Incredible campsite and great location for the heat of summer. I set up a Vornado fan in my van...what a blessing that machine is. I'm looking forward to your series, Don. That breakfast you served up looked really delicious. That was funny showing the line up of Chevy trucks then your Nissan. I would imagine you did feel a little awkward.
What an awesome adventure to get together with your cousins. Each year I do a camp with my cousins and it’s something I always look forward to. Can’t wait to see the rest of this adventure!
Thanks Jared! This was the first time we'd all seen each other in years, 10+ years in some cases. We instantly decided this needed to become an annual event. :-)
Hey Donald, looks like a fun trip. First, I would recommend doing an LED cabin light and bed light swap. This will save some energy. Secondly, most of the modern, computer controlled vehicles, have several systems that will go through a "shut down" process when you exit the vehicle. Those various processes can last up to an hour before the vehicle finally "goes to sleep". Some of these processes can draw several amps. Once you open the door, unlock the truck, turn on a light, the process will start over. You may consider a deep cycle AGM battery or an isolated second battery setup. You could also hard mount a 150w panel to passively charge your battery.
Nothing quite like having a week to hang and adventure with family. I didn’t realize cargo lights could drain the battery so fast, I think I’ll be more mindful of that on my truck as well. Looking forward to checking out the Frontier soon 🍻
Great Family Fun Donald! What a sweet outing! 5:50 - Chevylanding 10:38 - Time to buy a Portable dewalt hedge trimmer? :P 14:42 - Does the rear bed light have a function with the canopy back there? Can you just disconnect the bulb?
I had a similar issue with my frontier - once I put a topper on it I disabled the bed light. there should be a panel inside the rear of your cab, pull it off and you can access the wires to your rear bed light/brake light and you can unplug it! No more annoying light and should save some battery.
There is no interior panel access in mine alas. :-( I had meant to remove the bulbs before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, as I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch. :-)
Yep have had the same issue with my Frontier that bed light stays on forever it seems like. Of course I always have a big jump pack in my truck so its luckily never been to big of a deal.
@@softroadingthewest ah what a shame, sounds like it would be a lot of work to remove those bulbs now or find a way to fix/unplug the wiring. Speaking of bulbs: Nissteclifts sells a bunch of accessories but I especially enjoy they interior light LED swap - the inside is much brighter now and makes night time map reading much easier.
After buying a Crosstrek in 2018 for a gig in Alaska, I’m a confirmed Subaru guy. But I sure like your new ride and how you’ve been making it right for you. Cheers from NE Tennessee.
We are Doing a Two Jeep Overland Adventure to Homer Alaska this Years; My Brother in-law lives there. We are building up the XJ. The Woodman is the main Jeep. We are hoping the mandates lift so we can travel thru Canada too otherwise we will be taking the Ferry :o(
AWESOME TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR COUSINS ! L.O.L. CHEVY TO THE RESCUE ! JUST KIDDING ! BREATHTAKING BEAUTY COLORS VIEWS LANDSCAPE SCENERY WEATHER & DRONE FOOTAGE TOO 👌 GORGEOUS CAMPSITE ! SOUND OF THE STREAM WAS NICE TO SLEEP NEXT TO . GLAD EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME 👍 BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS ON 🙏 YOUR JOURNEYS ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 THANK YOU 🙏 HOPE THE REST OF YOUR TRIP IS JUST AS NICE . COULD ALWAYS POP THE FUSE FOR THE LIGHTS / LEAVE YOURSELF A NOTE / REMINDER THAT YOU DID IT ALSO / TO SAVE THE BATTERY POWER ?
Looks like a great time with family in a beautiful spot. Fishing and sitting in the river is the right way to beat the heat- we are doing the same this week here in Lassen during the current California heatwave.You might try replacing the third brake light bulbs with LED equivalents. They can use 1/3 to 1/4 the power. We did that on our F-250 with good results.
I meant to just remove them entirely before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch, heh. :-)
Wow. I just camped here yesterday with grandson and wife. These are good elk hunting grounds. Stunning swimming/snorkeling in the North fork. Thanks for the awesome footage.
I had an Xterra (which is based on the Frontier) and when the battery got to almost 4 out of its 5 years on its battery, it would act flaky. I bought the relatively tiny (6” x 3” x 1”) Micro-Start XP-3 for those times. Includes a case with jumper cables. Worked like a charm.
Always carry a digital jump pack...I use a NOCO one. With today's interconnected and delicate electronics an old school jump using cables battery to battery can result in huge problems. Battery disconnect switch on the stop/start battery might help but you'd lose all your radio presets, etc every time you used it.
