First overlanding and wheeling trip in the taco, what do you wish you had known before you went?

I have never been overlanding but car camping a lot and I have been wheeling several times in Colorado and Moab but this will be the first time in my own OR vehicle. It's lifted, metal front bumper, has skids and sliders and tires are a little bigger than stock. Will install the winch this weekend. Have recovery gear. Husband will have the compressor.

What are some things to have or things to do that I may not know I need? Any advice for my first trip in the taco? How is it on long highway drives? I live in Michigan, its a long way to Denver. TIA

 

Bring extra Fuel and water, full size spare, tire plug kit, bag of basic tools and McGuyver repair items like zip ties, bailing wire, jb weld, and gorilla tape... you should be all set for car camping (syn. Overlanding)

 

Oh yeah, bring some good paper maps and get familiar with your planned route and alternate routes ahead of time.

 

You'll be fine, don't worry. Overlanding is car camping with extra steps and dollar signs.

Stay within/gently push your comfort zone re vehicle capability, plan to camp before you run out of light. Have a "no signal" option and backup for navigation, have a bailout/help plan if things go sideways.

Should be fine on long drives as long as you're comfortable daily driving it: just watch your weight so you're not riding the bumpstops.

 

The camping here has been totally overrun, so have a backup plan for your backup plan...

have a way to dispose of your human waste properly - it’s bad out here - so much Tp flying around and snagged in bushes, etc.

As for your question - have you addressed the rear suspension for the extra weight of all the gear you have?

 

We are big on leave no trace, that is sad to hear tho. I have leaf springs in the rear. Also, husband decided to rent a little off road trailer and he is pulling it on the trails and I will pull it on the expressways. Which should lighten up the bed weight.

 

I went on my first off-roading trip in my Taco the day before my traction boards showed up, much regret. At least I had my shovel! You sound super-prepared though, good luck and have fun! Bring back some pics!

 

Nothing ever goes to plan, so be flexible. I’m a huge planner and like having a detailed outline of what we’re doing each day. While I always recommend doing that, stay flexible on what you see and where you camp. As @turbodb likes to say, missing things you wanted to see always gives you a reason to go back.

 

Download some apps like Gaia GPS and scout the area you're going ahead of time. It should also work offline once you have done that. It's better than a paper map (as long as your phone is working).

 

I might be sandbagging a bit too. My husband has been wheeling for a while and he is over prepared if there is such a thing. But I want to be a little independent.

 

Sorry to hijack Beth’s post but damn, really? Do you mean dispersed camping in remote, public areas has turned into a mess too? As in all the great backcountry trails Colorado is known for?

 

I think what most people likely realize, but often don't want to admit is they spent a TON of extra money on "overlanding" gear that they didn't need to. Do you "need" a Grasnfors axe and Factor 55 recovery gear? No. Do you even need sliders, 35's and a winch? No probably not. At least for the majority of "overlanding" I see people do. They see all this stuff on instagram or sponsored youtube videos and figure you "need" that stuff to go overlanding.

Remember, "overlanding" is just camping in your truck, preferably with an instagram tag. And if we're being honest, I see a LOT of "overlanders" camping in places my Corolla can go (i.e. it's car camping, lol).

You've done the camping part before, and you've done the wheeling part before. The only difference is that you're not combining the two.

 

A stock tacoma, cooler and tent will get you to a whole lot more places that people will admit

I’ve been all over and still dont have sliders or a lift or armor or a winch..

 

Not necessarily a vehicle or tacoma mod, but I always carry an oral thermometer with me in my small glove box first aid kit. I’ve not ever fully NEEDED it, but it’s been helpful a couple times gauging where a friend was on the heat exhaustion/heat stroke spectrum. Not a “gotta have it” item, but it’s so small that I can’t justify leaving it out.

 

I wish I'd known not to call it overlanding. You should break yourself of that habit now and save a crapload of money by just setting yourself up for camping in the way that makes you comfortable.

