Overlanding: Sport or Off road

Hey guys,
New to the forum and although I know there have been discussions in this vein, but I have a scenario I'd like some input on. Hopefully bringing up what may be a familiar thread won't be too irritating for everybody. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't serious about my question.
I have a black '14 Trd sport DCLB, with 10K miles. I have a work van so I don't put many miles on the Taco. My wife drives it in to work in the summer and it sits in the winter because I don't want to expose it to the road salt here in New England. My first Taco (private sale in 2013) was a cheaply lifted 2006 Sport DCLB and I had it for a few months before I got freaked by the amount of frame rust. At the time I didn't know if there'd be a frame recall and I decided to turn it in for a new one. Buying it was a mistake but oh well, live and learn. I'm good at maintenance but not serious car repair. So I bought the '14. The focus was always camping/ overlanding, which is why I bought the Sport (long bed). I haven't had any opportunity to do either camping or overlanding with this truck unfortunately, had a baby in spring of '14 and life's been too crazy ever since. Now that my boy is 3 1/2, I'm thinking about next steps for an expedition rig. Crap, I should probably get to the point but the back story is pertinent.
I bought the DCLB because my wife wants a double cab for the kid seat and the doggie, and I wanted a long bed for more storage and the ability to sleep in the bed. At the time I purchased the '14 I figured I'd build a sleeping platform with storage underneath. I've since decided I want to eventually get an Adventure Trailers Habitat. I'd thought about towing a trailer and the idea has merit, but I've decided i don't want to tow off road. I'm not very experienced with technical trails and I don't have specific plans to do any serious off-roading, but I've done some trails in the Southwest in a rented jeep where I came upon some fairly technical terrain, and my goal is to build a rig where that stuff won't be a deal breaker, 100 miles into the willies. I know the breakover sucks with the long bed, and my plan would be to invest in a quality suspension lift and bumper replacements to get the truck a better angle. Speaking of which, anybody have any recommendations for a long travel suspension shop on the east coast? So for now, what I'm set on is a DCLB with Habitat. The problem I have is that although I love the 2nd gen (looks/engine), the 3rd gen Trd OR has a DCLB option, damn it! I've seen the 3rd gen interior and it's pretty nice. The new look I can get used to, not a helluva big difference although I'm not a huge fan of the grill. But the big thing is, I can have all those OR bells and whistles, and a factory locking diff, with a LONG BED! The wife thinks I'm batty, do you guys agree? I know I could get an aftermarket locking diff (I'd probably do the air locker if that's the way I go, I hear they're pretty reliable) but the Crawl control etc is really tempting, seeing as how I'm really not that great at the technical stuff. Welcome to all opinions, and I much appreciate your help!

 

I have a 2012 sport, and like you I don’t have much technical experience. I’m building my truck for camping and moderate off-road stuff and personally I think it’s a lot more fun to learn all that stuff without having all the fancy crawl control stuff. Lockers would be really nice though! I think the sport is a great platform for what you wanna do.

 

Thanks for the input!

 

Just drive the crap out of what you currently have. That’s really the only way to learn what your needs are based on the trails you run, your driving style, etc...

There are a TON of good ideas for mods, etc... but they will only tell you how to do a mod, you are the only person qualified to tell you WHAT to do. You could go and throw a ton of money at your rig because you saw guys on the good ol interwebs do it. But are those mods good for your purposes? Maybe, but probably not.

The more you drive it, and the more you are out on the trail, you’ll experience the deficiencies of your current setup, and then you can get people with more experience to help you address those specific deficiencies.

I’ve never even considered sleeping in the bed. Even if I had a long bed, that’s still only 2 more inches than I am tall - so just not comfortable for me. So it’s either a tent or an rtt for me...

As for adding a locker, you could try to find a TRD one from a wrecking yard, rather than plumbing air lines etc... for an aftermarket air locker (ARB).

But again, the more you drive, the more you will figure out what you need. You might end up only doing trails where a locker isn’t even necessary, in which case that $1000 you blew on the locker/labor would be a waste...

