April 2013

When we first installed the iPad after removing our Kenwood head unit in 2011 (See January 2011 issue), our goal was to keep the price tag under $1000. In order to do that, we had to go with an entry level iPad paired with a fairly expensive connector concoction of wiring that worked, but was fickle at best. A lot can change in three years.

Although the iPad Mini is a great option for audio/nav replacement (See March 2013 issue of Tacoma Magazine), a GPS enabled Mini will still run you $459 since you have to upgrade to the cellular version. For 2013 (as part of our Extreme Makeover FJC project) we wanted to prove that you can have a very functional, modern tablet audio+nav install for under $500.

The MAYA RALLY is a multi-week, multi-national, expedition scavenger hunt and challenge course. It pits teams of overland drivers in their own vehicles against one another and the elements, traverses thousands of miles of variable and unknown terrain, enters rarely-seen locations far off the beaten track, and spans countless foreign horizons.

The MAYA RALLY is an overland adventure distilled to its most raw form: there is a start, there are designated challenges which must be completed for points, and there is a finish. Everything else is up to you. There is no route. There is no support. There are few rules. If you break your will, if you break your body, or if you break your ride, you are on your own.

Sitting in my office, looking out the window on another rainy northwest day I find my thoughts drifting south... south of the border to Baja Mexico.  Sunny beaches, arid deserts, rocky hills and miles of nothing. For me Baja remains one of the last wide open, untamed places left that can still be explored on a budget.

The Baja peninsula extends 775 miles below San Diego separating the Sea of Cortez from the Pacific Ocean.  The Baja's personality changes as you descend from the north toward its southern tip.  Time actually does slow down, as you become more alive in this magical land of racing legends.

Close to the USA boarder, Baja is dotted by cities such as Tijuana, Ensenada, Tecate and Mexicali.  The economic down turn and constant drug violence reports in the media have driven out the hordes of tourists who once came across the boarder for cheap trinkets and late night parties.  But it is not the cities that interest me.

|| See all Last Great Road Trip Baja Off Road Adventure Coverage ||

With a growing family and publication business (did you know we publish a Tacoma Magazine?), space in the FJC has been getting short for a while. Combined with our love for the CVT Roof Top Tent, but distain for packing it up every day to go play, the need for an adequate trailer quickly became clear.

You may remember we tested the Ruger Trailer last year (including taking it to Ouray), but it lacked several standard features that we decided were requirements for any off road trailer (ORT) we would haul around the southwest. The Ruger was a little small, didn’t offer a standard rack option for the RTT, and the $275 small tailgate option was less than ideal. It’s a great budget trailer, but just didn’t meet our needs.

Luckily all of our requirements were met last October when Josh Manley launched Manley ORV. Unlike many ORT manufacturers, Josh decided to do something a little different with his trailers. He would simply offer three versions, in two different ‘finishes’ that all include great standard features. His three models: Original, Utility, and Explore include a ‘military style’ powder coated box trailer, LED lighting in one style, stainless steel hardware, a really cool tailgate design, a plethora of tie down points, and a receiver tongue as well as a receiver in the rear of the trailer. See ManleyORV.com for a full list of standard features.