In the wilds of South Dakota, a man named Wes builds badass 4x4s. You may know him as @BlackHillsBuilds on Instagram, and he's our newest Build of the Month feature. As an employee of the legendary C4 Fabrication, Wes knows a thing or two about outfitting a truck for off-road use. His 2022 Nissan Frontier Pro4x is an exercise in balance:
So, does your rig have a nickname?
I've never been one to name my trucks, but according to my son Oliver I have "Daddy's Brown Truck" and "Daddy's White Truck." The Frontier is the brown truck.
Do you use your vehicle for work, play, or both?
The Frontier is my daily driver/commuter as well as the family adventure rig.
What kinds of fun stuff do you get up to with your vehicle?
We do a good amount of exploring in the Black Hills and camping as a family. I also use the truck to do some mild offroading, the Land Cruiser handles the hard stuff. I plan to do more hunting with the truck and DECKED setup this fall. I'll be using my Teardrops NW trailer as a basecamp for a few hunts and taking the truck out each morning.
What’s your approach to cargo management?
I've been through just about every approach under the sun when it comes to gear storage/cargo management. I've finally landed on what I think is the perfect setup. A full DECKED Drawer System allows me to have secure, dry storage of items I want to keep in my truck on a daily basis. The organization is awesome. Up top, a Fas-Top Solo soft topper.
This allows me to be able to still toss in random gear above the DECKED and not have to worry about strapping stuff down all the time. The soft topper keeps items that are loose from blowing away/out of the bed at highway speed and keeps everything not in the drawers dry. When I need to load something large, I'll just move the soft topper to the bulkhead of the truck and strap it down.
Has DECKED changed the way you use your vehicle?
DECKED has allowed me to organize items I keep with me at all times. Tools, ratchet straps, recovery gear, additional clothing items. All of these are now stored in my drawers and out of the way, but easily accessible if/when I need them.
How has DECKED improved your adventures?
The convenience factor of DECKED has been a game changer for me. Now that I'm not always taking an inventory of my gear and moving stuff around, I can just jump in the truck and go. I know everything I'll need is right behind me in my Drawer System.
2022 Nissan Frontier Pro4x
Dobinsons IMS 3” suspension
- coilovers
- rear leafs rated for 500 lbs
- billet upper control arms
Timbren active off-road bump stops front and rear
sPOD switch system and touch screen
Baja Designs 30” light bar
Baja Designs Squadron Pro ditch lights
CBI Offroad low profile front bumper
CBI Offroad full steel skids
CBI Offroad steel step sides
Smittybilt X20 Gen3 winch
RAM Tough-Track
™
accessory system
Fas-Top Solo soft topper
Radar Renegade RT tires 295/70R17
DX4 Bronco wheels
Midland Radio - MXT400
