help!!! save the Taco

I need help. I bought my taco the 1st of the Year 2014. I love my truck. 2014 trd sport 4x4 long bed gray. The new front design is sharp looking. and with the new ridge grill that I'm eyeballing is sick.

Two months after i bought the truck the wife tells me that we are having a new addition to the family. Well she is due in 9 weeks. I'm F$%^&@.
I love in the Northwest.

I love my Tacoma. But in its current setup its not functional for Baby, dog and wife.
I'm a former Survival instructor, and a current Emergency responder. so I'm pretty good at figuring this kind of stuff out.
I don't what a canopy i don't like the look and the loss of function in the truck. I like the bed covers but I lose the space i have for the bed.
I'm at a lose for on this one.
I need a truck with a hatch back or a truck.

I'm even looking at trading it in for a 4 runner but I'm not a big fan of not have a truck bed to haul stuff.
If you have any idea or concept that you think would work
I would love any feedback.

thanks
DGate

 

Acess roll up bed covers with a pop&lock on the tailgate. will allow you to just roll up the bed cover when you need the bed, and will keep water and most thieves out.

 

I was in your shoes 11 years ago. I held out as long as I could but eventually had to sell my truck. I kicked myself every single day for 6 years until I got my Taco in April this year. I don't have any advice other than DO NOT SELL YOUR TRUCK.

 

Trade to a double cab?

 

Shows he has a DCLB. I'm failing to see the problem here.

 

Roof rack with a basket or cargo box?

 

You're fine!

 

Ummmmm also failing to see the problem here.

I have a son, two dogs, and another son on the way. My DCSB is the PERFECT vehicle for me and my family. Plenty of room for a car seat (rear or forward facing) with enough room for lots of gear. Keep in mind that I have a camper shell over my bed.

We took a 2 week vacation to NorCal in the truck and had a great time with lots of comfort. I drove and both my wife and son (3yrs old at the time) sat in the back playing games, watching movies, eating/drinking, and sleeping.

Get a camper shell and keep the truck. You'll be SO sorry if you let it go.

 

oops, sorry.
Didn't look at his truck specs, just assumed it was a AC

 

I am not trying to be smart, but I am not sure what the problem is here unless your wife is over 300 pounds and your dog is as big as a small horse. Otherwise everyone should fit fine in the truck you have. To be honest even if you have an oversized wife, very large dog and a baby they should all fit. I assume the wife with the baby in her stomach and your dog fit now so why wouldn't they fit after she has the baby? I assume there is something you are leaving out as to why you think you need a different vehicle.

 

Exactly

 

Just get a Soft topper or Best topper. They go on and off quickly. Put it on to haul the kiddo's stuff and take it off when running solo. They weigh around 45 lbs.

Or just do what I did. get a DC Tundra to haul all the extra shit and have the Tacoma for everything else

 

I have seen many threads on here about people wanting to sell their double cabs and get a car or SUV because they are getting a child. It is a mind thing because you think 'truck = small'. The rear seat in most cars is smaller than the DC's, and you have to bend down to get in there. SUV and DC rear seats are about the same size, so no reason to go the SUV route either.
OP, I would say keep the truck; I have a first gen and it is plenty big for my two kids in the back; your 2nd gen is much bigger. My truck is 12 years old. I bought it when my son was 2 and he is now 14 and 6'-1" and still fits.
Get a toneau cover for the bed so the diaper bag and stroller stays dry, but you can easily remove it to load something. No problem.

 

Okay, there's the answer.

 

Yeah, a DCLB will be fine for wife, kid and dog. I had a DCSB and it fit my two dogs, kid and wife just fine, I had a tonneau bed cover and it was great to travel in. Now I have a full size car, and it still works for me, my wife, kid and two dogs and stuff, cant off-road, and cant haul stuff, but it works still.

 

That's an odd position to be in, I actually bought my DC taco because we have a baby on the way (of coarse the wife already has a 4runner so that helps).

Worst case scenario if you all have to take a long trip, just rent a car.

 

This comes up a lot on here and my advice is to consider what your options are and choose the best vehicle for your family. Your wife should be part of this decision making process.

With young kids who require car seats, diaper bags, portable play pins as well as other crap, to me the Taco was just not a good fit. Back when our first child was on the way I sold my truck for a vehicle that was more practical for the family. It sucks and I hated to do it, but me keeping the truck as the primary family vehicle was being selfish IMO. Rather than focusing on what I wanted I had to consider comfort, safety, room, or efficiency.

Once my kids got older and the car seats and extra crap were no longer needed I was able to get another truck.

 

I've got three kids (7, 7 and 5) and I drive them around every day in my DCSB, including on frequent long road trips. They all fit just fine, even with three booster seats in the back. Most bed covers come off quite easily, so you can remove it when you need to haul oversized items.

 

I will go against what others have said and you will not have enough room in the cab for everything you need to take on a trip. Plain and simple. It is not worth cramming 3 to 5 bags and misc. other crap depending on the trip. And don't forget the stroller in the back seat. It rains in the PNW so without some sort of bed covering you don't want to stick anything back there.

I had a DBL Cab LB and ran a bestop for a while then finally found a nice used Leer canopy. A hard shell canopy is really the way to go. You can lock your stuff in back.

After awhile of using the truck bed for hauling a multitude of different objects and materials, I bought a utility trailer from a friend. Best money I ever spent.

 

Every situation is different. I have a DC but we only use the 2 front seats since the back is folded down to accommodate the 2 dogs (60lbs each) a child would have no space so I would have to get a shell for dogs...our second car is an outback which would fit the dogs (trunk) and kids but you would have no spot for luggage