Tabla de contenidos para November/December 2019 en TREAD

Now that we have survived one of the hotter summers in recent memory, the cooler temperatures of an oncoming autumn is a welcome respite from the arid heat and sticky humidity of the places that we’ve explored. As we move into fall, it’s a good time to reevaluate our travel plans, search for new activities to do and refresh our vehicles for the season to come. What will your plans be? I’m looking to hit some higher elevation trails that I haven’t explored yet. This issue features a wide variety of content from incredible vehicle builds, fantastic locales and exciting outdoor gear. We take a ride in a monstrous 6x6 Man truck that was built for long term overland travels. You won’t want to miss it. Not to be out…

O1. BLUE FORCE GEAR / TRACER PACK The Tracer Pack is a full-featured backpack that is perfectly suited in the truck, at the office, in class, or on the trail. It can carry all your essentials and features an integral padded laptop sleeve on the back capable of holding most 15-inch or smaller laptops. The bottom of the pack features a double layer of ULTRAcomp, a high-performance laminate that provides superior wear and water resistance over other materials. MSRP: $195 blueforcegear.com O2. KEEN / VENTURE MID WP Keen’s Venture Mid waterproof hiking boots are built to give you confident grip on the trail. Featuring a lightweight upper, locked-in feel, and higher-traction outsole, the boots will propel you to your next adventure. Keen’s footbeds are infused with probiotic technology…

This massive machine is what you get when you combine German engineering and a globe-trotting family’s daily needs. This MAN TGA 26.480 6x6-based overland expedition camper isn’t your typical weekend warrior overland machine, but instead a rugged self-contained home on wheels meant for big multi-year multi-continent adventures. Over the few last years, it has traversed much of the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North America with a family of five and a dog. The first questions you have to ask about such a rig is how big is it really and how much does it cost? This overland machine is 32 feet long (35 feet with motorcycle lift), 8.1 feet wide and 12.9 feet tall. A vehicle like this costs upwards of $700,000 to build. No, not inexpensive, but…

Founded in 1969, Putco began life as a company solely focused on the production of finished metal tubing for automotive and other uses. While tube bending is still an area where they excel today, the Des Moines, Iowa-based firm is now known through three key industries outside of the tube bending business. Putco’s Truck Accessories arm is such a strong part of the company that it actually gives the company its name. Putco stands for Pick Up Truck Company, but the company’s evolution over the past 40 years have seen it expand to various product categories, creating parts and accessories for all major makes and models of trucks. Putco’s truck accessory line is best known for quality bed rails, running boards, chrome trim, headlights, light bars and tailgate light bars.…

Jason Darrah, from Primal Outdoors out of Bend, Oregon, loves getting out there and exploring public lands available in the western U.S., no matter if on foot or by vehicle. He captures the beauty of it all via video and photographs. He travels with his two old dogs, Daisy and Wheeler, and over the last few years they have become the stars of the show. His YouTube channel—along with his Instagram and Facebook accounts—captures the essence of overlanding. Darrah hopes that after watching his videos it’ll excite and motivate people to get out there and create their own adventures, too. Darrah has had Primal Outdoors for six years, and earlier this year was approached by the Ron Tonkin KIA dealership in Gladstone, Oregon. “This partnership started out when [Tonkin] reached…

“ Camels over the ridge,” called out our expedition frontrunner Chris Collard on the radio, after ascending a tall dune. The excitement in the five-Jeep convoy was palpable, as we had traveled for four days in a swath of the great Simpson Desert without any sighting of wildlife, except for two birds. Camel tracks frequently dotted the ridges of red sand, along with the zigzagging and squiggling tracks of numerous small desert bugs and rodents, such as the tiny nocturnal Mulgara mice, the Spinifex hopping mice, and sand sliding skinks—these left trails that were similar to that of a snake, which set my heart on fire. Australia has close to 100 venomous snakes—although it’s said that only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you. I remembered…

When you’re looking to cruise on the concrete or hit the trails on two wheels while on your next outing, you’ll want a quality bike carrier to help you transport your bicycle. Bike carriers are great for transportation as they allow you to save precious cargo space and make it convenient to load and haul your bike with you. Getting a bike up onto the roof of a car is a common way to haul bicycles, but with taller rigs it’s much more difficult to load a bike up top safely. Using a rooftop bike rack when your lifted truck is already equipped with a rooftop tent, hardcases, or other gear, can be nearly impossible due to limited roof space, not to mention the hurculean task of getting a bike…

