What's in your driveway and what is your overlanding vehicle strategy?

[OTH Overland]

Do you keep it simple with a one size fits all vehicle or is overlanding an addiction in your driveway? How many of you have more than one overland rig in your stable because you can't seem to find one rig that takes care of all your needs? we currently have two well equipped vehicles for our adventures, A 2000 Jeep WJ and a 2012 Ram 3500. The Jeep is an awesome NW local rig, we have the exterior fully raptor lined for protection against our infamous overgrown pinstriping trails, however its a horrible rig for long distance highway travel to out of state locations & not much load capacity or storage space, especially with a German Shepard taking up 60% of the back seat..lol . The Ram is a huge beast that has plenty of space and comfortable on long trips, but being a dually it only really excels on open forest service roads and SW desert type terrain (We are considering a bed swap to go single rear wheel, and maybe adding the new full size alu cab cabin) but at least I never have to worry about overloading it lol.

Do you prefer to keep it modern with a late model vehicle, potentially exposing its expensive paint and bodywork to trail damage or do you like to run an older vehicle, accepting the added mechanical repairs and increased risk of breaking down on the trail?

 

[DevilDodge]

We have 3 RAM trucks. 99 03 and 15 all 2500.

We have a 15 Jeep Cherokee.

And a 99 Dodge Ram Van...waiting for a stealth camping overhaul.

We use what we have for whatever adventure we head on. Usually the 15 RAM...but sometimes the Jeep.

We also have a 73 Super Beetle I want to make an overlander...lol

We usually use the 15 RAM because of the room...for both people and gear...and its ability to just make its way wherever we point it. Although it gets worse mileage than the Cherokee...it holds more fuel and has better range.

 

[KonzaLander]

It really depends what the goal is. I have a variety of vehicles from a 1966 Chevrolet K20 to a 2017 Yamaha WR250R with a couple of Jeeps and Land Cruisers in between to pick from. They have all been on some sort of trip but my typical go-to is the 1999 Land Cruiser. The old Land Cruiser falls right in line with being super comfortable, old enough to bump down the trail without worry, plenty capable for most forest roads and insanely reliable.

 

[Alanymarce]

Q1. We don't have a driveway, however in the parking slot in the basement we have our Montero 3.8L – upgraded suspension with a 50mm lift, winch, snorkel, UHF radio, and a set-up for a bed, storage, and refrigerator when we go on “big trips”.

Q2. We don't really have a strategy, however thinking about this I’d say the following:

Strategy assumptions for all cases: we keep working to keep filling the piggy bank, vehicle and prices stay reasonably constant (or at least continue on the same trend), it remains possible to travel most of the world with internal combustion engines for another 5 years.

• Case 1 – assumes that shipping rates return to the pre-pandemic trend and that international travel will be feasible more or less as pre-pandemic – keep this vehicle another decade, ship it to other continents for “big trips”, rent vehicles for short trips in other continents.
• Case 2 - shipping rates stay as high as they are now and that international travel will be feasible more or less as pre-pandemic - keep this vehicle for five years or so and replace it with something suited to another decade of “overland travel” in our home continent, buy then sell vehicles in other continents for “big trips”, rent vehicles for short trips in other continents, hope that shipping rates drop again…
• Case 3 - shipping rates stay as high as they are now and international travel remains uncertain, with risk of our vehicle’s ending up trapped in another country - keep this vehicle for five years or so and replace it with something suited to travel in our home country, buy then sell vehicles in other continents for “big trips”, rent vehicles for short trips in other continents.

re "How many of you have more than one overland rig in your stable because you can't seem to find one rig that takes care of all your needs?" As far as we're concerned, owning more than one "overland vehicle" in the same place is neither within our budget nor socially responsible. We did own two at one point, however one was at home (hence costing us nothing and not contributing to emissions, etc.), and the other was in Africa so the previous comment didn't apply (I expect that this lack of coherence will be challenged as rationalisation...).

re "Do you prefer to keep it modern with a late model vehicle, potentially exposing its expensive paint and bodywork to trail damage or do you like to run an older vehicle, accepting the added mechanical repairs and increased risk of breaking down on the trail?". Our experience is that older vehicles, no matter how well maintained, are going to experience failures through wear and tear, and that this may end up leaving us with time and cost impact, which is not in itself a concern, however if the failure occurs somewhere remote both time and cost impacts are greater. Our current vehicle and the one before it were bought new and have been extremely reliable; our 20 year old LC80 (owned concurrently but in a different continent) did a great job but did put us in a couple of inconvenient, albeit enjoyable, situations through failures. As far as scratching the paintwork is concerned, we don;t care about a few scratches.

