Joined the club, and I couldn't be happier.

Hello all, I have been waiting a long time to write this post.

About 1.5 years ago I found the youtube show called Expedition Overland. These guys had unreal Toyota rigs and were going to the deep corners of the Americas to share their adventures while producing some of the best youtube content available. This got me hooked on the Tacoma and 4runner platforms. It started a dream. At the time I was driving a Chevy Blazer which was awesome and could take me to a lot of places, but given that I used my car primarily for adventuring (camping, hiking, fishing, etc.), it was always too small. I had a massive roof basket and it provided some extra space for a while, but then I got a Tepui which necessitated the removal of the basket, and put me back into the same problem. I simply didn't have enough space for 4 lads, Tepui, plus kit. I spent a long time thinking about my next move.

Two months ago I picked up my 2018 doublecab off-road, in dark grey. I had to wait a while to install the prinsu rack and Tepui. I also didn't want to write this post with a picture of the new truck city-dwelling. It needed to be in its natural habitat. So finally, I picked up my dad and took off for some ice fishing. This was our first time ice fishing actually, normally we stick to fly fishing in the warmer months. And here we are:





My initial thoughts: what a fantastic truck. I couldn't be any happier. Yes, the engine/transmission could be better, but that's not enough to put me off at all. Everything else is as close to a 10 as it gets, in my opinion. I get my ARE cap installed next weekend and it'll be ready to go. I obviously have a never ending list of mods I want to do, but this will be enough to keep me very happy and far ahead of where I was with my beloved Blazer.

A quick note about crawl control. When I was doing some research I saw a lot of people saying it was an unnecessary gimmick, and some that said it was amazing. If you are actually going to use your truck for what it is meant for, you may just love this feature. On this trip we got bogged in the snow quite a few times. Now airing down and using maxtrax will always get you where you're going (within reason), but we all know it's a slow and repetitive process. We put everything the new TRD off-roads have to the test. 4WD, low-range, multi-terrain select, rear locker. Everything works as you'd expect. Last we tried crawl control. What a cool feature. This became our primary tool for the worst sections of snow and made it comparatively effortless. Maxtrax were still needed here and there, but far less frequently than when we were controlling the power to the wheels ourselves. Literally zero spin. Just a slow, methodical, chugging away. It's precise in a way that makes you appreciate excellent engineering, and made my dad and I question if what we just saw was really happening. He drives a 4runner and loves it too.

Here's to some really good times with my new Taco!

 

Welcome to tw How about some pics?

 

an overlander, eh?

 

Pictures added!

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Welcome to the Tacoma, I’m pretty stoked for you. You chose wisely.

 

Looking good!

 

lol you mean “yay! another overlander”. We multiplying!

OP welcome!

 

This right here is the posts I love to see from new members, I wish everyone was like you!
Welcome to the forum