Andrew, As you called out in earlier segments, you are never that far from towns in the continental U.S.. Where you have towns you have gas stations. Thus, the lack of need for super-long-range vehicles. Things are purpose-built here just as they are elsewhere; no need to harp on U.S. "overland" elements that simply don't matter. Otherwise, I am thoroughly enjoying your series....again, almost 5 years later. Cheers to you and your beautiful family. Safe travels.
Bitter Springs, Mataranka in the Northern Territory of Australia. Beautiful, natural hot springs, again in the middle of nowhere! I have a sneaking suspicious that you will love them!
Did you see any fighter jets practicing in Saline Valley? They fly super low to the deck over Steele Pass down the wash into Saline Valley and then out the South End. Really exhilarating to see them fly so low to the desert floor!
Adding a camper can can/should change one's situational awareness. Our family got caught driving through an early drive-thru bank teller. We had driven through many times without the camper and hadn't noticed an upper fixture sticking out from the bank. The camper had a small hole in the front aerodynamically shaped fiberglass cover which was repaired like a canoe.
As somebody with a 2003 land cruiser 100 series 4.7 liter, I'm glad you realize our pain. I would kill for the turbo diesel version. I love my land cruiser, don't get me wrong. But the gas mileage is horrendous and diesel isn't an option in these trucks. Oh well. Maybe one day.
Great stuff, I've been going to Saline valley since 1984. My favorite place in CA. In the old days there was no shower or pit toilet. We dug big holes away from camp and had 3 sided outhouses. My God what a view, the Inyos, the dunes,and the jets. You should come back and I'll guide you to waterfalls, aircraft wrecks, and restored mining camps. I'll be there this October for my vacation of sanity. Enjoy you time in the US. Telescope Mike
love what you're doing. Thank you for taking us along on your expeditions and camps. I know I speak for all of us here in youtube land when I say we have all learned something for you in your travels. I also want to thank you for bringing to public attention the lack of O.E.M. long range tank options and the absurdity of not having diesel engine options in our vehicles in the U.S. This has been many a tipsy tirade around the camp fire by us wheelers and crawlers. Americans would pay premium prices for such options. I digress..... Keep on keepin' on.
Excellent series, your video on the Mohave Road inspired me to go experience it for my self, this series has me planning a trip to death valley. Thank you for the inspiration.
Drone shots are great to show the whole landscape. I do hope you are able to incorporate it in your future videos. Your shots are awesome, in my opinion. The colors are great!!!
This place looks just like the west side of Argentina towards the Andes. I would love to see you driving tru this part of the world! I have a couple of toyota Prado and a hilux wating for you guys. Excelent video!
One thing I've learned is "A little more speed to get over this bump" + open diffs = faster wear on the vehicle. Good job eventually making it up the ledge, especially without rocker protection on a long wheelbase vehicle.
I'm new to this. Why were the rear wheels spinning rather than the front gripping? This wouldn't seem to be an issue with left-to-right lockers (i.e., not an issue with differential lockers), but rather a back-to-front locking issue. Won't transfer cases lock the front and back to the speed of the slower of either the front or the back?
Have been waiting patiently for this video. Again, great vid! I hope to get out to that region soon. Lippincott Pass is one of those goals. I myself have one of those ginormous pickup trucks that you guys passed on the way up, but that is for pulling our 40foot camper, not off pavement duties. For that, my grand cherokee does the dirty work.
so often while out 4x4ing iv come across people who have turned away from a track because "it cant be done." but then done the track easily. its all about being prepared both with gear and mentally. if you truly know what a vehicle can and can not do you will be fine
Its amazing how such tough reliable trucks don't have diff locks.. I have a 2005 Land Cruiser. And only have center diff lock. Thanks to the Yuppie market, Toyota, and other manufactures don't offer them on many of the off road vehicles..
You took two passes I've been wary to take in a smaller truck with higher clearance! Kudos! Looks a bit easier with automatic transmission, too, but that's no excuse.
Its a bit ironic, all I think about is going to Africa because of your videos and yet I live 2 hours from Death Valley and never thought of adventuring there. I may now have to venture out there for a few days once the weather cools down. You should definitely checkout Utah and all it has to offer next time.
^^^This. I don't think people realize just how many amazing places there are not far from us at all. I'm a couple hours south of Death Valley and haven't been there. An hour and half from Joshua Tree and have never been there. Just finally went to Sequoia and Yosemite earlier this year. Took barely 5 hrs to hit the campground in Sequoia. A lot to do that isn't really all that far.
There are lots of wonderful places to explore on this rock while I love the desert, its vastness, and solitude I would love to explore the UK countrysides with those rolling hills, cliffs, & cottages, so much history. Cheers
Great Vid! I had a 2001 Tundra TRD that I took just about everywhere out west. It was a great truck off road and I actually liked its slightly smaller size compared to the rest of the full size trucks of the day. Looks like your experiencing some of the best overlanding that we here in America have to offer. Totally agree with you on the gas mileage. You wouldn't believe how many of us here in the states wish we had access to midsize diesel trucks and SUVs like other countries have. I'm Hoping Nissan will bring a diesel Frontier stateside, there have been rumors and teasings by the company.
I've done Lippencott in a 97 F250 extended cab long bed with an Alaskan camper and a motorcycle on a hitch carrier. Yes there are some big drops but it's not very difficult if you take your time
First and foremost, the roads and general travel in the US is well maintained and available. Nations like South Africa and Australia are still lacking in that regard and require offroad, long travel vehicles to get many places. Your comments on Diesel, i agree with. I had a pre emissions 2004 Chevrolet Duramax Diesel. 6500 lb automatic, 4x4 truck that got 20 miles per gallon highway all day long. That could handle a payload or tow more than any landcruiser could. But now, the government is putting emissions controls on diesel here. The same trucks are getting 10 mpg now and have a shorter life span.
You have to remember that the majority of those desert trails were made by Jeep CJs. That is why they are so narrow. I once had a '76 Ford F-250 with a 18gal seat tank...that is all...
The latest model tundra has an optional 38 gallon tank. This information is late, and kinda useless, but just in case anybody was curious now you know.
Enjoying all your videos. I am hoping to (planning would be too presumptuous) do something similar to your adventure in my Dodge Power Wagon. Trust me when I say that the mileage you get in that Toyota is far better than what I get in my 2500. Albeit the Power Wagon is much more formidable for off-road adventuring. I'm looking forward to watching your next adventure or perhaps another episode of this drive through the USA. Best of luck and carry on! RR
Welcome to Death Valley! After Eureka Dunes you went thru Dedekera Canyon, where the steps were, on the way to Steel Pass which you camped just below. Did you not find the Marble Bath? They finally figured out that the rocks move when it rains and the playa fills with water and then it freezes. As the ice melts and breaks up and the wind blows, the sheets of ice push the rocks along. No ones seen it because the conditions are pretty brutal to be in. I live just outside Big Basin. Love your videos! Thanks
When you speak about fuel consumption it would’ve been nice if you named the vehicles that are better. That way I would know which to purchase and have shipped to America if needed. Also, it would be nice if you could provide a detailed list of your kit on each of these trips. In your 3rd trip that you started in Seattle, you were shopping at Cabela’s, and purchased sleeping bags that weren’t quite good enough for the cold nights. I recommend a bag sold at Sportsmans Warehouse that is rated down to -35 Fahrenheit that I personally use. Love your videos and subscribed to your channel as well as Patreon.