Ha! We probably crossed paths near Prineville. Took the kids to Glacier NP and beyond last month, via Wallowa SP, from Grants Pass the scenic way. In Wyoming I learned about the benefit of 4x4 low in my recently acquired k1500 suburban. Your video of The Alvord Desert was the main inspiration to drive my kids out there and give them all their first driving lessons on the playa. Thanks for that dude! The editing is getting really good. 👏👏👏 (I saw the more recent video first) Keep it up man!✌️
North Fork of the John Day River. I've camped there so many times I've forgotten how much. Lots of nice camp spot all the way up. I just live north of there.
Definitely would recommend investing in a small compact portable jump starter. Picked mine up from Costco (Type S) and it has saved me on numerous occasions. It charges via the cars AC adapter and is ready to provide a jump whenever. Must have!
Looks like a great spot and you all had a great time. Don't feel like the Lone Ranger because you own a Nissan unlike your poor, unfortunate cousins in their Chevy's. I drive professionally and from experience won't even consider a GM product. I hope the rest of your trip is fantastic and look forward to the next episodes. Thanks.
Great stuff, Donald!!! My truck suffers from the same issue with the battery! they actually make solar panels you "stick" to your hood to keep the battery topped off. They come with MPPT charge controllers but are spendy, like close to $600. I think I'm going to get one just for peace of mind. Regardless, can't wait for Ep.2. Thanks again.
The same thing with the truck-bed light draining the battery has happened to me before with a rental truck while camping in the middle of the forest. I learned that pulling the appropriate fuse from the fuse block is a good solution. You just have to remember to put it back in when leaving. Might be a good future mod to install some kind of toggle switch that does the same. Great video!
Enjoyed the video! Also want to complement you on your cinematic improvements! I've watched your videos for awhile now and have seen your progress. Keep it up! Good stuff!!!
I like to travel deep into the Nevada desert. Often alone. My worst nightmare is running the battery down by leaving a door open. I’ve gotten pretty good at turning the dome light off during my trips, and I’ve also switched all the lighting over to LED. It’s brighter, and uses less power. Looking forward to part two.
Running out of gas and killing the battery are my two biggest anxieties when out solo. I've started carrying a satellite communicator so at least I know I probably won't die, LOL. But I still don't want to have to call for help because something like that, haha. I ended up switching all my dome lights to the always-off position, but swapping them to LEDs is a great idea. Stay safe out there! :-)
How cool to have family that want to go rustic camping with you…..or friends for that matter. My girls would probably go. Just need to come up with potty facilities for our in the rough for them.
I know you'll figure out something to fix the bed light issue. But, in case you didn't know, Jackery offers a car battery charger accessory. It takes awhile for the Jackery to recharge the car battery, but it's better than being stranded. A plausible plan "C" (if jumpbox is dead too). Btw, looks like you had a great time with family. That camp site is EPIC!
A couple of people have mentioned that, and maybe I'm blind but I cannot seem to find it on their website. That would be a no-brainer bit of gear for me to carry. My jumpbox is capacitor-based, so it can't go dead, it draws what power remains in the starter battery into a capacitor then releases it in a surge to turn the engine. In a pinch I can charge it up off a Jackery. But I still like the idea of having the direct Jackery recharge option, if only I could find it.
@@softroadingthewest Jackery sent me one, along with a nice battery carry bag, in exchange for doing an honest review of the 300. Maybe they'll send you one to review?
One of my first mods to my Frontier was to replace the cargo and interior lights with Red Led modules. This cuts down on the current draw and limits the impact on your night vision. Not sure if it would have prevented the dead battery but it might have delayed it a little longer. Plus it kind of looks cool and that counts for something.
I actually intended to just remove the cargo lamp bulbs entirely before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch, heh. Dome light LED swap is definitely going on the list though. :-)
Great video again Donald. I just remembered an item u had that you said u might review. Do you remember the electric mosquito repellent you had before? Have you done a review on it yet? Just wondering. I am camping now am dealing with a lot of mosquitoes at the moment. Thank you Donald and safe travels.
The Thermacell? It actually runs off butane. I haven't reviewed it yet, I needed to put it to more use on this trip to get a feel for it. It did seem to be fairly effective. I discovered that if I left it sitting right on my rear bumper, I could cook etc without getting assaulted, and the interior of the canopy would have no bugs in it when it was time for bed. (I also made sure not to turn on any lights in or near the canopy to not attract them...I found I could stick my magnetic light to my tripod and position it a little ways away shining back towards the truck and have some light without drawing the bugs in. Anyway, back to the Thermacell. It did the trick but it's not cheap to operate, as the scented pads are only good for about 4 hours (I would use one pad per night, ~7pm-11pm) and the butane canisters will run about 12 hours each/three 4-hour sessions. Before this trip I bought a refill box which had 4 butane canisters and 12 pads - 48 hours worth of protection - and that was $20. That's close to two weeks worth if you only run it 4 hours each evening.
