If you could have just one vehicle to fish and hunt out of what would it be and why? myself Ive been looking around at four wheel drive vans figured I could set up the inside w/bed,stove,heat etc. still be able to pull a boat trailer and be able to get around in some of the areas I like to hunt and fish.

Extended cab silverado with either a canopy or toneau.

If you really need to go AWAY from fishing/hunting for heat that bad, just set up a camp site for a few days... get some propane heaters or somethin.

You'll look better on the road and drive better off the road.

Just my $.02

Curtis

my truck

lemon yellow '79 toyota 4x4. lo range is great for getting out of those mudhole backroads by the nisqually

3/4 ton turbo diesel, Dodge, Chevy, Ford they all make a good one, along with some 410 gears and a set of good traction tires, nothing has stoped me yet? (knock on wood)

Rather than trying to get one do everything vehicle; why not have 2? Buy an older 24' RV for the get out of town stuff and a 2 or 3 year old full size pickup. You'll end up with 2 rigs for the price of a new truck.

I am an old suby nut.I love the 84 4wd wagons.They get great gas mileage.Are extremly simple,which means they do not break down and when something does wear out its an easy fix.They will literaly crawl there way anywhere with the 4wd.I owned a 4wd nissan truck that could not do half of what the little wagon did off road.They carry lots of gear and you can sleep in the back in a pinch.

My first one went 256 miles before I wrecked it.It still had the original clutch starter and water pump.The alternator did wear out around 200,000.There is a pic of it over on a certain wannabe guides site.The wanabe guide is making fun of it.I giggle every time I think about it.

My current wagon should be a comercial.The odometer broke at 345,000 miles.The owner figures it is well over 4oo,ooo miles old.It still has the original clutch and starter.It runs like a top.It had an compresion check done at 327,000 that show 145-150 all the way around.It does have rust issues as it comes from the hood canal but I am proud to own her.

I built my own rack for the top that includes a 6" round tube 5' 6" long that holds all my rods with the reels attached.So if you see an old soob with a rocket launcher on top it is me and my river rat.

I have a Ford Bronco and it works well for both. I can sleep in the back in the deep woods, put a deer in the back with the seat folded down, pull a trailer, and its crappy enough to leave at a takeout with no worries. You could also buy one of those 1960's camp trailers to pull for about 700 bucks, just make sure its single axle to be able to turn it around on logging roads. A used Bronco is only about 4 grand.

[QUOTE] You will be mistaken for a brush picker and get harassed by the "renewable resource cops" :p

That cracks me up it already happened to me on the mainline road out on the coast in a buddy's van. Real nice old timer that worked for a timber company stopped us to see if we had any brush pickers in the back then proceeded to talk our ears off for the next hour or so.

3/4 ton 4WD with canopy to haul those slabs home Whatever you get , "Dont Forget The Winch"

Being one of those evil conservative Republicans I simply had to have one of those secret service SUVs so It's the black Suburban LT with dark tinted windows..a 3/4 ton 2500 4WD with the 454 Vortec. That baby gets 10 miles per gallon whether it is towing the triple axle trailer or just me. BUT I can tow my large boat anywhere anytime at freeway speeds without a wimper. I can carry 8 passengers with all the seats in or all the camping gear and two 150qt coolers and all the rods and reels with seats folded flat. Everything nice and clean and dry inside. In four wheel low I can almost climb a tree. I towed my 25' boat to Sekiu a few years back with 18" of snow on the ground. Snow and ice all the way with no problems. Shoveling the snow out of the boat so we could fish was more work that driving with that big boat behind me. It is like sitting in your recliner at home driving to and from Westport or Sekiu. And the heated leather seats hold up well to beer spills. Even has front and rear air conditioning. A pretty versatile vehicle that is well made and has had not problems yet.

Luv my old Toy (89) pickup with cheap topper.

btw - what's a Brush Picker?

3/4 ton, 4 wheel drive V-10 Dodge ram. It is great anywhere you want to go, but there better be a few gas stations along the way! I am currently in the process of building a unit for the canopy. I want to make an area to sleep, and a few lockable drawers in there. I'm building them so they are hidden and very securely locked.... Then its off to build a driftboat!

Hey Grandpa2 you have the same ride I do but mine is dark green. I have only had mine afew months what an awesume ride. No wonder people call them a Texas Cadillac.

