Recently my Facebook feed has been inundating me with timehop photos. When I saw the photo below, dated November 19, 2010, I got a little bit nostalgic. That shiny, almost new (only 14K miles) certified pre-owned Trail Edition 4Runner now has north of 125K miles on it and is developing the beat-to-shit-look patina that only a well-loved and well-used 4x4 can wear. For … [Read more...]
Battle of the Goodyears: Duratrac vs. MT/R
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...]
