0:21 3.5 Ecoboost Turbo Engine
0:41 Ford Expedition 4 wheeling
0:51 I like a SUV
1:27 Rally Navigator
1:38 Rebelle Rally
2:00 Off roading in the Ford Expedition
2:44 Nitto Terra Grapplers
2:55 2" Spacer lift
3:04 Detroit Truetrac
3:58 Ride and handling
4:21 Manscaping
3:37 Viair Compressor
5:04 Custom roof rack from 775 Fabrication
6:18 Electronics
7:26 Camping gear
8:33 3rd-row seat delete
9:49 Satellite communications
10:22 High Rock Canyon brakedown
11:59 Minimalism in overlanding
13:03 Outdoor Ethics
14:55 Begging for likes

In 1996 Ford killed off the last bronco. The full size, two-door beast we'd loved since the seventies, was gone. It took 24 years for them to bring it back. But in 1997 they launched the Expedition, a full-size, 4 door SUV following on from the wildly popular Explorer and taking the next step in the EX naming convention that would end, and die with the full-size+ Excursion.

The day I first saw an Expedition rolling around Albuquerque, NM when I was In college I saw the potential. A big SUV with 4 doors. No longer dependent on dad to lean his seat forward for me to get out of the back seat. No longer crammed behind the buckets with my sisters and piles of camping gear threatening to fall on our heads. It was a big, powerful, adventure vehicle. And while, I've never owned one, driven one or even ridden one, I've always admired the platform as an adventure vehicle that could go almost anywhere I wanted to go right out of the gate. 

Years later, I saw a cool late model Expedition rolling around Reno. Driven by Mike Shirley and emblazoned with the name of his business, Double Diamond Athletic Club, This seemed to be modified, though minimally, and even though it was the latest model with independent suspension front and rear, It sure seemed like a great platform for adventure.

I had the opportunity to finally meet Mike when he called Harry for help recovering it from High Rock Canyon last month. Mike had broken the steering rack in a remote spot, so we went out to help. I finally got the opportunity to meet up with mike and get the full story of this cool expedition.

Suspension & Tires
Mike has installed a simple spacer lift that he found on Amazon. It raises the truck 2 inches and it still rides on the stock springs and shocks.

For tires he went with the biggest tire that would still fit in the spare tire location. This is one thing I really favor over bigger tires. It allows you to keep the interior and exterior of your truck uncluttered and easy to access and also cuts down on added weight of a tire rack or holder. God forbid you put the weight of a tire up on a roof rack! The tires are Nitto Terra Grapplers in size 285/75 R17. This nets out to about a 33 inch final diameter.

Engine
The truck has a 3.5 EcoBoost engine. Mike has upgraded the turbos and Intercooler and also runs a Livewire tuner. It has plenty of power to push around the full size truck and oversized tires.

Read More: https://allterrainfam.com/

A great Overlander
While the line between overlanding, 4 wheeling and rock crawling seems to be one of hashtags these days, I believe an overlander just needs to be able to get down rough dirt roads with the occasional tricky obstacle, not the Rubicon. As such, getting down endless rough roads with a high level of comfort and safety, which this vehicle provides in spades, is a welcome tradeoff for Mike, and he gets it out for a great many miles in the desert.

Outdoor Ethics

I just wanted to pop in here at the end and talk about outdoor ethics.

It’s getting on spring and camping  outdoor season and I know there are a-lot of new folks enjoying outdoor activities. First of all, Welcome! Great to see you on the trail.

So what do I mean by outdoor ethics? Outdoor ethics are a philosophy for how we act in wild places to do the right thing for the landscape, the ecosystems and the humans who live and visit here.

First and easiest thing is pack it in, pack it out. If you produce trash, keep it and if you find trash, do your best to take that with you too.

Easiest way to do this is to have some grocery bags with you. I just have a wad of used grocery bags jammed in somewhere. I also have a couple contractor bags as well in case things get really messy, which happens, or if we come across a mess someone else left for us.

That’s it for now, if you want to learn more about outdoor ethics, check out Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics at lnt.org. What are some outdoor ethics that you think are particularly important?

Happy Trails

-M