How to build an Expedition Tacoma?

Thought I would revive this thread since it had some good dialogue going. Just an update on my own build and where I am in the decsion making process.

I ordered my sliders and my front bumper from relentless, went with aluminum on the bumper. Should have them by August. I will be ordering my ICON extended travel reservoirs and UCA's next month, although I am undecided on Camburg or TC I doubt it matters much.

I am still debating on the tires I think I will go with the 255/85R16's since I can throw them on my stock rims. I will run them and if I see any limitations then once its time for new tires I can change to the 285's and get new rims at that time.

After several more trips in the truck I have found no limitations in traction only in suspension height I continue to be impressed with the abilities of the ATRAC. Its not perfect for sure but it has yet to let me down.

Once I get the suspension, armor and tires on which should be done by late August I will be able to get on some more difficult trails and will continue to evaluate.

Again several more trips in and I have had the opportunity to evaluate the camping situation. Flippacs, hardsides, ground tents RTT's etc.. I am now leaning towards the maggiolina RTT. After seeing the ARB style RTT's and the flipac in action I am firmly against any RTT except the maggiolina for inclimate weather. Last few trips had severe rain and wind and I watched the flippac and the ARB get folded up and the occupants sleep in the front of their truck because they just couldnt handle the weather. My little dome tent held up but it wasnt a great nights sleep.

Nice options for nice weather but I want to plan for the worst. So if I go RTT its the maggiolina.

Hope others chime in with thoughts and expereinces!

 

rsbmg,

My Flippac has yet to let me down- though if one doesn't have the product specific rainfly (or even a tarp for that matter) it wouldn't be so great.
We have camped in all types of situations (except dead of winter) and the thing has held up STRONG- no water leakage. My guess is that if someone packs it up due to sever rain they didn't have the rainfly (or have it on right). With that unit on and bungee'd down in 4 points I'll sleep like a baby through monsoon season.

Just thought I'd chime in about the product when properly used.

 

While having the lift/tires/lockers will help you get into more places reliably while Overlanding, I think the stuff you pack in your truck is more important than the stuff you put on the truck. Even a stock TRD Off-Road is more than capable of getting you into the middle of nowhere and away from people. Most of my overlanding (didn't know that's what it was called until this thread) was done in my stock Pre-Runner.

IHMO, the camping equipment you take with you goes further towards a fun and smooth trip than any vehicle modification. If there is one thing I'll remember about my grandfather, it's his motto: "Any damn fool can be uncomfortable." It's a phrase that I take to heart so much that its acronym is branded on all of the camping gear I build.

Luxury can be had even thousands of miles from home. The right sleeping pad/bag, the right tent, the right chairs, the right clothes, the right food, and most importantly: the right toilet paper. If you go on a trip with all of this planned out in advance, you will forever have your family hooked on enjoying the great outdoors.

Now, don't get me wrong. The vehicle does play an important role. That is one of the reasons I recently traded my PreRunner for a 4X4. And I will eventually modify the truck to be more off-road capable so that I can get in deeper into the wilderness. What I'm trying to say (and others have said similar) is get the truck and get out there! Once you come back from your first trip you'll know what you will need for your second, and so on.

My last trip with the Pre-Runner before I traded it. The cold was expected, the snow was not.

 

In his situation he had the fly on it just soaked through, it was a serious downpour all night. He has since treated the tent and the fly to some waterproof chemicals hopefully he doesnt have a repeat of that trip cuz it sucked.

The wind trip was gnarly he thought the fabric was actually ripping away from the fiberglass thats how bad it was and there was also a guy in a ARB RTT that had to fold his up and sleep in the jeep.

For most situations about anything will do, seriously. But the only two times I have been camping with him and his flippac it failed both times for different reasons. Many people such as yourself report no issues so I'm not saying the flippac is not worth buying ,just for me I don't think I would invest in one. Hopefully yours continues to give you many great years to come and hopefully my friends does as well.

 

Agreed

 

All,
Reviving this thread. Thanks for all of your commentary. I am proud to announce the arrival of my brand new 2011 Tacoma TRD Off-Road w/JBL! I choose Pyrite Mica colour and am excited to get it today! I had the dealer put on the roof rails, hood protector and TRD CAI. I am ordering WeatherTech's and Wet Okole's soonest. Pic's as soon as I figure out how to put them up...then the fun begins.
Thanks,
Mike

 

Congrats! You'll love it.

Word of caution though... return that hood protector. It causes more damage to the paint than it prevents. I had one on my 08 prerunner and it rubbed paint away off the hood.

 

I'm going to revive this sucker again - Mike any pictures or updates? This is the direction I plan to take my Tacoma (much like I did my 4Runner) though milder than what you have in mind.

