Hunting Vehicle

[Brooks]

What do you guys that drive Subaru’s, Prius, VW, Cooper Mini’s as hunting rigs do when the going gets tough ? Call mom ?

 

[_Scooter_]

What do you guys that drive Subaru’s, Prius, VW, Cooper Mini’s as hunting rigs do when the going gets tough ? Call mom ?

I've seen more pickups and bro'd out, oversized SUV's stuck in ditches on the side of the highway in Colorado in the winter than I have seen Subarus.

And I dont think anyone here is taking their Subarus on anything crazy off-road or claiming they are just as capable in those situations as a 4WD truck. Plus, last time I checked a 4WD truck wasn't a must have to go hunting. FWIW, most Subarus are way more capable in snow than a pickup, and that's without the Subaru even needing chains.

But to answer your question, we dont call our moms when the goin' gets tough, we usually call yours. Super sweet lady and VERY accommodating (if you know what I mean). Tell her we all said "hi".

 

[feanor]

Yikes. I had a Subaru for years and it did just fine overall. But once you get a truck, you realize how much extra space you have. I liken it to the backpacker who has a 40 liter pack and is hanging their bed role, sleeping bag and water bottles off of it as they shuffle down the trail. Then you get an 80 liter pack and put all that stuff inside and retain your sanity. Also, if you plan on having kids in the near future, cramming all their crap into a subaru can be a tough gig. A crew cab truck has so much stinkin space in it.

 

[_Scooter_]

Yikes. I had a Subaru for years and it did just fine overall. But once you get a truck, you realize how much extra space you have. I liken it to the backpacker who has a 40 liter pack and is hanging their bed role, sleeping bag and water bottles off of it as they shuffle down the trail. Then you get an 80 liter pack and put all that stuff inside and retain your sanity. Also, if you plan on having kids in the near future, cramming all their crap into a subaru can be a tough gig. A crew cab truck has so much stinkin space in it.

Different strokes for different folks.

I went from a truck back to a Subaru. I don't have kids and felt like a mid-size crew cab (2016 Tacoma) was s a waste. And once you pu ton some KO2's and a shell you're MPG is garbage. The crew cab still isn't comfortable for full-size adults over 6ft tall on a long road trip, and you sacrifice valuable bed space because of it, unless you get the long bed/crew cab version, but then you have an obnoxiously awful turning radius and long wheel base. A full-size truck isn't necessary for me given where I live and the very limited times I'd actually honest to goodness need it. If I ever was going to get a truck again it would be a Colorado with the extended cab, not the crew cab and get a full-size bed. Crew cabs just suck for my wants and needs. Those short beds just don't look right, either. Looks like you want a real truck, but had to compromise and get a neutered truck. I got a vasectomy a few years ago, so no need for a neutered truck to haul kids.

Also, I'd never own an 80L pack for basic backpacking. I always have found it interesting why people try and cram every creature comfort from home into their pack and why they'd want to spend the majority of their time carrying a ridiculously heavy pack carrying things that will spend more time in the pack than actually being used. For me the point is a temporary getaway from all the technology and distractions of everyday life, and carrying less equates to a more connected and enjoyable experience with the surroundings. But again, different strokes.

 

[roosiebull]

Thank you!! This all makes great financial sense to me right now! However, I did find my 'dream' truck recently!! Lord Save Me from my own foolishness!

I have taken this little RS through some wonky logging roads this past season for late season archery elk, and yes, the turn around ability is wicked nice.

I really do appreciate your comments and thoughts!

keep us posted if you buy something!

 

[Brooks]

I didn’t know Subaru and Prius were so badass.....my bad. MaybeI I should look into getting a couple for the ranch and get rid of these F350’s......lol

 

[_Scooter_]

I didn’t know Subaru and Prius were so badass.....my bad. MaybeI I should look into getting a couple for the ranch and get rid of these F350’s......lol

Sounds like you're just trolling. Again, nobody here has said Subarus or Prius' are ranch vehicles.

You're basically making a straw man argument here. The topic of the thread is about hunting vehicles, not ranch vehicles. If someone was arguing that a Prius was an adequate vehicle for ranch work I'd for sure disagree with them and take your side, but last time I checked this is a hunting forum and nobody was talking about vehicles suitable for ranch work.

Maybe this would be a better forum for you: https://www.haytalk.com/forums/forum/99-ranching-forums/

This one looks like something you may be into as well: https://sementank.com

Wonder how many of those barrels of semen could be hauled by that F350 of yours? No disagreement here that an F350 could haul WAY more bull semen than my Subaru. No arguing that one. You'd win hands down.

 

[BrianSmart]

Never listened to that podcast, but have listened to Dave Ramsey for a bit in the past. Funny thing is I discovered Dave Ramsey AFTER I got myself out of debt, and they way he describes doing it is really close to what I basically did on my own, the main difference being the credit card usage. He doesn't believe in credit cards. I used/use credit cards to actually repair my credit score, with the only caveat being you absolutely CANNOT use them irresponsibly otherwise you're going to get screwed. I think they're a great tool to help fix a bad credit score, establish a good credit history and utilize miles and points.

