1991 Isuzu Trooper Overlanding Build

nfpgasmask

Adventurer
OVERVIEW

I like to write, and I like to take pictures, and since I have never seen a full blown Trooper build on here with photos and reviews, I decided to put this build thread together.

And for those of you who don't like to read or flip through multiple pages, here's a before and after.

From this:
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To this:
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I am a firm believer that the key to happiness in life has less to do with getting what you want, and more to do with understanding and eliminating the things you don't. This philosophy leaves you with only good things, good experiences and overall peace of mind. And one thing I know I don't want is complexity. Over the years I have owned a lot of vehicles and driven a lot of rentals. And I always come back to my older Isuzus. To me, simplicity is king, and manual is the way to go. So when I found this base model 1991 Isuzu Trooper S, I was pretty stoked. It had around 72,000 original grandma miles, and was in immaculate condition save for an exhaust manifold leak and a bad thermostat, both of which were easy fixes. I paid $2,500 for this Trooper. It came from the factory with no a/c, no cruise control, manual windows and locks, and a 5-speed manual transmission. Perfect!

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Having gone through three other 4-door gen1 Troopers before, finding this one in this color and condition was a true stroke of luck. But I also had to take immediate action before someone else did. Today, most older Troopers you find are in fairly beat up condition with high miles and a grocery list of issues. But there are still some gems out there. In my opinion, early Troopers are an excellent choice for base overlanding rigs. They are relatively small in stature compared to the larger, more common overlanding rigs like the Land Rover Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser, but they have a great deal of cargo space with their box on wheels profile. A gen1 Trooper is definitely big enough for me, my wife, two small dogs and loads of gear.

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Now, people generally shy away from Isuzu because they are no longer selling and supporting passenger vehicles here in the USA, that is, if you even remember the Isuzu marque in the first place. Also, Isuzu has a nearly non-existent aftermarket, and that can be intimidating for normal folks who would rather just buy a cookie cutter Jeep off the shelf and pick parts out of a 1000 page catalog. But for me, there are really only two other makes, mentioned earlier, that I would even consider buying for an overlanding rig, and both of those vehicles would require me to take out a second mortgage on my home.

I will admit, older Troopers do have some shortcomings. Mainly, they are slightly underpowered for their size. The 1987-1991 Trooper came in two gas powered flavors: an Isuzu 2.6L 4 cylinder, or a GM 2.8 60 Degree V6. I've owned a few of both, and I can honestly say with 100% confidence that I prefer the Isuzu powerplant over the GM motor. The 4ZE1 is simply put, what belongs under the hood of the vehicle. The GM motor is ok, but I believe the 2.6 makes more power and is overall just as simple and easy to work on once you wrap your head around the spaghetti bowl of vacuum lines. That said, a good clean 2.8 Trooper is nothing to pass up. The GM motor is very common and parts are plentiful and cheap. And while the 2.8 is notoriously gutless, there are some fairly simple swaps that can be done to get you going faster. Either way, I am committed to the Isuzu 2.6.

Another issue that some folks have is the IFS. But to me, a solid front axle is really only a concern if you plan to do a lot of hard core rock crawling. Otherwise, IFS works just fine for general travel and trail use. I won't deny that a solid front axle would be simpler to maintain and stronger in the long run, but I have never had an issue beyond dry rotted or broken CV boots that need changing. So the IFS doesn't bother me at all.

So here she is, a few days after I bought her from the original owner's son out of Chico, CA.
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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
THE FRONT END

Round Headlight Grill with early JDM side markers
I am a sucker for old school rigs. I don't really like the look (or feel) of modern 4x4s. But that is an altogether different discussion. To me, round headlights look best. So one of the very first things I did to my Trooper was swap out the rectangular headlight grill for an early (1984-1986) round headlight setup. This automatically changes the entire style of the vehicle in such a dramatic way, and it is a very simple swap. I also scored a pair of JDM Isuzu Bighorn side markers from a guy on the forum, which set things apart even more. After some more junkyard scrounging and forum hounding, I was able to find a nice pair of proper vintage badges for the grill as well. One of the nice things about the round headlights, is that they are easily replaceable with new sealed beam lamps. The later rectangular Trooper headlights are not replaceable with anything other than Isuzu glass, as far as I know. So this is a logical swap for not just looks.

