Did I buy the right truck to Overland?

Hey guys, I am a new poster to this forum but have been an avid reader of it for a few months now, so I appreciate your help!

I bought this 2015 Tacoma DCSB SR5 4X4 with 59,000 miles for about $27000 or so all said and done. I love the truck and as it sits it is completely stock save for the Geolander A/T's with no evidence the previous owner ever did much more than go get groceries with it.

As I am getting into researching Overlanding though I am worried I may have made a mistake with not purchasing an Off-Road edition as this does not have an electronic locking rear differential.

Would I be okay to go ahead and start making upgrades to this truck and perhaps add an E-locker kit later when/if I re-gear the truck? Or should I perhaps look into selling it when feasible to get a different trim/year better suited for Overland upgrades? I don't intend to spark a 2nd gen versus 3rd gen debate, but there are some 3rd gen Tacoma TRD Off-Road's at my dealer that look mighty attractive. Thanks in advance for the thoughts!

And here are some pictures because what is a good TW post without pics

 

4x4?

 

Yes sir, 4X4. Changed my post to include that

 

The Trd off-road will give you a locker AND a better traction control. I believe what used to be called A-Trac is now standard on the off-road. However with that being said don’t be afraid to take your TACO off-road. With 4x4 it’s already an incredibly capable vehicle. I have taken my 16 sr5 on plenty trails, it is extremely capable with a good set of AT tires and Aired down. I would overland with your first and see how much potential it has. Get some skids and sliders and you’ll be set. If the time comes when you need a rear locker you can always add one but most trd off-road owners never touch their locker.

 

A rear locker is not required or even needed to overland so dont sweat it. Spend that money on recovery gear. Think hard about moving from the more preferred 2nd gen 4.0 to 3rd gen 3.5. Welcome to TW!

 

A locker is just something else to fail. It's great to have when you own a prerunner, but you got a 4 x 4. You will be just fine.

 

This is sound advice in my opinion. You have to know the limits of your rig AND the driver (key) before you know exactly what technology you believe you need. Before we had kids, wife and I had a 2000 Jeep Wrangler decked out for weekend wheeling. Had the danna 44’s etc. even on serious trials and in 4x4 never used a locker

 

If you have the "dough", you can make it "go" almost anywhere. During a trip to AK a few years ago, in a stone stock truck, we ran into a few "overlanders" both on and off road. Seems to me that "overlanding" includes varying degrees of on and off road prep. They all had in common, RTT's and "self" containment (which don't have anything to do with going off road). Unless you just want to "look" like an overlander, have a plan, plan a route, then, build to your plan. A little trail experience simulating your planned route(s) will keep you from investing in unnecessary mods. Good luck and have fun.

 

I disagree I think a locker is part of your recovery gear.

 

I haven’t had any issues going anywhere I want with my 2WD

I’ve made upgrades including lift and larger BFG tires. I just make sure I travel with someone with 4x4.

I’ll purchase a 4x4 when my son takes mine over as his first in a few years.

 

You''ll be just fine. In fact you likely saved some $$ by getting a lower trim level. My suggestion would be to see where your build takes you.. 4x4 as is is very capable. If you have a buddy with you and a good snatch strap, that should take care of most situations

If you end up going "all in" adding lots of weight, bigger tires, etc etc you may find you'd like to re-gear the differentials. At that point you'd be wise to add a locker of your choice.

Alternatively if you keep the truck on the more mild side of things, but decide you're going to be in situations where you'd like a locker, you can totally still add one.

 

Right truck, but as others have said, wrong tires. Good AT tires are the #1 thing that defines your truck's capability - with a good set of tires and 4wd you can go anywhere most of your typical overlander types go.

 

People misuse “overlanding” all the time now. And don’t get caught up in all the latest and greatest gadgets. A good set of 265’s and 4x4 will get you plenty of places you want to go, and some you might not. Don’t buy the hype.

Pick a place you want to go, research it, then go. Take notes of what you think you needed vs what you could do without.

Some things to consider- recovery gear, good tires, maybe decent skid plates.

Most of the Tacomas I see around my area are all decked out but aren’t likely taken off road. That’s fine, but I’m guessing that I’ve taken my ‘07 DCSB 6MT 4x4 more places than most of them have, and the only “mod” I’ve got is a set of (now worn out) 265/70/r16 Cooper Discoverer AT3’s.

 

Basically any 4x4 Tacoma with decent tires should be very capable off-road. They’re good machines.

 

Probably the best post in here so far. I have just taken the truck adventuring and built as I needed things. Is it pretty well armored? Yes. Was all of that needed? Perhaps not all but also got some really good deals.
See what you’re actual needs are and build from there. We love to camp and tow a tiny micro camper. As an example some may ask why the steel rear bumper with swingouts? Trying to look cool? Nope, short bed truck so I could move spare out of the bed and dual swingouts allowing me access to the bed when the camper is hooked up. It’s a decided “need” for us in what we want to do. This is just an example of justifications is it absolutely necessary to what we do nope. It does make it easier though. Every trip we take we discuss what would make things function better.
Also, truck is a Sport with no locker haven’t needed one yet

 

Did I just read that a factory locker is just something else to go wrong? Did is the dumbest advice ever.

You can only go overlanding with a RHD diesel Land Cruiser...everyone knows this...

Tacoma owners have become the new Jeep owners. Maybe we should start waving at each other.

 

Factory locker is a good thing to have when needed; but speaking to a few people who wheel a lot I’ve heard the average use per owner is like 1-3 times in their lifetime to get out of a situation. Granted, those were still needed, but it can be avoided knowing the capability of your truck and how you handle it off road.

No, you don’t NEED a locker to overland. You don’t NEED a TRD OR to do it either.

You have a 4x4 Tacoma. Get some really good AT’s if you want to start really getting out there. Get some recovery gear such as max trax or an off brand of those. A shovel. Maybe a winch down the line. Start off small and enjoy the journey.. test your truck and play things safe until you know what you can and cannot do off road.

There are a few channels on YouTube that do legit overlanding without all the fancy extra gear, you can study those to see how they get out of hairy situations. It helps.

 

I do

 

I do the half-wave from the steering wheel at modified Tacoma’s that I think actually care about the fact that they drive a Tacoma. Lol

Selective Waving has resulted in a high success rate thus far.

 

Dude you have a 4x4 Tacoma. You can keep it stock and get to 99% of the places the "overland" bros take their overpriced money pits to.