post up your camping pics

[dieseldawg142]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

Looks like an awesome time. Later this summer I’m gonna try and take my K20 for a weekend trip up to my in-laws camp in the mountains here. I’ll have to add some pictures here if I do.

thanks, did have a good time, and any outdoor pics are cool!

Originally Posted by MTCK

Dang man very sorry to hear about your folks. That’s brutal. Amazing photos as always.

thank you
ya MTCK, like a 10 ton lightning bolt slapped me in the head...would'nt wish it on anyone...

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

Sorry for your loss Dude. I can only imagine how you feel over getting news like that. But mountain runs are good therapy. It looks like a good time.

Gearing up for an overnighter up on a familiar trail we've done many times this weekend. I need to have a test run before we head to Utah next month. I need some mountain time myself. Between work and dealing with the virus business, it's going to be good to be off grid for a weekend.

again, thanks
getting out Zoomad was just what i needed. betwix the virus thing and losing my folks, i needed to get back up in the mountains...
i got a week off coming up first of july myself, have got a pre trip planned also in case there's any bugs wit the new camper fridge.
whereabouts in Utah you heading?

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by dieseldawg142

thanks, did have a good time, and any outdoor pics are cool!



thank you
ya MTCK, like a 10 ton lightning bolt slapped me in the head...would'nt wish it on anyone...




again, thanks
getting out Zoomad was just what i needed. betwix the virus thing and losing my folks, i needed to get back up in the mountains...
i got a week off coming up first of july myself, have got a pre trip planned also in case there's any bugs wit the new camper fridge.
whereabouts in Utah you heading?

Target zone is the San Rafael swell in central Utah. 30 miles west of Green River is the jumping off point from pavement. We a starting out in the same area as we did in '17 but will cover more ground in the swell than we did last time.

[dieseldawg142]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

Target zone is the San Rafael swell in central Utah. 30 miles west of Green River is the jumping off point from pavement. We a starting out in the same area as we did in '17 but will cover more ground in the swell than we did last time.

sweeet!
are you going in that area around temple Mount rd?
beautiful country around there.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by dieseldawg142

sweeet!
are you going in that area around temple Mount rd?
beautiful country around there.

That's actually the point where we get off of I-70 to head up to the first trail. Fix it pass is first up on the way. We'll come back south on Eva Conover and jog over to Eagle canyon and cross back under I-70 again.

I had a good test run. Blitzed out of the shop right on time. Made good time on the ride up. Thankfully Storm didn't barf on the console on the ride up like she did last time on the way up to the same trail last year. Part of the run was to test out the radios as John and Shane each upgraded to GMRS units too. They knew when I was expected to get up there. So I had the radio on while I was still on the highway. I was probably 2 miles from the turn off the highway to the trail when I got the first contact from Shane. I took note of the mileage and figured it took me 12 miles from the first point of contact to the campsite where they were. While 12 miles on a GMRS unit isn't bad, when you factor in the terrain and elevation difference it's pretty amazing. We all were pretty impressed. It wasn't perfect and depending on where I was at on the trail below them I had some contact and not. Not any surprise there since GMRS line of sight and we were not on a repeater channel. But as I climbed in elevation the quality of the signal was much better than CB ever could be. I'm a believer.

Getting off the radio kick, I aired down at the trailhead and rallied up the trail solo making decent time. Being memorial day weekend I did hit some trail traffic, but it wasn't bad since most that were up there were already set up in campsites. I've actually never seen so many up there before. But I knew as the trail gains in elevation it gets steeper and rougher than the lower sections. I was right there weren't many up above. I didn't take any video since my wife relocated my GoPro's in a cleaning frenzy. Cell coverage was decent on the lower part of the trail so I turned on IG and went live for a while until the cell coverage was lost.

Climbing up through one of the sections of the trail that goes through a previously burned area from a fire a few years back.


