Backcountry Vehicles

[Ranger Joe]

My wife and I are a rare breed of Jeeper, for we are Liberteers...

Going over Elephant Hill in Canyonlands NP

Descending from Black Bear Pass into Telluride, just before the switchbacks.

Somewhere along the Flint Trail, near Hite Marina.

Stream crossing near Eggnog, Utah.

2006 Liberty Sport, lifted, fully armored, 31" Goodyear Duratracs. I've never had so much fun with a vehicle before. It has taken us to some amazing places, with more amazing places yet to come. Check out my trip reports on the Offroad subforum and you'll see where we've been.

 

[Ranger Joe]

I've seen some low clearance vehicles (like Corollas, Accords, Metros, etc.) get to places that have amazed me. I'll spend an chunk of time driving on some rough* road into some remote destination thinking, "I'm sure glad we drove the <insert high clearance vehicle>!" Then we get to the destination and find some "low rider" there! It always amazes me and cracks me up. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?

You mean like this guy?

 

[FourisTheNewOne]

I have a 2011 Toyota Tacoma dual cab - lift + big tires and taco power have taken me most places I want to be.

Clint - Teapot Canyon by Summit42, on Flickr


tacoma trails by Clint Ireland Huffman, on Flickr

I love this truck - upgraded from a '07 Access Cab when my daughter was born and I couldn't fit a car seat in the back. Loved that truck almost as much...


41.661903 -113.741813 by Clint Ireland Huffman, on Flickr

 

[Mike K]

You mean like this guy?

Haha...yes! Like that crazy Crown Vic dude. I had forgotten about that vid.

 

[JD]

You mean like this guy?

I knew this would be on here sooner or later.

 

[pixie1339]

I've seen some low clearance vehicles (like Corollas, Accords, Metros, etc.) get to places that have amazed me. I'll spend an chunk of time driving on some rough* road into some remote destination thinking, "I'm sure glad we drove the <insert high clearance vehicle>!" Then we get to the destination and find some "low rider" there! It always amazes me and cracks me up. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?

I've seen that before, too, and I'm always amazed and a litlle bewildered. I take my car on a lot of dirt roads, and sometimes I've been surprised by where I have been able to go, but there are many roads that a low rider just can't handle unless you're not concerned with damaging it. There's a lot of great places on my to do list where the primary reason I haven't been is vehicle access. I'd love to have a vehicle that would take me to those places.

 

[pixie1339]

Haha, that video is awesome!

 

[HomerJ]

I've seen some low clearance vehicles (like Corollas, Accords, Metros, etc.) get to places that have amazed me. I'll spend an chunk of time driving on some rough* road into some remote destination thinking, "I'm sure glad we drove the <insert high clearance vehicle>!" Then we get to the destination and find some "low rider" there! It always amazes me and cracks me up. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?

My co-worker has taken his mini van to the top of Mount Logan!

 

[FourisTheNewOne]

Ask Bill about getting a crown vic/mitsu gallant into crazy spots. He rumbled into more places than I'd ever think possible.

 

[Aldaron]

I used to do some crazy stuff with my Toyota Camry...but I stress much less now with my Xterra!

 

[Nick]

Just working on some photos for a trip report and thought my Taco was looking mighty fine in this shot out on Keg Knoll last month.

 

[Zep]

I'm assuming most who have Tacos that frequent this site have the Off Road package. My basis for wanting a vehicle like the Tacoma is so I don't have to worry about being able to make it to most trailheads... most of my reference trailheads/roads are akin to those in the Uintas (don't really have plans/desires to rock crawl, extreme off road, etc.). I've started to wonder... for that type of driving is the Off Road package overkill? Would the base SR5 package be sufficient?

I realize this is a pretty specific question, but maybe someone has some thoughts...

Zep

 

[Nick]

The SR5 will do just fine in pretty much every situation. Realistically, the biggest difference is probably just a comfort factor. The shocks in the Off Road are crazy smooth on bumpy roads. As for the other benefits, they might come in handy in extreme situations but realistically, you probably wouldn't miss them.

Also, no matter which one you get, get rid of those crappy tires and get a set of BFG All Terrains.

 

[DAA]

Agreed. SR5 with decent tires will get you anywhere it is legal to drive in the Uintas.

Just working on some photos for a trip report and thought my Taco was looking mighty fine in this shot out on Keg Knoll last month.

Looking mighty fine indeed . Kind of interesting/funny how many of all our vehicle pics are in the same places. Of the pics I posted of my Jeep, one is at Keg Knoll and one is Teapot Canyon, I know there have been several other pics of those spots in this thread. And I have pics of my Jeep in many if not most of the other spots in this thread too.

- DAA

 

[Artemus]

My wife and I are a rare breed of Jeeper, for we are Liberteers...

Nice rig, Ranger Joe! Funny, when I first read it I thought you were saying you were Libertarians.

 

[Desertrat]

I am driving around in a 04 Dodge Dakota. My dad owned an older Dakota that ran awesome and was able to get almost 300,000 miles on it, so when my last car began giving me trouble I picked this up relatively cheap.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott-g/8298162519/

 

[Dave]

Turnout at Temple of the Moon by ashergrey, on Flickr

In the winter my beater becomes a daily driver, but it dreams of summer.

I've been running generic all seasons on the car since I bought it and after many highway/trail miles, they're pretty much toast. I'm planning on going up to an all-terrain (Yokohama Geolandar AT-s) when I take the snow wheels/tires off in the spring. A 27-inch diameter tire is about the largest I can run clearance-wise, so my choices are limited. I need to find a fifth OEM wheel as well so I can carry a full-size spare when in the backcountry.

 

[wnorton]

For me it's a Toyota 4Runner. I had to keep a professional image for business purposes but want the macho truck performance for exploring.

Wade



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wnorton @ Southern, UT

 

[blueeyes]

For me it's a Toyota 4Runner. I had to keep a professional image for business purposes but want the macho truck performance for exploring.

Wade
View attachment 7536


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wnorton @ Southern, UT

Awe your 4Runner... that makes me laugh!

 

[Nick]

I've gotta say, the recent 4 Runners may be one of the sexier backcountry vehicles around. Man do they look good. I loved my '99, but it doesn't pack as much gear as a taco with a shell so I only sort of miss it.