The Mojave Road

GPS	N35 03.08 W 114 40.57
Elevation gain	900- 5,200
Season	October-May
Terrain	Sandy, whoops, moderate rocks, one challenging downhill/uphill and some large washes with steep, sandy banks.
Difficulty	Mostly easy, some moderate sections.
Required Vehicle	Stock 4×4
Time	Two days minimum, preferably 3.
Length	128.6 miles

Directions to The Mojave Road East: From Needles Highway Nevada, .7 miles N of the CA state line, turn southwest on a formed sandy trail leading up a wide wash. Stay toward the right and you will see a Mojave Road Trail marker on the right.

Site Location and Description: This is an iconic overland trail that every overlander should experience at least once. The Mojave Road is rich in history and stark, beautiful scenery. As this is a long, somewhat isolated road, it is recommended that you travel with other vehicles, carry extra gas and plenty of water. Be ready for anything and enjoy this historic journey through time. Primitive camping is allowed anywhere that has been previously used as a campsite and is at least 200ft from the trail. The trail is marked by cairns that should always be on your right, when traveling east to west. Sometimes they are easy to follow, other areas, not so easy. Carry a guidebook (or electronic trail guide) along with a GPS, to keep you on course. Most of the terrain is sandy or mildly rocky, although you will encounter quite a few deep washes with steep sandy sides. As long as you know how to pick a line over these mini crevasses, you will be fine. A word of caution, we saw a stock vehicle come very close to rolling on to it’s side due to the driver’s lack of knowledge about how to navigate through this sort of terrain. Take these areas slowly.

The off-road trail leaves Needles highway and travels up a wash toward the Dead Mountains. It crosses through the Dead Mountains and descends into the Piute (Pah-yoot) Valley. You will cross US 95 and back on the trail, will ascend toward the Piute Range. A short, rough spur leads to the old stone ruins of Fort Piute. The main trail carries on cresting the Piute Range before descending into the Lanfair Valley. Parts of this section of the trail are moderately difficult due to deep moguls and gullies. The Lanfair Valley is filled with beautiful desert vegetation. Before crossing Ivanpah road, you will get to an old broken down school bus on the right and then on to the Penny Can Tree. Don’t pass the Penny Can Tree without adding a coin, making a wish and taking a picture. This is one of our desert’s classically off-the-wall, man-made attractions, and there are more to come!

After crossing Ivanpah, you come to a very rough section along Cedar Canyon Road, as the trail drops steeply into Watson Wash. Soon after, you can hike to an area where you will find the historic military site of Camp Rock Spring. Continuing on, you will find Bert Smith’s cabin. Don’t miss seeing this well-preserved cabin and reading the history behind it. Another historic site is Government Holes. Here you will see a well, corral and a tank that bears the name Ox Cattle Company. The trail skirts the edge of the Marl Mountains and Marl Springs and is mainly made up of whoops. For a great photo-op, don’t miss the iconic Mojave Road Mail Box located just past the power lines. Walk behind the mailbox and check out the amazing array of toy “gardens”. You will see a massive group of frogs, a line of bobble heads against another rock, some tiny trucks scaling a nearby boulder and finally a gathering of gnomes under a Joshua Tree further back. As you are reading this, make a mental note of what you and your friends or family will contribute to this little patch of desert wonder.

Your next stop along the road should be the Cinder Cone Lava Beds, where you can actually go into a lava cave. The landscape in this area is otherworldly. When you come to Kelbaker Road a few miles past the Lava Bed Wilderness, check your gas gauge and if you need a top off, take a right and go 14 miles toward Baker. From Kelbaker Road to Soda Lake the trail is mostly flat and well packed dirt. Soda Lake is a dry lakebed whose waters have evaporated and left alkaline evaporites of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Don’t cross the lakebed if it has recently rained. This place has notoriously trapped vehicles in its muck, when wet. If the lakebed is wet, head north to Baker, then return to the trail via Rasor Road from the I-15. On Soda Lake, you will encounter a large pile of rocks called Traveler’s Monument. Be sure that you bring a unique rock to add to the pile, then climb up and read the secret message contained in the midst of the rocks. The message is a well-kept secret, only known to travelers of the Mojave Road. Read it and forever keep it secret. An important thing to keep in mind after returning to civilization, is that the sodium from the lake is corrosive to vehicles. As always, give your rig a good under-carriage and body wash after your trip. From Soda Lake, you enter an area where the trail could become wind-blown and difficult to follow. At the end of the trail, you will pass under a Union Pacific trestle into Afton Canyon. Follow all posted signs and cross the Mojave River alongside the trestle. The second river crossing can sometimes be deep, so be aware. If you cannot traverse the water, go back to Rasor road and head west to highway 15. After the second crossing, you will arrive at Afton Campground. Continue up the road approximately 3 miles and you will come to the I-15, 35 miles north of Barstow.

