Is JTree a free for all dumpster fire?

soft cruxwrote:

I often see 20 or 30 year-old dudes in a Tacoma or similar driving around town with an RTT and all the shiny offroad goodies strapped to the top or side (traction plates, high lift jack, canisters for holding some liquid that apparently needs to be carried outside the truck bed...)

I imagine some of them even go camping on the weekends.

So you automatically assume they're not used and are merely decorations?

BTW, I don't have a RTT (too much weight up high for my Jeep and I'd need an exoskeleton rack to support it - and at 67, I don't want to deal with a ladder at 3am), don't have traction plates yet (but wished I did in one instance), have used my hi-lift and my winch. Regarding the Rotopax gas containers - they're much easier and much more secure to use the bolt-on mounts than trying to secure it in the bed of a truck.

Marc801 Cwrote:

So you automatically assume they're not used and are merely decorations?

BTW, I don't have a RTT (too much weight up high for my Jeep and I'd need an exoskeleton rack to support it - and at 67, I don't want to deal with a ladder at 3am), don't have traction plates yet (but wished I did in one instance), have used my hi-lift and my winch. Regarding the Rotopax gas containers - they're much easier and much more secure to use the bolt-on mounts than trying to secure it in the bed of a truck.

My point was that not everyone with a RTT is over 50 and that there are plenty of younger guys that are in fact choosing their kit for the gram and for image. Many of the accessories you see on these vehicles are pristine. It probably does impress the ladies though.

Are we not in agreement that RTT’s are the crossfitters of campers then….?

soft cruxwrote:

I often see 20 or 30 year-old dudes in a Tacoma or similar driving around town with an RTT and all the shiny offroad goodies strapped to the top or side (traction plates, high lift jack, canisters for holding some liquid that apparently needs to be carried outside the truck bed...)

I imagine some of them even go camping on the weekends.

Just curious what town you live in. Guessing there are regional variations. All the 20-something posers where I live are driving Lambos that their daddy bought. 

So just gonna say that I’m 25 and have an rtt on my truck. I live in my vehicle and climb pretty much full time other than when I need to post up and work for a bit. I have a Nissan Frontier with a 5 foot bed so trying to build that out into something I can sleep comfortably in while still being able to store climbing, mountaineering, and ski gear was kinda impossible. 

A V wrote:

I want to get the winches on both sides of the truck - that is a toy that would really come in handy with getting the truck unstuck on snowy/waterlogged/icy roads.

Google “reverse winching”.

Nic Gravleywrote:

 Nissan Frontier with a 5 foot bed so trying to build that out into something I can sleep comfortably in while still being able to store climbing, mountaineering, and ski gear was kinda impossible. 

It's remarkable how trucks gave gotten so much bigger and bulkier, yet less useful.

soft cruxwrote:

My point was that not everyone with a RTT is over 50 and that there are plenty of younger guys that are in fact choosing their kit for the gram and for image. Many of the accessories you see on these vehicles are pristine. It probably does impress the ladies though.

My favorite with the vansion/rtt owners is how often the toys end up on the gram, lots and lots of "look at me and my stuff" posts. I've seen people back up to boat ramps, open the doors and make coffee while shooting selfies more than once. They get the horn quick.

A V wrote:

I want to get the winches on both sides of the truck - that is a toy that would really come in handy with getting the truck unstuck on snowy/waterlogged/icy roads.

Mount the winch on a hitch plate and put a front and rear receiver on your rig. Power the winch with a jump box to avoid running heavy/expensive wires.

I have my hitch plate rigged up with chain hooks so I can chain the winch to a tree. I actually use it that way a lot, for moving heavy shit around my house/camp. And then I put a receiver on my trailer so i can use the same winch to drag something up onto my trailer. 

M Mwrote:

My favorite with the vansion/rtt owners is how often the toys end up on the gram

Couldn't you just unfollow them?

Princess Puppy Lovrwrote:

Couldn't you just unfollow them?

I could go live off grid, i could become a vegan, i could burn my eyes with hot needles. Your point?

This issue is religion. Without religion people worship materialism like RTT and climbing gear with their idols on instagram. 

We road tripped in mountain climbing tents (think Bibler) for 44 years. Raised our kids in those tents on our bi-yearly vacations to Yosemite and Josh. We did not feel the need for a gas hog van to sleep in. Back in the day it was rare to see people in vans. Tents were the norm.

It's puzzling to me why young people think they need to sleep in vans - roof top tents, when a tent on the ground is sooo much cheaper and works just fine. 

Last year my buddy left his beater tent up in the BLM lakebed at Yucca Valley for two weeks. I was always shocked to see it hadn't blown away.

When the Van craze arrived I thought they were getting soft...but van people often still climb hard, so what's the deal? Why the need for the van?

