My Overland Build

Rick-O

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Yes and No for the recommendation.

The rack looks great up there. Noise is minimal compared to other racks that I have used on various vehicles. Install sucks. You must drill into your roof. Proceed with caution. This is the case for Prinsu and UptopOverland. I assume KC as well. Both Prinsu and Uptop use extruded aluminium for the the track system. This is ok. What I do not like are the sizes of the tracks. They both utilize M6 bolts instead of M8. The track nuts are crap but make for easy installation of mounts. The Rivnuts Plusnuts to mount the rack are garbage. I would use fender washers, split washers, bolts and nuts instead if I were to do it over again. The slats are adjustable so positioning them to fit your accessories is easy. Everyone and their mother has a prinsu installed on every taco that I see. Almost no one has the uptop so it's kind of nice being different. My rack is fairly quiet at 80+.
I have the following installed on the rack:
  • ARB Tred Pros
  • Goal Zero 100 watt solar panel
  • Axe and Shovel
  • 6.5' awning
I'll take some pictures this weekend of the entire roof rack setup. I did not opt for any light bar cutouts. I may go for the 30" cutout in the future but doubt it as I like my lights low
THanks for the thoughtful response. I agree, your rack looks good! (Side note: I recently said the same thing to my waitress at Hooters. lol)

I never thought of the washers and bolt options you mentioned, that might be a good solution or alternative to the rivnut BS. I'll look into that. I think I might go without the light setup too and build out better light situation on the bumper along with some ditch lights on the hood.

Post pics when you get a chance. I'd love to see how that gear looks up there. I'm curious if you'd add a gas can up there too? That's the main thing that sent me down this whole path, as I don't want to travel with fuel inside my cab or bed.

Here's a boring pic of my truck I plan to take better off road pics soon too.

IMG_8108.jpg
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DrewKD88

DrewKD88

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It is incredibly difficult to snap a good picture of the items installed on the Roof Rack with the Tent in the way. I need to park it next to a huge boulder and stand on it to get a quality picture. I will try doing that next time that I am out.

I made a bracket for my solar panels. I am using the UpTopOverland brackets for the Axe and Shovel and the Awning. After that there isn't much real-estate left. The Shark fin antenna kind of limits the use of the last crossbar unless you position items from front to back rather than side to side.
 

V1KT3R

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What brand is that awning? How well does it stand up to windy conditions?
 


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DrewKD88

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What brand is that awning? How well does it stand up to windy conditions?
OVS - Overland Vehicle Systems. They are a local shop. They had an event where I got to see products on display on multiple rigs. Setup is quick and easy. Winds? I don't know. I've only used it in mild wind so far. Nothing that would warrant using stakes.

Construction is like everything else. Made in China. I believe the same company makes the awnings for 23 Zero and a slew of other rebranded Chinese products. OVS just has them for cheaper because they are not a huge brand yet. The 6.5' awning is a great choice. 4' is just too small. I almost went with the 180 but it weighs too much for my liking.
 
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DrewKD88

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This a pic of the items installed on the UpTopOverland Bravo Rack.
  • ARB Tredpro Recovery Boards
  • Goal Zero 50 watt panels X2
  • Fiskars 36" Splitting Axe
  • Fiskars 44" Shovel
  • OVS 6.5' Awning
PXL_20210605_154250477.png


I purchased the Awning bracket and the Chop & Dig mount from Uptopoverland. The recovery boards are using a modified Yakima recovery board mount. The solar panels are using a bracket that I cut down to size and drilled out. I had to rewire the panels due to the cables being to short to fit in this orientation.
 
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DrewKD88

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Goal Zero Review:

I just returned from a 2 week trip touring the North Western portion of the United Sates. I run a Dometic CFX3 35 fridge. I have the fridge connected to a Goal Zero 500X and the 500x connected to the X2 50 watt solar panels. I was able to run the fridge the entire time in this configuration without needing to connect the fridge to a 12v outlet on the truck. I highly recommend using a dual battery setup of some type whether it is built-in or portable.
 
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DrewKD88

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Here's a shot out in the wild. Picture taken on a trail to the Colorado Overlook in Canyonlands NP.

PXL_20210615_154401148.PORTRAIT.png


I have added the 3.8 gallon Waterport day tank to my setup. You can see it attached to the driver side bed rack. I upgraded the quick connect hose fittings to brass and swapped the hose itself. It came with cheap plastic fittings.
 
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DrewKD88

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Is it just me or is your RTT base bowed from the weight (rear) in this picture?
That's funny. No, the hinged half that hangs over the ground isn't always level. I have to level it out by adjusting the extension height of the ladder. Sometimes when I'm on uneven ground I use blocks underneath the ladder. Or I get lazy and deal with a bit of lean.

The FSR tents have no floor. There are aluminum slats that hold a hard foam base in place. Then a mattress goes over the foam base. This design is very different from other manufactures. I get no condensation build up with this design. I was skeptical at first. After using the tent 50+ nights I can comfortably say that this design is great! I'm heavy and this thing has held up nicely.
 

daniel3507

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Are the white camp lights overly bright? I've been debating on white and red and think I settled on red. I want the light but don't want to be blinded when it's dark out
 
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DrewKD88

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Are the white camp lights overly bright? I've been debating on white and red and think I settled on red. I want the light but don't want to be blinded when it's dark out
If you're talking about the Baja Designs S2's then yes, they are too damn bright. I am looking into getting their Rock lights for under the truck. That should diffuse the brightness and provide good coverage around the vehicle.

I have some battery powered LED strips that I bought from Amazon. I've placed these underneath the tent for ambient lighting when climbing up and down the ladder. They work great for the intended purpose. I also have USB and Solar string lights from REI. These are good to place on trees around the perimeter of your campsite. It also has the benefit of drawing the flying insects away from your main camp setup.

I think Red would be too dim and would make everything look well....red. The LED Strips change color so I can pick whatever I'm in the mood for.
 
 



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