New to Tacoma and off-roading. Who knew even a "green" trail could be scary?

I know I will sound like an foolish silly newbie but ...

Moved to Arizona because I am tired of midwest winters. Also thought driving in the middle of sonoran regions would be interesting. So naturally I thought "Subaru Forester Wilderness Edition".

I bought a TRD Off-Road Tacoma with multi-terrain-monitor. Bit of a step up from a Corolla.

Then I drove out for my first attempt to an "easy" trails and decided the wash water level may have been too deep and the other side exit just a little too steep for even 4L-rear-wheels locked ... not that I was any more than scared. At least the thought of needing rescued day one was unpleasant. And the next "easy" option pointed out the risk to the under-belly of my new Taco needs protection from my own incompetence.

I guess the belly-skid-plate (RCI seems a good choice from what I have read in a few threads), probably also transmission plate as if not the diff-plate as well.

Reading today taught me hi-lift jacks are multi-purpose but you need to learn how to use them. But if (and this is a question) a 7000 lb hi-lift can serve as a rescue winch until I mount a spindle, perhaps it is still in the works.

And I have a Viair 300P ... local off-road shop offered it as "best advice" and I cannot quite talk myself into saving $120 to downgrade to an 88P.

And a "weekender recovery" bag with a 30-ft strap, 2 D-rings and a bag/winch-suppressor.

Good news is I have much time and hundreds of miles of playground!

 

Sounds like a rough trail to break into!

Any photos of the adventure, sounds like a lot for a first run.

Have you read up on sliders? The pinch welds are crazy hard to repair and can cost as much as a transfer case or more to fix.

Also you can see exhaust cut off and exhaust re-routing as you read along.

You are definitely going hard for a newbie haha.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Going hard, somewhat. But not stupid ... the road that convinced me I needed skid-plates will be conquered once my steed has its armor. I just needed to take that initial run-up. Besides, this is my daily driver not just my weekend toy so caution is warranted.

There is a book of 100 trails prepared by two people in the state. Three levels ... green, blue, red. But even mountain biking in AZ can break bones (collar bones, ribs, legs). No sense missing the warm season.

Sliders I think will wait until I decide to risk my daily ride to take on the vertical walls that exist on trails.

Ooh ... and a tire-repair kit. In case I get two flats in one trip.

 

I just took my '19 TRD OR on "real" 4x4 trails this past weekend. Was eye-opening to say the least (and a bit nerve-wracking) - I'm in no hurry to do it again before I get rid of my factory side steps, upgrade the skid plate, and put some real tires on.

 

I lived in Indiana for several years. Moles make larger hills than nature in the middle of Indiana.