Thanks Howie! Moab and every town in the region has shops that sell the top off road tires. All terrain tires are the most upgrade for overlanding and off roading. I recently started adding drone landing shots because they can be interesting. Yeah, like little Mars landings.

LMAO

Tire valve core? Other than the spare tire nothing else. Never heard of a problem. Should I carry extra cores?

Thanks for reminding me to show how far north we were able to go. I just adjusted the Gaia track to stop at about where we got to. That link is on this video's KZbin page in the description. I think this is close: 38.34926, -109.65409

Thanks. My flying is improving but needs a little work still. We're trying to slow down and get the drone in the air more - if no strong desert wind.

The Flattops is a nice area. We like the more technical driving in the northern part by the wilderness. We've been there during hunting season in the fall and it gets rather crowded. The San Juan Mountains is our favorite mountain range in Colorado. However, the trail are crowded with out of state visitors all summer and fall. It seems to be the top destination for everyone east of Denver. I'm enjoying your videos!

I use Google Maps to get to the location of the trip then switch to Gaia and their overlanding or National Geographic layers. I also use Avenza on these trips because there is a huge map selection available with that, including government agency maps I use OnX Off-Road and Trails Off-road for research ahead of trips. No map is all that accurate in remote places.

It was scary! I would have been more confident if I didn't have our mountain bikes rack on the back. We drug that a lot at the top of the approach side. It maybe have made the rear wheels worthless for a moment but momentum solved that. The rear bike rack trays will become vertical on our new Aluminess rear door rack when we install that tomorrow. Then I'll have to find a deeper narrower ditch to cross 🙂

Thank you! I started in adventure videography in 1984 with a Sony Betamovie camera, weeks after it was released. It was the first consumer video camera. I've had formal training but was a bit rusty. We just added our 4th GoPro and the videography and storytelling will improve when we start shooting next year. I have the video for 3 Bears Ears legs already shot and those will be the next published before we start 2025 trips. So 4 GoPros, 1 drone, and two iPhones. It has taken 9 months to get this figured out 🙂 Thanks for watching and commenting! Cool stuff with challenges coming.

It is a 130" wheel base 2022 AWD Transit. That is the shortest of Transits and Sprinters and best for off-roading. The Trail is AWD also and lifted 2" like ours but only comes in the 148" wheel base. In Mud/Ruts mode it is basically 4WD, except better. Transfer cases and lockers are now obsolete. 🙂 We have a popular video on our channel the shows our upholstered interior and exterior add-ons. We've done a lot of work on the interior this fall and added to the exterior so we need to do an update video.

@@JimPreston Thank you for responding. The short wheel base is what im looking at. also flat roof for garage ability. Being short, full stand up is unnecessary.

@@larryward9530 I've had 25 years of crawling around in low roof vans. That was fine but nice to stand up. Our MR is vastly more comfortable in bad weather so we go out in bad weather more often. We would love to have the van in our garage though. Always tradeoffs.

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Crossing this wash was easy compared to what I did last weekend. That was a deep narrow ditch in Utah. I'm editing that video now and it should be out this week.

No. There were only a few places where that would have been good and they were rather short rocky sections. So all of it was at 62 psi. The trade-off with airing down is losing ground clearance. We'll have taller tires soon, 245/75R16's, so we'll be less concerned about clearance.

We've been busy upgrading the van and shooting new videos for the past few months. I haven't had time to edit and publish but more are on the way. We'll have a series on Bears Ears National Monument, 4 or 5 videos. Only one section left to shoot but it may have to wait until early summer. I'm working now on our Thanksgiving trip near Capitol Reef NP and that will have a crazy deep ditch crossing. Lots of upgrades and that will be a video. We did the Van Compass lift in early summer.

Thanks 👍

Thank you! That campsite by the creek is only an hour or so from home. That area is like Moab without the crowds. For any overlander driving past Grand Junction, CO on I-70 this is a fun and convenient area to explore.

Where? Did we talk? We were just in Fort Collins, CO having a winch installed on our van.

They may be eatable but they are only 1.5 inches long. By the time you clean and cook them you would have almost nothing to eat. They have a tough life and we shouldn't harass them. Really fun to watch them!