Five minutes within arriving at the campsite the truck barfed the gear out and the top popped up.


Hanging out.


It was also the maiden trail ride for John's son Gino's new ride a 2019 ZR2 Colorado. It's a gasser which will prove to be less problematic over the 4 banger dirtymax version. It did great on the trail, but he needs to get the AEV skids for underbelly protection. These are great little trucks that we've sold a few of. Very capable out of the box.


I have to say I love being able to camp and sleep off the ground. Having the furnace proved to be awesome because the temps dipped deep in the 30's overnight.




Storm was happy to be cruising around camp checking things out.


Dinner was simple, John and his wife brought the burgers dogs and brats and I put the campstove into action to grill them up for the group.


The back of the camper and the bumper proved to be a good serving station too.


The run itself was pretty uneventful. I had actually made it 80% up the trail in 2wd and grabbed 4hi only when the steepness and loose rock required more traction. The drive down was good. Only issue with the truck is the turn signal switch won't stay locked in on right-hand turns. I'll grab a switch at work and swap it in before we go. The camper itself is pretty set and storage dialed in. I'm still amazed at the radios with the range and clarity they have over CB. One of the group had to get out of dodge quick as we aired up since rain was coming and they were in a Jeep with only a bikini top. They were 20 minutes ahead of us on the road and we still could communicate with them like they were within eyesight of us. The upgrade in radios should prove to be great on the desert trip with the group.

[fishmunger]

nice pics looks like a great time and nice to 'shelter outdoors' for a change im sure

[Zoomad75]

Another successful test run in the books. Larry and Ian got up to the lake early and set up camp off the shore of the lake. Pretty for sure, but it proved to be brutal without shelter from any trees in the wind as we found out last night. I plodded my way up the trail and again was able to make clear contact with the radios with a good distance between us. I was 500ft lower in elevation too. Before I lost cell coverage I checked Larry's spot one last time to get the location of camp also. Larry said he and Ian would get busy finding some rocks to stack to level me up since the site was anything but flat.

But I was able to mostly level it out and get the top popped up and set up in camp mode.


It was spitting rain intermittently so we broke out a tarp I keep stashed for such occasions and tied it between the trucks to make a dry spot to sit and cook in.


Ian's sleeping situation leveled up for this season. He scored on a Air Top hard shell roof top tent on Facebook marketplace a couple of months back. He built a rack to keep the load off of the fiberglass top. He said he was warm and dry up there in the weather last night.


Larry went down to the lake in attempt to drown some worms. All he caught was a buzz with a couple of frosty ones he took with him. Ian and I snacked on some venison summer sausage a customer gave me for loaning him a tool. Tasty stuff.


Due to the wind we relocated to the other side of Larrys truck. We had a litte bit of sun that felt really good out of the wind.


Clouds started moving over the ridgeline and we figured we better get after cooking dinner before the weather really turned on us.


Ian broke out his hand built skottle and started cooking some burgers while warmed up some ranch beans on the stove.


My dog Storm was getting wet so I threw her coat on her, which also saved me from wet dog smell when we finally turned in for the night.


Weather still rolling in.


Somebody really wanted a burger too.


To give an idea of how the weather went, these shots so the progression. When I got there you could see the peak in the center of the image. It was cloudy, but all the mountains were visable.


By the time we finished dinner, sat and talked for a while, the rain set in heavy. We all agreed sitting in the rain sucked and called it a night. You can see the peak barely in the pic and the rain and wind were blowing across the lake.


By morning the sun was breaking up the clouds but the wind was still being a pain in the ass. We bailed on the idea of making breakfast for some quick snacks and move to a lower elevation.


My trusty co-pilot Storm was ready for the rough ride down the mountain.


We plodded our way across the rip-rap rocks to rejoin the trail at the tree line. Keep this in mind last July when I went up here the water level was the fullest I had ever seen it and it would have been all the way to the trees. Meaning where we camped would have been well under water last year.


