stevo-mt
Member
Well it's that time of year again when its busy, the salmon are running and I have a few minutes every once in a while to dream and think about my truck while it sits in Anchorage.
I made a purchase for a couple of the stainless steel folding steps that will go on the side of the truck by the drivers and passenger doors. That should make life a bit easier grabbing fuel jugs or if I ever actually use the generator to check up on it. The solar panels and driving pretty much keep that thing topped off. When I was in canada I also found some more of those good sceptor cans with a true vent. None of that "carb" gas can stuff. :elkgrin:
I also found a heavy duty canvas tarp with d-rings and straps. I shipped it to me here in AK so I can test it when I drive down to Montana in the fall. The idea was that with an 8 x 16 foot canvas tarp I can have the rear doors open and this would span across the two doors and provide a shelter down to almost the ground. I borrowed the idea from a m1010 truck that a guy in Europe has. We shall see how that goes and I plan on making so it rolls up and ties off on the back where the lift for the spare tire (former stretcher lift) deals go. The price was about half of doing an ARB awning but I don't see how one of those things would ever hold up in winds that you get in these parts of the world.
The more thinking I do about this truck the more I am opting to change the idea of how everything is setup. What I discovered and reinforced on the trip up the alcan this spring is that I need to either cut down on gear (that will never happen...) or make more storage space. As much as I love the camp chef stove with the oven it will not have a permanent home in the truck. It simply takes up too much room. I am going to go the route of a small 2 burner stove top. The fancy Lagun table is not really practical. Kind of a waste of money really at this point. I just don't have enough room in the truck as is to justify such a fancy adjustable table. The solution will be a slide out piece of plywood that comes from under one of the aluminum backboard/bunk dealy's. Not sure what you call those things but they are stout enough it will hold up a 3 ft long piece of plywood underneath. On a really cold day with 12 hours of driving we ended up just cooking with the Jetboils inside with the roof open and the door cracked. That actually worked out awesome. Jet boils are such an awesome thing to have. I figured I could just make the propane burner slide out as well. Basically putting a westifallia kitchen in a horizontal space that slid out to where you could use it when you wanted.
I love the storage in the back underneath were the stretchers would be but it is so difficult to access. There are these sliding doors that are just a pain in the neck. So when the truck gets back to MT I am going to feel a bit sad but the grinder is going to be taken to them and it will become flush with the floor and have as much room to the top. I plan on doing one of two things. Either find plastic totes that fit or making a few different wood boxes that would fit exactly in the space. That way I could contour the fender wells and other random things that get in the way. I would make them out of 1/4" plywood so theoretically won't lose any space. Just making it more usable and less frustrating. I have to keep my girlfriend happy when she tries to get a snack or something and can't because of some random tool slid into the way of the sliding door and it won't open now.
The simple "tailgaterz" hanging kitchen organizer is such a nice thing to have. It makes things so much more simple for all the cooking junk. It's right there handy on the wall and you can roll it up out of the way when you don't want it there. I do plan on making some nice wood cabinets up in the top corner of the rear. It seems like unused space that wouldn't hurt to have a 12"x 8" x 7 ft set of cabinets down the side. Nothing complicated or heavy. Just more storage for food and the random junk like that.
If I can make coffee and dinner without having to a ton of work it will be a much more pleasurable platform. Normally Jess and I are pretty laid back traveling but when we had to actually stay to a schedule later on in the trip it made it a pain to drive until 7 or 8 in the evening, then be hungry and try to cook, hauling out the stove and etc. It sure was nice being able to bake things but not really worth the hassle of how big and heavy that stove is!
So my solution. Realizing I can't have everything in a smaller size package (relative compared to an F550 or unimog) I am going to make a compromise. I like to take motorcycles and snow machines out recreating so I am almost stuck pulling a trailer any time I want to do that. My M1101 humvee trailer seems to be the perfect platform for a complementary "glamping" trailer. By enclosing the M1101 I would be able to put the things that I can't or don't want to have in the truck for those times that I would be setting up a base camp. Or at least leave the junk at the trail head in an inclosed trailer. My plans were to enclose the trailer anyways so why not install the propane stove, a sink, axillary water tanks, spare fuel and gas jugs, propane tank, hot water heater, shower curtain assembly, etc. Two motorcycles and our zodiac could live in that thing with a locked door. Another reason for this is my girlfriend is going to be starting graduate school so we are planning on having to move twice in two years and I would hate to end up living in an apartment somewhere without all my toys.
blah blah blah... rant over.
Now onto the good stuff!
Cruising a tractor down the Alaska Peninsula Highway! 15 miles of paved awesomeness!