The History of the Mojave Road: The Mojave Road once served as a trade route that spanned from the Colorado River to the Pacific Ocean and was used solely by Native American tribes. The Mojave Indians presided in Soda Springs on the western shore of Soda Lake for at least 7,000 years.

Father Francisco Garcés, the Spanish Franciscan missionary, traveled the trail with the expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza in 1774, 1775 and 1776. In 1775, Garcés, became the first European to meet the Mojave Indians. They accompanied Garcés on his journey to the coast. José María de Zalvidea, of Mission San Gabriel, crossed the trail in 1806, reportedly converting the indigenous Mojaves near present-day Hesperia. In 1826, Jedediah Smith became the first American to travel the Mojave Road. From 1829-30, Mexican traders from New Mexico established the routes that came to be called the Old Spanish Trail trade route (now the Mojave Road) to California.

With the California Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of American settlers headed west through Mojave country and into California. Rock Springs was a critical water point that made traveling on this route possible. Rock Springs was named by Army Engineer Lieutenant Amiel W. Whipple, for navigational purposes, when he led a scouting party seeking a route for the transcontinental RR in 1854.

The influx of migrants passing through this area, combined with simple misunderstandings, led to conflict and to the Mojave War. In early 1858, as a result of the Mojave War, the Mojave Trail became the Mojave Road and came under the purview of the U.S. government. From 1854-1868 numerous military posts were built along the route from Camp Cady near Barstow to Fort Mohave on the Colorado River. The remains of one of these forts, Fort Piute, can still be seen today.

The caves in Afton Canyon were used by Native Americans before the arrival of Euro-Americans. Later, the caves provided a much-needed refuge for Euro-Americans traveling between Fort Cady and Soda Springs. There they could get supplies and protection from Native Americans. In 1866, Camp Rock Spring was established to provide mail carriers and travelers safe escort across this remote and difficult terrain. When the mail route was closed in 1868, so was Camp Rock Spring. The army protected the settlers and travelers from attacks of the resident Paiute, Mojave and Chemehuevi Native Americans until 1871. This protection also opened the way for large mining development in the Mojave Desert region of San Bernardino County and agricultural development in the Victor Valley area.

The Mojave road was important to the people of Los Angeles because it linked them to Prescott AZ, a prominent town at the time. The railroad reached this area in 1883. In 1894, the Rock Spring Land and Cattle Company, later known as Ox Ranch, controlled most of the area’s water. There were numerous gun battles between homsteaders and ranchers over water rights up until around 1925.

Great Resource: The Mojave Road Guide With GPS, 4th Edition, by Dennis G. Casebier

Sources: Guide to CA Backroads &4-Wheel-Drive Trails by Charles Wells and Matt Peterson, TAP travels, Backcountry Adventures: Southern California by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson, mojavedesert.net , Wikipedia,

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

Photos: Andy Palmer

For a Mojave Road trail story, CHECK HERE

Down South, Mexico Way: TAP’s Baja Adventure

Andy Palmer

It was 4am and suddenly my peaceful slumber was assaulted by the angry and obnoxious siren of our bedside alarm. Today we were meeting the guys from Agile Offroad Vans at the Tecate border at 7am to cross into Baja, and head down to San Felipe. It was our first overland trip in Baja and I won’t lie, my groggy mind was filled with excitement and a little trepidation as I poured the legalized drug, we call fresh ground coffee.