Grandpa / Duraboat,
We all have the same rig.Mine is a 2001 black with over sized all terrains.This is a sweet ride.Can't feel the drift boat and can only feel the 26' travel trailer when the wind blow's.
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

My best ever was a 1990 Aerostar van. It was all wheel drive, had pleanty of power to pull my 19 foot boat, was good to sleep in, got 20 mph, and had a great place to sit and change out of waders under the open hatch. I wish I still had it.

STRIKE ZONE/ Grandpa,
Mine gets the same mileage as Grandpas around town 10 mpg. But on a trip to Eugene Ore. I made it there and back on one tank of gas it got 15.2 mpg. Is that about what you guys get on the highway?

Are your Suburbans all 3/4 ton? the 2500 or the 1500? The newer ones have differents engines . My 1999 has the last 454 Vortec.

Grandpa,
Yep mine is a 1996 3/4 ton with the vortec 454.But its a GMC not a Chevy.

Aunty,
Yes the diesels get better mileage. But after riding in a school bus for 5 years of my life I couldnt bring myself into buying a truck that sounds and smells like one

Grandpa / Duroboat,
Mine is a 2001 2500 3/4 ton 8.1 or 454 vortec
LT auto ride.Believe in or not we get 15-17 mpg on the HWY and around 12 in town.That's with BFG Goodrich 285 all-terrains on it.We love this ride.
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

STRIKE ZONE,
The 454's are 7.4 liter. I think your newer 8.1 liter must be a 502. ethier way a very nice ride indeed.

For me, it's mid '80's GMC diesel conversion vans... they are cheap... cheap to buy, great mileage for what they are, good reliability and awesome comfort... they've got captain's chairs and a queen sized bed in the back!

I've got two of them, both have the non-turbo 6.2L Detroit diesel, STAY AWAY from the earlier 5.7L GMC diesel. If you need more power than the 6.2 produces, go for the later 6.5L NA or the 6.5TD motor, it's the same block as the 6.2 but different heads (and it's the same motor as the H1 Hummers) but it's rare to find a turbo diesel in a van, they don't fit in there all that well. There are a few different types of turbos for the GMC's, the center-mount turbo motors that H1 Hummers have DO fit.

I keep track of my mileage religiously, (like EVERY tankful) and I get average 20.5mpg day in and day out, whether I'm going to Seattle or just back and forth to work in Sequim... they are my daily drivers. Towing my 19' Custom Weld, I get 15mpg. I've even tried biodiesel, and in my rigs, I get about 1.5mpg less with b100.

My first GMC van I bought with 84,000 miles on it, it's now got 320,000 miles on it and needs the heads resleeved. My second van I bought with 144,000 miles on it (just broken in) it now has 159,000 miles on it and is going strong... the 6.2's and earlier 6.5's use a inexpensive and reliable mechanical injection pump, you need to put an injection pump in them every 150,000 miles or so ($325), and injectors every 80,000 miles or so ($25 each)... compare those prices to what you'd pay for the same parts on a PowerStroke or Cummins... granted, those are different motors with lots more power and worse milage... but if you don't need it, why pay for it?

My dream? To convert my original GMC van over to 4WD... some day...

-N.

Duroboat,
Your right it is the 502 8.1 I spaced on the spec's.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I didn't realize how many Suburban owners there were...me too.

I have a 1993 GMC 3/4 ton 7.4L 4X4 with 148k on it. Motor burns a little oil, but still runs strong. Unfortunately, I had to get the tranny rebuilt last year.

My neighbor is selling a 1996 GMC 3/4 ton 7.4L 4X4 that only has 68k miles on it. I think he's asking around $10k.

Boy CDS your neighbors rig sounds like a real bargin. When I was shopping for a 3/4 ton big block last july they were fairly hard to find. And really hard to find a 1994-1998 with under 100000 miles.

I agree DB...I'd buy it, but I already paid for the new tranny.

It's clean, too. Blue & green two-tone with running boards. Dark blue interior.

The newer 2000-2003 Suburbans have totally different engines than my 454 Vortec. The newer ones have different blocks and get higher mileage with higher torque and hp. I think that 8.1 has a tow rating of 12,000lbs!.

the 8.1 is 496 c.i.