Seeking tips on creating a lightweight overlanding build

Hey. New poster, occasional lurker. I’ve got a 2013 4 cylinder manual regular cab. I also picked up a 2011 Four Wheel Camper Eagle. The pics are from a trip I did in 2022. I spent five months driving from my home near Yosemite, through Baja, and down to Southern Mexico, surfing the whole way down and back. The only mods I’ve made to my truck so far are a set of Firestone airbags, Daystar cradles, E rated Toyos, Bilstein 5100s, and a sound system. The truck has served me well. The camper is 700#, and the 4 banger isn’t exactly peppy, but the stereo helps with going slow and enjoying the journey. I don’t really care too much about going slow as long as I get there.

I’d like to build out the truck some more for future trips in Mexico, Central America and backcountry spots the western US. I’m not looking to do serious trails for the trails sake. My needs are getting down dirt roads to access surf spots and trailheads for hiking and mountain biking. This could include deep sand and ruts to remote beaches, or moderately rocky roads in the mountains. So far the mostly stock truck has served my needs fairly well, but I want to increase its capabilities. It’s more about being able to get myself out of situations I find myself in than seeking gnarly terrain. Think unexpectedly deep ruts, sand, moderate rock features, and river crossings.

I’m well aware that making mods and keeping the truck under the GVWR with this camper will be a challenge, but I think it’s possible to make a capable overlander out of it and keep the weight below that number (barely), plus I like a challenge.

I’m hoping some of the folks around here might want to provide some input about how they’d go about achieving those ends?

Here’s some mods I’m considering. Some of this stuff might not make the cut due to weight concerns.

*2-3 lift
*heavy leaf pack
*alloy wheels
*bumper w/winch
*skid plate
*rock sliders
*locking rear diff
*possible re-gear
*replace bench seat with lightweight buckets
*camper interior rebuild with a focus on weight loss

I’m hoping to find lightweight options for these mods, or other things you’d change for performance and weight loss. Any recommendations are much appreciated. What would you do?

-Jeff

 

Things will get heavy fast. Rock sliders ~150 lbs. Winch 50-75 lbs. Bumper 100-250 lbs. HD leaf pack 20-30 lbs over stock. Real 3/16" steel skid 50-75 lbs. New OffRoad tires ~55 lbs each, 5 tires assuming a full size spare. My stock tires were 36 lbs.

 

Love your truck and the sound of your trips. I need to take a surf trip soon.

I find it interesting you’re seeking advice like this when you’ve done a massive trip, and from my perspective, the truck is already modified! That experience should tell you a lot about what you might want to change. all that being said I totally understand seeking what ideas others can lead you to.

as mentioned weight is going to be the main factor, as you mod you ten to add more. You’re really topping out in its current configuration I would say. You’ve invested a lot of your weight in the camper, which I think is fair investment. But your post raises the question of reducing weight. Selling it and maybe opting for a camper shell/softopper? Less weight, less comfy, and overall a step backwards. But I mention it because it would free up some of your weight ‘allowance’
When talking about going from a-b and back.. the most important thing would be a recovery plan. Since you’re not focused on technical trails, I would forget about armoring up, and be prepared for being stuck in sand/mud. A simple set of recovery boards and a shovel would be nice ! Do you have 4 wheel drive?

 

2.7 or 4.0? What about a supercharger?

 

No doubt. I’ve done some preliminary research into how much all this stuff weighs. It does seem like it’s kind of hard to find actual weights listed on manufacturers’ websites. Some of the stuff I’d like to do might just be wishful thinking if I want to keep the weight down. I’ll have to prioritize my needs and make appropriate choices.

 

It’s a 2.7. She ain’t fast, but she’s always got me there. I’ve looked a bit at superchargers. I’d consider it if I could figure out all the additional mods to keep it as reliable as possible. I’m not concerned with going fast, I just want to make sure I get there. Fully loaded, I’m pulling some hills in third gear, but it’s not a big deal to me as long as I’m not holding up traffic too much. That’s even less of a problem south of the border.

 

I have the 2.7 in a 3rd gen and I'm in the same boat as you trying to keep things light. I'm tuned and going to regear soon to 5.29s. I'm just torn between getting a slide in that will totally eat up my weight or going with a shell with really good sealing. Then I can get a winch and bumper.