While there is a dearth of small diesel trucks here you have to keep in mind that fuel here is substantially more affordable than in a lot of other places. While the Tundra is capable there are better full size pickups available. All three of the domestics have a greater verity of configurations than the Toyota they also get noticeably better gas mileage and have significantly larger fuel tanks available. Ram has a 3l Turbo diesel available that gets 29mpg. The new F150 has a great turbo 2.7v6 and Chevy has a mid sized truck available with a diesel. Since these trucks are all so popular there are tons of affordable aftermarket parts that can vastly increase the off road capabilities as well. Not to mention what can be done with wranglers and Grand Cherokees. While it would be great to have more smaller trucks and more diesel offerings there are many options available.
For the time being, drone use in Death Valley National park is prohibited except as approved in writing by the Superintendent. But I won't tell if you won't. Also, it looked like you parked in the road when you made camp between Steel(e) Pass and Saline Valley Warm Springs. Come on man! Don't make camp in the road. Beggars can't be choosers, I understand why you were driving the Tundra because it has a pop up camper you were evaluating. I've got a 2011 Tacoma and it is still too big for my off pavement liking. But it is small enough to go most places I want. My wife thinks it too small, so that makes it just about right. They do make pop up campers that will fit in it. I am really enjoying the videos. I am looking forward to the future installments.
Unfortunately someone drove onto Racetrack Playa and did terrible damage to it after you were there. I'm glad you saw it before it was so badly damaged. You aren't wrong about our gasoline engines. We are hoping diesel will be more common in the next generation of rigs; both the Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Frontier are rumored to have diesels in the next vehicles. Nissan also has the Titan XD (similar to the Tundra) in a diesel now.
There are tons of Diesel trucks in the US with large tanks. You just happened to get Toyota which isn't highly rated compared to a Ford Super Duty or Chevy 2500. These Vehicles can be purchased at far cheaper prices than in Africa, Australia or Europe.
Toyota has a big flaw by not having proper differential locking in their trucks. Even the new ones have a braking kind of "lock." Wow Andrew, great bit of driving there at 4:30 mark. Whew, I sweating just watching from the 4:30 and following mark! I think Jeramy's 5.7L V8 also might be helping with the greater torque. Are those after market rear lockers on his? Thanks for you truck sympathy! The federal government, EPA, is trying to kill trucks in America! They've ruined diesels. Ford, GM, Ram, are trying 1/2 ton diesels as of November, 2018, but for many of us, me included, they're too little too late.
Love your videos! We ended our New Years Eve watching this episode and plan to watch more "next year" ! Wondering...can you tell me the name of your intro guitar song? Really like it and would love the full version. Also...some of the other music is really good, i.e.. the country music from your USA adventures. Help? Keep up the good work!! 👍 from Colorado
That looks like a great trail but if I ever try it I'll need to find a way to mount a drum of Vaseline to my f-250 because that's the only way it's going to fit between some of those rocks.
mandaloin I wanted to buy both a truck and truck camper and I wanted to keep the total cost under 5k so I could pay cash. I ended up with an 84 f250 diesel and a 91 Scamper. It's turned out to be a pretty good combo. The truck handles the weight really well without suspension upgrades (unlike the Toyota the camper came off of) and fully loaded I get about the same mpg as a modern truck. Total range is over 500 miles and I don't worry about minor trail damage.
+sonichtech1000 I see. I was curious because when I was choosing an offroad truck I immediately looked for something small due to the problems the Expedition Overland guys had when navigating switchbacks in Tacomas. But hey, if it works, it works. You're probably sleeping comfortable while I have to curl up in the back of my 4Runner lol.
mandaloin The 4Runner is a great choice. We tent camped out of our Explorer (1st gen so about the same size as yours) for many years. Over time the amount of stuff we brought with just kept expanding. The cots really should have tipped me off that we really weren't tent camping any more a lot sooner.
For those saying that we have diesels that will get good gas milage have a look at Consumers Reports: all 2017 HD diesel options averaged only 14-15 mpg combined - unladen! That's LESS than the gas equivalent!! These trucks have 800+ lbs. of torque and are optimized for towing - that is their market. On the plus side, you can get larger tanks, but you can also carry more fuel in a gasser as well. They also cost $20K more generally than the gas version. The only exception is the RAM 6cyl diesel but that platform probably does not excite most people much. There is a reason Toyota doesn't sell their diesels here: my guess is it's not worth meeting the stricter emissions controls and the added diesel fuel and motor cost and complexity, increased maintenance and decreased reliability to get the similar performance of a gasser. On the other hand, I remember growing up when you would get choked at every stoplight, both from older gassers and diesels that would shoot black clouds in your face. I drive a 2007 pre def diesel and it seems pretty clean to me. I want clean air but I don't know if these more modern systems are benefiting us enough?? I do think that in Australia most of the population is on the rim of the continent closer to trade winds and clean air and in under developed continents such as Africa, air pollution may be less of a problem? www.consumerreports.org/pickup-trucks/heavy-duty-pickup-trucks/
Andrew! Morning chap. I love what you are doing on this expedition. Question.... how would your personal Toyota, (the one you revamped a while ago) have done on those trails where your camper was struggling a bit?
My 78 Land Cruiser would have not just walked it, I probably would not have even asked to be guided. They are quite narrow, and have lockers. Manual gearbox, and an engine that loves to rev low and crawl over rocks.
It's fun to see what overlanding means in the USA. It's so different than everywhere else. It seems to be more of a hobby there than in other parts of the world where it's usually a form of travel. It's almost like everything gets turned into a hobby when it gets to the USA. I wonder why that is. I'm sure there's some sort of explanation for it but I just don't know it. :) In most of the world off-roading just seems to mean driving off the road. In the USA it seems to be a hobby involving rock climbing and stuff. Overlanding just seems to mean travel over land but in the USA it's a hobby for weekend trips etc. with trails, tracks and apparently desert hot tubs, toilets and stuff. It's so different from your videos about African adventures for example. :D
Not sure about everything else but over landing is a hobby in the USA because the freeway system has existed for a long time. Highways and freeways pretty much eliminate the need for over landing making it so you have to be actively seeking to be off the beaten path because it so easy to travel between places. Same with the gas tanks, they are small because its hard to find a rout from one place to another in the USA that does not have gas station at fairly short intervals. Ill give you an example, I ride dual sport motorcycles and I have to plan routs ahead of time to avoid roads, I plan routs that will take the better part of a day(6 hours+ to go around the mountain I live near in the woods to a town on the other side but when I am ready to come home from that town I have a freeway and a highway available and each will get me back home in only about an hour and both go around very wide of the dirt tracks I used to get there. The USB paves pretty much every place any amount of people travel at all. There are a lot of paved hiking paths around here too. I hope that helps paint a picture a little better.
