Video

@dannymcneal hope it helped you get some ideas for your set up!

@@youraveragejoeadventures - Sure did! Thanks a bunch!

@dannymcneal After some more research, it seems that the guy who got that letter from the NPS went on a specific trail that was "4x4 only." But you are correct. AWDs take a little bit more time to distribute power because of their open differentials, which leads to the loss of power when the wheels are spinning. I think it's going to be hard to enforce this rule but I also feel like AWDs have come a long way and are more than capable nowadays especially when people modify their cars (lift kit, more aggressive tires, taking off their bumpers, etc) and you can even add lockers to some AWDs like the outbacks. After going from my Subaru Outback Wilderness to my Ford Raptor, there's just way less drama with going off road. You don't need much power to go off road but gearing is really important. Also wheel articulation is important too. Most easy trails can be done in normal cars but trail conditions are always changing. Even an easy trail can get so difficult after a wash out or when it's raining/snowing. If any new concrete details come out of this or if this turns out to be a non issue in the future, I will make another video to update everyone. A lot of my friends drive AWDs on the trails and all their cars are pretty capable because of mods.

@@youraveragejoeadventures - Thanks for an excellent reply-agree with all!!

@dannymcneal thank you for watching! Do you go off road a lot in your Subaru?

@@youraveragejoeadventures - I haven’t gone off-road yet-only steep driveways (14% grade) with ruts and rocks. But I was excited to use X-mode then, just because I could. 😝 I’m researching instant tents at the moment, as I’m now a single guy again.

@dannymcneal when I was camping alone I would sleep in the back of the wagon. It would fit you comfortably by yourself as long as you're not taller than 6ft. I added a cargo box of top to carry all my gear. It works well when camping in the rain, snow or even a really windy day. If you haven't done so, check out how we used to sleep in our car here. czcams.com/video/n8GAdu42dJY/video.htmlsi=lh5Y1El8MWA2kxiJ

@@youraveragejoeadventures - Thanks! I actually bought me a kid-size mattress and it fits the back perfectly-I’m only 5’ 6” short.

@dannymcneal Nice. You'll have plenty of room. My wife and I plus our 2 dogs fit us comfortably. So you should have no issues.

@IanCanlas If you pause the video at about 30 seconds in and zoom in, we were at 5582 miles when we hit this trail. It was the first trail we did in this car. I know the stock tires last about 55k miles but the trail isn't too bad as long as you take it nice and slow. Trail conditions are always changing though so I would look at your tires and make sure you still have some thread on them before going.

@@youraveragejoeadventures yea after our break in period we went straight to the trail and put our OBW through some tough ones too haha thanks for the reply 👍🏽👍🏽

@sacramentofoodforest I should have bought the Raptor sooner. It's been way better for the family for sure. 👍🏽

@altairjb we did a lot of off roading and so I would say the ground clearance and the gearing. We have since gotten rid of it for a 4x4 because at the end of the day, we needed more capability. It just couldn't do some of the trails we were trying to go on. I know everyone's needs are different but for our situation, I would rather have more capability than good MPGs. The MPGs were just a little shocking to us becuase it was only a 4 cylinder engine like a civic, but the turbos and height of this car made it eat gas like it was a v8 or something. The 4runner got about 15 MPGs but at least that car has a true 4x4 and better wheel articulation. Great car while we had it though. If you wanted to see what we traded it in for, check it out here. czcams.com/video/3sS31GQ8yD8/video.htmlsi=3w0rxJxWwtu0l9lW

@@youraveragejoeadventures that makes sense. I just came across that one video by chance and I was honestly curious. People have different needs for sure. I did not buy my outback for offroading, that's for sure, and I had my mind set on the atmo engine. But I am cheap, ahahah. The extra space (compared to my Mazda 3), the AWD and wanting a wagon that was decent on gas, that's what sold me on the outback.

