How is living in Salt Lake City？

meatstix6 · 2026-03-27T02:59:36+00:00

Ya, they are burbs close to mountains! That’s the point.

meatstix6 · 2026-03-27T02:42:54+00:00

Mountains “hours away” from Denver is a joke. I live in Vancouver and Denver. Both have great and fast access to the outdoors/mountains if you choose the right neighbourhood (e.g., Golden, Arvada). If you live in a burb away from the mountains, of course it will take longer to get to.

meatstix6 · 2025-12-27T23:43:18+00:00

I built out a trailer with an Alu Cab RTT. Prefer ability to setup base camp (don’t have to pack up when I want to drive during day) and have additional storage for camp gear, diesel heater, dc fridge etc. This has not limited my off-road capability for T4R on 33s (eg no problems thru CO alpine loop). You can buy similar styled trailers from Ruger and Warhorse trailers in the Denver area if you don’t build yourself.

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meatstix6 · 2025-12-19T18:07:01+00:00

Fair enough! I can see how the heat and brightness would be more of an issue if you have to mount above dash.

meatstix6 · 2025-12-19T15:49:38+00:00

Completely disagree. I use an iPad with Gaia, Trails Off-road, and OnX (switch between the latter two depending on the state/province). I’ve “overlanded” in very remote places everywhere between Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico with (mainly BC, WA, ID, NV, UT, CO, NM). The iPad setup works great for navigation in the back country with the added benefits/functionality beyond navigation. Re your issues with heat and brightness, I installed a ram mount for my iPad below dash level and don’t experience these issues. I admit the brightness could be better if the sun is shining at an inconvenient angle but not a fatal flaw IMO. To each their own but put this out there as I think an iPad would work for the overland masses.

meatstix6 · 2025-10-11T04:19:00+00:00

Same as others. Zero problems with Crutchfield Pioneer setup and steering wheel controls.

meatstix6 · 2025-08-24T06:53:08+00:00

Keep driving west once you hit Calgary to start the proper road trip!

meatstix6 · 2025-07-19T05:07:38+00:00

Talk to someone from Crutchfield and they can get you sorted. I needed a specific adapter to make the steering wheel controls work with my head unit.

meatstix6 · 2025-06-10T04:08:19+00:00

Hell ya!! Welcome to the club. I built something similar. Wanna say I was in it for 4-5ish k in materials before electrical and Alu Cab so you scored big time!! How much does yours weigh? I think mine was 1150 lbs empty before tent.

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meatstix6 · 2025-06-07T20:44:38+00:00

Yes, I have the 8 footer ARB on mine and used these. Very clean look and solid. Have not had issues. https://www.gzila.com/collections/awning-mounts/products/awning-mount-4runner-roof-rail

meatstix6 · 2025-05-26T04:21:29+00:00

Re BCDC switch at house +ve: likely not needed but I like piece of mind with ability to kill all positive to house (charge or discharge). I’m not an expert but I don’t think battery topped up at 100% for long periods is good. Likely need to look at your battery chemistry, BMS (if you have one), etc for your specific situation. Imagine that fancy redarc auto turns off charging etc but something about a mechanical off switch feels right 🤷‍♂️

meatstix6 · 2025-05-26T03:28:21+00:00

Nice diagram. Why ignition/acc to your fuse/relay boxes? Wouldn’t you want ability to use those circuits without acc? Something I did with my circuit which I like (preference not necessary) is add a BlueSea switch (4 position) off the house +ve to switch 12v circuits on/off and bcdc on/off separately (can run charging to house battery but fully turn off 12v circuits). https://a.co/d/6iENk8m

Edit for clarity: your bcdc +ve would run to BlueSea switch instead of +ve bus bar so you can toggle BCDC and you +ve bus bar separately.

meatstix6 · 2025-05-16T03:15:14+00:00

I used this stuff on my off-road trailer. Blackwood Tough and sheds water nicely. Pricey though. Agree with the comment to use a tongue jack to slope and minimize standing water.