Near the end of the trail we stopped to check some new noises that had developed on mine and Larry's trucks. Looks like the spring shackle bolt on the left front of mine is kissing the exhaust pipe on that side. I'll address it before we leave.


Due to some excessive washboard sections on the dirt road leading in we saved the air up chore for as close to the highway as we could get.


Ian's CUCV is on it's 2nd year since completion of the 8.1/nv4500 swap. All the major kinks have been worked out and he's really getting it dialed in. Other than a leaky rear hub he doesn't have much to do before we shove off.


Larry discovered that he's got an air leak somewhere to the rear ARB as it didn't seem to be working like it should. Besides that he's a tire swap away from being ready. I'm going to change the oil, grease it and rotate the tires next Saturday at work. I'll do a nut and bolt check on the suspension and steering while I'm there.

Despite the crappy weather we still had a good time.

[dieseldawg142]

cool pics Zoomad, even if the weather was'nt the best.
like your buddy's M1009, pretty sweet ride with the eight-one.
took the dogs out the other day, ran into a couple lousy drivers...
came across this nice park job. as i went by some girl yelled at me. turned around and went back, it was my buddy's daughter...


don't know if it was the little bit of rain or just tourists going to fast. came upon this lineup at the bridge, sat here for 30 minutes wit 2 grumpy dogs


finally got moving....


and here's why...

[dieseldawg142]

came across this spike. was a real dark choclate brown, not the usual tan-ish color they are around here

[dieseldawg142]

stopped at this at this creek for the dogs...with this log...


which Rumbledawg decided to try cross...the further out he got, the more it sank under his weight...'till splashdown..


was more surprised he was able to climb back on it to come back, the water was over his head and a pretty good little current was pushing him


came across someone homemade shelter....being inspected by Roxie

[dieseldawg142]

Rumble has a lot of the same habits of Dieseldawg...he likes fetchin' sticks out of the water too


couple posers on the way home

[dieseldawg142]

got some time off in july, been preppin' the camper. new fridge is in, finally got around to testing it- works perfect and chills fast. ya baby!
couple winters ago the emergency hatch on the overhead got ripped off by a tarp in a windstorm. damage was light, but the paneling started de-laminating as it dried out, splitting apart and looking like hell....so i decided to get on it before we go.
after pulling the curtain seperater, light and hatch trim off, down it came.


was kinda hoping to get it off in one piece so i had a pattern


glue and staples. that's what holds it together, unless you vibrate it off road. no structural rot, but a few boards vibrated apart.

[dieseldawg142]

here's how it goes, a wood frame, with paneling on top, then the metal roof. inside 1" roofmate insulation is glued to the paneling between the frame, then the finished paneling is glued and stapled to the the roofmate.
as can see, some of the roofmate is un-stuck. going to bring some new roofmate home from work and replace all of it. you can see how the water emanated from the hatch. there's also no framing across the top angle. the paneling and trim was stapled to the roofmate (?!) i will be putting a 2x2 across there. while the roofmate is out i got tie connectors for all the framing to help hold it together better. will also be grabbing some super HD industrial strength adhesive from work to re-attach everything.


also got to fix the seam on the overhead floor.....


spending money...lol. i hit the porch light wit my stepladder and broke the 31 yr old lense which can't be found anywhere, so installed a new led lite.
.

new paneling don't match, but will look worlds better than the old crusty

[Zoomad75]

Nice ride with the pooches. I don't envy the camper redo on the roof. I'm going to have to do my roof and side canvas sooner than I would like after the wet from this last trip. My roof vent has a tiny leak I noticed as I sat there with the dog on the lower bench in the dark. Couldn't figure out why I felt a little bit of wetness on my leg. Turned on one of my overhead lights and could see a drip on one corner of the vent and it was hitting my ARB on the floor and it would splash and hit my leg. I rigged up a way to catch the water and went on to inspect the canvas with the rain pelting it. I could see areas that were showing signs of wetness coming through and in some spots where the lower edge is stapled to the frame was collecting water.

