Do you still like the SuperDuty? 🛻

People ask me that question and it kind of gets under my skin.

Maybe because honestly I don’t know, I am a bit uncomfortable with the big number it cost, the cost of cap and outfitting it with camping gear, much like my old rig had. Time marches on, and while I could have kept Big Red on the road, the lift kit gave me nothing but worry especially in the later years as it creaked and groaned over every bump, and the engine’s lifters complained a bit more idling at camp.

Truth is it’s an appliance in my life. Maybe not a 25-year old Honda Civic, but once I get the cap and start traveling, it will serve it’s purpose. Maybe I could have gotten a used or an old truck, but I wanted something reliable and dependable for heading out to the back country. A vehicle that could serve me into retirement, something basic but reliable. Old cars and trucks are fine if you mostly drive in the city and there is always a tow truck to call and buddy to take you home, but it’s different in wilderness.

With such economic growth in the past few months, the cost of SuperDuty was hardly more then a blip in my financial future. But now I have a reliable ride, a simple basic 6.8L engine, and no-frills HD truck. It will bring me to many wilderness areas, hopefully to Michigan and West Virigina this year, and maybe Missouri and Arkansas next year. Not only will be good for camping, but also if I end up getting that homestead and need to tow heavy.

Still everything makes me question my decisions. Like choosing the exact same cap set up I had on my old rig. I could have gotten something cheaper, but I wanted a cap that didn’t leak, and I like the windows that open on the sides for easy access to gear but also have window screens to keep out the bugs. And I didn’t want a big top heavy camper on my rig. I am quite fine shitting in a bucket outside, cooking under a tarp. I liked the set up I had with Big Red, but he was getting old. But with the HD truck, I get a rig roughly the size of my old lifted truck, with 33 inch tires and nearly the same amount of ground clearance.

Maybe I’m just trying to appease the world, when what matters is my own happiness. And things are just so damn expensive these days, but I make good money and my investments have grown a lot.