Steve Wallis here on YT loves his ThermaCELL. Donald, if you have an Asian food store near you (a real one, chickens sold head-on type of place), they probably have the tall skinny butane cans for sale inexpensively. There are myriad adapters to use them with other butane devices, or a device to refill other butane canisters with the much less expensive butane from the tall skinny cans. Run some warm water over the tall skinny cans before filling. I also weigh the butane canisters to be filled when new and write the weight on the bottom. That's the safe refill limit.
Thank u Donald and to the other 2 for the response. I almost bought one of the smaller portable ones at Walmart. I watched a RUclips review and it wasn't promising so I put it back. I am camping sat and sun night next to a beach with a still body of water on the other side of the camp site and my camp spot is next to the body of water. A lot of the smaller mosquitos. I bought the candle for mosquitoes and it kinda worked. Thank u Donald and be safe on your trip. Can't wait for your next video. Take care. Cheers.
Prinevill such a boring unique place! The heat wave has been unreal! I love your videos keep it up hopefully I’ll bump into you one day out on the road
that happened to me twice on my last camp trip on my titan thanks for the tip. turned off that switch right after I watched this video. Loved the video BTW.
Since the trick to turn off the lights relies on you remembering, you might want to see if you can swap the dome and bed lights to LED, it may greatly reduce the power draw.
I was actually planning to remove the bulbs entirely before the canopy was installed but got busy and forgot. 🤦🏼♂️ It’s no simple matter now to access that fixture. 😕
@@softroadingthewest Maybe there's a fuse that to that circuit and removing it from the fuse box may solve your problem. (Just saw on some forums that it may be in the Cig Lighter fuse circuit, I don't own a nissan, so can't confirm).
Have you thought about investing in an odyssy battery? Should be able to handle the light issue. I would of thought Nissan would of considered to have the switch that will turn it off completely and not every single time the doors are opened
You should try fixing the issue. Must be a short positive on the circuit somewhere that's causing the backup light to stay on. Just trace all the wire connections to make sure there's no corrosion. Issues like that will eventually trigger larger issues in the future. A bad spark will set your truck's lighting and other electrical cables on fire. Replacing it with LED will only be a patch not a solution IMO. Have it diagnose at a shop if you can't figure out the electrical mappings.
It's functioning as designed. It comes on on as a "courtesy" light for a number of minutes if the truck remains unlocked, then shuts itself off. It just kept getting turned back on over and over any time I'd open a door to access my fridge or something else in the cab.
Crab Apples, favorite of old homesteaders. Great jelly, pies etc. That fish perspective looks as long as that guys head.😂😂 Beautiful spot. Enjoy. Whomever brought the black stone grill 🤩🤩.
You might want to look into replacing your lights with LED bulbs... Either get the bulb number from your owners manual and search Amazon for suitable replacement or head into Baxter's and have them help you locate suitable replacement. I'm in the process of replacing the rear dome light in my Forester with a Red LED bulb that won't eat up the battery (OEM = 1A, LED = .1A) Also, the Red won't kill off your night vision when you open the door or hatch at night. The only gotcha is some vehicles use a current monitor to let you know if the bulb is bad. But, I may be wrong, I don't think they use it on illumination bulbs, just indicator bulbs.
I meant to just remove the bulbs entirely before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch. :-)
Great video! Btw, you should get a solar trickle charger from Amazon. I have the 20w version for my Subaru and I haven't had any issues with a low/dead battery. Cheers and good luck!
Can you give a shout out to that Hexagon water container, look good and practical. Had same issue with courtesy door light in mine, I took the lamps out…
Hey, dude. I had a problem like that with my interior lights. I took one bulb out so that fixed that. Can you turn off your interior lights completely on the stalk? Nice vid!
My 2012 f150 did the same to me. Every time you open a door a bunch of lights come on. After a few days camping you’ve drained your battery!😡. There should be a way of disabling that feature.
It was 110 when I was in Leslie Gulch last weekend.....nice job on filming the video in extreme heat Donald. Which is more difficult...filming a trip in cold and snow or in extreme heat? The heat seems to sap all of your energy if you're not doing things right... but then it can be hard to function when you're too cold as well.
I'll take cold over heat any day. There's always ways to make yourself warmer, but only so much you can do when you need to actually do stuff in the heat. The heat has the same effect on me, I feel completely drained and utterly unmotivated. I probably missed some nice filming opportunities on this trip because I just couldn't face getting out of the AC and setting up the camera, LOL.
14:26 you got a creeper closing in from above... 😂 If you don't use the bed light, maybe cut the wire to it or install a cheap switch so you can override the auto-on function when the doors open? Just an idea.
That's a good idea...I have no use for the bed light, it's completely blocked by the canopy and doesn't even cast light inside. Disabling it completely would be a good solution. I'm kinda visualizing a MacGyver bomb-defusing moment...do I cut the red wire or the black wire??? :-)
Hey Donald, this looks like an epic start to an epic week! Such a beautiful location! I'm hopeful that you got things squared away with the battery and the lack of charging through the truck bed plugs. Were the two related somehow?
