Not A Copy/Paste Tacoma Build

Ordered a Prinsu Cabrack, and the Off-Grid Engineering dual battery set up!!!!!!!!!! So stoked. I haven't seen a better dual battery tray/system than @HeliMedic's.

 

great job on your roof rack.

 

Got my off grid engineering dual battery set up all installed with 2x Northstar agm35 batteries! Been amazing so far!

 

Hey guys!!

So I updated the original post, but it's official! My wife and I will be leaving everything and hitting the road this September with the goal of driving from Vancouver, BC to Argentina and back over the following 6-18 months, or whenever money runs out.

Maybe I have been looking in the wrong places, but I haven't come across too many TW members who have driven the PanAmerican route, or done other long term trip (6 month +) living in their truck. I would love to find the members on here who have done something like that and rack their brains! Expedition Portal might be a more common place for this kind of thread, but I like the community here

I was hoping I could also use this thread as a way to learn from the vast knowledge base of users here on TacomaWorld.

Obviously September is still half a year away, but 6 months really isn't that much time when we are trying to save up as much as we can and get the truck ready for such a journey.

For now I'm just looking for advice on truck setup for long term living in a tacoma with 2 people and possibly a dog. Also hoping for recommendations on places to see, or things to do, or ways to save money or anything pertaining to the long term living on the road lifestyle!

 

I also got the Prinsu all mounted up!!! Have yet to figure out how I want to mount things to it though... I have 4x Tred Pro that I'd like to get up top, as well as fuel and water. I've seen a lot of guys running the big plano cases, so I might look into that. Security for everything on our trip will be the biggest factor for sure.

 

Nice bro! Sounds like things are getting into place. Just like painting, prep is key. I get a lot of ideas from Exped Overland and all their webisodes on youtube. Visas, paperwork, border crossings, contacting locals ahead of time to help along the way, researching local customs of the countries you will pass thru, researching food dos and donts, being prepared with first aid and being cpr certified. Good luck, excited to see more prep updates.

 

So I am in a big tire dilemma right now. I have wanted to move up to 315/75r16 for a long long time, but I feel as though 285/75r16 might be the more "responsible" tire size... Canadian Tire is having a sale on the Goodyear MT/R kevlars in 315/75r16 right now for $342 CAD this week only... I'm very very tempted.

Is a 315 too much tire for the pan am? I keep getting high-centred (twice in the last couple weeks) and dragging all over the place with my 265/75r16's right now, while my buddies with 35s and 37's have no problems at all. I know the 315s would be perfect for me for this summer, but for our actual trip, the better economy, and more widely available 285s would be appreciated.

I will be running stock gearing either way, but I don't ever drive fast really.

 

Great suggestions! I've watched all of the XO series, and have taken lots of ques from them! They do make me laugh sometimes though, they are just so serious all the time! haha! I've been doing a lot of reading online of people that have done it for visas etc. and there is lots of good info. I'm pretty sketched out about the whole shipping around the Darien bit though

The only thing I'm really prepared for is the first aid as I'm a certified firefighter. I do want to get my wife comfortable with some basic first aid stuff though, and probably expand my first aid kit a bit.

 

Latest project getting ready for some serious long term camping... drawers! A friend and I built these in a couple days. I have a piece that fits over where the spare and gas are, to have one long platform if desired. The drawers are 4'8" and pull out about 4'. Going to camp with them like this a couple times, then see what can be improved and go from there! I didn't bother with the edges over the wheel wells because it just seemed like more trouble than it was worth for how I'll be using it.

 

Looks good bro. Are they lockable? On another note for gear- Lifestraw might be a good thing to bring. I keep one in my bug-out bag. Another thought is to bring stickers. I know from going to mainland Mex a lot, that kids love stickers and you will no doubt travel thru some villages and it would be cool to stoke out the locals. What i like about the XO series is their drone shots, and yes that crew is way too sober and serious, but they do their thing in a very professional way, but the drone shots are just sweet. You guys will be going to some epic spots, especially near the coast where it would be amazing to capture it from above. Just food for thought, 1 more pelican case...lol!

 

Thanks man! They aren't lockable... yet. But that is in the plans! that's the nice thing about wood; easily modified! my tailgate and cap both have the electric pop n lock, so atleast the drawers are secure from that! even if somebody smashed the glass, they couldn't open the tailgate.

great tip about the stickers! that's actually brilliant, and we will make sure to pack a bunch of fun ones! Nice thought about the lifestraw, I have one in my truck all the time, along with a magnetic compass =]

And man, if only we could afford a drone... I agree, drone shots are wicked. If we have the money when it comes time to go, I'll definitely look into it!

