How We Started Living On The Road

We were living in Silverlake, CA prior to leaving. Tired of living a routine we just were looking for some outlet to get us outside and that’s when we found the overlanding section on Youtube. We saw different set ups and the trips people took and it inspired us to push going outside to another level. We had also fallen in love with road trips after an epic trip from CA - TX - CO - CA in an Evo X.

That’s when the hunt for the 4runner began. We spent hours then days and weeks looking for the very specific 4runner we were going to get. It had to be a 3rd gen, 4x4, manual for reliability, with a OEM rear locker.
A month later we found the beauty we were searching for. She didn’t look anything like she did when we sold her. She was all stock, needed a bit of work but there were ZERO signs of rusting or any damage that couldn’t be fixed without a little TLC.
We slowly, emphasis on SLOWLY, started changing the functionality and the overall look of the rig. Taking the time to go on weekend trips really helped us learn what we needed to develop. We made it a point to make sure the car didn’t get anything added on to it without it being functional. It couldn’t be a mall queen if we were going to be taking her way out there. No room for the unnecessary.
It started with basic maintenance, and doing everything ourselves instead of going to a mechanic. The best thing about the internet is being able to look up how to do just about anything.
That alone saved us so much cash and taught us a lot more about the car so in case something ever did break or needed changing it wouldn’t be so costly as we could repair it ourselves. (mainly the boyfriend he is a car wizard. I’m his noble apprentice haha)

Then we moved onto trying to figure out storage and sleeping arrangements considering that we would have to adjust the rig’s suspension to accommodate what were going to add. By now we were already taking weekend trips, crowding everything in the front and driver seat which was also getting messy and really just not reasonable.
We looked into sleeping platforms that have drawer systems underneath them but eventually after trying to build one ourselves we realized that we couldn’t give up the valuable cargo space inside the truck since we needed room for a fridge so we fell onto the bandwagon of wanting a Rooftop tent.

We started with outfitting the rig first with a roof rack. It was custom built because we needed to make sure the roof rack we were going to get was getting the most storage so we made sure it extended from the from the front all the way to the rear so that we could use all of the roof space. But this rack did leave the sun roof area still open which was one pleasure we appreciated during the summer.
Then came the lights. I can make a whole video/article about why lights are so important after what we’ve experienced. Deer are dangerous as cute as they are and you never know if you’re going to find a flipped truck in the middle of the highway like we did.
The lights were bought off of amazon, they’re 700ff hella lights that we converted to HID’s, thanks to some Youtube instruction and a days work plus a skilled boyfriend. Reason we converted them was for a brighter light for a longer distance. Those were wired in a couple of hours to the car and rack and we bought some Toyota OEM light switches off of Ebay to keep the car interior clean.
Once those were put on it changed the whole experience. We were then able to travel at night and we weren’t so limited to daylight. We could see for a good distance for anything in the road and even set up camp at night.

Then came the rotopax which at the time where nice to have but I would say skip them all together and get jerry cans. We thought rotopax was going to be more efficient to have space wise . Problem with these is they morphed when we went up a mountain and the locks began to rust and failed to lock properly anymore.
At this point we still didn’t have a roof top tent yet so we were still sleeping in the car so that’s when we decided to really look into our options. We looked through ARB’s collection and our wallets started hurting.
But that’s when we found Freespirit Recreation based out of Oregon. We ended up getting the Extreme Series Original Medium tent. Which has withstood snow and crazy wind. This along with a solar powered light really made all the difference.

However with the roof space taken up now we had to figure out to organize the interior to accommodate us and a german shepherd.
So that’s when we took a trip to Front Runner Outfitters and we got stackable storage bins considering pelican cases were just to expensive for us at the time and we really didn’t need such heavy duty cases in the car.
After that we had some room left in the trunk and that’s when we got the fridge.
This was one thing we had to really get before realizing how useful it actually is. Prior to the fridge we were using coolers with ice and we really just got sick and tired of pulling soggy things out of melted ice and having to constantly drain and re ice.
On top of that some cooler companies are charging pretty much what a fridge company would charge. So that’s when we got our snomaster fridge. Ours is a bit large and I would recommend this one for a family. It does have a freezer section and a fridge section so we could plan food for weeks if we really wanted to.
We didn’t have a dual battery system in place yet so we were a bit concerned about our battery dying as a result of the fridge. Thankfully this fridge actually has it’s own battery life that charges while you are driving with it on.

By this time we realized the sag the 4runner was having on the old stock suspension so that’s when we decided it was time to revamp it. We ended up getting a 3 inch suspension lift from Sonoran steel which if you’re going to lift your car, make sure that you get a lift kit with all the pre requisites needed since you’re changing what the original manufacturers intended.
My boyfriend and his brother spent two days replacing the entire suspension of the car in our apartment complex parking lot (courtesy of Youtube University again) . Which was in the direct sunlight in LA, talk about heat. By renting tools from AutoZone and buying a few tools we would have needed anyways on the road we saved a lot of money by not taking it to a mechanic.
Ironically the suspension was replaced two days before we were supposed to be out of the apartment. So we didn’t even get to put it to the test until we actually left.
At the time of leaving, in terms of recovery gear we really didn’t have anything other than the rear locker. No maxtrax, no winch, no hi lift jack so we had to really consider that before we went anywhere. We avoided technical situations as much as we could and didn’t do any extremes like rock climbing. The whole point was for us to be out there and explore for ourselves. We also don’t want the car to take risks it didn’t need to. This was our new home, so we couldn’t put it at huge risks. We were sticking mainly to forest service roads not Black bear pass.

By this time now we had already emptied out the apartment quiet a bit but that’s when we really downsized to what we could bring with us which was limited to one duffel bag. Having to fit your life in a duffel bag wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do but I kept remembering that all the crap I wanted to keep was for no reason other than “ I just want to have it”
Needless to say we got rid of everything we didn’t use we packed up the car and left.

Eventually we invested in the purchase of the front bumper like you seen in the cover photo and with that we purchased the rear swing out which was a perfect place to store two jerry cans and our hi-lift jack.

And that’s how it all began.
There was no divine plan to everything. We just wanted a change of lifestyle. We wanted to be outside and it just didn’t make sense to pay for an apartment we were never even at or even wanted anymore.

Eventually we out grew that setup and ended up selling the tent and trading the 1999 4Runner for a 1996 Powerstroke F250 4x4. We then equipped that rig with a Four Wheel Camper Grandby Shell then building the interior out ourselves.

Thank you so much for reading everyone :) I truly appreciate it and if you have any comments or questions please feel free to ask!
Much love!