Old Smokey 📍

Old Smokey is the nickname I have for my 2026 Ford F-350 SuperDuty which I purchased at the end of March 2026 to replace my former truck, Big Red, a 2011 Chevy Silverado. Why the name Old Smokey? One is it the color is smokey but also it’s the truck that Smokey the Bear drives, at least the latest generation of DEC Forest Ranger trucks tend to be this color gray and built to a similar configuration. Why old? It is a work truck, and while it has some technology, most of the design is tried and true – 6.8L MiniZilla pushrod engine, key ignition, needles for speedometer and all guages, manual climate controls, conventional cruise control.

The Old Smokey truck is a “one-ton” class axle commerical HD pickup truck, extended cab, short bed (6 3/4 foot bed). While the short bed seems small by SuperDuty propotions, it actually is a very good fit for my uses, as it’s long enough to sleep on and camp once I get a camper shell (aka topper or cap) on the truck. It also is reasonably short at 19 1/2 feet, that with the backup camera makes it possible to get into relatively small campsites.

The truck has the FX4 and XL Off Road HD Utility Package, which provides 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler tires, skid plates, specifically tuned off-road shocks, Hill Descent Control, an electronic locking rear differential, a raised air dam for better ground clearance and water-fording vent tubes on the rear axle. It also has dual alternators and batteries, able to supply up to 410 amps of power for camping, and has the upfitter harnasses for additional power and configuraton.

The next step will be ordering the camper shell, moving the solar panel, lead acid batteries, interverter and CB radio to the new truck, and acquiring and installing additional solar panel(s), cellphone booster, and probably a supplemental LiPo battery. By next winter, I also want to add a diesel heater for comfortable winter camping. Stay tuned, as they say. It’s going to be a great rig.

🖼️ Photos

The Super Doubts of Choice

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Next week, I take delivery of my new ARE MX cap for the Super Duty, marking the official start of my truck camper build. Based on my past setups, I know this configuration works. Yet, whenever people question my choices, a little bit of doubt creeps in. If you’ve ever taken on a high-stakes build, you know how natural it is to second-guess your technical choices.

I am well aware that second-guessing yourself after making a choice is incredibly common, especially when others chime in with their own opinions. It is completely normal to feel that wobble, even when you know deep down you made the right call.

Here are practical techniques to help you lock in your confidence and stop post-decision anxiety:

Write Down Your “Why” Immediately ✍🏻

  • Capture logic: Write your reasons down right after deciding.
  • Include constraints: Note the time, budget, or info you had.
  • Read it later: Look at this note when doubts creep in.
  • Stop revisionism: Remind yourself you did your best then.

Use the “Satisficing” Mindset 🛡️

  • Accept “good enough”: Aim for a choice that meets your criteria.
  • Abandon perfection: Perfection is an illusion that fuels regret.
  • Create a checklist: If a choice checks your main boxes, it wins.
  • Ignore the rest: Stop looking at other options once decided.

Build an External Boundary Script ✊🏻

  • Prepare a phrase: Have a go-to answer for nosy questions.
  • Say this: “Option X worked best for my specific budget.”
  • Or try this: “I looked at that, but this fit my needs perfectly.”
  • End the discussion: You do not owe anyone a deep justification.

Institute a “Search Blackout” 🔍

  • Close all tabs: Delete your open research tabs immediately.
  • Unsubscribe from alerts: Stop tracking prices or new models.
  • Avoid comparison: Looking at alternatives later only creates phantom regret.
  • Commit fully: Shift your energy into making the chosen path work.

Reframe Decisions as Experiments ⚖️

  • Lower the stakes: View choices as data-gathering steps, not life-or-death.
  • Focus on agility: Trust your ability to pivot if things change.
  • Value the lesson: Even a flawed choice teaches you what to avoid next time.

make-it-more-of-a-night-picture-remove-all-text.

Map: Lester Flow
Map: Long Pond State Forest

ARE Self Doubt

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Maybe I am getting a bit inpatient on the new truck cap as the weekend approached, but at least I had a bit of comfort that there is a good chance it gets installed next week. I had a feeling that ARE would play these games, they are famous for post-panademic delays.

At times I also find myself questioning my decision to get a fiberglass cap when there are so many alternatives, but I liked my old set up, and it was reliable, mostly waterproof and with bug screens and side-windows I like. The fiberglass caps aren’t the toughest material, but they have sufficient load carrying capacity at 150-200 lbs for a 65 lb kayak on the roof and the two solar panels which together only weight about 30 lbs. And I didn”t want something too top heavy like a slide-out camper, but did want the extra height of the ARE MX sloped cap – even if I have some questions in my mind about the impact on fuel economy.

Maybe I should have explored alternatives more. Maybe I’m too stubborn and just wanted to built my new rig like Big Red. Yet, I didn”t want the weight, high or complexity of a full-slide in camper, even if the one-ton axle of an F-350 could handle that kind of weight. Not that I necessarily was even set on the one-ton axle, but I ultimately went with because that’s the truck that otherwise met my needs, and I wanted something bigger and heavier duty then a half ton, but I would have been just as happy with a 3/4 ton. And I keep chewing over the short-bed vs long-bed, though really for getting through the woods and into smaller campsites, the shorter wheel base is superior.