 

Yeah, on one level the truck already works for what I need it to do. I’d just like to make it a bit more capable. Realistically, that’s probably just adding a bit more ground clearance and a locker. Most of the other stuff falls under wants, not needs. I’ve got an idea of how to proceed, but I just thought I’d throw it out there to get other perspectives, or if there’s folks out there with specific recommendations for lightweight choices for some of the stuff I mentioned. I’ve thought about going with a topper like a GFC, or a tent, but at this point it would be hard to give up the convenience of the slide in. It’s nice to be able to cook inside during a quick overnight stop without setting up camp, and chilling on the couch watching a movie feels luxurious. I might tear out the interior and nerd out on building it lighter though.

I agree about recovery. I’ve got recovery boards and a shovel, plus a tow strap and soft shackles. I went with a bottle jack with a base plate for sand and some extensions from Safe Jack too.

 

First, is it 4wd?

 

Yep. 4x4 2.7L 4cyl manual base model with crank windows. I love how simple it is. It reminds me of my old ‘93 regular cab Toyota truck, which I should have never sold. I also love how compact the regular cab is. With a back up cam, I can still parallel park it easily in urban areas with the camper installed.

 

My take on slide-in versus a topper is that a slide-in is far more comfortable and also more convenient if you’re moving around a lot, because you don’t have to set up camp for a quick overnight stop. Most slide-ins are too heavy for Tacomas. Mine is borderline. It’s a discontinued model from FWC that’s narrower and about 200lbs less than what they currently offer for small pickups. The downside vs the current offering is you can’t sleep across the camper and need a slide out bed. Not a big deal for me. I’ll take the 200lb weight reduction. As you mentioned, with that much weight you’re limited with what mods you can do and keep the weight down. Another point of note from my experience, is that my slide-in is attached to the truck with turnbuckles and 4 3/8” bolts. I broke a few of them running down gnarly washboard roads in Baja. You have to check the connections daily to make sure they aren’t coming loose or breaking. I replaced all the hardware with grade 8 bolts when I got back, and so far I haven’t broke another, but forgetting to check them could be catastrophic. Less weight with a topper would be more secure. I like my slide in for camping on dirt roads. If I was doing more serious 4x4 tracks I’d get a topper for more stability and potential for more mods while staying close to GVWR. One more thing I appreciate with my slide-in is that I can remove my slide-in from the truck in about 15 minutes by myself with some camper jacks, then have my regular truck back. That’s harder to do with a topper.

 

Since you have 4wd and have gone all over with few or no problems I don’t think you really need much in mods.
Alloy wheels - they are nice but totally unnecessary
2-3” lift - probably don’t need it. Depending on the lift, height, who installs it, they can cause problems.
Heavy leaf pack - possibly a good idea especially with the camper and other equipment.
Bumper/winch - nice to have but you don’t really need it, at least for what you do and where you go. Get a 5 ton come along (which you’ll probably never use but have it in case). Also the winch/bumper will add a lot of weight.
Skid plate - haven’t needed it so far, probably don’t need it now.
Rock sliders - if you aren’t rock crawling or driving significant 4wd trails you don’t need them
Rear locker - nice to have but you don’t need it. I have 4wd but no locker and take my truck into some remote and rugged areas, never had a need for it, never missed having a locker.
Replace bench seat- what ever you like, wt savings would be minimal.
Camper interior- suggest making the camper and truck bed functional and comfortable. That’s a nice camper, can’t really lighten it. In fact it’s a great camper, just keep it.
Re-gear - maybe depending on total weight. If you are not exceeding your total weight limit, I likely wouldn’t regear.
Based on the awesome long trips you’ve already taken quite successfully I really don’t think you need to do much of anything to your truck. Your truck is already a capable overlander. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it. Just enjoy it and report back on your trips and include pics.

 

But, but, but how will I gain the admiration and respect from other dudes who compliment my truck when I’m parked in front of the Starbucks if I don’t make it look like the Tonka toy I had as a kid? LOL!

Solid advice, and basically what I’ve already known, but it’s nice to hear it from someone else. Thanks. I’ll add a 5 ton come along to my kit before my next trip.