Some of the best moments you can have in life are usually centered around family, friends and great food; taking our adventures to the great outdoors oftentimes enhances the experience. Primus, a Swedish company that is staffed full of engineers that love nothing more than to cook outdoors, has been perfecting the tools that allow us to prepare fresh meals without a roof over our heads since 1892. Now that’s some respectable longevity. What else is amazing is their latest portable grill, the aptly named Kuchoma Grill. Created as a means to transport your backyard BBQ to any location you wish, the grill was made to be light and portable, yet retain a useful size cooking surface and ease of use and cleaning. From what we understand, “kuchoma” is a…

With the holiday season quickly approaching, what do you have on your wish list? If your truck’s been nice to you, it may be in line for a new set of wheels. Upgraded rims can provide your vehicle with a fresh look and improved performance. An extra set of wheels can be mounted with cold weather specific tires so that you can quickly and easily prep your rig for slick winter surfaces. The following wheels are the latest offerings from some forward thinking designers and engineers. Which of them catch your eye? FIFTEEN52 / TURBOMAC HD [CLASSIC] The 16x8-sized Turbomac HD [classic] features a classic stepped lip making the wheel design fitting for many modern and vintage off-road vehicles. After over a year of rigorous testing on his Ford Raptor,…

The adventure started when I touched down in Santiago, Chile a few days before the New Year with my fiancé. She had caught a nasty cold from her nephew back in the U.S., and I soon came down with the same two-week-plus illness. Only four weeks after landing on the continent, we found ourselves in southern Patagonia, along a remote section of Argentina’s Ruta 40 with a blown engine in the 4Runner we’d purchased. That’s when the adventure truly began. Let’s just say our two-month South American overland adventure did not go as planned. The Concept We had worked hard for over a year to carve out two months of our busy schedules for a big vehicle–based overland adventure in South America. She worked as a traveling ER nurse for…

The plan was to arrive at our accommodation in the bustling city of San José, Costa Rica before rush hour. This was no simple feat. Navigating a convoy of five Toyota Hiluxes packed with sixteen women, amidst congested traffic, with motorcycles splitting lanes, and coping with aggressive Latin American drivers wasn’t ideal. Google Maps indicated our arrival time was becoming more delayed by the minute. If we didn’t get through San Jose’s bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic soon, our convoy could become trapped on the highway for hours and, most concernedly, we would miss out on the two-for-one happy hour margs in Barrio Escalante. Priorities. Karin made her way into the left lane, setting a pick and blocking all traffic behind us. The four of us slid to the left in…

This special East-West Australian adventure was fifty years in the making and required special territorial permissions as well as specially outfitted vehicles. The expedition’s organizers worked closely with governing agencies and were granted special permission to pass through the aboriginal lands. The expedition’s five Jeep vehicles represented different eras of the venerable go anywhere vehicle. Jeep models included ‘18 Overland JL, ‘13 JKU, ‘13 Overland JKU, ‘97 Wrangler TJ and a ‘09 Jeep JK8. The Jeeps were set up at Jeep-Konection in Hallam, Victoria, and were outfitted with products from sponsors that included BFGoodrich’s KM3 mud-terrain tires, WARN’s Zeon winches, TeraFlex suspensions, Long Range Automotive fuel tanks and products from Bestop, Factor55, J.W. Speaker lighting, Maxtrax, Off-Road Animal, Spydura Recovery Rope and Darsche Outdoor Gear.…

For some, a fully built, extremely capable off-road vehicle is a necessary tool to get themselves and their tools from one place to another. For someone else, it can be a symbol of freedom and a conveyance that takes them to new adventures. For the owner of this Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series, this vehicle was a life saver, and we’re not speaking metaphorically, we’ll get into that a bit more later. According to its owners, Chris and Shauna Wood of Woodland, Washington, the Land Cruiser you see before you has been called the “most built out 200 series in North America” and has gained worldwide attention from Australia, Africa and other countries due to the quality of the build. That’s saying a lot since the Land Cruiser following is…

Tom Hession-Herzog, owner of Adventure Ready, has been blazing trails for many years. His experience and knowledge from camping off grid in areas less traveled are what make Adventure Ready in Seattle, Washington, unique and unlike other build shops in the U.S. Some overseas manufacturers, such as rooftop tent company James Baroud out of Portugal and RLD from South Africa, acknowledge his experience in the field and have put their trust in Adventure Ready to import and carry their products. Specializing in complete vehicle outfitting and planning, the crew at Adventure Ready will take their time explaining the different equipment needed for your rig, show you how it works and be there to answer any questions you may have. The products they carry and promote are high-quality to give their…

