Questions About Overlanding in My Taco

Hey There,

I have been having a hard time locating information about Overlanding without making mistakes myself and I am hoping to see if any of you could help. I am hoping to gain answers to these questions:

1) How do hardshell ABS Rooftop tents hold up if you leave the on year round? I live in colorado, so we can have some pretty intense hail in the summer. I just dont want to take it on and off all the time. Can it withstand hail?

2) I don't have the TRD model. Is locking rear differentials really that important for some basic off roading? I am not trying to make this a rock crawler because its my daily driver.

3) I need a solution to prevent theft. I cant seem to find any 1/2" security nuts for the tent and 14mm security bolts for the rail system. I was thinking of getting locking tie down straps. Thoughts?

4) is the stock suspension REALLY that bad for off roading?

5) any mods, maintenance, updates, etc I NEED to do in order to not get stuck out in the middle of nowhere?

My ultimate goal is to build a truck that can handle the Colorado BDR. (https://ridebdr.com/cobdr/)
Thanks for your help! I don't want to continue spending money on this if it cant handle what I want it to do.

Truck info:
2005 Tacoma 2.7 Stock engine and manual transmission. 120K original everything.
CBI Truck Bed Rails
CVT Mt Baker RTT
Primewell Valera AT Tire 265 70 16

 

I’ll withhold my usual snarky comments.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

haa thanks me too

 

I can help a little bit. The collapsible tents all suffer from condensation issues. Putting away wet tents is not great. Even on “dry” trips the tent will get wet and unless you let it dry out you will have issues.

 

My advice would be to isolate all of your questions to individual Tacomaworld searches. You’ll not only find the answers to your questions but multiple ones based on differing perspectives. You’ll be able to pick and choose solutions for what works best for you. Good luck.

 

2wd or 4wd?

Good luck OP!

 

4x4 - 2wd trucks are pointless haha

 

Yeah i noticed that. I have a plan for that thanks!

 

That i did try before making an account and posting it here. I couldnt find answers specific to my gear and plan for the BDR.

 

If you want to be a mainstream "overlander", you'll need to spend a lot more $$ on goodies to at least look the part.

If you are wanting to simply go to some awesome places and not break the bank, it is very possible. Try to think of this as a non Instagram build.

Suspension: You could probably do the Colorado BDR with a stock setup (do some research as i'm sure there are videos out there of people who have completed it and documented). If staying stock, a simple/somewhat cheap solution would be to look for a gen 3 Tacoma take-off. There's a number of "off-road" enthusiasts who as soon as they get their shiny new truck, or shortly thereafter will ditch the stock suspension in favor of a $3,500 setup so they at least look the part. Full 3rd gen suspension (yellow Bilsteins from an Off-Road) can be had anywhere from $100-500. This will net you a 1" lift in the front, probably a little more due to your motor as well and generally levels the truck.

Another cheap option for better suspension with staying near stock or a slight lift is getting Bilstein 5100s all around with either an AAL, a progressive AAl or just get a fresh stock leaf pack if not "needing" to go taller. Just remember that the taller you go with lifts, the more parts you'll need to retain camber/alignment and all those other drive line vibe issues.

There are quite a few rigs of various makes that do the BDR's on stock or near stock suspensions.

I wouldn't say that a TRD Off Road model stock locker is going to make or break your trip. Go hit some light trails, comparable to what you might encounter, figure out the limits of your truck and go from there. Would a locker make some areas easier? Possibly. Knowing how to drive your truck will be more useful than a locker in most situations though. Just because you have a shiny tool doesn't mean you know how to properly use it.

Can't help you on the RTT aspect. We've always done ground tents and now we have a pop up camper trailer.

As for maintenance, mods etc... that is all subjective. In the consumer society we live in, along with Instagram/Facebook, people get lost in having all these fancy tools/mods/gear etc. instead of just getting out there and seeing what they actually need. When I first got my 2008 Tacoma a few months back, it was easy to fall into the blackhole of modifications you see on TacomaWorld and Instagram. The trust is, my "desire" list got dwindled down to a "reality" list.

My original plan was front and rear bumpers, awesome bed rack with crap strapped everywhere (RTT, traction boards, hi-lift, jerry cans, Pelican cases, shovels, axe etc etc), sliders, skids, LED bars everywhere, 270 degree awning, pull-out kitchen that would make Rachael Ray jealous, communication devices everywhere and 4 separate tablets with 5 Go-Pros mounted to record it all. Not quite to this extent, but you can see how it gets out of hand, quickly.

