Let me hear some advice.

Hello all!

My wife and I, who live in the Eastern part of the US, have wanted to take a road trip out West to camp and explore national parks since before we were married. With the addition of my 2021 Tacoma Sport, I have a strong desire to take it off road a bit like I used to with the 94 Toyota Pickup I had growing up. I write this post to ask those far more experienced than me for advice and gear hints. Let me give a little background info. Below is an image of my truck, stock with factory options. It has a small lift with what I feel is good clearance as well as navigation included.

What I want to accomplish is...

• Drive my truck out west on a preplanned route which connects 3-4 NPs.
• Camp a few non-consecutive nights at some or all NPs.
• Kayak or Canoe on bodies of water where permissible.
• Drive OHV Trails local to the park region.

Regarding the route and parks, I have three different routes including different parks to select from that I will choose and whittle down to appropriate trip lengths. Each route is currently estimated to be roughly 60 hours of drive time, so some parks will be cut. In regards to the OHV trails, I will not be selecting trails rated higher than moderate. Nothing treacherously rocky or featuring terrain better suited to the Off-Road package or for those who install crawl specific mods. The trails I intend to ride should be relatively smooth as I do not want to risk damage or danger to my new truck.

What I am asking the wonderful people of Tacoma World for...

• Advice on OHV trails regarding safety, items of concern, and truck capabilities.
• Truck gear recommendations (i.e. toppers, equipment racks, bumpers for winch, etc.)
• Camping gear recommendations.
• Pictures of their rigs and setup.
• Stories of past exploits that may be pertinent.

We are hoping to set out on this trip in a years, and I see this as a great way to pick the brains of you knowledgeable folks. Feel free to link pertinent threads to this one. Please don't dwell on the question of a destination, because we haven't decided yet. I will make a separate thread in the future for those questions. Thanks everyone. I can't wait to read your comments.

 

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/
This guy has a YouTube page as well and does reviews on trails. Gaia also has them on their app if you have that.

 

I am very curious as well

 

Take whatever camping gear you already own and toss it in the bed of your truck. Boom, now you're an "overlander".

As for the truck gear like winches or racks or whatever, don't waste your money. You likely won't need any of that based on your "moderate" trail criteria. A 100% stock truck with decent all terrain tires is more than capable enough. Far more capable than people think. You don't need thousands of dollars in lockers and winches to take these things off road. The nut behind the wheel is the main limiting factor. Honestly, things like winches and hi-lift jacks can do more harm than good if you don't know how to use them.

Before you head out on your big adventure, hopefully you plan to take the truck out, maybe to a local off road park or some local trails to learn not only the truck's limits, but your own limits as well. The more you drive it around, the more you'll learn what YOU like and dislike about the truck and your gear setup.

Now, if you've never done any camping before, get yourself a decent tent, some sleeping bags, a couple chairs, and a propane stove, steal a pot and pan from the kitchen, and load up with a night or two worth of food. You WILL forget things. Bring some bagels and something you don't NEED to cook, just in case you forget something stupid and basic, like a lighter, which I have done.

But that's why you start small, with a nearby campground. Worst case and you get caught unprepared in the rain or something, you eject and go home lol, and make a list of the stuff you wish you had.

 

KISS applies here.

And @jbrandt just gave you one.

Planning is good. Overthinking, not so much.

 

Definitely hit up YouTube. But before you travel out west hit some of the trails on the east coast to get a good feel for the truck.

 

One other "west" thing which many don't think about, especially if camping: there is a relationship between elevation and temperature. Two weeks ago, my wife and I camped in the Inyo Mountains at 8500' and day/night temps were perfect. Meanwhile, in the Owens Valley (~4000' el., 10 miles distant), temps were triple-digits. We've camped at Mahogany Flats Campground (8100') in Death Valley in July, temps were killer and there were no other humans. An island in the sky.

And the opposite applies during cold months -- keep elevations low for the warmest temps.

Our standard camping equipment: simple, basic. Works fine on long trips (no RTT or snorkel needed).

 

Really good resource:

National Park Trail Guide

 

I will be following this thread with great interest. Me and my wife (Also Eastern US) plan to make the same type of trip within a years time! Thanks for making this and I hope we both get some useful information from these helpful people!

 

First, thanks for your service. NC is home but I spent much of my two year tour at Ft Huachuca in southern AZ in 69-70 where I had the chance to see a lot of the Four Corners area. I was hooked and we return to that part of the Country often.

Second, re-read jbrant’s post above regarding equipment. There’s really nothing you’d need to camp out west that wouldn’t also be necessary here in the east.

With a few exceptions, most of our National Parks don’t offer much in the way of off road driving or dispersed camping. Big Bend on the Tex/Mex border is one that does and a favorite of ours. Check out any National Forests and BLM lands along your route for roads that will be more of a challenge to your Sport. These also offer better and cheaper camping option in my opinion. The National Forests have MVUMs (Motor Vehicle Use Maps) that are handy to find trails and campsites. Reservations will be needed for camping at the more popular NP’s and that locks you into a fixed schedule. That isn’t a problem if you boondock.

Get an America the Beautiful Pass @ $80/yr. That will get you and anyone in your vehicle into any Federal public lands at no charge. Most western National Parks charge $25 and up entrance fees.

 

Learn how to protect your food and camp from wildlife visitors like bears, mountain lions, snakes.......not everything is friendly. Even moose can be real SOBs.

 

Pretzel sticks. Lots of pretzel sticks

 

Agree with @huachuca, get the America is beautiful pass.
I’ll post my set up below but it’s similar to yours. The main 3 differences are a RTT, shovel and traction boards.
1. RTT. Make sure your family likes camping first. A RTT is nice especially for crappy weather/set up time. It matters when your in CO, -8 at night, in 2 feet of snow, drove 12 hours and the wife just wants to go to bed.

Not so much when the weather is nice and you’re relaxing.


2. A shovel. People really underestimate the power of a shovel. It is so useful and has gotten me out of hairy situations multiple time. (Like when your exploring a National Forest to find you driven into a frozen, snow covered creek bed w/o cell reception 3 miles from a main road)

3. Traction Boards. Received them the night before our first trip and they also saved us in the creek incident. I wouldn’t go anywhere without them. I haven’t needed a bumper/winch yet.

I would recommend a Walmart brand water container that hold 5 gallons. Water tight containers for clothes/food/sleeping gear like the 4 on the bottom left.


My wife and I visited like 10 NP in one 7 day trip. It was way to much driving/packing/unpacking. I’d say your plan of 3-4 over 7 days would probably be much more fun/relaxing.

 

So, about RTTs: I know everyone and their mother love them, almost as if they're a basic requirement to go "overlanding".

I suggest watching this video before throwing down $2000+ on a tent. Even if you've already got one, I'm betting you'll find yourself nodding your head to a lot of what this guy is saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVavqvwYvw

 

I'd pull of the chin strap for starters.