Backcountry Vehicles

Notice how the massive smears of dirt and mud simply blend in to the white paint of the doors. It's almost magical.

:lol:
 
The white Tundra looks way good. Nice choice of wheels!

And it’s true, Black shows dirt way worse. Here’s my tundra after a casual drive through the canyon, after this trip I decided to leave the backcountry exploration to the 4Runner.

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I can attest that Jeep's Light Pewter Metallic Clear Coat shows way less dirt than their Steel Blue Pearl Coat.

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Actually, I can't find a photo of my newer Jeep in which it looks that dirty, even though I only washed each one maybe every two years.
 
For a time I owned a "Khaki" colored Jeep Liberty. Now that color I have to say was the best at hiding dirt and mud :cool:... but my current dark maroon (or is it brick red?) Jeep Wrangler shows dirt fairly quickly... but aren't off-road vehicles supposed to be dirty?
 
WasatchWill said:
Had to upgrade to an 8 seater for the family. Here's the car enjoying a view up on Thousand Lake Mountain. It may be old, but it sure is nice having a high clearance 4WD vehicles not only for myself (4runner) but for the whole family now. Everything works on this vehicle as well, and paid cash...

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Here's a link to see it in action on the same road further back: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GCvMdqRMXLHPxHNp2
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I have a Yukon XL (2004) and am looking to replace it. It's actually the car my wife drives, and I drive a Honda Fit (2017) as the commuter car. However, it's time to upgrade my wife's ride, and I'm actually thinking of selling the Fit and rolling it into bulletproofing that Yukon. I just did a VERY rough road up Boulder Mountain in my friend's Tacoma, and we made it, but not without some bruises. Would you feel confident in your Yukon going up there?

What I'm trying to decide is if I'd be best off keeping the Yukon and improving it or if I should think about something like a Jeep for myself. While I prefer to backback more than rock crawl, some adventures demand both.
 
jar155 said:
I have a Yukon XL (2004) and am looking to replace it. It's actually the car my wife drives, and I drive a Honda Fit (2017) as the commuter car. However, it's time to upgrade my wife's ride, and I'm actually thinking of selling the Fit and rolling it into bulletproofing that Yukon. I just did a VERY rough road up Boulder Mountain in my friend's Tacoma, and we made it, but not without some bruises. Would you feel confident in your Yukon going up there?

What I'm trying to decide is if I'd be best off keeping the Yukon and improving it or if I should think about something like a Jeep for myself. While I prefer to backback more than rock crawl, some adventures demand both.
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With the wider wheel base of our Yukon (keep in mind, ours is an XL), and at stock clearance but without step rails, I still wouldn't feel comfortable taking it on any roads with big ruts and dips. With roads like Hole in the Rock Road, Cathedral Valley Loop, and even up Sand Creek on Thousand Lake Mountain, and so on, there's no problem. If you're wanting something for roads much more rugged and torn up, definitely look for something with a little high clearance and a shorter wheel base, like a good Jeep, etc.
 
WasatchWill said:
With the wider wheel base of our Yukon (keep in mind, ours is an XL), and at stock clearance but without step rails, I still wouldn't feel comfortable taking it on any roads with big ruts and dips. With roads like Hole in the Rock Road, Cathedral Valley Loop, and even up Sand Creek on Thousand Lake Mountain, and so on, there's no problem. If you're wanting something for roads much more rugged and torn up, definitely look for something with a little high clearance and a shorter wheel base, like a good Jeep, etc.
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Thanks, man. The roughest road I've taken our Yukon on so far is to the end of Upper Setting Road in the Uintas. That road gets pretty dang rough, but not anything like the road I took up the Boulders. I think I'll look into a Jeep or Tacoma.
 
jar155 said:
Thanks, man. The roughest road I've taken our Yukon on so far is to the end of Upper Setting Road in the Uintas. That road gets pretty dang rough, but not anything like the road I took up the Boulders. I think I'll look into a Jeep or Tacoma.
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Good reasoning. The Upper Settings road is indeed rugged but I have seen 2WD passenger cars at the end. It is probably a 2 on the 4WD scale which ends at 4+. Sounds like you want more capability.
 
