Boogielander Build

[boogielander]

Unlike many on the forum, the truck has only gone through TWO iterations of build process in the past 3 years, 50k miles of ownership. That is because as a professional, I know what works and what doesn't, and I don't fall for marketing terms or so called "good deals."

The benefit of that is, there's no wasting money on things that seem "legit" but are actually not - aka, nonboogierated.
The drawback, of course, is I finish the build way too quick and get bored easily.

Here is the final version of the truck, as you will see, not much has changed from the last time I did the graphs.
Because this, quite frankly, is the ultimate truck build (aside from suspension department... I may still do that Thuren kit, if I really can't have that PW)

 

[hogger]

We all Asians so... hotpot for dinner. Yes, the right side is the spicy side.

I'm jealous you beat me to camping hotpot. I've passed the turn off for Trona Rd a few times now going to the Owen's valley from SoCal. Looks like some neat stuff up there.

 

[boogielander]

I'm jealous you beat me to camping hotpot. I've passed the turn off for Trona Rd a few times now going to the Owen's valley from SoCal. Looks like some neat stuff up there.

the "main" road to Trona is kinda meh hhaha
it's the back way where you go through some OHV areas that's the fun way.

camping hotpot only happens when my Thai friends come... because they're the only ones in our group who would lug around a pot with divider LOL

 

[hogger]

the "main" road to Trona is kinda meh hhaha
it's the back way where you go through some OHV areas that's the fun way.

camping hotpot only happens when my Thai friends come... because they're the only ones in our group who would lug around a pot with divider LOL

I've seen some of the dirt roads going off in the distance. Do want to get out there, but the YL isn't as keen.

A few years ago, I picked up these small cast iron dishes. They fit perfectly on my portable propane grill, and they're great for 2 sunny side or over-medium eggs in the morning, and some evening pot stickers and regrilled left over fried rice. Also good for grilled cut onions and bell peppers to smother a grilled sausage. Campout food is great!

I'll be dedicated enough one of these days to bring the divided pot!

 

[Reverse]

I really enjoyed your Alaska ride report. Planning to go that way in 2026/7. I plan to take my Ram, but wont be able to customize it as much as yours.

Could you do a 'lessons learned' on your Alaska trip? On basic gear, places visited etc.?

 

[boogielander]

I've seen some of the dirt roads going off in the distance. Do want to get out there, but the YL isn't as keen.

A few years ago, I picked up these small cast iron dishes. They fit perfectly on my portable propane grill, and they're great for 2 sunny side or over-medium eggs in the morning, and some evening pot stickers and regrilled left over fried rice. Also good for grilled cut onions and bell peppers to smother a grilled sausage. Campout food is great!

I'll be dedicated enough one of these days to bring the divided pot!

i went from cast iron to griddle to those jetboil half gen kit, then back to cast iron on half gen stove.

cast iron & griddle for feeding camp (in case you haven't picked up, my truck is usually the kitchen when I do group trips) but i gave that combo to my friend with the 2500 so I can bring more seasoning and stuff lol I only dedicate half a Decked for kitchen stuff, with half of that (half of half, 1/4 of the decked space) for cookware & seasonings.

 

[boogielander]

I really enjoyed your Alaska ride report. Planning to go that way in 2026/7. I plan to take my Ram, but wont be able to customize it as much as yours.

