'24 Badlands/Sasquatch 2-Door Cross-Country Camper Build + Trip Review!

[ZNC]

This is kind of a ridiculous thing to do to a 2-door, but we did it anyway. My brother-in-law bought this and wanted to outfit it for camping. Not far in the conversation, he asked if he could ship it to me and I'd do it, then drive it back across the US. Felt like a no-brainer. My wife and I are regular explorers in our '06 Tacoma TRD with GFC, 33's etc etc and like to get deep in the back country and hike and fish. So with that experience, we set this up for similar missions. Not sure I would do it again! The 2-door is just too small! But in all, here's what we did:

• GFC Tent with interior lights and USB power.
• 120W Solar on top.
• 3 clear, 2 amber Baja LP6's
• Separately switched right, left, and rear ditch/rear lights.
• TrailRax rack with side carriers for Rotopax
• 2 Odyssey AGM batteries with Genesis Off-Road battery carrier
• Redarc isolator and solar controller
• Redarc battery gage
• 67 Designs accessory rail and iPhone holders
• Goose Gear rear shelf/cooking platform
• Custom rear platform/drawer unit for stacking gear and housing a Dometic 55

Crap this setup was designed to carry:

• Two tables, two chairs, 12 x 15' rain structure.
• Two burner propane camp stove
• 2 crates food
• 1 crate cocktails, propane (2.5lb bottle), random camp stuff
• 1 crate kitchen, cookset, setting for 2, solar shower
• 1/2 crate kitchen gear
• 1/2 crate water filter, tech, and coffee gear
• 1/2 crate tools, 1st aid, and oh-shit gear
• 1/2 crate books, and other entertainment
• 1 crate fishing gear
• Full size axe and shovel
• 2 medium small duffels of clothing and personal gear
• 4 fishing rods
• 2 small backpacks of life shit
• 1 camera bag

Suffice to say EVERY NOOK of this thing was stuffed. It took about 30 minutes to strike camp & pack the bronco up - if we were moving fast. Overall, I would say this was way too much stuff for this size vehicle. It worked, but there was a certain way everything fit, loading was strenuous, and visibility out the vehicle was bad. This would have been much more fun with a friend who carried the cooler and kitchen in their larger vehicle. Then the platform would have been spacious for personal gear and toys, and easily removable if you needed 4 seats to set up a through-hike, or some other specific mission. (like wheeling up some short-wheelbase thing!)

Were this my vehicle, I would have been tempted to take the rear seats out entirely, but there is merit to keeping them, and to accommodate that wish, and to make it possible to carry everything, I made this back platform. There's a steel frame that replaces the 4 d-rings in the tiny cargo area. The idea is that frame is permanent. It doesn't get in the way if the seats are up, but it provides a sturdy frame to mount the platform, with only 4 bolts. The platform comes out in about 2 minutes. About 10 min to replace it if you have the big box for the Dometic to wrestle. I think it would be much faster if it was just a flat platform. The platform incorporates a full-width drawer (you can fit a surprising amount of stuff in there! The Dometic 55, and tie-down points set up to securely hold my 3 stacks of crates.

Because our first outfitter was so behind on finishing the vehicle, I had to install the final version of the platform in a hurry and didn't take any pictures! But here's the first prototype of the frame that is permanently mounted in the back. The platform bolts in place with 4 M12 socket head cap screws. The final version had more reinforcement in the feet and powder coat.

Here's the platform ready for crates:

We had a couple serious issues on the trip - both totally avoidable. The first was the folks that did all my electrical work did a pretty poor job. I gave them 4 months to do the rack/tent/lights/batteries/solar, and they didn't start until 4 days before I was supposed to have the vehicle back. They got about half of what we asked them to do done, and they incorrectly set up the solar system so the battery wasn't charging. Fortunately I was able to diagnose and fix that on the road with a short stop at Napa. The other bummer experience was with the rack. It sheared in half at the front about 10 min into the first dirt road we hit. We sistered some angle on to the rack sides to hold it together, and this worked for the remainder of the trip... And, it turns out that at some point TrailRax started selling an "HD" kit that is basically sister plates like we made. They sent us replacement parts and the HD kit free of charge, but it would have been nice to have those from the get-go!

In the "meh" category: Rotopax. I did not enjoy using these, spilling fuel, fighting the mounts, etc... next time, a Wavian or Specter can on the back! Plus I just felt it was tragic to hang them off the side and clutter up the otherwise really cute Bronco's lines.