As for the double cab long bed, traction control, decent control thing... I drive a 1st gen dbl cab, and that thing is a limo. But, as with anything, it’s all about compromise. The extra doors and longer bed are nice for storage/kids/pets, and depending on the type of trails you run, may not even be an issue. I personally don’t think all that electronic junk is worth getting an entirely new vehicle JUST for that stuff when you already have a good platform for wheelin. Like I said, just drive what you have and learn as you go. IMO, all those electronic gadgets can give people a false sense of confidence when goin off road, and can get you into more trouble. I’ve seen quite a few people in a lot of trouble because they got themselves i to trouble thinking “I’ve got electronics that will keep me out of trouble”. The electronics aren't a replacement for driving skills, which you only get from driving, a lot.

 

Run what you brung, at least til you find out what suits you. When I bought my '15DCSB for the family I had a pretty good idea of what I needed based off my 1st gen TRD extracab experience. That experience came from going out and travelling a lot. It's easy to drop a ton of money right off the bat trying to build the perfect vehicle. It's also easy to drop a ton more changing things when you realize that the first direction you went wasn't right. Worry about the basics right now: tires, fuel, and camping bacon.

 

Is camping bacon different from regular bacon??

 

Ill chime in, this summer my wife and I did alot of camping with our trucks, she has a 15 DCLB SR5, it has no fancy A-trac or lockers and at the time zero lift but it had aggressive tires and my truck is a 02 DCSB TRD lifted, locker, mud tires, 5 people 2 dogs 3 tents and all the essentials. We camp at places were that arnt on the map so E rated tires is a must. The 15 DCLB did just fine with no lift traction aids or any fancy electronics and a women driving she had to go a bit slower on the rocks then I did but in the end we all got there unscathed and camped at awesome places. That being said sometimes its just being able to pick a line and 4 wheel drive is all you need.

 

One of the most practical posts I've seen in a long time!

 

Sounds more like you’re lacking experience to do the trails you want to do, crawl control definitely won’t help you be a better driver. In fact, it’ll probably make you worse because you may tend to get over your head or outside your comfort/experience level and then rely on CC to get you out of a jam, and it may not. Then you’re SOL.

I think your plan is a good one, so I’d keep what you have, build it as you want to, then spend a lot of time driving. Parts and gear don’t make truck capable, the driver does.

Also, why LT? If you can afford that then your money, but nothing posted here and LT makes sense to me. I think a good MT setup is all you need, especially with the experience level you have (more importantly, what you don’t have). Maybe I’m reading wrong and you have a lot of time off-road, but LT is a lot of work, expense, and 90% of people with a quality MT setup don’t need anything more than that. I don’t get the impression you’re that 10%.

Looking forward to your build! Have FUN.

 

I have to agree with micc, we have a 2008 dclb SR5, 4WD, with ICON lift stage 4, BFG AT2. We have been on a number of BAJA trips, chasing/pitting for a trophy truck team. We've been to some very difficult areas with no problems. We are usually loaded with 2 tool boxes, an off road box, 1 or 2 Trophy truck tires, extra fuel, ice box, etc., etc. I think the extra weight in the bed helps for traction. I guess electronic aides would be good, but I'd agree -- Go with what you've got and gain some experience. No extra hardware compares with real experience. Good luck!

 

Well, yeah. It's far superior because you're eating it while camping!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2012-aclb-mt-trd-sport-mgm-w-at-habitat-43-5k.515509/

Off Road has factory locker option ....but you mentioned thinking about a habitat and I saw this today.

 

Wow, guys, this is amazing! I've been away camping and I come back to all these great responses. I don't know how to do a multi quote so I'll respond to each. Thanks a ton.

 

I think that's a great suggestion, I really should drive the truck more. Enjoyed it these past few days. I don't think the gadgets are a replacement at all for driving skills but I had some concerns about sand when I finally make it back out west. I don't have much chance to test on that kind of terrain in the northeast, at least in my limited experience. Sounds like a better idea to invest in some traction aids and a good, stowable if possible, shovel, and eventually a winch and straps and maybe some earth anchors of some sort.
Thanks for the response!

 

Bacon is a staple food group, I agree! All good stuff, thank you!

 

Thank you, this is good to hear. Makes me wonder if I should get out and let my wife drive the rough stuff!

 

Great advice, thank you. I was thinking LT because of the LB breakover. I know there's plenty of threads on this, but personally, what would you recommend for MT?

 

Man, jealous of Baja time. I'd love to head down there!

 

I'd rather be camping and eating pb&j than at an all inclusive resort anywhere!

 

This and lots of reading. This is the best place for research and questions.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mtbs-2-0.410188/