No, two separate issues. The automatic cargo lights killed the battery after a couple of days. Unrelated, the canopy outlets are simply wired wrong so they don't provide power to anything. The canopy dealer will take care of that. :-)
Love Prineville. My Dad, Mom, and 5 siblings were born and raised there. In regards to your Leer Canopy. Does dust eek it's way in through the back doors and around the bed like other toppers?
I did get some dust inside on this trip, but on one of the cooler nights, I discovered a pretty significant draft coming through some of the openings in the actual truck bed panels, and I'm wondering if that may have been the source of the dust. The canopy is sealed to the truck bed quite well, and the rear doors shut firmly against some pretty thick weather stripping. I'm going to have to do some additional investigating to figure out exactly how it's getting in.
I've been gradually shooting and accumulating footage for a dedicated review video which I'll probably put together next month, and I'll dive into as much detail as I can about the canopy itself, good and bad.
LOL...yes, because what we needed after eating meat and bread and eggs and meat and cheese and bread and meat all weekend long was yet more meat and eggs. What was I thinking!??
Well... it wouldn't be an adventure if everything went perfectly, right? In the future, the trips we talk about around the campfire, the ones we remember the most, are the ones that had the most go wrong. It could be worse. This mishap didn't involve water. 😁😁 👍
Loving it so far! I really loved my Forester too, but the Frontier is a much more practical vehicle for the type of travel I'm doing. Zero regrets going in this direction.
I meant to remove the bulbs before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch. :-)
sorry had to snicker a little , not that it is a big thing ,but your chose in a Harty mans breakfast ,for big strapping meat and tater kind of guys. I am sure it was good for you ,but
thats funny, i was in prineville last month for a family reunion and we spent a week camping up high and it was cold. was that the grande ronde river you were camped on ?
I know you're already adventurous, and most importantly you have a family to consider; however, snake gaiters or snake boots might be a worthwhile investment to have for those "sometimes."
That looked like a great time and a beautiful location.
Jason
My thoughts exactly.
Thanks Jason, it was indeed a great time and a beautiful location...far exceeded my expectations for sure.
Replace all interior and cargo lights with LEDs. Will save your battery.
Yeah and get an AGM battery
This is the best answer
Sweet. New Softroading video.
Wow, that campsite is stunning.
Your Nissan could probably drive circles around those trucks in that environment.
Ha Ha Ha Ha haaa ha ha ahahah ahhahahhahahhhA!
Great campsite. Sleeping by the river, nothing better. Looks like a great time was had.
Incredible campsite and great location for the heat of summer. I set up a Vornado fan in my van...what a blessing that machine is. I'm looking forward to your series, Don. That breakfast you served up looked really delicious. That was funny showing the line up of Chevy trucks then your Nissan. I would imagine you did feel a little awkward.
What an awesome adventure to get together with your cousins. Each year I do a camp with my cousins and it’s something I always look forward to. Can’t wait to see the rest of this adventure!
Thanks Jared! This was the first time we'd all seen each other in years, 10+ years in some cases. We instantly decided this needed to become an annual event. :-)
Hey Donald, looks like a fun trip.
First, I would recommend doing an LED cabin light and bed light swap. This will save some energy. Secondly, most of the modern, computer controlled vehicles, have several systems that will go through a "shut down" process when you exit the vehicle. Those various processes can last up to an hour before the vehicle finally "goes to sleep". Some of these processes can draw several amps.
Once you open the door, unlock the truck, turn on a light, the process will start over.
You may consider a deep cycle AGM battery or an isolated second battery setup. You could also hard mount a 150w panel to passively charge your battery.
Beautiful campsite. What a great first weekend. Looking forward to what happens next!
Nothing quite like having a week to hang and adventure with family. I didn’t realize cargo lights could drain the battery so fast, I think I’ll be more mindful of that on my truck as well. Looking forward to checking out the Frontier soon 🍻
Likewise on the RAM! #newtruckcrew LOL
Great times with family!
Oooeee! Now that’s a Chevy family 😂. Great video!
Great Family Fun Donald! What a sweet outing!
5:50 - Chevylanding
10:38 - Time to buy a Portable dewalt hedge trimmer? :P
14:42 - Does the rear bed light have a function with the canopy back there? Can you just disconnect the bulb?
I had a similar issue with my frontier - once I put a topper on it I disabled the bed light. there should be a panel inside the rear of your cab, pull it off and you can access the wires to your rear bed light/brake light and you can unplug it! No more annoying light and should save some battery.
There is no interior panel access in mine alas. :-( I had meant to remove the bulbs before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, as I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch. :-)
Yep have had the same issue with my Frontier that bed light stays on forever it seems like. Of course I always have a big jump pack in my truck so its luckily never been to big of a deal.
