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This nice looking 1975 Volvo TGB 11 is currently being offered for sale on Unimog Exchange. If you’re familiar with these trucks, you know that the Volvo TGBs, which come in 4×4 and 6×6 versions, are the military cousins of the civilian Volvo C303. They’re extremely capable trucks thanks to such off-road luxuries as locking front and rear differentials and portal axles.

This particular truck is said to have a custom bumper with winch, HID headlights, and IFR driving lights. The interior is said to have new upholstery and trim, and Dynamat sound insulation. Under the hood the seller calls out a Pertronix Flame Thrower coil, and 24 and 12 volt electrical systems. The truck is said to be fully galvanized with no rust issues and painted with German camo paint.

These trucks were made for ten years from 1974 to 1984, and were offered with a 3-liter, straight six, Volvo B30 engine good for 130hp in carburetted form and 175hp when equipped with fuel injection.

This one is said to have just under 37,000 km on the clock and is offered for $30,000 in Castle Rock, Colorado.

I posted about a restored Volvo C303 last year that reportedly sold for less than $20k in 2009. From what I’ve seen online, similar trucks are selling in the $20k to $25k range.

Read the rest of the post for more photos and links.

Links:
This Volvo TGB 11 on Unimog Exchange

Similar trucks for sale previously covered on WCXC:
1975 Volvo C303

1975 Volvo TGB 1314
1975 Volvo TGB 11 Camper

1972 Pinzgauer 710M
1971 Pinzgauer 710K
1974 Pinzgauer 710K

1974 Unimog 406 DoKA

Research:
Volvo C303 Wikipedia page
Pinzgauer Wikipedia page Read the rest of this entry »

A nice view of the Aurora Bridge

A nice view of the Aurora Bridge

We’ve got the boat on the hard at the moment at Canal Boatyard in Seattle. While we’ve been pretty busy with boat projects, we did manage to take a walk the other evening on the Burke-Gilman Trail, a bike and cycle path that runs alongside the Lake Washington Ship Canal to Lake Union and on to northern tip of Lake Washington, where it ends. We took it as far as Gas Works Park on Lake Union.

Here are some photos. Read the rest of this entry »


Photo: Gregory McDonald

I first spotted the California Backcountry Discovery Trail a couple of years ago as a yellow highlighted route on my Mendocino National Forest map. The idea for the CBDT started in the 1960s when 4-wheel-drive enthusiasts had the dream of creating a jeep trail that would traverse the length of the state from Mexico to Oregon.

Today over 600 miles of trails are designated as part of that system. Try to find information on it though and you won’t come up with much. I called the Ranger’s Station in Upper Lake and they faxed me some mid-90s-era brochures. They listed “Discovery Points” along the route, mostly things like campsites, trail heads, and, interestingly, a hang glider port.

Wanting to see what this grand 4×4 trail system was all about, we planned a week-long trip up the CBDT starting at the southern end of the Mendocino National Forest and snaking through the Six Rivers National Forest. Our 235-mile route would end on a 35-mile-long, 5,000-foot-high ridge called Southfork Mountain. We would traverse some of the least visited wilderness in the state, an area more known for its bigfoot sightings than anything else.

This past September Natalie, Greg, and I set off to see what the CBDT had to offer.

Update: I posted a map at the bottom of the post. Read the rest of this entry »


We just bought this REI Base Camp 4 tent. After camping for a couple of years in my smaller Half Dome 2 (which still looks great after six summers of use) Natalie convinced me of the benefits of having more space. In this tent we each have a door, as before, but have the space to keep our backpacks inside. The extra room is also nice to move blankets out of the way, if they get too hot. There’s hardly room for that in a 2-person tent. The 5 feet of headroom also make moving around and getting dressed a lot easier.

The included rainfly creates a large vestibule on one side of the tent and a smaller one on the other, handy for shoes and bins of camping gear. The rainfly will fit over the tent in either orientation, so you can choose which end gets the larger vestibule (and window).

We took it for a test camp the other day and really liked it. It’s very roomy, and pockets and gear loops abound. Set-up takes about 15 minutes including the rainfly.

We’re looking forward to many trips with this tent.

Read the rest of this entry »


I came across this great dirt bike the other day. Within its skinny, custom frame, beats the heart of a 1974 Triumph Bonneville. The rest of the bike is a mutt: Yamaha front end, Husqvarna shocks. But just as mutts can be the best dogs ever… well, just look at it. It’s totally amazing.

This grin-inducing halfbreed, called the RVA Overland, is the work of Atom Bomb Custom of Richmond, VA. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one of my favorites. How to chop firewood without messing around. Quick. Easy. Done.

It looks like he’s using a Fiskars X25 splitting axe. That axe is available for only $40 on Amazon. Sheesh. That’s a deal. It’s available in varying lengths to accommodate different user heights. Check the Fiskars link for details (same link as above).

The log chain is a custom tool made from hardware store components.

One tip from the video’s German uploader: always split across the center of the log. Have another look at the video. He always strikes the log on the side that’s furthest away from him (to get clean wedges without chopping into the chain).

Happy splitting!

I just came across this beautiful film by an Irishman named Mickey Smith. It’s a paean to being a surf photographer on the island’s rocky coast.

It’s quite inspiring.


Today I spotted this rare 1966 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 for sale on Craigslist. This longbed version of the Land Cruiser was known as a station wagon in its day. The seller says the body and interior are in rough but usable condition. Mechanically it sounds sorted out, however, with a newer engine and transmission, Old Man Emu suspension and a factory PTO winch.

A PTO (power take-off) winch is driven by the engine, via the transfer case, instead of off of the electrical system or the hydraulic system like almost every aftermarket winch. The main advantage is that it will run all day, unlike electric winches, which typically have short duty cycles given the heat they generate and the huge amount of current they draw.

The owner is currently considering offers over $5000.

Find this truck on Craigslist near Portland, OR.

About a month ago I posted about a 1957 Chevy NAPCO Crew Cab for sale. Well, I just came across a vintage film from the same year showing a couple of NAPCO 4-wheel-drive-equipped Chevrolet trucks climbing Colorado’s Pikes Peak.

I think it’s so great to see these old 4×4 trucks in action. Enjoy!

For more information on NAPCO check this link.

PS Please tread lightly!

What vehicle did the overland-savvy Australians take with them on a year-long research expedition to Antarctica in 1963? A Land Rover? A Toyota Land Cruiser? No, they took a practically bone-stock VW Beetle.

It looks almost comically unassuming next to the hard-core Swedish Snow Trac seen in the background of one of the shots in the film but the humble Beetle reportedly held its own against the harsh, icy terrain.

There you go, the Type 1 Beetle. The most popular car in the world and the first production car on the Antarctic continent.

Read the rest of this entry »