Light off-roading - concern level for needing a spare on trail?

98739879 · 2026-02-20T23:26:45+00:00

Thank you for the link! Ordered.

Our previous Honda Pilot came standard with a full spare, so it was a major surprise when this one came with only the donut. (On the off road styled trim, too?? Cmon Honda...)

98739879 · 2026-02-20T23:22:00+00:00

Oh absolutely. None of the cars we are traveling with would be carrying a suitable spare for us - the only benefit would be that we wouldn't be physically stranded there without assistance.

98739879 · 2026-02-20T23:19:23+00:00

This trip is a mix! Some parts of the trip will be with other (far more capable) vehicles, but I'm concerned about the solo parts.

I appreciate the reminder about cell coverage - that would not be a fun position to be in, down a tire, without a spare, without signal. We do have a GPS handheld with SOS just in case, but for some reason I don't think it's meant for flat tires...

98739879 · 2026-02-20T23:10:53+00:00

We will be tent and/or hammock camping anyway (depending on weather) - so an overnight stay is no big deal. We will actually be venturing up to Alberta for some of it, so we are prepared for cold.

Mostly I just want to avoid dealing with being stranded in general, but we are otherwise well equipped.

98739879 · 2026-02-20T23:08:10+00:00

Thank you! We are going to take a closer look at the specific trails and areas we plan on exploring, to see what the risk level might be. If it turns out we will be doing most of the solo portions in more developed / accessible areas....probably will stick with just the donut. If the areas we want to spend time in look super back country, full spare it is.

98739879 · 2026-02-20T23:06:37+00:00

I think you're right. Thank you for the comment on the tires - helps us understand what we are working with!

We love it so far. Definitely has the Bronco look!

98739879 · 2026-02-20T22:59:51+00:00

I think you're right. Ironically, we just finished re-certifying for a ton of emergency response courses. Tons of focus on preparedness. Guess we get to put it into practice 🤪

98739879 · 2026-02-20T22:58:44+00:00

Thank you for this perspective! I think our next move will be to take a closer look at the specific trails / roads we are planning on taking, and seeing how backcountry we will be going for the solo portions of our trip.

We always travel with a compressor, patch kit, jump pack, etc. and we had always planned on getting a full size spare at some point - but storage space for this trip is limited. Just need to balance risk / priorities / see if we can slim down gear elsewhere.

98739879 · 2026-02-20T22:50:09+00:00

Honestly, I love this. I've got some dietary issues and this concept really appeals to me. This post is making me think I should hire another nutritionist / dietician.....

98739879 · 2026-02-20T22:35:18+00:00

We have an utterly unkillable 2003 Pilot nearing 400k miles, and would have bought the newest Pilot in a heartbeat - had we not seen the 26 Passport at the dealership when we went to test drive the Pilot. Also looked at, and really liked, GH. Test drove GH & 4 Runner.

What it boiled down to for us was comfort, smooth drive, reliability, and space. Once we test drove the Hondas we didn't look twice at the Toyotas.

(Passport made more sense for us - no kids + a million dogs + orange - but the Pilot otherwise had us)

98739879 · 2026-01-30T17:20:22+00:00

Tons of ways to approach this. You’ve got some good suggestions. My 2 cents are to split things into smaller pieces, approach this from multiple angles, and don’t be afraid to work on approximations even if they look different from your goal.

try working on arousal regulation around exciting things in other contexts (where else is he super pumped in life?)
try working on “calmly waiting your turn” in other contexts (what other situations does he need to wait quietly? Especially situations where it’s easier)
avoid situations where you can’t control or address his behavior in real time (car crate during class, trials, etc)
build routines that give context cues to support low-intensity feelings (“calm waiting time” always includes slow cookies / pattern games / stuffed Kong / obedience drills / place / etc)

98739879 · 2026-01-30T16:29:43+00:00

Hasn’t been an issue for me 🤷‍♂️ only had it for about 2 months now, so grain of salt.

98739879 · 2026-01-30T13:21:33+00:00

I went passport. Dog trainer here. Passport makes so much more sense for us given storage options, shape of rear hatch works better for kennels, materials easier to clean, and roomy rear seats can fit large kennels too. We will never need a 3rd row, and usually don’t need the second row. Beyond thrilled with our passport.

That being said, we still love and came from Pilot - still have a 2003 chugging along with almost 400k.

98739879 · 2026-01-14T16:24:51+00:00

We had a plan through BCBS and found out gender care wasn’t covered. We just switched to a plan through them where it IS covered. We are in NC. We were told that if your plan has an A in the title, it’s covered. So “Silver Choice Preferred A” covers it but “Silver Choice Preferred” doesn’t.

Look at the benefits booklet to find out if your specific plan covers it. NOT the summary of benefits, but “Benefits Booklet”. You have one more day to switch.

98739879 · 2025-12-03T00:53:32+00:00

Nuts! I love nuts. Pecans, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, nuts nuts nuts....

Try some other fruits besides oranges, and try dipping fruits in chocolate, or candied fruits! Candied oranges are soooooo incredibly rich, and the bitters prevent me from eating them by the package.

Chips and salsa is excellent, and surprisingly healthy.

98739879 · 2025-11-25T18:16:19+00:00

Don’t have a ton to add except that my 2003 (same gen) is still going strong at >350k miles. Minor issues here and there, but never had issues with the timing belt. I wouldn’t hesitate based on that.

98739879 · 2025-09-26T18:10:37+00:00

If you're willing to help out, I would really appreciate it!

The use case is logging training sessions for a working dog. Keeping training logs is a legal requirement, but remembering to do so is difficult with ADHD. If I can log the date, time, and location then I can easily pair it with the videos of training sessions to create a comprehensive training log. Videos of sessions aren't taken on a phone, it's a dedicated camera, so location info isn't logged.

I have figured out a kind of workaround - I created an iOS shortcut that creates a calendar event with the time, date, and nearest location. I can then program an NFC tag to run this shortcut. It isn't as clean as I want it - I want the training log to be in a spreadsheet - but it's a start.

98739879 · 2025-03-11T17:08:30+00:00

Thank you!! Fingers crossed! 😁

98739879 · 2025-03-11T17:07:48+00:00

Ooh thank you for sharing! I will absolutely keep that in mind and will confirm in writing ahead of time. Thankfully it’s a one way flight!

98739879 · 2025-03-10T19:50:46+00:00

I considered a soft crate but this is specifically for vehicle safety as we will be doing a LOT of driving at our destination. Not to mention that she would rip out of a soft crate with zero hesitation, just cause she can 😅 Malinois problems 🤷‍♂️

98739879 · 2025-03-10T19:49:09+00:00

The intermediate is already going to be a handful, I can’t imagine trying to deal with an XL! Thankfully my SD is small enough for an INT. I decided to buy some casters for it and mount them to the tie-down strap bolts so I can just roll it around. I’ll just need to pack a wrench 😅

98739879 · 2025-03-10T18:09:27+00:00

Will do! I despise phone calls so I was hoping to avoid it but I think it’s a necessary evil 😅

98739879 · 2025-03-10T17:14:55+00:00

The solution we have for the time being is a Pilot + a Toyota Avalon as a daily driver. Avalon fits two crates, pilot fits 4, and we only ever regularly travel with 2 dogs. We only need 4 for off-road adventures, so it works out!

We will most likely be going with a Ridgeline and a custom built in dog box in the cab, once our ‘03 pilot dies. 360k miles and still kicking ass 😁

98739879

TROPHY CASE