@@softroadingthewest ah what a shame, sounds like it would be a lot of work to remove those bulbs now or find a way to fix/unplug the wiring.
Speaking of bulbs: Nissteclifts sells a bunch of accessories but I especially enjoy they interior light LED swap - the inside is much brighter now and makes night time map reading much easier.
After buying a Crosstrek in 2018 for a gig in Alaska, I’m a confirmed Subaru guy. But I sure like your new ride and how you’ve been making it right for you. Cheers from NE Tennessee.
We are Doing a Two Jeep Overland Adventure to Homer Alaska this Years; My Brother in-law lives there. We are building up the XJ. The Woodman is the main Jeep. We are hoping the mandates lift so we can travel thru Canada too otherwise we will be taking the Ferry :o(
AWESOME TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR COUSINS ! L.O.L. CHEVY TO THE RESCUE ! JUST KIDDING !
BREATHTAKING BEAUTY COLORS VIEWS LANDSCAPE SCENERY WEATHER & DRONE FOOTAGE TOO 👌 GORGEOUS CAMPSITE ! SOUND OF THE STREAM WAS NICE TO SLEEP NEXT TO . GLAD EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME 👍
BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS ON 🙏 YOUR JOURNEYS ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 THANK YOU 🙏 HOPE THE REST OF YOUR TRIP IS JUST AS NICE . COULD ALWAYS POP THE FUSE FOR THE LIGHTS / LEAVE YOURSELF A NOTE / REMINDER THAT YOU DID IT ALSO / TO SAVE THE BATTERY POWER ?
Looks like a great time with family in a beautiful spot. Fishing and sitting in the river is the right way to beat the heat- we are doing the same this week here in Lassen during the current California heatwave.You might try replacing the third brake light bulbs with LED equivalents. They can use 1/3 to 1/4 the power. We did that on our F-250 with good results.
I meant to just remove them entirely before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch, heh. :-)
Fantastic weekend documentary. I'm David's MIL and so enjoyed seeing all you cousins-doin's. Thanks for sharing!!
Isn’t it great to have family that you can spend time with. Good to see you again.
Looks like fun, Donald. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Wow. I just camped here yesterday with grandson and wife. These are good elk hunting grounds. Stunning swimming/snorkeling in the North fork. Thanks for the awesome footage.
where is this?
@@tonibelt9627 John Day.
I had an Xterra (which is based on the Frontier) and when the battery got to almost 4 out of its 5 years on its battery, it would act flaky. I bought the relatively tiny (6” x 3” x 1”) Micro-Start XP-3 for those times. Includes a case with jumper cables. Worked like a charm.
Beautiful campsite. It's a shame no one caught a fish, looks like a nice fishing creek. Good video, looking forward to the rest of the adventure. 👍🏻
Many many fish were caught and released over the course of the weekend. Never when I had my camera at the ready alas. And none of keeper length. :-)
Always carry a digital jump pack...I use a NOCO one. With today's interconnected and delicate electronics an old school jump using cables battery to battery can result in huge problems. Battery disconnect switch on the stop/start battery might help but you'd lose all your radio presets, etc every time you used it.
Ha!
We probably crossed paths near Prineville.
Took the kids to Glacier NP and beyond last month, via Wallowa SP, from Grants Pass the scenic way.
In Wyoming I learned about the benefit of 4x4 low in my recently acquired k1500 suburban.
Your video of The Alvord Desert was the main inspiration to drive my kids out there and give them all their first driving lessons on the playa.
Thanks for that dude!
The editing is getting really good. 👏👏👏
(I saw the more recent video first)
Keep it up man!✌️
Thank goodness for those Chevy's. Lol Chevy own here. Safe travels.
North Fork of the John Day River. I've camped there so many times I've forgotten how much. Lots of nice camp spot all the way up. I just live north of there.
Definitely would recommend investing in a small compact portable jump starter. Picked mine up from Costco (Type S) and it has saved me on numerous occasions. It charges via the cars AC adapter and is ready to provide a jump whenever. Must have!
Good stuff as always Donald looking forward to the rest.
Looking forward to the next episode
What a beautiful river!
GOOD TIMES ! ! !
Good stuff! I always carry a Gooloo 4000A car jump starter with me for the same reason.
Looks like a great spot and you all had a great time. Don't feel like the Lone Ranger because you own a Nissan unlike your poor, unfortunate cousins in their Chevy's. I drive professionally and from experience won't even consider a GM product. I hope the rest of your trip is fantastic and look forward to the next episodes. Thanks.
ALWAYS good to see you, and now with family! Thanks for sharing and bringing me along! Beautiful spot indeed, stay cool and safe travels! Cheers :)
Looks so peaceful
Superb as usual
Another great vid. Thanks for sharing. I will use your hint regarding the cargo lights on my Nissan as well. Safe travels!
