d.shaw 2012 DCSB build

Such a neat part of the country, and can do ice cream for breakfast.....so there is that

 

Sharing some videos I have made over the years......

https://youtu.be/VgtlpDKkJQU?si=h40fN00kDguuMSM8

 

The long and the short version of this (short = instagram version)

The first road definitely the roughest and most remote road ive been on.....

https://youtu.be/9x8_xZynkr8?si=W585v60w1ew2QmVA

https://youtu.be/FTv_rHtp7FM?si=0ys3fs1u79_CpbpM

 

@theolee that first road down in Baja, lead to these pics, we were lucky that a while before the Baja 1000 had used that road, their notes for it were 'Slow down' for the whole area - not too much around there thou so def a hike out




We did get this epic camp spot thou....

 

Gnarly! Nice camp shot

 

Last couple. Thanks for even having a look

https://youtu.be/V0keNKNqZpw


https://youtu.be/cry0Mb49V_U

 

That canyon was wild. I'm not one to get claustrophobic but dang...I'd be holding my breath.

 

It's such a classic spot here in SOCAL, and gets its fair share of 'cave in's' for sure, which has had it closed or blocked off a few times in the past year. its super cool to be in thou -



Also when I was still 'taller' than the young fella (and teaching him how to be cool..)

 

Goose Gear rear seat delete, decided I couldn't handle having the mismatched 40% - so for christmas Sally got me the 40% - I had actually ordered it already when she told me she was thinking about it.....

Installed and happy with how it all came out, I did have to trim down some of my 'sound deadening' as it all didn't line up (couple parts were double layered etc) but sorted it all out and it looks sharp. Had to change up the way I have the fridge mounted - which meant buying some quite pricey 'slotted anchors' from Goose Gear - but I could not find them anywhere else online. I also picked up some actual rear seat window covers, which were less than $30 online, my homemade ones looked a bit shabby and I couldn't be bothered finding a sewing machine to finish them properly. I purchased some for Sally's 2017 too, and I think am using them in my 12 and vice versa - I think they fit better...

$25 Set of 2 Custom Fit Automotive Reflective Rear Seat Side Window Sunshade for 2016 2017 2018 2019 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab

2017 window shade

$30 YelloPro Side Window Rear Seat 2nd Row Sunshade (Set of 2) Custom Fit for 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Toyota Tacoma 4Dr 4 Door Double Cab (Made in USA)

2012 window shade

Goose Gear slotted anchors

$10 Premium Lashing Strap Short 1" x 6.5 ft, Cam Buckle Tie Down Straps Heavy Duty Secure Straps up to 700 lbs Capacity for Motorcycle,SUP, Kayak, Canoe, Trailer, Cargo, Truck, Luggage 4 Pcs

Fridge tie down strap

$8 YYST Tactical Belt Loop Keepers (Black) - 10/10 PK for 1" Wide Belts

Elastic keepers

 

I really like that net you attached to the back wall on the passenger side! Did you install that hardware for that? Or were there screw holes already there on the 2nd Gen?

 

Because of the subwoofer I had to leave the factory plastics there and then this was some left over hardware from something else - maybe something to do with my Martin off-road roof rack...? I drilled the holes and just a nut etc on the back side. It does hold in our Med bags in quite good and the net was just a random thing I had picked up ages ago thinking it would be useful....5 years later. The hardware does have a little lip or flange on it so turning that into each other created the small gap for the elastic

 

Rad, thanks for the info! I'll have to try and rig up something similar, seems like a great use of that shelf above the sub.

 

Man that Goose Gear seat delete is awesome. I plan on doing it in the next couple years because my dogs are the only ones that ever use the rear seats.

 

They make nice stuff for sure,there is no denying it, and its well though out - I am already thinking that a drawer on the passenger side would be a good use of that space. Things are pricey thou - I have found some pretty nice work by people in this forum - making me wish I had some better skills or rather patience really.....This guy has a good alternative too

Mid install -

 

Yeah the price is the only reason I haven’t bought them yet. I had some other stuff I actually needed to buy for the truck and now I’m spending money on house stuff

 

I know the feeling mate.....

Older pic, cause pics are cool and I was rummaging thru photos...

 

Posting this just because I really enjoy this :
Wanted to get new straps for fridge sewn down so the buckles don't slide around, making it a bit easier and cleaner to install fridge etc. I work in skydiving, so I asked my Russian mate Misah to help - multiple times World Champion skydiver - has the most wild stories of Russia both skydive related and 4wd / camping related - like going to an area thats a huge kinda bog (massive area the was not well mapped) driving their 4wd, getting stuck often and sleeping in their tents on top of the vehicles to stay out of the bog (late 80's early 90's)..... he also has a heart of gold.
I brought him the straps, he immediately decides to put a sacrificial layer of webbing between the strap and the anchor - does this beautiful work all with the biggest smile....and talk of camping (he recently had some bear poop encounters around his campsite)

 

Decided to do trip reports for various old trips I have done - after looking through old photos, be nice to help myself remember some of these....

After moving from NY to San Diego I decided to sell the 2002 BMW I had and get the newest vehicle I had ever owned - a 2013 Toyota Tacoma Sport 2WD - thinking I wouldn't need 4WD - ever.........gulp

My first trip in it was with a couple friends up the 395 to speedfly (small paraglider) in the Sierra Mtns, Damien Germano asked me if I wanted to go tour around, and with Felix and Alex along we met up with a local flyer who didn't know us but was cool enough to show us around. He was a climber and ski guide and knew all the spots to fly. We spent a night at the hot springs and hiked and flew during the day - was a fun couple days - ending with us checking out the bristlecone forest - my first introduction to the 395.....



