Welcome to Botches Off-Road. Join us as we talk about everything from gear reviews to
trail stories, tent camping to rock landing, and all things to do with the outdoors. Today
we're here with Alex and Mark and we're going to talk a little bit about Mark's rig, what
his plans are, what he's running, and yeah. Well Mark, what you driving? I'm driving a
2014 Tacoma. But originally I was driving a 2009 Tacoma. That was last year. That was
a nice little truck at the time. It was black. The only major thing we had done to it was
rims and tires and then a roof rack and then we hodgepodge a comm system into it. What
roof rack did you have on that? That was a front runner. Don't remember exactly which
one. I want to say it was a Slim 2. Had different models for the Tacoma so I don't remember
which one it was off the top of my head. But it was a nice little rack. I mainly used it
to throw my spare tire up there at the time. Did you run any kind of suspension on that?
That one was all stock height. Oh really? Yes, that was a bone stock Tacoma. What size tires
were you running on that then? I think we declared it was 32. Originally I thought I
bought 31s but at the time of trying to order them on the website it kept giving me different
tires. I think we declared it was actually 32s. I'm assuming you didn't have to do any
body mount chops or anything like that with 32s? We kind of smashed and pinch weld and
did a little trimming. Okay, so you'd have to do a little bit just for 32s. Yes, and
it still rubbed. Damn. He just needed to cut his fender off, man. What size wheels were
those? 17s. Oh okay, so typical. They're the ones that are currently on my truck currently.
Oh yeah, okay. Those are nice. So what's your difference between the other than the year
from your black one to this one now? You did suspension on this newer one, right? The newer
one came with suspension. It was a Bilstein's Upmer. I don't remember exactly which one
it is. I've been told it's actually Tundra instead of Tacoma shocks though. The shocks
are 5100s but I'm pretty sure the springs are Tundra springs. That makes sense. Do you
have an upgraded front bumper on that? Yes, but I want to get a different one. The hooky
off-road bumpers are the ones on the truck currently. It doesn't come with a winching
mount plate so I really want to get a different one because of that. I mean it doesn't even
leave enough room behind it really for a winch. It's pretty tight and flat. How heavy is that?
Does that kind of offset those Tundra springs a little bit? I don't think it really does.
No? Are you stiff in the front then? Or is it still riding pretty good? Alex thinks it's
a little stiff in the front. But you think it's alright? I think it's alright but he's
also comparing it to his forerunner that didn't really have great shocks a while ago. True.
And it looks like the body roll on Alex's truck in general just seems like he's got
a softer setup than that anyway. That's because I don't have a sway bar. Yeah that's fair.
I didn't know you took those all out. Yeah I don't have a sway bar. Yeah you took out
that like four months ago. Oh I didn't know that. Mark you're running sway bar right?
Yes I am. Do you plan on doing anything like a quick disconnect or anything like that?
Yes I'm intrigued by the one that by I think it's Apex. Yeah Apex designs. Yeah they got
one I'm intrigued by. They did a lot of Toyotas recently. They just came out with it in the
last year now. Yeah I've thought about doing something like that on mine at one point but
probably won't need that for a little bit. Yeah what's really cool about the Apex designs
is the way that his Tacoma works the sway bar is in the front of the shock so with a
standard disconnect it would leave the sway bar rubbing against the springs but the Apex
design it stays connected the whole time it just allows it to free float. Yeah. To my
understanding I mean I'll put the link to them in the show notes so other people can
check them out but they're pretty cool the way they work. It literally there's just a
big switch on your sway bar disconnect that you pull down. I mean it's really cool. Oh
I'll have to look into that and see if there's anything for an FJ or anything like that.
So you're running Tundra Springs 5100s and you have an upgraded bumper but you're going
to switch out. Are you running any kind of rock sliders any kind of skid plates anything
any armor underneath? I got my stock skid plate currently. I do want to upgrade to better
skid plates for next year's trip with the MST group for leather wood. Rock sliders I
need to upgrade as well they are mounted to the body instead of the frame and we've had
a unbend it back because I think we hit rocks the one time up in Drummond the first time
and we did it just right where we couldn't open the door so we had to step on it to put
it back into place. I just had to do that. I just had to do that with my FJ's stock steps
on there that I was using as sliders. I pivoted on like a tree trunk or tree branch or something
that was on my right side and it bent my steps up to the door so I just had to stand on it.
