Absolutely Necessary

[Que_Honda!]

I'm building a vehicle that is meant as a base of operations for all of our rigs. What I thought would be good is to list all the things that are absolutely necessary to have on an expedition vehicle? What do you need, split it into categories like: food, tools, parts, etc. Just list it all out, i think it would help everyone to know what to have along and maybe give people some ideas on what they might have forgotten.

Alex

[Monkeybutt]

I don't know that I do many "expeditions", but my truck serves as home base to alot of groggy faced campers on kayaking & fishing trips. For me, there are few items that I have found really nice to have:

Power converter mounted on the inside/ side of the bed (the bed has a camper shell over it).

Potty/ Bucket & TP...friggin life saver. My wife demnds I bring "the bucket"; squatting in the woods after too many beers & burritos gets old.

Solar Shower- if there are no trees around, it can be hung off the rack of my truck. These things are nice for bathing or for just washing your hands to cook. I keep a couple of 5 gal jugs of water for refills or fill them from a creek.

EZ-Up 12 ft canopy- I sleep in the back of the truck, and the canopy makes a ncie addition for setting up the kithcen or lounging area. Since my tailgate serves as my cooking area sometimes, it often goes right against the back of my truck. The canopy packs away small so it is easy to keep in the truck

Coleman lantern & stove...these are the LP types. They stay in the truck & I have a rig that allows them to run off a standard grill tank. Old standybs that keep on ticking.

Headlamp- screw a flashlight when camping. Headlamps are the shizzle when trying to cook or take a leak after too many beers.

Bungee Cords, rope, & tie-down straps- I keep a small container loaded with an assortement of this stuff & someone is always reaching for it.

Coolers- Right now I am a fan of those Igloo Extreme jobs that keep ice for 5 days. I ussually carry two- one for beverages and one for food. It is not a good idea to keep meats w/ the drinks because the drink cooler ussually gets opened alot.

Food: There are a few staples I always keep in our Food contrainer ( a big Rubbermaid locking box):
instant oatmeal- all kinds of varieties
black beans (canned)
diced tomatoes & green chilies (canned)
tortillas
Chunky Soup (pick your favorite)
Chef Boy R Dee Spagehetti, Ravioli, or whatever is on sale
Instant potatoes (you can get those 2-serving bags in all kinds of flavors)
penut butter
hot chocolate
powdered milk (in the pe-measured containers)
gatorade mix (in the little tub)
Coffee
Artifical sweetener packets
Instant Rice
Non-stick cooking spray
An assortment of cheap cutlery (not plastic- about 4 seats of knife/ fork/ spoon combos)
1 large & 1 medium non-stick pan
1 normal size pot for rice & 'sgetti
Big box of matches
*You can make a high calorie breakfast drink by combining the powdered milk, hot chocolate, and coffee...I call it a white-trash mocha. It is the cats ass if you are hiking or doing things that require alot of energy
*Black beans, Diced chicken (i get the pre-cooked pack of chicken), and a little bit of tomatoes & green chilis can be warmed together in a pan. Combine those with some instant rice and a tortilla and you have a good & fast camp burrito

I'm done with my coffee and have to go to work...somone else will have to bring in the tools and, hopefully, some more recipes:D

[Que_Honda!]

Yeah thanks for the info, those recipes are great. I was looking at the ingredients and i was thinking about what you can make. Got any photos of your rig?

[The Adam Blaster]

I like packing some jerky, or jerky sticks (hot Rods or the like...) when i take camping/road trips. They are pretty fatty so are more beneficial for winter trips, but they are pretty great as snacks to munch on while sitting on your butt in the car, or hiking a trail.

One of my other favourite "tools" to bring (laugh if you must) is a mini hand-broom. Great for sweeping out the tent, sweeping off the picnic table or whatever surface needs a quick cleaning. It has come in handy on pretty much every camping trip i have ever been on.

I've always packed my gear in blue rubbermaid bins that are waterproof. You can leave them outside if it's raining and don't have to worry about your stuff getting soaked. When i've gone camping in the past, the vehicle is super-loaded and i never minded leaving my gear at the campsite. I'd prefer to to store stuff more comfortably in te vehicle in the future...

[slypig]

On board air system of your choice, must be robust enough to power tools.

[silverscout]

Since purchasing an Engel fridge, I’ve been sold on the benefit of going iceless. I can’t recommend it enough. No more wet egg containers, no more floating particles amongst your buoyant milk cartons and no more running to the store for more ice. Best of all, I use it with one battery without a problem.

