Driving a Tacoma around the world

For the past 2 years, I have had a SpotX satellite text unit. For 35 years before that, nothing. My wife would never know where I was in BC other than what area and what remote lakes I planned to explore. Of course plans change often as there are so many lakes here and so much off roading to explore. So back in those days I did all navigation with charts and compass. Used to that as I commercial fished for many years with compass and charts.

I wish I had bought the Inreach. The SpotX is kind of useless. Maybe partially due to the amount of overhead trees and mountains here. Sometimes I can stand on top of my truck toolbox and point it up to a clear spot in the sky and no way it will send the message. Not very good. Kind of useless in that regard for emergencies. When it does finally send, it does so about 10-15 minutes after you hit Send.

Maybe the Inreach is better for mountainess terrain and thick tree cover? Maybe nothing works in those conditions.

 

just wow for OP

 

The iridium coverage is much better (100% global)

66 satellites for iridium (network inreach uses)
24 satellites for globalstar (network spot operates on)

this is the globalstar coverage area


I’ve sent messages from all over with my inreach and have never had an issue. I don’t believe I’ve ever had one fail to send.

 

Thanks! Right now we done extensive traveling in the western US, Baja Mexico, and Europe. This fall we’re planning on entering NW Africa; that my friend will be the next level.

 

definitely satellite reception diminishes in mountains as signals simply can’t go through rock but you will have the highest likelihood with the Garmin in reach. I’d say that your SpotX is a sunk cost and throw it away or sell it and buy either the Garmin inreach mini at $350 USD or go full throttle with the Garmin inreach Explorer at $500. We have the Garmin explorer and like it as we can Bluetooth with our phone and use voice to text or our phones keypad. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

I had been thinking the same thing for the past year, too many frustrations with the Spotx. I will likely eat the cost, and try to sell it if I can. Maybe get a few bucks. Get the Inreach.

 

The wife and I were here in April of 21 . The week after jeep safari week. We stayed 12 days in moab camping and trailing my 2017 Tacoma . Then drove all the way back to our home on the Washington coast . 3100 mi round trip. Want to do it again. Leaving this memorial weekend for Yellowstone with our two children. 12 days there also . My Tacoma just rolled over 150k mi. I'm original owner and I dd truck . I'm almost doing 39k mi a year . I have had no major issues . I'm religious on maintenance. 2 yrs ago we went to grand canyon and did some camping for 2 weeks . That trip was little over 3k mi. Glacier national park we spent a week there ,so beautiful.

So pretty much our trucks if you get a good one like no factory defects, these things just keep going and going .

 

Sounds like a great trip! If you ever get back to Utah you should check out Capital Reef National Park, much less crowded and great scenery. A stunning hike is Coyote Buttes South in Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs which is very close to the UT/AZ border.

So far at 52,000 miles, 40,000 miles of which was continuously carrying 7,000 lbs, the truck is holding up great.

Some of the modifications done by our not-to-be-named, supposedly professional outfitter has not done so well. The latest is a small, but persistent rear diff oil leak up through the breather hose. An ARB shop in England says it’s due to the gears not being aligned correctly when the shop installed the ARB locking diff and installing the 5.29 gears. Minor but annoying, what’s another $500…

In five weeks we’ll be back on the road!

 

Gotta do what yah gotta do . Safe travels sir

 

We’ll after a 3 month separation from our truck we’re back and touring the British Isles! We’re super excited!

Our first day welcomed us in Cambridge, England with snow showers, freezing temps, and breezy. Oh well, no where to go but up.


Tintern Abbey on the border between Wales and England

Our Spring plan is to travel southern England, drop by Wales for a week, then take the ferry across to Dublin and spend 3 weeks exploring the Irish coast. We’ll take another ferry over to Scotland in early May for a couple of weeks and finish seeing northern England.


Driving on the left is the most challenging part of the British Isles.


Add to that single track roads crowded by rock fences or thick hedges make the Tacoma seem excessively large.



Like everywhere gas has risen. This is only 25 gallons costing $218! At 13.5 miles per gallon fuel is running close to $70 per day

More in a bit!

 

Cambridge was fantastic. I spent a criminally short time there but it felt like you were in a story.

 

Cambridge is beautiful, we as well only spent a day poking. Makes pretty American university campuses look like imposters.

 

Good to see you back on the road more travelled!

That fuel price is ok. Here in Kelowna, the price finally “dropped” to $175.9 per liter. We were as high as $1.95 a liter just a month ago. So at current prices it is $140 for a complete fill. An 80 liter tank.

Also, note that CDN gallons are 4.5 liters, where a US gallon is 3.8 liters. Wish it did not have to be like that, too confusing. We can take pride here I guess that our CDN gallon is bigger than a US gallon!

 

Wow! That’s pricing similar to California. I’ve heard it’s close to $7 usd to the us gallon there.

Most things are bigger in Canada!

 

Puttering about old town Cambridge, England


One guess as to where we are


ok, that’s not the truck. Our son gave us a custom Lego version of our truck


Pretty amazing. He obviously thought I drive like Batman

Ok, here’s our camp view for the night, seriously


Wasn’t exactly wild camping, but what a view we had that afternoon at Stonehenge

 

Stonehenge is cool and all but that Lego Tacoma is amazing!

 

I’ll give you that. How often do you see a right hand drive over cab being driven by Batman?

 

Great photos. Hopefully no sacrifices were being conducted?

 

I enjoy reading and the pictures of your travels. Where can we get the Lego?

 

Or a hylux