GEN 2 Building an overland Raptor

[oxfordraptor]

wtf does overland even mean

It means you carry around a tent and a bunch of other worthless shit on a Raptor and pretend you off road it because you go camping. Think Pontiac Aztec an overloading beast.

 

[Aaron]

It means you carry around a tent and a bunch of other worthless shit on a Raptor and pretend you off road it because you go camping. Think Pontiac Aztec an overloading beast.

 

[Jake17]

It means ya lug around a tent, & other worthless shit (dog) in a Raptor

xxaarraa...hit us with more overland/puppy love pics
that new car smell

 

[Craigy]

Have to disagree. The Landcruiser / LX570 are great overlanding vehicles and they weigh 1000 lbs more than a Gen 2 raptor. I have overlanded with many Range Rovers too, which aren't small or light. Here's a photo from an overlanding trip we do in Maine each year - it's pretty well known in the overlanding world and expedition portal. None of these vehicles are small or light especially once you have added the overlanding conveniences.



Overlanding is not rock crawling. Size doesn't matter as much. What matters is room inside and outside, and utilitarianism, along with aftermarket support. Reliable 4WD system goes without saying. Any F150 super crew would make for a great overlanding platform.

Admittedly on weight, yeah you can overland in anything. But the heavier you get, the more you sink in the mud, snow, whatever, the more power and traction you need, etc. But then just point to a unimog or an abrams and yeah the weight won't kill you.

But on size, there's no getting around the fact that the Raptor is huge, in both trims. At some point there are many trails which you literally won't fit down because the trail is too narrow. There is a reason classics like the gwagen and the j70 are so thin. But if you're just going down big gravel roads then sure you can get away with a behemoth.

Obviously the landcruiser is a great vehicle but I don't see too many (any?) 570s, J200s in that pic. Sure you might be able to buy a stripper J200 in australia that still fits the bill, but what you roll off the showroom here in the states is no longer the landcruiser of old.

 

[xxaarraa]

But on size, there's no getting around the fact that the Raptor is huge, in both trims. At some point there are many trails which you literally won't fit down because the trail is too narrow.

I am not sure that there are trails that you cannot fit a raptor through, that are legal for 4 wheeled motor vehicles to pass through, as long as you don't mind scrapes and pin stripes. If you are talking about single track dirt bike trails or snowmobile trails, sure. But most 4 wheel legal trails should be passable. Example: I go rock crawling in the north east where Class VI roads are pretty narrow like this and I have no trouble fitting the Raptor, or any other big vehicle through:







The Raptor can get through all of these, albeit with significant pin striping. Sure, there is no denying that width and long wheelbase are detriments, but there aren't too many trails, even up here where trails are narrow, that are too small to fit a raptor through.

Overlanding or expedition travel is a lot easier and a lot more forgiving. The trails / dirt roads you typically travel on while overlanding are much wider. Like this:





So width, size and weight are even less of an issue when overlanding. Except for the silly Wranglers, every one of the vehicles in this photo is a really good overlanding vehicle, and none of them are small or light. Speaking from experience, the Raptor can do everything any of these vehicles can do, easier.





Point I'm making is that the Raptor can most definitely handle overlanding. Would it be easier to drive something smaller and narrower? Of course. But you'd have to stop 3 times more often for gas, and will have significantly less space and comfort.

There is a reason classics like the gwagen and the j70 are so thin.

The reason the old classics are thin have more to do with the time they were built than a conscious design choice. All cars and trucks back then were smaller and thinner. And believe it or not, there are so many cars that are better suited to modern overlanding than those oldies. Power output, inverters, space, aftermarket support, lights, comfort, ruggedness, range - all more important for successful overlanding than having triple lockers. I'd take my 36 gallon tank and 500+ mile range, and storage capacity over being narrow and underpowered while out in the Maine wilderness in the middle of winter.

 

[SilverBolt]

Too big????

 

[xxaarraa]

Too big????

Insert any of the AEV rigs too.

 

[Jimbo]

I don't necessarily agree with the 'too big' comments, but from an overloading/payload capacity the Raptor is NOT the right choice for a true overlanding vehicle. For a weekend camping trip, sure, but think about how quickly weight adds up: two spares, additional fuel, loaded cooler, extraction equipment, luggage, ammunition, etc. If you're truly doing overlanding - multi-week/month trips, it isn't the best vehicle.

 

[Toadster]

wtf does overland even mean

https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/

you can spend days following people doing this stuff

 

[Craigy]

I don't necessarily agree with the 'too big' comments, but from an overloading/payload capacity the Raptor is NOT the right choice for a true overlanding vehicle. For a weekend camping trip, sure, but think about how quickly weight adds up: two spares, additional fuel, loaded cooler, extraction equipment, luggage, ammunition, etc. If you're truly doing overlanding - multi-week/month trips, it isn't the best vehicle.

And personally I'd want a lot of that stuff locked inside a cab, and not in the bed, save for fuel and tires. Fuel wise tho the supercrew should be GTG without many/any additional cans. Hard to find 36 gal+ factory capacity outside of pickups in the USA.