Driving Cross Country in my Tacoma

Not colormatched, not perfect, but good enough for 3 weeks

 

Love this thread, considering doing this in the coming summer in my 3rd gen.

 

Take a look at the Notel. I have built a number of systems like this and spent many many nights on them. I recently built one for a friend with a Subaru Outback. It worked amazingly well. https://www.notelusa.com/
Don't forget mosquito netting for the windows!

 

One could probably remove the passenger seat and make something like this out of wood and extend it from the back seat to the front and support it under right next to the glovebox.

 

Camper shell & an air mattress or sleep platform in the back will be much more enjoyable than sleeping inside the truck. Take a gun with you if you’re that worried about safety.

 

Toilet paper !!!!

 

Bit of an old thread at this point. Cross country is easy as long as you don't try to push too hard; it's easy to get road hypnosis, especially out west with the long straight stretches- tons of crosses on the side of the road in places like Arizona going up to Vegas. Do your PMs before you leave and service anything that could become an issue. Mostly the same things you'd carry for other road trips but add extra tunes/audio books. If you will be changing environments, i.e. gaining altitude where it gets a lot colder, be sure to carry proper gear to deal with it. Carry at least a roll of toilet paper and avoid greasy spoons- on the road is not the time to try that greasy, chicken fried steak if that's not your normal diet. As long as you're on main roads, no big deal, if you plan to travel off the beaten path carry some recovery gear and know how to use it along with extra food and water. Watch your mileage and fuel up when you ought to, don't try pushing it in some of the areas out west. Don't be an idiot and blindly follow your GPS like the tourists who end up off road and needing rescue or just dead. Try to plan your route so that you avoid the highways around and through large cities at rush hour, some of them can be confusing if you aren't familiar with the area. The larger Love's and Flying Js usually have clean restrooms and you can rent a shower- I still carry a can of foaming disinfectant in my bag and spray the shower before stepping in it just because I'm OCD like that.

I used to take my '95 Taco out west every year and sometimes down into Baja, I think the most miles I accumulated in a month was a bit over 9000. The newer Tacoma hasn't made as many trips but then I've been out of the country a lot more the last ten years.

 

Thank you I was worried about washing my ass crack glad you posted about that truck stops.

 

So how did the trip go? How far did you make it?

 

Consider washing the front of your vehicle at every stop you make. I went form Ill to Colo in May still trying to get rid of them.

 

Good luck man. My lower back would be toast lol

 

Just stumbled on this - I had considered the Notel before but found the price to be insane, especially because I would need both sides to stretch out (I am over 6 foot)

So I built a setup for me to sleep diagonally in the cab. Was only $40 all in or so. Super comfortable with a thermarest pad across from it! I use it whenever I am stealth camping or don’t want to pay for a hotel on a road trip and will not be at campsites.

Check my second post on my thread for more details on it:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...leep-setup-and-southeast-trip-reports.626580/

 

I drive alot at work. Bring 2 rolls of toilet paper, an extra pair of shoes, polarized sunglasses, if your windows aren't tinted, some cling tint, make sure your spare tire isnt low. Dont eat at an iron skillet.
Pour 2 small packs of roasted peanuts in a bottle of coke and you can eat/drink lunch without stopping. If you pass a farmers market type place stop an get some snacks there instead of a gas station or McDonald's, they normally have ice cream and fried pies.

And 95% of the time you wont see anything worth seeing from the interstate. Except for i24 in Tennessee

 

Sometimes it's the little things. I carry a small pressure sprayer (1 gal size; under ten bucks at Home Depot) for showering but there's nothing like unlimited HOT showers that you can blast on your back muscles. You can only go with wet wipes for so long before you want a real shower and they're great for when it's cold outside and your back is killing you from Toyota's mediocre seats. Also convenient for washing your clothes if you're carrying some nylon stuff like travel wear by Ex Officio, Duluth Trading, Columbia Sportwear, etc. Wash in the shower, wring it out then roll it in one of those quick drying towels and wring it out again, lay flat in back of truck and let dry.

 

I did the spacer mod for the seat and it helped a lot

 

I've been thinking about removing my front passenger seat and possibly the rear seat and sleeping with my head under the glovebox stretched out perpendicularly.

