Erik@Lucky8
New member
If you end up finishing in NY, Ill take it
Can it be done, (THE BUILD) a little back country trip to the USA
- Thread starter newhue
- Start date
newhue
Adventurer
Wing removal.
So finally I got some time to make start of the dirty old Tdi. I was a bit apprehensive as I didn't want to find a whole heap of rust or work to deal with.I knew it has a little rust in the footwells, but was not sure about the other common areas they rust.
off with the left wing the A pillar is like new.
I tapped and tapped, looked for signs of body filler and could not find any trace.
The right side was no different
You can see a small outbreak of runs on the edge of the foot well.
And worst of it, hardly surprising really. I have some replacement foot wells, but they are only steel. Thinking I may get them galvanised or copied in alloy.
Time to ditch the bumper and see what the pig irons are doing. Interesting my 2010 has a big hole and a rubber bung in the lower patrolling part. Happy days to see they too were in good nick.
So finally I got some time to make start of the dirty old Tdi. I was a bit apprehensive as I didn't want to find a whole heap of rust or work to deal with.I knew it has a little rust in the footwells, but was not sure about the other common areas they rust.
off with the left wing the A pillar is like new.
I tapped and tapped, looked for signs of body filler and could not find any trace.
The right side was no different
You can see a small outbreak of runs on the edge of the foot well.
And worst of it, hardly surprising really. I have some replacement foot wells, but they are only steel. Thinking I may get them galvanised or copied in alloy.
Time to ditch the bumper and see what the pig irons are doing. Interesting my 2010 has a big hole and a rubber bung in the lower patrolling part. Happy days to see they too were in good nick.
stingray1300
Explorer
Sorry for the hijack, but... Please don't speak for any of the rest of us. The wife and I just spent 4 weeks "touring" BC, the Yukon and Alaska (aka: Bear Central), camping all along the way. Bears: yep. Guns: nope. No need for them. A matter of true factual information is, according to the NFS & GBA, that bear spray is much more effective on a bear than a firearm.
.
If you have concerns about bears, there are a few things you can do to mitigate problems without needlessly taking the life of an animal:
1- take a bottle of ammonia, and spread it around your campsite (imagine how humans -us- react to the smell!)
2- dryer sheets, put them around your tent, car, food, etc. - bears hate the smell
3- a good quality compressed air horn (120 + db)
4- Bear bangers (basically an M80 with a pen launcher)
5- bear spray
6- and last, but not least: male urine (around the camp area) - hey, y'all like to drink beer anyway, right?:sombrero:
.
It also doesn't hurt anything sleeping 6ft off the ground in an RTT
But you should seal your cooler/fridge really well.
newhue
Adventurer
No worries Stingray, thanks, happy to hear all sides.
Bears are new to me so I'm keen to lean about them. I once saw a few pics of a bloke hiking who met a bear, didn't work out well for him at all. We will be sleeping in our whimsical hiking tents on the ground, I will have a can of bear spray for all family members to have above their head as we sleep. Hopefully one of us can get it together amongst the panic and adrenalin if the need ever arises.
Can you expand on
2- dryer sheets. size, weight, how long do they lasting?
4- Bear bangers
for general,
I asked these guys, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) for some specs of what would be required to build a metal box for a 13 gal (hope that's correct) fridge suitable for entry into NP's. Didn't get a reply so I'll over engineer something with seals I guess. Might even rig a motion sensor to an air horn given we may be away from the vehicle for a few days at a time.
I'd really also like to mount a small Webber Q BBQ. Fantastic little oven for those who know, but feel I am asking for trouble stowed or in use.
Bears are new to me so I'm keen to lean about them. I once saw a few pics of a bloke hiking who met a bear, didn't work out well for him at all. We will be sleeping in our whimsical hiking tents on the ground, I will have a can of bear spray for all family members to have above their head as we sleep. Hopefully one of us can get it together amongst the panic and adrenalin if the need ever arises.
Can you expand on
2- dryer sheets. size, weight, how long do they lasting?
