Choosing new shocks for camping with RT tent

Hi, I have a 2021 TRD Off Road with six foot bed which I bought to go on camping adventures for my retirement. I added a rooftop tent (AT Overland Habitat) which weighs about 400 lbs and made my own cabinets out of Baltic birch plywood (200 ish lbs). Add in clothes, camping gear etc. and there's a lot of weight back there.

When off-roading, some of the bumps are pretty harsh and I'd like to do something about it. I'm just a geezer who wants to be able to travel most BLM/NFS service roads (e.g. Colorado, Wyoming etc.) so I can get to campsites and fishing spots. No overlanding/rock crawling ambitions for me so I don't think I need big tires and a lift. I think I just need better shocks than what came stock.

Advice on how to choose shocks would be welcome.

Thx, Dan

 

Just get Firestone airbags and Daystar cradles. You then have the ability to do just about anything up to 1000lbs or so.

They are multifunctional and ride like a dream. Plus you can inflate to whatever pressure you want quickly with a small hand bike pump.

The cradles allow the bag to articulate away from the axle rather than being fixed

plus they are like $350 compared to $$$ for shocks

if you want even better combine it with a new leaf pack in a medium or light config

 

After having bags with cradles on stock leaf springs, I am so happy with Deaver stage 2 leaf pack.

 

Shocks specifically for a heavier weight/off road use, or possibly adjustable shocks, might help, but if you added 600 lbs of constant weight over the rear axle, the springs and bump stops are probably the issue. Shocks control the motion of the springs but the springs are what carry the vehicle/cargo weight and bump loads from the terrain. If you keep the RTT and cabinets installed 24/7, you should look into rear leaf springs that are up for a +600lb constant load and probably some better bump stops if you travel over rough surfaces at speed. Most bump stops can be added at anytime without adding significant labor costs, so you could wait to see if you need those. There are many options available, from OME HD on the lower cost end to Deaver leaf packs if you want a high quality leaf pack. You get what you pay for in those case. I would avoid Add-A-Leaf solutions for a constant load situation.

 

Many thanks all. My RTT and cabinets are indeed, 24x7x365 so leaf pack seems to be the consensus item to look at. Cradles and air bags are new to me so I will read up on those too.

 

I also think a heavy duty leaf pack is the way to start to compensate for all the added weight.

 

Leaf pack, and maybe shocks if you're feeling zesty. Set it and forget it.

 

This ^^

 

this.

I don’t recommend air bags unless you REALLY don’t want new leaf springs or your weight changes frequently.

I have a competitors aluminum wedge camper that weighs 300lbs, a 50lb fridge, full size spare, RakAttak swingout , bike rack and two mountain bikes, box of tools, and a few other things as my minimum weight. I have the heavy duty Dobinsons leaf springs (112) and I no longer hit the bump stops.

Be warned though that you’ll probably get some lift out of it, so you may want to consider the 111 pack so it settles down more with your weight.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaH7PIkL3PK/

 

A leaf pack does most of that work and new shocks will help. Maybe add some bed stiffeners for peace of mind, I got total chaos ones. I have fox 2.5's adjustable so i can crank them up stiffer when fully loaded down for camping. Kinda expensive though, I'm sure bilstein's would do the trick. I like the adjustability though.

 

Might want to consider this. Another option https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sumo-springs-review.499597/

 

Bed stiffeners are a good idea. I had them installed when I got my RTT.

 

Nice man, happy camping. I can't wait to get out there, next weekend for me!