O1. FAB FOURS/’18-‘19 JEEP JL / ‘20 JEEP GLADIATOR STUBBY FRONT BUMPER New for the Jeep JL and JT Gladiator the Fab Fours Stubby Bumper was engineered with the Jeep purist in mind. This bumper has tapered edges and the Fab Fours knife edge design, but is no wider than the grill. The bumper is manufactured out of all 3/16 steel and is fully welded inside and out for superior strength and durability. Available with or without guard. MSRP: $399 fabfours.com O2. ARP/HEAD STUD KIT FOR HIGHLY BOOSTED 6.7L POWER-STROKE Diesel performance enthusiasts can now take the popular 6.7L Ford Power Stroke engines to new boost levels thanks to ARP’s new head studs that are designed to cope with extreme combustion pressures. The kit includes studs, parallel-ground washers…

WHEELBASE 115.5 in. GROUND CLEARANCE 12.0 in. PAYLOAD CAPACITY 1,300 lbs. STORAGE CAPACITY 12.7 gal. TIRES 27 in. Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 1 PERFORMANCE ENGINE The Rotax HD10 V-Twin Engine produces 82 hp and is specifically tuned to offer an impressive 69 lb-ft of torque and peak torque at lower RPM. TRANSMISSION The Defender HD10 comes standard with Park, Reverse, Neutral, High and Extra-Low ranges. An integrated hill descent control supplies smooth, predictable deceleration on inclines and an Electronic Drive Belt Protection monitors the CVT belt to determine its condition and alerting the driver when its time to switch to low gear. DRIVE The EFI-fed Defender Limited package includes intelligent Throttle Control (iTC), which provides smooth throttle delivery even if the driver’s foot is bouncing in rough terrain. 2 SUSPENSION/CHASSIS FRONT…

The all-new ‘20 KIA Telluride has taken the all-wheel-drive SUV segment by storm. It’s won a host of awards, such as Texas Motorpress Association’s 2019 Off-Road SUV of the Year crown, and the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s 2019 Mudfest Mid- and Full-Size Family category. It has piqued the interest of many. In addition to its accolades, the KIA Telluride was also featured at the ‘18 SEMA (the Specialty Equipment Market Association) show. KIA partnered with Brandon Maxwell, a high-level fashion designer, who’s worked with celebrities like Lady Gaga, to blur the lines between couture fashion and AWD customization to include a one-of-a-kind Telluride in his fashion show during New York’s fashion week. KIA also showcased four custom-built Tellurides at their off-road driving course, named the Torque Track, during the show.…

One of the best benefits of having a fully dialed-in rig is that it can take you just about anywhere you want to go to do just about anything you want to do. With so many activities at your disposal, there’s bound to be a prodigious amount of gear that you and your truck will need to haul around to get it all done with. Aside from off-road essentials, such as tools and recovery gear, almost every activity you do in the outdoors will probably require a selection of gear. Cooking and camping alone can demand a good amount of your vehicle’s available storage space, not to mention fishing, hiking or other outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking and even kayaking. As early explorers found out long ago…

It’ll be here before you know it; don’t let it creep up on you. Yes, we’re talking about our favorite time of the year, the end of the year holiday season. We understand that it’s tempting to put off holiday shopping, but you don’t want to get caught doing the last minute rush trying to find your favorite explorers’ gifts the night before. Drugstores and gas stations are no places to get your loved ones outdoor gifts that they deserve. Our staff has come across some great outdoor gear over the year and we’ve gathered some of the items that would make delightful gifts that the special adventurists on your list would enjoy. Always budget conscious, the selected items are categorized by retail price; items start at $15 and are…

There is no worse time for your rig to unceremoniously lose power and roll to a bumpy halt than miles from nowhere at the edge of your known universe. All around you is mountainous terrain you were hoping to traverse in the comfort of Detroit’s finest, navigating your way toward the base camp for a relaxing time with friends around a campfire. That plan has been shot to hell when your auxiliary belt gave way, leaving your alternator, water pump, and power steering pump inoperable and your vehicle lifeless. What now? Well, it’s time to start walking. The human body was designed to walk. The animal kingdom is full of many modes of transportation—swimming, crawling, flying—but only humans walk. We can cover long distances efficiently and effectively, basically outlasting our…