How do you prepare a 23 year old Toyota Land Cruiser for life on the road? A lot of patience, time and money. Worth it you ask? “One Hundred” percent! The Toyota Land Cruiser has long been known for it’s reliability and capabilities on and off-road. It’s also one of the few vehicles that has been sold globally. This helps when traveling internationally as we’ll be more likely to find help when things inevitably break.

We’ve owned Hermes now for five years and he’s taken us on many adventures. Of course, none as big as the one we are about to embark on. Mechanicals and gear will need to be in peak working order to keep us happy and safe for many miles (and kilometers) to come.

Over the years we’ve modified Hermes and found things that worked and things that we didn’t like so much. It has very much been an evolution and a lot of fun to build and test. Some of the more major upgrades we’ve performed recently include a 40 gallon auxillary fuel tank bringing our total on-board fuel to 65 gallons; ergonomic seating by Scheel-Mann special ordered from Germany; a hard cover four-person tent; 180 amp alternator for keeping things charging while we are on the move; fridge and freezer on a drop-down slide; and a custom fabricated rear bumper which holds our camp kitchen. There’s a lot to it, and over time we’ll review everything in detail. Stay tuned!

To California and back in a short week

A long trip was in order for some special gear provided by Ben at Dissent Offroad in Colfax, California. There’s something very special about buying products from people you know. Dissent engineers and builds all of their equipment right here in the USA by hand and from scratch. I looked to Ben for a solution for our camp kitchen and he had just the right tricks up his sleeve! The 2k mile round trip trek was quick and long, but absolutely worth it! Besides, I had a little fun along the way!

Camp Kitchen Installation – Dissent Offroad

Here’s a gallery of photos from the installation of the final piece of gear for Hermes at Dissent Offroad. The installation was more involved than what I expected and took the three guys that build these things all day and then some to get it tip top. It was fun watching the craftsmen at work doing what they love. There is a certain level of pride that radiates throughout the shop as you meander around. We are looking forward to putting the camp kitchen to good use and based on the initial appearance of quality, I’m sure it will last us for many adventures in North and South America. Stay tuned for reviews and photos in the wild! I did get a tour on camera from the team at Dissent that will be featured on the YouTube channel. So, be sure to subscribe there if you’re interested in seeing behind the scenes. The series begins the second half of June 2021.

Hermés, The Adventure Cruiser Parts List

Suspension – Drivetrain – Rubber – Brakes

OME Torsion Bars
OME Shocks Nitrocharger sport
Slee Diff. drop
OME 2868 Rear Springs
Slee Heavy duty rear lower control arms
SPC Adjustable upper control arms
Timbren front & rear bump stops
Factory rear locker
4.88 gears
ARB air locker (front)
BFG KO2 275/70/18
2020 Tundra 18″ TRD Wheels – Powder Coated (Prismatic Powders – Bronze Chrome)
OEM Rotors
Spidertrax 1.25″ wheel spacers

Armor and Exterior

ARB Sahara front bumper & fog light kit
Dissent Offroad rear bumper with two swing outs and camp kitchen
Slee steel skid plates (3)
Slee step sliders
Front Runner full length roof rack
Front Runner spare tire ladder
Snorkel
Slee Second Battery Tray

Camping

Roofnest Condor XL
Alu-Cab Shadow Awning
National Luna 50L Fridge/Freezer
Clearview mirrors fridge dropdown
Dobinson rear drawers
Telescopic hideaway changing room
Waterproof Case  for roof rack SKB 4213-12

Interior

Scheel-Mann Vario F fully adjustable ergonomic driver and passenger seats
Numerous Ram mounts
OE 80 Series locker switch for lockers
Polk Audio component front and rear speakers
Pioneer AVH-1550NEX 6.2 Inch AV Receiver with wireless Carplay
Front and rear cameras
Wireless magsafe charger setup for iphones
Raingler mil-spec cargo netting for full ceiling
Victory Center Console MOLLE Panels
Hurucan tailgate storage mod

Lighting

OPT7 LED Headlight Bulbs w/ Clear Arc-Beam Kit – 9006 – 60w 7,000Lm 6K Cool White CREE
IPF fog lights
ARB Intensity SOLIS LED Lights (One Spot, and One Flood)
PFran LED interior light kit
PFran LED extreme bright reverse lights

Communications

BaoFeng UV-5R I6+ Dual-Band 136-174/400-480 MHz FM Ham Two-Way Radio

Recovery and Gear

Smittybilt X2O Waterproof Synthetic Rope Winch – 10000 lb (Wireless functionality broke after 2 years)
ARB air compressor
Powertank Digital Pro Series Tire Inflator
Flexzilla air hose
Staun tire deflators
Long Range America 40 Gal. aux fuel tank
Maxtrax