Your suggestion of getting out on forest roads is a good one. We have driven our bone stock 4runner on many challenging roads and have gotten a feel for what it does and can do. My first 'mod' will be better tires for wheeling than the OEM summer tires that came on it.
It's always amazing what a good bone stock 4x4 is capable of. The new tires will make a HUGE difference in capability too. That was the first thing we did when we got the LX (after driving it stock for a bit)
Totally agree. But for older drivers I’d add lights right about #6. Well before winch etc. I’ve pulled a lot of people out of mud, snow and even ice. Yet I have never gotten myself seriously stuck and I’ve never had a winch. I’m not a mud hog or a rock crawler. But spent a lot of miles in the wilderness. But I’ve always got survival gear for 3+ days no matter where I’m going. I’ve also used a lot of coolant, oils etc for others along the way. I do have a host of straps, boards, shovel, ax & chainsaw.
I like the "mods" and these make total sense. Did this before I took my 20 year rig to Glacier well, with the exception of the armor. Hard to find for my rig.
Hey there great video, I just got a lx470. And was wondering what tyre size are you running . Been reading forums and they say lx 470 will take 285 75 16 without any rubs, just wanted your take and the wheels that you have
Hey, thanks! The forums are correct, I'm running 285/75/15. They didn't rub at all on the stock wheels, however now that I'm on wheels with a more aggressive offset (SCS F5's) they do rub a little bit, but trimming the fender liner a bit and hammering the pinch weld mostly sorted it. Oh, and congrats on the LX. They are AMAZING trucks!
Great Video! The one mod I need most is to improve my driving skills… Didn’t see the links you mentioned? And… as a newbie solo overlander.. what do you think are are the best resources to help me build my driving skills? I live in the PNW and found you through the OTG podcast of the Olympics… would love to start that route, where would I start?
Hey! Glad you enjoyed the video, and welcome to the channel. Good on you for wanting to improve your off-road driving skills. I truly believe it's the best "mod" there is. As far as resources to improve your driving skills, one of most helpful, in depth videos I found when I was starting out was this one: ua-cam.com/video/TOweeVYkyps/v-deo.html. It's a bit old, but all the info is still super relevant. I'm also a big fan of Ronny Dahl. He's got a great UA-cam channel (ua-cam.com/video/TOweeVYkyps/v-deo.html) and a number of 4x4 driving tip videos. Of course, there are a ton more on UA-cam, so one of the things I did early on was to do a search on UA-cam for "how to drive off road", and watched as many of those videos as I could. From there, as a newbie solo Overlander .... I would recommend hitting some easy forest service roads around the PNW. It's a good way to put some of the things you learn into practice, without going straight to tackling REALLY tough tracks. If you want to find some specific roads to check out, I really like www.trailsoffroad.com as a resource. If you look in Washington, you can find some FS roads where the difficulty rating is low (green), and those are probably a good place to start! Those are great confidence boosters. Lastly, as far as the Olympics route from OTG, it looks like (unfortunately) it still isn't live on the site. If you are a member of that site, I'd recommend reaching out to Ben via email (he runs the site) and ask him if he can send you the .GPX file of the specific route. He was kind enough to do that for me, even though it's not "finalized". Overall though, that was a nice route and definitely beginner friendly! I hope that helps! We'll be rooting for you as you start your Overland journey. It really is a LOT of fun. And don't hesitate to comment on videos where you have questions and we'll do our best to answer them. Oh, and one last thing ... in a few weeks we've got a video that will be going live with 10 resources to help you plan an Overland route .... so stay tuned for that one, I think you'll find it helpful :) Cheers!