Another great vid....looking forward to the rest of the trip 💥👍🏻
Great time with family!
Nice spot. I'll have to venture that way and check it out.
Great stuff, Donald!!! My truck suffers from the same issue with the battery! they actually make solar panels you "stick" to your hood to keep the battery topped off. They come with MPPT charge controllers but are spendy, like close to $600. I think I'm going to get one just for peace of mind. Regardless, can't wait for Ep.2. Thanks again.
The same thing with the truck-bed light draining the battery has happened to me before with a rental truck while camping in the middle of the forest. I learned that pulling the appropriate fuse from the fuse block is a good solution. You just have to remember to put it back in when leaving. Might be a good future mod to install some kind of toggle switch that does the same. Great video!
That's a great idea!
So looking forward to getting out your way . Great trip
Enjoyed the video! Also want to complement you on your cinematic improvements! I've watched your videos for awhile now and have seen your progress. Keep it up! Good stuff!!!
I like to travel deep into the Nevada desert. Often alone. My worst nightmare is running the battery down by leaving a door open. I’ve gotten pretty good at turning the dome light off during my trips, and I’ve also switched all the lighting over to LED. It’s brighter, and uses less power. Looking forward to part two.
Running out of gas and killing the battery are my two biggest anxieties when out solo. I've started carrying a satellite communicator so at least I know I probably won't die, LOL. But I still don't want to have to call for help because something like that, haha. I ended up switching all my dome lights to the always-off position, but swapping them to LEDs is a great idea. Stay safe out there! :-)
How cool to have family that want to go rustic camping with you…..or friends for that matter. My girls would probably go. Just need to come up with potty facilities for our in the rough for them.
Music compliments the footage very well. Enjoyed your vacation! ;o)
Thanks!
getting better and better, nice editing
You and your cousins should put out a list what was cooked on this trip. Everything looked delicious.
I know you'll figure out something to fix the bed light issue. But, in case you didn't know, Jackery offers a car battery charger accessory. It takes awhile for the Jackery to recharge the car battery, but it's better than being stranded. A plausible plan "C" (if jumpbox is dead too). Btw, looks like you had a great time with family. That camp site is EPIC!
A couple of people have mentioned that, and maybe I'm blind but I cannot seem to find it on their website. That would be a no-brainer bit of gear for me to carry. My jumpbox is capacitor-based, so it can't go dead, it draws what power remains in the starter battery into a capacitor then releases it in a surge to turn the engine. In a pinch I can charge it up off a Jackery. But I still like the idea of having the direct Jackery recharge option, if only I could find it.
@@softroadingthewest Jackery sent me one, along with a nice battery carry bag, in exchange for doing an honest review of the 300. Maybe they'll send you one to review?
Great video! Your morning voice would be right at home along with some smooth jazz lol
Haha! Ohhhhh yeeeahhhhh!
I have a Toyota Hylander with a similar light issue. But I can manually kill the lights so they don’t come on at all.
Jason from Primal Outdoors is like a distant cousin. He should have been there too, and the circle would have been compete!
I caught that Big Chevy-GMC thing when I saw them lined up,I bet they felt safer with you there to pull them out if they got stuck!!!
One of my first mods to my Frontier was to replace the cargo and interior lights with Red Led modules. This cuts down on the current draw and limits the impact on your night vision. Not sure if it would have prevented the dead battery but it might have delayed it a little longer. Plus it kind of looks cool and that counts for something.
I actually intended to just remove the cargo lamp bulbs entirely before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch, heh. Dome light LED swap is definitely going on the list though. :-)
Need to pick up Jackery's charging cables!!!!
Great video again Donald. I just remembered an item u had that you said u might review. Do you remember the electric mosquito repellent you had before? Have you done a review on it yet? Just wondering. I am camping now am dealing with a lot of mosquitoes at the moment. Thank you Donald and safe travels.
Seen 2 types used & they do seem to work. Then again so do citronella candles. Well they work as long as they are upwind from you
The Thermacell? It actually runs off butane. I haven't reviewed it yet, I needed to put it to more use on this trip to get a feel for it. It did seem to be fairly effective. I discovered that if I left it sitting right on my rear bumper, I could cook etc without getting assaulted, and the interior of the canopy would have no bugs in it when it was time for bed. (I also made sure not to turn on any lights in or near the canopy to not attract them...I found I could stick my magnetic light to my tripod and position it a little ways away shining back towards the truck and have some light without drawing the bugs in. Anyway, back to the Thermacell. It did the trick but it's not cheap to operate, as the scented pads are only good for about 4 hours (I would use one pad per night, ~7pm-11pm) and the butane canisters will run about 12 hours each/three 4-hour sessions. Before this trip I bought a refill box which had 4 butane canisters and 12 pads - 48 hours worth of protection - and that was $20. That's close to two weeks worth if you only run it 4 hours each evening.