+Pooshooter5k That's what I figured as well but it's the same in Europe, Australia etc. We have highways as well.. Overlanding simply means traveling over land in those places it seems. Like, if you were heading out from Scotland and drove down through Europe and headed east ending up in Istanbul for example (End of Europe), that would still be overlanding since you traveled over land. Of course you *could* stick to highways but that would probably be quite boring. Don't forget that the terrible roads that Andrew drives on in Africa etc. are actual roads as well. It's just a poor (and often big and remote) country's roads. There's a guy called Ben who has a TH-cam channel called Hasta Alaska. He bought an old VW bus in Chile and drove to Alaska. He then set up a couchsurfing account and let strangers join him for parts of the trip. It's fun to watch. Sometimes they're driving on normal roads, sometimes on shitty roads, sometimes no roads at all. I would still call his trip overlanding since he traveled over land. Obviously it's not extremely hard trails or whatever in an old VW bus but it's still traveling over land. When he reached the USA obviously things got a whole lot easier than they had been further south but that doesn't really change the fact that he's traveling over land. :) When you look at a lot of non-American (Especially European) overland trucks they're also completely different than American ones since it seems to simply mean something completely different in Europe and USA. From what I've seen it seems like Americans associate it with rugged trail riding for a weekend while Europeans associate it with weeks or months worth of driving through many countries on all kinds of roads so the European vehicles tend to be focused on long distances, enough food and water to last a while etc. It's rare to see lifted 4x4s with massive wheels used for European overland vehicles for example since it'd be pointless for what it means over here. Of course they shouldn't break down constantly, should have decent clearance etc. but they're not meant to be rock crawling or whatever for the most part. I guess it may have something to do with the USA being so big as well. Maybe it's just not that interesting for an American to just drive around his or her own country? If I got in my car and drove for a day, I could pass through 5+ countries probably (Depending on direction of course). I suppose that may make overlanding as a form of travel more interesting for us? I could drive to Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia (Czech Republic changed their name recently. lol), Slovakia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Lichtenstein, France, the UK (probably forgetting some) in a day's driving or less. Obviously not all in the same day since they're in all directions from here, but that still means we have a lot of completely different cultures, languages, traditions etc. right on our doorstep. I guess it's a bit harder for you Americans unless you happen to live near the Mexican border or whatever. Chances are most Americans would just be driving around in their own country because it's so big. :)
People do drive all over the USA and in and out of Canada but they do it in Motor homes because they can expect the roads to be paved and pretty good, Plus they go to most places of interest throughout most of north america. So a more highway focused vehicle makes a lot more sense for most people travailing here. My impression of over landing in most of the rest of the world is that you need an off road vehicle unless you only drive in big cities. Because roads just are not maintained that well out side of cities in the third world. Plus here are plenty of motels to stop at all over here too so you don't even need to bring a place to live. I have driven from one side of the USA to the other in a single trip twice now and both times was in small hatchback cars and staying in motels. Having a paved road to where ever you want to go in north america is something you can count on. Thus over landing and off roading become hobbies because it something you really have to try to do, its not inherent to travel its an activity all on its own. That's also why both overland vehicles and off road vehicles are so different here. Over landing vehicles are motor homes. Off road vehicles are purpose built have need to be a lot bigger then off road vehicles in other places because they are more often used in designated off road parks and locations. But they don't need comfort range or utility because they are not used for travel. Often people here will pull a trailer with an off road vehicle behind a motor home, I guess its a luxury to be able to operate like that. Even when people need to get to remote locations over here for a commercial or utility purpose the first thing they send is a bulldozer and some tractors to build a road good enough for highway going work trucks. Thanks for the interesting perspective. I often wish the USA was less developed, especially when I read about the adventures people can have in other parts of the world. Although in most of my everyday life I feel very fortunate to not have to contend with a lot of things that make life so interesting other places too.
your right it is a hobby here-. But at least we can go off roading, camping etc. We drive off road to explore our wonderful National Forest and BLM Land where it is public access, Try that in Europe. I have never heard the term "overlanding" before. Aus, SA ??? The US is not Africa?? No shit !!! or maybe Africa has a lot of shit-we try and protect our resources with the ocassional pit toilet etc. Dont like it go dig a hole. Why put it down? Have you ever been in Death Valley? Have you ever camped away from your couch?
They put small tanks in these vehicles because nobody wants to buy a vehicle that costs $200USD to fill up in the country with the cheapest, most available fuel. It's a mental thing for consumers. Most trucks used to come with dual tanks up until recently
its illegal to fly drones in the national parks in the states... lol awesome footage from the inspire aka mr zoomie though i wont tell anyone if you dont;) BMP
good shots of the valley as for the reason no diesels the state of california and there pollution nonsense is the reason they blame odor of diesel for the smog. hope you were able to see the lights of Las Vegas and interstate 15 at night if lost can help you get out at night. next time over here go to the panamints.
Glad you didn't get deterred by Lippencott, it's a cool road up. As for the mystery of the sailing stones of the racktrack playa, that mystery was finally solved two years ago: www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocks-move-death-valley-lake-bed-20140827-story.html
Sympathies accepted. Can't understand the US auto empires' resistance to implement diesel engine choices on a grand scale. Cries for lost MPG are heard from Mountain to Valley... Yet the clack of diesel finds it's home too often confined by pulling freight, horses, stumps, or beds full of gravel [apparently]. ...And VW's. As long as our gas is cheap enough that we don't complain, my prediction is, it'll probably stay that way.
Here in Mexico is even worse, we have barely any diesels, mostly huge thirsty detroit crap, decent overlanders we have the 4x4 diesel hilux just got here last year, we used to have the Mitsubishi L200 4x4 diesel, I think it got discontinued a couple years ago and we had the Nissan Hardbody 4x4 Petrol for a long time, and the 4x4 Diesel with the NP-300 generation but just got replaced by the Navara which is bloody awful. We never got the older model Hilux, they are all imported from the US with IFS and the 22RE or the V6, neither the Jimny ever got here, only grey market Samurais, I Currently use a 4 door 04 Suzuki Vitara 4x4, body on frame, great mileage, big enough for 2 people, but I would love a diesel Hilux or 70 series.
That was fantastic, and you're right we do have poor options for decent Overland vehicles at least in regard to engine options, Toyota has a couple of good offerings and Jeep thinks it makes a great 4x4....I'm not sure about that. But that's me. GM has recently made a diesel engine option for their Chevy Colorado or GM Canyon and are said to be comparable vehicles now to the Toyota Tacoma. Dodge also builds a half-ton with a V-6 diesel engine. But the big problems now with the new diesel engines are the emissions systems that they have now like DEF or you might know it as adblue. Toyota sadly has been quite stubborn in offering a diesel engine in any of their North American vehicles even Nissan now offers a Cummins V-8 in their prissy looking 1/2 ton pick up trucks. If you'd like to see moving rocks in many parts of Canada that get the nasty weather that we do on Prairies we have boulders that push out of the ground with the frost. I know many places where the farmers have to go rock picking every spring because of the rocks that push out over time.