Perks of being like 300 pounds is I could just bend them right back down. Yeah the secret
to not bending things so you can't open your door is don't have rock sliders and also have
your truck so rotted out and just put plastic over it so it looks good that way when you
hit a rock it just bounces back into place. Yeah for sure I'll put that into my notes
for next time my next vehicle make sure it's rusted out check and then you just have to
add a self tapper every once in a while to hold the plastic on. Yeah that'll do it. Are
those rivets? Oh man no no those are sheet metal self tappers from a roof. A sheet box
for the wind. Yep hey man if it works it works. So okay I know you have something going like
what are you doing for spares and extra tools what do you carry in? I have a spare tire
and my spare tire carrier for the rear bumper which that rear bumper has been modified another
hooky bumper I wouldn't recommend I got it came with the trucks I can't complain too
much about it but we have done so many modifications to that bumper swing out it's kind of ridiculous.
Yeah I seem to remember us yeah that was a nice that was a nice open I seem to remember
us sitting on a hill on a trail and ever I think and Alex opening your rear swing out
and then somebody not being able to close it. Dude I was so I barely remember that trip
because I was so sick. That was fun I remember it quite well because you opened it that thing
swung out like crazy and then we spent the next 20 minutes trying to fix it and then
we just ended up ratchet strapping it. I think it's still ratchet strapped. It is still ratchet
strapped. I thought you guys fixed the latch. I bought a latch I gotta weld it the latch
that came with it is a very integrated latch and the one part that opens the whole thing
back out of shape so we can't use it at all. Man if only you knew someone who could weld.
I do. It's almost like we just don't have anyone you know. Yeah almost almost like part
of the botches crew there's a designated welder. Whose welds are pretty okay. It's all they
have to do. Who has been back logged on other projects besides helping me with my one latch.
Yeah called Alex's two vehicles that he's working on. Hey soon it'll be three and a
trailer. Well hey dude we wish you the best Alex on your third gen. Well okay so. Yes
yeah. So okay so Mark you got what else you got do you carry any spare parts with you
because I know we didn't really talk about this but I have spare idler pulleys my old
ones and a spare old belt but I don't really I don't have anything else really honestly
right now. I really don't have anything. The only thing I got currently for spares are
CV axle seals one because one of them is actually leaking which I really should take care of
sooner than later. Eventually we'll get to it. Yeah I mean I should have CVs or at least
ACV maybe some tie rods. Speaking of CVs can you guys share CVs. I think I want to say
yes me and him are all fairly similar I think. What year's yours again. 2014. Oh yeah I don't
know that. Yeah Alex why don't you look that up and you let us know because maybe one of
us will get a CV. That's what I'm looking up right now. And we'll just trade off on
it. One of us will get a CV one of us will get an alternator. Yeah because I want to
say that almost because I think the last Tacoma we were able to share parts between me and
Alex originally. Yeah. But I think it was just CV axles I thought at the time but I
was wrong. Yeah. So did we tackle everything pretty much on the outside of your rig. Is
there anything else that I forgot on the outside. What happened to the black truck. Oh yeah
let's talk about the black truck what happened to that. So I think it was last December the
beginning last December. I actually would originally the truck was in the shop for almost
a month because I hit a deer body check the deer be more specific. Luckily that was just
a driver side fender. So it was out for a while because of that. And then got it back
had to replace all my front suspension did all that and brakes. Decided to splurge a
little and bought a refract to go on it. Probably didn't need it but I wanted it. And then one
is say drove it for three weeks went to work. It was cold not really snowing and the ground
didn't look like it but there was a patch of black ice getting on the highway hit it
was going sideways driver side to the ditch and my plan was hopefully just to drive in
the ditch and come right back out or drive out of the ditch after we stopped moving.
Sadly I managed to pop it off from the driver side and rolled it. Yep. Rest in peace little
buggy. Yes. I mean all day it was kind of cool the way that the roof rack the roof rack
didn't really fold too much and it kind of kept the roof flat. Yeah. Should have just
chopped the roof man. Make it into a convertible. They wouldn't sell it back to them. They wouldn't
sell it back to me. Bunch of weenies. Right. But that's insurance companies for you dude.
They are the modern day crooks and pirates. Just rob you for everything you got. Well
that sucks. At least you got this one out of it and honestly I never saw your black
one before but when I saw this one I thought this one was pretty damn cool looking from
the start. So it sounds like you got a pretty cool thing. You know rig just starting out
you know with 5100 front rear bumper on out of it. That's not bad to start with really.
