2019 Tacoma V4 Shortbed Overlanding Gear

Looking to get into overlanding this year with my wife and the yota. Wondering if there’s any other V4 shortbed owners out there with a rig. Seems like most I find online (gear wise) is for the long bed variation. IK the 4cyl. doesn’t much matter for overhead equipment but thought it would be a little helpful to announce beforehand lol
TYIA

 

Plenty of shortbeds out there, mine included.


You can easily drop $20k+ in mods, or you can rock and roll with a coleman stove, walmart tent, and igloo cooler. I'll nudge you to get out there and play first, then drop $$$ later as you discover what will make your trip better vs what the internet will tell you you need, but it's your rig and your rules - do what makes you happy.

The I-4 will make you a little more weight conscious and the short bed hurts in space but has advantages on the trail. Either way, your rig is more than capable of taking you to explore cool places.

Any particular concerns or goals?

 

Oh yeah for sure. At the moment, not really any big goals besides a week trip Im trying to take with my wife and 3 (pretty big) dogs sometime in the Summer. We'll be going cross country up to Wisconsin and wanted to make a little adventure out of it so we just wanna live somewhat comfortably for all the bodies that are gonna be in the truck. Pretty concerned about the capabilities of the V4 since we'll most likely wanna travel into more remote areas, but obviously nothing crazy. I'm not a madman and understand only so much a 4cyl. can do. I dont think the short bed will be enough breathing room for the wife and I at the very least, so I think we were gonna do a bed tent to some degree, and a rooftop tent for us two. Without doing it once, I obviously don't have too much experience in what exactly I'll want/need but I'd like to be well prepared at the very least. Butane/propane cooktop, fridge, portable compressor, etc. I'm hoping to get away with the trip without suspension/wheels/tires/anything larger like that but I definitely want to at some point soon (LOTTA plans for the Taco but we'll space it out a little). Thanks brother!

 

The V4 is a rare breed for sure.

 

Saab and Ford made some way back in the day I believe. So maybe he's swapped

 

Trivia, who put out the 3 cylinder?

 

im not the biggest fan of the v4 but it is what it is lol gotta make do with what I've got

 

WTF is a V4???

 

please spare me the agony lol. Theres a lot here in San Antonio surprisingly, some dealership package they add to them to raise their sales value. You'll see quite a few of em rollin around out here.

 

Your truck came with either an I-4 or a V-6.

 

Joke
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@SoftwareTaco

V4 is not a thing. You mean I4. 4 cylinder. How would you arrange 4 cylinders in a V??

 

If i had a 4 banger I’d try to keep any add-ons as light as possible.
Lightest off road worthy tires would be c-load 265/75 duratracs. Other than that i’d avoid adding weight like armor unless you find that you need it. Aluminum bed rack and the lightest roof top tent you can find if that is your thing.
Another option would be a cot tent- a tent with legs so you can set up on uneven ground but weighs much less than any rtt

okay after reading your second post, for your trip you could construct a sleeping platform (search for that thread) and keep gear under the platform and use the bed tent. Have fun and bring a shovel in case you get stuck. Air compressor and tire plug kit are also important gear when off roading alone

 

But my Insta only has six followers with this gear.... please advise.

 

Didn't mean to be snarky, I was told it was a V4 at the dealership but there I go listening to suits about truck specs. I-4 it is, thanks for the heads up!

 

So much for "quite a few of em rollin around out here" eh?!
Such agony!

 

ok ok lol the I-4 variant seems commonplace. That’s the revised statement lol

 

What is left after drinking 1/2 a can of V8 juice.

 

You weren’t snarky at all. Just having some fun with your misunderstanding.

But yeah, salesman are there to sell vehicles, that’s about it. Even on brands I don’t know much/care about at all, I tend to know more than the salesman. Try to take what they say with a grain of salt.

 

This is gold.

But to answer the question, barf. Barf is left, because V8 is disgusting!

 

Sweet! Sounds like an awesome trip.
Compressor and plug kit are cheap insurance and add a lot of capability.
Fridge is not cheap, but will make your life much nicer and once you have one you'll never go back to ice. Not required for the trip, but definitely a top place I'd sink discretionary money. If you'll be stationary for multiple days look at a PLB or second battery.

RTTs are a personal choice. You're not going to get set up appreciably faster, you'll take a mpg hit unless it's well tucked, and you'll take a weight hit. On the plus side, way easier to pitch on rocky terrain and it's an adult tree house. With a short bed, the clamshell style gives you much more tent space for your folded footprint than a hardshell. With your use and weight constraints I'd strongly consider a good ground tent vs a bed tent or RTT (way lighter, roomier, access to campgrounds with no attached parking).
If you plan on actual rock crawling sliders are cheaper than the repair: if you're staying on forest roads or better don't worry about it.
Toilet. Get one. And a pop-up privacy shelter (or annex if you go RTT).
Shovel and basic tool kit (including zip ties and duct tape)
Comms - probably just fine with cell phones, if you spend a lot of time in crappy coverage areas a booster is a nice splurge. If you play hard in remote areas an inReach is expensive but effective peace of mind.