Going to answer the question before watching the rest of the video (it's the same order my Wife and I are doing or have done with our overlanding build): 1) Install proper tires/wheels 2) Install undercarriage protection (skid plate) 3) Gather basic safety supplies to carry in the vehicle (air pump, fire extinguisher, medical supplies, jumper cables, basic tools, recovery gear like tow rope, recovery strap, shovel) 4) Get a radio of some kind (CB or GMRS, etc) and map (gaia gps, smartphone, paper map). 5) Add storage so we can carry proper weather gear and food/water. Now going to watch the video and see if anything I mentioned above matches up with your suggestions. :) EDIT: Ok, now that I've watched the video I'll respond to your suggestions based on what we have done. 1) We have a basically new 2023 Subaru Ascent as our family and overlanding vehicle. So our vehicle started off in great condition. :) We also added wheels/tires that matched the original overall dimensions (so smaller wheels, but bigger tires) so that our suspension was already setup to handle it since the weight was basically the same. 2) "Driver Mod" is super important. I wouldn't have ever thought about overlanding if I didn't already know how to drive in offroad type conditions at least a little bit. While our subaru is new to us, I've been driving another subaru for over 17 years. I've also watched a ton of videos about our current subaru offroad features/capabilities (like xmode, etc). We also drove our new subaru in the snow in cascade mountains numerous times before doing our first overlanding style trip. I do not, however, know much about specific technique in crawling over obstacles like rocks, etc...but with our vehicle I don't expect we'll attempt much of that to begin with (bad approach/departure angles, not enough ground clearance). I've also ridden sportbikes for years (even all year round in western washington) and have taken a rally course in subaru's before. I love driving on dirt!. Our first overlanding trip was with a large group on a beginner road, which we chose because we wanted to build more confidence. 3) Recovery points, already learned these in the manual and looking at youtube videos. Also bought the gear for this already (soft shackle, recovery straps, etc). 4) To be expected, tires. :) 5) Skid Plates. Also an excellent suggestion. Gotta protect the vehicle! Haven't bought rock sliders though. Looks like from the order of stuff we did, it was pretty similar.
This is a great comment! Our lists lined up pretty good I'd say. You bring up some really good ones. Basic safety supplies and a means to communicate outside cell coverage are both super important, for sure!
@@WheretoNextOverland I appreciate the time/effort you put into making the above video and your other videos too! They've all been really helpful getting my family into overlanding. :)
@Weather or Not Subaru that's awesome, thank you. Im always happy to hear these videos are helpful to people wanting to get out there and start overlanding. It's such a rewarding hobby, but can seem intimidating at first. Here's to you and your family having some great adventures!
I mean, ill admit .... it's a bit of a stretch. But, the point I was trying to make is that learning to properly drive your vehicle is a more powerful mod than any "actual" mod.
Thanks for the kind words. If there is any way I can be of help (or if you've got an idea for a video topic you'd like to see), let me know. Out channel is all about trying to help / encourage people to get out and explore
Your suggestion of getting out on forest roads is a good one. We have driven our bone stock 4runner on many challenging roads and have gotten a feel for what it does and can do. My first 'mod' will be better tires for wheeling than the OEM summer tires that came on it.
It's always amazing what a good bone stock 4x4 is capable of. The new tires will make a HUGE difference in capability too. That was the first thing we did when we got the LX (after driving it stock for a bit)
Totally agree. But for older drivers I’d add lights right about #6. Well before winch etc. I’ve pulled a lot of people out of mud, snow and even ice. Yet I have never gotten myself seriously stuck and I’ve never had a winch. I’m not a mud hog or a rock crawler. But spent a lot of miles in the wilderness. But I’ve always got survival gear for 3+ days no matter where I’m going. I’ve also used a lot of coolant, oils etc for others along the way. I do have a host of straps, boards, shovel, ax & chainsaw.
Great points. Lights are next on our list for sure!
It’s cool to see you ride tracks. I’ve spent a lot of time,,,,, and money 🙄 on the track. 🏍️
I like the "mods" and these make total sense. Did this before I took my 20 year rig to Glacier well, with the exception of the armor. Hard to find for my rig.
It's definitely a bit of a different take on "mods" ... but I think a lot of people skip all of this stuff, unfortunately!
Excellent video!!! Specially for beginners 🤙🏽
Thanks! Glad you found if helpful
Ok. Ok. I know, these AREN'T the usual "sexy" mods. But what do you think? What would the first things YOU would do with a new to you Overland rig?
Hey there great video, I just got a lx470. And was wondering what tyre size are you running . Been reading forums and they say lx 470 will take 285 75 16 without any rubs, just wanted your take and the wheels that you have
Hey, thanks! The forums are correct, I'm running 285/75/15. They didn't rub at all on the stock wheels, however now that I'm on wheels with a more aggressive offset (SCS F5's) they do rub a little bit, but trimming the fender liner a bit and hammering the pinch weld mostly sorted it.
Oh, and congrats on the LX. They are AMAZING trucks!
Great Video! The one mod I need most is to improve my driving skills… Didn’t see the links you mentioned? And… as a newbie solo overlander.. what do you think are are the best resources to help me build my driving skills? I live in the PNW and found you through the OTG podcast of the Olympics… would love to start that route, where would I start?
Hey! Glad you enjoyed the video, and welcome to the channel. Good on you for wanting to improve your off-road driving skills. I truly believe it's the best "mod" there is. As far as resources to improve your driving skills, one of most helpful, in depth videos I found when I was starting out was this one: ua-cam.com/video/TOweeVYkyps/v-deo.html. It's a bit old, but all the info is still super relevant.