Well yeah that was my plan when I bought the new one was I had to get something that was
partially built. It had to be fully built because I looked at there was a coma over
Wisconsin that was fully built out overlaying everything. The issue was it was just a matter
going over there to see if I could get approved for financing for that one. Yeah. So it was
kind of a gamble to even do that one. Yeah that's true. Now this one's nice. So yeah.
I mean you're gonna do you have any plans for anything else you're gonna do to it? Are
you gonna do another rack on top or what? I'm planning on at least putting another roof
rack on. It won't be the same one as last time. This one's gonna be a low profile one.
The other one we had it like it stood up like two to four inches and then it had a whole
basket that was almost as big or even bigger than the actual roof was. Oh shit. Okay. Are
you are you gonna run anything on the rack? Are you gonna do pelicans or? I'm probably
I'm thinking of just using the rack when I need it. Okay. My idea was eventually like
get kayaks and throw up a kayak when I go out kayaking with it. Yeah that would be cool.
I think for me I do a lot of my spare tools or parts up on my rack and I'm gonna be really
sorely missing that once I actually switched to rooftop. So there's all right. We plan
on moving most of that stuff to the trailer though. Yeah. You know the way that we camp
generally obviously it would change if we're gonna do like the actual over landing thing
but we usually go to a site and that's base camp. So it'd be nice to have a trailer that
can get there and then we just drop everything and we got all our tools because we're I mean
we're talking we want to do full toolboxes with you know every just like if you were
in the garage every tool you could possibly need would be there. Yeah. Yeah. Mark are
you gonna do any kind of like cap or anything on it? You're gonna leave it just the bed?
It came with a cap. Yeah. It had rails that stuck out a little bit the first week literally
like I think like the weekend or the weekend after buying it we went up to ever the first
time and I was yanking the cap off because of the cross support that they had up there.
Yeah. Thank you. Wow. I was gonna say then the I've seen some really low profile racks
that all that kind of you have the one on the roof of the cab and then it goes back
on the cap itself and man those things look really nice on Tacoma's. Yeah. I think it
would have been fine if it was like that but these ones they stuck up like two or three
inches and they stuck out four inches above a lot away longer over it stuck four inches
wider past the actual cap profile. Yeah. It's gotta go. It's just you're just grabbing stuff
by then. Yep. And then so we ended up taking those rails off and ran with the cap for a
little bit because originally I was thinking of camping out of in the black one originally
that was a six foot bed one. Yeah. So my plans was for this camp out of the bed of that truck
originally I was debating about doing with this one and then I declared that one the
bed this bed's five foot so it's six foot shorter. Yeah. Yeah. And I was crawled up
in there with the cap on and it's the one that shares the same height as my truck roofline.
Yeah. I'm like yeah no I don't feel like climbing in out of this truck bed. So I don't know
how to go. Yeah. I don't know. Well okay. So bringing into that I mean I guess speaking
of that then so what what are you doing for camping then are you I know that you don't
have a roof rack obviously but for you know a rooftop tent but I'm assuming you're tent
camping right. Yes tent camping which I just got today. We are good on tent for the weekend.
Good. Are you running these anything any systems for sleeping or anything like that. Barley
Alex has got I get my own eventually but and then I end up just buying a new three three
three system sleeping bag. The army uses as I say the standard army sleep system cold
weather warm weather included. Yeah. I'm interested to see how that works out for you. I know
for me we're tent camping with my family and probably going to need a heater just to warm
the air. So maybe it'll be cool to see your review on it and then Kailin's review on it
because she's going to be the one using yours. So I want to see how she does in that. And
I get to sleep in one of the old school army mummy bags. That'll be that'll do. We should
just buy some damn bed rolls and lay them out by the fire and sleep out by the fire.
Stay warm. That's what I'm you just got to rotate like at one of those hot dogs at 711.
Keep your we'll just take the rock from the fire ring and just put them in the bottoms
of our sleeping bags. Yeah. Yeah. That's great idea. Or rocks. I mean I know hot rocks have
been used before but my luck I'd take that thing and it would just cook me alive at night.
But now that would be we all get a nice dinner or breakfast. Yeah. Getting the leg. Yeah.