The previous week of vehicle prep had been a disaster and my nerves were a concoction of “what else can go wrong” coupled with, “Don’t lose your head down south!” comments from non-overlanding friends. Preparation had included installation of ARB onboard compressors to each vehicle, two new CB radios, the addition of a RTT on the Jeep’s AEV roof rack (which ended up not fitting and getting left at home) and the installation of a Goose Gear drawer and AT fridge and stove combo slide. I had mistakenly given myself a week to get all this done, along with the usual packing of all our essential camping gear. Clearly, this was too short a time window, and my nerves were frayed by the end of the week.

Anyway, back to the trip.

We arrived at the designated gas station close to the Tecate border in plenty of time. In fact, we were the first to arrive as I hate being late and since we had been invited on the trip, I didn’t want to be “those people” that hold everyone up. With these thoughts, clearly I wasn’t on relaxed Baja time yet.

Crossing the Mexican border into Tecate with 6 other rigs was relatively painless. Only a few in the group were inspected. I was only asked if I was bringing beer into Baja. We headed out in convoy along the Libre Mex -1 Highway to the “usual spot” to air down, about 15 minutes east of Tecate. The plan was to travel along The Compadre Trail for about 60 miles before hitting black top again at the small town of Ojos Negros. Conditions on The Compadre Trail can vary greatly due to weather and time of year. This trip, the trail was in pristine condition and it was smooth sailing.

The convoy included 6 E-350’s camper vans, all built with Agile Van TTB (Twin Traction Beam) suspension systems, two Tacoma’s (including TAP’s Taco) and the TAP Jeep Rubicon. We were quite the procession. I’m going to be honest, I’m generally uncomfortable with a group greater than 4 vehicles, so I was hoping that potential group frustrations wouldn’t raise their ugly heads. In my experience, group dynamics can deteriorate quickly due to varying abilities, trip desires, schedules etc. However, the group seemed mellow and, of course, we were the new comers in a group that had traveled together in Baja mainly times. So I reminded myself to simply “go with the flow” and that this time I wasn’t the group guide.

Our first day’s schedule was to head south to San Felipe where we planned to camp primitively on the bluff for two days, overlooking The Sea of Cortez. The day was to be long, traveling significant miles south and spending some time watching The Baja 1000 race along the way.

Spectators cheering on a trophy truck at the Baja 1000

After completing The Compadre Trail, we pulled off the road onto private property at race mile 40, where Ramsey from Agile, negotiated a group rate with the land owner to allow us to park and watch the race. The scene in front of us was crowded with spectators, all anxiously waiting for the Baja racers to blast by. The atmosphere was electric and friendly, with groups partying/camping and generally having an inebriated blast.

With race choppers circling, the Baja 1000 started roaring past us and we managed to find safe and elevated positions to watch the race and cheer the drivers on. All I can say is, race rigs don’t really worry about terrain conditions, with Trophy Trucks and Class 1’s traveling at 60-75 miles an hour across terrain that would have us picking our line! Amazing stuff and The Agile Van guys we were traveling with, had some cool stories of personally racing in the event.

The day was moving along, and it was time to get back on the road and continue east. After stopping at Valle La Trinidad for gas and tacos and dropping down from San Matias, we eventually get off the highway again and head south to Diablo Dry Lake Bed. Twenty miles later, at the end of the flats, we arrived at Jose’s, an old shack in the middle of nowhere.

Rigs on the salt flats — Stopping at Jose’s

Jose's — A welcome stop for cold beer and soda.

Here lives Jose, believed to be 95 years old this year. He survives alone by selling beer and sodas to travelers like us, from an underground dug-out cellar. Our crew have known Jose throughout their many years of Baja travel and always stop in to make sure he’s doing okay. This time Jose needs a splinter pulled from his hand, which we successfully extricate. If you’re on this path, please make sure you buy a beer, bring some dog food for Jose’s army of strays and generally keep his life and tradition alive. Also, feel free to plant a sticker on his “wall of fame”.

