When looking for an off-road truck or SUV, we’re partial to Raptors. It is the truck that helped create Offroad Alliance, after all, so they’re pretty important to us. Chris has us beat, though. Chris didn’t just build his Raptor for off-roading. It’s meant to be a family vehicle that’s strengthening their bonds while introducing the next generation to the off-roading sports we all love, but don’t worry, his Raptor still has plenty of power for the off-roading goals that lie ahead.

Dedication or Addiction? Why Not Both.

Chris likes to jokingly call his passion for custom vehicles an addiction, but we see it as pure dedication. He grew up turning wrenches, and it’s a habit he hasn’t lost through at least 25 personal vehicles since he turned 18. The pattern is clear: buy, build out, sell to move on to the next project. He’s built imports, domestics, sporty speed builds, and rugged off-road powerhouses. He even volunteered his time and expertise to customizing a vehicle for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. What we’re saying is that Chris is our kind of guy. 

Chris was happy in his Toyota 4Runner. It had good legs, plenty of mobility, and he had run it through some pretty serious off-road outings: Bend, Oregon in the PNW, New Mexico rock climbing, and plenty of back roads he happened across while traveling for work. What it didn’t have was a lot of room for his wife, their two growing sons, and a big dog–especially with all the gear crammed in the cab. Not having room for the family was a pretty big problem.

“My kids have seen more stuff than many people have ever seen–Grand Canyon, Route 66–you name it.”

Chris travels a lot, and sometimes those days stretch into weeks at a time. He wanted a way to share the experiences he found off the road with his family, get some quality time in, and introduce a new generation to the self-sufficiency that comes with knowing your way around a motor and the natural wonders that still exist out in the world once you get away from the asphalt. He needed a new vehicle, and after getting a good price in a home sale, he was positioned to start truck shopping. Boy, did he find a winner on the lot with his 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor.

Second Generation Ford Raptor for Two Generations of Family

Living in Idaho, even Chris’s road driving is a bit more involved than a city commute, so he knew he needed a truck that could give him a good blend of power, control, and ruggedness. The 2018 Raptor is the second year of the second generation of Ford’s super-truck, meaning he was confident the kinks were all worked out and it was ready to perform straight off the lot. The roomy interior offered plenty of space for the family, the bed offered a storage opportunity the 4Runner couldn’t match, and with the addition of a cap, even his 100-pound Golden Retriever would be riding in style. His cap research led him to a forum post discussing RSI SmartCaps, and that’s where he met Nick. Yeah, that Nick.

Making The Bed

It’s hard to go wrong with an RSI SmartCap. Built for the rugged wilderness and desert of South Africa, the modular, stainless steel design is tough as nails. With tight seals and an integral positive-pressure vent fan, it can keep your gear stowed, offer a four-legged family member a safe place to ride, and either provide or support shelter when you’re done for the day and it’s time to bed down for the night. There are several models to choose from, and available accessories give you more storage options, added utility, or even a complete kitchen that’s ready to help you end the day with a proper family meal.

Safety and Security

As you can imagine, Chris puts a lot of emphasis on safety when off-roading with the family, which means you won’t find a trailer hitch bouncing around in his cab. The Decked Drawer System was the perfect choice for organization and storage while still leaving a safe, load-bearing platform under his SmartCap. Equipped with pull-out, bed-length drawers, there’s plenty of room for recovery gear, sporting equipment, and all the other accessories that go with family off-roading. For securing larger or bulkier equipment, optional Core Trax 1000 bars can be added to add customizable anchor points whenever they’re needed. 

Bumped Up Bumper

After talking to Nick, Chris happened across the Addictive Desert Designs Pro Bolt-On V2 bumper, which ended up teaching him a valuable lesson about customizing: sometimes you can get less heartburn if you go ahead and grab your parts all at once. While the cruise control relocation kit was a must, he opted to forgo the light bracket at the time of purchase. When he got ready for it, due to materials shortages, ADD didn’t have the part available any longer. We’re proud to say they showed the same kind of old-school customer service we love to see, giving him plans for custom metal fabrication to get him back on the right track.

More Light For More Adventures

Once the bracket was sorted, he added some LP4 and LP6 light pods from Baja Designs. Baja Designs makes some of the best lights on the market, and they’ve earned that reputation with drivers like Chris, who had seen and run other lights in action that just couldn’t compete. We talked earlier about the backroads Chris runs and the rural area he lives in, which means spotting animals on the roadway after dark is just as important as spotting your wheeling lines when navigating off the road. Chris opted for amber lights that still give plenty of illumination without the same blinding reflection that can occur with white lights in PNW fog. 

Keeping To The Route

When you’ve got your whole family in the truck, you want to make sure you know where you’re going and how to get there. As you can tell, Chris doesn’t skimp on quality where the family is concerned, so he added a Garmin navigation system mounted on a BuiltRight Dash Mount. Garmin systems are renowned for their precision, and that matches perfectly with this rugged mounting kit that secures your electronic devices and keeps them in place over the bumpiest of trails. 

“If I bring everything– including the kitchen sink–I won’t break down.”

Ready For Recovery

Chris has learned over the years that when you don’t have a tool or piece of emergency gear, that’s when you need it. Every run, he makes sure he has some key pieces of gear ready to go. ARB Traction Boards help give your tires the grip they need to pull out of sloppy, loose, or soggy ground. A good shovel, like the Crazy Beaver, can help dig your way out of snow (which is how he learned this particular lesson). Finally, he always carries both a tow strap and a kinetic or recovery rope. While one is perfect for a smooth, even pull back to the garage, the other is better for pulling stuck vehicles free. After seeing plenty of bumper separations and other vehicle damage, Chris also encourages everyone to learn about their recovery tools before they have to put them to use.

What’s in Chris’s Future?

Through his job, Chris has had the unique opportunity to travel and meet with parts manufacturers working with hydraulic systems, and he’s looking forward to upgrading the Raptor’s suspension with live-valve shocks and getting it prepared to manage heavier loads or towing. His dream list also includes an intercooler and blow-off valve, and having recently sold their overland trailer, a rooftop tent could be in the near future. The tent may wait, however, as he’s already set his sights on his next custom vehicle projects–two retired school busses that are slated to become a camper and a camper/vehicle hauler.

As far as destinations, that’s in part up to his work-related travels and where the kids want to go. Chris loves having a tool to show them the places few people get to see. He loves to travel to family-friendly events that have plenty of opportunities for the whole family to participate in, including his bi-annual participation in the Rally North America events and a future trip with several other families up to Alaska. Closer to home, he’s ready to hit some sand dunes and enjoy the ride where his Raptor was built to shine.

Get Your Family Time Off The Beaten Path

We love to hear stories like this because off-roading is and should be for everyone. Chris and his family have strategically built a family vehicle that’s a far cry from your local soccer mom’s minivan, and it doesn’t get much better than that. Whether you want to take your adventures to the extreme or take your family on a once-in-a-lifetime tour through America’s back roads, our experienced team is ready to help. Call us anytime if you need help finding the right parts or run into an installation issue. Order your aftermarket truck and SUV parts from Offroad Alliance today.