I'm also a big fan of Ronny Dahl. He's got a great UA-cam channel (ua-cam.com/video/TOweeVYkyps/v-deo.html) and a number of 4x4 driving tip videos. Of course, there are a ton more on UA-cam, so one of the things I did early on was to do a search on UA-cam for "how to drive off road", and watched as many of those videos as I could.
From there, as a newbie solo Overlander .... I would recommend hitting some easy forest service roads around the PNW. It's a good way to put some of the things you learn into practice, without going straight to tackling REALLY tough tracks. If you want to find some specific roads to check out, I really like www.trailsoffroad.com as a resource. If you look in Washington, you can find some FS roads where the difficulty rating is low (green), and those are probably a good place to start! Those are great confidence boosters.
Lastly, as far as the Olympics route from OTG, it looks like (unfortunately) it still isn't live on the site. If you are a member of that site, I'd recommend reaching out to Ben via email (he runs the site) and ask him if he can send you the .GPX file of the specific route. He was kind enough to do that for me, even though it's not "finalized".
Overall though, that was a nice route and definitely beginner friendly!
I hope that helps! We'll be rooting for you as you start your Overland journey. It really is a LOT of fun. And don't hesitate to comment on videos where you have questions and we'll do our best to answer them.
Oh, and one last thing ... in a few weeks we've got a video that will be going live with 10 resources to help you plan an Overland route .... so stay tuned for that one, I think you'll find it helpful :)
Cheers!
Going to answer the question before watching the rest of the video (it's the same order my Wife and I are doing or have done with our overlanding build):
1) Install proper tires/wheels
2) Install undercarriage protection (skid plate)
3) Gather basic safety supplies to carry in the vehicle (air pump, fire extinguisher, medical supplies, jumper cables, basic tools, recovery gear like tow rope, recovery strap, shovel)
4) Get a radio of some kind (CB or GMRS, etc) and map (gaia gps, smartphone, paper map).
5) Add storage so we can carry proper weather gear and food/water.
Now going to watch the video and see if anything I mentioned above matches up with your suggestions. :)
EDIT:
Ok, now that I've watched the video I'll respond to your suggestions based on what we have done.
1) We have a basically new 2023 Subaru Ascent as our family and overlanding vehicle. So our vehicle started off in great condition. :) We also added wheels/tires that matched the original overall dimensions (so smaller wheels, but bigger tires) so that our suspension was already setup to handle it since the weight was basically the same.
2) "Driver Mod" is super important. I wouldn't have ever thought about overlanding if I didn't already know how to drive in offroad type conditions at least a little bit. While our subaru is new to us, I've been driving another subaru for over 17 years. I've also watched a ton of videos about our current subaru offroad features/capabilities (like xmode, etc). We also drove our new subaru in the snow in cascade mountains numerous times before doing our first overlanding style trip. I do not, however, know much about specific technique in crawling over obstacles like rocks, etc...but with our vehicle I don't expect we'll attempt much of that to begin with (bad approach/departure angles, not enough ground clearance). I've also ridden sportbikes for years (even all year round in western washington) and have taken a rally course in subaru's before. I love driving on dirt!. Our first overlanding trip was with a large group on a beginner road, which we chose because we wanted to build more confidence.
3) Recovery points, already learned these in the manual and looking at youtube videos. Also bought the gear for this already (soft shackle, recovery straps, etc).
4) To be expected, tires. :)
5) Skid Plates. Also an excellent suggestion. Gotta protect the vehicle! Haven't bought rock sliders though.
Looks like from the order of stuff we did, it was pretty similar.
This is a great comment! Our lists lined up pretty good I'd say. You bring up some really good ones. Basic safety supplies and a means to communicate outside cell coverage are both super important, for sure!
@@WheretoNextOverland I appreciate the time/effort you put into making the above video and your other videos too! They've all been really helpful getting my family into overlanding. :)
@Weather or Not Subaru that's awesome, thank you. Im always happy to hear these videos are helpful to people wanting to get out there and start overlanding. It's such a rewarding hobby, but can seem intimidating at first.
Here's to you and your family having some great adventures!
I thought this was about mods not how to drive
Never heard the term 'driver mod' before?
@@WheretoNextOverland i suppose.
I mean, ill admit .... it's a bit of a stretch. But, the point I was trying to make is that learning to properly drive your vehicle is a more powerful mod than any "actual" mod.
@WheretoNextOverland i like your channel, and I appreciate your help. I'm getting a little stressed, trying to find one of these that makes sense lol.
Thanks for the kind words. If there is any way I can be of help (or if you've got an idea for a video topic you'd like to see), let me know. Out channel is all about trying to help / encourage people to get out and explore