We spent last week overlanding in Bears Ears and then the San Juans. Of course no problem on a 12,000 foot pass but we hit 196 MBPS in a deep narrow canyon near Ouray. I had it aimed at the side of a mountain between our camp and north. I didn't expect it to work at all. However, on a drive to Gateway we couldn't get reception but on the way back it was good. It doesn't like going west or east in narrow canyons. We don't need it while driving usually and I don't trust magnets all that much. An overhanging juniper could remove it.

Then abandoned, then a couple of eccentric artists moved in, and now it has a general store much of the year. The general store has a Harvest Hosts parking lot for those who want to spend the night in a strange place 🙂

That would be an adventure! We knew about Koko from fellow mountain bikers but were curious if it was possible in an AWD Transit or Sprinter. It is possible, with a few thrills along the way.

Thanks! It sure works for us. Everyone seems to think the inside of a camper van should look like a motorhome. We disagree but it wasn't easy coming up with a new concept.

Sprinters natively have more ground clearance. That is about the only advantage, other than diesel for some folks. The 2023 Sprinters probably have a competitive AWD finally. I haven't seen a good test of AWD Sprinters vs AWD Transits. The AWD Transit is almost 4x4. Sprinter maintenance costs are much higher than Transits. I talked to a FedEx driver who said they hate them because they are always in the shop. If a Sprinter breaks down in a remote area, say south Utah, it has to get towed to St. George, Salt Lake, or Grand Junction for repairs. If a Transit breaks down, well, every little ag or ranch town has a Napa Auto Parts store and some guy who is good at fixing Fords. That is a huge consideration for those of us traveling in the West or Baja. And Transits cost much less. Hope that helps.

@@JimPrestonthanks for your response Jim.I don’t intend to hit the trails anywhere near what you do,but it certainly is comforting to know the capabilities of the transit.All of your points one vs the other are valid,cheers,enjoy your life to both of you.

You came into Gateway on John Brown Road. As you got to SR 141 Gateway Canyons Resort was on your left. Make a left on 141 and in a few hundred feet or less is the entrance to the resort. Enter there and follow the signs to the restaurants. They are GREAT and open to the public, not just the $600 / night folks, and you will be welcome. This winter only the Paradox restaurant is open. Last weekend we hung out at the pool-side restaurant. Really beautiful and a great time! One of the best parts of overlanding is find treats like this 🙂

@@JimPreston We drove through the resort but the resto was closed.

@@JimPreston I enjoy your videos. I’ve done a lot of trails you’ve done in my Sprinter. Did the Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada back a few years ago. I wish I had gone with a Transit back in 2017 but I don’t remember that being a viable option then. I have been trying to sell my Van for a year now with very little interest. I’m down to half the price of what I have into it.

@@trixie2010 There are three restaurants and a coffee shop. The one at the pool is closing soon, Entrada is closed except for events, but Paradox is open most of the year. We haven't been in Paradox yet, or even seen it. It is supposed to be near the registration area. While the public is welcome they don't make it easy.

@@trixie2010 I haven't heard that selling a Sprinter is that hard. So sorry. Ford came out with their AWD Transits in 2020. They are almost 4x4. They have Bronco components in the AWD. The pre-2023 Sprinter "4x4" was actually a third party archaic AWD. Sprinters didn't have a very low gear so the hack was to put in a transfer case. Lots of Sprinter owners think the transfer case makes it 4x4 but it doesn't do that function in Sprinters. There are 4x4 Sprinters but the work was done by either Quadvan or Quigley and they put their names on the rear sides of their vans. Chad with @liveingthevanlife on KZbin put a lot of money into his drive train. It performs like 4x4. Mercedes designed their 2023+ AWD to compete with Ford's. What little on KZbin showing them competing with the Transit AWD doesn't look good for Sprinter, but I suspect the drivers didn't understand what drive mode to use. In Transits Mud/Ruts mode gives you almost 4x4. In this video I mention while climbing ledges that I could feel the power being transferred to the wheels with traction. I'm now telling 4x4 folks that I think lockers are obsolete. They are agreeing with me. The computer mostly gets it right so no need to have power split between all 4 wheels, which is what lockers do.

