Did I buy the right truck to Overland?

I thought the trd OR came with the locker and the trd sport didn't.
I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

I tell other taco owners, "nice truck," as we're getting in and out of our respective trucks.
It gets a chuckle.

As for overlanding; this has to rank as a top 10 duhme decision. Thankfully, it had a happy ending.
Millinocket ME, take a left, and you can find your way to the Jo Mary lakes... This was labor day weekend in the late 80s.
So, the fiance and I are camping at the lower Jo Mary lakes and decided to go exploring some logging roads.
In Dad's '86 f150 2wd, with 3 on the tree, we find a pond that I wanted to fish, but damn, I'm looking down from the top of some boulders. VBFRs... Total vertical drop was was easily 40 feet. Plus the walk to the lake.

I, in my ignorant brilliance, decided we were driving down these rocks. She protested.

Recovery gear, what's that?

Yaaaaaa, the perspective from the cab was way different. I crawled down. In one piece, no damage.

As I was patting myself on the back for a) making it down unscathed. And b) I've never done anything remotely close to this; I turn around and look up. Ohhhhhh, this is gonna be fuuuuuuuuun.

The nervous anxiety sets in.....F it, I'm going fishing!

I did make it back up, but that clutch got a workout.

Haven't done anything similarly stupid since.

Crazy(stupid) flat Landers...lol

 

A good driver and spotter make a lot of diff. Well said!

 

Its been raining here, off and on, around a week now so everything is mud. We took my trd sport 4x4 up in the semi local mountains and passed the mud, up into the snow. No problems with it being capable. I do have some mods but nothing big suspension wise other than tires, shocks, small lift. The little truck has never failed me. We came back down and when we got back to the mud some f150s and a jeep were stopped. One f150 got stuck in the mud and the jeep was stuck from trying to get him out. I offered to help and detached the jeep from the f150, pulled jeep out. Hooked up my strap... well made the truck owner flounder in the mud. It even yanked the truck out. Ya I have to admit, I felt like the cool guy walking away from that. Just for a moment, then it fades back to normal

 

I see all these overlanders with crazy rigs on youtube and instagram going to beautiful places on well maintained gravel roads and im just like k...

 

You'll be fine. If or when you get stuck and decide you need a locker you can add an air locker.

 

The worst is when they post pictures of old beat up mostly stock rigs out easily doing the same thing they're doing and say some thinly veiled condescending shit like "Just goes to show that you don't need a lot of money and expensive gear to get out and enjoy the outdoors" as if they were commenting on a homeless person smiling and enjoying a flower garden at the local park.

 

Absolutely
Sometimes i feel like they ruined the performance of their rigs because of how obscenely heavy they are with all the bolted-on stuff and drawer systems. I think a lot of em are just trying to sell ya stuff

 

Yes, you can use your truck to drive on dirt roads and go camping without a locker.

 

BTDT



OP:

Keep what you got. A locker is nice but not required. That last year of the 2nd gens will be fairly desirable soon... hell, it already is. It's a great "overlanding" platform.

See my user info by my avatar for my thoughts on usage of that word...

 

Your rig is plenty capable for some serious off-roading. Just throw some better tires on it and armor up if necessary. Run it like that for a bit and add some better suspension if you need to.

 

I have a locker. I rarely use it. 4Hi gets it done! Usually.

I got my wife into car camping. She loves it. She won’t let me go full gear on my truck tho. It’s unrealistic for me. My truck is a DD 99% of the time. It would drive me nuts if I had a RTT in it.
Now an overland trailer? Hehe. (Not gonna happen)

to be honest, I’ve done some very rough trails with my previous Michelle LTX AT2 tires. A true four-season radials. I once followed a conga line of fully modded jeeps up a trail to find a cell service spot in AZ. They were visibly annoyed that my stock truck was putting along behind them. I was in a couse deer hunt. My tires were grippy!

 

Good tires make a huge difference. I had stock street tires when I bought the truck. They sucked offroad, once they wore out I put a set of bfg km2 mud terrains on it. Admittedly I got them because they looked cool and got a deal through a friend. Worked great but loud and not the greatest on the pavement. Once those had been run down I purchased a set of ko2's off another friend who'd been in a wreck and never put them on his truck. So much better on road and still capable offroad. Although I have a compressor onboard, I have yet to need to air down. Its funny when I see guys air down to travel on dirt roads. Sometimes it makes a difference but mostly it's the tread and experience of the driver.

 

Just FYI most airing down on dirt roads is done to smooth out the harshness of rocks, potholes, washboard, etc.... It ALWAYS makes a difference for that. The added traction is just a bonus when in the steep stuff for me.

 

I owned a 2010 SR5 4x4 previously, now I have a 2008 OR 4x4. My SR5 was totaled by an idiot turning left in front of me, and the OR came up as a good deal.

The only time I've used the locker in anger was due to my stupidity (slipped into a ditch sideways in deep-ish snow). I took my SR5 on much crazier trips than my OR, and it was like a billy-goat in the mountains and desert. Never once felt like I missed a locker - just carry some other basic recovery equipment if you think you need it. And once you start wheeling, your truck becoming a blank canvas to modify as you discover what works and what doesn't, for you.

The uptrim trucks have nice factory installed equipment for sure, but I got an SR5 originally so I could save some money over time modifying it to how I needed it. You can add lockers later if you really feel like you need them...just depends on how you're going to use it.

These are mighty capable trucks in stock form already.

 

Also something to be said for having the 4.0...

 

Agreed. Richard and Ashley of "DesktoGlory" fame did a Trip from Canada to Patagonia and back in this thing V did just fine. No locker in it at that point either as I recall.

Link to some rad and ACTUAL "Overlanders" not this weekend warrior bullshit we try to convince ourselves we are: https://desktoglory.com/

 

I have a double cab long bed 4x4. Those never came with rear locker.

I'm okay with it because I need the long bed more for being a truck functionality.

 

something else to fail? At the end of the day, an open diff 4x4 will only have 2 tires spinning. Lockers are one of the most essential things a truck can have once you get deeper into the world of off-road.

that being said, with the question originally asked about overlanding, you may or may not be correct (depending on what OP plans to do).

OP...if you just want to run forest roads and easy trails, the SR5 4x4 is perfectly adequate. As you get more into it the world of off-roading, you can modify as needed.

 

a lot of it is marketing, try not to buy into it too much

its akin to the guys who bring modded out subies to a track and get surprised when a 90's miata w/ upgraded pads, sways & tires is filling their mirrors in the turns, disappears in the straights, then reappears in the turns

you dont really need all that fancy gear. Typically a few select mods on the proper platform is more than enough to begin building experience. Some would argue that's the better approach as well, since you arent using gear as a crutch for lack of skill.

 

Was reading an article on Gear Patrol about a guy who has lived out of his truck full time for like 2 or 4 years now (can't recall). He's a freelance writer and owns a 2015 DCSB Tacoma and talks exactly about what he has that makes his "home" capable of going anywhere. You should try Googling to find that article. Should be fairly recent as I read it on my SmartNews app just last night.