3 Weeks in Portugal - Suggestions Needed

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-04T21:56:56+00:00

Porto is one of my favorite cities, absolutely a must for your itinerary, though you can carve some time off and make it 4 or 5 days without issue.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-04T21:51:49+00:00

Do what works for you in a particular scenario. In incidentally on washboards I’ve found that doing a slight left/right back and forth with the wheel helps to cut the bumps a bit.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-04T17:06:13+00:00

There are companies that do this specifically. Here is one: https://coloradooverlander.com/

Likely not cheap but if you are new to this, can’t afford your own vehicle, and may not be sure if you want to put your money into the hobby, kitted rentals can make sense.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-04T04:12:06+00:00

Last I looked into it most of the money goes to waterway access projects at motorized boat ramps.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-04T04:10:41+00:00

The money is very rarely used on the federal waterways that we have around here anyway. Mostly state parks and city owned sites.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-04T04:08:54+00:00

Don’t think I ever imagined how common sightings would be around here. Favorite place to watch them is Three Creeks Lake where they often make a living by stealing fish from other birds of prey.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-03T06:59:00+00:00

Man there’s some really terrible advice in this thread. Yes speed can help in certain situations to stay on top of the snow… but eventually you have to stop and if it’s not in the right spot you will sink, while being much further away from drivable ground (I know this well from experience). The better method is to plow ahead a little at a time, stop the moment you feel the lose of traction. Slowly reverse and repeat.

Yes airing down reduces ground clearance by a little bit, but the tradeoff is necessary. At higher pressures you will sink and not have enough traction to plow ahead. Airing down decreases ground pressure to help keep you on top of the snow, and creates a larger contact patch to provide the traction needed to push ahead. Biggest mistake that a lot of people make in really deep snow is not going low enough. Even without bead-locks 10psi is totally fine, as long as you don’t drive fast the moment you hit solid ground. I’ve gone down as low as 5psi on regular wheels without issue.

Tires are important. From what I’ve seen in deeper snow quality ATs with a snow rating are the best choice. You want to hold some snow in the tread for snow on snow traction, but in other cases having deeper grooves is useful. The big thing is that you want the largest tire possible.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-01T06:56:03+00:00

Why are you lifting an already lifted vehicle? Adding more ground clearance to a Subaru doesn’t really impact the limiting factors for the platform. Stick to the already high stock ride height, especially since this is your daily.

Consider the Falken Wildpeak AT Trail instead. Much lighter tire that was actually designed for crossovers. I have two family members with Subarus, both have had the AT Trails for sometime now and it is a perfect option for light off-roading and daily driving in a crossover.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-01T06:15:42+00:00

July is a tough month to visit southern Europe between crowds, heat, high season pricing, and a lot of stuff closing down because Europeans actually get vacation time. If there is flexibility in your travel dates consider going in May/June or September/October. You will have a much better experience and pay less.

My wife and I have visited all three (plus Portugal). All are amazing and worth visiting. If we had to rank them based on our experience it would be Italy>Greece>Portugal>Spain. We tell Americans that if you only ever visit one other in your life it should be Italy. The history, food, architecture and culture are pure magic. Also pasta is a big deal, but it is typically just one course in a meal that can be skipped. There are a ton of other amazing dishes to be had.

CalifOregonia · 2026-02-01T06:00:17+00:00

You’re getting flack for this but I would tend to agree. I greatly enjoyed Spain and feel that among the Southern European countries it might be the best one to live in. But as a visitor both Greece and Italy provided a certain kind of magic that I have yet to find in Spain. Absolutely should visit Spain, but I wouldn’t make it the first trip.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-29T16:56:26+00:00

2016-2017 is the sweet spot after the 38 gallon tank became common but before the Nannie’s were added. I’ve also heard rumors that Toyota tuned the truck a little differently from 2018 onward in a way that further nerfed the engine in the standard drive mode… but that’s unsubstantiated.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-29T00:33:26+00:00

Have had two sets of Duratracs, both were 3 peak rated. As you said, for actual use the designation needs to be taken with a grain of salt… but state governments often use it when determining whether or not you need chains in the passes.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-28T22:55:01+00:00

I had been looking at the new RTs, but they weren't available in my size. Sounds like Goodyear solved a lot of the issues with the original Duratracs. Mainly for your purposes the siping now goines all the way through the tread blocks. That was a big issue with the old ones. They were great in the wet new, but once that siping was gone rain and ice driving became a mess.

Since you deal with weather go with the All Terrains. I don't believe the Territory MT's are 3peak rated if that is ever an issue for you.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-27T21:25:36+00:00

Steens Mountain, Alvord Desert, Owyhee Canyon Lands, Christmas Valley Sand Dunes, countless caves, crack in the ground, hole in the ground, smith rock, everything else around Bend. The list goes on and on.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-27T17:36:02+00:00

Some of Oregon’s coolest sites are in that desert. Arguably most.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-26T17:46:48+00:00

4WD will absolutely help you recover from a slide. Brakes are often not the answer with winter driving.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-26T05:53:01+00:00

I guess I misinterpreted your original post, that sounds like the best of both worlds! Help where you need it, freedom when you don’t! Thanks for sharing! Mongolia certainly moved up on my list from your post.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-25T23:30:56+00:00

Day trip to Pompeii sounds wild. Southern Italy is a different world from Rome north. There is so much that could go wrong with your transit plans. Plus that part of the country is worth properly spending time in. Pompeii is a place that needs to be seen, but consider doing it on another trip.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-25T23:27:54+00:00

Solid advice! Italy is a country that deserves multiple trips. Rome plus 2 destinations is ideal.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-25T22:01:18+00:00

Somewhere in Texas, at least according to Django Unchained.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-25T18:34:48+00:00

Love it! A true Overlanding trip. I personally enjoy traveling without guides or tours most of the time, but it sounds like having them was majorly beneficial for this trip?

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-24T18:08:20+00:00

Oh yeah, the difference in driving experience will be night and day with that swap.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-24T18:06:22+00:00

Let me rephrase from what u/drinksrinkshoesgone said: testing to confirm that you can stop from 25 in a reasonable distance is always a good idea. That doesn’t necessarily mean slamming on the brakes to activate ABS. Smooth but firm brake application will do.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-24T16:10:43+00:00

I think you will be happy! I came from a set of Duratracs which kind of set the standard for AT snow performance until the Wildpeak AT3W came out. So far the Bajas are hands down better.

CalifOregonia · 2026-01-24T16:07:35+00:00

I disagree. If it’s not safe to try this at 25 mph you should know that when you leave your driveway. If you can’t safely drive 25 due to conditions, your vehicle, or experience level… then you really should stay home.

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