Blasted the headlight buckets...
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Painted them...
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Mounting holes...
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drilled out for Nutserts...
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The lights getting installed...
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The grill's mounting tabs were a little worn out, but nothing some zip ties cannot fix...
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Done!
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Hella Horns
I recently added a pair of these horns, because in stock configuration, the Trooper's horns let out more of a timid “excuse me, please” than a “GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY!” beep. The Hella horns are an easy swap and while they are still a beep instead of a honk, they are quite a bit louder.

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ARB Bull Bar with Warn M8000 Winch
Rumor has it that ARB only sent twelve of their iconic looking winch bumpers to the United States back when gen1 Troopers were still young. I don't know if this figure is exactly true, but either way, it sure seems to be, as I have only known of three or so early Troopers sporting one. A few years back, one of them came up for sale on PlanetIsuzoo (www.planetisuzoo.com) and I was quick to act. Sure, I could have just fabbed my own bumper, but it would not have been quite the same as the real thing, especially considering my lack of a tube bender and novice fab skills. I held onto this bumper for three years, before it met my current Trooper. Before I installed it, I took it in to my local powder-coating shop to have a nice layer of black applied. When I got it back it looked brand new. Good thing, since the amount of money I spent on it added up to just about the same price had I bought a new one directly from ARB. The bumper is beefy, heavy and totally ************.

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Another score was a new in box Warn M8000 winch a friend found for me on Pirate4x4 for $400. Like the bull bar, the winch sat in my garage for a few years until the right Trooper came along for me to install it. It fit perfectly into the ARB bull bar, as I think it was designed for this winch or one very similar. I cannot really give a review of the M8000 since I have not yet found myself in a situation where I needed it, but I do know that this is a tried and true model for general purpose off-roading. Chances are, I will likely never use it, but like a front locker, I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. And I will admit it does complete the look. To clean things up, I mounted the winch control box under the hood, which fit nicely in an empty space on the passenger side.

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In the future I would like to add a wireless controller for added safety and ease of use.

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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
UNDER THE BONNET AND THE BODY

When I bought the Trooper it was in nice shape, but I didn't really have any maintenance history other that the seller telling me it was well cared for. So I went ahead and did a full timing belt service and coolant change. While I was under the hood I took the opportunity to clean things up quite a bit. Some battery acid had done a number on the battery tray, and all the vacuum lines needed to be replaced. The valve cover was greasy and everything was pretty much filthy.

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What's that shiney new part doing there? That's right, I retrofitted A/C (read on!)
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Much better!
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This Trooper's body was in pretty nice shape when I bought it, but it really needed a good washing, claying, polishing and waxing. It shined up quite nicely. There's nothing like a white vehicle. White hides every imperfection and it stays cool in the summer. In my opinion, white and light beige are the best choices for paint when it comes to an expedition rig. I have all black vehicles and they are miserable in the summer and show every dent, ding and speck of dirt. I also decided to have the glass tinted to enhance security, looks and to keep the inside cooler. I think it came out nice.

Getting tinted up...
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The front door hinges were pretty worn out, so I swapped them with a fresh pair. The best way to do this is to remove the front fenders. This way, you can leave the doors on and closed, assuring no misalignment.

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Old hinge...
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New hinge...
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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
THE UNDERBELLY

General Grabber AT2 Tires on Toyota 16” spare steelies
To keep things practical, I knew right away I wanted a solid all-terrain tire with a tall and narrow profile. So I went with a full set of General Grabber AT2 tires in 235/85 R16. So far, I have found these tires are wearing even with consistent and timely rotations. They are a little stiffer than some of the other options out there, but I do not find them uncomfortable on the pavement at 40 psi. Off-road, their performance has been quite good. Typically, I deflate to around 15psi to soften the ride on rocky Nevada trails and give me some added traction. Overall, I find the General Grabber AT2s superior to my previously owned BFG ATs, BFG MTs and Procomp MTs. For an overlanding rig, there is really no need in my mind to run MTs unless you plan to spend a lot of time in deep mud and/or snow and not a lot of time on smooth tarmac. And speaking of snow, the General Grabbers seem to perform well on the street when there is moderate snow and ice, however I have not had the opportunity to exercise the tires in blizzard conditions. As you know, the entire region is in a severe drought.

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In order to stick to practicality as well as old-school looks, I wrapped the AT2s on a set of black 16” Toyota Tacoma steel wheels. I would have liked 15” wheels for more rubber, but 16” tires seem to be the most readily available in the size I wanted, and the steel wheels are also cheap and plentiful as well as good for a classic look. They've faded a little in the sun, but clean up easily and shine up well with commonly available detailing products.

