GA Tacoma Owners BS Thread

I had a 2000 Explorer for the longest time, I hated that 4.0L and 4speed. I always wished I had the 5.0 in it, they never had the same problems as my SOHC 4.0. Finally sold it like two years ago for a cool $500, before that I’d kept it as the beater family car after I got the Tacoma forever ago. I remember moving to the Tacoma was quite a change from a gearing/power standpoint when I first drove it.

 

I'm going back and forth with 2 different dealers right now on 2 different leftover 2019s. Going to drive the red one tonight. Both XLT FX4s.

Really like the idea of 7500lb towing when I need it and the 24 MPG with the 4X4 for driving to work every day. Also really like the auto braking and adaptive cruise control.

 

Awning owners/user:
What logic do you use when determining which side of the vehicle to mount your awning? I know most are universal, but I am entertaining the notion of a 270 awning and your're pretty well married to your chosen side once you purchase. A 180 or smaller are not off the table either as I'm still in 'research' phase, but we all know bigger is better.

It may be worth mentioning that I currently do not have a RTT, as I understand that when open they can impact awning deployment.

 

What side do you tend to get in and out of the truck more when parked? If you plan on getting a RTT which way would you open it? FWIW I have mine on the driver side (one either the cab rack or campershell rack) since my RTT opens that way and I tend to spend more time on the drivers side of the truck.

 

I probably spend more time on the driver's side and rear. I run a topper full time so any awning would likely be mounted on that, especially if I go to a 270.

No clue on any future RTT opening. Honestly just assumed they all opened in whichever configuration they were mounted. I didn't realize they were side specific.

 

Yeah they were talking about the mileage with their tire sizes and it seemed pretty respectable. I’m all for the Ranger giving the Tacoma more competition, just seems like they haven’t quite found the market like they were speculating.

 

If I were you I'd open it driver side then regardless of 270 or not. You could always get a 6' awning and a 4' awning and mount the 4' on the back. I plan on doing that some time.

Well you can mount RTT to open driver side or you can flip it 180* and now it opens passenger, so it's up to you

 

I set up my truck/trailer to camp off the right side of the vehicle. If nothing else, whenever I am parked on the side of the road, I can open up (for lunch or whatever) and not have to worry about being in traffic.

 

This was kind of my thinking but didn't know for sure with zero ownership and little exposure to RTT.
Peasant ground dweller here.

Thats a really good insight. Not necessarily something I'll encounter daily, but good food for thought.

With COVID, I'm eating lunch in my truck everyday. While I don't hate sitting in the cab with A/C and radio, I'm not loving just running the engine while idle and not enjoying being out of my office.
As silly as it may sound, enhancing my lunch break is what is fueling my drive to buy an awning.

 

ZERO experience here other than popping my head into an RTT to see what the hype was about one time. I was thinking that I would do an awning on the driver side of the truck because that is the side that I would anticipate spending the most time on. Some camp spots leave you pulling the truck up to a tree or bush on one side, and you're going to have to get out of the truck somehow; so you're more likely to park the passenger side closer to that tree/bush.

And then I read this:

which is a really good point.

Do you anticipate having an RTT anytime soon (or ever)? If so, I would probably mount the awning on the passenger side. That way if you ever are stuck on the side of the road, you can deploy it without fear of traffic. If you ever get the RTT, it could essentially extend the awning on the other side and allow you some shade under there as well.

 

Its funny I was initially thinking drivers side as well, regardless of awning size. But then folks have made some great points to mount on the passenger side (I posted the same question in some other threads I frequent). It really won't matter unless I go full monty on a 270. Anything else I should in theory be able to swap around as I see fit.

Do I anticipate getting RTT? Eh, maybe, I dunno. They're neat. I dig the idea of them. Just not sure its for me. Verdict is out on that, but the 'what if' RTT ideology won't be coming into play on the awning decision.

 

I picked to have my toolbox behind a windoor on the driver side for easier access. It's full of camping gear, recovery gear, tools, etc.

When I added the awning, it made the most sense to keep it on that side - the swingout on my rear bumper frames in the back edge of the 270 awning, and the awning allows me to keep the side toolbox open without it getting wet if it's raining. I also can secure the awning to the spare tire on the swingout, which is important if it's really windy.


I don't use my awning as much as I'd hoped because it takes ~5-10 minutes to set up and tear down. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it's enough that I'm not just going to whip it out over lunch. I want to get a nicer one that doesn't need support poles, but haven't been able to justify the cost yet.

 

Which 270 do you have? I feel like most that I’d even remotely consider buying still recommend use of the support legs in any weather more than a normal breeze.

 

It's out of this GB: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/foxwing-awning-annex-gb-interest-gauge-round-3.542008/ so it's a generic chinese one.

It functions just great, it's not the highest quality. Mainly I've had consistent issues with the bag leaking and the awning getting wet, so I've had to repaint the bag with flex seal a couple of times. That said, the awning and supports are great and an absolute godsend if I'm camping and it starts raining. The price was right too - I spent just under $1k to my door for a 2.5 meter awning including full walls. It's absolutely humongous - I can show you sometime if you want.

If I were to do it again, I'd commit fully and buy a REALLY high end one that doesn't need supports. I also would save ~$300 and not buy the walls. I've literally never used them, they're new in box still. The way I camp, I just don't need them. They'd be great for folks looking for more privacy or to use it as a tent though. I just move around too much for it to get used a lot.

If you want to try one used, I'm willing to part with mine. Like I said, I want to get one that doesn't need supports. I posted it up a while ago - I'd go a lot lower than the price listed in the post if you're interested. Here's the post: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/georgia-classifieds.283267/page-258#post-22744871

 

I remember those GB threads. Those kinda put 270s on the map per se for me. Hadn’t really seen them prior.

I’ll keep the offer in mind. I’m not fully sold on a 270 yet, but it’s definitely a possibility but a bigger style side awning or a 180 are still options.

Those 100% freestanding are sick, but I can’t stomach the price. Check these out if you haven’t already. I’ve read some good things, OVS.
https://overlandvehiclesystems.com/awnings/

Here’s a review on their 270 with walls. The guy makes some comparisons to the AluCab.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CcA-sw0yNHU&t=55s

23zero makes some nice 180/270s that I’m looking at as well.

 

oops.

 

Guess the ranger test drive didn’t go well?

 

Didn’t even go. I just found this and jumped on it.

 

You could have just put a shell on your Tacoma...

 

Thats just it, he did have one haha