Could you do a 'lessons learned' on your Alaska trip? On basic gear, places visited etc.?

sure! (i have been meaning to do a detailed post about it on my site but got distracted lol)

• depend on which time of the year you go, you can expect different things. I am assuming you're doing it in summer, so here goes:
  • Go early in summer (June/ July): expect lots of mosquitoes. As such, a Thermacell mosquito repellent device (https://a.co/d/cDrOjVH) will do wonders. I ran that in the camper and it kept all the flying insects away. Be sure to bring extra repellent cartridges.
  • Go late in summer (Late July/ August): expect rain. lots of rain. As temperature drops, flying insects and mosquitoes numbers are reduced, but still, Thermacell repellent device is highly recommended.
• Have reasonable troubleshooting/ repair skills:
  • you probably already can do basic things like changing spare, jump starting the truck, etc. if not, get familiar with it.
• Schedule 0 days.
  • 0 days are days where you have zero miles scheduled/ planned. These are the days where you stay stationary, so your body can relax. It doesn't necessary mean you have to put 0 miles on the truck though.
  • You can do 0 days in major cities (ie, Anchorage/ Fairbanks) so you can explore the city, like visiting museums, sample local foods, watch people fish (relaxing, not participating like your next meal depends on what you catch). Depending on your mileage thus far, this would be a good time to get your truck inspected or serviced (read below very carefully)
    • A simple draining oil and refill will do. I don't change oil filter right before or during long trips, because there have been instances where the vehicle left the shop with filter secured but later the truck shook the filter loose. That goes for my own truck and for customer trucks. If you are going to get your oil changed (like I did. I paid to get it drained and filled because I didn't want to get under the truck and deal with the skid plate while on vacation), be sure to tell the tech to drain and fill only and not touch the filter. The thinking is, if your filter last all these miles being secured, then it will continue to be secured. Look for local 4x4 shops or independent shops with high reviews and avoid the dealer, because dealers have to do it by the book (aka, change your filter as well)
  • Alternatively, you can also use 0 days for activities like hiking, fishing, sightseeing, or anything that you find relaxing. The idea is to take a pause to the driving schedule.
    • For me, I slept in and woke up late just so my body can recover. I already have hiking days and sightseeing days, so those are not entirely "relaxing"
• Have a healthy mindset:
  • Yes it's a once-a-lifetime experience for a lot of people, so many people tend to squeeze a lot of activities and places to visit during their trip. A packed schedule means rushing and nothing good happens when rushed.
  • Understand that you are going to see nature, and nature operates on its own time. You may expect to see certain animals, but end up not seeing them; you may also expect to see Northern Lights, but end up not seeing them due to overcast despite the Aurora Forecast put you right in the zone. Things happen, and if you don't see something you want to see, that is completely normal and don't get too bummed over it.
• Do your own research and book activities early:
  • You and I probably like different things, so the focus of research are probably different.
  • Booking activities (ie, glacier hikes, Kennecott Tour, fishing trips, etc) early guarantee you a spot and you have more flexibility on when to do these activities. Booking activities late CAN net you some savings, but you won't have as much freedom to choose because... spots are filled.
  • Summer is the tour season where 99% of the activities are available, and because of that, spots fill quick. If you're going to camp at paid sites, book them early because RVers and such will take up spaces quick.
  • ideally, you'll want to start putting all these together in the beginning of the year (assuming you're doing this in summer) and actively make reservations around February or March.

Now, here are some things to have:

• Ideally, you want a camper or GFC. A roof tent and awning will work just fine, until it rains.
  • With a pop-up camper like GFC, when it is pouring outside you can do everything inside because of the vertical space.
  • You won't need to worry about finding high ground or water intrusion to your tent, since you're high up.
  • If you only have a roof tent, plan to get an awning room as well, so you have a dry place to be.
• Obviously your cooking/ kitchen stuff, including a fridge and a way to power fridge when the truck is not running.
• Starlink is extremely helpful to have too, from daily backing up your data to contacting home to if you're stranded you can call for help. But same as the fridge, you'll need a power source.
• Bring extra oil and coolant, i brought a jug of 5 qt oil and a jug of Mopar coolant. Be sure to check your fluids daily.
• Get yourself a satellite communicator (ie, Garmin inReach mini) so your friends and family can track your movement, and you can get help when you need.
• Get yourself a secondary mapping system. Google Map works until you forget to download offline map and there's no cell service. Personally I went with Gaia GPS on an iPad mini 6, with the entire trip planned based on Gaia and downloaded to the tablet (as you see in some pictures) - even if you have Starlink running while you drive it's still good to have a secondary device. Don't rely on the onboard navi in the head unit, because map data can be old.
• Have a diesel heater - up north can get cold, especially if you go further than Fairbanks up Dalton into Arctic Circle. I mean, it was cold enough for this desert boy lol again, you'll need a power source for this.
• Bring bear sprays and leave your pewpew at home.
  • If you are not planning to go anywhere in Canada, you can legally bring your pew pew with you though models are restricted. But it is still a royal PITA to deal with.
  • Bear sprays are allowed, and the more the better. Get reputable ones (more expensive) and not the cheap ones. pepper sprays/ MACE are not bear sprays.
• Bring air compressors - airing down on rougher unpaved roads help with ride quality a lot.
• Bring camera and lenses!