@altairjb yes, having a wagon that could get us through the snow and dirt was awesome. It also let us car camp in the back with all the space you get when the seats are folded. A really good value and a lot of car for the price. It was the jack of all trades kinda car. Not really the best at anything but can do a little bit of everything.

@@xColter we keep them lightly cracked along with the sunroof. The first time we car camped in the winter, we had icicle build up on the inside of the car due to condensation.

@@setoman1 yeah, that would be sick! 👍🏽

@tbaylo4034 I agree, the Wilderness had excellent ground clearance as a stock car but gearing is just as important. I wonder how they are gonna be able to tell what 4x4s have a locking diff? Some trucks are only 2WD with a locking diff too. I wanna see how this plays out.

@will_in_texas they just released the 2025 model and it looks exactly the same. Ours was a 2022 when they first released it. So it might be another 2-3 years for the redesign but will be worth it for you.

Redesign for 2026 confirmed. Your going to be very surprised

@@beezzyy1175 I can't wait to see it 👍🏽

@henryspier5987 it was my first time here and it was very beautiful! This video doesn't do it justice.

@RareGenXer I don't mind the touch screen as long as it works properly. I can understand maybe 10 years ago but in 2024, most touch screens are pretty responsive. Of course, physical buttons are still safer because it doesn't require you to take your eyes off the road. We have since gotten rid of this car at the beginning of this year for a 4x4 since we go off road more than the average person.

@@Rubens89 it was the spark! 👍🏽

Omag

😂😂😂😂😂😂

@rufaimuhammadaminu6873 I also made a video of the things I love about this car after 25000 miles. You should check it out if you haven't done so. But I'm also not sponsored and like to give my honest opinion about the good AND the bad with my reviews. Like you said, all cars have their faults and I'm just sharing my experience while I had this car. We have since gotten rid of it because we off road a lot and for us, it was worth it to get a true 4x4. I made a video on what we replaced it with if you want to check it out. 👍🏽 Also if you haven't heard, Toyota has released a huge engine recall on all their cars. Ive owned toyotas 4 in my lifetime too and currently own a prius prime right now and never had issues with them but all their 2023 and newer cars are are having engine problems. Even one of the most reliable known company's can have a catastrophic recall. Look it up.

@@thiagocaetano8578 need that 4x4 tacoma trd pro

@Clevelandsteamer324 damn....you're right😎

@goneoutside1011 congratulations on the new car! Let me know how it is now. Hopefully Subaru addressed some of the issues we were having with it. We also traded our Subaru Outback Wilderness in but not for another Outback. We overland and go offroad a lot so we had to get something with more off road capability. Whenever you have a chance, check out what we traded for here! czcams.com/video/Dgpg8hHi5zI/video.htmlsi=OJf_s6EZUb2mdeHx

@jeremybroxterman8591 I agree. There is no excuse for a poor entertainment system in 2024, especially when everything is integrated into it. I've had older cars with more responsive touchscreen systems. We have since gotten rid of this car. 😅

@jontnoneya3404 @jontnoneya3404 thank you for the positive feedback! We really wanted to love this car but after the honeymoon phase with it, you definitely notice some things that need to be improved. Since we do off road more than the average person, we have since gotten rid of this car and replaced it with a true 4x4. Check it out here if you haven't done so🙂 czcams.com/video/3sS31GQ8yD8/video.htmlsi=qAuthtlJTtjMKfsM

@@youraveragejoeadventures - will do.I'm interested to learn what you got instead and how you like it. I'm currently in the market and the Subarus were looking pretty good but not not. Holy crap.