My new plan:
Truck shell
Skids (not a necessity BUT if you're hitting off pavement areas where you could potentially damage your truck and cause lots of $$ in repairs, its great insurance)
Truck shell rack (for when we need to store gear outside of the truck due to bringing our two golden retrievers)
MAYYYYYBE sliders
Rear swing-out bumper for spare tire/gas/water cans (technically could leave the spare underneath, but having to dig it out in the event I get a flat in a crap situation would suck) (ideally would like the swingarms to be detachable for DD duties)
Headlight/fog light wire upgrades
Big 3 battery cable upgrades (because why not)
Tablet mounted in dash (multiple reasons not just Instagram worthy)
A pillar phone mount
Dash camera front/rear
Backup camera
New battery
Fresh fluids/bushings etc
Suspension (either super stock with comfier suspension or 2" lift because I'm vain and like the looks of a slightly lifted Taco)

It looks like you've already got a great start, try to actually think about what you NEED to do what you want, not what you WANT to do what you want. I have refined my list over time as I've though about the added weight and cost and if I would actually "need" certain items. The traction boards I got were an eBay special. Only reason I got them was because they were on a half off special, making them like $50 and then I had a coupon so I ended up spending like $37 on them shipped, hard to pass that up.

Also, just a heads up, the whole "overlanding" word has become way overused thanks to social media. A lot of long-time "overlanders" have grown annoyed with the phrase due to social media because it is essentially truck/car camping or adventuring. One last piece of advice though, buy quality when you do buy certain things/gear. Traction boards I cheaped out on because I don't foresee myself getting into crazy situations with my wife and 3 kids in the truck. Suspension would be an area to spend decent money on for a smooth ride. You don't want to drive a long distance on pavement/dirt and feel like you're riding a brick the whole time.

This is how my truck currently sits. I'd be perfectly fine going a LOT of cool places as is. For the most part, these trucks stock with 4x4 can do quite a bit, just know your limitations and your truck's limitations.

 

If you have to ask if you need a locker you don't need a locker

 

Simmer down

 

1st thing screw "overlanding"............... get in your truck, drive somewhere cool you want to go, pop your tent , then pop a beer and you are camping. Just like we used to do until all this overlanding bullshit...............same thing I still do now.

 

THANK YOU - This has been helpful!

 

1) How do hardshell ABS Rooftop tents hold up if you leave the on year round? I live in colorado, so we can have some pretty intense hail in the summer. I just dont want to take it on and off all the time. Can it withstand hail?

Just fine, plenty of folks run hard and soft tent all year long here in SLC.

2) I don't have the TRD model. Is locking rear differentials really that important for some basic off roading? I am not trying to make this a rock crawler because its my daily driver.

I have lockers and have used them all of twice. You'll be fine.

3) I need a solution to prevent theft. I cant seem to find any 1/2" security nuts for the tent and 14mm security bolts for the rail system. I was thinking of getting locking tie down straps. Thoughts?

I found some through Fastenal, but I had to go looking for them. @My Name is Rahl could probably have some input here

4) is the stock suspension REALLY that bad for off roading?

No, its fine. Better stuff exists, but the OEM stuff is fine for average person use.

5) any mods, maintenance, updates, etc I NEED to do in order to not get stuck out in the middle of nowhere?

I would recommend a tire plug kit, and having a paper map of where you're going. Everything else is relatively optional. I recommend the ARB tire kit, and a Benchmark atlas.

oh, and carry a spare serpentine belt. Cheap, small to store behind the seat. If one of those breaks, you aren't going ANYWHERE.

$49 ARB 10000011 Speedy Seal 2 - Universal Heavy Duty Tire Repair Kit For Car, Truck, RV, Jeep, ATV, Motorcycle, Tractor, Trailer. Flat Tire Puncture Repair Kit Fix Punctures and Plug Flats 50 String Plug

https://www.amazon.com/ARB-10000011...b+tire+kit&qid=1583179371&s=automotive&sr=1-2

Colorado Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas

https://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Benchmark-Road-Recreation-Atlas/dp/0929591127

 

Thanks! I have a serpentine belt ready to go and a few tire repair options.
This has been helpful!

 

Best advice I've gotten personally is this: "You'll never know until you go." Get out, have fun. Your inventory of stuff you bring will inevitably shrink, you'll identify the things you *actually* wish you had brought, and things will start to settle into a "home" like flashlights, headlamps, etc.

 

1.) It’ll hold up just as well as your paint in bad hail. Try to find shelter those few times a year and leave it on year round.

2.) You don’t need a locker at all. We just did a 6,500 mile trip in a $3,500 beat up 1999 4Runner. Never needed the locker once. Never needed 150 grand in glitter either.

3.) Get creative or follow through with above advice^

4.) Stock suspension is 100% fine for exploring/camping. If anything, next time you need tires bump up to a plus one size (265/75-16) and when and only when you actually need new suspension you can pull some off another new stock truck selling their or worry about upgrading then (would be what I would do anyway).

5.) Some basic maintenance and recovery gear is nice. I have some foldable GoTreads and a snatch strap just in case but have only ever needed them to get other people out of sand/snow so far ha. Just keep your truck maintained. Check LBJs/belts/brakes/etc. regularly. Especially if not going super deep into nowhere, just have fun!

 

All that said, just go. Go cruise, go explore, go camp. You’ll narrow down what you need/want a lot more personally than some chumps on the internet put on you ha.

 

You know most race trucks are 2wd right?