As I get older I have found how important it is do prepare for each trip separatly. You will always have the basic things for all trips, tools, oil, battery tester. But for this trip to PINS I would have differant needs. With help from many people on this site on Expedition Portal, I had enough information to prepare for this trip differantly. Since I would be boondocking on the beach, there is no water or electricity. Having 100degree days would call for alot of water. plus water to shower off at night. The camper main tank is 30 gallons. Two cooler had 8 gallons of premade ice water. Plus 14 gallons in spare tanks to refill the camper main tanks. Expo forum added the details for more remote travel on the island by Jeep. Extra gas would be needed for the jeep to travel the 60 miles to Mansfield Pass. Plus trips to Laguna Madre via Yarbrough Pass.16 gallons of gas would be carried on the trucks rear rack. Along with extra propane for the stove and grill. No camp fire were allowed. Other items suggested by Expo would include, a winch, chains, snatch ropes, and JACK ANCHOR. A JACK ANCHOR is a portable winch anchor that we manufacture and sell. Both the Jeep and truck would have all of these items. For fishing we brought heavy freshwater gear that we use in our guide service for catfish on the Red River in Shreveport Louisiana. For this trip we will be flat towing a 2005 Jeep TJ. I had Spartan lockers added to front and rear axles. As well as a rack for carring a canoe , hilift jack and a JACK ANCHOR. For the truck we bought a small 110v compressor for airing up tires and toys. I did not think a 12 volt pump would be able to air up the 19.5 truck tires to 80lb . Since we already have two EU 2000 gen we would be set for power. On the rear of the truck we have a removable rack for carring gear. I had thought aboput removing it to tow the Jeep. But after much thought and the need for more large item storage I decided to extend the receiver hitch to the back of the rack. This was done with 2 inch square tubing 1/4 thick, on the end I sleeved another 2 inch receiver to except balls and bike racks. The truck has 3 2 inch receiver that allos me to remove all the racks and towing receivers. All this and the trip has not even started. I would like to thank Saltydogs for all of his help for this trip and the fishing parts. Now I have to figure out how to post pictures. I have them in a file but no URL to add images.
edit mode,EP,TR code/write-up, paste. That is a part of the English language that I missed in school. I will have to wait for my 7 year old granddaughter to get home and explain what that mean.
We had just finished a large remodeling job and were wore out. Nothing is more relaxing then a day at the beach fishing and swimming. But I have a new to me Jeep TJ that I just had Spartan lockers put in front and rear. What a better test that 60 miles of beach? It just so happen that we were supposed to get the kids backon Wednesday after work. Great how our plan was coming together. We got the F450 Flatbed camper stocked during the day with plans on leaving about 5p.m.. Drive to Katy Texas and spend the night at my brother. It ended up being 9p.m. before we could pick up the kids. We decided the get a good nights sleep and leave in the morning. We would be driving the F450 and towing the Jeep with the canoe on top of the Jeep. Use the Lance 1040 with the tent option as base camp while on the beach. Then use the Jeep for day trips around the island. Thanks to all that reply to my planning thread, I knew that I would need extra fuel and water. It also worked out that I was able to finish a tow extention that allows me to tow the Jeep with the back rack on the truck. The back rack allowed us the room for two coolers with frozen water jug for drinking and 17 gallons of gas for the Jeep and generator as well a extra propane for the camper and BBQ grill. And 7 gallons of water to replenish the camper main tank if need be. Burn ban is in effect. 4 A.M. will come early. But the excitement would not let me sleep. Preparations or ready. More tomorrow.
Captain,
You have me interested in your JACK ANCHOR. Tell me more. Is this a rig that bolts onto a hi-lift jack? My Jeep is so tall now I must take a 60" Hi-lift to make it of any use.
I'm a long time beach comber with many sticks and saves to my belt, much of it in Baja Calif. I was going to buy a commercial sand anchor until I discovered the exorbitant price for same. I have, a few times, dug a hole just bigger than my spare, buried the spare with winch cable attached to the x-wrench and saved myself and others from a hopeless scene.
Mostly on sand though, we just keep airing down until the rig floats. With my Jeep that's around 3-4 lbs. and the TC it's 18-20 lbs. on those 33-15.50 high floats,
at the most ridiculous, what-in-the-hell-are-we-doing-here, 100% effort.
The last time we were thinking of going to PINS and south was the time I thought a good sand anchor would be of use.
regards, as always, jefe
Let me tell you about the truck and camper combo. The camper is a Lance 1040. It was the facture demo. I first got pictures of it while it was at a Houston show. Then it came to Dallas and was to be presented to Lances newest dealership, Western Campers. I came over the Monday after the show and picked it up. The truck is a Ford F450 Chassis cab model. The plan was to build the flatbed and be able to use the truck as third out in my construction business. We build trailers and custum truck bed as a side line. So I had an idea of what I wanted as a finished product. The bed is 10foot 6 inches long. Gooseneck hookup under the bed. On a normal trip we carry two EU 2000 gen. with the 30 amp crossover. A contractors twin tank compressor. Large assortment of hand and airtools. A BBQ grill and folding table in the side box next to the door. Most of our cooking and eating is out side. The most used item on the camper is the outside show. Enough said. The last time on a scale we weighed 16900. The truck does have a Warn 12000 winch mounted on twin receiver mount through the front bumper. These receivers match the three on the rear of the truck. If nessecary we can put the winch in the back and use one of the three camper batteries to power the winch. For recovery we carry 150 foot of 1 3/4 inch tug boat rope. Being a Charter boat Captain had its percs. And 15000 snatch block. My though on this trip report is to inform the typical TC person of some of the preparation needed to go to a location such as PINS. Once you get set up you do not want to move. Much less drive in the town for extra anything. The park service does have water and showers. With the advice of Saltydogs we will be going at least 10 to 15 miles in next time. We are all ready and prepared to go to places down the road. But this place can be 60 miles from the nearest road. you have to be able to take care of yourself and your gear. At 5 miles we saw planty of people. At the 60 mile mark. One. We were there for hours, no one else came down there. No cell phone. Yes we do have a SPOT. We were ready to self recover if needed. Just getting stuck is not the big thing, not having water can cause trouble and running out of gas. Running 15 MPH in 4Low really drinks the gas. The sign at the park said towing charges can be thousands. i beleive it. I am ready for some fishing.
We arrived about 6P.M. As we topped the first dune we see the kiosk where we get our camping permit. As we look out ove the Gulf of Mexico, we see two ZZ top old band members. In a 1970 van. Next to them was a blue motor home. We spoke to the camp host when we got lost trying to find the beach. He said that if we went to the 5 mile marker we should be away from the daytrippers. Heck he said, past the 2 mile and you should be alone. After seeing how packed the sand was we decided not to take the Jeep off yet.There was 15 cars in the first 3 miles after we were about a mile past the last camper we started looking for a spot the camp. We notice the the wind would sweep areas clean if the dunes were low enought. We found a great spot. But a fisherman was 500 yards away. After we got set up the kids and wife went for a walk while i went and checked out the fihsing from our local expert. He went into details about how to count the sandbars, You walk to the second and cast over the third. Use anything for bait. Sounds great. When ther kids got back I baited one pole with a slugo and one with a white fliptail jig. After a few cast both the kids caught fish. I great way to start a fishing trip. The adults relaxed in chairs while the kids swan until dark. Tomorrow morning we will be off on a 55 mile offroad adventure to Mansfield Pas. and hopefully back in the same day.
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