Expedition One

Alucab

The soft sided RTT wasn’t cutting it anymore. We needed a faster setup and deploy, with room on top to store the occasional extra gear for extended trips. The Alucab is a truly amazing tent. You know they make a good product when other manufacturers attempt to copy it!

HardKorr Lighting

These lights are, in my opinion, the best camp lights you can get. Easy to install, dimmable, and multi colored to fend off those pesky insects. The lights come with magnetic mounting options or 3M tape (depending on which lights you order). They can be plugged into a 12v socket, or wired direct. The new dimming controller also allows both both the orange and white LEDs to be on simultaneously, so a warm light is an option as well. I did a video on these, check it out HERE.

EXP1, Rear

I also bought the Expedition One rear bumper. I have no affiliation with this company. I just really like their gear.

This rear bumper features a “smooth motion” tire carrier system. That means I don’t have to unhook any latches to open the rear door, The entire thing floats with the door so I can open it like normal, while being able to mount 8 gallons of fuel and extra weight on the tire.

I think dual rear bump lights are redundant with todays LED lighting technology. So the left side has the Baja Designs s2 Pro flood for a backup light, and the right side I built a custom dual 12v plug port for plugging in lights and accessories.

SnoMaster

Fridge

The SnoMaster CL56D Refrigerator with the DFG Offroad fridge slide. I went with SnoMaster because of what you get for the cost. First, I couldn't find a single bad review on their products. This thing is ultra quiet, it has LED lighting in each compartment, a bottle opener right on the front or side (your choice), and has a stainless steel housing.The build quality is top notch. If you consider that you get the transit bag and a solar powered wireless controller/monitor then you really aren't paying much more than major competing brands. The controller can also be charged via micro usb, and includes a backlight button. So this remote could be mounted if you chose to do so. Once you consider the 5 year warranty on the compressors, I think the extra cost is easily justified. The fridge has threaded feet so you can bolt it down to your slider. I plan to do this soon to prevent theft. Check out the full video review HERE.

Under the fridge is the DFG Offroad slider. This company is new to the scene, but they are coming up with some pretty cool products. Their fridge sliders are much cheaper than the competition and quite well built. I got the very first cutting board unit they made! Its quite effortless to open and floats like a dream. They are made from aluminum so they are very lightweight, and you can get a custom size made if you require it. The slider includes tie down straps in the kit which is a bonus.

Solar

SOLAR!

My primary power drain is the SnoMaster fridge. These fridges are very efficient, as incandescent headlights draw more amperage than these do (depending on fridge size, of course). My fridge is a dual zone unit, meaning I can run one side as a fridge, and the other as a freezer or any combination in between. I use the smaller side as a freezer, and doing so requires much more electricity than just running a fridge at 33 degrees. Keeping things frozen takes a large amount of energy, but freezing things takes a tremendous amount. I found over the warmer months my Siemens 110w solar panel couldn’t quite keep up. If I go backpacking, I don’t want all of my food to be spoiled when I come back, so an upgrade was in order. I found out about 4thD Solar through Conquerer North America. Through their testing, a 165 watt panel actually achieved 175watts. These are a stick on type of panel, and I wanted something streamline for the Alucab. Rigid panels are great, but heavy and take up roof top space that I had hoped to gain back with the hardshell tent. Hopefully this 165 panel will prove to itself to be my solution for always having cold beer.

Kitchen

The Tembo Tusk skottle. This thing is amazing! It’s really fun to cook on, and its big enough to do everything. I don't have to carry a load of pots and pans now, and I only have one cast iron piece to clean. It tears down really quickly, and is ready to go again in no time. You can even bake pies on these things. You read that right! One of the coolest pieces of gear I have purchased to date! The only real downside, if this becomes your primary cooking device, is if you need to boil water. You have to dismount the stove from underneath. Not a big deal, but some may not like that aspect. I carry an extra stove anyway, just in case one fails on the trail.