New Tacoma Want to Get it Right

Hello,

I am new to this forum however I've been trying to find a place to discuss Tacomas. Seeing this is Tacoma World, I figured this would be a good place. Now to the point...
I have a manual 2020 Tacoma with the Pro trim ordered, (being built in February).
I want to take this off roading and overlanding but I want to do it right so I don't do damage to my new truck.
My current plan is the following;

Some bed stiffeners. (I've read about bed flex issues when putting a lot of weight on the bed rails.)

TACOMA REAR CHANNEL BED STIFFENERS (2016+)

https://www.amazon.com/TACOMA-REAR-CHANNEL-STIFFENERS-2016/dp/B01MQEGMHJ

A bed cap with a built in roof rack. I haven't decided here yet and am very open to suggestions.

A 4 person roof top tent.
https://www.rei.com/product/116148/tepui-tents-explorer-series-autana-4-tent-with-annex

With the tent I'll need a roof rack to mount to the bed cap but haven't decided this either since I want to base this off what will work with the bed cap.

My main question here is what I'm planning sound like a good idea?
Am I missing something that can save me some heartache later?

Thanks,
Char

 

Seems fine, but I hope you plan on using that RTT a lot. That thing on top of a shell is a boat anchor, and if you keep it up there it's going to cost you even more money in gas in the long run. Then again I think RTT's are a fad and I'll die on that hill lol

ARE/Leer tend to be the most popular and you can't really go wrong with either. Just be prepared to pay basically $2k minimum for what you want if you buy it new

 

I plan to use it as much as I can and when I can't, I'll take it off and keep in the the garage since it's a huge box high in the air doing wonders for airflow over the truck.
I agree they are a fad, but I really like the idea of not having to set up a ground tent as often as I have to when I'm out helping with trail running events and any other excuse I can find to go deep in the woods.

 

Welcom to Tacomaworld! So let me get this straight... you want to fill the bed with gear, add a topper and then add a four person rooftop tent?
Um, gear in bed around 400 lb. Topper is around 300 lb. Tent plus four people is around 1000 lb.
Payload for bed is less than 1000 lb so you are going, offroad, with a truck that is exceeding 2X the payload.

My suggestion? Cancel the Tacoma order and get a Ram Power Wagon.

Your challenges are:
Finding a robust topper that can handle a thousand lbs on top. Keeping your center of gravity as low as possible for off roading.

If you go the Tacoma route, you will have to replace the suspension right away with a much stiffer one and that does not address the brakes which are sized for the recommended payload.

Good luck man. Bed stiffeners are not gonna help lol.

 

In my opinion you should by rock sliders and skid plates first then everything else you want later . I don't know how the pros suspension is but if you're adding all that weight to a regular off-road like mine you will want heavier Springs also. I'm not too familiar with the pro and how the springs are with all that weight.

 

Welcome to TW. Can’t wait to your Gundam Taco LOL

 

Weight is concern for sure. I think I may axe the 4 person tent and go with a two. Something like link related, which would also help with airflow since it's less of a brick.
https://www.rei.com/product/153194/tepui-tents-hybox-tent

I looked at other trucks as well but I really want to get a manual since it feels like this is kinda it for manuals.

I know they lift the front by an inch and change the shocks for fox shocks all round but I don't think they lift the rear at all. I was thinking about lifting it an inch or so in the rear but haven't decided yet.
Thinking some rock sliders and skid plates for sure.

Probably should have got it in red and put some gold flare on it lol.

 

Welcome to TW, OP!

Without knowing your experience level, my opinion is below.

Others may have different perspectives, but when it comes to modifying these trucks, I would suggest starting small. Getting used to the vehicle first, and then modifying it, is usually the best bet. Otherwise, with just what you've listed, you'll be spending a minimum of $5-$6k in mods (on top of the most expensive trim level) before you know what your usage will really be like. For example, arguably the most popular "mod" is purchasing an OEM (or similar) bed mat; highly useful and usually at or below $100.

