GrandiOdyssey: Circumnavigating the Globe in a '19 Tacoma Build Thread

Hi, thanks for the kind words. The stock MT gearing is fine with our current weight (slightly under GVWR) and 31.6" tires but any more weight or larger tires would require 4.88s. On our most recent trip from TX to CO we averaged 18.5mpg on the highway @65mph.

We are likely delaying our departure to late February '21 because Australia is currently not letting in foreigners. We will likely re route and start in Northern Europe, then head to Morocco, Southern/ Eastern Europe, before crossing into Russia and central Asia in the Summer of '21.

 

Update 7/30/20

We have altered our route plan as shown below to due COVID 19 such that we can still hopefully cross Central Asia/ Russia during the summer of '21. Time permitting we would love to venture into some of the Gulf States after Egypt (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Oman) but we will make that call in early '22 depending on the situation at the time.

 

Nice truck! We have a similar build, 2013 Regular Cab with a FWC Eagle that we 6 months into a similar trip when COVID happened. Currently arranging shipment of the truck back from Costa Rica to the US, as all borders in between are shutdown. I would definitely recommend shedding weight and regearing if you can. The combination of poor gas, very steep roadways, few true highways south of the border will take its toll on your MPG and clutch.

 

That's such a bummer! Are you planning to go back out as COIVD blows over?

 

I like this route alot. Avoids some of the more conflict parts of the world

 

Indeed, we also gave lots of consideration to visas/ vehicle temporary imports, shipping ports, carnets, climate, safety, etc etc but after lots of deliberation we think this route will work out best for what we are trying to accomplish. Now if only this COVID thing would let up....

 

Should be able to accomplish this stock

 

Only the driving part perhaps, but not when it comes to the living/ comfort part.

 

Some more testing in CO, made it up Pike's Peak like a champ!

 

Testing out the new cockpit setup with AnytimeBackup front and rear cameras, Taco Garage Accessory mount, Hondo Garage vent mounted iPad holder, Garmin mini, and Go Pro.

 

Yes, but with the pain/expenses of shipping and storing we won't be taking our truck. Most likely I'll just buy a van or Hilux somewhere in South America and spend a few weeks building it out. Going to wait a few years until this blows over. We decided that if we're going to invest in traveling down there, we didn't want everything to be shutdown

 

Just realized its been quite a while since we posted here so here is an update of what we have been up to....

With COVID delaying our international ambitions we left Texas in mid September to do a loop of the Western US/ Baja. We drove straight across West Texas and New Mexico to Southwestern Colorado to catch that last few weeks of warm weather in the San Juan mountains. The leaves had already started to change which provided a scenic backdrop to the mountain towns of Telluride, Ouray, and Silverton. Luck for us, the mountain passes were still open so we completed most of of the Alpine Loop including Imogene and Engineer pass surprising many Jeep owners as well passed them with the camper on the back of our Tacoma ; ).

After a few weeks in CO, we then decided to take the Rim Rocker trail between Montrose and Moab, UT. I would highly recommend this track as it takes you through a wide array of terrain ranging from high elevation forrest to desert valleys as you wind your way towards the 4x4 mecca of Moab. As expected Moab in October was quite a zoo but we managed to book a day to complete the White Rim Trail through Canyonlands National Park which we would also highly recommend, but if you want tackle this in one day get an early start as it took us the entire day to complete the 100 miles. We also found time to visit Arches National Park and found that taking the dirt tracks was a an effective way to beat the crowds in RVs...much more peace and solitude that way.

Following Moab we finished out Utah with Lake Powell, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase- Escalante, Bryce Canyon all of which we would highly recommend. Southern Utah is like no place on earth and we could have wandered around there for weeks. As we passing into Northern Arizona, we began to see the damage caused by the wild fires that had happened during the previous months. Entire sections of of the Kaibab National Forest were closed as we had to take several detours in order to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Nevertheless we were able to encounter some wild buffalo roaming around the forest but given the limited options for camping we detoured down towards Sedona area for the weeks.

The overlanding opportunities in the Southwest are not to be understated, but we also like to break up our travel with visiting towns/ cities. Scottsdale, Lake Havasu, Laughlin, and Las Vegas are all a nice reprieve some long periods of time camping in the mountains desert. Top tip is to for some cuisine when you are in these places that you are not easily able to cook in your camper, a little treat can go a long way here. Following Vegas took most of the Mojave Road into Southern California and onto Palm Springs. While not quite as scenic as some of the other routes we had taken up to this point. we would still recommend it just be sure to check out some of the landmarks along the way and watch out for rouge side by sides coming down the narrow tracks.... to be continued...

 

Our rig is now for sale if anyone is interested: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-camper-swift-turn-key-overland-build.734370/

 

what happened to your Grand Odyssey? Back burner??

 

COVID made it impossible to execute our original plan but we had a great time touring all over the USA and Mexico. We will be building a new rig shortly than continuing international adventures when the world opens up more

 

Good luck with the sale!