"Steelie Dan" '21 XL Ranger Build

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

Thanks for posting, I might do the same. How long was the USB cable?

Hey Blade Ranger, the cable that came stock with the Garmin is 4m (13') long. It also comes with a two usb slot cigarette car adapter

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[BladeRanger]

Hey Blade Ranger, the cable that came stock with the Garmin is 4m (13') long. It also comes with a two usb slot cigarette car adapter

Thanks

 

[cburson]

Awesome build. I will soon be ordering the same truck(Supercab XL) and doing a similar build. Daily driver w/GFC. Can't wait to watch this evolve

 

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

Awesome build. I will soon be ordering the same truck(Supercab XL) and doing a similar build. Daily driver w/GFC. Can't wait to watch this evolve

Thanks man! I'll be following your build and would love to see pics of the trips you take!

 

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

Throwback to 1 year ago when I first started seriously eyeing a Ford Ranger SCAB post-sale of the Rover "Serenity"

 

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

Did a recent rock climbing trip to Joshua Tree.
Unfortunately since I don't get Presidents day off, I was unaware of the holiday; and the traffic that entails at J Tree from it. Camped out at the BLM outside the park where it was quiet.

Pic of me in full "dirt-bag" mode

MOD:
Added a siphon pump tube so I can refuel the Ranger's tank without having to remove the jerry cans from the truck. It's a bit slower, but when I have everything packed up it has it's value.

 

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

So it's been a few months since I've posted any major updates; about mid April I had a large amount of my gear stolen out of the back of my truck. I made the extremely poor decision to leave my Pelican case with roughly $1K worth of camping kitchen and misc gear strapped to the back of my Deck'd system with a reinforced steel cable cargo strap (Kanulock brand).

I thought the reinforced steel cables would deter any thieves. I was very very wrong.
The very next morning after these two pictures were taken, I found this:

It looked like they had taken a grinder to the reinforced steel cable to cut it like butter.

The only silver lining is that this enabled my partner and I to start with a clean slate on what type of gear we wanted vs what we had prior after the insurance claim was filed. I filed a police report that same day, but since there was no footage of the thieves, the local PD was not able to do much for me other than document all the evidence.

MOVING ON, to bigger and better things. The robbery out of the back of my truck meant that my stuff wasn't secure regardless of being hidden by the canvas topper.

So I found a gently used ARE MX topper on CL out in Denver; a few weeks later, my partner and I had a road-trip on our hands to get the topper.

TOPPER

Here is the link for the in-depth Topper Mod Post.

Looking forward to many more trips with this topper while ultimately saving up for a slide in truck camper (leaning towards a Scout Yoho)

 

[BladeRanger]

So it's been a few months since I've posted any major updates; about mid April I had a large amount of my gear stolen out of the back of my truck. I made the extremely poor decision to leave my Pelican case with roughly $1K worth of camping kitchen and misc gear strapped to the back of my Deck'd system with a reinforced steel cable cargo strap (Kanulock brand).

I thought the reinforced steel cables would deter any thieves. I was very very wrong.
The very next morning after these two pictures were taken, I found this:

It looked like they had taken a grinder to the reinforced steel cable to cut it like butter.

The only silver lining is that this enabled my partner and I to start with a clean slate on what type of gear we wanted vs what we had prior after the insurance claim was filed. I filed a police report that same day, but since there was no footage of the thieves, the local PD was not able to do much for me other than document all the evidence.

MOVING ON, to bigger and better things. The robbery out of the back of my truck meant that my stuff wasn't secure regardless of being hidden by the canvas topper.

So I found a gently used ARE MX topper on CL out in Denver; a few weeks later, my partner and I had a road-trip on our hands to get the topper.

TOPPER

Here is the link for the in-depth Topper Mod Post.

Looking forward to many more trips with this topper while ultimately saving up for a slide in truck camper (leaning towards a Scout Yoho)

That's suck bro, hope those bastard get caught. Good thing your other plan is working out.

 

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

Did some minor tweaks on the bed topper in advance of our first SoCal camping trip with it:

Installed a "KLYMIT Everglow Light Tube" ($25 Amazon) onto the rear glass of the topper to act as a tailgate cooking light. The large version that I purchased has built in magnets that attach quite nicely to the metal lock bar on the canopy.

The light requires a USB power source, so I strapped in a old Anker battery tube I had laying around.

When not in use, the light rolls up like a bed roll and hangs on the gear liner.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Did some minor tweaks on the bed topper in advance of our first SoCal camping trip with it:
Installed a "KLYMIT Everglow Light Tube" ($25 Amazon) onto the rear glass of the topper to act as a tailgate cooking light. The large version that I purchased has built in magnets that attach quite nicely to the metal lock bar on the canopy.
The light requires a USB power source, so I strapped in a old Anker battery tube I had laying around.
When not in use, the light rolls up like a bed roll and hangs on the gear liner.

Hey Matt,

It sucks that your gear was taken. Hopefully, you can soon be kitted out with all the items you’ve always wanted. You’ve definitell gained some headroom with that MX topper and it looks like you’re already setting it up so you can make the most of it. That carpeted interior will definitely be a bit quieter, warmer, and easier on the elbows. I hope you have it configured just the way you want it soon and are able to get back out their and enjoy it.

 

[deleriumtremor]

I just found this thread, thanks for all the work documenting your journey. Sorry about your sour luck on the robbery. Good to hear it hasn't daunted you.

 

[wanted33]

Matt, I just saw your thread and have enjoyed seeing the progress of Steelie Dan. Sorry to hear that you got nicked by a bunch of crooks. As an old LEO I will saw that if a crock wants it, he'll get it some way. Hopefully that won't happen again. Keep posting your updates, and I'll travel along through them.

 

[XL_Ranger_Danger]

Thanks everyone for the kind words! The gear was replaced, the downer was being unable to camp or go off-road for a few weeks while I waited on replacement gear.

This weekend will be some good pics while I start my first shift as a fire tower lookout for the season

 

[Illking]

This weekend will be some good pics while I start my first shift as a fire tower lookout for the season

Awesome, Ive rented and camped at a few decommissioned ones in CA and it was such a great experience.

 

[ksuds49]

When you had the Softopper over the Decked, did you have to remove the cotter pin to collapse/install the Softopper? Is the decked high enough to interfere with the hinge mechanism on the Softopper?

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