We also had some GREAT experiences with gear and folks on the road - Dark Horse Customs in Bozeman finished what our first supplier did not, and also helped with fixes to the Bronco and to our Tacoma (that was also in MT). Great folks. The Dometic (with ice!) and a solar charger felt like a game changer. We are huge GFC Fans, and they went the extra mile to help us where their dealer messed up. I don't want to sound too bougie, but the Snow Peak tables are also worth every penny. They strike/setup in seconds and are super sturdy. Their shelter is also really well made and designed. We have several years on the one in our Tacoma and though also pricey, it has lasted is a joy to use. And a shoutout for Sidio crates. They worked really well, and it is nice to pack with things that are true rectangles with out a lot of wasted space to make molding easy. And the Bronco itself was a total delight! So fun to drive, really capable out of the box and no issues in over 6000 miles of rough driving! We'll see how she holds up. She's on the east coast but I think we'll be using her again to explore some fishing spots next summer!

And about that platform... I put so much effort into engineering that thing, it kind of seems a waste not to do something with it. There are some things I'd like to improve, for sure, but I'm curious if there's any appetite for these? If there is, we've thought about making a short run of them...

Sponsored

 

[Squatch]

Ahh, I see where your list went wrong. Here's the proper two-door loadout:

• MREs
• Sleeping bag

 

[tourproto]

Quite the rig!

 

[userdude]

[...] clutter up the otherwise really cute Bronco's lines.

Ahem!

 

[rcl4668]

This is kind of a ridiculous thing to do to a 2-door, but we did it anyway. My brother-in-law bought this and wanted to outfit it for camping. Not far in the conversation, he asked if he could ship it to me and I'd do it, then drive it back across the US. Felt like a no-brainer. My wife and I are regular explorers in our '06 Tacoma TRD with GFC, 33's etc etc and like to get deep in the back country and hike and fish. So with that experience, we set this up for similar missions. Not sure I would do it again! The 2-door is just too small! But in all, here's what we did:

• GFC Tent with interior lights and USB power.
• 120W Solar on top.
• 3 clear, 2 amber Baja LP6's
• Separately switched right, left, and rear ditch/rear lights.
• TrailRax rack with side carriers for Rotopax
• 2 Odyssey AGM batteries with Genesis Off-Road battery carrier
• Redarc isolator and solar controller
• Redarc battery gage
• 49 Designs accessory rail and iPhone holders
• Goose Gear rear shelf/cooking platform
• Custom rear platform/drawer unit for stacking gear and housing a Dometic 55

Crap this setup was designed to carry:

• Two tables, two chairs, 12 x 15' rain structure.
• Two burner propane camp stove
• 2 crates food
• 1 crate cocktails, propane (2.5lb bottle), random camp stuff
• 1 crate kitchen, cookset, setting for 2, solar shower
• 1/2 crate kitchen gear
• 1/2 crate water filter, tech, and coffee gear
• 1/2 crate tools, 1st aid, and oh-shit gear
• 1/2 crate books, and other entertainment
• 1 crate fishing gear
• Full size axe and shovel
• 2 medium small duffels of clothing and personal gear
• 4 fishing rods
• 2 small backpacks of life shit
• 1 camera bag

Suffice to say EVERY NOOK of this thing was stuffed. It took about 30 minutes to strike camp & pack the bronco up - if we were moving fast. Overall, I would say this was way too much stuff for this size vehicle. It worked, but there was a certain way everything fit, loading was strenuous, and visibility out the vehicle was bad. This would have been much more fun with a friend who carried the cooler and kitchen in their larger vehicle. Then the platform would have been spacious for personal gear and toys, and easily removable if you needed 4 seats to set up a through-hike, or some other specific mission. (like wheeling up some short-wheelbase thing!)

Were this my vehicle, I would have been tempted to take the rear seats out entirely, but there is merit to keeping them, and to accommodate that wish, and to make it possible to carry everything, I made this back platform. There's a steel frame that replaces the 4 d-rings in the tiny cargo area. The idea is that frame is permanent. It doesn't get in the way if the seats are up, but it provides a sturdy frame to mount the platform, with only 4 bolts. The platform comes out in about 2 minutes. About 10 min to replace it if you have the big box for the Dometic to wrestle. I think it would be much faster if it was just a flat platform. The platform incorporates a full-width drawer (you can fit a surprising amount of stuff in there! The Dometic 55, and tie-down points set up to securely hold my 3 stacks of crates.

Because our first outfitter was so behind on finishing the vehicle, I had to install the final version of the platform in a hurry and didn't take any pictures! But here's the first prototype of the frame that is permanently mounted in the back. The platform bolts in place with 4 M12 socket head cap screws. The final version had more reinforcement in the feet and powder coat.

