Can You Overland a RAM Truck? We Find Out in Nevada With Our EPIC RAM Rebel GT Codenamed Swim Shady

Can you overland a RAM truck in the deserts of Nevada? The answer may surprise you. Paul and the Ginger head out to the Blackrock Area of Nevada with the newly minted EPIC RAM Rebel GT for some Adventure and real world testing.
The EPIC RAM Rebel GT Build "Swim Shady":
BDS 5" Suspension System, Including Fox Adjustable Coilovers Front & Rear.
Fuel Syndicate Wheels, 20"
Nitto Trail Grapplers in a 37x12.50R20
Addictive Desert Designs Stealth Fighter Front Bumper w/Warn Winch
Baja Designs 40" Curved Light Bar, Pillar Lights and Rock Lights
White Knuckle OffRoad Rock Sliders
GoFast Campers Platform Camper
Treeline 2.5m Awning
Decked Drawer Unit
50L CFX3 Dometic Fridge
SPOD4x4 Bantam X Unit
Custom Graphics
Check out our web store:
epic-4wd.com
Our Adventure Crew:
‪@TheStoryTillNow‬
‪@Casey250‬
‪@UnwindingRoads‬
‪@ModulaRacks‬
‪@whiterockdodge8690‬

[@Bigeddyb]

I been taking my rebel off-road for years now haha I’m glad influencers like you are giving this platform more shine.

[@EPIC-4WD]

Yes, the Rebel is very comfortable and quiet while the engine dishes out enough power. The front suspension however, being IFS is a challenge so far. We broke the front diff housing trying to rock crawl with it, but ended up designing our own bracket system, which will be in a video coming up in a few weeks. So far it's been a blast to drive and adventure with.

[@raymond4307]

Finally a rebel off roader

[@ponce1521]

Any more info and the power box in the bed! That looks like a great setup and would be very interested on the details of that and the install process.

[@Skindata]

Love the new build. Great work guys!

[@EPIC-4WD]

Thanks for following along! Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@offgridrecon]

Saw you guys going over Mt. Hood. It’s nice to see you guys out in the dirt. 👍🏻❤️🇺🇸

[@EPIC-4WD]

Thanks! We've had the truck out a few times for testing and it's been a comfortable blast to drive ;-)

[@johnkendall6358]

Nice job guys.

[@EPIC-4WD]

Thanks John! Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@brettmurack9620]

Looking forward to what y’all do. Will definitely get some inspiration for my personal Ram 1500

[@EPIC-4WD]

Thanks Brett! Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@dirtlifemagazine]

If you make your way to Las Vegas I'll show you around the deserts here.

[@erikfrandsen8249]

Nice RAM! I enjoy the humorous explanations lol. I am doing the same BDS suspension, UCAs, and 37” nitto trail grapplers on black rhino 20s. Looking forward to hitting the trails and beyond!

[@EPIC-4WD]

Sounds like a plan! Stay tuned for our upcoming video that shows what happens to a RAM with 37s and a front differential that is weak... Boom! We solved the problem tho! Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@erikfrandsen8249]

@@EPIC-4WD looking forward to it

[@temp6156]

I just finished outfitting my basic ass 2011 1500 5.7 Hemi. I don’t have any of the fancy stuff a lot of other people have (rooftop tent, dual battery set up, camper shell). I hand built a camper shell and also a platform/drawer system in the bed. I was able to go off road and down trails no problem. Me and my dog slept comfortably every night. All that to say, if anyone tells you that you NEED a 4Runner or a jeep to go overlanding, they are wrong

[@yazmeliayzol624]

I have a '14 5.7 vvt or something... lol... you ever get funny looks from the reg overlanders or asked if you drove there..?

[@temp6156]

@@yazmeliayzol624 yeah I had a group of younger overlanders, must have been in their late teens early 20’s give me a bunch of shit for not having a jeep or a runner. I found them about 3 miles down the trail stuck cause their Jeep’s didn’t have enough power to climb up this hill with all their extra shit on there. Vindication.

[@yazmeliayzol624]

Sounds about right... I'm thinking of getting Line-X'd... had it on my old '02 Dakota... then I joined the big boys club lmao...