@jontnoneya3404 for us, off road capability was high on our priority list so unless you off road a lot, it might not make sense for you. But let me know what you think whenever you have time to watch it. 👍🏽

@@youraveragejoeadventures - haha Raptor huh? Well not what I expected at all but that's a proper off road vehicle for sure. I think I saw where you said you're giong to look for a camper but you might want to check out Project Farm, I think it was their channel that said "Why you should never buy a camper" and it was an enlightening video. You might want to look around for it cuz it might not have been his. He was saying just the sheer management of it all made it the worst option for him. Obviously might NOT be the worst for you but definitely do some research as I was surprised what it's like to live with a truck camper. he said basically there are way better options. Anyways - hope y'all have fun and I'm about to dump my 2013 Ford Explorer sport cuz of tranny issues at 78k miles. HINT Don't ever get a tranny flush and fill EVER. Just do drain and fill at the recommended mileage. Flushing pushes particles up into the TCU which clogs it and causes lack of fluid issues. NOT GOOD. Anyways - good luck and your baby is adorable! Cheers

@jontnoneya3404 @jontnoneya3404 thank you sir! We've been in the market for a truck camper for 6 months now and can't really decide on one. We're kind of stuck between the Bruin XL by Orudesign or the Tune M1 by TuneOutdoors but I don't know why I get this unsure feeling about it. I really like the box style truck campers and being able to stand up in it in any weather to rock the baby to sleep, stretch my legs, and cook whether it's raining or snowing. If you haven't seen either camper, I would just google to see what they look like and you'll know what I mean. That being said, none of them is making me want to jump the gun, even though they all look decent. I don't think there is a perfect one out there but I wanna hear someone with an honest review vs people that just bought them and are in love with their "new" camper. Thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely check him out to further help me decide if this is what we really want because none of these options are cheap! Most of the decent ones are about $12-15k and can get even pricier once you add your own customizations to them. So we really want to be sure before we throw down the funds for them. I'll let you know what we decide, if we even get one, in the future. Here is our first adventure in the Raptor that I KNOW the Subaru would have gotten stuck in because we took the Subaru here too and scrape the front bumper and back bumper so many times and it was during the dry summer season. Cheers! czcams.com/video/Dgpg8hHi5zI/video.htmlsi=wVh1oVqomcPjB9gw

@spencermorrow2899 I agree. Which is why we got rid of it when our adventures got a little more technical. Check out what we replaced it with here and tell me what you think. czcams.com/video/3sS31GQ8yD8/video.htmlsi=Iu448F2FmGFcQw2e

@davidpiccolo3039 they are pretty realible and safe but it depends on how someone takes care of their car. Any car can be realible if you keep up with preventative maintenance. Toyota just recalled over 100,000 of their newest Tundras, and Lexus GX600s because of an engine failure on the 2023 and 2024 models. So even a known realible brand like Toyota can have issues. When we owned this car, it had an oil seal leak at only around 4000 miles but it was pretty realible other than that. Unfortunately we got rid of this car at around 30000 miles to get a more capable off road car because we were going off road a lot. So I wouldn't know how realible this car is in the long run. But up to when we sold it, it was realible for us.

@@pingpongballz5998 are you talking about the trail rating?

@@youraveragejoeadventures yes

@pingpongballz5998 it is but we didn't even get to the hard part. Our Subaru Outback Wilderness couldn't even make it past the beginning unless we wanted to take out our front bumper or damage it another way. I used to daily this car when we had it so we decided that it wasn't worth it. We have since gotten rid of it and got our Ford Raptor.

@LeftenantMalachi this car would have been better with a regular 6 speed auto. Since we go off road a lot, the CVT really let us down. We love Subarus though and I know this won't be the last one we get. We have since traded this car in for our Ford Raptor and it's been night and day for us, especially on more technical trails.

@user-pz1qs7ex9q the infotainment system would be better on the horse 😂

@aarontrotter5188 it might of been the XL cargo box we had on top. We kept it on for a majority of the time. But we have since gotten rid of our OBW and replaced it with our Ford Raptor. It's been lifted, 35 inch mud tires and custom front bumper to give us better approach angles. We have 16in of rocker clearance and sits over a foot off the ground. Were getting 15 mpg in it lol but we are happy to trade the mpgs for how much more capable our Raptor is. And it's been way more fun than our OBW. Check out the latest episode on my channel to see it in action 👍🏽 czcams.com/video/Dgpg8hHi5zI/video.htmlsi=t_tOjNa_4YxQ_uj7

