Here are some things we learned about Campbell and our needs on longer adventures. We started in Florida with stops in Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Mississippi.
With Campbell still a work-in-progress, we planned that the trip would be a mix of camping and hotel nights. We didn’t schedule an itinerary, but we wanted to stop in Illinois to visit family and wheel on the Alpine Loop in Colorado.
We spent three nights boon-docking, one night in a campsite, and the other nights either with family or in a hotel.
Cooking
The ARB drawer system worked well for organizing our kitchen at the back of Campbell. It makes efficient and organized use of the rear cargo area and is a big success.
Highway Driving
Campbell is great for road trips on the highway. The stock suspension with road tires makes a comfortable combination. We often spend more time on the highway getting to a location than we do off-road. When we make changes to the suspension and tires, our driving profile will influence it a lot.
Sleeping
We have been sleeping on the seats in Campbell configured in various ways. That isn’t sustainable for an expended journey. It is Ok for a night or two, maybe three in an emergency.
Also, sleeping inside Campbell puts more pressure on the already limited cargo space. We are making a change; stay tuned for more on that.
Freezer
It turns out the Alpicool freezer doesn’t fit our travel style. The main reason is that we can’t leave Campbell locked up and unattended to go exploring because it overheats and lets the food thaw. It also takes up a large amount of cargo space. More to come on the freezer too.
Wheeling
We started the Alpine Loop in Lake City, crossed the Cinnamon Pass, and then took the Mineral Creek trail to Ouray.
We deflated the stock road tires to 19 psi for the trip. We were also carrying all of our camping gear; Campbell weighed over 7,000 pounds.
Campbell got us safely through it all and easily made it through the parts of the loop itself. The Mineral Creek trail to Ouray was much more challenging for clearance. The skidplate saw some action, and the running boards were reimagined. We are going to add rock sliders in place of the running boards.
We are still thinking about suspension changes and what that might add. The Forest Service and BLM roads have never been too challenging for our stock 200 series Land Cruiser as far as dispersed camping.