Aside from that, the time it takes you to tear down camp in the morning should be as quick as possible. For me, this means fast breakfast (if at all), coffee and closing the camper shell up. Takes less than 30 minutes usually.

I'm done recommending gear because everybody has a different level of comfort. However, LIGHTER IS ALWAYS BETTER.

 

I always being my Katadyn water filter, just in case. Definitely bring a shovel, too. I loved bolting things to my truck-before I started going on long trips. Keep it simple, keep it light and make good choices that will preserve your vehicle. We usually go with one vehicle, so the stakes are higher. We travel to see the sights, not to find the limits of my CV's while we are 50 miles from a cell signal. I guess the point is don't conflate off-roading with overlanding.

Edit to add-the hardest part is making a schedule and all the pre-planning. Things will go wrong and legs will take longer than you thought, so leave extra time for both. One thing I found was that one night stops became exhausting. I like to stay in place a little longer.

 

Focusing more on vehicle based, self sustained adventures over CoVid pandemic, my wife and I learned A LOT:

• The value of my portable toilet. Have a little pop tent/privacy tent, the portable toilet, and a quick camp table makes life so much more convenient on the trail. You're more willing to spend time out and about, then wanting to rush back into town for facilities. Don't forget about your Trasharoo mounted to the tailgate to keep your dirty business away from clean stuff.
• Have a 2.5 gal water jug that we would use for utility to wash hands, refill water bottles, rinse off faces, etc. I like the NO SPILL brand. I use this brand for my extra gas cans also.
• A shower when camping is amazing. We tried both the Road Shower 4 and a WaterPORT. I prefer the WaterPORT since it is easier to use for dishes too since it's hitch mounted vs. roof rack mounted.
• We have 2 coolers. a 35-40 qt for all our food, and a small 20 qt for drinks only. We access our drinks probably 8x-10x day vs. the food cooler only 3x day. Keeps the food colder, and by the end of the trip, a luke warm soda is better than spoiled sandwich meat. Between these two, we can carry food for about 5 days/4 nights.
• Have a dry goods bin. Keeps the cooler less cluttered.
• Big, dedicated ice packs that last several days. We can get out food cooler cool for 4 days even during the summer heat. The drinks cooler stays cool for about 2 days since we're in/out of it so much more often, but ice can be bought at any gas station.
• Invest in a good air compressor. I use a ViAir 400p-RV, and it gets a WORK OUT every trip, multiple air ups/downs in single day and has never let me down.
• The value of SHADE. I have a quik-shade EZ-up that I use 5/16 lag bolts driven into the ground via my impact drill to anchor. I don't have worry about moderate winds ripping my roof rack awning, and with the lag bolts, it's not going anywhere. More shade, the truck is where I want it vs. positioning the truck for awning efficiency, plus I can hand a lot more lights off of the EZ-up. I like the quick-shade brand since it has a 3 section leg making it much more compact and an aluminized canvas providing better insulation from the sun.

I have a double cab short bed. We can fit everything in the bed with the tonneau cover closed/locked and with the rear seats folded down with the moving blanked covering the stuff in the back seat. We've wheeled/camped this way in Anza Borrego, Sedona, Parker, Mammoth. We've recently upgraded to a travel trailer, but we still plan to truck camp/overland when we want to get to places that aren't travel trailer friendly.

 

Exactly. But a stock rig with a ground tent and a cooler doesn't really sell sponsorships or instagram clicks.

You look at places like the Alabama Hills (Eastern Sierras) and you see all sorts of fully built rigs in places a Civic can go. But if you pose the picture just right, you can look like a bad ass wilderness adventurer, yet still smell the McDonalds, lol

 

This is why i just dont plan lol

 

Also, CO is beautiful, but I strongly advise exploring other states as well. The last 5-6 years out there have gotten a bit crowded. Especially with the trailered in UTVs. That crowd rarely aligns with the quiet and peaceful experience me and my fiance seek out.