Baja1000_6 — Jose and his “Wall of Fame”

So, we left Jose’s and continued on, now in the dark, through abandoned alfalfa fields, heading east to Morelia Junction and then Zoo Road. Zoo Road intersects the race course at RM640, but as we cross, only a few of the lead bikes have come through. It was too late to attempt the deep sand entrance of a favorite coastal bluff site further down the coast. That night we ended up camping on the coast at Campo El Pescador, a bluff on private land known to the group. As we set up camp and prepared food, all of a sudden the reality of being in a third-world country hit. Two pick-ups loaded with heavily-armed individuals approached. These guys weren’t the Federales, these were the real deal; definitely intimidating. Lori approached them, conversed in Spanglish and all was good. Not speaking any Spanish, the word “tranquile” was all I could understand. I was very glad BlueDog was not with us, as he’s always extremely protective of our camp site. I believe he would have attacked with consequences that probably wouldn’t have ended well for him. Something to think about, if you’re planning on bringing your dog across the border.

Baja1000_9 — Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez

We awoke after a peaceful and uneventful night’s sleep, to a beautiful view of the Sea of Cortez, a fantastic group breakfast and a decision to break camp and move just down the coast to a quiet and beautiful bluff, that the crew had discovered many years ago. The drive into the bluff was indeed sandy and a couple of the vans got weighed down and stuck.

A good decision to avoid coming in the dark the previous night. In the daylight, it was easy to extricate the vans and all part of the adventure. We spent the next 24 hrs at this location, walking the empty beach, collecting sand dollars, sleeping, eating and drinking. We were now truly on Baja time and our world had finally slowed down!

2nd night camp spot — Second camp destination: Top Secret

2nd night secret bluff spot — The crew finds their spots.

The original plan was to spend two nights at this location. However, as I learnt early on with any overlanding adventure, plans change. Despite the amazing beach location, the Baja wind had kicked up significantly and like a stubborn pit-bull, wouldn’t let hold of its grip on us. The group decision was to go back in-land, cross the salt flats and head west. We would camp amongst the trees and cactus gardens that were filled with saguaro, cardon, prickly pear, barrel cactus and more, and were situated at the base of 10,00 ft Picacho Del Diablo.

Again we cross private ranch land and had to negotiate a group rate to camp primitively. Fifty-six bucks for eight rigs, seemed like a deal. The Agile Van guys had been here many times and knew the ropes. In the mid afternoon, having reached the camp area and set up, most of the group hiked to the water falls in the natural granite cliffs. An amazing area and known to climbers who have bolted certain routes.

3rd night fire pit — Campfire under Picacho Del Diable: Devil’s Peak

After another group dinner (Thanks John), with stories and conversation around the fire pit, we finally hit our cots and sleeping bags. Us in our RV-5 Oz-Tent, the rest of the crew, in their vans. I’m not going to deny, I was jealous of their “Van Life”! Anyway, no wind this night and sleep comes fast in Baja, so no worries!

3rd night camp — TAP Taco and our Oztent

The trip to Baja was our first overlanding experience across the border and something we’ve wanted to do for years. A big shout out to Ramsey and John from Agile Vans for inviting us and to the whole crew for showing us the ropes and sharing their knowledge of Baja with “south of the border newbies”! We had an amazing time and hope to go again soon.

Stream crossing Compadre Trail — Stream crossing on the Compadre Trail

If you are interested in the Agile Van’s TTB (Twin Traction Beam) suspension systems, and their 4×4 van conversions then check out agileoffroad.com

TAP into Adventure!

Heading north at start of Compadre Trail

Author/Photographer: Andy Palmer, TAP Publisher

Contributing Photographer: Lori Palmer, TAP Editor

OME BP-51 Bypass Shock Absorbers

Lori Palmer

Check out the new Old Man Emu BP-51 shock absorbers for the Toyota FJ Cruiser 2010-2014 and Jeep JK Wrangler 2006-2016…..and get prepared to TAP into Adventure!

The OME engineers were given a challenge to design a high performance shock absorber for the modern-day vehicle. With traditional velocity sensitive shock absorbers, achieving exceptional ride quality and the balance between comfort and control tuning requires a great deal of time and effort, with many valving changes required to get the balance correct. You still end up with a compromise with either a slightly firmer controlled set up or softer comfort oriented result.

Bypass (BP) technology exists to overcome some of these ride quality challenges but presents a new challenge as traditional multiple bypass tube products simply won’t fit inside a coil over independent front or many rear shock absorber applications.
During development, areas that had to be considered were corrosion, heat dissipation, durability and how to cater for individual ride preferences or vehicle loading scenarios. The product also needed to easily bolt into a large range of vehicle applications without modifications to the actual vehicle. After 4 years of extensive design, development and testing the challenge has been met and it is the new BP-51.