Logan N Indeed. He knows a lot about overlanding and is knowledgeable about many things. But he does not seem very informed about offroading or the trucks here in the states...
The first one was a Chevy and the second one a Ford. It's true that I'm not that familiar with US vehicles. Learning my way around them and thoroughly enjoying off-roading in the US. This is my second US off-road adventure. My first was last year in a Sportsmobile Ford E-series van.
Shoshanna Rubin Because he goes offroading, he has no interest in extra long wheelbase pick-ups probably, because you will bottom them out all the time and won't have any traction with the rear axle.
j0lambert tablet He himself is driving a full sized truck here with a long wheelbase. While not as big as the F250. Those Tundras are not small. I agree, a very long wheelbase gives a bad breakover angle. However huge trucks like the Power Wagon can crawl over almost anything and are eminently capable despite it's size and weight. I feel the width and weight is more of a negative than wheelbase length. Remember he plans on building a truck with a rather long wheelbase himself.
jneto0893 Toyota is entering the 70 Series and the Hilux into a competition to be the next US military vehicle. (Ford is entering the global Ranger.) If they win, Toyota will probably start building them in the US and I hope that we will see a civilian version. I know that's a lot of "if" but I can hope!
Really, what 4wd vehicles are made there in Australia? I'm quite partial to Jeeps myself which are mostly made in Canada at this point (my vehicle said 73% made in Canada and assembled in America).
The selection they have over there is much better than here. GM still even sells a body on frame Trail Blazer with an optional diesel and manual transmission.
OK. Thanks for the reply. I just watched this series. You are a GREAT human being. Thanks for being an inspiration to young men looking for something more meaningful in this crazy world. I own a 4runner (like the Prado) and it's a fantastic vehicle, and quite popular with guys my age wanting to get into the overlanding thing -- which is slowly becoming more popular. Have you tried a 5th gen 4runner?
450 miles would be considered average. 1000 miles would be considered top of the range. But its less about the small tanks, but the extreme consumption.
2,5, 2,7, 3.0 4-cylinder, and even a 4,5 turbo V8 diesel engine, consume well under half of what these trucks managed. I drove a 4.0 V6 Toyota Tacoma last year in the US, and the consumption was also extremely high.
im sorry, this is slander. my 2015 f250 has a 48 gallon fuel tank and is rated at 18 mpg combined. it has the 6.7 liter diesel . this comes out to a 864 MILE range which comes out to 1390.47 km. considering the ford f-series has been the best selling car in the the states for 38 years, id say we are doing just fine.
Mr.TooTall 939 #1 selling trucks for how any years now???? F-series are best trucks if you need to get work done, no matter the work from hauling, towing, or touring. Next time please include data to support your statement before making asinine statements based purely on your own ill informed opinion.
Southern Nevada offroading and back country Haha Ford outsells GM, yet there are more GM trucks still on the road today. Outselling someone says nothing. Ford diesels are a joke and the ecoboost garbage engines are barely lasting to 150-200k miles. chevy 5.7 and 5.3's go 300k like clockwork. Try again
Mr.TooTall 939 Again statements with no data, if the power stroke is so garage then why is it every construction site you see, every blasting and drilling fleet filled with f-series? why do they continue to sell if they are garbage? You do the Chevy has had there fair share of issues with the Duramax right??? Dodge suspension has been junk. ALL auto makers have their flaws. And as for the Ecoboost engine theajor failures I have personally seen (I'm Ford technician) Have been from lack of maintenance, so shoo troll!
True that. Still makes you nervous not having what you are used to having. Looked like that bumper was plenty big enough for a winch too. Loved the series too. My dad took us there on vacation once when my sister and I were just kids. 120 degrees in the shade. It was miserable. :)
Those trucks are so normal to us, funny to hear you talk about them. Have you encountered terrain like that in Africa?
Andrew, As you called out in earlier segments, you are never that far from towns in the continental U.S.. Where you have towns you have gas stations. Thus, the lack of need for super-long-range vehicles. Things are purpose-built here just as they are elsewhere; no need to harp on U.S. "overland" elements that simply don't matter. Otherwise, I am thoroughly enjoying your series....again, almost 5 years later. Cheers to you and your beautiful family. Safe travels.
Bitter Springs, Mataranka in the Northern Territory of Australia. Beautiful, natural hot springs, again in the middle of nowhere! I have a sneaking suspicious that you will love them!
Did you see any fighter jets practicing in Saline Valley? They fly super low to the deck over Steele Pass down the wash into Saline Valley and then out the South End. Really exhilarating to see them fly so low to the desert floor!
YES!! I forgot that. Tried to get a shot but failed. F18 Hornets. About five times.
Adding a camper can can/should change one's situational awareness. Our family got caught driving through an early drive-thru bank teller. We had driven through many times without the camper and hadn't noticed an upper fixture sticking out from the bank. The camper had a small hole in the front aerodynamically shaped fiberglass cover which was repaired like a canoe.
As somebody with a 2003 land cruiser 100 series 4.7 liter, I'm glad you realize our pain. I would kill for the turbo diesel version. I love my land cruiser, don't get me wrong. But the gas mileage is horrendous and diesel isn't an option in these trucks. Oh well. Maybe one day.
Awesome, was waiting for this one.
Also to your pal that will probably watch this, take care of yourself man. Heart disease is very real.
In bullet time, human time the rocks don't move too
much but in cactus time, those stones rock that race track.
Loving this series. Enjoying seeing again the sights of my youth.
R.I.P - Huell Howser. You are truly California's gold.
Great stuff, I've been going to Saline valley since 1984. My favorite place in CA. In the old days there was no shower or pit toilet. We dug big holes away from camp and had 3 sided outhouses. My God what a view, the Inyos, the dunes,and the jets. You should come back and I'll guide you to waterfalls, aircraft wrecks, and restored mining camps. I'll be there this October for my vacation of sanity. Enjoy you time in the US. Telescope Mike
love what you're doing. Thank you for taking us along on your expeditions and camps. I know I speak for all of us here in youtube land when I say we have all learned something for you in your travels. I also want to thank you for bringing to public attention the lack of O.E.M. long range tank options and the absurdity of not having diesel engine options in our vehicles in the U.S. This has been many a tipsy tirade around the camp fire by us wheelers and crawlers. Americans would pay premium prices for such options. I digress..... Keep on keepin' on.
Excellent series, your video on the Mohave Road inspired me to go experience it for my self, this series has me planning a trip to death valley. Thank you for the inspiration.
Drone shots are great to show the whole landscape. I do hope you are able to incorporate it in your future videos. Your shots are awesome, in my opinion. The colors are great!!!
Great show! Loved the tough wheeling, the humor, and your sympathies towards us Americans... haha! Looking forward to the next one.
