Outside Magazine Ranger Project

[JBro]

Progress:

*drools* Oh wow this is lookin' good

Sponsored

 

[Wes Siler]

Some more photos:

 

[Trey1940]

Some more photos:

How are the Nokians treating you in a real winter? I have a set, but of course since I bought winter tires this season, it's only snowed twice for a couple hours.

 

[Wes Siler]

How are the Nokians treating you in a real winter? I have a set, but of course since I bought winter tires this season, it's only snowed twice for a couple hours.

Really liking them. I ran a set of non-studded LT3s last year, and ended up with studs this year just because that was the only option available in this size with all the supply chain stuff. Studs don't seem to do a whole lot, fortunately they don't add a lot of noise either, so kinda a wash.

 

[Wes Siler]

Writeup on my bed organization and storage mods: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdo...nic-social&utm_source=outsidemagazine-twitter

 

[lazynorse]

Pretty cool! I find a lot of utility in your setup, like it a lot!

I await my FX4 order but have extensively camped out of a Subaru Outback. I do more backpacking than car camping but have refreshed my base camp gear the last couple years.

I think I'll remain a lidded bin sort of guy. Easy to load, unload from my garage shelves. I've become a Tetris master with bins and coolers in my Outback, its what I'm used to and found all sorts of utility in the approach. I might change my tune with a new blank canvas.

If only the GFC had a wider bed... my wife and I can't go that narrow. My ultralight backpacking tent accommodates a pair of 25" wide pads with room to spare on all sides. I just can't spend $8k+ for a downgrade in sleep dimensions. Aside from that detail, I'd be all over the GFC. Instead I'll throw $3k for a run of the mill fiberglass canopy. I'm aware of Project M and OVLND pop ups.. the M is a little ungainly once mounted, OVRLND has its challenges but I'd probably go with OVRLND over all the others, bed widths at least 50" but I think its more like 60."

Writeup on my bed organization and storage mods: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/cars-trucks/truck-modification-storage-utility/?utm_campaign=&utm_content=Cars+&+Trucks,Gear&utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=outsidemagazine-twitter

 

[Wes Siler]

Pretty cool! I find a lot of utility in your setup, like it a lot!

I await my FX4 order but have extensively camped out of a Subaru Outback. I do more backpacking than car camping but have refreshed my base camp gear the last couple years.

I think I'll remain a lidded bin sort of guy. Easy to load, unload from my garage shelves. I've become a Tetris master with bins and coolers in my Outback, its what I'm used to and found all sorts of utility in the approach. I might change my tune with a new blank canvas.

If only the GFC had a wider bed... my wife and I can't go that narrow. My ultralight backpacking tent accommodates a pair of 25" wide pads with room to spare on all sides. I just can't spend $8k+ for a downgrade in sleep dimensions. Aside from that detail, I'd be all over the GFC. Instead I'll throw $3k for a run of the mill fiberglass canopy. I'm aware of Project M and OVLND pop ups.. the M is a little ungainly once mounted, OVRLND has its challenges but I'd probably go with OVRLND over all the others, bed widths at least 50" but I think its more like 60."

The GFC has a 50" wide sleep surface, so same as coupled 25" pads. But yeah, I hear you. It's got loads of spare room at your feet, so that's where we stash layers and whatnot when we're sleeping, rather than to our sides. If you want more space while car camping, I'd encourage you just to go with a big lux ground tent. I don't really understand why people try to sleep under bed toppers. The entire truck works like a reverse radiator to keep you cold, and you won't even have space to sit up, let alone stand. I really like the Nemo Wagontop. If you google my name plus car camping you'll get all my recs.

I use the truck to support all my human powered stuff too. So I'm still piling bins in there for hunting/backpacking/fishing/boating/camping or whatever. The Decked setup just allows me to organize all the stuff I like to carry every day really well, and gives me that extra slim drawer for other stuff as needed. Especially handy when I want to put the dogs back there.

 

[lazynorse]

@Wes Siler Good to know the GFC is 50" wide.. just enough but still 'squeaky,' lol!

In tight quarters, we've found orienting head to foot provides more wiggle room for both.. I wonder if the generous length of the GFC would accommodate, or does the slope of the wedge kill that idea?

I'm with you re: sleeping out of a vehicle.. I really don't prefer it.

I got skewered on the Subaru Outback forum for suggesting the noobs abandon their 'camper' conversion notions and get a cheap instant tent instead. Oh, how they howled!