Here's the platform ready for crates:

We had a couple serious issues on the trip - both totally avoidable. The first was the folks that did all my electrical work did a pretty poor job. I gave them 4 months to do the rack/tent/lights/batteries/solar, and they didn't start until 4 days before I was supposed to have the vehicle back. They got about half of what we asked them to do done, and they incorrectly set up the solar system so the battery wasn't charging. Fortunately I was able to diagnose and fix that on the road with a short stop at Napa. The other bummer experience was with the rack. It sheared in half at the front about 10 min into the first dirt road we hit. We sistered some angle on to the rack sides to hold it together, and this worked for the remainder of the trip... And, it turns out that at some point TrailRax started selling an "HD" kit that is basically sister plates like we made. They sent us replacement parts and the HD kit free of charge, but it would have been nice to have those from the get-go!

In the "meh" category: Rotopax. I did not enjoy using these, spilling fuel, fighting the mounts, etc... next time, a Wavian or Specter can on the back! Plus I just felt it was tragic to hang them off the side and clutter up the otherwise really cute Bronco's lines.

We also had some GREAT experiences with gear and folks on the road - Dark Horse Customs in Bozeman finished what our first supplier did not, and also helped with fixes to the Bronco and to our Tacoma (that was also in MT). Great folks. The Dometic (with ice!) and a solar charger felt like a game changer. We are huge GFC Fans, and they went the extra mile to help us where their dealer messed up. I don't want to sound too bougie, but the Snow Peak tables are also worth every penny. They strike/setup in seconds and are super sturdy. Their shelter is also really well made and designed. We have several years on the one in our Tacoma and though also pricey, it has lasted is a joy to use. And a shoutout for Sidio crates. They worked really well, and it is nice to pack with things that are true rectangles with out a lot of wasted space to make molding easy. And the Bronco itself was a total delight! So fun to drive, really capable out of the box and no issues in over 6000 miles of rough driving! We'll see how she holds up. She's on the east coast but I think we'll be using her again to explore some fishing spots next summer!

And about that platform... I put so much effort into engineering that thing, it kind of seems a waste not to do something with it. There are some things I'd like to improve, for sure, but I'm curious if there's any appetite for these? If there is, we've thought about making a short run of them...

Wow, well done!

 

[C6ZZGT]

49 Designs accessory rail

Care to post a link and/or pictures ?
Looking good.

 

[ZNC]

Haha whoops. 67 designs. lol.
https://www.67d.com/collections/for...sAgfxz6sVZTKkmqimELOUWLOg-uNblYBoCaFUQAvD_BwE

 

[mvilla]

Nice rig! You have me a little concerned because I have the same rack. Do you mind sharing where it sheared in half? How much weight do you keep on it?

 

[ZNC]

It’s under their dynamic limit. I think 180lbs? I worked it out a ways back but don’t remember. It sheared here, both sides. Nothing was holding the front of the rack on

 

[Badlands Traveler]

Very nice set up!

 

[SuperDave150]

How was the wind noise at highway speeds ?

 

[C6ZZGT]

Haha whoops. 67 designs. lol.
https://www.67d.com/collections/for...sAgfxz6sVZTKkmqimELOUWLOg-uNblYBoCaFUQAvD_BwE

I figured,haha

 

[SuperDave150]

Trip report? Where did you go and where did you camp? How many nights did you sleep in the RTT?

 

[RC Bronco]

Got any side profile shots with the RTT open and closed? Considering this one myself

 

[350vudu]

This is kind of a ridiculous thing to do to a 2-door, but we did it anyway. My brother-in-law bought this and wanted to outfit it for camping. Not far in the conversation, he asked if he could ship it to me and I'd do it, then drive it back across the US. Felt like a no-brainer. My wife and I are regular explorers in our '06 Tacoma TRD with GFC, 33's etc etc and like to get deep in the back country and hike and fish. So with that experience, we set this up for similar missions. Not sure I would do it again! The 2-door is just too small! But in all, here's what we did:

• GFC Tent with interior lights and USB power.
• 120W Solar on top.
• 3 clear, 2 amber Baja LP6's
• Separately switched right, left, and rear ditch/rear lights.
• TrailRax rack with side carriers for Rotopax
• 2 Odyssey AGM batteries with Genesis Off-Road battery carrier
• Redarc isolator and solar controller
• Redarc battery gage
• 67 Designs accessory rail and iPhone holders
• Goose Gear rear shelf/cooking platform
• Custom rear platform/drawer unit for stacking gear and housing a Dometic 55

Crap this setup was designed to carry:

• Two tables, two chairs, 12 x 15' rain structure.
• Two burner propane camp stove
• 2 crates food
• 1 crate cocktails, propane (2.5lb bottle), random camp stuff
• 1 crate kitchen, cookset, setting for 2, solar shower
• 1/2 crate kitchen gear
• 1/2 crate water filter, tech, and coffee gear
• 1/2 crate tools, 1st aid, and oh-shit gear
• 1/2 crate books, and other entertainment
• 1 crate fishing gear
• Full size axe and shovel
• 2 medium small duffels of clothing and personal gear
• 4 fishing rods
• 2 small backpacks of life shit
• 1 camera bag

Suffice to say EVERY NOOK of this thing was stuffed. It took about 30 minutes to strike camp & pack the bronco up - if we were moving fast. Overall, I would say this was way too much stuff for this size vehicle. It worked, but there was a certain way everything fit, loading was strenuous, and visibility out the vehicle was bad. This would have been much more fun with a friend who carried the cooler and kitchen in their larger vehicle. Then the platform would have been spacious for personal gear and toys, and easily removable if you needed 4 seats to set up a through-hike, or some other specific mission. (like wheeling up some short-wheelbase thing!)

Were this my vehicle, I would have been tempted to take the rear seats out entirely, but there is merit to keeping them, and to accommodate that wish, and to make it possible to carry everything, I made this back platform. There's a steel frame that replaces the 4 d-rings in the tiny cargo area. The idea is that frame is permanent. It doesn't get in the way if the seats are up, but it provides a sturdy frame to mount the platform, with only 4 bolts. The platform comes out in about 2 minutes. About 10 min to replace it if you have the big box for the Dometic to wrestle. I think it would be much faster if it was just a flat platform. The platform incorporates a full-width drawer (you can fit a surprising amount of stuff in there! The Dometic 55, and tie-down points set up to securely hold my 3 stacks of crates.

Because our first outfitter was so behind on finishing the vehicle, I had to install the final version of the platform in a hurry and didn't take any pictures! But here's the first prototype of the frame that is permanently mounted in the back. The platform bolts in place with 4 M12 socket head cap screws. The final version had more reinforcement in the feet and powder coat.

Here's the platform ready for crates:

We had a couple serious issues on the trip - both totally avoidable. The first was the folks that did all my electrical work did a pretty poor job. I gave them 4 months to do the rack/tent/lights/batteries/solar, and they didn't start until 4 days before I was supposed to have the vehicle back. They got about half of what we asked them to do done, and they incorrectly set up the solar system so the battery wasn't charging. Fortunately I was able to diagnose and fix that on the road with a short stop at Napa. The other bummer experience was with the rack. It sheared in half at the front about 10 min into the first dirt road we hit. We sistered some angle on to the rack sides to hold it together, and this worked for the remainder of the trip... And, it turns out that at some point TrailRax started selling an "HD" kit that is basically sister plates like we made. They sent us replacement parts and the HD kit free of charge, but it would have been nice to have those from the get-go!

In the "meh" category: Rotopax. I did not enjoy using these, spilling fuel, fighting the mounts, etc... next time, a Wavian or Specter can on the back! Plus I just felt it was tragic to hang them off the side and clutter up the otherwise really cute Bronco's lines.

We also had some GREAT experiences with gear and folks on the road - Dark Horse Customs in Bozeman finished what our first supplier did not, and also helped with fixes to the Bronco and to our Tacoma (that was also in MT). Great folks. The Dometic (with ice!) and a solar charger felt like a game changer. We are huge GFC Fans, and they went the extra mile to help us where their dealer messed up. I don't want to sound too bougie, but the Snow Peak tables are also worth every penny. They strike/setup in seconds and are super sturdy. Their shelter is also really well made and designed. We have several years on the one in our Tacoma and though also pricey, it has lasted is a joy to use. And a shoutout for Sidio crates. They worked really well, and it is nice to pack with things that are true rectangles with out a lot of wasted space to make molding easy. And the Bronco itself was a total delight! So fun to drive, really capable out of the box and no issues in over 6000 miles of rough driving! We'll see how she holds up. She's on the east coast but I think we'll be using her again to explore some fishing spots next summer!

And about that platform... I put so much effort into engineering that thing, it kind of seems a waste not to do something with it. There are some things I'd like to improve, for sure, but I'm curious if there's any appetite for these? If there is, we've thought about making a short run of them...

Funny that Trailrax didn’t charge you for those reinforcement brackets. Same thing happened to me when I was in Moab 3 months ago. They snapped. Bought my rack early and had no idea they now sell those reinforcement brackets. They charged me full price for the reinforcement brackets and told to drive back cautiously 1200 miles across country on my way home . These were the pics I sent them

Also, to help with the Rotopax. I swapped the spout for the Ai13 flexible metal nozzle and metal spout. No leaks at all and much easier to use with the longer flexible nozzle.

https://ai13.us/collections/best-sellers/products/all-metal-pax-nozzle

Sponsored