 

[OTH Overland]

We have 3 RAM trucks. 99 03 and 15 all 2500.

We have a 15 Jeep Cherokee.

And a 99 Dodge Ram Van...waiting for a stealth camping overhaul.

We use what we have for whatever adventure we head on. Usually the 15 RAM...but sometimes the Jeep.

We also have a 73 Super Beetle I want to make an overlander...lol

We usually use the 15 RAM because of the room...for both people and gear...and its ability to just make its way wherever we point it. Although it gets worse mileage than the Cherokee...it holds more fuel and has better range.

David, nice Ram collection .. I do love my Ram, huge amount of space inside with the megacab and close to 18mpg with the diesel, defiantly beats the GC on long trips in everything except 'compactness' lol. Have always been amazed at the remote places you will find someone has managed to take a beetle to.

 

[OTH Overland]

It really depends what the goal is. I have a variety of vehicles from a 1966 Chevrolet K20 to a 2017 Yamaha WR250R with a couple of Jeeps and Land Cruisers in between to pick from. They have all been on some sort of trip but my typical go-to is the 1999 Land Cruiser. The old Land Cruiser falls right in line with being super comfortable, old enough to bump down the trail without worry, plenty capable for most forest roads and insanely reliable.

Sure wish a 79 series Landcruiser diesel was an option, would love to build out a double cab.

 

[OTH Overland]

Q1. We don't have a driveway, however in the parking slot in the basement we have our Montero 3.8L – upgraded suspension with a 50mm lift, winch, snorkel, UHF radio, and a set-up for a bed, storage, and refrigerator when we go on “big trips”.

Q2. We don't really have a strategy, however thinking about this I’d say the following:

Strategy assumptions for all cases: we keep working to keep filling the piggy bank, vehicle and prices stay reasonably constant (or at least continue on the same trend), it remains possible to travel most of the world with internal combustion engines for another 5 years.

• Case 1 – assumes that shipping rates return to the pre-pandemic trend and that international travel will be feasible more or less as pre-pandemic – keep this vehicle another decade, ship it to other continents for “big trips”, rent vehicles for short trips in other continents.
• Case 2 - shipping rates stay as high as they are now and that international travel will be feasible more or less as pre-pandemic - keep this vehicle for five years or so and replace it with something suited to another decade of “overland travel” in our home continent, buy then sell vehicles in other continents for “big trips”, rent vehicles for short trips in other continents, hope that shipping rates drop again…
• Case 3 - shipping rates stay as high as they are now and international travel remains uncertain, with risk of our vehicle’s ending up trapped in another country - keep this vehicle for five years or so and replace it with something suited to travel in our home country, buy then sell vehicles in other continents for “big trips”, rent vehicles for short trips in other continents.

re "How many of you have more than one overland rig in your stable because you can't seem to find one rig that takes care of all your needs?" As far as we're concerned, owning more than one "overland vehicle" in the same place is neither within our budget nor socially responsible. We did own two at one point, however one was at home (hence costing us nothing and not contributing to emissions, etc.), and the other was in Africa so the previous comment didn't apply (I expect that this lack of coherence will be challenged as rationalisation...).

re "Do you prefer to keep it modern with a late model vehicle, potentially exposing its expensive paint and bodywork to trail damage or do you like to run an older vehicle, accepting the added mechanical repairs and increased risk of breaking down on the trail?". Our experience is that older vehicles, no matter how well maintained, are going to experience failures through wear and tear, and that this may end up leaving us with time and cost impact, which is not in itself a concern, however if the failure occurs somewhere remote both time and cost impacts are greater. Our current vehicle and the one before it were bought new and have been extremely reliable; our 20 year old LC80 (owned concurrently but in a different continent) did a great job but did put us in a couple of inconvenient, albeit enjoyable, situations through failures. As far as scratching the paintwork is concerned, we don;t care about a few scratches.

Alanymarce, Thanks for your great comments. had not put much thought into the logistics of traveling other continents. We would love to experience world travel one day, but want to be able to have enough time to explore without having to be limited by having to return home for work. Seems time is always the commodity that we never have enough of...

 

[Ragman]

We have a 2015 JKU Rubicon with a 3.5 inch AEV lift and a 2010 Ford Raptor bone stock. Both are daily drivers and are comfortable for long hauls that are put into camp service depending so all or our gear must be interchangeable. Now that I am retired I am considering a dedicated overlander but my first choice would take 18 months to even get the truck and camper combo-so finding that a real PITA. At this point I think the tent and drive these until the wheels fall off, but ask me tomorrow and that will probably change!