This place looks just like the west side of Argentina towards the Andes. I would love to see you driving tru this part of the world! I have a couple of toyota Prado and a hilux wating for you guys. Excelent video!
Love the new intro of the videos and also the the sound theme you chose!!! Keep the good work up.
One thing I've learned is "A little more speed to get over this bump" + open diffs = faster wear on the vehicle. Good job eventually making it up the ledge, especially without rocker protection on a long wheelbase vehicle.
Always makes me cringe when a vehicle with a locker doesn't use it and instead uses speed.
I'm new to this. Why were the rear wheels spinning rather than the front gripping? This wouldn't seem to be an issue with left-to-right lockers (i.e., not an issue with differential lockers), but rather a back-to-front locking issue. Won't transfer cases lock the front and back to the speed of the slower of either the front or the back?
Have been waiting patiently for this video. Again, great vid! I hope to get out to that region soon. Lippincott Pass is one of those goals. I myself have one of those ginormous pickup trucks that you guys passed on the way up, but that is for pulling our 40foot camper, not off pavement duties. For that, my grand cherokee does the dirty work.
so often while out 4x4ing iv come across people who have turned away from a track because "it cant be done." but then done the track easily. its all about being prepared both with gear and mentally. if you truly know what a vehicle can and can not do you will be fine
Those BFG's work well in that terrain you did well with such a long truck and no locker.
Great video--and a sense of humor to boot!
that was really good even the funny bit at the end how much kettles were there btw, those other guys were real rookies to turn around great call
Its amazing how such tough reliable trucks don't have diff locks.. I have a 2005 Land Cruiser. And only have center diff lock. Thanks to the Yuppie market, Toyota, and other manufactures don't offer them on many of the off road vehicles..
A great video, again.. over a very rough track! What a waste of good kettles!!
You took two passes I've been wary to take in a smaller truck with higher clearance! Kudos!
Looks a bit easier with automatic transmission, too, but that's no excuse.
Its a bit ironic, all I think about is going to Africa because of your videos and yet I live 2 hours from Death Valley and never thought of adventuring there. I may now have to venture out there for a few days once the weather cools down. You should definitely checkout Utah and all it has to offer next time.
^^^This. I don't think people realize just how many amazing places there are not far from us at all. I'm a couple hours south of Death Valley and haven't been there. An hour and half from Joshua Tree and have never been there. Just finally went to Sequoia and Yosemite earlier this year. Took barely 5 hrs to hit the campground in Sequoia. A lot to do that isn't really all that far.
Desert Logic if I lived where you do, I'd absolutely have to explore the area. I'm in the U.K. And it's like another planet compared to Death Valley.
There are lots of wonderful places to explore on this rock while I love the desert, its vastness, and solitude I would love to explore the UK countrysides with those rolling hills, cliffs, & cottages, so much history. Cheers
My wife and I plan on biking Yosemite this year with our 4x4 Titan. I'm really looking forward to it.
Red Rock Canyon is amazing too. You can go from Red Rock Canyon to Lake Isabella by Dirt Road.
this is crazy full size trucks rock climbing.
Great Vid! I had a 2001 Tundra TRD that I took just about everywhere out west. It was a great truck off road and I actually liked its slightly smaller size compared to the rest of the full size trucks of the day. Looks like your experiencing some of the best overlanding that we here in America have to offer. Totally agree with you on the gas mileage. You wouldn't believe how many of us here in the states wish we had access to midsize diesel trucks and SUVs like other countries have. I'm Hoping Nissan will bring a diesel Frontier stateside, there have been rumors and teasings by the company.
I've done Lippencott in a 97 F250 extended cab long bed with an Alaskan camper and a motorcycle on a hitch carrier. Yes there are some big drops but it's not very difficult if you take your time
First and foremost, the roads and general travel in the US is well maintained and available. Nations like South Africa and Australia are still lacking in that regard and require offroad, long travel vehicles to get many places.
Your comments on Diesel, i agree with. I had a pre emissions 2004 Chevrolet Duramax Diesel. 6500 lb automatic, 4x4 truck that got 20 miles per gallon highway all day long. That could handle a payload or tow more than any landcruiser could. But now, the government is putting emissions controls on diesel here. The same trucks are getting 10 mpg now and have a shorter life span.
the 2016 tundra has a 36 gallon (142 litre) tank...and if you like those hills...might I suggest you visit Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
You have to remember that the majority of those desert trails were made by Jeep CJs. That is why they are so narrow. I once had a '76 Ford F-250 with a 18gal seat tank...that is all...
Great content man. Thanks for your effort!!
The latest model tundra has an optional 38 gallon tank. This information is late, and kinda useless, but just in case anybody was curious now you know.
Enjoying all your videos. I am hoping to (planning would be too presumptuous) do something similar to your adventure in my Dodge Power Wagon. Trust me when I say that the mileage you get in that Toyota is far better than what I get in my 2500. Albeit the Power Wagon is much more formidable for off-road adventuring. I'm looking forward to watching your next adventure or perhaps another episode of this drive through the USA. Best of luck and carry on! RR
Welcome to Death Valley! After Eureka Dunes you went thru Dedekera Canyon, where the steps were, on the way to Steel Pass which you camped just below. Did you not find the Marble Bath? They finally figured out that the rocks move when it rains and the playa fills with water and then it freezes. As the ice melts and breaks up and the wind blows, the sheets of ice push the rocks along. No ones seen it because the conditions are pretty brutal to be in. I live just outside Big Basin. Love your videos! Thanks
When you speak about fuel consumption it would’ve been nice if you named the vehicles that are better. That way I would know which to purchase and have shipped to America if needed.
Also, it would be nice if you could provide a detailed list of your kit on each of these trips. In your 3rd trip that you started in Seattle, you were shopping at Cabela’s, and purchased sleeping bags that weren’t quite good enough for the cold nights. I recommend a bag sold at Sportsmans Warehouse that is rated down to -35 Fahrenheit that I personally use. Love your videos and subscribed to your channel as well as Patreon.
While there is a dearth of small diesel trucks here you have to keep in mind that fuel here is substantially more affordable than in a lot of other places.
While the Tundra is capable there are better full size pickups available. All three of the domestics have a greater verity of configurations than the Toyota they also get noticeably better gas mileage and have significantly larger fuel tanks available.
Ram has a 3l Turbo diesel available that gets 29mpg. The new F150 has a great turbo 2.7v6 and Chevy has a mid sized truck available with a diesel.
Since these trucks are all so popular there are tons of affordable aftermarket parts that can vastly increase the off road capabilities as well.
Not to mention what can be done with wranglers and Grand Cherokees.
While it would be great to have more smaller trucks and more diesel offerings there are many options available.
love the humor, thanks for sharing!
For the time being, drone use in Death Valley National park is prohibited except as approved in writing by the Superintendent. But I won't tell if you won't. Also, it looked like you parked in the road when you made camp between Steel(e) Pass and Saline Valley Warm Springs. Come on man! Don't make camp in the road.