Replacing the canvas is monumental. It's going to take some arts and crafts skills to pull that one off. Since the headliner is stapled in at the same time as the upper edge of the canvas I'm going to redo that too. Mine has fiberglass batting for insulation and I'll put a higher R-value foil backed foam in it's place. Plus I'll wire it for solar at that point, powered fan for the vent and flush mount the lights.

[dieseldawg142]

can bet it will be a job changing the canvas. can you even buy it or need to go custom?
for your vent leak, if you go with a PMMA coating, guarantee you would never have an issue with your roof again.
i used Alsan RS, a 2 stage compound- page 33, post 809, 810, and 812.
they do make a single stage ready to use out of the can. it's not as good as RS, but better than just about any other roof coating on the market.
Alsan 500
https://www.soprema-international.co...0-pu/alsan-500

little more re and re on the camper roof...
some new roofmate styro and after scraping it off. like the paneling, came off in little bits..


put tie connectors at every single joint, whole upper bunk feels more solid now


this is the angle with no factory framing....can see the 2x2 i fastened in there now

[dieseldawg142]

dry fitting in new styro


time to poly up...


...cause her comes the good stuff, DuoTack. more stuff from work. two stage industrial strength adhesive. we use this to fasten sheets of insulation to concrete roofs on hi rise towers. i think i'll have nooo problems in the camper


styro is up and fastened, will let it sit overnight and then the fun part, the paneling...without screwing it up....

[1976gmc20]

without screwing it up

If you're not going to screw it up, are you just going to staple or glue it up?

[dieseldawg142]

HD adhesive and ring nails.
grabbed some earthquake straps from work for the floor- good 'n' solid now, no deflection at all


only problem with doing a ceiling- they go in before anything else....spent a few hrs trying to fit an almost 4x8 sheet of paneling in there...no way, no how, ain't happening. so i cut it down the middle and put a piece of trim over the cut...
guess i should have taken a "before" shot..

[dieseldawg142]

only other thing i would like to do is change the lino.
the floor lino is pretty decent, but it's been delaminating off the steps. i got a few small chunks of lino kicking around i was going to use on the steps, but wifey say's just get all new for everything so it all matches. floor will have to wait till after holidays.
at least this time i got a "before" shot

[Zoomad75]

8 1/2 hours to departure for Desert trip 2020 aka "Escape from Quarantine".



The truck is 90% loaded, washed and ready to run. We got a bunch going this year which should be interesting. Here's the rundown of the crew coming this year with links to their respective IG accounts.



Instagram accounts:
Mine @Robzulian pretty sure if you are here you know my ride. (CO)
Larry @bigassgas8.1 you all know his ride (CO)
Ian @peein_ian83 (he probably won't post much) K5 CUCV 8.1/nv4500/RTT (CO)
Bill @bill.tiffany.92 Tacoma/RTT (CO)
Ron @capt_ron711 '77 K5/FWC combo aka Crawlabago #2 (CO) *newb to the group
Don @wheelnwagon 16 Powerwagon/FWC camper combo (AZ)
Phil @landcruiserphil also bringing a Powerwagon (I think he may have an FWC too?) *newb to the group (AZ)
Nick @noibns 3dr Cummins burb (AZ) he's probably only going to be along for the first couple of days.
Ty and Hugo that is coming out of CA aren't on the 'gram to track. Ty's got a 2500 Cummins Ram with a Phoenix camper while Hugo is running a 4banger Tacoma.
The guy coming with the transit van got pulled back into work (a feeling I know all too well) but will probably meet up with Nick where ever he goes after leaving our group.