Places and Activities:

• Kennecott & Root Glacier - Be sure to take the Kennecott Milling Site Tour, the guides will take you through the milling building and you learn quite a lot from the tour. You can go hike Root Glacier yourself, but signing up for a group hike tour thing will get you a ride to get closer to the glacier before you actually start the hike.
• Homer is a good place to relax. Homer Spit Campground puts you right at the beach, but it is a paid campground (aka, a giant parking lot with fire pits and hookups)
  • If budget allows, spending a night at Land's End Resort is also recommended.
  • This is also a good jump start point for chartered boat ride for fishing.
• Whittier is a nice place to visit, driving through the long tunnel shared with trains and seeing Buckner Building is really cool. Visiting the tower where the whole town lives in is also cool, though you may need permissions or something to enter the tower.
  • You can camp there in the city's campground (a giant parking lot) next to the "airport"
• Seward is a cool town to be, it is also the jumping point for a lot of bear watching tours (the type where you take a small airplane to kenai Fjords to watch bears line up at the river and catch fish)
  • I highly recommend doing the bear watching tour. I didn't and I regret not doing it. My issue was flying in small planes and leaving my truck behind (i got trust issues when im out solo)
• Kodiak Island - I didn't know you can take a ferry and get your vehicle to Kodiak Island, but if you do get your vehicle across, you can visit the Pacific Spaceport Complex and Fossil Beach nearby.
• Drive to Matanuska Glacier (there's a possibility that you can drive on it, i think)
• Visit Independence Mine (do it before Kennecott... I went after Kennecott and I was a bit disappointed)
• Drive down Hatcher Pass to get to Denali, stopping by Igloo City on the way
• Spend a few days on Denali Highway (the old route) - plenty of places to camp and enjoy your time.
• Visit North Pole
• Drive up Dalton Highway
  • You don't really have to go all the way to the end, but... I regret not doing it in full due to weather.
• Visit Chicken and drive through Top of the World Highway to get to Dawson City (if you're doing Dempster or if you don't want to backtrack)
• If you are driving the Alcan in full, stop and spend a night in these places:
  • Liard Hot Spring (be sure to go for a soak)
  • Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs north of Whitehorse (i'd spend 2 days 1 night here. camp at the campground and you have unlimited access to the hot springs. very relaxing place)
  • Obviously don't miss the Mile 0 of Alcan and Welcome to Alaska sign before border crossing into Alaska, (way past the Canadian Border Service and right before the US Border Port of Entry - it's easy to miss)
• If you're coming up from West Coast, at Prince George you have the option of heading north to start at mile 0 or swing west to go on Yellowhead Highway and then Stewart-Cassiar Highway. If you take the second option, you can go to Stewart, cross back into Hyder, USA without border crossing, and go camp at the spot where you can wake up to glacier as your backdrop. Not sure if ground tenting is allowed there though. That road is a dead end, so you must cross back into US to continue, and there's a Canadian border station there that you must go through (no idea why...)

hmm that's all i can think of right now. feel free to ask anything any time.