We'd have some gaff and roast. Yeah. There's plenty to go around man. It's like it'd be
like that cheap baking you get from Meyer where you have like you have like one percent
meat the rest is fat. That's what you're getting. You'll be able to harvest my blubber like
a seal. You could make that sell that. I mean hey that could be our lamp oil man. We need
something to power. Yeah. Oh there you go. Lamp oil protein for the dogs. Yeah. You'll
be set either way. But hey man that's cool. So OK. So we got your outside. We got your
plans for it. And what about interior. You doing anything for comms for navigation. I
haven't actually been inside of your truck so I don't know what you're running for nav.
So currently my navigation is my phone. I like to get a joy. I think it's joy or joining
head unit. And that way I can run navigation off of that mostly trail maps off of that
more than anything. And mesh and mesh testing which is another part of it. Which on that
note I got to come up with a I got to buy a third brake light system that I saw and
you can mount antennas and stuff to it. I want to run my mesh test antenna out to that.
OK. And then currently for comms and probably the finalization of it because I don't I could
be one more thing I get. But I don't know if I want to get that yet. But right now for
comms I'm running a midland 275. I hardwire that to my battery that currently sits in
my center console and a little dead space as I call it because it's clearly the perfect
size for it. Plung all the wiring out and through my transmission tunnel. And then I
got a cat five cable connection port up in my one of my cigarette areas. I declare that
I really don't need a cigarette lighters. So I decided to replace one with cat five
and then the other one I wanted to replace that other cigarette lighter for a four way
charger port. But and then I have a external speaker that sits in one of my sunglass holders
I used to have. And that's come down my A pillar from the roof line to the A pillar
and then underneath my steering wheel to the transmission. So that's that's running that's
in the ceiling though right where your sunglass was. OK. Yeah. Yeah I did that same set up
in the last Tacoma as well. But I had all my comms in the very back for that one for
the black one. Yeah. Is. Yeah I was just I was going to mention too that I've just found
out that my like my head unit navigation. I don't know I I almost wish that I still
had a tablet as well so that I can point it towards me because my head unit is sitting
where head units that you know and it's not necessarily the easiest thing to see and I
almost wish that I had another tablet and like what are the X mounts or something like
that so that I could run that and see it a little bit better because I just it's not
it's not super hard but it's almost like a preference. It almost would be easier to see
kind of like how I have my A7 mounted in my truck. Yeah. Yeah. It would be nice to have
all three but I really shouldn't be too picky about it. I don't need to stare at all of
them but I end up just driving off the trail at that point. But yeah. I don't think I could
go with another like touchscreen radio. I actually would prefer to have a stock radio
if I could quit having them break on me. But I I like having the external tablet because
then even if you know because I don't carry my phone when I'm camping generally. So I
take pictures with an actual camera. So it's nice to have the tablet to pull pictures off
and review them when we're sitting at the campfire. Tablet's cool too because then you
can actually sit out by the campfire with the tablet plan out routes and stuff with
it too or look at potential routes potential trails for the next day. Scout out campsites.
So I've definitely been seeing the the pros of having a small tablet and maybe I will
be getting one soon. But the thing that sucks though is in the small tablet market you've
got like the Galaxy A7 Lite or the iPad Mini and that's like there's really you know back
in the day we had the Nexus 7. We had we had a lot of options in my eight inch tablet market
and just today they're all phased out for 10.1 or 12 inch tablets. Yeah I think that's
what my wife is. There's like a 12 and I don't like how massive it is but I will say that
if I add like a hand or one of those one of those like hand bands or whatever on the back
so that I could hold it a little bit better. I think I could do with it. It's so much smoother
than some of those cheaper tablets that you can get the operating system and everything.