@@davidzaragoza9895 truck handled it pretty easy 👍🏽

@josephmdeckman7841 I don't mind the negative comments, it all helps me with the CZcams algorithm and engagement. 🙂 Most of them have probably never owned a Raptor anyways lol Luckily I'm a happy blessed person and I am grateful for everything I have in life, including our Raptor! Its been so fun and makes the trails easier to do than the Subaru. We loved the Subaru though. Im sure this wont be the last one we own. Thank you for the positive feedback! ✌🏽

@josephmdeckman7841 thank you👍🏽 were loving the truck so far. The whole family is way more comfortable in it and we stress a little less on more technical trails.

@Totalyrediclous998 We went a totally different route and picked up a Ford Raptor. The Subaru was great but as our adventures grew, so did our needs for more capability. We enjoyed it while we had it though. 👍🏽

@nunyobizkneez Luckily there are time stamps so you can skip to whatever section you want. 👍🏽 some people say I'm not thorough enough and some will say I repeat myself. I can't please everybody. But if you're in the market for this car, there are better options out there.

@@cm-vr7qs Thanks! We will post another video if we make it to the lake 👍🏽

@cm-vr7qs someone commented on this video telling me that I didn't know how to drive lol I had another tell me they did it in a Toyota camry...i dont know if they are lying but like you said, if you're ok with a couple dings and some minor damage, then it is doable. Our 2022 Outback Wilderness never gave us any over heating issues. They put a really good stock transcooler in it. After seeing a bunch of videos on CZcams, we really wanted to make it. We will be back with our Ford Raptor!

Yeah, not sure about a Camry… Take your time on spotting and it’ll be fine. It’s a crap shoot as to what camp spots are open until you actually get there. The river spot to camp is great too, it’s about half way to the lake.

@cm-vr7qs From the videos, it seems to be a lot busier on the weekends. We will try to go in the middle on the week. 👍🏽

@@Shaaaawday Thank you 😊 You're going on the next adventure!

@thiagocaetano8578 next trip is gonna be even crazier 😄 bring your tools! 🤣

@setoman1 it definitely did. But since we car camp inside the car, it was worth having. 👍🏽

@@patrick-rb3ul were you trying to buy one?

@mrs.c5471 I would recommend getting a separate power station for it. Depending on how long your camping trip is, I would say a 1000 wH would be ideal. We started with a 500 wH and when you use the freezer, it can kill that battery size in less than a day. As long as you have really good sun for that day, your solar panel should be able to charge your battery while it's powering on the fridge. The fridge will turn itself off and on intermittently and will not constantly draw 50w. Especially if you only use both sides as a fridge, it'll turn on to get to temperature then turn itself off until the temp rises inside. And if you keep it closed, it should keep the temperature inside the fridge pretty well because of its insulated walls. I know the battery you can get for it is small and can only run your fridge for 3-4 hours. I think that's more for day use at the beach or something. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions 👍🏽

@@youraveragejoeadventures Thanks for replying, what everyone seems to be missing, is the unit itself has a solar input, which means you can plug a 100W (they recommend) directly into the unit "to charge the battery". I have 2 Anker power stations, a 767 and the Solix1000. I know they will run the unit, but i can't get a clear answer as to WHY they wouldn't have a separate charger just for the battery. I plan on using my 200W Anker solar panel which falls within the perimeters and hopefully provides at least 50 watts of power so I can leave the unit ON while I charge the battery.

@mrs.c5471 that's a good question but unfortunately I don't know. I've only used my unit with one of my portable power stations. I never bought the actual battery built for the fridge because i knew it wouldn't last as long as I needed it too. BougeRV has a very good customer support system though that you can reach out too on their website. I would ask them directly.

@user-nu4iw7sy8l I agree 👍🏽 a back up car would have been great. We probably would have kept going if we had another vehicle with us.