[@noahschmidt716]

2013 5.7 express here, in the process of building it out. Definitely feel like I could’ve picked a better truck for the job but for the light stuff I’m doing, it ain’t that bad

[@temp6156]

@@noahschmidt716 Only downside is the size and weight. Bigger trucks have a harder time getting down those tight trails that 4runners and jeeps are kinda made for. Although the nice thing is more power=more cargo. I ended up building a pretty dope off-road pop-up trailer that I can pull no problem, even over rocks and up steep inclines. At the end of the day you only have a few more inches of wheelbase, so while it's not optimal, it's definitely not the worst thing in the world. Plus you have tons more space and power then anything most overlanders are using.

[@mikephillips66]

Of course you can! I've been Overlanding my 2020 Ram ever since I got it in 2019! I'm running the same front bumper as you. Love it! Come to Utah and let's wheel our Rams together!

[@EPIC-4WD]

Yeah, there's not too many people actually using these RAM1500s seriously off-road. We've been pushing it quite hard the past few months and have broken a few things. We have some videos coming up in a few weeks that show what we've been up to. Thanks for following along! Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@mikephillips66]

Excited to see these upcoming videos!

[@VTX1029]

Better on fuel lol! Too bad you don't have the front camera on that. Have it on my GT and its awesome for spotting!

[@drewolm]

Good stuff. I’m very interested to know how the IFS holds up to 37’s after a period of solid use.

[@EPIC-4WD]

Well.... we'll have an update shortly on that ;-)

[@DM-tf6mk]

I have a 17' ram 1500, not a rebel. 3" lift and 35's I do light wheeling with. Went up and over Imogene last year. It did well.

[@EPIC-4WD]

Excellent to hear! We're hitting Colorado soon!

[@DM-tf6mk]

@@EPIC-4WD Awesome! Can't wait for the upcoming videos.

[@riggzramirez]

Who does your body full decals like the khan and now swimshady??

[@yazmeliayzol624]

I have a '14 'rancher edition' or something with the 5.7 hemi with vvt or w/e eco mode... I guess this explains why I always get funny looks from the regular overland crowd... I didn't realize how uncommon it apparently is... and my truck doesn't have any 'overland gear' vibe going so I guess it is a head trip seeing me way up FSRs and such... lol... gotten the odd person ask me 'did you drive here..?' which never made much sense... of course I drove it there... I can't afford a helicopter lift lol...

[@EPIC-4WD]

Ha Ha yeah I've run across a few side-by-sides and ATVs that wonder how in the hell I got a full-size truck up in the alpine! lol. Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@billwaterhouse5894]

IFS…interesting choice 🤔

[@EPIC-4WD]

Very interesting... we've broken it already and made some modifications to strengthen certain components. Stay tuned for that update ;-)

[@billwaterhouse5894]

Wow already 😜I look forward to the coming episodes. If I may I be so bold, a PowerWagon next possible??? Be well kind sir’s

[@TheEPICBeardedGinger]

@@billwaterhouse5894 Personally I find the Power Wagon to not be worth the money they cost now, I would much rather start with a lower trim Ram 2500 and build it from there with ARBs, proper gearing, a larger winch that actually suits the size of build and many many other parts.

[@billwaterhouse5894]

@@TheEPICBeardedGinger agreed, as build mine would now be just under 80K (U.S. dollars). However, I ordered mine November 2020, got $6,850 off stick and paid $63,500. Sticker back then was $70,350. To your point, you could order a RAM Tradesman 2500 and add the power wagon package (I think that’s around $8000). This way you get the gearing, front/rear locker, disconnecting sway bar, PW suspension, warn winch etc. not a bad way to go…unless you prefer to build from ground up with specific parts of course.

[@ulikesca]

Did you regear after lifting?

[@EPIC-4WD]

Unfortunately there is no re-gear options for RAM 1500s. This one is a Rebel, so it has the stock 3.92 gears. We are using a Tazer DT module, therefore the speedo and shift points are calibrated. The e-Torque system definitely helps the 37s get up and rolling.

[@jasongardner1910]

Aww man I thought this was a real RAM sad to see it’s the baby size

[@voitrynduch1587]

Ginger with the ma joke. You can get more dude than that.

[@protaginets]

Mocking the Canadians, eh?

[@EPIC-4WD]

You bet hoser! lol. Cheers from the team at EPIC!

[@yazmeliayzol624]

Give a nuck a stock 1500 and we'll show up most decked out rigs though... lol... I get funny looks from the reg overlanders... even been asked if I drove there before... uh yeah... I'm here ain't I..?