One application of OME BP-51 High Performance Bypass Shock Absorbers has been engineered specifically for the Toyota FJ Cruiser model years 2010 through 2014. Consisting of 2 coil overs, 2 shocks and 2 fits kits, this application does contain left and right side specific coil overs. The resulting height gain for the FJ Cruiser, when paired with the appropriate rear coils, will be 2.5 to 3 inches of lift. Rear shock absorbers have been tuned to match the existing range of rear Old Man Emu springs and recommended compression and rebound settings can be found in the supplied fitting instructions for the various spring options available. The fitting instructions also include detailed information for correct installation of the shock absorber and reservoir placement.

Location Photography by Offroad Images © 2011

It is worth noting the that coil overs are preloaded with an Old Man Emu coil and are set to the appropriate lift height for vehicles with a bumper and winch. If these are being fitted to a vehicle without a bumper and winch, the spring preload will need to be adjusted to compensate for a lighter total vehicle weight. The use of the new BP-51 Spring Compressor Tool kit (VM800200001) will make this adjustment easier and minimize the possibility of damaging the coil.

BP-51_Taco_FJ_Front_rack_031 copy — FJ Front Rack

Another application of the OME BP-51 High Performance Bypass Shock Absorbers has been engineered specifically for the Jeep JK Wrangler with larger lifts of 3.5 to 4.5 inch.

The kits consist of 4 shocks and 2 fit kits and will fit both the LWB (Unlimited) and SWB variants for all year models from 2006 onwards. The engineers have designed two front shock absorbers, differing in extended length by 50mm, to fit various suspension heights. This ensures proper wheel travel can be achieved when matched with different coil springs.

The BP5160021 has been specifically matched to the Old Man Emu JK 4 inch suspension kit (OMEJK4) and is a direct replacement for the front shock absorber supplied in that kit. A longer version has also been developed (BP5160022) for longer travel applications.

The rear shock has been designed to fit within the factory mounts and includes a stone guard to protect the shaft from front wheel stone damage. The rear fit kit consists of a reservoir piggy back clamp and mounting hardware. It is worth noting the fitting instructions to ensure correct positioning of the reservoir to ensure clearance to other components. Both front and rear shock absorbers will be factory set in compression and rebound. Recommended settings for variations in load and accessory fitment are suggested in the included fitting instructions. Damping performance is easily adjustable across a wide range in both rebound and compression, allowing the user to alter the vehicle’s ride performance and cater for different road conditions and vehicle loading scenarios.

Developed and extensively tested under the harshest conditions in Australia, these big bore, position sensitive, bypass shock absorbers combine considerable ride comfort around town with significant amounts of end-zone damping for exceptional chassis control and handling off road. The damping performance is easily adjustable across a wide range in both rebound and compression. The result being significant changes to the ride performance of your vehicle, enabling a custom tune to suit the conditions and vehicle set up.

The body, reservoir and components are all made from 6061 T6 aluminum, Type 3 40 micron hard anodised finish ensuring exceptional heat dissipation, corrosion resistance and resistance to stone damage. All BP-51 shock absorbers are manufactured in-house by ARB.

For more product information go to ARBusa.com

Source: ARB
Editor: Lori Palmer

ADV Rack-Wilco Offroad

Lori Palmer

Gear for the sake of gear is pointless, but there’s also something to be said for being prepared for any situation. In many ways this preparedness and versatility is what drives us to four wheel drive vehicles in the first place.

We’ve all been there. Loading up the rig for a weekend getaway and swiftly running out of room. There are typically three solutions to this problem. One, take less stuff. But when heading out on a much anticipated adventure, there’s no such thing as “too prepared”. Another solution is to cram it all in. The downfall here is the potential of damaging or losing expensive gear, or encroaching on passenger space. Lastly, you can create more space. That’s where solutions like the Wilco Offroad ADV Rack can make sense, so we asked them to give us an insight into their rack system.