Dan

 

$2500 will just about cover the parts for front/back arb, compressor, lines, etc. if you're installing professionally, you're looking at 15h+ of labor charges which in my neck of the woods runs at $85/h at a reputable/competent shop.

i had recently installed arb (front/back) and re-geared the axles to 4.56 (if you're locking the diff, high ratio is at greater danger of breaking under load) and it came to around $4500, all said and done. i'm sure it can be done cheaper, but don't think lockers are a cheap mod.

 

sub for later

 

It's been a few months since anybody posted on this thread so I figured I'd throw in my 2cents. Tons of great advice. What Maticuno says in terms of camping gear is a top priority. I highly value my "mobile village" that consists of all the gear that I keep in my truck at all times. I only unload it when I load my snowblower or a couch or something. I always have two tents (one huge 3 room tent for severe weather, and a smaller dome tent) a variety of folding chairs, a folding couch, folding picnic table, several tarps, camp toilet, enough firewood for at least a couple nights, a plastic bag full of paper and cardboard for fire starting. A full camp kitchen(stove, propane, a few different grills, pots/pans,utensils,foil,big ziplocks,cooking oil,spices, basically everything any kitchen has) two big coolers and a smaller folding cooler that zips shut so it can't spill. 3 5gal gas cans(one is always full) at least 3gal of water, at least two sleeping bags, a folding cot, heavy and light raingear, extra thermals, hats, gloves, down jackets, swim trunks, shoes, boots, flip-flops, hats..... Essentially everything myself and a passenger might need in any climate and weather condition. All I have to do is get ice and food and I'm ready to go. Comfort is key. Of course the tools are there, two of almost everything (no point in your passenger watching you dig when you're stuck) Recovery kit (3 snatch blocks, 5 d-ring shackles, 2 6' and 2 10' tree straps) First aid kit,gps..... You get the point, I'm ready. As far as the truck, I've resisted the temptation to go full trail rig and found a happy medium. With this much gear,gotta have heavy duty leafs with AAL, and heavy front coils for the bumper and winch. One thing I didn't see mentioned is the debate about LT vs P-rated tires. I'm a strong believer in LT. 190K miles without a single flat tire. I've had rocks gouge a thumbnail sized chunk out of my rim without getting through the sidewall of my KM2s at 12 psi. If money was no issue, I'd have a crawler too, but since I have to choose, expo-rig is the setup for my needs. I camp about 40-60 nights a year and about a quarter of those are spur of the moment, just because I'm enjoying a trail too much to not see where it takes me. My future plans include a full set of skids, an extra spare tire, a better(faster) air compressor, a snorkel, and on board welding capabilities. When I'm solo, which I usually am, I always have my mt bike so if I get completely stuck or broken down I don't have to walk. Self sufficiency is the name of the game. And figuring out a packing order that works for you. It's like tetris, and knowing where everything is and being able to get to it is key. And always, ALWAYS have multiple spare keys to everything! None of this gear, or the truck it's in do you a bit of good without keys. Keep exploring.

 

Back again...without pics. I really need to figure out how to upload them...I will take some later today and try. Anyway, the build so far: started with a new 2011 TRD Tacoma, put a topper on it, CAI, Wet Okole, Weathertechs, built a slide out box in the bed with 500 lbs sliders, dual battery in a national luna box, national luna fridge on Tembo tusk slide out, OME lift kit, LR UCAs, brake lines, DO sliders, 285/75/16 Duratracs on some black alloys, rhino rack mesh platform on the topper, Viking Off road emergency tow kit and tire repair kit. Next up is Hi-Lift, bushwackers, on board air and install of light bar. I had a sweet Foxwing awning, but it broke in huge gust of wind (according to my wife...I was not present).

See you on the road!

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/new-members/9991-how-embed-photos-into-forum-posts.html

 

I want to see pics. Create an account on photobucket or fickr, upload pics, then copy and paste the IMG code right into the text. Boom, expo pics. The cool thing is that when your computer crashes (they all do eventually) you still have access to your pictures.

 

Sub'd for the great links.

 

the tembo tusks are legit. Wish they weren't like a grand for a drawer slide.

 

Beef up the rear springs, good all terrain tires, some basic recovery gear. That's it really.

 

Please list any and all recovery gear so I don't forget anything.

 

Quick pic. I only have the following recovery gear: shovel, Viking Offroad recovery kit, and maxtrax.

 

...Just added an auxiliary 12V, Uniden CB set-up and a Vision-X 24" lightbar behind the grill and a Hi-Lift X-treme. Working on getting a full size spare and Viair 450P air system. Bushwackers and bumpers with winch are next...but that will take a long time to save for.