So I don't know I might I might switch to that maybe I'll just steal hers when we're
out over landing because that would probably honestly it would make the most sense but
I I really like the A7 because it's it's fluid enough it works well enough. It just sucks
that it's really your only eight inch option and in a truck like the third gen forerunner
that's you know very small it's kind of nice having not having your entire dash being taken
up by a tablet. Yeah and it's important for me I don't know that I have the patience to
deal with something that lags even a little bit like even a millisecond. Sometimes for
me my patience on on technology doing that makes me want to skip it across the lake like
a skipping stone but other than that I mean so I don't know I might stay with one of the
newer tablets and maybe I'll just keep my the system I have for now. I know that's going
to be all next year activities but well cool so we got we got your your outer you got your
inner. We got some of the plans that you have on there. Other other than that man I guess
some of the bigger questions are is what you got you started in the first place like what
got you into off-roading. Did you start out camping when you were younger like I think
most of us did or did it kind of come in from from what you know YouTube or friends. I didn't
do a lot of camping when I was little but YouTube did impact me a little bit. There
was I think they called it I don't remember what they originally called the channel but
it was a venture channel by Meat Wagon and Guns. They did Minecraft videos originally
but then they decided to do their own outdoor adventures and Meat Wagon as he called him
in Germany his actual name was building his Jeep Wrangler. I don't remember it was a Rubicon
or not it was a four-door but he built it out for going out camping. He had an overland
tent and everything and he was working on other trucks got me interested at the time
and because of that I every time I bought my previous trucks during the Dakota my Ram
that used to have and the Tacoma and any other vehicle I was looking at I literally made
a list of what all mods I can do through the truck for over landing or any version off-roading
to begin with so that way I had a plan out of what I could or could not do to any vehicle
I wanted to look at. So it was kind of fun. I can't find the name of that channel. It's
probably gone now. I'm trying to remember the actual adventure channel but I know it
was like Meat Wagon 22 I think was his Minecraft channel originally. Yeah I can find that one.
I just can't find the adventure channel. Yeah I'm trying to remember what it was called.
Honestly that's probably one of the better origin stories that I've seen with overlanding
to be honest I mean YouTube is such a big part of it too though is like I mean when
I started I was looking at what kind of car camping that I could do inside of the FJ and
then found over landing so and that's on and we found that on YouTube so that was kind
of how I got started too and YouTube has got so big now that it has influenced us I mean
crazy it's kind of daunting. Man when I started your options for off-roading YouTube were
like Roadkill did an episode where they had a Jeep that was slammed and I think they drove
it in the Arizona desert but like that was it man. YouTube was pretty young back then
too so it really this whole off-road YouTube market didn't quite exist back then. Yeah
you started like a long time ago though. It's just crazy because you're like my age so it
seems like you started like years ago and you're older but you're not. I mean it helps
that my dad wheeled a little bit so you know it kind of been doing it my whole life you
know. Yeah I mean I don't count like my stepdad did it and his Wrangler but I think at that
time I was more interested at being on the ground and like going out in the woods and
hiking and all that. The last thing that I wanted to do was sit in the back of that Jeep
at that time because that was not fun for me. I learned how to drive manual on that
Jeep and I was probably probably nine. Yeah so I mean I've been driving it and playing
with it since I was nine you know. It kind of really sculpted me to love Jeeps and then
I bought a Toyota. Never going back. Yeah I know but last year the it's really got me
going when we went camping was it Memorial Day? I think it was is that when you got going
or when we went and did tin cup with the Trailhawk and the 4Runner? Oh that did too but mostly
the other one because we decided to have my rig yet and we went camping and we were took
the Trailhawk and then that one really set me into motion to actually do get a dedicated
vehicle for off-roading. I think that was Memorial Day. Yeah. Yeah because you're sitting
around the fire looking for trucks. Yeah. What was what'd you do then? What were you
I don't know I wasn't there. I did I had a I had my Ram 1500 but that was a big old truck
and was pretty rotted out. So we weren't taking that one off-roading. My brother and Alex
got their vehicles at the time. I think we did Little Man a Steeloop that time. Yeah.
Is that what that was? I was trying to figure out what Labor Day was it with the botches
or MST? It was botches. That was before I really did it with MST. Yeah. Well that's
pretty cool. I think the first time I did anything with botches was whatever. Yeah.
No. Well yeah. No. I mean Skitter Hill. Yeah Skitter Hill was before ever. Yeah. Yeah.
I can't count the roads that we took the one day when you're. I would say there was that
one day I showed you roads that used to be trails. Yeah. Roads at that point that doesn't
it doesn't really count. Such a shame what Michigan's doing to our trails man. Always
always. They're not even trails anymore. They're just fucking forest roads. If that. Yeah.