Luke Wronski of Wilco Offroad: “The ‘ADV’ stands for adventure, in any form that may take. For many of us this looks different from week to week. One weekend it’s camping with friends, the next it may be skiing or riding dirt bikes. Another weekend might be loading the rack up with wood and tools to go build houses in Mexico. We wanted to build a truck rack as versatile as the people who drive them”.

Over-cab truck racks have been commonplace in the desert racing scene for decades on chase vehicles. Traditionally this style of rack required custom fabrication and the drilling of large holes through the bed. Wilco Offroad wanted to develop a rack to carry all this gear, without having to commit to a permanently fixed solution. Permanently fixing a rack to the roof of the truck is just asking for problems long term. Drilling holes accelerates corrosion, causes leaks, and hurts resale value.

The ADV Rack was engineered to fit on virtually all full-size pickup trucks with no drilling required. Making it ideal for long term use and transferable to different vehicles.

Roof-mounted light bars are a great way to light up the night. The higher vantage point can cover a large area, giving the driver plenty of time to respond to obstacles and night roaming critters. Few other mounting points are as protected from rocks and other trail hazards. The ADV Rack can accommodate a 50” light bar to keep you on track when navigating the trail after hours.

The side bolts of the rack’s risers double as a mounting plate for auxiliary lights to illuminate the worksite or campground.

The “headache” supports of the ADV Rack are a great place for mounting a Hi-Lift, shovel, or axe. On chase vehicles there’s no such thing as too many spares. The ADV Rack has an available spare tire mount that can accommodate up to 40” tires.

Many of the roof racks on the market are solid welded structures. The downfall of these designs is that fixed structures under heavy loads have a tendency to break, rather than flex when faced with the demands of off-road use. The constant vibrations of off-road driving will tear apart truck beds and break welds if no movement is allowed. The ADV Rack uses polyurethane bushings to allow for natural movement when traveling over rough terrain.

E-Track compatible slots along the upper rails allow for a plethora of tie-down options for whatever you may need to secure.
The ADV Rack’s cantilever design utilizes 2 clamp blocks and a turnbuckle on each side of the bed to equally distribute the load.The load capacity of the ADV Rack is 500 lbs static (vehicle in park), 250 lbs on road, and 100lbs in extreme off-road situations.

The cargo portion of the rack is 50” wide by 60” long, giving plenty of room for surfboards, skis, roof top tents, kayaks, bicycles, cargo boxes, and anything else you may need for your next adventure. A wise man once said “never leave camp without a gallon of water and a full tank of gas”. The ADV Rack’s dimple holes also serve as a mounting point for Rotopax fuel and water cans using a custom machined aluminum back plate and a standard Rotopax mounting plate.

Chase Trucks are built to haul massive amounts of gear in places where failure is simply not an option. There’s no such thing as “too prepared” in Baja. Chase trucks must be entirely self-reliant for anything needed to repair itself or the vehicle its supporting. Although the scene may be different, desert racers and overlanders share more similarities than differences in the demands of their equipment. Chase trucks need to get there quickly, prepared for anything that may roll into the pits. Overlanders may not care about making it the the next destination on time, but in remote locations, they need to be prepared for anything.

As many of us have experienced, Baja is where unproven gear goes to die. If it can break, it will. The ADV Rack was born in Baja. President and founder Paul Wilkins, was looking to carry multiple dirt bikes, and an endless list of supplies needed when heading out on an adventure where anything can happen, and failure is simply not an option.

TAP is always looking for innovative and well designed/manufactured products. Whether your next adventure is chasing the Baja 1,000 or heading out on an overland expedition, we feel the ADV Rack is a product worth taking a solid look at.

To see Wilco Offroad’s full product line visit www.wilcooffroad.com

source: Wilco Off Road

So-Cal Krawler Teardrop Trailer – Field Test

Andy Palmer

So-Cal Teardrop, teardrop trailers, off-road trailers, off-roading, off-road, overlanding, overland, vehicle supported adventure,

Last month, TAP was fortunate enough to be able to spend a weekend testing out a So-Cal Krawler Teardrop Trailer kindly loaned to us by Off The Grid Rentals here in Southern California. I am not going to lie, I have a love/hate relationship with trailers (more on that later), but have always genuinely had a desire to try out a teardrop, so this was a great opportunity. Our go-to place for this kind of test/review was Trona Pinnacles. Far enough away (3 hrs) from where we live to make it feel like a real trip and close enough to realistically do in a weekend. Also, and most importantly, an outdoor photographer’s dream backdrop!

