My travel “rig” and gear

2019 Toyota Tundra

I loved my trusty 2007 FJ Cruiser but she was nearing the dreaded 200k mile mark and I knew I would want something to tow with after retirement. Time to start shopping. Knowing how great the FJ had treated me I really wanted to stay Toyota, and knowing I’d want to tow, well, that meant Tundra. After a brief dip of the toe into the used market, I eventually settled on a new 2019 4×4 Crewmax TRD Off-Road model. Its always a treat to look at that odometer saying 2 miles knowing you will be the original owner. These trucks go forever, I hope to live long enough to wear it out!

Of course the mods started right away, first some Bronze wheels from Method Racing with some Cooper Discovery tires. Upgraded the front shocks to Bilstein 5100’s to level the truck.

Next up was the Snug top Rebel Camper shell and BedRug liner.

Thinking about maybe camping out, I wanted a platform in the back, and the Decked Drawers seemed to be best option.

Wanting to be able to self rescue should the need arise, I installed the SDHQ hidden winch bumper and the Harbor Freight APEX 12,000lb winch. A fun project, scary when the whole face of your truck is torn off but at the end of 2 days work I’m thrilled with the result!

2019 Rockwood Mini Lite (2304KS)

The RV market in 2021 is super crazy! I even struggled to get a camper shell. Everyone is RV crazy and while that is a boon for the RV industry, not so great to be on the market. When I originally started day dreaming about what my retirement RV would look like. I was thinking R-Pod, looked at tons and even had the exact model picked out. Well, things have changed a lot on the market and a whole crop of lightweight small trailers (small = 2500-4500lb gvwr) have come out. I really like the Geo-Pro’s, Nobo’s and of course the R-Pods are still sweet. Seems like all the ones I like are made by Forest River.

The hunt begins – wow, the market has changed! R-Pods have increased at least $10k since I started watching in the early 2010’s. The market is in a frenzy and a rising tide lifts all ships, new lightweight RV trailers in my target range now start in the mid $20k price range, and orders are up and wait times are long.

During my March 2021 trip to Vancouver, Washington I located this used trailer at McCords Vancouver RV Center. At this point I had looked at over 20 trailers and knew this was the one as soon as I stepped in. I love the Murphy bed floorpan, so much space and the couch with built in foot rests are a nice touch. I know I will appreciate the larger bathroom on my journey. This unit had a compelling “story” of the old couple getting out of the game and you can see that most every little detail has already been addressed, new tires, updated TV, and even the weight distribution hitch was included. Michael made the transaction super smooth and I can’t say enough about how positive the whole buying experience was with the crew there…