You see the van people at Josh all the time now, living in that incredibly expensive van, the tent spot outside is empty. It's become such a problem at the City of Rocks that vans are outlawed unless you are at a designated RV spot.

I get that some young people can't afford inflated house prices and are forced to either rent or  "invest" in a van. It's also true that you need solid jobs and or a double income to buy a house these days. But many hard working young people still buy houses, investing in their future. My kids work as nurses, and both managed to buy a house, either by renting bedrooms to friends, or marrying another professional.

Our vehicles during those decades were mini-vans, a Tacoma, and a RAV4. We saved money by not staying in hotels, ever.

We had blue collar jobs, never made six figures...even with both our incomes combined. We bought and paid for a house. We took our bi-yearly road trips and climbed every weekend. 

Two years ago it snowed at Josh and our old 3 man mountain tent flooded. We threw that thing in the dumpster, pulled some money out of savings and paid cash for a Tundra with a simple canopy. It's all we need. 

So I guess now I'm sort of a Van guy too...but I'm old...my wife tells me we deserve at least a little luxury in our declining years.

soft cruxwrote:

My point was that not everyone with a RTT is over 50 and that there are plenty of younger guys that are in fact choosing their kit for the gram and for image. Many of the accessories you see on these vehicles are pristine. It probably does impress the ladies though.

At one time you could get a stock 4x4 with the torque and power one needed to go anywhere. It wasn't like they were that expensive either. 

But marketing came around and looking cool became more important. And makes more money. Heck, Most 4x4s are not even 4wd...

Mark Websterwrote:

It's puzzling to me why young people think they need to sleep in vans...

It's a lot easier to have all your stuff inside with you as opposed to emptying out half your vehicle just to sleep.

 - roof top tents, when a tent on the ground is sooo much cheaper and works just fine.

Cheaper sure, but now there are simply too many places where it is not wise to leave your tent (and possibly your sleeping gear) during the day, so add in set up and break-down every effing day.

It depends on the RTT of course, but there are several where set-up and take-down are less than a minute each.

When the Van craze arrived I thought they were getting soft...but van people often still climb hard, so what's the deal? Why the need for the van?

It's not a need; it's simply more comfortable and easier to deal with.

I get that some young people can't afford inflated house prices and are forced to either rent or  "invest" in a van. It's also true that you need solid jobs and or a double income to buy a house these days. But many hard working young people still buy houses, investing in their future. My kids work as nurses, and both managed to buy a house, either by renting bedrooms to friends, or marrying another professional.

What year?

We had blue collar jobs, never made six figures...even with both our incomes combined. We bought and paid for a house. 

Again, what year? In our neighborhood, 5 years ago you could find a house for under $350K. Today the cheap ones start at $700K.

Mark Websterwrote:

We road tripped in mountain climbing tents (think Bibler) for 44 years. Raised our kids in those tents on our bi-yearly vacations to Yosemite and Josh. We did not feel the need for a gas hog van to sleep in. Back in the day it was rare to see people in vans. Tents were the norm.

Folks didn't have campers bitd? I remember seeing all kinds of campers at various price points, and I still see them around.

A van is just a camper with the 'stealth camping' option. There're just more laws now letting folks ticket, bother, or roust folks that are sleeping somewhere. Vans are campers with a workaround for busybody NIMBY laws. I don't happen to have one myself, but campers/vans have always seemed like a perfectly good option for folks who want to get out more than twice a year. 

I think this is a hilarious discussion.  The last place I ever want to sleep is in a rig. I so much prefer the stars as I lay on the ground. If I want a bed, I make sure my vrbo is set before I go... 

And for sure, I don't even like sleeping in tentzzz...

x15x15wrote:

I think this is a hilarious discussion.  The last place I ever want to sleep is in a rig. I so much prefer the stars as I lay on the ground. If I want a bed, I make sure my vrbo is set before I go... 

And for sure, I don't even like sleeping in tentzzz...

Just make sure you don’t sleep wherever people on here don’t want you to.

I honestly don’t even remember what the point of this thread was, aside from trashing RTT’s

But have you heard about the new extreme camping?  It's in tents.  

Not Not MP Adminwrote:

Just make sure you don’t sleep wherever people on here don’t want you to.

I honestly don’t even remember what the point of this thread was, aside from trashing RTT’s

The point was to feel superior to anyone deemed “unacceptable” in Joshua Tree. The RTT discussion just a symptom.

But let’s just get to the fucking point and ban any overlanding posers, YPs, gumbies and influencers from the park. That will make things better right?! It couldn’t be dirtbags that are feeling entitled to all of the hidden valley parking and demanding some sort of bar for what is deemed acceptable ways of camping publicly.

In other news, who fucking cares y’all?! How does this stuff even effect you? Go climbing. It’s not even that hard to get away from the crowds.