Camping mods for Memorial Day Owyhee trip

[T.Low]

Everytime I get in the van, this little mod makes me chuckle.

Mobile CB radio. We have three vehicles, and road trip with all of them, so mobile was the choice.

[T.Low]

Guacho couch


Make a box 24" x 74", or whatever. I chose 12" off the floor; low enough to sit upright, high enouhg to get a tool box under.

Take anther 24" peice and add a rim and legs to one side.

[T.Low]

place the 2nd piece on top of the box.

Pull 'er out to the side. Hey looks sorta like a 4' wide sleeping platform, eh?

[T.Low]

take the old cushion out of your old camper trailer and put some clean sheets on it to to cover up the tell tale '70's orange.

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Extend out the awning you just got from your buddy who sold his Vanogon(e), grab a beer out of the Coleman electric cooler. Put a second spare on the roof in the thule basket, along with a couple gas cans and some antifreeze, and head out to southeast oregon for Memorial day weekend.

See ya next week.

[T.Low]

[peter]

Nice, T-low! You've definitely been bitten by the nasty ASV bug

[lockdoc]

That is a really cool setup. Nice job.

[dunedog]

T , great idea on the bed set-up
and the coffee cup holder, right at your feet too....easy to reach

[mdmead]

T , great idea on the bed set-up
and the coffee cup holder, right at your feet too....easy to reach

Love the bed set up too! Very cool. =D> =D>

Not sure about the coffee cub holder though...

Can't wait to see the pics from your trip!

[astrozam]

Nice stuff TL

I've got a big o'le Mag like that as well,what did you use for the clips?

Great idea scooping the awning off your bud,let us know how well that works out for ya.

Nicely thought out bed set-up.

Does each vehicle have its own cb ant,or do you have a port ant that goes with the cb?

Have a great trip man, lookin forward to the pics when you get back.

[SoCalli V8]

I enjoy to see the camping van mods that everyone is doing, because thats what I`m building, a camping, tailgating, barbyQ at the beach van.

I have good friends in Southern Oregon, at Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland and we camp along the Rogue River (sp*?)

[LaGrasta]

Very cool! Why the tire on the roof and not in the OEM location?

The canopy is something I'd be interested in creating, tell me more please.

[dunedog]

I believe T is carrying 2 spares, when he goes off-road.

That type of canopy is available online.
I bought a universail one on ebay for $55.00 plus shipping.
I forgot what I searched under.

Anyways to a good weekend everyone.

[T.Low]

Thanks for the kind words, Gents. The maglight clips are sold most places where maglights are sold.

My awning is a "Carefree" that Thule used to source and sell. They are very pricey if bought new, as are Fiamma's. Around $700.


Yeah I had to carry an extra spare. It was a 2,000 mile round trip from Thursday night to just now, Monday night, with hundreds of miles of it off road. If I had cut a sidewall on Friday, I'm without a spare in a very remote region of Southeast Oregon. Also carried (2) 2.5 gallon gas cans on the Yakima basket. Nobody got any better mileage out of a tank than I did, most much worse, so I never was in threat of running out.

The guys I hooked up with (huh?) for this trip, have pretty strict requirements, most of which I did not meet. No front recovery points to speak of, no low range, and no LT rated tires (P rated Kelly Springfield AT's, brand new). After I got to know them, enough of them liked the idea of the Astro. I asked if I could follow them around until they got to a place where I couldn't go anymore and had to turn around, then I would be on my way, off on my own, solo from that point on in a different direction. They agreed.

Well, I never had to turn around; there was no where they went that the Astro couldn't go. Due to the recent rains, they decided it would be basically an SUV trip. Even on the occassions when some of the group shifted into low range, the Astro was fine. Yes, I would have preferred low range to lower myself into the cayon, but it really was not stressful on this particular run. Cautious, but not stressful. I did not stress the Astro or push it to the limit at all. They were pleasantly suprised and impressed with the Astro and a few actually shook my hand on its impressive showing.

In the gumbo mud I wish I had mud terrain tires, but the van still seemed to do as well in the mud as the Cherokee, the Tacoma (w/ Geolander AT's) and far better than the Ram 2500 with BFG AT's.

The water crossings were fun, and relatively easy. Even where the Exterra said "nothing higher than that" I felt very comfortable in the 'Stro.

They were some sweet off road travel rigs in the group, (you'll see in the pics Tuesday), but I felt there was nothing I'd rather have been driving for the 4 day weekend than the slightly modified Astro for the overlanding that we were doing. Especially when I get around to adding the 2spd transfer case, and a set of MT's for the next overland trip. For the 2,000 mile round trip, I thought the Astro was darn near perfect.

Four of us took place in the First Annual Memorial Day Alford Desert Drags, (across a dry lake bed that is miles long, very much like the Bonneville Salt Flats), all with full overland camping gear, of course (plus me with Fiancee ridin' shotgun, and Queen sized bed and mini bar!). The 5spd Tacoma with 31" Geolanders took the length and a half lead right off the line, with the Astro firmly in second, the stock Cherokee with firewood on the roof rack duelling it out with the lifted 5spd '90 something 2 door Ford Explorer Sport with 33"s for 3rd place. Then, after tac'in it out in 3rd gear, the Taco shifted to 4rth and the FAstro began closing the gap like a locomotive, the other two not in the picture anymore ( just in the dust!). I've never seen a bigger look of dis-belief as the Taco driver had on his face when he saw the lifted Astro, complete with full sized spare, 2 gas cans, and an awning on the roof racks, pulling up even, door to door, and not showing any signs of slowing down . He had to shift into 5th, where he couldn't get the RPM's needed to compete with the 'Stros' top end, and at that point I walked right by him. And with the forementioned Fiancee, Queen sized bed, and mini bar all inside the Astro, I didn't even have to leave the van to celebrate!


That was the mid point of a very fun day. More later, when I get the picture thing squared away.


I guess I'll post a trip report in "Camping", even though there is a certain amount of off roading in it.


edit: clarity

[dunedog]

Yeah!!! Can't wait to see the pics!