What are the off-road must haves?

For me get some sliders that you can jack on to lift the truck, and a high lift jack, a shovel and a recovery strap traction boards or mat would be nice too. At least you can get your self out of a hole or snow bank. The only thing we need is some kind of reinforcement that we can actually jack on in the front end. You can jack on the rear receiver if you have the tow package. The Tacoma is a fully capable 4X4 without needing a bunch of stuff. If your truly needing a lift kit and larger tires you can put yourself in situations where self recovery is much more difficult and at that point you should really have another rig with you and far more extensive recovery equipment.

 

depends on what kind of wheeling you do. if you like deep mud, where your truck can get buried or held down with a vacuum, get a bubba rope or other high stretch kinetic rope. if you won't need the recovery vehicle to get a running start, a true tow strap is good. I keep a 20' and 30' tow strap, and a 30' kinetic strap. my 10' tree strap can be used in really tight places, but that's not too common.

 

Lots of great replies here, but I'd also suggest checking out the info here: http://www.4-wheeling-in-western-australia.com/four-wheeling.html and subscribing to their YouTube channel. They have lots and lots of great videos that are basically their various trips, during which they get stuck and have to overcome obstacles often, so it's also a great source to see recovery techniques in various situations. They also have a few videos discussing specific topics, so you should just check it out

 

As many others have said, a lot depends on where you're going out and what kind of terrain you're looking to cover. A desert rig will be different from a mountain rig, and both might have differences from a rig built for a lot of sand or mud. No matter where you're going, basic tools, tire puncture repair kit and inflator/compressor, heavy tape and rope or paracord are things you're likely to find some use for, and are too easy to carry to not have on hand.

If you're going out alone, I'd say don't ever go out without a map of where you're going and a compass (handheld GPS is nice to have, but still be ready to find your way home or at least to a significant road without it) and a day-pack to carry anything else you might want to have along; water, a bit of food, first aid kit (with some moleskin, ACE bandage and enough to deal with cuts, burns, bites and toxic plant encounters), flashlight, knife/multitool, trash bag/disposable poncho, change of clothes, extra socks and 2 sets of spare batteries for anything that takes them.

Hidden mounts look slick, and Pelfrey's got a great rep and I'm sure their products are solid (not being patronizing, I have no personal experience with their stuff to be certain one way or the other), if you're really concerned about the front bumper, there are some partial front winch bumpers which require more trimming but provide some armor in the front without being a full plate replacement (I've got U.S. Offroad's version, but there's also the Undercover HWMS and probably at least one other that I'm not aware of). You may end up wanting a bit of a lift in the front at least to get back the clearance you'll lose from the weight of the winch/mount as well.

 

Thanks for all the info everyone!!