We picked up the So-Cal Krawler Teardrop Trailer from Rebel Off-Road in Laguna Hills just off the 1-5 freeway. Off the Grid Rentals stages its Californian rental operation here. It also has Teardrop rentals in Sedona and Moab both operated through Barlow Adventures. Hats off to the Rebel Off-Road guys who were welcoming, courteous and efficient. As an aside, they specialize in custom-built extremely capable rock crawling Jeeps, which made our little 4.5″ lifted AEV build look a little…. “cute”. We’d only been on the road a few minutes before Lori started explaining how she now needed 37’s, sliders, a re-gear and a trip on the Rubicon Trail…

So we set out in convoy, the Rubi pulling the Teardrop with the Taco along for the ride. Gassing up the rigs, we both notice a new phenomenon. Usually our Tacoma easily out WOW’s the Jeep, however with the Jeep pulling the So-Cal Krawler Teardrop Trailer, things seem on equal footing. Heads are turning for sure, so we score the Teardrop with a 10/10 trailer porn rating. Out on the freeway, first impressions are that the Teardrop is much bigger and heavier than both the M416 and Turtleback trailers we’ve used for the past 5 years. Despite this, it tracked really well behind the Jeep and quite honestly, in amongst the heavy SoCal freeway traffic, it never felt cumbersome or difficult to trail. Hills, on the other hand, were a different matter. The Teardrop has a dry weight of 1250 lbs, plus 30 gallons of water, firewood and 35″ tires, so the Jeep struggled on any type of incline. With the Pentastar V6 engine wanting to over rev if we decided to use the accelerator to improve the up hill average of 50mph, the only thing to do was to sit back and accept our fate. Just outside Adelanto, we got caught in a convoy for 45 minutes behind a big rig on the one lane, slowly rising, I-395. To be fair, trying to over take with a smaller trailer would have been difficult, but with the Teardrop it was impossible.

When we got to Trona Pinnacles, we did some limited and easy trailing off-road on the bumpy terrain. The Teardrop trailer felt stable and again tracked well behind the Jeep. At these slow speeds, the Jeep easily pulled the trailer up and over the obstacles in front of it. I also tried some reverse maneuvers and certainly didn’t find the extra size of the Teardrop trailer any more difficult than other smaller trailers I have used. All this being said, this trailer looks and feels like it is built for a life off road, so I would have liked to try to get it into some more difficult terrain, to truly test it.

Unfortunately, on this trip the weather did not co-operate and we weren’t fully able to utilize and test the trailer to the level we wanted to. We ended up spending 2 days and one night hunkered down battling against the 40 mile an hour winds, rain showers and temperatures in the low 30’s. The winds kept us from having both a fire and cooking at the back of the trailer. Trona Pinnacles is an amazing place, but certainly does not offer any real shelter in these type of conditions. On a positive note, a trip like this does provide a sense of over- landing reality and it was interesting to experience how a Teardrop trailer allowed us to at least “hold out” against the weather. Something we probably wouldn’t have wanted to do in an RTT on top of a standard box trailer. Conditions inside the Teardrop trailer were cozy, comfortable and relatively warm and it was surprisingly quiet inside despite the wind. We also didn’t experience any grime or rain working it’s way inside despite the weather conditions outside.

Overall, we were impressed with the quality of the build and excellent attention to detail that the Socal Teardrop trailer provides. This trailer had a locking front cage system for firewood, a roof rack and 6’x 6′ Scipio awning, 35″ Falken AT’s on Method Race wheels, a 30 gallon water tank with an electric pump, an ARB fridge, a Stove Partner 2 burner propane stove on a slide out and LED lighting in the galley and inside sleeping area. Inside, there was a full size mattress with space for 2 adults and plenty of cubby storage space. Finally, it featured 12 volt outlets and I-Pod plug-in (something that became extremely useful to us as we waited out the storms).