[fordman1978]

i bring 2 cases of beer, my huge coleman cooler for drinks (its about 5 feet long)
another coleman cooler that is about half the size for deer steaks, sausage, eggs, bacon, cheese, frozen potatoes, and any other foods that need to be kept cold
a waterproof box for bread, canned foods, silverware and cookware. i also bring my little coleman propane stove, coffee pot, and mini charcoal bbq. i also bring a nice little fold up table for cooking on. some fold up chairs, big tent, tarps, plenty of rope, pad to sleep on with 2 BIG sleeping bags. 3 5 gallon water cans with spouts
for a toilet i have a plastic lawn chair with a hole cut in the middle and a bucket with a garbage bag below it for easy cleaning and of course built in tp holder. (its also nice to build a little cover out of tarps for it)
tool wise i bring a good 4-way, loaded craftsman tool box, 1/2" breaker bar, hilift jack, come along (until i can afford a winch) a good chain and tow rope. and usually spare axle shafts and drivelines. a few bottles of oil, transmission fluid and a bottle of antifreeze. for leaks on hoses i carry a few different sizes of hose 2-4" long with some rtf silicone and zip ties. split the hose on one size ruhb some rtv on the inside of it and wrap it around the hose and zip tie it on (i have used it for radiator hoses and fuel lines and it has held up perfect every time with no leaking.)
thats all i can think of for now.

[The Adam Blaster]

i bring 2 cases of beer, my huge coleman cooler for drinks (its about 5 feet long)


I remember something in the op's topic saying "necessary". :laughing:

[Tumbleweed]

I carry a blow gun nozzle for my OBA. Can't believe how often I use it. Dust off clothes, air dry clothes or shoes, vehicle maintenance for wet dist./ clogged fuel line or whatever. Blow off tent or chairs before repacking. Inflate air mattress. Blow dust off food containers.

[Zukiford87]

for tools I would bring some welding equipment and the knowledge to use it. 2 car batteries(from the rigs) ,jumper cables, 1/8" or 3/32" 6010 or 6011, a hood and gloves, a chipping hammer and wire brush. The welds may not be pretty but they might get you out of a sticky situation.

[Monkeybutt]

Not to hi-hack, but just to repond to the original posters request for picks of my truck:

Sorry no pics of my truck yet. It is nothing to look at right now, anyway. I was using a '02 Tacoma Quad cab w/ a camper shell as my camping vehicle, but since my wife claimed it as her own I have replaced it with an '08 F150 Super Crew with the 6.5" ft bed. The Ford is loooooong, but once the camper top gets put on there it will be the catsass for camping.

Quite honestly, you just don't need a super-built rig to access most areas around here. I needed something that would haul alot and eat up highway miles comfort....the Ford is pretty lavish for a 4x. On down the line, some King coil-overs up front and an ARB in the rear and it will be good enough for anywhere I will be taking it. I'll also be fabbing an over-camper rack when time allows and mounting a power inverter inside the bed.

I do have a CJ7 that I built as an all around rig that is waiting for paint right now and for me to finish with the tube fenders. It is running a TBI350/ 700r4/D300 with D44's front & rear/ locked, SOA, full hgh steer, etc, etc. While it is far from hardcore by POR standards, it is a great all around Jeep. It rides and drives better than a new (75-80 on the freeway is cake), and actually gets better mileage than when it was stocks (the beauty of proper gearing, OD, and a good HP/weight ratio). The problem with the CJ, though, is the inability to haul gear. I even had a safari rack on mine, and still found the Tacoma to be a superior camping rig....though the CJ was was far more fun to drive, ha ha.

We just had a new baby boy 3 months ago, though, so all of these projects are on hold...

[Que_Honda!]

congrats on the baby

i've got three rigs

my dd is a 2000 honda passport 4x4 it can get where i need it to

i have a 1977 f250 that i'm building to be somewhat of an expedition rig, its meant as a base rig when wheeling and camping and eventually to chase my next rig

my last rig is a 70 bronco, that is just sitting waiting to be built into a race truck

[jo maoma]

Since purchasing an Engel fridge, I’ve been sold on the benefit of going iceless. I can’t recommend it enough. No more wet egg containers, no more floating particles amongst your buoyant milk cartons and no more running to the store for more ice. Best of all, I use it with one battery without a problem.

couldn't agree more...


(only down side is listening to people tell you how much ice they could buy with $600) :flipoff2:

[RocKrawler]

couldn't agree more...


(only down side is listening to people tell you how much ice they could buy with $600) :flipoff2:

Yeah, but what about the cost of all the lost food? I lost 4 $7 roast beef sandwiches the last time I used ice in a regular cooler, not to mention the fact that when I opened the lid after a day on the trail to eat them with the family the stench from the soaked chum permeated the vehicle, and the cooler which wouldnt wash out when we got back home, we ended up tossing the cooler - for some reason soaked roast beef & mayo puts off a cadaver like smell when sealed in a cooler. We bought an ARB fridge the next week & will never go back to ice unless its for canned drinks only. At $2 a bag & the big cooler took 2-3 bags it adds up quick, plus ruined food, bad mood & hunger make the Engel/ARB a downright bargain. Ask anyone who owns one. Its like the difference between a manual air foot pump for your tires and a C02 or onboard air setup, sure it costs more, its a convenience item, but once you have it you are sold on the value...