Preston Gladd's overland-equipped Ram 2500 is not built for looks—it's pure functionality. Gladd cut his teeth operating HMMWVs in the military, crawled the trails with his 1991 Jeep Wrangler, and eventually found that with a growing family and more gear, he needed a 4x4 with fewer flashy modifications and a lot more room to move.
"Stock 2500 trucks are plenty capable," Preston told us, citing other attributes like fuel range and longevity as reasons for selecting his 2017 Ram 2500 Mega Cab. The 6.7-liter diesel had the grunt he needed whether hauling a trailer or a payload of adventure gear, and the truck's heavy-duty platform was more than capable of handling the rough treks he had on his agenda. The "Mega Cab" in its name meant the truck was more than spacious enough for additional occupants to join him on journeys, and Preston began planning out upgrades to make off-grid recreation in his 4x4 even more comfortable.
Preston finds just about as much joy in tinkering as he does in exploring, and the Ram is a prime example. From the cab to the pop-up truck camper, he has built, torn down, and rebuilt a system (or three) for most backcountry tasks, from morning coffee and power management to bedding down at night and that oh-so-refreshing middle-of-nowhere shower. No matter the duration of a trip, be it a three-day weekend or a multi-month expedition, Preston can adjust the truck's loadout so that no niceties are spared when traveling away from civilization.
Preston will tell anyone that the Ram's factory axles and gears do an exceptional job of handling the 37-inch Falken Wildpeak A/T3W tires and AEV Katla wheels. There's a limited-slip in the rear differential and Preston maintains he hasn't been in any situation where he's wished for a different gear ratio or lockers.
Bilstein's 5112 leveling kit with heftier coils and 2.5-inch shocks keeps the Ram riding smooth and gives the tires room to work between the truck and the trail. Air Lift airbags in the back paired with the Thuren fabrication front anti-roll bar keep Preston's adventure payload in check no matter the terrain.
"Bumpers just add weight and cool-guy factor," says Preston. For him, a Westin winch tray and X-Bull 12,000-pound-capacity winch with synthetic line are a fine combo for recovery tasks. Amazon-sourced amber LEDs at each end of the tray spread light down low on the trails, and if either of them bite the dust, Preston will have no trouble replacing them.
Preston experimented with ground tents, in-bed tents, a camper shell, and a rack-mounted above-the-bed tent before opting for his Snap! Outfitters pop-up. Mere moments before committing to a different company's pop-up shell, Preston discovered a smokin' deal on this one, with options better suited for his needs to boot.
The birch plywood here once housed a battery box, but Preston repurposed the wood for his console, aka "the truck's junk drawer." It's stocked with water bottle storage, USB and 12V charging, and rocker switches. Preston secures his devices with various RAM mounts and he keeps a Yaesu FT-857D tri-band radio up front for comms.
"I love backcountry showers, and if I don't have to go a day without one, I won't." Preston's need for on-demand hot water is satisfied by the propane-powered Joolca HotTap Nomad system. In its current iteration (and there have been a few others), Preston's 30-gallon drinking water tank can feed his hot-water tap or dispense ambient-temperature water for camp tasks. The cabinet housing the tank is securely anchored to the bed, and serves as a kitchen counter. There's a diesel heater stowed alongside the housing for colder camps.
Dual 100-watt solar panels on the roof work with the truck's alternator to keep Preston's dual battery system topped-off. Marine-grade fuse blocks, a Renogy charge controller, and a 2,200-watt inverter are all mounted to the rear of the shell.
Traveling with family means limiting potentially unpleasant experiences, and Preston has toilet use covered. He carries a five-gallon bucket with a toilet seat and absorbent pellets, a fold-out toilet with chemicals and a liner, and a cassette toilet, to satisfy anyone's needs in the bush. DeWALT storage boxes latch together and contain all Preston's food, tools, and camping gear.
In building this truck Preston has gained a growing respect for off-road trailers. As he sees it, a trailer is a great option because it can be built small, can sleep a whole family, can fit anywhere the full-size truck can, and makes it so that most of the gear doesn't need to be repacked and rearranged for each outing—it stays in the trailer.
In episode 1 of the new video series 4x4 Garage , host Christian Hazel tears down the suspension of a 1988 Ford Bronco for a 6-inch Superlift system and dives into the axles to prep them for new 4.88 gears and Eaton TrueTrac differentials to support the 37x12.50R17 Falken A/T3W all-terrain tires for awesome performance. Want to see more? Subscribe to the MotorTrend YouTube channel!