So, back to my love/hate relationship with trailers. They certainly allow you to carry lots of gear and “glamp” in style. Our So-Cal Teardrop trailer experience was overall a positive one. Be aware however, of the genuine speed and maneuvrability restrictions that come with all trailers both on and off-road. To conclude, what I love about the Off the Grid Rental experience, is that it allows you to inexpensively answer the “trailer question” first hand, without committing a significant amount of money up front.

To find out more information from Off the Grid Rental click here
For further information on So-Cal Teardrop Trailers click here

Author/photos: Andy Palmer
Editor: Lori Palmer

2015 Toyota Hilux

Lori Palmer

Robin Berglid artic extreme, Toyota Hilux, overlanding, over land, overland, off-road, off-roading, off road, vehicle supported adventure, overland rig, arctic hilux,

Okay everyone, this month we’re featuring something a little different. February’s Rig of the Month belongs to Robin Berglid from Stryn, Norway. Robin is a certified Arctic Nature Guide and is well versed in safe guiding in the Arctic: He offers value-based guiding and teaching about Arctic nature, history, Arctic safety and field leadership. Here is Robin’s story about why he chose a 2015 Toyota Hilux for his ultimate adventure vehicle.

Hello everyone. I’m Robin from Norway. In 2011, I traveled to Iceland to begin my apprenticeship for the Icelandic Mountain Guides in Svalbard. After three weeks in Iceland, I was hooked. I fell in love with the country. It’s wilderness, the wildlife and the people are amazing.
I have returned to Svalbard every year following my apprenticeship to further explore Iceland’s amazing terrain. These trips inspired my search for the ultimate overland expedition vehicle. The first vehicle I had was a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado LC120 on 38 “tires, then I upgraded the tires to 44”. Next, I moved on to a LC80 on 46” tires. All of these cars worked great, but I wanted something more. I sold my LC80 just as Arctic Trucks Iceland started to build this 3litre Hilux.

The reason I chose the Hilux, is because I love being outdoors, skiing, kayaking, climbing and so on. The Hilux is the ideal car for off-road travel and hauling lots of outdoor equipment. This car takes my friends and I wherever we want to go in Iceland.

The Hilux is a lightweight car, perfect for snow driving. It’s built on the same specifications as Arctic Truck is using on their Hilux in Antarctica. It’s not the best luxury car, but it’s good in all kinds of extreme over land conditions, and that’s exactly what I need.

My Hilux has two VHF radios in case one breaks down. I’m using a topographic Garmin GPS to navigate, this also lays a bread crumb track, so if we are driving in bad weather and need to turn around, we can follow our tracks back on the GPS. I also have a computer that gives me crevasse maps when driving on a glacier and of course, gets the latest weather and road conditions. Most of Iceland has phone coverage, but I have a satellite phone if am traveling alone. On trips I bring tools, glacier rescue equipment, a shovel and recovery gear, tents and sleeping bags, food, an outdoor BBQ and a gas stove.

Modifications on the truck:
– Arctic Truck 44 modification
– Fox suspension
– Crawler box
– 44” Dick Cepec tires
– Beadlock wheels with mount for air hose
– Touch display inside the car to adjust the tire pressure while driving.
– ARB Air lockers front and rear
– ARB Air compressor for lockers
– 2x Viar 400 air compressors
– Air tank
– Extra fuel tank. Total 230liter fuel including the original one
– Extra fan on the intercooler to give more cooling in tough winter conditions when driving slowly.
– Outback Safari roof rack and bed rack
– Outback Safari roof console
– Tuned, around 204HP
– Ram laptop computer stand
– Garmin 721S boat GPS with Icelandic topography maps
– Front bumper from Briddebilt
– VisionX xenon lights and work lights around the car
– Truxxedo bed cover
– Internet 4G router and antenna
– 2x Maritime VHF antennas
– 1x HF antenna

What’s left to do on the truck:
– Mount the last fuel tank. This will give me around 350liters fuel in total
– Icom 7100
– Yeasu 8900FT
– Mount Hi lift holder on the bed rack
– Inside roll bar
– Upgrade to a new ComeUp winch with synthetic cable
– More HP
– Iridium Extreme Satellite telephone

During my travels in Iceland this summer, I had a break in. My communication equipment, satellite phone, GPS and a lot more of my gear got stolen…. That’s why they’re on my list to replace.