It will be a great rig. Once I get over my self doubt and questioning. And the cap is finally delivered.

Map: Green Mnt NF Forest Road 74 Camping

A 25-year old Honda Civic 🚘

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I realize that’s the term I use for a toaster on wheels – a vehicle that has four wheels and gets you places – at least on snow and ice free asphalt reliably, but maybe boringly. And every day car, something you drive to work the 250 or work days every year, to the mall and shopping center, the gas station, the community rec center, out to visit family and friends. Just “a car.” An appliance. Some people might be okay with just “a car”. I realize when I name check the 25-year old Honda Civic, I’m probably referring to 80% of all cars on the road, driven by people who don’t really care about their vehicle except that it gets them to their destination, is relatively safe, and doesn’t use much gas.

Some people say a car – it’s beats riding the bus or your bicycle everywhere. You can go a lot farther, quicker on a car at least outside of the city compared to a bike or bus. But truth is I never found much enjoyment in driving, and certainly not in the city. Indeed, one of the first things I wanted when I started working was the ability to park outside of the city and take a bus downtown. I much prefer working downtown the in any suburban office complex. I wasn’t happy when I moved out to suburban office with acres of parking, I continued to take the bus and shuttle any day I didn’t ride my bike to work. I remember the meeting when I was told my work was being shipped to suburban office, I bit my lip, and the meeting ended with being told, I thought you were going to tell us no on the relocation.

Since moving to the city, it’s rare I drive at all during the weekdays, and only really on the weekends to maybe to Walmart and my parents house for Sunday dinner with a quick side trip to hike Bennett Hill or somewhere else. Really what I use my truck for is camping and traveling, visiting places recreationally. And nowadays, I’m much more inclined to get to camp, set up camp, park my rig and spend the full weekend hiking and riding my mountain bike from camp. In recent years, it’s uncommon for me to drive more then 5,000-7,000 miles and that includes a trip to West VIrigina and the Finger Lakes and many weekends in Adirondacks. Indeed, camping is the primary use of my truck.

People say a SuperDuty truck is rather impractical truck if you’re not planning to haul a heavy load regularly. But I like having a big truck for all my camping gear and supplies, I like riding up high, I like the big truck feel and drive. I’d much rather spend my money on a heavy-duty truck then get a half ton and butcher it up with an lift kit. Sure, gas is expensive compared to those little just an appliance cars, but it’s not for commuting. Indeed, I’m not sure I’d ever want to commute. Yes, I do want my off-grid cabin and live rural eventually, but only after I’m done with my career working in he in city,  making and saving money.

I really hate how people keep thinking it’s really sad how I don’t own a car. Remember, it was my choice to take Big Red off the road and not get him repaired. Oh, but the local bus is so slow and dirty people tell me. To me, the boy who plans to have pigs and goats at his off-grid homestead in not that many years from now.  But I don’t want to own a car, I want to own a real truck for camping and traveling. And not just traveling to Walmart. If I need something at Walmart, I’ll ride my bike there. Or the other two grocery stores around.  Big Red was occasionally used for such utilitarian purposes, “as a car” but rarely. It annoys me how everybody keeps asking me – well how are you going to do __________ without a car? I don’t know. Ride my bike? Catch a bus? Or just find something else to do or not do it!

I’ve never really liked driving, certainly not that kind of driving through stop lights, speed zones and traffic, with cops up your ass every five minutes. I’ve known too many people killed and seriously injured by cars. It’s not to say I’m against travel on the weekends, camping, or nights spent up in wilderness, but not the kind of driving that maybe the 20-year old Honda Civic is perfect for.

Not the
dream life
for me!

Map: Clark Hill State Forest
Map: T Lake Trail

The Short Run of the 6.8L

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After four years of production, the engine my truck has – 6.8-liter V8 gas engine (often called the “Mini-Zilla”) has been discontinud – starting with the 2027 model year to reduce production complexity, streamline manufacturing, and capitalize on consumer demand for higher-performance powertrains. 

  • Reducing Assembly Complexity: Eliminating the 6.8L allows Ford to streamline operations at its Windsor, Ontario engine plant and the truck assembly lines. Handling fewer engine variants means fewer parts to stock and fewer assembly line variations.
  • Shift to Standard Premium Powertrains: Heavy-duty truck consumers consistently favor more capable options. Ford chose to capitalize on this trend by making the larger, more powerful 7.3-liter “Godzilla” V8 the standard base gas engine across the entire 2027 Super Duty lineup.
  • Financial Incentives: Merging the engine choices effectively rolls what used to be a premium, optional engine upgrade directly into the base price of the vehicle. Reports from automotive publications like Yahoo Autos highlight this industry pattern of consolidating around top-tier powertrains to increase base-model profit margins.
  • Shared Architecture Efficiency: Because the 6.8L was essentially a shorter-stroke, cost-reduced version of the 7.3L, it made operational sense for Ford to focus strictly on the larger, more efficient variant.

Untitled [Expires April 18 2026]