The classic battle, and the immediate one (at least it should be) after you get your offroad chariot...what tire should I run? After nearly 65,000 miles on Goodyear Duratrac All-Terrains and now about 7,000 miles on Goodyear MT/R Mud-Terrains I've formed some opinions on these 2 excellent tires. Unfortunately, there is no clear winner for everyone. … [Read more...]
Weekend Trip: GWNF Offroading + Snow Camping
Middle of January and it's pretty cold. It's even colder (and snowier) in the mountains. But we have cabin fever. What to do, what to do? Naturally, this would be the time to hit up a cozy mountain chalet or ski resort for some Winter fun as it is surely too cold/slick/whatever to offroad and camp. Nonsense. … [Read more...]
Shrockworks 4Runner Armor
One of the pillars of my 4Runner buildup has been to keep it practical enough to be a daily driver. In my opinion, there is nothing less practical than a 4Runner with a busted oil pan, transfer-case, or anything else that leaves it dead in the water. Some of the most important modifications I have done were adding armor to the 4runner to protect running … [Read more...]
Weekend Trip: Big Levels and Shoe Creek
While the long trips far from home I get to do a couple times a year are always awesome, a huge portion of this lifestyle (obsession?) for me is getting out for quick one-nighter weekend trips close to home. This past July I headed out on National Forest Land in Virginia with a couple local DC-Area friends for a quick overnight wheeling/camping trip. We considered this a … [Read more...]
Toyota FJ Summit and Colorado Wheeling
After a sweltering couple of days this past summer camping and offroading in Moab, heading to the cooler, thinner air of Colorado was just what I needed. I was meeting up with a bunch of friends at the FJ Summit, an annual gathering of FJ Cruiser and other Toyota 4x4 enthusiasts held in Ouray, nestled in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. This event is big … [Read more...]