 

https://tufport.com/adventure/

This is what I'm looking at in the slide in T55 model weighs in at 550

 

One other thing, I can’t tell from the pics what tires you have or what shape they are in. But one of the most important things you can do is make sure you have a quality set of all terrain tires and a good spare. I have a good recommendation on tires and if you are interested let me know and I’ll sent you a private message. Don’t want to turn this into a tire thread. You’ll get a zillion recommendations mostly amounting to useless bullshit.

 

I’ve been running Toyo AT3’s upgraded to E-rated per Four Wheel Camper’s recommendation for carrying the slide-in. They’ve served me well, but the main reason I bought them is because I’m familiar with Toyo quality. I’ve been curious about other tires, KO2s and Wildpeaks in particular, but I don’t know much about them. Feel free to send me recommendations. Much appreciated!

 

Tufports seem cool. I spent some time looking at them when I was shopping, including trying to figure out if picking one from the factory up near Vancouver was feasible. I like that they are solid and strong enough that you could climb up on the roof. They seem bombproof, whereas my FWC feels a little fragile. Maybe not as fragile as a wood framed camper, but I’m definitely not standing on the roof, and that dent in the side from when my ladder blew over in the wind near it still bugs me. A Tufport will likely last longer than the truck. That said, I think they’re a bit heavy for the space you get, and I really like standing up straight in my camper and cooking. I’d be tempted to go with the T65 if it was me. It’s $3500 more and 50 more pounds, but that width and headroom would be nice, even if it’s still too small to stand up in. With the wide rear door, you could make a drawer system at wheel well height, and an interior bed platform and cabinets. That would probably get the weight up around my FWC Eagle, but it would be fully kitted. I was ready to buy one, and then I realized I could do basically the same thing with my Leer shell and a bed drawer setup. I was about half way through building that setup when I found my FWC on Craigslist. If I had a full size truck, I’d definitely be looking for a used Bigfoot or Northern Lights fiberglass camper. Those seem sweet.

FYI, can get a FWC Project M for around the same price as a Tufport T65, at around 200lbs less, and new GFC V2 for around the same price as a T55, also saving 200+lbs. One other thing I will add about a slide-in that I mentioned before is I really like the way I can remove it easily and have my regular truck back. You can leave all your gear inside for storage, whereas you can’t do that with a topper.

Ha. That’s a lot of feedback for not asking any questions. Lol. Sorry if that’s more than you wanted to hear, but I figured I’d give you my two cents while we’re on the topic.

 

All good. There's a couple others that I'm looking at

https://www.alu-cab.com/product/modcap-canopy/

https://www.radicaproducts.com/

radica is coming out with a new model soon not sure what it is, they wouldn't reveal much when I was talking with them at expo in Loveland.

 

I also have a 2.7 (2010) that I use as my primary
*best Brit accent* "ovuhlanding" rig. Previously, I've owned several Toyota pickups and lots of jeeps (couple tjs, an lj, a JL w/ursa minor top etc)

Like you, I seek lightweight solutions. The secret sauce is..."I probably don't need it." Lame...I know...but real.

Dudes at the Overland Expo won't like this...and back when I had fancier rigs I wouldn't have either...but aside from a decent set of lightweight all terrains and a basic suspension, nearly all the gear is fluff. You don't need sliders or winch bumpers for camping. Lockers aren't necessary either in 99% of situations.

Stiffer springs in back and some quality parts up front might be worth it. That said I'm very happy with 3rd gen TRD takeoffs on mine.

If you want your 2.7 to really shine at what it's great at: being a simple, excellent albeit slower touring rig - get some lightweight AT tires (I use toyo AT3's), a decent suspension, and some good brakes. Cut your weight in the camper by using minimalist gear that is multiuse.

You're gonna find the rest of the stuff on your list really doesn't need to be added at all. Spend the saved cash on gas and make memories.

Cheers bro.

 

I’ve turned my trunk into a Frankenstein truck. For this build I would suggest a leaf pack to support the weight of the camper, all terrain tires (265/75/16 max), and a hidden winch.
Regear never hurts but with a heavy truck that makes no power it never hurts to go a step up especially if you get bigger tires
Lockers are very useful in off camber or slick situations or both, but not necessary to just go out and have fun on trips
sliders, skids, bumpers, wheels, giant tires, and overpriced suspension is not necessary unless your looking for trouble