Beggars can't be choosers, I understand why you were driving the Tundra because it has a pop up camper you were evaluating. I've got a 2011 Tacoma and it is still too big for my off pavement liking. But it is small enough to go most places I want. My wife thinks it too small, so that makes it just about right. They do make pop up campers that will fit in it.
I am really enjoying the videos. I am looking forward to the future installments.
Unfortunately someone drove onto Racetrack Playa and did terrible damage to it after you were there. I'm glad you saw it before it was so badly damaged.
You aren't wrong about our gasoline engines. We are hoping diesel will be more common in the next generation of rigs; both the Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Frontier are rumored to have diesels in the next vehicles. Nissan also has the Titan XD (similar to the Tundra) in a diesel now.
when it gets icy and windy exactly the rocks slide across the valley like bowling.
It's amazing how it took them forever to get up the pass. I just completed it last week in my 2015 4cyl taco no spotters no damage.
Hunter Tomlin yeah but that is a narrow vehicle compared to the tundra
How much weight was on your taco??? Weight is the enemy of mobility.
awesome video, excellent quality
American whimsy. I love it!
Great video Andrew.
Please show more camping shots both inside your camper and food prep...just like a few of your africa camping
Very well done, as always...
Excellent... really very enjoyable. I'm guessing 63 kettles ...
i love this type of videos. thanks. 😊
There are tons of Diesel trucks in the US with large tanks. You just happened to get Toyota which isn't highly rated compared to a Ford Super Duty or Chevy 2500. These Vehicles can be purchased at far cheaper prices than in Africa, Australia or Europe.
Great video thank you!
"You guys have rough, no diesels, very few diesels...all big petrol engines. (pause)...You have my sympathy." 😂😂
I’ve done the exact same drive!
Toyota has a big flaw by not having proper differential locking in their trucks. Even the new ones have a braking kind of "lock." Wow Andrew, great bit of driving there at 4:30 mark. Whew, I sweating just watching from the 4:30 and following mark! I think Jeramy's 5.7L V8 also might be helping with the greater torque. Are those after market rear lockers on his? Thanks for you truck sympathy! The federal government, EPA, is trying to kill trucks in America! They've ruined diesels. Ford, GM, Ram, are trying 1/2 ton diesels as of November, 2018, but for many of us, me included, they're too little too late.
The Toyota TRDs have rear E-lockers.
Love your videos! We ended our New Years Eve watching this episode and plan to watch more "next year" ! Wondering...can you tell me the name of your intro guitar song? Really like it and would love the full version. Also...some of the other music is really good, i.e.. the country music from your USA adventures. Help? Keep up the good work!! 👍 from Colorado
That looks like a great trail but if I ever try it I'll need to find a way to mount a drum of Vaseline to my f-250 because that's the only way it's going to fit between some of those rocks.
Why did you get a bigger truck like that? I'm just curious, no judgement here.
Wanted to try out a camper, as part of some research I am doing for my own truck. Episode-1 explains.
mandaloin I wanted to buy both a truck and truck camper and I wanted to keep the total cost under 5k so I could pay cash. I ended up with an 84 f250 diesel and a 91 Scamper. It's turned out to be a pretty good combo. The truck handles the weight really well without suspension upgrades (unlike the Toyota the camper came off of) and fully loaded I get about the same mpg as a modern truck. Total range is over 500 miles and I don't worry about minor trail damage.
+sonichtech1000 I see. I was curious because when I was choosing an offroad truck I immediately looked for something small due to the problems the Expedition Overland guys had when navigating switchbacks in Tacomas. But hey, if it works, it works. You're probably sleeping comfortable while I have to curl up in the back of my 4Runner lol.
mandaloin The 4Runner is a great choice. We tent camped out of our Explorer (1st gen so about the same size as yours) for many years. Over time the amount of stuff we brought with just kept expanding. The cots really should have tipped me off that we really weren't tent camping any more a lot sooner.
For those saying that we have diesels that will get good gas milage have a look at Consumers Reports: all 2017 HD diesel options averaged only 14-15 mpg combined - unladen! That's LESS than the gas equivalent!! These trucks have 800+ lbs. of torque and are optimized for towing - that is their market. On the plus side, you can get larger tanks, but you can also carry more fuel in a gasser as well. They also cost $20K more generally than the gas version. The only exception is the RAM 6cyl diesel but that platform probably does not excite most people much. There is a reason Toyota doesn't sell their diesels here: my guess is it's not worth meeting the stricter emissions controls and the added diesel fuel and motor cost and complexity, increased maintenance and decreased reliability to get the similar performance of a gasser. On the other hand, I remember growing up when you would get choked at every stoplight, both from older gassers and diesels that would shoot black clouds in your face. I drive a 2007 pre def diesel and it seems pretty clean to me. I want clean air but I don't know if these more modern systems are benefiting us enough?? I do think that in Australia most of the population is on the rim of the continent closer to trade winds and clean air and in under developed continents such as Africa, air pollution may be less of a problem?
www.consumerreports.org/pickup-trucks/heavy-duty-pickup-trucks/
Have you ever considered doing a review on the 5th generation Toyota 4Runner?
cant wait for next one!
2000 Ford F250 7.3 Liter diesel 4x4 12-18 MPG loaded Range 450-600 Miles.
95 percent of 4x4 vehicles in Australia are diesels. Maybe they're not as environmentally friendly so the US doesn't want diesels.
it's cute to see Toyota pickups trying to do off-road stuff. :-)
Great video like it
hi there i think you should try the toyota sequoia huge 4x4 it would be intresting
Andrew! Morning chap. I love what you are doing on this expedition. Question.... how would your personal Toyota, (the one you revamped a while ago) have done on those trails where your camper was struggling a bit?
My 78 Land Cruiser would have not just walked it, I probably would not have even asked to be guided. They are quite narrow, and have lockers. Manual gearbox, and an engine that loves to rev low and crawl over rocks.
Same with my tacoma, I just did these trails, very easy, even squeezed in mengel pass. Wish I had a diesel option for the truck
That was magnificent! What was the song, please!
It's fun to see what overlanding means in the USA. It's so different than everywhere else. It seems to be more of a hobby there than in other parts of the world where it's usually a form of travel. It's almost like everything gets turned into a hobby when it gets to the USA. I wonder why that is. I'm sure there's some sort of explanation for it but I just don't know it. :)
In most of the world off-roading just seems to mean driving off the road. In the USA it seems to be a hobby involving rock climbing and stuff. Overlanding just seems to mean travel over land but in the USA it's a hobby for weekend trips etc. with trails, tracks and apparently desert hot tubs, toilets and stuff. It's so different from your videos about African adventures for example. :D
Not sure about everything else but over landing is a hobby in the USA because the freeway system has existed for a long time. Highways and freeways pretty much eliminate the need for over landing making it so you have to be actively seeking to be off the beaten path because it so easy to travel between places. Same with the gas tanks, they are small because its hard to find a rout from one place to another in the USA that does not have gas station at fairly short intervals. Ill give you an example, I ride dual sport motorcycles and I have to plan routs ahead of time to avoid roads, I plan routs that will take the better part of a day(6 hours+ to go around the mountain I live near in the woods to a town on the other side but when I am ready to come home from that town I have a freeway and a highway available and each will get me back home in only about an hour and both go around very wide of the dirt tracks I used to get there. The USB paves pretty much every place any amount of people travel at all. There are a lot of paved hiking paths around here too. I hope that helps paint a picture a little better.