4- Bear bangers
for general,
I asked these guys, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) for some specs of what would be required to build a metal box for a 13 gal (hope that's correct) fridge suitable for entry into NP's. Didn't get a reply so I'll over engineer something with seals I guess. Might even rig a motion sensor to an air horn given we may be away from the vehicle for a few days at a time.
I'd really also like to mount a small Webber Q BBQ. Fantastic little oven for those who know, but feel I am asking for trouble stowed or in use.
Last edited:
The Rover Shop
Explorer
Unfortunately to a nuisance bear your whole truck will smell like food or something he wants..there are pics of a car ripped to shreds because the bear was trying to get to the bar of soap.. Most trucks that are cooked near or travelled in are going to smell of something like food.. We carried bear spray with us but we never had an encounter and we stayed off the beaten path..it's usually in campsites that are heavily trafficked that nuisance bears frequent..
newhue
Adventurer
So would not be completely naive and foolish to think its possible to clean a brand new webber BBQ well after use, double bag it in some heavy duty plastic bag, then place it into a hessian (cloth) bag that has been soaked in transmission oil or similar. The truck will have a cavity under the tray that will be dust and water proof as well, this is where I'll store it.
I also ponder if I'm being naive to dream that one could camp near a trail head, or near a stream in the back country of a big beautiful broad meadow in a national forrest? Down here our National Parks are usually designated camp sites. State Forrest or your national forrest are more open for camping where you like. Farmers who own most of the private land usually don't like people poaching on their land, and surprising how well they know and monitor it. But there is usually some out of the way spot to stay for a night or two if you keep a quiet profile. The idea of primitive camping in a trailer park or some organised and partitioned off or an allocated tent site isn't appealing for most part.
The US is sounding very similar to here in the sense that humans create the trouble in the animals from being careless with food. Move away from those hot spots and the animals are no issue at all.
I also ponder if I'm being naive to dream that one could camp near a trail head, or near a stream in the back country of a big beautiful broad meadow in a national forrest? Down here our National Parks are usually designated camp sites. State Forrest or your national forrest are more open for camping where you like. Farmers who own most of the private land usually don't like people poaching on their land, and surprising how well they know and monitor it. But there is usually some out of the way spot to stay for a night or two if you keep a quiet profile. The idea of primitive camping in a trailer park or some organised and partitioned off or an allocated tent site isn't appealing for most part.
The US is sounding very similar to here in the sense that humans create the trouble in the animals from being careless with food. Move away from those hot spots and the animals are no issue at all.
The Rover Shop
Explorer
I'm an Aussie currently residing in the USA and have done quite a bit of expedition ing in the USA.. The national parks and forests over here are really well setup and primitive camping can be easily found and free in most cases, if your truck is off road capable you can get to some really nice national forest camps that have bear boxes and campfire pits etc.. We have maps that show remote camps and most national forest ranger stations will point you to the really cool primitive campgrounds if they feel that you are prepared enough for the remote terrain..I have had them check my truck to verify that I have the correct equipment..
Outback
Explorer
Bears are incredible, beautiful animals. They are also extremely powerful. If they smell food in your vehicle they can easily tear off a door. Even the small Black Bears can do this. As far as Pepper Spray being all you would ever need is a pretty ignorant comment for anyone to make. It may or may not work and each situation will be and is different. Political correctness has no place in reality. Honestly the worst areas that have bear break in problems tend to be where people leave food out or have been eating in there vehicles or went and opened a door after eating a greasy burger and left the residue on the vehicle. A clean camp site with garbage kept away from the vehicle and washed hands ect will go a LONG way in preventing a bear break in. BUT its absolutely no guarantee. As far as a firearm is concerned its up to you. I carry one. Havent had to use it yet even though I worked for many years in Wolf and Bear Country. Its better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Ever see anyone who had been eaten by a Bear? I have. Not the way I want to go. He had a can of bear spray. Don't know if it was used as the bear chewed on it at some point and punctured the can. That was the day I decide to carry both. One of our scientist finished eating lunch one day up in the Yukon (Dempster Highway just below the Artic circle) and opened a door to a small garage near our site. Later on he came back down and told me something bit the door handle. Upon inspection a wolf had chewed on the stainless steel commercial grade door knob. He left teeth indentions in the stainless steel! He didn't wash his hands after he ate lunch. I hope you stop by and visit Prescott, Arizona when your in the US. I will have Cold Beer, Wine and Steaks fresh off the grill for you and your family.
newhue
Adventurer
Thanks for the words. If we are all still on here in a few yours you will now I'm coming. I'll be the ecstatic guy who hasn't sleep for a week from being to excited.