Thanks! I have a lot more confidence in Transits after Dome Plateau. Mud / Ruts is great!! The problem at Cisco Wash was that I turned the engine off before entering the wash. That kills Mud / Ruts. When I turned the engine back on the van was in Normal and won't climb loose soil then. So it got stuck. I put it in Mud / Ruts at the bottom of the wash and backed up. That pushed the bike rack up the hill a bit and lifted the rear tires a little. Just the front tires, in very loose dirt, wasn't enough so we put our 2 traction boards under them and the van broke free. We were very alone out there. Now we have 6 boards. When climbing loose gnar in Mud / Ruts I can feel the computer moving power to the wheels with the most traction. It is an amazing feeling and is better than lockers on 4WD.

Trails rated 4/10 are rather easy. Above that is usually too much.

Mileage various. When doing off-roading or driving 80 mph on I-70 with strong headwinds it can be as low as 13. City is about 14 - 15. Cruising on flat terrain at 75 it can be 20+. If you build out your van like a motorhome inside then you could add 2,500 more pounds and expect less mileage. Remember that diesel often costs $1 or more than gasoline.

Thank you! More trips coming this fall and winter!

Thank you! We hope to inspire and inform van folks about cool places to visit. We should have done a better job of shooting that sketchy Coyote Spring Road but because there was no place to pull over for miles we wanted to just get out of there as fast as possible. This fall we'll do some trails in the Rockies with lots of yellow aspens. Should be beautiful!

@@JimPreston - It should be beautiful. Normally, we would be in Southern Colorado "leaf peeping" about that time. However, this year we are leaving Utah for the East Coast of Canada for 2.5 months. We will almost certainly be running the roads in southern Colorado in the fall of 2025. FYI - Corinne and I are Landscape photographers with a KZbin Channel called Travels of Red Rover. If you have a few minutes, please take a few minutes to have a look. All the best - Shawn and Corinne.

@@TravelsofRedRover I've subscribed. You'll get plenty of leaf peeping in Canada.

Yeah, one of us needs to get out and shoot the action more. I need to shoot with the drone more, if I can find places to pull over to launch and retrieve it. I wanted to launch it on the challenging Coyote Spring Road but no place to pull over. That washed out rocky road is covered in the Rim Rocker video we published yesterday. We didn't have the drone for this video though.

We wanted to know if the AWD and KO2 tires could handle it. Only one way to find out. We have a lot more confidence in our rig now. We are pushing the edge of what people think AWD Transits can do, and going beyond. Gets scary at times, especially on our 3 part Kokopelli Trail trips and at the end of our upcoming Rim Rocker to Moab 4 day trip. I'll publish that today.

Longer rigs are harder to maneuver off-roading. If you stick to the main Forest Service and BLM roads and have a lift you'll probably be fine. Wash crossing are the usual challenges. We're publishing the Rim Rocker trail soon and other than the last section, which can easily be avoided, your rig would do fine. Most of Kokopelli would not be good. Our Cottonwood Canyon and Delores Triangle trips would be good for your rig and very scenic. We'll have more trips with your size rig in mind.

@@JimPreston Kind of you. Thanks for your reply. Maybe I won't get the extended. Im hoping the LWB (148") won't be a problem. I live in Southern Nevada.

@@pixelmartyr8532 The 148" is a far better option it you want to do off-roading and you have many options in your area. We want to do Gold Butte near Mesquite to White Pocket someday. Probably no time left this year. Also, lots of old mining ghost towns to explore in NV. We have a video on this channel for our very unique van build. It is working perfect for off-roading and our 130" WB. Our van trip weight is about 7,200 lbs, rather light as vans go.

@@JimPreston Thanks Jim. Love your channel. I'll be watching and maybe in a year or so I'll have my transit. Thanks for the inspiration.

Ford vans are tough and last hundreds of thousands of such miles with little maintenance. I have 30 years of this with vans, and decades more with other vehicles. We were going to get a Wrangler or Bronco but don't see a need for them now.

Can't live, sleep, eat, cook in a Jeep Liberty... if the van can do it, why the heck not?

Well, the van is lifted now and the bike rack removed after that incident. When the weather cools I want to do it again. The digging bar is a good idea and I've been thinking about it. It could nudge boulders apart enough to let us pass, which was a big problem on Leg 1 of our Kokopelli series. Winch being installed in less than a month. Two OpenRoad traction boards came with the winch for free, short ones, so we added them to our 4 MaxTraxs boards collection. I've been going to Death Valley for decades but the back roads are usually closed due to floods.