Dad w/ 2 kids and our first Tacoma

Hello Tacoma World!

I am a nature enthusiast and taking long hikes can lead to some amazing sights. With two young kids, these kinds of hikes have become a challenge for my wife and I. We're turning to vehicle travel to help cover the distance. We selected a TRD Offroad 4x4 as our second adventure vehicle. We feel this is a good platform for off road newbies and our lifestyle. We are hoping that this out of the box platform will make up for the time we are not able to otherwise use to invest build an enthusiast level rig.

Our truck is a 2018 TRD Offroad 4x4 with just the Technology package and all weather mats. Purchased in late August. Just yesterday, we took it out and went on a spin on the Geology Road Tour and part of Berdoo Canyon Road in Joshua Tree National Park. We got as far as https://goo.gl/maps/QLj6CfKts8E2. Where it got rock (see picture below), we turned back. It looked doable but I ultimately decided to turn around. There was no sense risking any chance since we already have some Mobtown sliders ordered.

In addition to casual off roading, I am using this truck for my other passion, gardening. So far, I've moved a couple of fruit trees and a bed of mulch.

Lastly, this truck is a stark contrast to my previous daily driver-- a Scion tC. I dont miss the way in which I have to load my youngest but I do miss gear shifts and not worrying about MPG. The truck is a different kind of fun now dont get me wrong. Anyone else challenging themselves on getting the highest MPG possible from their truck?? Anyone?? =P

So this is our truck and our story. Thanks for reading through.

--brian

 

Welcome to The Forum!

 

Welcome to TW! Totally doable but would recommend sliders and some skid plates first. Nice looking family

 

Welcome to TW.

 

Welcome to TW! Looks like you are getting some good use out of the truck. Mobtown sliders are good and can take a hit, they are definitely worth the wait. Heavy, but good.

 

Welcome!

 

Hi Brian! Welcome!!

You were in my backyard, sorta. I used to live in Indio and drove that way into JTNP (monument back then) a lot, and used to work in the desert as a wildlife biologist, and backcountry ranger for the National Park Service. I still do trips out there for fun and to go rockhounding with my wife and young daughter, too. I also have the same truck model as yours, only its a 2017.

Are you getting better tires for offroad soon, too? Hope so! Those stock Kevlars are ok on dirt, but they will not handle rocks like those in Berdoo Canyon very well. Also, the county did a major cleanup back there since it used to be a dumpy shooting area, and people still come out of there with nails and stuff in even their offroad tires, too. So always carry a patch kit, a a good jack, even if you do get better offroad tires, and also get a compressor, a shovel and a tow strap. I have KO2’s on mine, including the spare, and sold all my Kevlars.

Next, how much water did you take? Sorry to sound like a nanny, but the little ones will need twice more than you for emergency cooling off if you break down. For four of you, I would have carried at least 7 gallons in todays’ weather, and no less than an extra 10 gallons for an emergency plus what I was drinking for the day if I was offroading in summer heat.

But being totally alone is a rare issue on those popular roads like Geology Tour and Berdoo Cyn in So Cal as you've seen, there are a lot of people driving that road so emergency help is available. Even so, I ended ip getting a PLB (satellite emergency transponder) that I can call for emergency help wherever we go, and I also carry a CB and a Ham radio. There are places in our deserts like Death Valley and even parts of JTNP where people get stranded and even die trying to walk out or even while waiting at their car for someone to rescue them. So definitely leave a itinerary with family, or at the ranger station and carry extra ways to communicate besides a cell phone in case of an emergency. With little ones, you have to take extra care and precautions too, carrying twice the amount of water you have, keeping them close for sake of mtn lions or snakes, and all that.

Also, to get to know more offroad places for your truck and to get a good idea of what equipment you may want, consider going on a offroad club outing to get to know our areas- JTNP, Anza Boreggo, and Mojave Preserve are right there for you to explore.

Here’s my first trip with the 2017 last year in JTNP on Old Dale Road. The KO2’s were my 1st updates (your offroad tires should be too), then I added sliders by a local builder in Lomita near Long Beach Named Ryan (@Shmellmopwho) who also installs them as part of his price and comes highly recommended by many TWers, and like you, I’ve more recently added Mobtown skids.

Feel free to PM me or quote this post if you want some other good family friendly trip suggestions, OK?

Cheers,

Anthony

 

Welcome to TW!

 

welcome.

I think I recognize that rock. We went through at night so it was harder to recognize anything.

One of the Taco guys that went with us didn't have sliders and was a stock long bed but he had some close calls. Sliders will keep you safe especially with no spotter.

Good thing you missed the crap. lol

https://youtu.be/YhKvBC6MXNQ

 

And what @JaCado posted above^.

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

Welcome to TW Brian

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome!

 

There’s nothing like Joshua tree mud smells awful and sticks to headers like no other. So times will even make your tires have a blue tint color. Born and raised their, now I’m off to Washington this Friday.

 

Welcome to TW

 

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! It has been ages since I have been part of a forum. The "like" button is definitely new to me, lol.

 

I appreciate the nice words. Thanks.

 

Hello, Anthony. Thanks for the warm welcome. I also appreciate your taking the time to dispense some knowledge!
I must say that you have an impressive resume. Those are jobs that I've always considered dream jobs. Nice truck you've got. I really dig the chrome bumper. It's very classic.

Nice to hear that your family goes along. It's a great way to make some memories.

I am very glad that you asked. I had not considered getting better tires. I've done a lot of research but consider myself still very new. I learned about the importance of tires and have heard about the KO2's. It is nice to get first hand info.

Yeah, I didnt know that there is a shooting range along the route until I saw it as a point when looking through Google Maps to see how far we ended up.

Hadnt considered carrying a patch kit. Am saving up for a jack and air compressor (I am wanting to stay with the DeWalt battery system). Of those things you mentioned, I brought along a shovel on this last trip because it was a relatively easy and popular trail.

I definitely feel the love, man. Those are all very important questions. Remoteness + heat definitely scares me and I pack for survival-- lots of water and some rations (gonna bring some MREs next time.) We had great weather that day; 87F was the high. I checked the trail info online as well as at the ranger station day of. I had wanted to do Old Dale road but reviews indicated that it was beyond what my equipment, experience, and solo running can handle. We changed it to something much easier and on a busy holiday where there is more chance of people around. We didnt go beyond what we are comfortable with. Definitely did leave info with family about where we were going and when we expect to be back.

We did DV for the first time back in Jan. It was with our Impreza and it was fun driving on the dirt road. DV is definitely a place we want to get back to.
Even on the main road, DV scares me because you rarely see anyone around! Good advice on redundant comm devices. I've looked into renting a SAT phone from REI and definitely will if we go off roading. With that, we are very unlikely to go it solo vehicle.

Anzo is another place on the list. Last time I was there was 8 years ago for wildflower blooms. We had to turn back when the trail got steep. The 4x4 itch never went away though ;D

Definitely will be looking to go off roading with others. This was my get my feet wet (or should I say, sandy) excursion.
Thanks for the info about Ryan in Lomita. I saw him mentioned on the forum. Definitely will check him out for future upgrades.

I appreciate your offer to reach out to you. If I think of anything I know who to ask!

Best,
--brian