New Here! Researching Baja Surf Rig

Hi,

I'm David and I'm new here!

I don't have a Tacoma yet but I'm looking learn and educate myself.

I want something that I can put a Four Wheel Camper on and get butt down to Baja to surf.

It also needs to either be an Access Cab with 6ft bed or a Double Cab with the 5 foot bed as I have limited space to park and cant fit a Double Cab with a 6 foot bed.

I see a lot of trucks with tons of money in upgrades which I'm not sure I really need. I would like to get a low mileage Gen 3 (or Gen4?) and keep it relatively as stock as possible although I understand I may need to upgrade my suspension and perhaps add skid plates.

I had a Vanagon Syncro for many years with a Viscous Coupler and front and rear lockers which made sense to me but all the traction options on Tacomas are really confusing. Lots of different buttons and options but only a few models have actual rear lockers? What do I need for steep rocky desert hills and terrain. (TBH I almost never used my front locker in my Syncro and could have survived without it)

Anyway, this looks like a great group of people (I've been lurking a bit) with a ton of knowledge so howdy to all and if you have any suggestions or comments please send them.

Thanks in advance!


David

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome...
Do you already own the 4-wheel camper?
If not, I'd suggest looking into pop-tops that weigh much less than the 4-wheel camper. There are many options...we settled on an OVRLND camper that weighs about 250 lbs.
The Gen. 3 Off-Road model has an electronic rear locker from the factory.
Access cab for the win, unless you're hauling kids around.

It's been more than thirty years since we were surfing in Baja; our Toyota pickup (22R) dragged our butts to many remote surf spots back in the day.
Cheers

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome!

 

Thank you Inyo_man for that advice. I've noted that the payload for Tacomas is somewhat lacking and I've been checking out the lighter camper solutions.

One question: If I'm wanting to travel on the Baja back-roads will I need a lift over the factory lift that comes on the 3gen Off-Road or Pro versions? I see many trucks for sale that have a range of custom suspension mods (3"-6" lifts). I expect to install skid plates and low profile rock sliders but I'm not looking for an "off-road" look and would like to keep it as stock looking as possible.

Thanks again for your input and for the welcomes!