I left Colorado about 5 years ago and came to California as a travel nurse. Ended up staying here and taking a staff position because RN's here make more than double what they make in Denver, and Denver ain't cheap anymore. Was smart about how I spent my money, rented a tiny little shack (literally was an uninsulated in-law unit in someone's backyard) for a few years, didn't buy a snowboard pass for 3 years, and my vacations only consisted of road trips and camping. Didn't fly anywhere, etc. I also didn't kill myself by working tons of OT, I just didn't spend much and anything extra I had went toward the debt. I Ppid off like $87k in a little under 3 years. Also have like 4 months of an emergency fund saved up now, and the goal is to have 6 months saved u pretty soon. A few years ago my credit score was literally under 600. After doing a bit of research and talking to people who know way more about money than I do (that wasn't easy since people really don't like talking about money/is a very personal subject), my credit score is now over 800. Learned how to play the game and use credit and credit cards to my advantage, never carry a balance, never buy anything I don't have the cash to pay for (and just use the credit cards to keep a good credit history going and to get the points). I pay off my card every other week as soon as I get paid from work. I really was a moron and very irresponsible financially, so if I can turn things around, pretty much anyone can. With that said I also don't have kids and I'm single, so it was a lot easier for me because I don't have the expenses that come along with having kids, could pick up and move somewhere that paid more, and was able to make some pretty crazy temporary financial sacrifices that a spouse may not have been in agreement with.

Recently got approved for a mortgage but cant bring myself to buy a crappy little house out here in a crappy part of town to still be close to work, and don't want to buy in a nicer area that would literally mean a 1.5 hour commute because of the awful Bay Area traffic. Plus I want to move in the next couple years anyway, maybe back to somewhere in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, etc.

Decided to go back to school for a graduate degree. I've always wanted to go back to school but haven't because I dont want anymore debt, but after looking at what nurses make in those states I listed above compared to what an Nurse Practitioner makes in the same areas, the cost of the graduate degree is pretty much in line with how much more I'd make in one year as an NP compared to an RN.

I hate having debt. It really had been liberating to pay it all off. I sleep better at night, when an unexpected expense comes my may it isn't that big of a deal beaus I dont have other revolving debt that a lot of my pay is already allocated for, and the emergency fund is just extra insurance. I just wish I would have done this 10 years ago.

Jobs after I I thought about going back to school for a long time as well! But I just switched jobs after 25 years and figure what’s the point now because I’m making a little bit more money and I’m looking at 56 more years I’m go into a soft retirement. Fingers crosses!

 

[_Scooter_]

Jobs after I I thought about going back to school for a long time as well! But I just switched jobs after 25 years and figure what’s the point now because I’m making a little bit more money and I’m looking at 56 more years I’m go into a soft retirement. Fingers crosses!

You've been working for 25 years and you plan on working 56 more before considering a soft retirement?! How old are you? Or did you forget a hyphen in there between the 5 and 6?!

 

[The Ri Guy]

I saved my pennies for ~10 years and bought a Chevy Colorado ZR2 Diesel specifically for hunting and daily driving, traded in my VW Rabbit (carried deer in the back just fine).

Beast of a hunting rig, I can go many, many places that small cars and larger trucks can't get thanks to the front and rear locking diffs and narrow profile. I highly recommend it if you don't need to tow anything heavy and do limited hauling (besides all the big bucks and bulls you'll kill, obviously). I will say the extended cab can be tight, but what do you expect from a mid-size truck? The 6' bed for hauling my hunting shit was more important to me than being able to haul people 1% of the time.

Held it's value decently as well, Dealership I ordered it from quoted me $27k to buy it back from me (ordered new at ~$40k) as it's in essentially perfect condition. No issues besides a diesel injector that was busted from the factory and covered under warranty.

 

[_Scooter_]

I saved my pennies for ~10 years and bought a Chevy Colorado ZR2 Diesel specifically for hunting and daily driving, traded in my VW Rabbit (carried deer in the back just fine).

Beast of a hunting rig, I can go many, many places that small cars and larger trucks can't get thanks to the front and rear locking diffs. I highly recommend it if you don't need to tow anything heavy and do limited hauling (besides all the big bucks and bulls you'll kill, obviously). I will say the extended cab can be tight, but what do you expect from a mid-size truck? The 6' bed for hauling my hunting shit was more important to me than being able to haul people 1% of the time.

Held it's value decently as well, Dealership I ordered it from quoted me $27k to buy it back from me (ordered new at ~$40k) as it's in essentially perfect condition. No issues besides a diesel injector that was busted from the factory and covered under warranty.

I've been impressed with the newer Colorados. Much nicer truck than the newer Tacomas.

 

[The Ri Guy]

I've been impressed with the newer Colorados. Much nicer truck than the newer Tacomas.

I just saw your post above about MPG going down after a topper.

I have a topper (~200 lbs) and average ~30 MPG on the highway depending how crazy I'm driving. My commute to work is only 0.8 Miles in the Seattle area (stop and go) and even with that MPG killer factored in I'm averaging 23 MPG over 38k miles. It's also VERY nice to be able to zip into Compact Parking spots no problem. In hindsight I wish I had gotten the 4 door with shorter bed, as I can only fit one carseat and rarely actually need the full 6' bed, but oh well!

Great little truck, highly recommend.

 

[Tallfeller454]

To be honest I think you would do fine with a small lift and tires on your Subaru. It really depends on how far you are wanting to get away. Most of the roads we take to our hunting spots in Montana and Colorado you would do fine in a Subaru. This is my build so far. I do a decent amount of towing and usually tow a trailer to to Montana so that is why I have a diesel.