To test the misery of a night in an Outback, I purposely did so on a late return from a solo backpack. Everything about it sucked, really hard. From worming in, to dealing with hot stuffiness with bugs outside, to lack of privacy from the windows. Its not perfectly flat with the rear seat folded, either. I nearly got out in the dark to setup my tent but persisted. I reported my findings and suffered further demerit from the Insta-pros.

 

[Wes Siler]

@Wes Siler Good to know the GFC is 50" wide.. just enough but still 'squeaky,' lol!

In tight quarters, we've found orienting head to foot provides more wiggle room for both.. I wonder if the generous length of the GFC would accommodate, or does the slope of the wedge kill that idea?

I'm with you re: sleeping out of a vehicle.. I really don't prefer it.

I got skewered on the Subaru Outback forum for suggesting the noobs abandon their 'camper' conversion notions and get a cheap instant tent instead. Oh, how they howled!

To test the misery of a night in an Outback, I purposely did so on a late return from a solo backpack. Everything about it sucked, really hard. From worming in, to dealing with hot stuffiness with bugs outside, to lack of privacy from the windows. Its not perfectly flat with the rear seat folded, either. I nearly got out in the dark to setup my tent but persisted. I reported my findings and suffered further demerit from the Insta-pros.

You can get in from the sides, the back, or through the modular floor on the GFC. I just use the off-road screen on the Ranger to park level, then sleep with our heads to the rear. You can totally stick your heads in the slim end of the wedge since there's like 2+ feet of extra space, but there's no reason to.

I think sleeping inside a vehicle is sorta a security thing for newbie campers. There's not a lot of great information out there explaining that tents are designed to appropriately vent moisture away from you, etc etc etc. Or good guidance on sleep systems. So people associate camping with cold and discomfort. That's a shame.

 

[mtbikernate]

To test the misery of a night in an Outback, I purposely did so on a late return from a solo backpack. Everything about it sucked, really hard. From worming in, to dealing with hot stuffiness with bugs outside, to lack of privacy from the windows. Its not perfectly flat with the rear seat folded, either. I nearly got out in the dark to setup my tent but persisted. I reported my findings and suffered further demerit from the Insta-pros.

I once tested the misery of sleeping in the back of a Crosstrek (cold, rainy night with a leaky tent and a deflated air mattress). Shortly after that, the wife and I ordered a squaredrop camper. And towed it behind the Crosstrek for a couple years before buying the Ranger.

I think a big challenge a lot of people have is that to be comfy with car camping gear, especially if you're a little decrepit like I am, you have to spend a little money. I've learned over the years that I just don't like air mattresses...of any type. I hammock camp when I'm backpacking/bikepacking, but to be comfortable while car camping, the most commonly available mattresses just don't work. I haven't tried cots, so maybe those would work, but those present their own challenges when it's cold. But once you get to cots, you start getting into needing much bulkier gear and it gets tough to transport some of that with a small car. It starts to become a vicious circle.

The squaredrop camper is great. Major drawback is reduced maneuverability (which reduces the access to certain campsites), which is where these little truck campers do well. I'd much rather have one of these than a rooftop tent, honestly.

 

[lazynorse]

I think most new campers will find adequate comfort in a budget Coleman tent and 4" inflatable of the rack at Target or any sporting goods store. I'd never considered a cot until I slept in one for a week on a Grand Canyon raft trip. Cot plus 2" inflatable was very comfortable. I sleep just ok on my Thermarest NeoAir for backpacking, and I sleep super comfortably on my REI's version of the Exped MegaMat.

 

[mtbikernate]

I think most new campers will find adequate comfort in a budget Coleman tent and 4" inflatable of the rack at Target or any sporting goods store.

Most who actually camp on a regular basis might find adequate comfort with a setup like that.
Problems arise if you AREN'T comfortable with that, or you're tired of your inflatable mattress failing you in the worst possible scenarios. And this is one reason why so many people DON'T like camping. They've had terribly uncomfortable experiences, assuming they've tried it before, and addressing those limitations at a reasonable cost is honestly a fairly big hole in the market.

It's really less the tent itself and more what you're sleeping on. Comfort issues compound when it starts getting cold, because a basic inflatable won't cut it there, either.

 

[lazynorse]

Agreed. I didn't grow up in a camping family but started doing so with buddies in high school. That progressed to backpacking. In the 90's, there was no internet to learn from so I suffered through all the rookie mistakes, not knowing anything about gear or technique. I was backpacking with a 70 pound load in the beginning (Its 30 pounds for a 4 night trip now, including food and everything).

