the very beginning of a Tacoma Build

[Bishop Overland]

Looking to Build my first Overland rig. I want to buy a 2012-2014 Tacoma. I have plans to sell my house and travel the lower 48 and Alaska with my soon to be wife and 2 dogs. The model year isnt set in stone. I am thinking crew cab Long bed. My goal is a cheaper version of Expedition Overlands Tacoma. I have a lose Budget of 50K. Any recommendations would be great. I have a back ground in rock crawling but the goals for the vehicles is completely different. tire size Im thinking 33ish, camper shell, roof top tent, bumpers, and so on. brand recommendations? what works well together? Is that budget going to get it done? The question pool is endless i only have 364 days and I plan on doing much of the work my self.

 

[JLee]

If you haven't yet, you may want to consider weighing building the truck vs building/buying a trailer. You'd have a lot more room and you can carry more gear without overloading the truck.

 

[dumprat]

Why not look at a real camper rather than an RTT?

Something you can cook in and sit inside out of the rain. Even a Habitat would make more sense.

 

[Toyojay]

Theres also the option of the bed campers, I've been in a few of them and they are really quite roomy. Some even have a pop up roof, similar to a pop up pull behind.

 

[JLee]

Theres also the option of the bed campers, I've been in a few of them and they are really quite roomy. Some even have a pop up roof, similar to a pop up pull behind.

If I were to live out of a truck, I'd be seriously considering a 3/4 or 1 ton with a bed camper. Something like this:

Granted, I'd lose a lot of offroad ability..but it'd be so much nicer to live in.

 

[dumprat]

Ya and even that gets really old quick if it isn't set up right.

 

[Bishop Overland]

I will be wheeling with just one truck so I need to keep it as small and maneuverable as possible. So heavy duty trucks, campers, and trailers are out.

 

[bigskypylot]

Something like a FWC or Phoenix pop-up, or a trailer and base camp in areas. Can't have your cake and eat it too. Compromise sucks at times lol

 

[Clawhammer]

I've lived out of the back of my truck (with a cap and sleeping platform) for up to a month or so at a time, and not being able to stand or sit up inside when it's raining sucks. If I were looking to do what you're doing, I'd be looking into something like the Habitat or a pop-up on the back of the truck. It should still be fairly light and maneuverable, but you'd have a lot more space.

 

[Bishop Overland]

Unless I missed cheaper ones habits are around 8000 dollars. Over double a roof top Tent and Awnings cost I can't spend that with my tight. Can't have my cake and eat it too? I never mention wanting a trailer. This thread was made to get the opinions of guys that have built tacoma rigs and find out what works together. What bumper and winch, what sliders, rear bumper, and on and on. All I'm getting is people that don't want to sleep in a tent for a year. I'm starting to remember why I hate forums....

 

[JLee]

Unless I missed cheaper ones habits are around 8000 dollars. Over double a roof top Tent and Awnings cost I can't spend that with my tight. Can't have my cake and eat it too? I never mention wanting a trailer. This thread was made to get the opinions of guys that have built tacoma rigs and find out what works together. What bumper and winch, what sliders, rear bumper, and on and on. All I'm getting is people that don't want to sleep in a tent for a year. I'm starting to remember why I hate forums....

Building something is kinda like putting a bunch of legos together. You don't have to worry about compatibility for most things -- so, if you don't want opinions on how to not hate life, I'll just answer your questions.

What bumper and winch)
Whatever you want. Winches and bumpers are generally generic fit and there is no requirement for specific brand pairing.

what sliders)
Again, whatever you want. If you want to DIY the install/welding/etc, you can get Trail-Gear significantly cheaper than most other options.

rear bumper)
The pattern continues...whatever you want.

Unless you're planning on hammering rocks hard, I would go for aluminum bumpers/skids if at all possible. Your biggest concerns will be staying under/at a Tacoma's GVWR when loaded and choosing your spring rate to match your load (I would recommend calling Mark at MetalTech4x4 for that - he's very knowledgeable/helpful). I built a spreadsheet for my truck that tracks weight of a truck build vs truck/trailer so I could easily compare between them.

A 2012 Tacoma 4x4 crew cab long bed has a curb weight of 4,220lbs and a GVWR of 5,500lbs, so you have 1,280lbs to work with.

What specific questions do you have? I can give you a parts list, but I don't think that'll be helpful unless you want someone else to design your truck.

 

[millerfish]

If you are going to have a shell on the truck I would think twice about a swing out tire carrier, I have come to find it to be kind of a pain having to open it every time I need in the back of the truck... A shell with side windows/doors is a must either way...

 

[dumprat]

My point was just based on experience. I lived in a camper for a few months. Not ideal.

I would suggest buying an RTT set it up in your yard. Set it up and down every day. Fall down the ladder in the rain a few times, etc

 

[mtnbike28]

Some great advice so far. I agree with almost all of it: (to me!)
1. A trailer is a pain full time towing/parking/etc. If I were to do teh trailer, I would do a teardrop. Easy to hop in and sleep, can even urban stealth if needed
2. I love my Flippac, but it would be a pain to put away wet for days on end if I lived in it a year, just like a RTT - lots of folks have done year long trips in RTT, but rarely in rainy PNW, east coast weather
3. Consider a Callen (sp?), Cowboy Camper style, or contractor cap - just a super sized cap, make benches so at least you can sit in out of the rain
4. This guys build is nice - http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/137366-Tacoma-aluminum-Pop-up

I still really want to try a AWD van - for the above reasons.

Good luck with the planning and the trip!

 

[Crenshaw]

Personally I can live without the bumper, sliders, etc...but it all depends on what sort of areas you're going to be exploring. Generally when my truck is fully loaded with camp gear, mtn bikes, SUPs or kayaks, I'm not terribly interested in hitting the gnarliest trails I can find. I have an old Wildernest on my truck and would be perfectly happy camping for long periods but not if it gets cold. I did the trailer thing for a while and didn't like it at all, and most slide in campers seem really cumbersome with surprisingly limited space. To me. I start to think the most important things are a really well maintained vehicle, good spares, and a well thought out storage/sleeping setup. Well thought out does not necessarily ever equate to expensive or extravagant.