Steve Wallis here on YT loves his ThermaCELL.
Donald, if you have an Asian food store near you (a real one, chickens sold head-on type of place), they probably have the tall skinny butane cans for sale inexpensively. There are myriad adapters to use them with other butane devices, or a device to refill other butane canisters with the much less expensive butane from the tall skinny cans. Run some warm water over the tall skinny cans before filling. I also weigh the butane canisters to be filled when new and write the weight on the bottom. That's the safe refill limit.
Thank u Donald and to the other 2 for the response. I almost bought one of the smaller portable ones at Walmart. I watched a RUclips review and it wasn't promising so I put it back. I am camping sat and sun night next to a beach with a still body of water on the other side of the camp site and my camp spot is next to the body of water. A lot of the smaller mosquitos. I bought the candle for mosquitoes and it kinda worked. Thank u Donald and be safe on your trip. Can't wait for your next video. Take care. Cheers.
Prinevill such a boring unique place!
The heat wave has been unreal! I love your videos keep it up hopefully I’ll bump into you one day out on the road
You really do make amazing videos my friend!
that happened to me twice on my last camp trip on my titan thanks for the tip. turned off that switch right after I watched this video. Loved the video BTW.
Love the video like always. If we could help on the jump-starting situation in any way, pls let us know!
Since the trick to turn off the lights relies on you remembering, you might want to see if you can swap the dome and bed lights to LED, it may greatly reduce the power draw.
I was actually planning to remove the bulbs entirely before the canopy was installed but got busy and forgot. 🤦🏼♂️ It’s no simple matter now to access that fixture. 😕
@@softroadingthewest Maybe there's a fuse that to that circuit and removing it from the fuse box may solve your problem. (Just saw on some forums that it may be in the Cig Lighter fuse circuit, I don't own a nissan, so can't confirm).
Have you thought about investing in an odyssy battery? Should be able to handle the light issue. I would of thought Nissan would of considered to have the switch that will turn it off completely and not every single time the doors are opened
Great video.
You should try fixing the issue. Must be a short positive on the circuit somewhere that's causing the backup light to stay on. Just trace all the wire connections to make sure there's no corrosion. Issues like that will eventually trigger larger issues in the future. A bad spark will set your truck's lighting and other electrical cables on fire. Replacing it with LED will only be a patch not a solution IMO. Have it diagnose at a shop if you can't figure out the electrical mappings.
It's functioning as designed. It comes on on as a "courtesy" light for a number of minutes if the truck remains unlocked, then shuts itself off. It just kept getting turned back on over and over any time I'd open a door to access my fridge or something else in the cab.
Those are crab apples. They're quite reliable in challenging conditions and make acceptable cider.
Crab Apples, favorite of old homesteaders. Great jelly, pies etc. That fish perspective looks as long as that guys head.😂😂 Beautiful spot. Enjoy. Whomever brought the black stone grill 🤩🤩.
That was my first encounter with the Blackstone grill but that thing was pretty sweet, gotta say.
Nothing wrong being the Longwolf in a wolf pack. Great spot
You might want to look into replacing your lights with LED bulbs... Either get the bulb number from your owners manual and search Amazon for suitable replacement or head into Baxter's and have them help you locate suitable replacement. I'm in the process of replacing the rear dome light in my Forester with a Red LED bulb that won't eat up the battery (OEM = 1A, LED = .1A) Also, the Red won't kill off your night vision when you open the door or hatch at night. The only gotcha is some vehicles use a current monitor to let you know if the bulb is bad. But, I may be wrong, I don't think they use it on illumination bulbs, just indicator bulbs.
I meant to just remove the bulbs entirely before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch. :-)
I deliver mail in that heat that day in Portland it’s was 114 and my mail truck felt like 125
Great video! Btw, you should get a solar trickle charger from Amazon. I have the 20w version for my Subaru and I haven't had any issues with a low/dead battery. Cheers and good luck!
Can you give a shout out to that Hexagon water container, look good and practical. Had same issue with courtesy door light in mine, I took the lamps out…
That is the "Beverage Buddy" made by Reliance. There should be a link in the description. :-)
@@softroadingthewest Thanks, look like another nice product we cannot get in Australia..
Hey, dude. I had a problem like that with my interior lights. I took one bulb out so that fixed that. Can you turn off your interior lights completely on the stalk? Nice vid!
Great video, next upgrade instal solar panels on your truck to keep everything charged 👍
that cargo light sounds like a relais.. maybe you could re wire it, so it only turns on withe the switch
That's a great idea!
I wonder how much it would increase the cost of a Jackery, if they added a higher-amp 12v output and some short jump leads?
Do you have any tips for finding dispersed camping close to the beach on the Oregon Coast?
You're tougher than me, sir. 100 deg would have me puking by mid day. I can dress for any kind of cold, the heat just kills me though.