+Pooshooter5k
That's what I figured as well but it's the same in Europe, Australia etc. We have highways as well.. Overlanding simply means traveling over land in those places it seems. Like, if you were heading out from Scotland and drove down through Europe and headed east ending up in Istanbul for example (End of Europe), that would still be overlanding since you traveled over land. Of course you *could* stick to highways but that would probably be quite boring.
Don't forget that the terrible roads that Andrew drives on in Africa etc. are actual roads as well. It's just a poor (and often big and remote) country's roads.
There's a guy called Ben who has a TH-cam channel called Hasta Alaska. He bought an old VW bus in Chile and drove to Alaska. He then set up a couchsurfing account and let strangers join him for parts of the trip. It's fun to watch. Sometimes they're driving on normal roads, sometimes on shitty roads, sometimes no roads at all. I would still call his trip overlanding since he traveled over land. Obviously it's not extremely hard trails or whatever in an old VW bus but it's still traveling over land.
When he reached the USA obviously things got a whole lot easier than they had been further south but that doesn't really change the fact that he's traveling over land. :)
When you look at a lot of non-American (Especially European) overland trucks they're also completely different than American ones since it seems to simply mean something completely different in Europe and USA. From what I've seen it seems like Americans associate it with rugged trail riding for a weekend while Europeans associate it with weeks or months worth of driving through many countries on all kinds of roads so the European vehicles tend to be focused on long distances, enough food and water to last a while etc. It's rare to see lifted 4x4s with massive wheels used for European overland vehicles for example since it'd be pointless for what it means over here. Of course they shouldn't break down constantly, should have decent clearance etc. but they're not meant to be rock crawling or whatever for the most part.
I guess it may have something to do with the USA being so big as well. Maybe it's just not that interesting for an American to just drive around his or her own country? If I got in my car and drove for a day, I could pass through 5+ countries probably (Depending on direction of course). I suppose that may make overlanding as a form of travel more interesting for us?
I could drive to Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia (Czech Republic changed their name recently. lol), Slovakia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Lichtenstein, France, the UK (probably forgetting some) in a day's driving or less. Obviously not all in the same day since they're in all directions from here, but that still means we have a lot of completely different cultures, languages, traditions etc. right on our doorstep.
I guess it's a bit harder for you Americans unless you happen to live near the Mexican border or whatever. Chances are most Americans would just be driving around in their own country because it's so big. :)
People do drive all over the USA and in and out of Canada but they do it in Motor homes because they can expect the roads to be paved and pretty good, Plus they go to most places of interest throughout most of north america. So a more highway focused vehicle makes a lot more sense for most people travailing here. My impression of over landing in most of the rest of the world is that you need an off road vehicle unless you only drive in big cities. Because roads just are not maintained that well out side of cities in the third world. Plus here are plenty of motels to stop at all over here too so you don't even need to bring a place to live. I have driven from one side of the USA to the other in a single trip twice now and both times was in small hatchback cars and staying in motels. Having a paved road to where ever you want to go in north america is something you can count on. Thus over landing and off roading become hobbies because it something you really have to try to do, its not inherent to travel its an activity all on its own.
That's also why both overland vehicles and off road vehicles are so different here. Over landing vehicles are motor homes. Off road vehicles are purpose built have need to be a lot bigger then off road vehicles in other places because they are more often used in designated off road parks and locations. But they don't need comfort range or utility because they are not used for travel. Often people here will pull a trailer with an off road vehicle behind a motor home, I guess its a luxury to be able to operate like that.
Even when people need to get to remote locations over here for a commercial or utility purpose the first thing they send is a bulldozer and some tractors to build a road good enough for highway going work trucks.
Thanks for the interesting perspective. I often wish the USA was less developed, especially when I read about the adventures people can have in other parts of the world. Although in most of my everyday life I feel very fortunate to not have to contend with a lot of things that make life so interesting other places too.
your right it is a hobby here-. But at least we can go off roading, camping etc. We drive off road to explore our wonderful National Forest and BLM Land where it is public access, Try that in Europe. I have never heard the term "overlanding" before. Aus, SA ??? The US is not Africa?? No shit !!! or maybe Africa has a lot of shit-we try and protect our resources with the ocassional pit toilet etc. Dont like it go dig a hole.
Why put it down? Have you ever been in Death Valley? Have you ever camped away from your couch?
They put small tanks in these vehicles because nobody wants to buy a vehicle that costs $200USD to fill up in the country with the cheapest, most available fuel. It's a mental thing for consumers. Most trucks used to come with dual tanks up until recently
its illegal to fly drones in the national parks in the states... lol awesome footage from the inspire aka mr zoomie though i wont tell anyone if you dont;) BMP
Swillys Ov3rland supposedly because of safety, but really it's because you have to pay the King to film his landscape.
Who cares
8:15 is where James May got the Range Rover Evoque stuck.
good shots of the valley as for the reason no diesels the state of california and there pollution nonsense is the reason they blame odor of diesel for the smog. hope you were able to see the lights of Las Vegas and interstate 15 at night if lost can help you get out at night. next time over here go to the panamints.
Glad you didn't get deterred by Lippencott, it's a cool road up. As for the mystery of the sailing stones of the racktrack playa, that mystery was finally solved two years ago: www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rocks-move-death-valley-lake-bed-20140827-story.html
I did all of Lippincott in my Subaru..cmon guys ;)
What is the intro song? I really love it.
1,2,3,4,5 ... let´s do it again .... :-D
Sympathies accepted. Can't understand the US auto empires' resistance to implement diesel engine choices on a grand scale. Cries for lost MPG are heard from Mountain to Valley... Yet the clack of diesel finds it's home too often confined by pulling freight, horses, stumps, or beds full of gravel [apparently]. ...And VW's. As long as our gas is cheap enough that we don't complain, my prediction is, it'll probably stay that way.
Joel Kreider lol. You can't understand oil barons paying off politicians to keep the money rolling in? That's odd.
Great Video, does anybody know what the artist and title of the opening song is?
Here in Mexico is even worse, we have barely any diesels, mostly huge thirsty detroit crap, decent overlanders we have the 4x4 diesel hilux just got here last year, we used to have the Mitsubishi L200 4x4 diesel, I think it got discontinued a couple years ago and we had the Nissan Hardbody 4x4 Petrol for a long time, and the 4x4 Diesel with the NP-300 generation but just got replaced by the Navara which is bloody awful. We never got the older model Hilux, they are all imported from the US with IFS and the 22RE or the V6, neither the Jimny ever got here, only grey market Samurais, I Currently use a 4 door 04 Suzuki Vitara 4x4, body on frame, great mileage, big enough for 2 people, but I would love a diesel Hilux or 70 series.
