2001 Subaru Forester modifications for camping

[RollinWOT]

I like your plan regarding storage in the Forester. I might suggest upgrading to a Yeti cooler or an Engel cooler. Those are high quality marine coolers that can hold ice for nearly two weeks if taken good care of. I have a two-burner coleman camp stove, and while it is very convenient and relatively lightweight considering its size, it can be a pain to cook on if the surface you set it on isn't completely level. The cooking pot/pan or whatever you use, the food rolls to whatever side is most downhill. If you use one, take the extra time to make sure the cooking surface is SUPER LEVEL. Other than that, they are a breeze to use and cook quickly. Post some more pictures of your cars interior in the "loaded" and "unloaded" levels when you can as well. I'd love to see your setup.

 

[highdesertranger]

x2 on all who warned about fire bans. I don't know what area you are in but the butane canisters can be hard to find in out of the way stores. the little stick stoves are banned when campfires are, as are charcoal bbq's. in CA the bans have been effect for at least 3 months and will be until we get substantial rain. highdesertranger

 

[Requ21]

x2 on all who warned about fire bans. I don't know what area you are in but the butane canisters can be hard to find in out of the way stores. the little stick stoves are banned when campfires are, as are charcoal bbq's. in CA the bans have been effect for at least 3 months and will be until we get substantial rain. highdesertranger

Our shelves are stocked with any kind of fuel canisters you could need... although it's also rained like a million inches this year (slight exaggeration) and the fire risk is fairly low... I could see them being harder to find in a drought.

 

[highdesertranger]

well I am talking about small stores in the Oregon and Nevada outback. I have never seen them there. they do have white gas, and propane but no butane. areas that have a lot of the backpacking crowd have the butane they also have granola bars. before everybody gets butt hurt I have nothing against backpackers in my younger days I was an avid backpacker. and still use my pack on occasion. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

Butane bottles (either backpacker canister or the aerosol can looking ones) can be hard/impossible to find in remote places and when you do find them they can be twice or triple the price of big towns.

They have advantages but be sure to carry plenty with you.
Bob

 

[SoulRaven]

Another option which makes fuel easy to find yet provides a very stable cooking surface is the Riviera Jet Cooker.  These are alcohol stoves, but they have one of the best bases I think I've seen.  A friend runs his on rubbing alcohol which is really cheap and easy to find.

I've seen them for sale on ebay.

 

[Requ21]

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the advise on stove options!

Just wanted to update, today was my only day off work for the week, and I worked all day on the Subaru... like, from 10:30 to 7... plus about a half hour around 9.

Not a lot of pictures, because most of the stuff was maintenance/off road modifications...

I did oil & filter change, trans fluid & filter change, changed the fluid in the front and rear differentials, and flushed and refilled the cooling system. Hopefully it will continue to run like a brand new car for another few miles!

On the off road side, I did a DIY style set of quick disconnects for the rear swaybar, and completely removed the front swaybar. Now I can get to even more remote spots that I could have before!

It was after dark before I was able to recruit some help to start cutting my Reflectix window coverings, we got all 4 doors done before we decided to call it a night.. my phone takes horrible night time photos, but I tried my best.

It is getting it super dark inside!


More progress to come! The maiden trip is scheduled for August 9th thru the 15th!

Requ21.

My thought of the day.. The general population today uses the phrase "I need.." to the point that it is laughable. You need food, water, and shelter... outside of that, you want.

 

[RollinWOT]

Congrats! Shes really starting to come together. I'm pretty interested in your sway bar disconnects. Where are you planning on taking that beast, the Rubicon trail? Or just want some more articulation to get through some rough stuff? Post some pics of them when you can. I can't wait to see what else you do to it.

 

[Requ21]

Congrats! Shes really starting to come together. I'm pretty interested in your sway bar disconnects. Where are you planning on taking that beast, the Rubicon trail? Or just want some more articulation to get through some rough stuff? Post some pics of them when you can. I can't wait to see what else you do to it.

I will get pictures of the disconnects! The Subaru is going to be a camper/overland vehicle (expedition vehicle).. I know it will never be a rock crawler, but basically if I want to get somewhere... it's going to be able to get me there! I really want to travel [at least part of] the Trans America Trail in it!

Until I get pictures, the quick disconnects are just a clevis pin with a flat washer in both sides and a large keeper clip installed in place of the bolt that formerly connected the bar to the end link. The whole set up cost like $9 at Home Depot... and when I disconnect them, I'll just rotate the bar back, and secure it out if the way with zipties. Super simple, and makes a HUGE difference off road!

Requ21

 

[RollinWOT]

That sounds like a super simple setup. I'm more into the overlanding type like you are. That's why I've got my truck set up the way it is. It's not a 4x4, or lifted crazy so I know it's never going to be a rock crawler either, but I understand what you mean. You want as much capability as you can get out of it! I've found that the saying "less is more" to be especially true for us overlanding types. You overload your vehicle with too much goodies and accessories and it quickly becomes too much to handle. When I was looking on what to do with my truck, I found that when I switched from little tiny 225/70R14 radials to some bigger 31x10.5x15 mud tires, I could go way farther off road than I really could with my radials and it lifted the truck higher too, so I didnt have to worry about scraping the underbelly when going off road. I know your Subaru doesn't have tons of ground clearance, but in the sake of keeping it protected, you should look into buying some skidplates for it. There's lots of aftermarket rally car style skidplates specially made for subarus. I think it would be worth it for you to grab some of those before doing any serious trail driving. Cheers!

