Overlnading my tacoma

Thank you for the support! I had fun writing it, rather like a journal entry. Here is an imgur post I am getting together with some highlights from my trips. https://imgur.com/a/JhFhP2e I almost get sentimental seeing my sweet Tacoma in her stock configuration, ALMOST

I will jot a few more thoughts as they come along this work weekend! One particular interest that trip was the frequency and severity of one of the team members PowerWagon getting stuck. The owner, a friend of mine, was super hyped about the factory equipped accessories of the truck and felt he was ready for anything. He refused to air down. He got bogged down more than any other vehicle in the caravan. His weight, tire pressure, among other factors had us stop to get him unstuck more than a few times. He went home and traded that truck in within a year; bigger DEFINITELY didn't mean better on this snowy excursion into the Cascade Mountains.

 

Great tips everyone, I have been in Colorado for over 25 years and have explored a lot of the back country. We used to call Overlanding - Car Camping, tent, sleeping bags, cook stove (old Coleman gas) cooler (ice) and off we would go.

My biggest suggestions are:
1) Get used to your truck as is and how it responds on off road trails, stick to moderate and below until you know how your Taco will respond to different obstacles. Not everyone rock crawls and that is OK.
2) Simply go and have fun, over time you will figure out what you truly need and what you don't. Too many Taco owners spend way too much on ideas, looks, things most will never use.
3) There is so much new and technical gear now for simple camping it blows my mind- it isn't a bad thing but it can be overwhelming. Take your time research items once you find what you like about camping. In time it will make sense.
4) I spent the last two years driving my Taco (2020 TRD Pro) before I made any modifications. I already had some recovery gear from my 1999 4-Runner so a few items made sense for safety for what we do. We are base camp style adventurers where we like to find an area and explore hiking trails, climbing and just spending time camping. Some like to camp and burn miles on trails, find what it is you like best and then things will fall into place on what will enhance your experiences.

Have fun and enjoy our back country.