How or Why did you get into 4 wheeling?

It start for me in the Marines driving the M-151's [jeep replacement] around. Those thing got around pretty good. Driving on base out in the desert,29 Palms, was a hoot....I was the CO's driver so I drove more than most. A few guy's had trucks and we would go out a play around...... It got me hooked......Getting out where most people don't go,seeing things most people don't see......

 

Running from LEO???

 

I see mud, I want to play in mud, drive through mud.
mud fun.

 

Wrestle in mud?

 

Loved camping and hiking as a teenage kid in the desert, even used to ride my bicycle to go hike and camp out there (back in the good days, parents let their kids do stuff like that). Started off-roading in my 1st car, an old ‘68 unibody BMW 1600 in the desert too. That poor thing, one time I bottomed out so bad my friend in the back seat got his feet stuck under the driver’s seat and I had to kick and jump up and down on the floor to free them. Then I got the S10 4x4, and it continued after that on a better level.

And my wife? She grew up in southern Utah driving an old J40 in Canyonlands before it even had any paved roads! She also was the one who owned and drove our ‘85 Toyota MT 4x4 PU when I first met her. Knew she was the one when I saw that!

 

I grew up next to 100 acres of woods. My dad grew up on a farm in the country.

 

Been bouncing around in 4x4's for as long as I can remember. It kinda grew on me....

 

We don’t have paved roads in Louisiana.

 

Bought my first truck (02 Tundra) after my first deployment at the ripe age of 20 while stationed in Washington state. Back then I didn't care about things like a lift or a grille/brush guard. The truck came with a 2" lift in the front and rear with 33" KM2's and I fell in love with it right away to be honest. Next thing you know I'm wheeling in Tahuya and having a blast! Now I'm living in the Southeast and all anyone cares for here is "mudding", what a joke compared to true off-roading in a mountain. I miss those days...

 

That, that right there, I would fully support!

But unfortunately most women who go mudding here look more like this:

 

Started out with ATV's. Eventually bought a Jeep and built it into a trailer queen. Opened my own 4x4 shop. Closed 4x4 shop. Got tired of the Jeep scene, so I bought a Tacoma.

 

Dad and friends. Contrary to what Marlin Crawler will say we’ve been crawling long before them.

 

I must have been 3 or 4 years old when I first rode on the back of a SJ along the shoreline in the late 1960s.


My first Jeep was a 1995 Grand Cherokee Laredo; then a 2001. Both with SelecTrac. Loved those things. Ten years ago discovered Wranglers and fell in love with taking the trails less traveled.

 

Saw my neighbors tacoma, thought it was really cool even though I knew absolutely nothing about vehicles. Ended up buying my prerunner, got on tacomaworld, and and after seeing all your guy's bad ass rigs and pics of wheeling I thought I'd give it a try. I'm still really new to offroading, and being limited to a 4x2 I have to be careful about what I try, but I'm learning.

 

I've had people put dents in my roof and have had foot prints on the upper part of my windshield. If Scotty put his seat belt on, you had better put yours on!! Of course I would hit the gas and get the truck bouncing around so they couldn't

 

Moved to Montana. Kinda mandatory.

 

Collectors item these days! Have you seen their prices?

 

First experience was in one of these.



Not one of the most off road worthy rigs, but it got us out camping and hunting.

Then the old man got one of these:



Much better.

His buddy had one of these:



Spent a lot of time bouncing around inside of that rig exploring the Northern half of AZ. That was where my love affair with Toyota 4WD's started.

But 4-wheeling has always been a means to the end of camping remotely and hunting. Never have been one to go out just for the sake of wheeling. Not that the journey to get there can't be a little fun....it sure can. But I'm not the guy to bypass a good section of track or trail just to hit the rough stuff (or mud) for the hell of it.

 

Yeah, $80,000+ for a retomod!