Earlier comment about shipping rates is very relevant as I had considered shipping the JK to Europe but that is unlikely in the current environment.

 

[tjZ06]

Do you keep it simple...

No. Never. Lol. I tend to make things difficult, and my work/life situation adds to that. I keep making changes to try to simplify, but I'm not sure I'm actually achieving that.

-TJ

 

[OTH Overland]

We have a 2015 JKU Rubicon with a 3.5 inch AEV lift and a 2010 Ford Raptor bone stock. Both are daily drivers and are comfortable for long hauls that are put into camp service depending so all or our gear must be interchangeable. Now that I am retired I am considering a dedicated overlander but my first choice would take 18 months to even get the truck and camper combo-so finding that a real PITA. At this point I think the tent and drive these until the wheels fall off, but ask me tomorrow and that will probably change!

Earlier comment about shipping rates is very relevant as I had considered shipping the JK to Europe but that is unlikely in the current environment.

We are currently looking at JK's (really like the Gladiator but not sure about spending 60k + another 10-20 to upfit it with an alu cab and associated goodies), so thinking a 2014/15 JK might make a good compromise and replace both the WJ and XK becoming our main overland rig and Michelle's daily driver. one less vehicle to insure and fix... we do tend to keep things until the wheels fall off (2 rigs have 200k and the ole ford f250 has over 400k) current world events are keeping vehicle costs way to high and inventory short:(

 

[Billiebob]

One vehicle does it all plus 2 trailers.

Overlander is a TJR towing a home built OSB BOX


Work vehicle is the same TJR towing a 2000# trailer of tools with ladders on the roof..... altho the picture is the previous TJR


And the daily driver is the Jeep less the doors and trailers. 24K miles every year.... 30K last year.... at least half towing in the mountains.

Love this setup.
Home Friday, drop the work trailer, hang the ladders on the fence, store the doors in the front of the Square Drop, hook up and leave town all in 20 minutes.
The Square Drop is always packed, pick some food and beer leaving town, done. Stop after dark, park roll into bed, go to sleep. Net Zero setup
Next morning if it is raining.... or snowing.... roll out of bed and drive away. Zero to pack up. Nothing gets wet.

Get home Monday morning, drop the camper, throw on the ladders, hook up the work trailer and go to work. It is always fully packed.
Same thing less than 20 minutes to change over. Nothing to pack so nothing is forgotten.

And the Wtangler is the ultimate vehicle to do it all. Compact yet plenty of power to haul its rated 2000# trailer limit. And a bulletproof driveline.
Solid axles, lockers, a winch, old school mechanical transfer case shifter, short and manuverable with plenty of room for the wife and dog.

He absolutely loves his platform. He'll be looking out the window all the way to Calgary, a 6 hour drive.

This is how I like it most, doorless, the doors store in the front 14" of the trailer, parked for the night on a beach..... and its raining.
Awnings are next years project.


ps, I'll never buy anything new, fighting over warranty issues is the last thing I want to do. And new today means so many silly nanny systems any of which can leave a mehanically perfect vehicle stranded. My TJR is fairly primative but even it is more complex than I like. My next overlanding vehicle after I retire will likely be one with a carburetor and zero computers. Say a 1970s F250 with a straight six and a clutch. Plus a 4Wheel Camper.... and I'll likely still have this TJR as my daily driver.

 

[MOAK]

Your last sentence cracked me up. Older vehicles have a greater risk of breaking down? I’ve had more than a couple of new vehicles that proved to be extraordinarily unreliable. On the hook & in the shop for warranty repairs repeatedly. Ford, Chrysler, Peugeot, VW. Hmmm, our 96 80 series has 350,000 miles and with regular maintenance is still going strong. Our 1990 Ford Ranger with 172,000 starts up every time. Our 2015 RAV4? Same report. Older vehicles that have been and continue to be, properly maintained , in my humble opinion, are more reliable than new modern vehicles.

 

[OTH Overland]

Your last sentence cracked me up. Older vehicles have a greater risk of breaking down? I’ve had more than a couple of new vehicles that proved to be extraordinarily unreliable. On the hook & in the shop for warranty repairs repeatedly. Ford, Chrysler, Peugeot, VW. Hmmm, our 96 80 series has 350,000 miles and with regular maintenance is still going strong. Our 1990 Ford Ranger with 172,000 starts up every time. Our 2015 RAV4? Same report. Older vehicles that have been and continue to be, properly maintained , in my humble opinion, are more reliable than new modern vehicles.