Aisin Manual Locking Hubs and Gen2 Trooper Big Front Brake Upgrade
Troopers typically came with auto-locking hubs, unless you purchased the manual hub upgrade from the dealer. I tend to be a parts hoarder, and so right away a refurbished set of Aisin's were installed. I prefer the Aisin's over Superwinch and Warn because of their shallow profile, simplicity and strength.

With all the added weight of an overlanding build, stopping power becomes more important. Luckily, this problem is very easy to overcome. Second generation Troopers (1992-2002) came with larger disc brakes up front, and all the parts are a direct swap onto earlier gen1s. So all you need to do is hit your local junkyard and pull the brake rotor dust cover, rotor, calipers, pads and brake lines from a gen2 and you are good to go. Some folks take it a step further, and swap over the brake booster and master cylinder as well, but I have found that this is not really necessary. This cheap swap will yield far better front end braking with little work.

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Independent4x HD tie rods
For many years, Independent 4x4 (www.independent4x.com) has been a mainstay of the nearly non-existent Isuzu aftermarket scene in the USA. They offer a variety of suspension and lift options at what I believe is a fair price for parts fitting these obsolete vehicles. Plus Matt Brown, the owner, is always willing to pick up the phone and talk about technical issues and offer advice. So it was only natural that one of the first upgrades I bought for my Trooper was their heavy duty tie rods. I have seen first hand how a busted tie-rod can leave a vehicle stranded, so in my opinion, beefed up tie-rods are a must for any quality overlanding build. The Independent4x4 HD tie-rods appear to use good quality, greasable Moog ends as well, making them easy to maintain and replace if need be. While I find these tie-rods to be an excellent upgrade, I have had chronic problems with the boots shearing off, particularly on the inner end of the driver's side tie-rod. Hopefully at some point I will find a boot that solves this annoying issue. For now, I just check and lube them often.

Calmini HD Torsion Bars
Calmini (www.calmini.com) is another of the very few companies offering aftermarket suspension parts for Isuzus in the USA. I had these heavy duty torsion bars left over from a previous Trooper I owned, so I moved them over to my current build. Upgrading the torsion bars on a vehicle with added front end weight seems to be a logical choice, and so far I have no complaints. I have them cranked to lift the front end of my Trooper about 1.5” +/-.

OME Shocks and HD Springs with Calmini Lift Shackles
Old Man Emu, now owned by ARB is one of the few companies still selling high quality, heavy duty shocks and leaf springs for early Troopers. And because I like to support the few remaining companies supplying parts for my beloved Isuzu SUVs, I ordered a full set of OME HD shocks and HD leaf springs from Rocky Road Outfitters of Utah (www.rocky-road.com). Unfortunately, like many other companies, Rocky Road does not stock parts, but orders from the manufacturer on an as needed basis. This is totally understandable, as orders for vintage, obsolete Isuzu vehicles likely rarely come in. However, after placing and paying for my order, I found out ARB in Seattle did not have stock either, so they had to be specially ordered from Australia. Six months later, I received the shocks and springs. That's right, for six months I waited. But the wait was worth it. With this setup, I have zero sag in the rear of my Trooper, even when heavily loaded down for trips. The fit was also perfect, and simple to install. These are, in my opinion, the best shocks and springs you can buy for Isuzu light trucks. I also installed a pair of Calmini rear shackles I had left over from my previous Trooper to lift up the rear end a bit and balance out the overall stance of the rig.

ARB Air Lockers with 4.77s Isuzu gears
Most gen1 Troopers came stock with 4.56 gears, which is really a fine ratio for stock configurations. But with a slight lift and slightly larger tires, I wanted to get my vehicle back as close to stock gearing as possible. This will yield better highway RPMs and help keep my speedometer reading out close to normal. So this meant finding a set of 4.77 ratio Isuzu differentials. Problem is, 4.77 gears are rare, as they only came in certain limited packages and rare versions (like the short wheel base, 2 door Trooper RS). In addition to that, I also wanted a set of ARB air lockers, which are the premium option when it comes to locking your Isuzu diffs. Lucky for me, Independent4x4 had a set of 4.77s with a set of ARB air lockers already installed, just waiting for me to snatch up. So out came the plastic and a week or so later I had these.

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The install was very straight forward...

