Help me make my Tacoma overland ready

bug zapper or squirt gun?

 

Anytime you drive to your camping spot your not roughing it!

 

Bug-A-Salt.

 

I am new to Tacoma world. Just got a 2014 dc sb or and am based out of the black hills. Any lift by chance? I am going to do head waters seat covers and 265/75r16 load rang c duratracs but past that I would like a tent or diamondback cover. Sorry off topic but I understand that where I live you need a good tire and durable stuff for the winter and hunting season no lift.

 

Yeah bug a salt gun. Lots of fun to be had around camp.

 

Trails out there are hit or miss, mostly were nice routes, albeit boring. USFS has really done an amazing job with their maintenance the last few years.. kudos to them.

The amount of blowdown from the recent wind events was staggering, so bring a chainsaw, and watch out for limbs that will make short work of sidewalls. I have about 2.5” of lift, but not required. C-range you’ll be fine, just air down when you hit the rougher stuff. It’ll help when you get into the shale. You’ll likely hit the limit with your rear springs. This is easy to do even with the TSB packs, so keep an eye on them. The progressive add-a-leafs from the various retailers are nice but will cause a slight rake in an unloaded truck.


Avoid the desire to splash through puddles, some folks have tossed rocks and logs into them to help with getting out, or more sinister. This can cause damage when you smack unseen debris. We noticed this a bit in the north central hills heading up toward Rockford, Deadwood/Lead areas. WY side is a bit rougher but hotter at night, also less protected from the summer storms. The heavy rains were causing some deterioration of the trails even when we were there. Keep an ear and eye on the weather every day. South hills expect more mud from the greater levels of sedimentary material. North hills is much more metamorphic, so mud is only common on the routes that follow the drainages (creeks, rivers) and heavy vegetation where there is lots of organic material to make it sloppy.

Most routes in the forest are open to street legal vehicles. These are “roads” and designated with a 3-digit number. (###, or ###.#, ###.#x) 4-digit routes are trails and require the blackhills pass that’s $25/yr (####, or ####.x). Make sure you have an up to date MVUM, and stay on legal routes, authorities out there take it seriously.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

Yes I understand the trails and stuff around where I live. I guess I am used to most those things and don’t even look at them anymore. I never really do anything that’s traveled vary much. The only problem the hills have us all the back ways you can go into an atv only area not knowing at all do that quit a bit because the atvs cut new stuff 24/7. I think I should be just fine on stock suspension setup may do some upgraded shocks just for better ride.

 

I assume you have a smart phone.

Download Avenza, and then download the electronic MVUMs. They are georeferenced, so you can’t get lost or find yourself in an illegal area.

More info can be found here:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/maps-pubs/?cid=FSEPRD533421

You can also download non-groreferenced .pdf versions of the maps there.

You can also get paper copies from the various ranger district offices throughout the Hills (if they still have some).

 

Waaaaaay too many words. Shortin' it up!

 

just start driving the forest service roads and exploring/camping. then you can narrow down what you need. stock, these trucks do some pretty good stuff, drive some roads, talk to some guys on here and theyll probably invite you along when they go exploring just in case you get in over your head. the wife and I used to camp out of the bed of my old pre-runner. we basically lived in the pisgah national forest one year. you dont need much. all depends on how far off the beaten path you want to venture. that picture was all we "modified" to get to where we needed it. it was perfect for us and a dog.

 

Yeah I got the paper versions. I am just saying that there’s random things that have been added by people not on the maps and well I like to explore let’s just say I know the limits of an stock Subaru Outback with at tires vary well and let me say it’s a hell of a lot farther up the trail. I got known to some local atvs that I am insane but really it’s just knowing how the car flexes and where your tires are.

 

I agree. Overlanding? I call bullshit. Camping. It’s called camping.

 

Um. Yeah, NO. Moab has amazing hiking. And great camping. Moab has Arches national Park, Canyon Lands National park, the Manti La Sal national forest and more public land than you can shake a stick at. Moab is amazing for hiking and camping. It also happens to have amazing off-roading.

ps the rubicon trail is like 200 miles from the ocean...

 

I agree with all the posts about getting to know tour truck first. Take your truck and use it. Bring camping gear and figure out what you really need and want. These trucks are damn capable stock and can carry a lot of gear. Use your truck for a while. You will figure out what you need and want. I took my truck all the hell over Colorado and New Mexico for a year before I started modding it.

stock:

3 years later figuring out what I need and want out of my truck and camping.

Use your truck and figure it out as you go

 

The MVUM only shows the trails open to travel. That’s why you’ll see routes all over the area that are not shown. They are numbered and known by the USFS, and shown in their complete data set, but removed from printing by the GIS analyst when the use maps are being drafted.

 

More people need to understand how to do this. Yes I am on here with a stock truck but honestly just getting to know more about my new truck and what most people end up doing to the truck.

 

Yeah I understand all that but have you been around the hills that much there’s barely any markers once you get off the road a bit. But honestly I don’t think anyone would ever get mad if you end up in a bad spot because it’s kinda a free for all in the hills.

 

It is not a free for all.

Yes I have been around the hills, and I know the routes, and they are mapped. They just don’t show up on the MVUM, and are therefore not legal for vehicle use. The authority in the black hills does a bunch of enforcement, so you are rolling the dice traveling on unauthorized routes. If you are not afraid of the tickets and fines, you should be staying off the unauthorized routes to allow the forest to recover from past year’s travel.

But you do you.

 

Travel + camping....


Tramping!



Anyone wanna go tramping with me?

 

Tramping. I find that word strangely arousing...