Welcome to my build thread! I hope you find it interesting and helpful. There’s a lot borrowed from many of you, and some things I haven’t seen before. Perhaps it might help somebody or at least provide a bit of entertainment! First, some tall tales, perhaps unnecessary, but hopefully useful in understanding my priorities and approach.
Story time: I grew up tent camping, we took trips all over the States, camping almost always in campgrounds, saw some epic places, hiked Angel’s landing before there was a lottery, etc. Learned to love the peace and beauty of natural places. Upon starting my own family I followed that same path, I think my kids had all been in their first camping trip by 6 months old, certainly by 1 year old. Always found time in the woods some of the most relaxing, disconnected from work, and built in entertainment for the kids (3 boys) meant less demands on the parents!
Off-road driving was never much a part of the equation, but as campgrounds got busier I felt the desire to get more remote, to find spots that were less crowded (and didn’t require a reservation a year in advance). That led my to discovering expedition portal 10-15 years ago and using it as a resource in many ways. It also led to me getting stuck a handful of times in the fwd family hauler trying to make it to the more remote spots. So for the past 4 years or so I’ve been on the lookout for something with power to all the wheels.
In that period, my boys and I experienced the loss of my wife, their mom, to breast cancer, around two and a half years ago. Such a devastating loss brings a lot of focus on the most important things, and adventure is a part of that for me. Over the past year, I’ve thought much on how short the time is before my boys move on to college and other new life stages (the oldest is entering high school) and I’ve felt the strong pull to make the most of the moments we have together. And for me, a key element of that is exploring and adventuring together.
So, the search was on for a vehicle to facilitate that adventure! I needed something that made setup and tear down easy for me, as a solo parent with 3 youngish kiddos, was comfortable for long road trips with our family of 4, and would take us to the more remote and unique places I want to visit. I narrowed down to midsize suv (probably a GX470) and a trailer with a big rtt, or a full size truck and a GFC or similar camper. I came across a deal on a RAM 1500 and GFC that was too good to ignore! Slight downside, the truck was in California, and I’m in Florida, but I decided to make that an adventure too, and the week of my 40th birthday I flew to Sacramento with my oldest son and bought a truck I’d only seen in pictures, and drove it 3000 miles home.
I’m happy to report that I’m thoroughly satisfied with the purchase, and I’m enjoying zero buyers remorse!