@PineTreePal besides the infotainment, we also wanted a more capable vehicle. So we traded it in for a 4x4. We go off roading a lot so it was worth it for us to switch out vehicles. That being said, I had a 2019 Subaru Forester Sport before the Outback Wilderness and that one had a great responsive system with physical buttons for the things I use while driving. I don't get how a newer model would go backwards in terms of infotainment. No cars in 2024 should have a slow infotainment especially when they equip all the cars with touch screens. Even our older 2010 prius has a responsive infotainment screen. This could just be our experience but I've seen a lot of people complain about this. For the price of the car, it should work properly.

@williamstevenson8518 I agree. Definitely not stock Subaru friendly. Our lifted Ford Raptor made it with ease too. Ground clearance is definitely key for this one. There's only half a mile of really rocky sections but it's going uphill too which made hard for us this day.

@@williamstevenson8518 I would personally recommend at least 10 inches of ground clearance unless you don't mind damaging your vehicle a little bit.

We just did it last weekend in a stock Outback, not the wilderness model. Trail was extremely rough and rocky, good spotting and patience. Minor trail damage to bumpers and some bottoming out. We have photos and videos of the run.

@cm-vr7qs nice! Unfortunately my wife was not comfortable spotting or driving up the trail, since it was only us 2, we just ended up turning around. At the time of making this video, the car was still fairly new for us and we were babying it lol, the wife didn't want to put a single scratch on it but she's since accepted the fact that things like that can happen when we off road. But we have since gotten rid of our Subaru Outback Wilderness and updated to a Raptor. Not saying the Outback couldn't make it but having a 4x4 definitely makes all the trails we've been on since just a lot easier with no drama. We have a little bit more experience now so we will be back to attempt this trail again soon👍🏽

@sqd8r haha he's a big boy. It was tough to car camp with us 3 so we decided to get a truck with a truck cap camper to accommodate the new baby plus our 2 dogs. We're able to stand up in it while it's raining or snowing and it's been night and day in terms of capability and space. Plus we might be having another one soon 😉 Next car might be a Sprinter for us once the kids get older 👍🏽

It definitely does but since we sleep and car camp in the back, we needed a cargo box to store all of our gear. Is your infotainment laggy on your 2024 OBW? We had the 2022 version.

@@youraveragejoeadventures @youraveragejoeadventures Yea, sometimes, it is! But not terrible so far. I have noticed that it is laggy just after i start the engine for around a minute. Then the response improves. But generally it is not a fast infotainment system.

@mapletreerocker 👍🏽 Are you going to be using it to go on trails or off road?

@@youraveragejoeadventures Not yet. But yes, I want to take it for camping and trails soon. Not for too much off roading as I am kinda aware of its limitations as an off roader. Also the rig is in its stock condition completely.

@mapletreerocker We left ours completely stock too. It's pretty capable for what it is. It's been great in sand, snow and mud for us as well. Have fun on your adventures! 👍🏽

@mlmora09 I have the Thule roof rails and a XL Thule cargo box. They worked great on ours and highly recommended 👍🏽 Congratulations on the new car!

Thank you! This is my first big car buy. I'm very excited to have the wilderness!

@@mlmora09 You will love it! 👍🏽 Are you planning on taking it on the trails?

Hello! Thanks for subscribing 👍🏽

@@youraveragejoeadventures you’re welcome

I agree 👍🏽 or even a standard 6 speed automatic would be better than the CVT transmission it has now!

@@youraveragejoeadventures much better, I hate these CVT’s they use now.

@jimscarnivorekitchen4731 that's why we switched to a 4x4. It's night and day when it comes to off roading!

Do you have any other options you are thinking of? The subaru outback wilderness is still a great car but for our needs, we just needed something more capable. It was a great everyday car for us when we had it.

@@youraveragejoeadventures Yah, thinking of the Toyota Fortuner as well (Australia). It's just a little more exy that's all. Thank you for your reviewe

@ihn2023 you're welcome. If you're going to be doing some off roading, I would personally get the 4runner over the Outback. If you're not going off road, then the Subaru Outback would be a good choice.