Update 13 Month Wait Begins!!

Looks like a blast! Did the North Rim in fall 2020 during Covid...just before closed for winter- mysterious place...lots of free dispersed camping just north of the gate on USFS land.

20 years ago we sort of just adventured picking roads on the map- the backway from Zion to Bullfrog Landing on that winding dirt single lane road pulling a tent trailer behind the Ford Exploder. DW had eyes shut the whole way...i believe its paved now...

Kids and dog had fun paddling around on sit on top kayaks. Ferry over to Halls Landing then east to Durango.

Its all Epic scenery- enjoy!

 

Sounds awesome!

The short trips will be invaluable. One bit of advice given to me --- put a small piece of tape on everything you put into the camper. After the few months, if you see a piece of tape --- you probably don't need the items its attached too. Trust me -- it is VERY easy to take a lot more than you need. It isn't as much the weight, its the space.

 

LOL go camping with my brother !! I told him the same thing.. He had a pickup truck full and then some including the kitchen sink. Years of tent camping and a Honda Accord taught me to be a minimalist, now the wife and clothes... don't go there Carl there's always more room!

 

I think that may get us all in a little trouble, but she says the same thing about me. Whats really bad though, is that it has gotten to the point where when I need a pair of jeans and I've given up trying to find them....the conversation ends with the phrase "Go check in the camper behind the seat..."

 

Watching with great interest- you are gonna have so much fun, Carl!

 

Can't wait till tomorrow Friday is pick up day.. Let day 1 of adventures begin

 

The day arrived and’s past
The turtle is home and in its nest

 

When's the first trip?

 

May 31st weekend by Eagle River Wi. Franklin Lake in the Nicolet national forest

After picking up the trailer we were going to camp at our friends house in Wautoma. But putting the bedding and setting up in 30 degree weather we decided on the spare bedroom!!

 

Sweet! très élégant on the tow vehicle match too!

Are you the first Ridgeline owner in the CI universe?
Pretty good reviews on that, interested in how it goes, towing.

 

Cary said last week he had 3 delivery's and all were in a Ridgeline..
I had a Gen 1 2006 years ago.. Love the trunk and and Swing door tailgate.
Pulled the 560 like it wasn't even back there.

 

Thanks, Carl!
Honda has a good history of reliability in the Pilots, which are basically what the Ridgeline is, with a quarter chopped off, IIRC.

Like Toyota it makes sense to buy whats been proven, imho, esp in AWD.

And that reliabilty history gives it a leg up over the Maverick, another very nice match esp with a topper with side access...

I like the looks of it, more than the Santa Fe...which reminds me of the Brat...remember that?

 

Yes the AWD is awesome. The bed will hold a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood flat. I only wish the sidewalls were a couple inches taller, hard to fit coolers with a tonneau cover on.

 

I was one of the Ridglines We picked up 1110. The trunk in the bed is a great help It did tow wonderfully Gas mileage drop was 8 miles to the gallon. The wind must go over the cab and then hit the trailer in the face

 

The truck bed trunk is genius.

 

TY, Ken! Oh now I recall the tow pkg you got- even with the relatively aero and lightweight CampInn, thats a must, if you can get it IMHO.

By comparison since no extra trans cooling is available, I'm carefully monitoring my little VW awd Alltrack,
Inc the front bezel and rear diff AND the separate MT oils,
And did oil changes early in the schedule,
inc halving them for engine as in the old days for "severe" use in dusty hot, or towing,

AND take samples to send to Blackstone Labs to watch for metal...so far so good at 95k miles and 20,000 of it towing the CI.

The Alltrack was VWs attempt to get the camels nose in the tent of Subaru adventure owners...sadly, not mmuch luck and stopped making them...after only 5 years so the hoped for aftermarket and parts support, plus knowledgeable servic indy shops is limited to where VW buyers were...and why I think ahead. I'm shooting for 200k but be happy at 150k of hard use towing on the itty bitty 1.8l tuned to 2.0 power.

Anyway, Its so neat to have so many good choices for tow vehicles lately with the AWD pickups...SUVs and vans. Honda is my #2 for proven reliability...I see aftermarket vendors are making "overland-y" accessories for them so others must be buying for same.

It remains to be seen how the new Toyota 2.4l engines with turbos hold up vs the naturally aspirated 3.6 under heavy use... the problems pop up when you work little engines close or over limits so its nice to have a buffer. You can feel the engine lugging down otherwise, not a good thing to be in high boost on the turbo esp for DI engines.

And the hybrid is another thing to go wrong... but VERY enticing on mpg, but again more to the point- having some reserve as a buffer- the hybrid integrated into trans gives the extra grunt to tow with plenty left over.

 

Yep. My Alltrack mpg drops from 30+ slick, to as low as 17mpg towing the CI with everything else hanging on- cargo box topper on the Alltrack, 1Up with a bike and cargo tray hanging off the back of CI...at that rate I might as well be towing with a 2gen Taco!

Some say an SUV or a topper on the pickup helps the airflow be less disturbed but its all anecdotal...and in my efforts to get rational data- same road, same temp, wind, same weight...too many variables...need a wind tunnel test!

 

You're right, from my limited experience - and the turbo boost puts a lotta strain on it when these little 4cyl engines are lugged, like you can find yourself doing slowing and downshifting to cross the pass.
The ECU actually has a proactive fault mode programmed to set a code and ECL if you are working it too hard in hot heavy conditions like towing long in 100 degree plus on the road. That puts it in limp mode until it cools off, which kinda sux if you are in Houston rush hour traffic trying to get on by...on the loop.

Aftermarket boost gages are a help, upgraded intercoolers (check) keep the turbo happier but the MT shift to keep it in the best torque band is still the old school way.

Like the Ford Ecoboost- you can have Eco or you can have boost but you cant have both.

And I keep the CI roof slick and cargo light as I can, as I got a lot more camping to do...but in my dreams the Next TV will be SUV with BoF, 4x4, and a bit more power on call to spare. Maybe hybrid...watch some of y'all and see how it goes with that.