Inside a Real Overland Truck Build: Setup & Lessons Learned
In this article, we're going to outline a real scenario around a few different "Overland" Setups, with one of the co-owners at BillieBars, who is also writing this blog.
Vehicle and Driver
The vehicle we're going to showcase for this build isn't anything to write home about. In the world of American Capitalism, where bigger, newer, and shinier is always preferred, this vehicle is the exception to the rule.
Vehicle - 2016 GMC Canyon.
Yes your read that right. We're talking about a small to midsize truck, which has ripped leather seats, a nice streak of white paint from driving in the shoulder behind a paint crew, and since it's black, it's only clean about 4 days of the year. And that could be generous.
Having said that, she still purrs with the 3 click remote start, and more importantly, she get's us from point A to point B.
I use it primary as a daily commute and I'm just going to come out and say it - I frankly LOVE this Truck and I have no plans in replacing it in an effort to keep up with the Joneses.
Beyond a daily commuter, I also use my Truck primarily for mountain biking, and the occasional Overland Weekend with a Roof Top Tent. Being able to get full bed access quickly is really important to me as I like doing outdoor projects, like hauling away brush or picking up something big that you need full access for.
Why I chose a Bed Rack?
I've had multiple variations of BillieBars Bed Racks over the years. Initially I had our 8" Low Profile Bed Rack which was great when paired with a Roll N Lock M Series.
The brackets went under the cover, creating a minor disruption in the seal of the cover. It was ultimately a great setup because I could get bed access, while leaving the crossbars on. Example below.
From there I iterated away from the Roll N Lock M series (the tonneau cover came with the Truck and by 2023 it was time for it to go), and added a MX4 from Bakflip (a trifold cover), mainly because we were doing an install video on this cover. It was a solid setup, providing quite a bit of security for anything in the bed.
We did some minor cutting of the cover (shown in the video above) to get the brackets to sit properly but the finished product was amazing.
Below is quick video of the cover doing well to keep the rain out. The build at the time was for an awning, a kayak, and 2 bikes.
Full Gear List
-
8" Low Profile Bed Rack
- Bakflip MX4 Trifold Cover
- Awning Mount Kit
- LowPro Kayak Mount Bundle
- Brass Knuckles Full Bike Carrier
- 270 Awning
- Tie Down Kits
My only complaint with this setup was the cover wouldn't fold under the crossbars, making it a little difficult to grab belongings that had shifted closer to the cab.
We get asked a lot - why don't you just make a higher bed rack, so that a trifold cover can fold under the crossbars? Well, since you're here, let me explain.
For the cover to be able to fold under the crossbars, the bed rack would need to be near cab height. It would also need to be vertical (like our brackets are with our Low Profile Bed Rack), so the brackets wouldn't interfere with the cover opening or closing.
There are 2 major issues when pursuing this idea:
- The brackets would stick far outside the bed, the higher you go
- The height from the bed rack would cause a high level of stress on the bedside, potentially leading to a cracked bed side
Ultimately we felt that keeping things Low Profile were most important for overall truck safety and aesthetics. The kicker is that with the right tools, our crossbars can be removed in minutes, for full bed access, as showcased below.
We'd recommend a T40 Security Bit for either an impact gun or a bit for a drive socket, both of which can be found here.
After a few iterations and years of learning, at the end of the day the most important reasons for having a bed rack for me are:
- being able to haul bikes safely and easily
- have the option for a Roof Top Tent
- getting full bed access when I need it
With all of that in mind, we recently installed the Pro X15 TS tonneau cover, with integrated t slots running along the bed rail, and added our 11" bed rack, with side bike mount, and capped it off with the Piston SR from KUAT (full bike carrier).
The Full Gear List
- Pro X15 TS tonneau cover (w/ t slots)
- BillieBars 11" Bed Rack
- BillieBars Side Bike Mount
- KUAT Piston SR Full Bike Mount
- Roofnest Roof Top Tent
- BillieBars HD RTT Clamps
The beauty of this system is that the cover rolls back for bed access, and I'm not losing any mountable crossbar space by storing the bike on the side bike mount. An added bonus is the Piston SR comes with an integrated cable lock, so locking the bike is an option.
The cover itself is on the more affordable side (compared to the Retrax XR coming in over $2,000) but you will lose that guaranteed security with the ProX15 TS as it comes with a cloth cover. If the tonneau cover is secured correctly, you won't see much, if any water come in the bed, which I was pleasantly surprised by the last storm we had.
What I would do differently?
I'm not sure that I would do anything differently. I had 3 main different setups with multiple iterations over the course of the Truck's life and all allowed me to get out there and go.
The beauty of all 3 setups is that no permanent drilling was required - so when we finally go to sell the Canyon, we won't have any issues with permanent damage.
If I was being critical on the build I would probably go back to the purchase of the Truck and go with a longer bed. I didn't realize it at the time but an extra foot or 2 of bed space goes a really long way.
We had 3 different tonneau covers on this Truck and I honestly can't imagine not having a tonneau cover. The amount of time that I have something in the bed of the Truck is almost always - so being able to lock the tailgate and go has always been a bonus. I don't think I could personally ever run a truck without a tonneau cover at this point.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a full overland setup cost?
Out of the 3 different setups, it was anywhere from $1000 to $5500. Keep in mind, my Truck was never built for heavy off-roading, so I never fully invested in recovery gear or lights. My Truck was more for biking and point A to point B excursions. A quick outline is found below.
- tonneau cover - $600-$1500
- bed rack - $700-$1200
- bike mounts - $175-$600
- awning and awning mount - $1350
- kayak mounts - $300
- molle panels - $500
- total - $3625 to $5450
Keep in mind, BillieBars systems are modular so you can always start with the base rack and add from there.
Is a Roof Top Tent worth it?
In my humble opinion, absolutely. If you're the kind of person that loves to explore, sleep under the stars, work smarter and not harder, than its for you. Being able to set up camp, close up camp, not worry about ground water or critters - well it makes it well worth it.
To be bi-partisan the one negative of an RTT is loading and unloading it, but there are ways around this. Building a hoist for your garage or having a buddy who is willing to help you are 2 great ways to avoid the hassle of loading an RTT.
How much weight can a mid size truck handle?
That's a complicated question but after my experience - quite a bit of stuff, not quite a lot of weight though. If you're strategic about your setup, you can really get a lot of your Truck. Hauling a TON of weight is probably not advisable with a mid-size truck - we dive into the mechanics a little bit more in this article.
As always, thank you for reading and please reach out to us if you need any help or guidance in your next build.
Most importantly, Get out there and Go!
-Nate