Damien Germano then asked if I wanted to go on a trip into Mexico with some friends, hit up a mountain for a night to look at the stars and then head to the beach to surf. I don't surf but have always loved to camp and the fabulous people slated to go on this had me in.
We left San Diego and headed south of the border, what we all didn't know was that at sometime Damien's research had got twisted, and was leading us to dirt - in our two 2WD vehicles (his a stock EXT cab 2008? Tacoma and me with some Bilstein 6112's and 285's....)
We started on a totally mellow dirt road, headed towards Mikes Sky Ranch, where google maps would have us take a left......the road slowly started to get worse and as we sorted ourselves through each section, commenting that it can only last for a couple more miles before getting better, and this was better than trying to turn around.....



The 5 miles took us 3-4 hours, we were underprepared (vehicle wise) but spirits were high. We made a plateau before sunset and set up a camp, with our friend Kat - a highly accomplished chef (WD-50 NYC - Bo Beau in SD, Beat Bobby Flay...) made quick work of setting up a fabulous meal for us all.....



That night was mega clear and as we were near Observatorio Astronomic Nacional de la Sierra San Pedro Martir the night sky was absolutely glorious..

The morning we woke up and debated which way we should be going to get out and back to the asphalt where we really belonged....the roads had been better and we were hopeful for an easy departure. We drove towards where we knew there was a house, but a mile or so short of it we came across a huge sand trap. We decided to walk the rest of the way to see if we could get road info (we would also later encounter a locked gate). Arriving at the house we came across a South African family who were rather surprised to see us, they were 4 hours from a gas station / grocery store, several miles down a dirt road that was rough enough, that lead to the house and we arrived at the back gate. We started speaking to them and they spoke to each other briefly in Afrikans' - my mate Keith, born in South Africa then spoke Afrikan to them, talk about minds blown....Turns out they were Graeme and Luisa Bell (and the kids) of A2A Expedition 4 years into their trip, the 4 of them travelling in their Land Rover Defender 130 with 2 RRT's. They were housesitting this property up in the mtns, enjoying some R&R, and writing one of their books. We chatted with them for a bit, they offered to come open the gate and help us get thru the sand trap, but as we thought that was asking to much and what they knew of the roads in the other direction we decided to adventure on.
Upon arriving back at our trucks we started driving away only to immediately get stuck in some sand, an hour later we were moving again...We had noticed the House dog had been following us and we had tried to 'shoo' him off.
Excited as we thought we were golden - the road we decided to travel started getting narrow, steep with a decent drop off on one side, and progressively worsen. We were working building a 'bridge' to get Damiens truck through a section when I decided to take a cheeky look further down the road, and hello, the road was completely washed out, like totally gone, impassable. Attempting to reverse our trucks - neither were moving we decided the best option was to hike the 9 miles back to 'the Bells' house and ask for assistance. It was Oscar's birthday and I was desperate to call him, and without cell reception I was eager to make it to the house to hopefully be able to use my phone....

Spirits were high...(nothing like abandoning your newly purchased truck in the mountains in another country...)



The dog had still been following us, we gave him water and a name 'señor pickles the III' because - we were in a pickle, and talked about what heroes we are going to be returning the dog home.......(turns out it was common for it to leave for months at a time and cruise around)



to be continued.......

 

It was August and the hike was hot, but we arrived back at the house, and after a chat and some talk of food collection (we had brought some and tents etc) we figured out things with the Bells, who started to provide us with a hearty meal. After a while (as they would serve us some stuff and kinda leave the room) we asked them to stay and chat. We were a random bunch, - Andy a World Champion skydiver, who's team changed a skydiving discipline and the way people flew, Kat the chef, Damien and Felix both former Marines, Keith from SA and me from NZ, all united by skydiving. We talked and drank a few beers, listened to stories of their 4 years on the road, laughed and cried (not sure about the crying but it sounds dramatic)

The next day as we set out in their Land Rover to recovery our trucks, we marvelled at how well the old defender rode, smooth and no obstacles seemed to be a challenge. When we had departed on our hike the night before - Damien had looked at me and commented "we need to buy 4WD's" - that was a pivotal moment for us both....

The recovery went smooth, some winching and some towing us to the top of the steep hill we were stuck on, even on the narrow road and we were soon following them back to the house, and funnily enough we both easily got thru the sand trap that we had the previous day thought we had no chance of getting thru...




We collected the rest of our crew who had gone on a hike with Keelan - to a waterfall. We frothed over their truck then set off to get ourselves back on track and on asphalt....
It was a joyous moment



We headed to the beach, finding a wonderful coastal spot to camp (and immediately got Damiens truck stuck) sit around a campfire, Andy wrote a song, Kat cooked us another fantastic meal and we recited quotes from the previous 48hrs.



Graeme Bell is now Senior Editor on Expedition Portal. We are still friends, being that we share the same pair of sunnies (well he liked mine so much he got a pair for himself)

This trip taught us a lot, about being prepared, planning and checking routes, recovery and self recovery, and having a back up plan.
Damien and I would purchase 4WD. After a few weeks searching I found him a 2010 in Houston TX, and mine in Portland OR, picking them up a day apart from each other, and driving / camping our way home.

At some point I had two Tacomas, I did like the Black