Bought a '15 and now I'm doing a light build on it. Pretty much all bolt-on stuff with the idea of increasing its ability off-road while retaining most of its fuel economy, ease of use and city-friendliness.
About us and our car use: I'm a motorcycle guy that doesn't use a car for 90% of my travel. My girlfriend needs a car 90% of the time to go see clients and do castings/auditions/shoots. We live in LA where traffic sucks and parking sucks, but access to the outdoors is awesome. So, we go camping/hunting/mountain biking/hiking/you name it pretty much every weekend. And we have two dogs, one of which is large.
I've been a vehicle enthusiast my whole life and have had the privilege to work professionally in that space as a road test editor for Jalopnik.com. The girlfriend, well, is a work in progress. So, buying a brand new Outback over a 20-year old FJ just made sense for our admittedly unique dual-use scenario. Safety, ease of use, fuel economy, reliability, all that fun stuff. We're both very happy with it.
I don't need it to handle the slick rock at Moab, but I do plan to take it beach camping in Baja, have already taken it off-road through Death Valley (our first weekend with it) and just generally want some practical capability and a little reassurance that I can get out of a bad situation if I unexpectedly find myself in one.
Most of the stuff we're putting on it will come off on weekdays and go on for weekends. That way we retain the fuel economy and practicality day-to-day. Which also means we can put on some fun, adventure-specific equipment.
The Mods: This stuff is just starting to come in, partly thanks to my own disorganization and partly due to the mess at west coast ports right now.
- Yakima Mega Warrior roof basket w/2 Frontloader bike racks.
- ARB roof awning (inspired by Creso!)
- ARB trunk fridge/freezer
- ARB inflatable X-Jack for easy wheel changes off-road
- ARB tow strap
- ARB E-Z Deflator (killer for dropping tire pressure quickly)
- Ruffwear Dirtbag rear seat protector (to keep the dogs and scumbags off the leather)
-Ruffwear safety harnesses (to keep the dogs safe)
- Air compressor
- Plug kit
- common tools
- full-size shovel
- Method Racing wheels in 17", these: (Method 502 Bronze Rally Wheel | Method Race Wheels) We bought a Limited for the leather, but there's no A/T tire selection in 18".
- As yet unspecified all-terrain rubber (trying to figure it out as we speak, trying to go as burly as possible)
Also gonna put on a full set of the Primitive Racing skid plates and considering a small lift, but not really sure how to go about that. Anyone have input?
What are your thoughts on all that? And what else should I do in the name of expanding our safety and capability off-road?
Also, is there anything you guys would like to see tested? Open to ideas! I do this now (IndefinitelyWild - You can never have enough of nature.) so have the opportunity to play with stuff and tell you about it.
Pictures next week, after I take it turkey hunting.
Wes
About us and our car use: I'm a motorcycle guy that doesn't use a car for 90% of my travel. My girlfriend needs a car 90% of the time to go see clients and do castings/auditions/shoots. We live in LA where traffic sucks and parking sucks, but access to the outdoors is awesome. So, we go camping/hunting/mountain biking/hiking/you name it pretty much every weekend. And we have two dogs, one of which is large.
I've been a vehicle enthusiast my whole life and have had the privilege to work professionally in that space as a road test editor for Jalopnik.com. The girlfriend, well, is a work in progress. So, buying a brand new Outback over a 20-year old FJ just made sense for our admittedly unique dual-use scenario. Safety, ease of use, fuel economy, reliability, all that fun stuff. We're both very happy with it.
I don't need it to handle the slick rock at Moab, but I do plan to take it beach camping in Baja, have already taken it off-road through Death Valley (our first weekend with it) and just generally want some practical capability and a little reassurance that I can get out of a bad situation if I unexpectedly find myself in one.
Most of the stuff we're putting on it will come off on weekdays and go on for weekends. That way we retain the fuel economy and practicality day-to-day. Which also means we can put on some fun, adventure-specific equipment.
The Mods: This stuff is just starting to come in, partly thanks to my own disorganization and partly due to the mess at west coast ports right now.
- Yakima Mega Warrior roof basket w/2 Frontloader bike racks.
- ARB roof awning (inspired by Creso!)
- ARB trunk fridge/freezer
- ARB inflatable X-Jack for easy wheel changes off-road
- ARB tow strap
- ARB E-Z Deflator (killer for dropping tire pressure quickly)
- Ruffwear Dirtbag rear seat protector (to keep the dogs and scumbags off the leather)
-Ruffwear safety harnesses (to keep the dogs safe)
- Air compressor
- Plug kit
- common tools
- full-size shovel
- Method Racing wheels in 17", these: (Method 502 Bronze Rally Wheel | Method Race Wheels) We bought a Limited for the leather, but there's no A/T tire selection in 18".
- As yet unspecified all-terrain rubber (trying to figure it out as we speak, trying to go as burly as possible)
Also gonna put on a full set of the Primitive Racing skid plates and considering a small lift, but not really sure how to go about that. Anyone have input?
What are your thoughts on all that? And what else should I do in the name of expanding our safety and capability off-road?
Also, is there anything you guys would like to see tested? Open to ideas! I do this now (IndefinitelyWild - You can never have enough of nature.) so have the opportunity to play with stuff and tell you about it.
Pictures next week, after I take it turkey hunting.
Wes