 

Love the thread, your build is looking awesome.

I'm starting to plan a Pan-American trip myself. Hoping to do it in about 3 years. I'll definitely be looking back here for tips and ideas.

 

What do you do for personal safety on a trip like that? It seems to me you'd be very vulnerable out there in the middle of nowhere without a sidearm. haha, and I'm speaking as a Canadian, however I have carried one before and it definitely makes you feel secure.

 

Nice work!

 

I will be carrying one of these in a chest holster at all times for serious situations:


(@tacorgidor )

In reality, it all comes down to being smart, staying out of sketchy areas, doing research on locations, and going with your gut. If you feel uncomfortable, no matter what time it is, pack up and move on. Sure, sketchy things happen, but they usually happen to people who are taking unnecessary risk.

If push really came to shove, I do carry bear spray in my driver door for relatively minor offenders. In the end, as long as my wife and I are safe, the rest is just stuff. I'm sure that all anybody would be after would be material goods and money. All we really need is a passport and we'll be fine if the worst happens

 

Hey man! Yeah the high clearance is rad! But I would only recommend it to somebody willing to lose a tonne of resale. I don't ever plan on selling, so I don't mind drilling and cutting into my truck.

The aluminum front and skids have been good for my uses, though I did bent the mount tabs on the right side during a recovery, and I mashed my ifs skid pretty good, so it's kinda bent wonky, but they are just doing their job. To me it's worth the weight loss. I haven't dented the bumper, but I've put some decent gouges in them. If you're playing a lot in the rocks, I would definitely recommend steel

 

Yeah I have ome 887 and dakars, and with all my weight (especially rtt/canopy/drawers/etc) and i must be pretty close to stock height right now which I don't mind, but I keep bottoming out and the truck leans very hard in corners. I just picked up 886 coils, the Dakar aal and super bumps, so hopefully that will stiffen everything up so my wife doesn't think we're going to roll at every bend in the road.

 

Haha yeah, my truck is slightly too old for side curtain bags, so just once in the face for her

 

copied from THIS thread

Sorry to all you DCSB guys, this one is only for the DCLB and AC crowd. I figured I would finally write a thread on my OBA install, after having it mounted for 4 months. I wanted to give it a healthy shake down to make sure my install location worked well before sharing it.

I am betting that this has been done before, but I couldn't find any information on this compressor location anywhere. I had read the entire OBA mega thread before I did this project, and knew about the spot behind the tail light. That's where I had planned to mount my compressor originally, until I looked up in there, and saw how completely covered in mud and grime that area was on my truck. Discouraged, I began my search for a better spot.

I didn't like the under the hood option due to hot air, and running way more air line than I really wanted to.

but finally I found this spot!:



If you can't tell where that is, it is directly in front of the passenger rear wheel, between the bedside and the bed itself.

I mounted the compressor directly to the bed, on it's side. and if you wanted to run dual compressors, there's just as much room on the driver's side (I'm hoping to add another compressor there eventually).

I mounted my tank under the bed where the spare would go, like most people do. It doesn't even come close to hanging below my HC rear bumper, so I'm happy with that. I had to use some iron to get the bolts to line up with the "valleys" of the bed, as the viair 2.5 gal tank is exactly the wrong bolt hole spacing.


I mounted my pressure gauge/switch in the passenger side cubby behind the AC power, and wired it into the keyed trailer power, so that the compressor can only run if the truck is on. I conveniently located the compressor intake in the cubby above the wheel well for nice clean air. and finally, I drilled a hole through my HC bumper, just beside the license plate for my quick connect, as it's nicely protected in that spot, as well as easily accessed.

After pressurizing my system to 150psi, I lose maybe 10-15psi every few weeks if I just let it sit, so I'm very happy with that! Though I am generally using it quite often for various things

My compressor stays much much cleaner in this location rather than behind the tail light, but is still totally hidden and out of the way. I'll try and grab some more pictures soon, as I didn't realize the ones I took sucked so bad till right now.

 

I love the fact that the nerf gun is for sale on this thread! Wow $60 bucks for that, nerf has gotten expensive since i was a kid! I'd buy it only if it came with a chest holster! New XO series are cool to see the X hanger and trucks, but i agree with you, even though Collin likes that new 200 series, i think its a cream puff, no real character to those new LR's. Now his truck is a beast and the "1 less prius" truck was super sick. Like to see a couple photos from your trip posted to here! peace man