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I ended up mounting the air compressor to the firewall just above the motor, and this location has worked out well. The lockers came with switches that fit perfectly into the 3-blanks slots in the Trooper dash with only some minor Dremel trimming to make them snug.

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As for performance, the air lockers are fantastic. I had a rear Aussie Locker in my previous Trooper, and to be honest, it made road driving a miserable affair. So the added expense of the selectable ARB Air Lockers is well worth it in my opinion. That said, you could probably get by with only a locker in the rear, as most off road terrain can be tackled successfully with just that. But for me, a locker in the front just completed the package. I did have one issue with the locker setup pretty much right away. And from what I have read, it seems to be a known issue with some ARB Air Locker installs. About a week into driving with the lockers installed, I noticed the distinct odor of gear oil wafting up from under the hood. What I found, was lube vigorously dripping/spraying out from the air compressor solenoid exhaust vent. Once this starts happening, a siphoning effect begins, which will ultimately suck out and spray what seems to be a constant flow of smelly fluid all around wherever your compressor is mounted. Not only is this a stinky annoyance, but it can and will run your differential housing very low on lube. Ultimately, I had to call ARB. Without question, they offered to send me a “purge valve” kit for free. So if that is not an admission of guilt, I don't know what is. The purge valve sits inline and maintains pressure back to the differential housing so fluid cannot travel up the line and out the solenoid vent. So far, I have been running with the purge valve in place and it seems to have completely stopped the problem. I still think it is a good idea to check the fluid level of the offending diff regularly as nothing would be worse than blowing up an expensive ARB setup in a rare differential.

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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
THE HIND END

Independent4x Rear Door Ladder
I got offered one of these second hand a while back, so I snatched it up. The design is based on Isuzu's internationally available (back in the day) Trooper rear door ladder, and it works perfectly for climbing up onto the roof. It is simple, good looking, and perfectly designed.

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Rotopax 4 Gallon Auxiliary Fuel Containers
After removing my Con-Ferr basket, it was time to come up with an alternative solution for carrying fuel containers. For a long time, I have stuck with a couple tried and true NATO 5 gallon Jerry Cans which I carried on the roof rack. I tried a pair of the ever coveted Sceptre cans as well, and they quickly went up on Craigslist. So once I was faced with having to come up with something completely different, I looked to Rotopax for my solution. I ended up buying two of their largest containers, for a total of 8 gallons of auxiliary fuel. I then used one of their locking mounts and welded it to a custom bracket that holds the containers firmly to my Independent4x rear door ladder.

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This worked out quite well. I can fill the jugs without removing them, and take them off just as easily. While I can only carry 8 gallons as opposed to 10 now, it is still better than nothing, and if I ever find myself needing to carry more, I can simply buy another Rotopax extension and another container. Problem solved.

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Trasharoo Spare Tire Garbage Bag
This thing is great. It's like a backpack for your truck. I was a bit skeptical of it until I attached it and subsequently loaded it with two nights worth of firewood for the way out, and a contractor bag of trash for the way home. If you have a rear spare tire, and you spend time camping, this is a great addition to any rig. There's no excuse for not packing it out, ALL OF IT.

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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
INSIDE

Complete interior swap/restore with custom aluminum door cards.
This was a big change. My Trooper came with a dated poop brown interior. While I didn’t hate it, I don’t really care for brown either.

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Also, I had been planning for a long time to completely re-do the interior and switch it over to black while adding a few other trim upgrades. In addition to this, I swapped out the base front seats for higher end “Captain’s Chairs” with armrests, and I swapped out the rear split seat for a single bench seat. I like the bench seat better because it is simpler and I knew it would cost less to recover. For those of you who don’t know, black interiors only came in one year, for the limited release of the 1989 Trooper RS. So, black interior parts are scarce to say the least. But I had been hording parts for a black interior swap for years, and it was time to put the stuff to use! In hindsight, I probably should have either left the interior brown, or switched it over to the only other color available besides black, which is a beige-ish tan color. I say this because black is hot, and it shows dirt. And there is a lot more to doing an interior color swap than meets the eye. You have to think about door trim rubbers and sill guards and seat belts and screw caps. Everything has to be swapped! But throwing that logic aside, it looks great and completed the Trooper’s tuxedo stilo. Plus, it is much easier to match aftermarket parts and accessories to black, as opposed to brown or beige. One thing I wanted to do also, was replace the door skins with aluminum sheet. This way, I could have any color I want, and mount cup holders securely to the doors in place of the ash trays. I also wanted firmer door handle arm rests as the original foam handles were getting a little saggy. So I hit the junkyard and pulled a nice set of black armrests out of a car I cannot recall. To make the door panels, I had a friend of mine who has a metal shop cut out some aluminum sheet using the stock door cards as templates. This turned out good but was a lot more work than I wanted in the end. I opted to use Nutserts to secure the panels, which work great, but are tedious to install and took a lot of drilling. In the end, I am happy with my black interior conversion. It looks great and cleans up well.

