The Foster Train
Technically, our vehicle for this trip began formation about five years ago, less than a year after we graduated high school, when Chris bought a 1999 F-150 in Maryland. It was exactly what he was looking for, a bigger white truck to replace his Ranger but still with a manual transmission and just enough upgrades to be comfortable.
Something like three years later he had collected all the parts he needed to convert the truck to 4WD and upgrade the towing capacity. That was a PROCESS...but it was a sweet project, looking back.
Since Chris did this truck mod project years ago, we already owned a vehicle equipped to tow our small home worth of items (despite thoughts from any doubters, hey guys!). When we decided that we wanted to explore some of the US during our moving process, we both brainstormed ideas of where we would want to go which resulted in a lot of camping opportunities. We considered some other ideas, but a camper setup within the truck bed seemed like the best idea for economics and convenience. We soon purchased a used cap for $300 and began purchasing items to outfit it for use! This part was definitely Chris' favorite part. He planned the heck out of this vehicle setup. He made us a platform with sleeping on top, storage on the bottom, bought or had people gift us all kinds of hookups and do-dads to make it comfy, useful and more. He installed the front hitch months ago in excitement to "upgrade" his truck again. He even made sure we had extra parts and fluids in case anything were to happen to the truck on this journey. I told him he was an insane prepper but I know I'll appreciate the extras once on the road. Plus, he doesn't like the way the cap looks so he's letting us collect stickers on it while we have it!
Above: Front of truck in Chris' previous work garage, this was the first time we drove around with the full length train. Plow flags added to be able to see front end of vehicle while driving.
When we began planning our move, he wanted to get a trailer from the start and I refused and said we're doing PODs or getting movers. Well, those things are a whole lot more expensive than I realized, even compared to buying a brand new trailer, so big surprise - less than two months before the planned move date, we bought a 7 foot by 12 foot charcoal gray box trailer. We chose the trailer we are using after calculating estimates of both weight and volume of all our belongings. (Note: if you are planning on doing this, allow for plenty of (>100) extra cubic footage in the trailer if you want to use items in it along the way.) All of the stuff we planned to bring fits in the trailer easily but we forgot to account for the extra space we would want to move around in the trailer after it's packed. Overall, we are glad we bought a new trailer because we can drill holes to add anchor points, shelves, etc., and we know that the trailer and its brakes are new and working properly.
Left: front of trailer with added box to store tools, parts, and fluids, easy-up and water jugs strapped on top.
Below: Inside of trailer with just the toolbox in it, clothes rod on left.
Okay so that's the truck and trailer, and the hitch rack is in another post but that's along for the whole ride as well. I haven't taken a tape measure to it, but I estimate we're around 35 feet total. It's a real decent set up and we are very proud of having crafted, loaded, and be driving our foster train.