I am definitely not a happy camper in those temps. The river made it tolerable. We all got in the water much more than I showed in the video. :-)
My 2012 f150 did the same to me. Every time you open a door a bunch of lights come on. After a few days camping you’ve drained your battery!😡. There should be a way of disabling that feature.
donald smacked the high end beers hard the night before the morning voice lol
It was 110 when I was in Leslie Gulch last weekend.....nice job on filming the video in extreme heat Donald. Which is more difficult...filming a trip in cold and snow or in extreme heat?
The heat seems to sap all of your energy if you're not doing things right... but then it can be hard to function when you're too cold as well.
I'll take cold over heat any day. There's always ways to make yourself warmer, but only so much you can do when you need to actually do stuff in the heat. The heat has the same effect on me, I feel completely drained and utterly unmotivated. I probably missed some nice filming opportunities on this trip because I just couldn't face getting out of the AC and setting up the camera, LOL.
14:26 you got a creeper closing in from above... 😂
If you don't use the bed light, maybe cut the wire to it or install a cheap switch so you can override the auto-on function when the doors open? Just an idea.
That's a good idea...I have no use for the bed light, it's completely blocked by the canopy and doesn't even cast light inside. Disabling it completely would be a good solution. I'm kinda visualizing a MacGyver bomb-defusing moment...do I cut the red wire or the black wire??? :-)
@@softroadingthewest 🤣
10:07 Glad to see Donald finally hit puberty! Lol😂
😂😂
Think his balls dropped 😂😂
Hey Donald, this looks like an epic start to an epic week! Such a beautiful location! I'm hopeful that you got things squared away with the battery and the lack of charging through the truck bed plugs. Were the two related somehow?
No, two separate issues. The automatic cargo lights killed the battery after a couple of days. Unrelated, the canopy outlets are simply wired wrong so they don't provide power to anything. The canopy dealer will take care of that. :-)
Love Prineville. My Dad, Mom, and 5 siblings were born and raised there.
In regards to your Leer Canopy. Does dust eek it's way in through the back doors and around the bed like other toppers?
I did get some dust inside on this trip, but on one of the cooler nights, I discovered a pretty significant draft coming through some of the openings in the actual truck bed panels, and I'm wondering if that may have been the source of the dust. The canopy is sealed to the truck bed quite well, and the rear doors shut firmly against some pretty thick weather stripping. I'm going to have to do some additional investigating to figure out exactly how it's getting in.
@@softroadingthewest perfect. This kind of setup is exactly what I will be looking at in...a few years (gotta pay off my wife's 4 runner)
I've been gradually shooting and accumulating footage for a dedicated review video which I'll probably put together next month, and I'll dive into as much detail as I can about the canopy itself, good and bad.
@@softroadingthewest that would be awesome. Donald, you are a rockstar.
You let me down on the breakfast Bro!
LOL...yes, because what we needed after eating meat and bread and eggs and meat and cheese and bread and meat all weekend long was yet more meat and eggs. What was I thinking!??
Well... it wouldn't be an adventure if everything went perfectly, right? In the future, the trips we talk about around the campfire, the ones we remember the most, are the ones that had the most go wrong. It could be worse. This mishap didn't involve water. 😁😁 👍
Haha, indeed. As far as things going wrong, this one was about as easy as it gets to deal with. :-)
I’d choose your Nissan over any of those GMs! Maybe I’m still bitter over having 3 lemons in a row🤔 lol
Question for you buddy. So how are you liking the Nissan?
Loving it so far! I really loved my Forester too, but the Frontier is a much more practical vehicle for the type of travel I'm doing. Zero regrets going in this direction.
take the bulb out of the cargo lamp do you need it with a cap on the truck ????
I meant to remove the bulbs before the canopy install, but got busy and forgot. It's no simple matter now, I don't want to pull the canopy back and undo all the weather sealing they did. I'm happy at least I figured out that trick with the switch. :-)
@@softroadingthewest hindsight is always 20/20 especially with a halogen cargo lamp LOL.... hey, the power wire is right there somewhere..
sorry had to snicker a little , not that it is a big thing ,but your chose in a Harty mans breakfast ,for big strapping meat and tater kind of guys. I am sure it was good for you ,but
thats funny, i was in prineville last month for a family reunion and we spent a week camping up high and it was cold. was that the grande ronde river you were camped on ?
North Fork of the John Day.
What was the camp set of of your cousins? Did they sleep in their trucks?
Yes, they all had beds setup in the back of their trucks, except one cousin who had flown in and opted to just sleep in the screened gazebo. :-)
I know you're already adventurous, and most importantly you have a family to consider; however, snake gaiters or snake boots might be a worthwhile investment to have for those "sometimes."
For sure!
Bought one of your blankets
Inmaha River?
👍
What is your rear video video set up ?
It's a front/rear dashcam made by Vantop. I hope to have a review video put together in the next few weeks or so.