Another thing I felt I needed to do to keep the Trooper comfortable during the summer months, was to retrofit air conditioning into the Trooper. As I said earlier, this Trooper was the base model and it came with no extras, but I knew the wiring harnesses were all the same, and it was just a matter of sourcing all the parts that needed to go behind the dash and under the hood. So after a little work, the Trooper was blowing cold air.

No A/C...
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A/C added...
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Black interior coming together with fresh carpet...
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Black aluminum door panels...
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Recovered seats now with arm rests...
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At long last, cup holders!
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Power inverter under the seat...
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Overhead Console with Cobra CB
Accessory space is limited in the cab of the rudimentary gen1 Trooper, and I wanted to add a CB. For a while I thought about how to mount it, and ultimately I came up with a simple overhead console made of bent aluminum sheet. This worked out well and allowed me to mount my CB exactly where I wanted it with all the cables hidden underneath, and I didn’t have to cut the headliner in any way. The coax cable runs through a grommet in the roof (see below) and the antenna is mounted to my custom roof rack off to the side (again, see below).

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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
THE ROOF RACK

Custom Roof Rack
I used to run an old school Con-Ferr roof basket. You pretty much cannot ask for a bigger and better roof basket.

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However, my desire to upgrade to a primo roof top tent meant the basket had to go, and I needed to make something to suit the tent. I wanted to make my own platform so I could add my existing accessories exactly the way I wanted to. I also planned the rack to re-use the Con-Ferr rain gutter mounting system, which is hands down the strongest way to carry weight on top of your rig. So, after my tent arrived, I was able to plan out and build a platform specifically to suit the tent. I also added custom mounting points for an axe & shovel carrier, front driving lights, reverse lights and a CB antenna. The end result worked out quite well. The roof rack blends right in, and the whole package looks quite nice and tight.

I had a friend with a tube bender make the corner pieces for me, and the rest I built myself out of square and rectangular steel tubing. Here it is getting welded up.
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This is the base of the platform before I added mounting points for my lights, axe and shovel mount, and CB antenna.
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Mounting points added...
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Some test fitting...
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Paint...
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50” LED Lightbar and 2x Hella reverse lights
Adding lights to the roof of a vehicle is always a conundrum. Some people just run the wires around a door opening. Others have vehicles with natural paths through the roof via vertical bars or spoilers. But my Trooper has none of this and I wanted a very clean, professional install. I searched and searched until I found a clean, weatherproof way to pass wires through sheet metal. Ultimately there was only one option that looked good enough to satisfy my desire for perfection. So I gave up my search for something cheaper, and bought a CODE3 Quick Disconnect cable. This made my most un-favorite part of vehicle modding a breeze (I hate wires).

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This thing is nice, and once it arrived, I realized then why it was so expensive. That's a lot of wire!
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Next up, the scary part. Out comes the hole saw.
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The wires come straight down through the headliner where the dome light goes.
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I ran a pull string through the headliner and down the b-pillar.
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A hole for a coax connector for the CB antenna was also drilled.
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So now, all the wires are hidden nicely under the overhead console and headliner, and down through the b-pillar, and then up to the dash and engine bay. The only thing left to do was add connectors for my lights on the roof. The LED light bar is wicked bright, and blows away my older Hella 8” driving lights. What's even better, is there are only two wires to deal with, and the power draw is far less than what conventional driving lights pull. LEDs are simply put, a no brainer. I bought my lightbar on eBay for $300, and it is without a doubt like all the other brandless Chinese made models, but works just fine and seems to be holding up to the elements.
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To control the lights, I ran the wires to two empty switch blanks on the left side of the dash, and labeled them accordingly. This worked out well.
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The reverse lights are still conventional Hellas, but I only use those when working behind the vehicle in the dark or when I am backing up at night on the trail. Eventually I will swap those out for some LEDs also.
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Smittybilt Axe & Shovel Mount
Smittybilt (http://www.smittybiltdepot.com) has made 4x4 products for a long, long time. And their Axe and Shovel mount is the best system I have found to date. It's simple, secure and blends right in when mounted up. I bolted it to a custom mount I welded to my roof platform, and it works perfectly. It keeps the tools readily accessible when you need them, and up and out of the way when you don't. You can also secure the tools with a padlock which is nice.
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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
THE TENT