 

[Requ21]

Skid plates and bumpers are on my list!

I'm hoping to make the skid plates myself (with help from my uncle) and same with the bumpers.. decent off road bumpers will have to be imported from Australia if we aren't able to build them..

I love overlanding, and my subaru. It gives me a difficult decision, between my Subaru, built for self sufficient overland travel, and a van, built for dwelling... the larger size, of the van would be nice... but I've definitely "drank the kool-aid" when it comes to Subaru... I'm concerned with my plans to eventually full time, and the limited space it offers.

Requ21.

 

[RollinWOT]

Maybe in the future, you could do the best of both worlds, and get something larger than our subaru but smaller than a van. Perhaps a Jeep Cherokee or a Ford Expedition. Those are readily available and have tons of aftermarket support. Just be careful when going hog wild with bumpers and skidplates, especially if your subie has the H4. They can quickly get overwhelmed with too much stuff being added plus fully loaded with gear. I'd do skidplates first, then trim the bumpers accordingly. That way you can get more ground clearance without adding weight. If you decide to make your skidplates yourself, make sure to go with 1/8" aluminum or steel. Both are malleable and easy to work with, but just like any construction project, measure twice, cut once. Does your subie have any coolant or oil leaks? I know they have problems with the head gaskets leaking.

 

[Requ21]

It has a very slight oil leak that I am monitoring, thus far no issues with the headgaskets.

The vehicle I have in mind right now is the AWD Astro van, with a minor lift kit, and all the overland goodies... it's hard finding one with less than 250k miles. I've also considered something like a full sized Bronco, modified with a cummins 4bt with mechanical fuel pump... the ideal answer is a fully kitted out Sportsmobile... but 6 figures looks sort of steep.

for now, I'm just waiting, I probably won't do anything major until I finish school.

 

[highdesertranger]

the best material for skid plates is aircraft grade hardened aluminum plate. 1/4 should do for a light vehicle. highdesertranger

 

[RollinWOT]

I agree with highdesertranger, alum. is really the way to go. I think 1/4" is pretty overkill, but if you're planning on hitting up Moab(jk) in your subie, go for it. Broncos are great trucks, but try to find one with a manual trans. The C4 automatics re known for slipping and then spontaneous failure. Either that, or buy one with an auto but be prepared to pay for a trans rebuild. A Cummins 4BT would be pretty sweet to stuff under the hood of a Bronco, but if you're going to go that far, I'd just buy a used military CUCV. That's a Chevy Blazer with a 7.5L(?) Detroit Diesel V8 and they have a more robust 400R auto trans. Either way, a pretty penny. The Forester is pretty tame comparatively I like the Astros, but it seems like more and more often, parts are becoming scarce for them and they have an old school 1980s-vibe space-age style digital dash, and those things seem to lose power or crap out all together. If you could find one, they are sweet little vans. But like you said, they're all getting elderly in vehicle age. I'd say just stick with your subie. There's tons of aftermarket support for offroad/rally stuff, and you did say you wanted an overlanding car. BTW, you never mentioned if it was auto or stick? I would stay away from auto for use as an overlanding car, simply for reliabilitys sake. Cheers!

 

[highdesertranger]

the reason I said 1/4" is because with a vehicle that light you could slam the sharpest rock and do zero damage. I guess you could go 3/16 but I wouldn't do 1/8. the military blazer is a 6.2 same as chevy civilian trucks and hummers. the later hummers and civilian trucks went with a 6.5 which is the same motor with a little larger bore. oh yeah the military chevy pick ups and ambulances used the same engines. chevy stop using this motor in 2000, so it was in civilian production for 18 years a pretty long run. however the military still uses this motor and it's still in production with no end in sight. that's 33 years and still going strong. you can buy a fresh off the assembly line 6.5. wow I guess I went off the topic sorry. I'll stop now. highdesertranger

 

[Requ21]

It is an auto.

According to the Forester community most of the reliability issues of the Subaru 4EAT from off road come from excessive heat in the fluid.. the addition of an aftermarket transcooler is also on the list, everyone I've heard from on the Forester forum I frequent says that completely does away with the issue.

Of course, you have to make sure the transmission is in good shape initially.

 

[RollinWOT]

Actually HDR is right, I was just throwing ideas out there. 3/16" is a pretty good compromise of strength and lightness. If you're going to get an aftermarket fluid cooler, make sure you get a puller fan to mount in front of it so it pulls the hot air towards the rear of the car. A lot of people put those trans coolers on, but end up putting a pusher fan on the cooler, and it effectively negates the effect of the cooler. Has the trans ever given you trouble before? If not, I'd say do what you must to make sure it stays that way. That's why I just prefer stick. Les stuff to screw up under stress. Post some more pics when you can as well. Cheers!

 

[surfer]

Nice to here...
"The general population today uses the phrase "I need.." to the point that it is laughable. You need food, water, and shelter... outside of that, you want."
coming from elsewhere.

 

[Requ21]

Thanks RollinWOT and highdesertranger for the info on Skid plates! Money is tight, so they will not happen immediately... although since money is tight, I also don't go overlanding much... so that works out lol.

Surfer, it's crazy how many things the average person "needs" in a day... don't get me wrong, I have nonessential things, but I don't deceive myself into thinking I NEED them.