any parks-run campground within the park. You can have yourself a very nice time out there with what you already have.

 

[MMc]

There are many places to get gear, look at backpacking gear for where you are now. Cheaper and lighter. Look at Campmor, Sierra outpost all the places selling outdated stuff. Do you care it your tent is 3 years ago model when you get it a 1/2 price? Better to spend 250.00 on a tent instead of 500.00. The only thing I wish I had known is Cook Partner stove. I wish I had bought one first. they didn't make the as we were climbing out of the caves unfortunately. Good sleeping pads and a nice sleeping bag are very important. look at at discount site for good bags. You can spend as much as you want on this stuff, it is all a trade off. We just got into the end of season deals. I would stay away from a stand up tent get 3 poll back packing tent foe now.