I agree that regular and proper maintenance goes a very long way in reliability, probably more important than original build quality especially if you have something without to many electronics, almost all issues with my Jeep XK have been electrical and do not give any sign of impeding failure. The old F250 doesn't have a single computer on it and starts every time. It also depends on length of ownership, I have had my vehicles a very long time and know their history well vs buying a older used vehicle that may or may not have been maintained.

 

[Cypress]

Sometimes it's the 06 Ridgeline. Sometimes it's the 2000 Suburban. Sometimes it's the 2000 Cherokee. Sometimes the 1988 Samurai. Sometimes it's the RV. And on occasion, it's two of them at the same time. It depends on where we are going and what we are doing.

Most of it is at least 20 years old, and well maintained. The new stuff doesn't interest me much. Too many unnecessary bells and whistles for my taste.

 

[MMc]

I have a daily driver and a driveway queen named "The white whale" 2500 Ram 4 door 8" bed with a shell and overhead rack. I sold the Taco a few years ago. I was tried of camping small and was using the ram mostly. I don't miss the taco much as I am not crawling any more.

 

[Billiebob]

Older vehicles that have been and continue to be, properly maintained , in my humble opinion, are more reliable than new modern vehicles.

yep, my wifes 2004 Grand Cherokee, 6 years old the left rear passenger window quit working..... Jeeps answer was a new wiring harness I figured plug and play simple to replace the left rear power window cable but NOOOOOO....... the said we replace the entire vehicle wiring harness...... within tne week we had traded for a new Legacy 3.6R.

Replace the entire wiring harness in a 6 year old vehicle because a power window quits...... crazy expensive, crazy stupid too.

ps... old vehicles that have been driven into the ground are more reliable than new vehicles that are meticulously maintained

 

[KAIONE]

Do you keep it simple with a one size fits all vehicle or is overlanding an addiction in your driveway? How many of you have more than one overland rig in your stable because you can't seem to find one rig that takes care of all your needs? we currently have two well equipped vehicles for our adventures, A 2000 Jeep WJ and a 2012 Ram 3500. The Jeep is an awesome NW local rig, we have the exterior fully raptor lined for protection against our infamous overgrown pinstriping trails, however its a horrible rig for long distance highway travel to out of state locations & not much load capacity or storage space, especially with a German Shepard taking up 60% of the back seat..lol . The Ram is a huge beast that has plenty of space and comfortable on long trips, but being a dually it only really excels on open forest service roads and SW desert type terrain (We are considering a bed swap to go single rear wheel, and maybe adding the new full size alu cab cabin) but at least I never have to worry about overloading it lol.

Do you prefer to keep it modern with a late model vehicle, potentially exposing its expensive paint and bodywork to trail damage or do you like to run an older vehicle, accepting the added mechanical repairs and increased risk of breaking down on the trail?

Great question!!! Love the responses so far! I am a multi vehicle person. Got an 02 F250 that is my road tripper now. Carries everything anywhere whenever I need to go. Handles the family superbly. Throw everything you need and twice what you don’t in the back and we’re off. Just moved to WA and traded in a Chevy Tahoe for a 2021 4Runner. My kid car/daily driver/mtn goat! Upgrading them both slowly but surely. Hit my first trail last week with the 4Runner “Silky Dime”, had to test out her new roof rack and gear holding capability. She’s great for shorter trips and tighter trails. Looking fwd to more mountain trails around the Mt Adams and Gifford Pinchot NF.

Safe travels everyone!

 

[Schnee91]

I have my 3rd Gen Runner for my adventures and I daily drive my take home truck. If I can’t use that then my girlfriend drives lol

 

[leeloo]

got a small daily driver hybrid, great fuel economy , very low maintenance ( it does not have any belts even, some brake pads last 100 k km... ) , easy to park. extremely low tax. It is 4years old and I will keep till the wheels fall off.
Just got an LR4 for trips, holidays, long distance driving in general. Here it is a different story, it is my 4 'th overlanding vehicle, it is difficult for me to find one that I really like. The second one I had, a Landcruiser prado j120 (in US i think it was Lexus GX460 ) I really liked, but it was breaking down very often, usually during trips so I had enough and sold it.. Difficult to find a replacement for it... I hope this LR4 will be it.
This is typical in most Europe, here is not practical to daily drive you overland rig, due to fuel cost, small narrow streets, small parking spaces..

 

[old_man]

I've had my rig almost 25 years and put 700k on the title. I keep it in tip top shape and routinely hook it up on short notice and drive 1000+ miles. Yes, things wear out, but with preventive maintenance, not necessarily waiting for something to leave you stranded, goes a long way.