James Baroud Evasion EVO Roof Top Tent

When it comes to accessories that cost more than the vehicle itself, I tend to hesitate. But I have an obsessive personality, and once the seed is planted, I have a hard time beating back my desires. I looked at RTTs for a few years and after careful consideration, I concluded that I did not want a folding type tent. So that left me with only two choices: Autohome or James Baroud. When it came time to commit, I pulled the trigger on the James Baroud Evasion EVO. I chose this brand over Autohome because James Baroud offered a few little extras that appealed to me. So I checked the map of distributors, and gave Tom Herzog at Adventure Ready a call. He answered all my questions, and again, out came the plastic. I waited anxiously for two very long weeks before my tent arrived, only to be wrought with disappointment when my tent came in damaged.

What you get...
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Be sure to check the bottom of the box!
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Apparently, the skid the tent was shipped on was carelessly broken apart by a forklift along the way, which flipped a board over nails up, and poked holes through the box which ultimately chipped away some of the fiberglass gel coat on the bottom.
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The damage...
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Truthfully, the damage was not that bad and could have easily been repaired with some filler. But after dropping over $3,000 on something, I was not about to accept any damage. Immediately I filed a claim with the freight company and called Tom to let him know. I also sent him pictures of the damage. Thankfully, Tom hastily and professionally handled the problem, and within a week or so a new tent was on its way to me. So I have to give a big thanks to Tom at Adventure Ready for being a stand up dealer and getting this fixed for me as quickly as possible. Thanks, Tom!

The new tent on top of my Con-Ferr rack after I loaded it up to bring home from the loading dock at work. (shipping to work saved me about $200)
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Now back to the tent. There's no bones about it, the tent is heavy and it was challenging for me and a friend to get it up onto the roof platform.
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In general I do not think it is really all that much heavier than my old steel Con-Ferr roof basket, but still, it's a cow on top of the vehicle. The mounting system uses three pairs of threaded rods that slide into two integrated rails on the bottom of the tent. From there you button everything up with some flat bars and nylon lock nuts. The tent is on there and on there good.
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Opening the tent is quite simple, and having it ready to climb into literally takes less than five minutes. This means you can leave work early on Friday and get some driving out of the way, pull over when you get tired, find a level spot, flip the rear latches then the front latches and voila! Sleeping quarters appear before your eyes. Next, pull out the included aluminum ladder, hook it up and climb in for the night.
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No more pitching tents in the dark. No more inflating bed rolls that barely save you from waking up crippled, and you can also say goodbye to sleeping bags if you want. And that's the other nice thing. The tent comes with a 2” memory foam mattress that is contained in a condensation proof, zip off liner. That's the ladder in the middle. Yes, it comes with it's own bag.
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So my wife went to TJ Maxx and bought a cheap set of cotton sheets, complete with a fitted sheet for the mattress, regular sheet and pillow cases. Add a down comforter, extra blanket or two, and a couple nice pillows and you have full comfort. What's more, is all of your bedding, as well as the ladder can stay in the tent full time, clearing up storage space inside your rig. You could probably leave your pajamas in there too.
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Those elastic cords running horizontally are there to help pull the tent fabric in as you close it up. You remove them while you are inside.
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Now I was concerned that the memory foam mattress wouldn't be enough as I am a side sleeper, but I woke up pain free after the first night I spent in the tent. A nice surprise. Hopefully it will hold up and last for many years without loosing any cushiness. The Evasion EVO has three entry points, one on each side and one on the back. This is great for me, because if I am not carrying spare fuel, I can leave the supplied ladder at home and just use my rear ladder for entry and egress. The tent also has a built-in, solar powered, LED light, as well as a solar powered, two-way vent fan.
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There are side pockets and an overhead net for stowing gear. The doors/windows have strong and thick Velco fixtures, as well as zippers to seal you up inside and keep bugs and the elements out. Closing up the tent before moving out takes a bit more effort and time, but can still be accomplished in roughly ten minutes. The key to closing the tent is making sure you do it in the proper order. First, you pull the front down using a built in pull strap, and buckle each latch without locking them in place. Then you can move to the back and pull it closed while your camping partner walks around the perimeter ensuring the tent fabric tucks in properly . This task will take a bit more time if you are out solo, but I would imagine can still be accomplished easily with some practice. Once the clamshell is closed and you are sure everything is folded away nice and tidy, you lock the latches in place and roll out.