If everybody shows up it's going to be a BIG group on the trail. Bigger than we've ever had. But all are experienced wheelers with capable rigs that should be just fine on the trails we will head out on. Most if not all have made the move to GMRS radios too so for the first time we are going to actually be able to communicate from the front of the group to the back even if we spread out over a couple of miles to keep the dust eating to a minimum. Larry and I have extra GMRS handheld radios just in case somebody needs one. Plus they should work well for spotting.

Speaking of Spotting, where we are going to be that is. Here's the link to Larry's GPS spot that's going to be leaving digital breadcrumbs on the web so we can find our way home or heaven forbid we actually need help.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/f...5mRn378feiJhFQ


The target zone is the San Raphael Swell west of Green River Utah. Start north of I-70 on Fix It Pass and work our way south via Eagle Canyon and roam from there.



Time to go to bed. Got an early start planned.

[MTCK]

Can’t wait for the write up, Rob.

Nothing to extreme here but did 640+ miles round trip with everything and the kitchen sink last weekend. No mechanical problems and the kids did great. Next weekend we have a pass to drive into Denali Nat Park and spend a couple nights at the Tek campground. We also have a pass to drive around one day which you can’t do on a normal year when there are actually tourists in the state. Will snap some pics.

[Zoomad75]

Desert trip report coming. Writing it up off line but will post up some teaser pics here.
First spot to air down the tires.


First Campsite.




Larry coming down what used to be the hard spot on Fix It Pass.


The views..holy cow.

[1976gmc20]

Just curious ... does a Blazer with a pop-up give you all that much off-road advantage over an eight foot bed pickup ?

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

Just curious ... does a Blazer with a pop-up give you all that much off-road advantage over an eight foot bed pickup ?

I think it does. Between the shorter turning radius and shorter body I can still sneak through stuff the guys running with us in the Power Wagon's with Four Wheel Campers had to take completely different lines for. I could hook some switchbacks in one shot where Larry and the longer Dodge/Rams had to take multi-point turns.

The only guys that could out maneuver me and Ian's K5's were the two Toyota's that were with us on the trip. Everybody else running longer trucks had issues when the trail got tight.

With as many times as Larry and I have gone out together I've always been able to get through tight stuff easier even though a K10 regular cab short box isn't that much longer than a K5.

Where the short wheelbase killed me was in the dry river washes we were in quite a bit last week. Some had just the right frequency and amplitude in the washboards that the shorter wheelbase K5's were getting beat up. The longer trucks just ate the washboard better.

Like anything else there is more than one way to get the job done. I'm biased obviously because I love my K5. But the longer stuff has advantages in other areas.

[MTCK]

What a great looking crew! Can’t wait for the full write up.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

I think it does. Between the shorter turning radius and shorter body I can still sneak through stuff the guys running with us in the Power Wagon's with Four Wheel Campers had to take completely different lines for. I could hook some switchbacks in one shot where Larry and the longer Dodge/Rams had to take multi-point turns.

The only guys that could out maneuver me and Ian's K5's were the two Toyota's that were with us on the trip. Everybody else running longer trucks had issues when the trail got tight.

With as many times as Larry and I have gone out together I've always been able to get through tight stuff easier even though a K10 regular cab short box isn't that much longer than a K5.

Where the short wheelbase killed me was in the dry river washes we were in quite a bit last week. Some had just the right frequency and amplitude in the washboards that the shorter wheelbase K5's were getting beat up. The longer trucks just ate the washboard better.

Like anything else there is more than one way to get the job done. I'm biased obviously because I love my K5. But the longer stuff has advantages in other areas.

Okay, thanks

Back decades ago when I was trying to go everywhere I could in my K/20, I never found much problem with the long wheelbase. It was usually the width that was a problem, plus I had a shell that stuck up above the cab about a foot that would catch tree limbs or worse, a tree trunk if you were off camber which is often the case. I probably should have bought a SWB K/10 with cab high shell considering what I was trying to do with it,

I just noticed that there was a Suburban with you, and how you had to add overhanging racks for spare tire and gas cans.