Zep said:
Jumping into the really expensive gear category...

I'm curious to know what vehicle people use to get to their favorite backpacking/hiking/fishing destinations.

Unfortunately, some of my trips get planned around my '98 Honda Accord. Eventually, I'm going to get a vehicle than can get me to some trailheads that the Accord just can't. For example, one of the trips I'm planning for next summer is into the West Fork Blacks Fork drainage of the Uintas. It would be nice to be able to ford the river and not worry about some of the extra rough spots.

Ideally, I'd like a vehicle with 4WD, high clearance, and room for 4-5 people with gear. This has led me to dream about vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Toyota Tacoma Double Cab, and Nissan Xterra.

For now I'll keep dreaming, but what are people using to get to their little harder to reach destinations?

Zep
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If you want room for 4-5 people and gear your going to have to get a pickup truck and a Toyota has the most ground clearance and is the most dependable. But they are really expensive. If you want it for 2-3 people and gear then you can go for a 4-runner, Xterra or jeep. I had an 86 4runner that I bought brand new for $18,000, drove it for 25 years and sold it for $5,000. That vehicle went over elephant hill numerous times, into the Maze, up every road the Uintas has to offer. I now have a 96 4runner which I bought for $10,000 after selling the other one. The 3rd generation stock 4runner is not too wide and not too long so you can get just about anywhere you want if you have the right tires. If you take your time you can pick up a good one for 6-10 grand; and they don't break down. Heck, the front end never gets out of alignment no matter how many rocks or boulders you bang into. Try to get one with a locking rear differential if you can.
 
Sold my 4Runner that I posted earlier, moving onto a new adventure vehicle soon. Keep your eyes peeled for a future post :)
 
So I’ve had the 4Runner’s replacement for a few weeks now but I’m not 100% that I’ll keep it yet. If I do, it’ll be quite the luxurios overlander. I do love the vehicle so far, I’m just not sure I want to ruin its pristine condition lol.

Introducing my GX470

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Yvonne said:
I couldn't resist and I bought an XTerra again.
Needs real tires pretty soon
No white XTerra available, so I had to take the black one. Not so much of a fan of black cars down here in Southern Utah, they are getting way too hot.

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I have a 2012 Xterra Pro4X. Positives are that it has a tight turning radious and handles really well. A nice vehicle all around on the road or off. It handles better than late model 4Runners in my opinion.

I plan to replace it when I can. The huge negative is that it gets stuck in 4 low. This is something that the dealership has specifically tried avoid disclosing and has no method if repair. Eventually l was able to drag a procedure out of them that gets it out of 4low and it does work but it happens every time I'm in 4low.

I'm disgusted with Nissan and will not buy from them again.

I told the local Toyota dealership to let me know when the 4Runner goes from body on frame to Unibody. When that happens I'll get one if I can choke up the $$$.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk
 
MTNgoat said:
For me, the gear is as much fun as the destination! Currently I’m using a 99 4Runner, it gets the job done well and I’ve been very happy with it. But as my family grows the space is getting smaller inside to pack ourselves and gear in, so I’ll be considering the switch to a 4th generation 4Runner soon I think.

Here’s a few photos in its element.

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That year is a sweet spot for the 4Runner. Where did you get the awning?

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk
 
Aldaron said:
Hey, nick, bring out that picture of your truck getting stuck in the Swell! :)

This is what I like to take out into the desert:

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Oh, wait...that was a different desert.

I drive a 2005 Xterra, and I love it.

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However, I'm in the market for a new vehicle, and I'm torn between a new Xterra, a 4runner, or a Tacoma. I don't know which one I'll end up going with.

But my Xterra has been great.
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See my info about the Xterra problem with 4 low before getting another one.
 
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