You can take your Prius to Marblehead now. So. Actually I know a person with some off-road
tires that actually has the skill that could probably do that with. I mean not that it's
going to take much skill but. I know you don't even need skill. It's flat all the way to
Marblehead. And then. JD JD brought that off-road Prius and that would be pretty cool. Just
to watch it go up it take the video and be like good job DNR. This is what we get. Not
that I'm hating on that Prius. That Prius is fucking sweet. I like the red one that
they had there. Yeah. Yeah. We'll have to do a whole episode on Marblehead. Both the
rise and the fall would be cool if we could find like old. Yeah. To Ben there. You know
back in like the 90s or the early 2000s and then all the way to when they bulldozed it
this year. That would be fun. But I mean I don't think fun is the term I would use but
interesting. For me it would be fun. It'd be fun to talk to all the old heads about
what it used to be like. And because I'm sure it was much different. I remember doing it
as a kid and I remember everybody going to the ledge. So I know that that's changed and
maybe that wasn't supposed to even do it back then. But when I earlier earlier 2000s I remember
all of us just sitting there getting up there getting all the way to the top and then run
around at the ledge being stupid kids. So I that was a fond memory for me and I was looking
forward to always going back to that. So didn't really happen. We never we never went to Drummond
when I was a kid. Back then we were my mom and dad were more obsessed with horses. So
we never did special trips for Wheeling. It was always horses. Horses are fun man. Those
are like the original overlanders. I'm trying to get I'm trying to get Derek to not not
Derek MST Derek but Jeep Derek Derek something always something Derek always something. I'm
trying to get him to help me set up a MST horse overlanding trip. I mean I when I used
to trail ride when I was younger like early high school my my grandmother had a horse
like a boarding facility and she had competition horses that were just out of competition.
They're just getting too old. I rode rode the horse named Touchy and dude I would overland
the shit out of that horse. I probably still could like it was like she was like 20 something
at that time and I'm sure she would still be ready for it. She was like I mean amazing
on the trail. Nothing spooked her. And and you know what I've I've listened to a podcast
the other day about these people that were going all around the going the world around
the world and they were pretty much winching. They would do like a mile a day just winching
up trail and it was oh my gosh. That was that. They're driving a Jeep CJ right. Yeah. Yeah
that was. Yeah. I can't remember that girl's name. She did an interview with Newfound Overland.
I was part of it today. I was I listened to it last week actually. I was listening to
Benji Benji's podcast with them and it was it was Lauren I think. And I can't remember
the other. I can't remember the girl but I know Lauren passed away. Yeah. And he had
done he had done many expeditions or tried to do expeditions before that. He went through
a couple of different vehicles trying. I know he took a Ford. He took a what two or three
CJ's or something like that because one of them he just had to leave. Oh my gosh dude.
The story. Her name's Patty Patty. Yes. Yeah. Look that up if you guys ever get a chance
off of Newfound Overland because that was that was a crazy story. And could you imagine
we keep talking over each other. She had me drawn right in there. Like I there's not a
lot of times when I can just sit and listen to a story and not want to get interrupted
at all. But she had me just hooked for the whole hour long interview. Yeah. Well she
at one point when their their Jeep broke down I think was the axle or something and they
had to take a to make an a raft and float down the river and it to the nearest town
and then take a bus and then take a you know and it's just things were just done so differently
back then. They had to hire a crew to help make trail like it was it's such a cool story
to hear because it's so different from how we do things nowadays. Navigation and calling
for help. I mean calling for help for them was them walking miles to find anyone who
could you know take them to a town or help them. They were taking wagons out. I mean
it's or donkeys sorry. And so it's it's just it was very cool and it kind of opened your
eyes to how long people have been trying to do this and what you can do. I think it's
crazy looking you know they had an entire support staff. I think she said like 20 to
30 guys just cutting a trail for them to get this one itty bitty little CJ five through
the what's the burying gap or whatever. Yeah. Daring gap or something like that. Day or
Ryan or something like that. Yeah it might be daring grab you might be right. Yeah the
daring gap. Yep. Right. It's right. It's between North and South America. Yeah. She mentioned
like pretty much winching all day. They're like there was points where they didn't even
they weren't even driving. They were just winching all day getting a mile a day and
that's crazy. The daring gap. It's only like come on. Where's the mileage. It's not all
that long but I think it's 60 miles but I think she said it took them three years to
get through the daring gap. Yeah because well there was no trails there was no roads so
they had to make their own for the most part. And could you I mean you making your own trails
you're using a winch from the 80s man that winch by the way I I don't I can't remember
what she said what brand that was but it was I'm pretty sure it was powered by like I'm
pretty sure it was powered by the Jeep. It wasn't electric. Yeah it couldn't have been
dude. I'm pretty sure it was too because that was an older Jeep anyway right from the 70s
or it was a 69 or something. Yeah I think it was like a 69 and then he and then I think
it was Lauren he chopped the roof and added like four inches to the top because he was
six or just nuts dude just crazy not to get super off subject on your on your truck mark
and since we're talking about inspiration here what really gets people into it hearing
that story for me that was that was crazy. So Patty's story like I said it's one of
the few stories that just drew me and I was just hooked manly it was so fun to listen
to. Yeah but I guess moving forward now since we've talked about a pretty good portion of
your your Tacoma anything that you are planning on doing this the rest of this year upgrades
wise to it and then any future trips you're doing this year. I'm thinking of actually
getting my air compressor all hooked up. I'm planning on plumbing or not plumbing but getting
that all set up behind my back seat. I got an air tank for it and then just hook that
all up and then I like to get a Mali panel that sits back there as well. Yes, I'm Alex.