That was fantastic, and you're right we do have poor options for decent Overland vehicles at least in regard to engine options, Toyota has a couple of good offerings and Jeep thinks it makes a great 4x4....I'm not sure about that. But that's me. GM has recently made a diesel engine option for their Chevy Colorado or GM Canyon and are said to be comparable vehicles now to the Toyota Tacoma. Dodge also builds a half-ton with a V-6 diesel engine. But the big problems now with the new diesel engines are the emissions systems that they have now like DEF or you might know it as adblue. Toyota sadly has been quite stubborn in offering a diesel engine in any of their North American vehicles even Nissan now offers a Cummins V-8 in their prissy looking 1/2 ton pick up trucks. If you'd like to see moving rocks in many parts of Canada that get the nasty weather that we do on Prairies we have boulders that push out of the ground with the frost. I know many places where the farmers have to go rock picking every spring because of the rocks that push out over time.
I just came back from Trinidad, all the Gm trucks down there are diesel, even the Ford Ranger is diesel.
As much as you like airplanes and ships the next time you’re in the United States try to go to San Diego and see the aircraft carrier midway.
Do you by chance have/know the roads that you took through death valley? i am looking to do a similar trip! thanks friends
Is camping in the middle of the road standard operating procedure wherever you're from?
What I'd do for a diesel land cruiser 70 series in america...
I was told that drones are not allowed in National Parks.
19:00 That wasn't a Dodge, that was a Ford.
Logan N Indeed. He knows a lot about overlanding and is knowledgeable about many things. But he does not seem very informed about offroading or the trucks here in the states...
The first one was a Chevy and the second one a Ford. It's true that I'm not that familiar with US vehicles. Learning my way around them and thoroughly enjoying off-roading in the US. This is my second US off-road adventure. My first was last year in a Sportsmobile Ford E-series van.
Shoshanna Rubin Because he goes offroading, he has no interest in extra long wheelbase pick-ups probably, because you will bottom them out all the time and won't have any traction with the rear axle.
j0lambert tablet He himself is driving a full sized truck here with a long wheelbase. While not as big as the F250. Those Tundras are not small.
I agree, a very long wheelbase gives a bad breakover angle. However huge trucks like the Power Wagon can crawl over almost anything and are eminently capable despite it's size and weight.
I feel the width and weight is more of a negative than wheelbase length.
Remember he plans on building a truck with a rather long wheelbase himself.
+Shoshanna Rubin True, but it's not surprising that none of these vehicled have been on his radar to go offroading before.
When Andrew spots it’s like reading a light novel😂
what about the footage of the pass ?
thats is not why the rocks move. water rises a few inches quickly and the surface freezes and when melting the flow pushes the rocks
Could you use a drone to recce ahead on tricky sections?
I guess you could. But most drones don't have a range of more than ±5 miles.
one thing we australians have over u yanks. we have the best 4wd vehicles in the world.
Yank here.. agree with you 100%. Plus you guys are just better at off roading period, you do it daily where most yanks are just weekender folks.
So true, both of you; here in Western Europe there are so few AWD/4WD vehicles for true offroading...just SUV-SUV-SUV, everywhere.
jneto0893 Toyota is entering the 70 Series and the Hilux into a competition to be the next US military vehicle. (Ford is entering the global Ranger.) If they win, Toyota will probably start building them in the US and I hope that we will see a civilian version. I know that's a lot of "if" but I can hope!
Really, what 4wd vehicles are made there in Australia? I'm quite partial to Jeeps myself which are mostly made in Canada at this point (my vehicle said 73% made in Canada and assembled in America).
The selection they have over there is much better than here. GM still even sells a body on frame Trail Blazer with an optional diesel and manual transmission.
@4xoverland Why didn't you try a 4runner? ? ? ? ?
We wanted to use a camper on a pick-up.
OK. Thanks for the reply. I just watched this series. You are a GREAT human being. Thanks for being an inspiration to young men looking for something more meaningful in this crazy world. I own a 4runner (like the Prado) and it's a fantastic vehicle, and quite popular with guys my age wanting to get into the overlanding thing -- which is slowly becoming more popular. Have you tried a 5th gen 4runner?
Bravo
What kind of range do foreign trucks usually get? I've never been outside America so I have no frame of reference.
450 miles would be considered average. 1000 miles would be considered top of the range. But its less about the small tanks, but the extreme consumption.
Is lower consumption due to diesel engines? I have a much smaller 3.4L V6 in my 4Runner but its range is just as pitiful as those giant V8s.
2,5, 2,7, 3.0 4-cylinder, and even a 4,5 turbo V8 diesel engine, consume well under half of what these trucks managed. I drove a 4.0 V6 Toyota Tacoma last year in the US, and the consumption was also extremely high.
mandaloin you'll find that a Toyota Landcruiser 70 series diesel will have a 1000 Km range (roughly 495 miles or so).
im sorry, this is slander. my 2015 f250 has a 48 gallon fuel tank and is rated at 18 mpg combined. it has the 6.7 liter diesel . this comes out to a 864 MILE range which comes out to 1390.47 km. considering the ford f-series has been the best selling car in the the states for 38 years, id say we are doing just fine.
Older Chevy suburbans had a 150 litre fuel tank
I have a 35gallon tank with a 500 mile range
perhaps you should look at the ecoboost f150's. much better then the v8 tundras in my opinion. better power, better fuel economy.
Southern Nevada offroading and back country Ford is a joke, hed break down in the desert
Mr.TooTall 939 #1 selling trucks for how any years now???? F-series are best trucks if you need to get work done, no matter the work from hauling, towing, or touring. Next time please include data to support your statement before making asinine statements based purely on your own ill informed opinion.
Southern Nevada offroading and back country Haha Ford outsells GM, yet there are more GM trucks still on the road today. Outselling someone says nothing. Ford diesels are a joke and the ecoboost garbage engines are barely lasting to 150-200k miles. chevy 5.7 and 5.3's go 300k like clockwork. Try again
Mr.TooTall 939 Again statements with no data, if the power stroke is so garage then why is it every construction site you see, every blasting and drilling fleet filled with f-series? why do they continue to sell if they are garbage? You do the Chevy has had there fair share of issues with the Duramax right??? Dodge suspension has been junk. ALL auto makers have their flaws. And as for the Ecoboost engine theajor failures I have personally seen (I'm Ford technician) Have been from lack of maintenance, so shoo troll!
Mr.TooTall 939 Or from buying poor tuning.
Tundra needs a diff lock badly.
No locks and no winch? That's whats making you nervous. Usually you are better prepared.
Sometimes I have to use what I'm given - and make the most of it.
True that. Still makes you nervous not having what you are used to having. Looked like that bumper was plenty big enough for a winch too.
Loved the series too. My dad took us there on vacation once when my sister and I were just kids. 120 degrees in the shade. It was miserable. :)
that was a Chevy and a Ford, I didn't see a dodge.