To be honest with a fire arm, we don't have them down here generally, we don't grow up with them. If you have one the gun, bullets, and bolt all need to be stored in separate lockable areas. It is difficult to move around he country with one. We had a bloke shoot up a tourist attraction a few years back. There was a Government buy back and as a general statement guns should mostly be in the hands of the drug dealers, gun club enthusiast, and the farmers.
To get the practice which would produce the calm and skill to defend myself from an approaching bear seems unlikely.
Someone mentioned bear bangers, are they like a little fire cracker, or a throw down. A throw down is the size of a bottle top but is a fire work for want of better description. They make a loud bang noise when friction is used to ignite the gun power. Hence the name. They to are a thing of the past in little ol australia.
To be honest with a fire arm, we don't have them down here generally, we don't grow up with them. If you have one the gun, bullets, and bolt all need to be stored in separate lockable areas. It is difficult to move around he country with one. We had a bloke shoot up a tourist attraction a few years back. There was a Government buy back and as a general statement guns should mostly be in the hands of the drug dealers, gun club enthusiast, and the farmers.
To get the practice which would produce the calm and skill to defend myself from an approaching bear seems unlikely.
Someone mentioned bear bangers, are they like a little fire cracker, or a throw down. A throw down is the size of a bottle top but is a fire work for want of better description. They make a loud bang noise when friction is used to ignite the gun power. Hence the name. They to are a thing of the past in little ol australia.
The Rover Shop
Explorer
You have a better chance of being murdered by a person on your travels than being mauled by a bear... Sure it happens, and sometimes no amount of preparation and preparedness will prevent it, but being bear savvy definitely lessens your chances.. You can even go as far as to prepare your meals etc in one place, clean up and wash dishes etc etc.. and then drive back to the place where you are camping for the night (maybe a mile or so away..) as a foreign traveler coming to the USA and then trying to purchase a gun for protection over here is definitely not an easy task nor one that would be advised..and then travelling across state and country borders, most states have different laws and then national parks and forests ban the carrying of firearms.. Even bear spray is not allowed to be carried across borders between the USA and Canada.. A flare gun is sometimes a better measure than nothing..
jh.
ambitiose sed ineptum
This is not true.
jh.
ambitiose sed ineptum
Sorry for the hijack, but... Please don't speak for any of the rest of us. The wife and I just spent 4 weeks "touring" BC, the Yukon and Alaska (aka: Bear Central), camping all along the way. Bears: yep. Guns: nope. No need for them. A matter of true factual information is, according to the NFS & GBA, that bear spray is much more effective on a bear than a firearm.
.
If you have concerns about bears, there are a few things you can do to mitigate problems without needlessly taking the life of an animal:
1- take a bottle of ammonia, and spread it around your campsite (imagine how humans -us- react to the smell!)
2- dryer sheets, put them around your tent, car, food, etc. - bears hate the smell
3- a good quality compressed air horn (120 + db)
4- Bear bangers (basically an M80 with a pen launcher)
5- bear spray
6- and last, but not least: male urine (around the camp area) - hey, y'all like to drink beer anyway, right?:sombrero:
.
It also doesn't hurt anything sleeping 6ft off the ground in an RTT
Your comment makes it sound like I go out looking for bears to shoot. I simply said that bringing both is a good idea. I do it and fortunately have needed neither.
The Rover Shop
Explorer
You're an Aussie.. We don't get scared of anything... Just cautious..lol..