Oh no, you're good. You're good. I just saw something so I was making sure you didn't
need anything but I want to get Mali panels put up in the back seat as well. I'm trying
to decide if I if a pack out because I discovered there's a pack out system that hooks up to
the Mali panel. I'm just not sure why I want to put there will clear my air compressor
and stuff if I have that all set up. So I got that. Are you going to do an external
tank? It'll be inside the cab but yes. Yep. I thought you were going to be good for that.
I thought we said to either way. I just sit back there. This lag is really killing us.
Okay. As was going on. I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Well, okay. Future trips. Anything you're
doing the rest of the year. I know tomorrow we have our big big botches thing that we're
doing tomorrow. Me and Alex are heading out. You guys are heading out later, right? Yep.
Yep. I don't I can't think of anything major for us this year. I know we're getting winter
times. It's kind of hard to start doing stuff stuff like new trails and stuff. How being
do I really want to be out in the cold today or no? Yeah, I feel that I I probably won't
do any winter camping this year. We're just not set up for it the way that I would be
comfortable doing it with my son. But I know next year if everything goes to plan we will
be completely set up for winter camping. I just I don't have a cold sleeping system other
than my sleeping bags and tent. And my plan is rooftop tent with with a diesel heater
because from what I'm hearing diesel heaters have a drier heat so that tents to not give
as much condensation in your tents. So yeah, that's that's the plan for me. Do you plan
on doing anything for winter camping? Or do you think you're just going to take winners
off to pay off the debt from the summer? Because right now I'm taking this winter off to pretty
much pay off the debt that I just accrued this summer. As of right now I haven't decided
about winter camping this year definitely not. I'm trying to decide about future endeavors.
It's hard, but hard to get like for me. Try to get the motivation to want to do winter
camping sometimes. It's just it's cold man and we're starting to get older. And if you
don't have something dedicated or set up like that and your winter like your you don't have
a hot tent and a wood stove and all that, then man it can be rough. And you start to
wonder like is this worth it? Is this even fun anymore? Or am I just coming out here
because I know I should? You know what I mean? Yeah, I mean, I work I'm gonna be working
all winter out in this stuff anyway. So it's kind of hard to. Yeah. Oh, let me go out this
weekend go camping in the middle of winter. But even though I've been out in it all week.
So yeah, the Army made me do enough winter camping that there's no way I just decide
to go out and do that. Yeah, with your achy bones, I'd probably wouldn't either. But you
know, plus I work on a farm, so I am literally in the cold all day every day all winter long.
Yeah. Well, I think that I think that pretty much covers everything. We got our futures,
we got our past, we got our rigs, what we're doing to it, we got really off topic. So that
was a no, that was good. And it's good to talk about the inspirations and what got us
into it in the first place. So yeah, we talked about off roading. So was it really off topic?
No, no, it was all things off roading, man. So I appreciate it, Mark. Thanks for coming
in. Thanks, Alex, for joining in telling us about your rig. And we'll see you guys next
time. Yeah. And, you know, right here in the future, I'd like to be able to read off boost
that people send in. I know we don't talk or harp the value for value thing too often.
But we really like it if you guys, you know, looked up value for value and how it all works.
It's really a cool system, you know, it, you can stream set. So the whole time you're listening
you're sending micro payments. You can send in a larger boost with messages that, you
know, maybe tell us we're doing a good job or maybe tell us we're doing a god awful job.
I don't know. But just, you know, it'd be really cool to have some community involvement.
I know we're just getting started and we can't expect that yet, but we really would like
if you guys could, you know, learn about the value for value system and at least know what
it is. Um, but yeah, on that note, uh, have a good day. Man, that was a terrible ending.
I ended it and then you, and then you started on that note, have a good day.