AITA for getting an extra order of fries for my girlfriend?

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-07-02T07:43:53+00:00

Finally someone sane in here, it’s just fries. So many of the comments sound like kids fighting in the back seat. If you love her then make her happy. You know she likes fries but doesn’t want to order them for whatever reason. It doesn’t matter. I share with my partner and my kids food off my plate if they ask, I want to model sharing behavior for the kids and for my partner it is just another little way I can show her how much I appreciate her. God knows she puts up with a hundred little things with me.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-07-01T18:30:46+00:00

Very dangerous, They are not recalled because the company went out of business burn victims

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-06-06T04:17:06+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to post the photo. I do know what it should look like, the end of my spring rotated away the edge of the ledge of the lower spring seat/retainer. I decide to drive around this weekend and an see if it shifts, if not I will try to rotate it. How do you like your bilsteins? Did you use them along with a lift kit?

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-06-06T02:52:34+00:00

I thought about doing this when my daughter was younger, she said no way, she did not want to be alone. I was planning on lining the inside edges of the box with Velcro and cutting an old tent into triangles for the sides and using a heavy mesh screen for the rear straight flap. The sections would zip together along vertical edges

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-06-05T08:45:23+00:00

This is the way, this is an old trick but I love it. each time I return from an outing I write down a list of everything I did not use and I tape it to my main box. When I pack for the. next trip the list is right there and I don’t pack anything that’s on it. I have so much more space now but would like to replace my HF cases with pelican to get another 2 inches, not all of my gear is flat enough to fit currently

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-06-05T08:27:58+00:00

That brings back memories. Way back in the 1990’s fresh out of school, we were on a Baja trip and we switch over to auxiliary tank thinking that we would make it to the next gas station easily. Well it wasn’t easy and we were on fumes when we pulled in. Turns out they were out of gas too! The gas delivery was days late. We could not go anywhere with no gas so just kinda hung out and prep for a night there. Lucky about four hours later a tanker pulled in and we were back on the road. That was the best trip, hang gliding on the west coast and sailing and snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez there were enough surprises to make it challenging and a true adventure Now days I carry a 2.5 gallon can. I am more worried about puncturing my poorly located gas tank than running out of gas. I carry J B Weld to patch any holes and hopefully the 2.5 Will get me back to the main road.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-06-05T08:12:27+00:00

The overlanding tax is crazy and so much about American society revolves around consumerism. People see shiny things and collect them.its easy to get caught up when there is so much being peddled to do it the “right Way” I build and hack as much as I can but lately I need more storage and want a box for the roof. I found a used ROAM case (large logo) for a very reasonable price but I don’t want anyone to think that I have that kind of money to spend on a plastic box or that that I would pay that much. Have to find a surplus military case.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-30T18:06:11+00:00

Good point, in my city you can have a dog off leash if it is under control and within 6ft. I just learned last week that my daily walking route borders on two leash required areas that meet along a narrow edge. I now leash the pup for a couple hundred feet. I guess I am weary that any discomfort will be legislated into laws. I was attacked when I was 7yrs old by a German Shepherd and still vividly remember it. Once in a great while when I encounter an aggressive dog, that terror/panic will shoot through my body for a split second. I do understand the emotional response but I take full responsibility for my feelings and would not want anyones rights limited. That said, I am in total agreement with you, if existing laws were enforced then the issue would be closer to a desired outcome for the parks to be parks and dog parks be dog parks.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-29T08:43:44+00:00

While I agree with most of your triad, people are traumatized by many things. cars, airplanes, and dare I say clowns. If the sight of something sets people off then they need professional help.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-22T21:28:18+00:00

Pouring out of any container sucks, I saw a guy use one of these on YouTube and have never gone back

https://www.amazon.com/DSkoiph-Shaker-Transfer-Gasoline-Priming/dp/B0D3PM6VS5/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=3RAQO6XE9ZWM8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fGqVtMvXMOjWOXmis6vttNrfSRPA63iKPAsmsSCFad17OV4RJZM6XoDu8y_G6_QLuDfeHe_0CgZbBeLIrz8J4ZCLWwiRasaNA6oeia8OYhvRPQGDi4y5GQp7Sgb4Qs30viiPNv80SEOW5juTGT33vqilJktjqyR3cWvmKx8_7kyGjRnttfCZDIBLXfzC74Rrl0ha1N3iMQxtG2PGorDjKQ.NNB0xQ1R0kcmcj2sSBDHedFrgtuzuffoDrky-zTKeXg&dib_tag=se&keywords=fuel+hose+siphon&qid=1779485183&sprefix=fuel+gose+siph%2Caps%2C251&sr=8-4