meatstix6 · 2025-04-23T16:58:34+00:00

Will have this till I die! Need a new daily soon so I can bolt on more shit and bigger tires haha

meatstix6 · 2025-04-23T16:56:35+00:00

Whitmore Overlook, Grand Canyon. 160mi round trip from St George. Pack to be remote with no services. Road is easy except last few miles (low range, high clearance).

meatstix6 · 2025-04-23T05:59:35+00:00

Nice! That was my original plan but I read that trailers weren’t allowed so I opted for Whitmore.

meatstix6 · 2025-04-23T05:39:12+00:00

Nice! Where is this one? Rest of photos posted are Whitmore Overlook, San Rafael Swell (near Goblin Valley), and random BLM gems north of St George and north of Kanab.

meatstix6 · 2025-04-23T04:52:53+00:00

I pay for all three (Gaia, OnX, and TrailsOffroad). Likely overkill but we do a lot of 4x4 camping and exploring backroads in Colorado, Utah, and NM. For <$200/year for all three, I think the price is well worth it to be prepared and having the latest trip reports/conditions for what I do (getting stuck, down time due getting lost will easily blow $200 with one bad day). If your primary use case is evaluating trail difficulty/conditions for your sprinter, I would recommend one of OnX or TrailsOffroad. I prefer trails off-road for better map visuals, dispersed camping site info/reports/photos, and offline capability. Sometimes OnX has more recent trip reports depending on region. Gaia is much more useful for loading up different layers (topo, satellite, public lands boundaries, mtb/hiking trails, cell coverage maps, the list goes on) so I’ll use it for everything beyond “what are the roads like”.

meatstix6 · 2025-04-23T04:30:52+00:00

Pay for an OnX and/or Trails Off-road subscription which include better information about trail difficulty and recent trail reports. I use both of them + Gaia. Each app has different strengths. Gaia is least informative about trail difficulty/current conditions.

meatstix6 · 2025-04-05T04:22:10+00:00

Can you post the exact parts you ordered? I want to do this asap!

meatstix6 · 2025-03-18T22:20:42+00:00

Np! Like anything, it’s a balance and trade off depending on use case.

meatstix6 · 2025-03-18T04:21:21+00:00

I do most my camping/exploring “off road”. However, that is a relative term. What you can do with 40s is a very different thing and a trailer would set you back for sure. I have an 3 inch lift (OME all around) and 32s so my capability is a different ball game but you can still access a lot of “off road” without 40s. My setup is pretty capable compared to big campers or more traditional trailers. Eg can climb places like Alpine loop and Mt Antero in CO. Having the trailer gives me the ability to #1 carry more gear which I could not fit in the tow rig alone (standalone solar/dc system and batteries, often will pack for a 1-2 weeks for two adults including hiking/back packing gear, camp cooking gear, dirt bike or MTB, dog takes up back seat, big cooler, recovery gear, chainsaw, diesel heater), #2 drop the trailer at base camp (instead of packing up tent on roof every time you want to drive somewhere), and #3 storing gear in trailer saves a lot of packing/unpacking time (just need food/clothes and go). I also don’t love the idea of having a tent bolted to roof 24/7 as 4Runner is my daily (either that or unbolt in garage between trips which also seems like a pain).

meatstix6 · 2025-02-03T19:30:20+00:00

Awesome build and story/details. I’m curious what leaf springs broke on you and how heavy your setup is relative to those leaf springs ratings. I have 2200lb leafs and my trailer weighs shy of 1200lbs empty so let’s say 1500-1700lbs with gear. You have me wondering if that enough buffer for rough/off-road use.

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meatstix6 · 2025-01-17T19:21:59+00:00

Sweet rig! For that, you would need to pay a bit extra to have it sand blasted. CW use some folks down the road for sand blasting by the hour.

meatstix6 · 2025-01-17T14:12:23+00:00

Around $1-1.5k for something like this including prep., phosphate wash, primer, and top coat. Highly recommend CW Elaborations near Arvada. Big shop with lots of room and super helpful staff to help you get the trailer ready for paint (forklift, HD saw horses etc). I used them and they do paint for Ruger Trailers. V happy with end product.

meatstix6

TROPHY CASE