11 ft tall - How Screwed am I?
Posted by WGD118@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 24 comments
So I am looking to get out of the campgrounds and do more boondocking and overlanding.
But I am running and F350 long bed with a slide in camper total height is around 11ft how screwed am I with branches and overhangs?
I am not looking to do any rock crawling just getting out. I figured with the truck sticking to mostly forest service roads.
Howard_70@reddit
We’re 8.5’ tall and 6’9” or so wide (EarthCruiser based on a Fuso FG chassis). We wander NM, AZ, NV, CA, OR, UT and CO. We’ve had to turn back or not pursue an estimated 5% of tracks that interested us. Of those I’d guess 40% were width and 60% were height. With a rig the size of ours I’d estimate we’d have turned back or passed up 20 - 30% of the tracks that interested us. I think the problem with a slide in over the cab camper is that much of your width is up at top.
We seek out remote tracks where we’ll hopefully encounter few other campers - if you’re primarily interested in getting a bit off of a maintained dirt road to find a camping site I’d guess you’ll a better success ratio.
The dry adapted brush and trees you’ll encounter in the SW are often smaller, but they are tough. Brushing by a juniper or a paloverde can tear the siding, gouge the windows and remove the screens of many campers not specifically designed for back country. I would suggest you acquire a moderate long telescoping pole saw, learn how to properly trim trees & brush (where and how to make cuts that cause the least damage) and study up on which land management agencies and areas discourage trimming vegetation along tracks.
Small-Sun900@reddit
Always keep an eye out for local atv and side by side rentals to tackle the harder trails for a night or two!
WGD118@reddit (OP)
Good call out, I hadn't thought about that because I was like I am not trailering a side by side so the thought of even using that was out.
Small-Sun900@reddit
So many sweet trails here in UT (my current home state) and plenty of options to rent out wheelers. I also figure, any REALLY sketchy trail I don't want to take my own rig up anyway haha
WGD118@reddit (OP)
Thank you, I think I would match your width but obviously much taller, with the 60% of trails you turned back on due to height did you often find out the issue early in the trail or did you get a good distance down it before having to turn around?
Howard_70@reddit
Both - sometimes we’d determine that a track was constricted before getting far. Other times we’d travel for hours (once a full day) and find we couldn’t get through. If the track was a dead end route that became constricted we often just camped short of our goal (maybe missing that sunrise/sunset view we’d planned on). Occasionally on long passages we’d end up trimming for several hours but eventually making it through.
spoonandpig@reddit
If you are okay with pinstripes or taking it slow and trimming trails, there aren’t many places you can’t go, especially out west.
WGD118@reddit (OP)
I was thinking of installing some PPF to help with the pinstriping, I don't mind it but feel like a bit of prevention is probably wise.
Small-Sun900@reddit
I also have a tall rig, the way I look at it; at some points around I'm going to want to rent a side by side for some trails anyway, so I can explore the cool places I don't take my rig into.
speedshotz@reddit
Might look into limb riser cables from the hood to the top of the camper shell, to help deflect some branches up and over / to the side. Won't help with big branches but maybe anything up to wrist sized.
Out west, some trails have rocky overhangs on shelf roads.. you'll probably want to pass on those. But lots of open desert and rolling hills with not a lot of trees.
WGD118@reddit (OP)
I have seen people equipped with them are they actually effective? My thought is once you are at 10ft most of those branches are probably pretty thick and most defeats the purpose.
speedshotz@reddit
Yeah depending on your area of interest and types of vegetation. They are effective for brush and small downhanging branches.
ninjamansidekick@reddit
I did the Swisha Loop in Canada with an old timer (81 years old) who was using a truck older than him (1941 CMP Cargo variant). Height and width are just numbers if you you DGAF. He was not worried about the paint and the thing was built for WW2 so he just sent it.
lucky_ducker@reddit
Your rig height will limit some of the places you can go, especially in the east. Out west is a different story, where "forest" often means stands of 15' tall Utah Juniper and Pinyon Pine.
Don't discount the mostly treeless center of the country. There's plenty of interesting places in the Central Plains - from Palo Duro Canyon in Texas to the wild topography of western North Dakota / eastern Montana, and everything in between.
WGD118@reddit (OP)
Currently living in the east and there seems to be way less trail options out here at least from the apps I have downloaded. I figured I would have to drive West of the Mississippi although I do really want to visit Maine first. Do you think it is worth even trying any trails in the East?
I grew up in the Midwest so I feel like there isn't much of interest and I need to get to the Rocky's before things get interesting I will have to rethink that idea. I have enjoyed the black hills but never looked for boondocking out in that region. Never visited TX so lots of opportunities to check out that state.
lucky_ducker@reddit
If you don't already subscribe to OnX Offroad maps, it is absolutely worth the cost. From finding trails to verifying that your campsite is not on private property it's a great help.
The north rim of the SD Badlands NP abounds in boondocking. National Grasslands (administered by the Forest Service) are scattered throughout the great plains and can be interesting places to travel and camp.
Texas is kind of an anomaly in that it is very lacking in Federal public lands. Four small National Forests in the eastern part of the state, a very small National Grassland in north texas, and a bit of BLM land NW of Amarillo and that's it. State Parks are fairly expensive, but you can find small city and county parks that have campgrounds in unexpected places.
WGD118@reddit (OP)
I do subscribe to them and I have also looked at getting a Gaia GPS subscription. I haven't seen a way in OnX to get much info about trail height issues only width.
Hirneek@reddit
What upgrades/changes did you made? My cousin's F350 DRW has 7.1 or 7.2...
WGD118@reddit (OP)
35s but almost all the height comes from the slide in camper, it isn't a pop up so one of the reasons for the increased height
Hirneek@reddit
Thanks. I've got it !
ChibaCityFunk@reddit
My rig is about the same height and I’d say: it depends on where you are and how you define Overlanding. Some dedicated 4x4 tracks are a problem. But crossing continents is perfectly fine.
WGD118@reddit (OP)
Good question I am not sure I have enough knowledge to fully define overlanding but for me it means getting off the beaten path finding good views and camp sites that are out in the wilderness.
Not looking to off-road and test the vehicle but also I don't want to avoid a great spot just because I need to clear a few rocks.
I do plan on avoiding most of the jeep hardcore trails based on my knowledge of what those entail.
Informal_Ruin_9152@reddit
In SoCal I'd more concerned about width because of shelf roads, tight turns, and really big rocks that I can't just drive over. Not sure what it's like where you live.
pallidamors@reddit
You are fine.