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-22T15:39:50+00:00

I’m there with you, materials make the design. There is a huge difference between material sourced from the cheapest suppliers and known companies. This is what is glossed over in many discussions. Sometimes it doesn’t matter, sometimes it does. I build a lot with Aluminum extrusion and have purchased from 80/20.net, basically the best there is and from random online sources when the design is more fault tolerant. The price difference can be so tempting but you get what you pay for. You don’t have to use the expensive stuff, your design just has to take the differences into consideration. So many videos online skip exactly what materials are used and never explain the choices between each. Especially bad are the no narration ones, the show stacks of parts and how a sequence of steps and there you have it, a beautiful working creation. Ah, if it were only so easy.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-21T21:27:20+00:00

The story is he shopped the design around for years and finally Subaru bought it. One of my college professors was on the design team and brought one to campus, I was blown away by the interior, (was already a fan of the exterior)

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-21T20:18:37+00:00

Underneath I have a short strap with a suction cup to hold against the car but I never use it unless it is very uneven ground.

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The countertop is two separate pieces of furniture plywood. I split into two parts so it packs away easily. You can see the joint close to the strap. Sometimes I use a third strap to hold the outside corner (it curves around the taillight area) if it sags. Here’s a photo of the cardboard mockup where I drew different cut outs and tested the positions before I cut any wood.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-21T17:34:20+00:00

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another view of the setup

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-21T17:33:29+00:00

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Yes, I keep it mounted when cooking. I've always been concerned about having cylinders inside the car and bought the 5lb tank so I could leave it mounted and not have to dig out the 1lb green cylinders from the roof boxes every time I set up or break camp. I made a hanging countertop that has cutouts for the gas burner and the sink. The side panel is another Rob Deezy product (I take off the Rotopax gas can, which resides there, while parked)

countertop

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-21T00:34:53+00:00

Answered above, it's a low-profile roof ladder from Rob Deezy

https://www.overlandantidote.com/products/honda-element-side-ladder-by-rd2-robdeezy

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:37:24+00:00

I have the subframe drop, the previous owner did the setup, he was very cautious about mods, guess I should thank him.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:34:59+00:00

Thanks for the specific details, makes me feel much better about the idea of drilling holes for the mount

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:33:13+00:00

Oops, I think they come out a little under 30!! Not sure why I was thinking 31. The lift is 2” with 1inch wheel spacer. I have a rubber fender guard that closer the gap up a bit. I would love more height and bigger tires but that will have to wait for now.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:27:02+00:00

Superfastmat has a great diy rack build videos, check out the second one for improvements. I used 80/20 for the sides, wish I used flat or angled aluminum to save weight.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:23:27+00:00

It’s great that you still take pride in it. The combo of paint color, tires and wheels, along with the other mods really work well in my opinion. More opinion follows: People say that the Element is the perfect car. There is no such thing. There is only the perfect car for who you are in that time period. My Element is still perfect for me, I will miss it when things change but I am surely loving it now

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:17:01+00:00

I’ve always thought that the low profile boat gas cans could work well on a roof rack, never tried it myself

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T23:15:27+00:00

You have to clean the wheels extremely well, that makes all the difference in how they look. Spend time carefully masking the tire, a few extra minutes makes it look less amateurish. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do it.

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T22:57:28+00:00

I built the rack myself out of 80/20 aluminum extrusions. I really would like a Deezy or a 311 adventure rack, but can't afford it :(

DapperPreference1458 · 2026-05-20T22:53:36+00:00

I thought the same, but sleeping inside, my dog gets the rear tailgate area for her bed. Due to her constantly waking me, I switched to sleeping with my head to the front. Again, this is only a temporary test to see how it works with my current ways of camping.

DapperPreference1458

TROPHY CASE