Have/Want/Need

HAVE: This is what I have... 99 Tacoma, 4wd automatic, SR5, V6, diff lock, TRD with a camper shell. It was a single owner truck with 121k when I bought it in February 2013.



WANT: I have had this truck almost a year and this is what I want to do... I live in the Midwest. I want to travel all over... Oklahoma, Texas, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, deserts of Arizona & New Mexico, mountains of WY, MT, CA...whatever and where ever my whim takes me. Not really looking to do a ton in the way of trails but if the notion hits I want to be prepared. I have common sense and won't be doing any serious treks through rough rocky terrain..not at first anyway. Living and camping out of the truck for weeks on end...maybe a month or two in the summers.

NEED: What do I need to have outfitted on my truck and learn how to use in the next 2-3 years? I need ideas here, your travel experiences and suggestions. I don't want to forget something important that would be a huge necessity when leaving say.... Glacier National Park and driving to Vancouver in September.

xoxo - Sharon

 

Look at this website. It has many Tacoma builds for expedition travel, which is what it sounds like you want to get into.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/forums/23-Toyota-FJ-Tacoma-4Runner

 

OooOoOooOO
Thanks, Mike!

 

The Stock Tacoma does pretty well off road. Go do some light wheeling and get a feel for how it handles. Other then that, I would reccommend focusing on creature comforts in your Tacoma. Look on getting a power inverter in there, something more then 300W at least. Make sure you have a light in the bed of your truck, perhaps on the camper. A jerry can/gas can will prove useful. Find a good way to store/mount it in your truck. Keep a good set of jumper cables and 10,000lb tow strap in the truck just incase. You may want to lay down a piece of carpeted plywood in the back to make it flat for when you sleep in the back. A good sleeping bag or bed setup. Curtains for privacy if you wish....most of this stuff Im sure you can figure out on your own. If you do sleep in the back alot, maybe get one of these

 

Who makes that camper/shell? I like that door and the look of the tailgate!

 

I think A.R.E. Google it. There may be a few other companies that make it.

 

If I were you here would be my starting list.....

1) mild suspension lift to improve ride and handle a larger load. Old Man Emu would be great.
2) Either a sleeping platform in the bed, or a rack on the canopy for a rooftop tent.
3) A 12V Fridge. Will make a HUGE difference when living out of the truck for weeks at a time.

For what you describe you want to do you could do just about all of it with what you have, but the comfort level will go way up with the things I listed. You could go way deeper down the rabbit hole with this stuff, but keeping it simple will be easier and cheaper. Sounds to me like reliability is going to be paramount so don't be messing with too much on the truck to jeopardize the reliability.

 

Messing with the truck a whole lot isn't high priority on my list. This is my daily driver to work so I need to keep it simple and for the most part removable for those times I need to be just the grocery-gettin momma. I've been thinking about Ride Rites because of the way the truck squats a little with the camper but I'm girly and I don't know what the stuff is called or what it is I really want or what the difference is between this thing or that thing... but I know what I want it to do.

I dunno what the difference is between Ride Rites and Old Man Emu lift. I have thought about a sleeping platform and have picked up a bed frame with tall legs at the thrift store for $10. A sheet of plywood cut to fit and an old memory foam mattress topper is what I thought might work for bedding. I already have my tow strap, rachet straps and bungee cords and have learned to use them all correclty a tent (if it hasn't dry rotted..it hasn't been out in about 10 years), misc camping supplies. I hadn't thought much about the small refrigerator or the power inverters. That's a good idea!

As far as learning my truck, that I have been doing. St. Joe's last summer was the learning ground since it is pretty flat, sandy and not a lot people there during the week. Decent dry beds and ruts for beginner to get her feet wet. I'm getting pretty comfortable with my truck but still would like a little more familiarity with getting myself out of hazardous conditions, rough terrain,etc. it isn't exactly what I am planning for my trip but you never know what kind of situation you'll end up in.

 

^If lifting isn't a priority, have you considered just getting an add-a-leaf and some rear shocks to start?

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Rear-ProComp-AALs-firm-ride_p_260.html

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Rear-Bilstein-Shocks-955-04-Taco-86-95-PickUp_p_278.html

It should help some with load in the rear, it's pretty cheap and keeps all the oem goodness.

 

Put some foam and a sleeping bag on it and your good to go. Like 50$ with lumber and hardware.

 

We pulled a 4000 camper with our 2014 Tacoma. There"s a picture of it on my profile. The one thing I found that helped when towing was the use of weight distribution setup. They'er easy to use and it really helps.

 

6 year old thread.

 

75 months is wot i got

 

its those damn second geners again!