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Driving on the road with the tent up top is noticeable but not overwhelmingly so. The contours of the shell make the tent fairly aerodynamic and wind noise is minimal. So far, I have not noticed a major reduction in fuel consumption, which is also nice. When taking corners, you might feel the top heaviness a little, but again, it is hardly noticeable on the street. On the trail, I feel that my overall awareness while driving on off camber paths will be more acute, fine tuned, and the whole experience will be even more nerve racking than usual. I plan to avoid severe angles even more than I have done in the past. That said, with skilled driving and proper spotting, I think the Trooper will continue to eat up dirt and get me to my destinations rubber side down. If I had to find some cons about the Evasion EVO, or roof top tents in general, there are the obvious things. After several brewskies around the campfire, you have to remember draining your bladder at 3am is going to require a trip down a ladder in a half stupor. So there there's that. And I need to come up with a way to keep my shoes outside the tent before climbing up the ladder. This isn't such a problem in dry weather, but the last thing you want to do is introduce mud and dirt into your bedroom. I plan to make some sort of bag or net where footwear can be stowed just outside next to the ladder. And if you are like me and my wife, then your dogs are family, and go in the tent at night too. For us, this isn't a problem as our dogs are just little buggers. But if you are used to sleeping in your ground tent with your Rhodesian Ridgeback, you had best think twice about a RTT. I suppose I could also complain about the loss of available roof top storage space, but this was a conscious choice, and forced me to get creative. And once you don't need to carry sleeping bags and bed rolls inside the vehicle, you have a lot more storage space inside anyway.

As for the Evasion EVO itself, it appears to be of superb build quality, save for the ABS plastic hooks on the ladder. One of my hooks broke almost right away, which was very shocking. When I got home I did a little research online, and found that this is apparently a known issue with the James Baroud ladders. I was already in contact with OK Auto 4WD & Tire (the US distributor for James Baroud) about returning the damaged tent, and when I told them about the broken hook, they confirmed that there is a repair kit for this problem which they are sending me to keep on hand. I have high hopes that the repair kit turns out to be some nice machined aluminum replacement hooks, but I have yet to recieve the kit. I will report back later with what the repair kit consists of after I receive it.

I was also shocked that the tent was not shipped on a solid pallet or at least with some additional padding. At such a cost, and with such a long way to travel, you would think the tent would be packaged a little better to ensure damage during transit never happens. But perhaps my situation was an anomaly. The only other thing I wish the tent had was a padlock system for the front and back to deter any potential meddling while the Trooper is parked in publically accessible places. You also must take into consideration that your vehicle will no longer fit into standard height garages, and removing the tent is no easy task. So you better be happy with it up there for a good long while. I personally like the way the tent looks on my Trooper. It fits nicely and blends in with the color scheme as well. So all in all, you definitely jeopardize your center of gravity, and you have to part with a hefty chunk of change, but there is nothing better than a good night's sleep in a comfortable, weather proof shelter. So far this appears to be the answer to any and all sleeping and shelter concerns.

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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
THE FUTURE

So what’s left?
My Trooper is for all practical purposes, done. But there are still a few things on my agenda. I plan to build my own custom rear bumper with an integrated Hi-Lift Jack mount, and I would like to add a dual battery setup and an ARB Fridge. I have not figured out these pieces of the puzzle just yet, but I plan to get to them sometime this summer. For now, I just want to get out and enjoy what I have put together. Here's a few other photos of my 1991 Isuzu Trooper Overlanding Build.

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Just for good measure...
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Thanks for reading!
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nfpgasmask

Adventurer
Thanks, guys.

:********:

What an awesome rig...so when are you gonna bring it to Moab??
Hey, I do like to write...you know that. ;)

Man, I thought about coming back to Moab this spring, but my brother is getting married that weekend! I just don't know! It is something I long to do though!

Bart
 
J

JWP58

Guest
That is the best looking Trooper I have ever seen. Very awesome find, and sweet mods/upgrades.
 

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