In fact, when the truck arrives, take it off road in its stock configuration. Outside of some hardcore rock crawling and deep mud, you'd be surprised at how capable it is out of the box, especially with the Pro suspension, skid plate, and small lift in comparison to other models. Grab a family ground tent, pack up some bedding, a cooler, water, and do a few overnighters.

Again, that is just based on personal experience in 4 wheeling and camping.

Now, for upgrades to help your vehicle off road, there are variables to consider. What types of terrain will you go through regularly? How rural are the trails? Will you be going alone or with other vehicles?

Without knowing those things, arguably the most valuable first upgrades to help your truck off the pavement would be appropriate tires and rock sliders. From there, ensure you have recovery gear. Basic gear, imo, should always include a good shovel, a way to communicate beyond your cell phone, and some form of traction boards. The list goes on from there.

There are tons of great threads that go into further detail on these subjects that you can search through - hope this helps!

 

One of the first mods I did was @At The Helm bedside stiffeners as I was adding a SungTop Hilner Sport topper. And ATH stiffeners have bottle openers on each side, FTW!

 

I hope your pockets are real deep. None of this is going to be cheap, mainly because one thing requires another which requires another, like others said above.

You're looking at a 3k tent, sitting on a 2-3k topper, which will require, say $500 or so rear suspension upgrades, and then you're not going to upgrade the rear and leave the front stock so add another 500-1k for front suspension. Factor in 500-800 bucks in full skid plates and another 500 for sliders.

You're already at $8,500 give or take. Not to mention the fact that this truck is now heavy as HELL and will need a re-gear to make it drivable again, ESPECIALLY if upgrading tire size. Add 2-3k for the new gears installed and say $800 for those tires (we'll be generous and say you're keeping the stock wheels).

You're over $12,000 in before you know it! If that's something you can do then that is awesome, but some would argue you're better off trading it in and adding that 12k for something more suited for the task.

P.S: Pro suspension is lifted 1" over other models front AND rear. However, again, if you're adding all that weight in the rear, you're going to be replacing the suspension anyway, so why waste the money on the pro.

 

Skip the tent on top. Buy one later if you really want it. I cant imagine trying to climb a ladder after a few beers trying to get in bed to sleep. Just grab a nice tent for a couple hundred bucks and an air mattress. Plus, waking up in the morning to relieve yourself will suck climbing back down a ladder. Get the 6ft bed. Its bigger in case you want to sleep in it and camper shells are more readily available in case you buy something used. It took forever to find a used 5ft shell. I bought a bed slider and its has come in very handy. The windors on the side of the camper shell are also very useful.

 

Since only the front end of the Pro is raised and also has a higher breakover angle than other models, that means the rear end is actually lowered compared to the other models, along with the Pro having a lower departure angle and the same ground clearance.

The specs are the same as the last couple of years.
Toyota hasn’t raised it yet according to the specs, unless this is wrong.

 

I think your head is in the right place. It's a good idea to plan these things out as some of these items are pretty costly. Just keep up the research, don't settle with the first looks. If you can, get out to a vendor to see the product in person, or if someone in your area is rocking it ask them some questions about it.

Just a heads up with you wanting the camper shell and a RTT, I'd for sure take a serious look at the Go Fast Campers.

https://gofastcampers.com/pages/camper-landing

People rock them on their dailies. All you would really need to worry about would be some sliders, maybe some bed stiffeners. Depending on how much weight with gear, you can start looking at getting an add a leaf, or a new leaf pack all together.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck with the build man. Let's see some pics when you get it.

 

Welcome, you came to the right place and asked the right stuff.

 

Thanks guy, you all have been extremely helpful. I am going to continue my research to build something that will do everything I want. I know it's going to cost a lot but it feels like if it does these things well, it will be worth it.

 

Welcome to TW, your plan sounds great, look around, do some research, don’t believe everything you read though.

 

Will do. Everything I read about and research gets me more excited for the adventure I'll be able to on. I'll make sure to share these adventures with you good folks here.