Car camping and backpacking both benefit from technique as much as gear. Every hobby and sport benefits from honing technique, camping is no different. When new to it, you don't have the technique, familiarity and confidence. Pair that with inadequate comfort, it makes for a miserable experience.

Selfishly, I'm fine with folks abandoning camping. So many car camping and backpacking areas are now overrun and often trashed. I'd like a higher bar and cost of entry. I only go backpacking Mon-Fri these days and I still encounter hordes. I've totally given up on weekend boondock camping trips, everything within a 4 hour radius of Tacoma/Seattle is saturated with folks, garbage and excrement everywhere.

I loathe the social media promotion of 'overlanding.' Paired with Covid, it overly stressed camp areas that lacked capacity for this intensity of uses. Social media and other media focus on 'conquering' terrain, manly images and yoga poses on rock outcroppings, but nearly totally lack content on responsibility of care of public lands. Only takes one dip$hit out of 10 to wreak havoc on public lands.

My hope is that some percentage of folks that waltzed into camping/overlanding the last few years recede from the hobby, ease the impact on public lands.

I know this is a selfish wish, I accept responsibility.

Most who actually camp on a regular basis might find adequate comfort with a setup like that.
Problems arise if you AREN'T comfortable with that, or you're tired of your inflatable mattress failing you in the worst possible scenarios. And this is one reason why so many people DON'T like camping. They've had terribly uncomfortable experiences, assuming they've tried it before, and addressing those limitations at a reasonable cost is honestly a fairly big hole in the market.

It's really less the tent itself and more what you're sleeping on. Comfort issues compound when it starts getting cold, because a basic inflatable won't cut it there, either.

 

[mtbikernate]

Selfishly, I'm fine with folks abandoning camping. So many car camping and backpacking areas are now overrun and often trashed. I'd like a higher bar and cost of entry. I only go backpacking Mon-Fri these days and I still encounter hordes. I've totally given up on weekend boondock camping trips, everything within a 4 hour radius of Tacoma/Seattle is saturated with folks, garbage and excrement everywhere.

I loathe the social media promotion of 'overlanding.' Paired with Covid, it overly stressed camp areas that lacked capacity for this intensity of uses. Social media and other media focus on 'conquering' terrain, manly images and yoga poses on rock outcroppings, but nearly totally lack content on responsibility of care of public lands. Only takes one dip$hit out of 10 to wreak havoc on public lands.

My hope is that some percentage of folks that waltzed into camping/overlanding the last few years recede from the hobby, ease the impact on public lands.

I know this is a selfish wish, I accept responsibility.

I can't say I disagree with most of these points. It's not altogether different in the southern Appalachians where I live. Boondock sites abound, but so many of them are surrounded by TP flowers that I just can't bring myself to use them. "overland rigs" and converted camper vans are everywhere here, too. The USFS has blocked off vehicle access to lots of the boondock sites, too, limiting access to them for tent campers. If you have a campervan, you're sleeping right along the road and you can't spread out right next to your van. If you have a small trailer, you're SOL. That mostly happened years ago, though, and not because of the overlanders. It was part of their solution to the also-growing population of people living out of their vehicles/campers (basically, a largely unseen homeless population that was constantly overstaying the 14 day limits).

A beautiful mountaintop meadow here got trashed a year or two ago when a big group of dipshits wreaked havoc when they camped up there. Now, the USFS no longer permits camping of any kind up there. Not even for ppl hiking the Appalachian Trail.

I expect a lot of people will recede from camping. When they realize how expensive it is to store and maintain their RV, even when they aren't using it. How much of a PITA it is to drive around with their RTT attached all the time (and how it's an even bigger PITA to install/remove it every time they want to use it). And how difficult it is to get a campsite reservation.

 

[Wes Siler]

I think most new campers will find adequate comfort in a budget Coleman tent and 4" inflatable of the rack at Target or any sporting goods store. I'd never considered a cot until I slept in one for a week on a Grand Canyon raft trip. Cot plus 2" inflatable was very comfortable. I sleep just ok on my Thermarest NeoAir for backpacking, and I sleep super comfortably on my REI's version of the Exped MegaMat.

The number of people who don't understand that pads needs to provide insulation, as well as cushion always surprises me.

I also get frustrated trying to make a value argument for quality gear that lasts and works, vs cheap crap. Sigh.

Sponsored