 

I always considered if needed, I could sleep in the bed underneath my hard tonneau cover (snug top)
Has anyone done this before?
You can always keep it secured from the inside , holding it down strapped to the rings or something. Or Would it feel your six feet under.

 

I do a 3 week and ~4500 mile trip every summer and live in the back of my truck which has a 6' bed with a shell. I have a very simple setup: a fat thermarest, a few pillows, sleeping bag, light blankets, camping stove.... and a 5 gallon Coleman jug for water. And the usual supplies like food, a cooler, wipes, TP, paper towels. I carry a small air compressor that clips to the battery, tire plug kit, tow straps, and a roll of basic hand tools.

I think the key is making sure your vehicle is well maintained before leaving: don't have 100K+ miles on your front wheel bearings, water pump, idler pulleys, etc. Take care of the known failures and typical maintenance items. I wouldn't leave home on a long trip with 150K+ miles on an alternator or crappy tires.

I sleep mostly on fairly remote forest service land and have never had an issue. I do sleep in a truck stop or rest stop on my main travel day out and back, but that's it. I've slept in tents many times before I had the truck, under the stars, on top of picnic tables in campgrounds, etc. Truck stops are the worst because they're always noisy- trucks are coming, going, running all night; the UPS guys come in at 3AM and swap trailers: BANG. Truck stops are the worst; if you stay at one, try and park near the auto pumps and away from the semis. I have a container of bear spray in the back for either bears or humans, but have never had any issues.

 

Okay, this is an old thread, but I have to pitch in here. I have done a lot of out west road trips including a 6 weeker. As a born midwestener and now east coaster, the West is fantastic. There is no place like it. My big trip got interesting in Nebraska. Yes, I said that right. I got off the interstate and drove through the Sand Hills. Wild place where you don't see another human for 30 minutes or more of driving. Had a double rainbow all to myself. On up towards SD where I found Car Henge. Look it up. It was a lot of fun. Then to the Black Hills. I love the Black Hills (also Badlands). Then on to Devils Tower for a short stop. From there I headed across WY and saw some of the most amazing open spaces. Took the Bear Tooth Highway down to Yellowstone. That is said to be the most amazing road in the US and I can see why. From Yellow Stone, up through MT all the way to Glacier. Glacier is the most abrurdly beautiful place you can imagine. On the way saw some of the most open "big sky" scenes that blew my mind. Where else can you be where you can see for 20, 30 or how many miles and NOT see another person? From Glacier to Portland, but took the back roads through ID and the Nez Perce reservation. Beautiful forests and rivers, all following Lewis and Clark. From Portland to San Francisco with the coast and redwoods. From SF to Las Vegas through Yosemite (beautiful). You have to go over a pass at about 11,000 feet then you see a landscape that looks like mars or something - Mono Lake. Then down to Death Valley. As you enter Death Valley you go through the Panamint Valley. It is so huge and barren. Then through Las Vegas (dump) to Zion then down to Monument Valley with all the "Marlboro Man" buttes that look like ancient Gods. There are many more than the three famous buttes you always see in pictures. From there I found myself by pure accident climbing the Mokey Dugway. Look it up. From there to Arches then to Colorado then back home. No Tacoma, I did this in a POS Saturn. Camped in both national and state parks with my little tent. Hotels when I was too tired or dirty. Always ate at diners and they all seemed to have the most amazing pies. Whatever vehicle you own, you just HAVE to do something like this. You will see landscapes that are indescribable and will stay with you your entire life. Each part of the west has a different character. The Dakotas will let you see the open prairie like the pioneers did. WY and MT have amazing mountains and huge spaces. Idaho mountains, trees and rivers. California has everything. Nevada and Arizona are like Mars. Colorado has beautiful mountains. If you can't do the whole thing, fly to some city like Las Vegas, rent a car and try each region. I never ran into trouble or anyone who was threatening. Far worse are obnoxious tourists who can ruin a place. The worst are the pseudo hippies who have to become one with the spiritual essence of the land and do so in a very loud way. For example, the moron hiking in the distance with a boom box blasting New Age music in Arches National Park as 100 tourists at the main arch screamed profanities at him. Those are good memories too.