Some fishing boats out in Bristol bay at Egegik.
A big ol' bear!
I made a purchase for a couple of the stainless steel folding steps that will go on the side of the truck by the drivers and passenger doors. That should make life a bit easier grabbing fuel jugs or if I ever actually use the generator to check up on it. The solar panels and driving pretty much keep that thing topped off. When I was in canada I also found some more of those good sceptor cans with a true vent. None of that "carb" gas can stuff. :elkgrin:
I also found a heavy duty canvas tarp with d-rings and straps. I shipped it to me here in AK so I can test it when I drive down to Montana in the fall. The idea was that with an 8 x 16 foot canvas tarp I can have the rear doors open and this would span across the two doors and provide a shelter down to almost the ground. I borrowed the idea from a m1010 truck that a guy in Europe has. We shall see how that goes and I plan on making so it rolls up and ties off on the back where the lift for the spare tire (former stretcher lift) deals go. The price was about half of doing an ARB awning but I don't see how one of those things would ever hold up in winds that you get in these parts of the world.
The more thinking I do about this truck the more I am opting to change the idea of how everything is setup. What I discovered and reinforced on the trip up the alcan this spring is that I need to either cut down on gear (that will never happen...) or make more storage space. As much as I love the camp chef stove with the oven it will not have a permanent home in the truck. It simply takes up too much room. I am going to go the route of a small 2 burner stove top. The fancy Lagun table is not really practical. Kind of a waste of money really at this point. I just don't have enough room in the truck as is to justify such a fancy adjustable table. The solution will be a slide out piece of plywood that comes from under one of the aluminum backboard/bunk dealy's. Not sure what you call those things but they are stout enough it will hold up a 3 ft long piece of plywood underneath. On a really cold day with 12 hours of driving we ended up just cooking with the Jetboils inside with the roof open and the door cracked. That actually worked out awesome. Jet boils are such an awesome thing to have. I figured I could just make the propane burner slide out as well. Basically putting a westifallia kitchen in a horizontal space that slid out to where you could use it when you wanted.
I love the storage in the back underneath were the stretchers would be but it is so difficult to access. There are these sliding doors that are just a pain in the neck. So when the truck gets back to MT I am going to feel a bit sad but the grinder is going to be taken to them and it will become flush with the floor and have as much room to the top. I plan on doing one of two things. Either find plastic totes that fit or making a few different wood boxes that would fit exactly in the space. That way I could contour the fender wells and other random things that get in the way. I would make them out of 1/4" plywood so theoretically won't lose any space. Just making it more usable and less frustrating. I have to keep my girlfriend happy when she tries to get a snack or something and can't because of some random tool slid into the way of the sliding door and it won't open now.
The simple "tailgaterz" hanging kitchen organizer is such a nice thing to have. It makes things so much more simple for all the cooking junk. It's right there handy on the wall and you can roll it up out of the way when you don't want it there. I do plan on making some nice wood cabinets up in the top corner of the rear. It seems like unused space that wouldn't hurt to have a 12"x 8" x 7 ft set of cabinets down the side. Nothing complicated or heavy. Just more storage for food and the random junk like that.
If I can make coffee and dinner without having to a ton of work it will be a much more pleasurable platform. Normally Jess and I are pretty laid back traveling but when we had to actually stay to a schedule later on in the trip it made it a pain to drive until 7 or 8 in the evening, then be hungry and try to cook, hauling out the stove and etc. It sure was nice being able to bake things but not really worth the hassle of how big and heavy that stove is!
So my solution. Realizing I can't have everything in a smaller size package (relative compared to an F550 or unimog) I am going to make a compromise. I like to take motorcycles and snow machines out recreating so I am almost stuck pulling a trailer any time I want to do that. My M1101 humvee trailer seems to be the perfect platform for a complementary "glamping" trailer. By enclosing the M1101 I would be able to put the things that I can't or don't want to have in the truck for those times that I would be setting up a base camp. Or at least leave the junk at the trail head in an inclosed trailer. My plans were to enclose the trailer anyways so why not install the propane stove, a sink, axillary water tanks, spare fuel and gas jugs, propane tank, hot water heater, shower curtain assembly, etc. Two motorcycles and our zodiac could live in that thing with a locked door. Another reason for this is my girlfriend is going to be starting graduate school so we are planning on having to move twice in two years and I would hate to end up living in an apartment somewhere without all my toys.
blah blah blah... rant over.Now onto the good stuff!
Cruising a tractor down the Alaska Peninsula Highway! 15 miles of paved awesomeness!
Some fishing boats out in Bristol bay at Egegik.
A big ol' bear!
