nocean
Adventurer
I’ve wanted a Tacoma since I was 16 years old. Back then my $3500 car budget in high school was never gonna allow me to get a Toyota. So my car journey started, so so many. I think my wife and I have had 17-18 cars just as a couple, granted we got together at 17 so that gives us some extra time. But in that time I’v had, used and built out a bunch of rigs. K5 Blazer, Honda Element, VW Weekendder Van, Range Rover Classic, an amazing 100 Series Cruiser, 1st gen Tundra w/ a Four Wheel Camper that we lived in and traveled the west for a year.
When we decided that it was time to get a Tacoma, the 3rd gen’s had been out for almost a year and I’d seen them all over the place. Its what I wanted. So we pulled the trigger a few days before Christmas of 2016, a white 16’ TRD Off Road short bed. I knew it would be a slow burn for us, but I knew what I wanted. My main goal was to make it as functional as possible both as a daily driver around town going to work, getting groceries, trips to the airport, etc. But I also wanted to make a very capable overland rig that would allow us to get out every weekend like we try to do and the occasional 2-6 week road trip.
We surf, fly fish, climb, backpack, camp, adventure, etc. I made a lot of choices based on owning things like a RTT, a FWC, ground tents small and big, slept in the bed, etc. Big drawer systems, fridges, stoves, solar, etc. Its so easy to overbuild a rig. I remember my 100 was so good, locked front to back, steel front to back, drawers with sleeping platform, fridge, etc, etc., but going to the grocery store was a pain, I picked up some friends with their bags at the airport and I remember strapping half of their luggage to the roof rack with tie downs and ratchet straps. The same bags would have fit in a Honda Accord without question but I struggled with my big off roader. So, I wanted to keep it simple. I know I’ll teeter on the line of gadgets to functionality to simple. Its a game. But here’s my journey as it started, as it is now, and what’s to come. I also installed as much of it as I could myself. Waited for sales, gathered gear for months before installation, waited on group buys, craigslist, forums. I feel that will all the things I probably only spent 60% of total cost if I was just to go out and order everything, I didn’t pay full price for a single item.
2016 Toyota Tacoma, TRD OR, Short Bed
Exterior:
-4Runner Pro wheels & tires
-Mobtown sliders w/ 10 degree angle (new)
-Southern Style Offroad Slimline Bumper w/ basic light
-Smittybuilt X20 winch
-Factor 55 Splice Flatlink (new)
-Cascadia Flipster
-RCI aluminum front skid plate
-ARB awning w/ front wall
-Canopy w/ Rhino Rack bars & tracks
-HD splash guards from @cnote4l
Suspension:
-ARB Old Man Emu Heavy Kit w/ Dakar leafs
Electrical:
-Odyssey battery
-Off Grid Engineering battery tie down
-Switch Pro system
-ARB Dual Air Compressor w/ tire kit
-Slee Offroad compressor mount
-Blue Sea power block for rear bed
-Snomaster 56L Dual Zone Fridge (in mail)
-LED bed kit from @mattgecko
Interior:
-Bed mounts from @Zac of all trades
-Krazy Beaver shovel
-BedRug kit for floor & tailgate
-custom canopy ceiling bungees
-custom window covers
-Hondo Garage phone mount
Things To Come:
-BFG KO2’s
-Go Fast Campers pop up camper (so excited for this)
-bed storage (waiting for camper, want something that can be removed easily)
When we decided that it was time to get a Tacoma, the 3rd gen’s had been out for almost a year and I’d seen them all over the place. Its what I wanted. So we pulled the trigger a few days before Christmas of 2016, a white 16’ TRD Off Road short bed. I knew it would be a slow burn for us, but I knew what I wanted. My main goal was to make it as functional as possible both as a daily driver around town going to work, getting groceries, trips to the airport, etc. But I also wanted to make a very capable overland rig that would allow us to get out every weekend like we try to do and the occasional 2-6 week road trip.
We surf, fly fish, climb, backpack, camp, adventure, etc. I made a lot of choices based on owning things like a RTT, a FWC, ground tents small and big, slept in the bed, etc. Big drawer systems, fridges, stoves, solar, etc. Its so easy to overbuild a rig. I remember my 100 was so good, locked front to back, steel front to back, drawers with sleeping platform, fridge, etc, etc., but going to the grocery store was a pain, I picked up some friends with their bags at the airport and I remember strapping half of their luggage to the roof rack with tie downs and ratchet straps. The same bags would have fit in a Honda Accord without question but I struggled with my big off roader. So, I wanted to keep it simple. I know I’ll teeter on the line of gadgets to functionality to simple. Its a game. But here’s my journey as it started, as it is now, and what’s to come. I also installed as much of it as I could myself. Waited for sales, gathered gear for months before installation, waited on group buys, craigslist, forums. I feel that will all the things I probably only spent 60% of total cost if I was just to go out and order everything, I didn’t pay full price for a single item.
2016 Toyota Tacoma, TRD OR, Short Bed
Exterior:
-4Runner Pro wheels & tires
-Mobtown sliders w/ 10 degree angle (new)
-Southern Style Offroad Slimline Bumper w/ basic light
-Smittybuilt X20 winch
-Factor 55 Splice Flatlink (new)
-Cascadia Flipster
-RCI aluminum front skid plate
-ARB awning w/ front wall
-Canopy w/ Rhino Rack bars & tracks
-HD splash guards from @cnote4l
Suspension:
-ARB Old Man Emu Heavy Kit w/ Dakar leafs
Electrical:
-Odyssey battery
-Off Grid Engineering battery tie down
-Switch Pro system
-ARB Dual Air Compressor w/ tire kit
-Slee Offroad compressor mount
-Blue Sea power block for rear bed
-Snomaster 56L Dual Zone Fridge (in mail)
-LED bed kit from @mattgecko
Interior:
-Bed mounts from @Zac of all trades
-Krazy Beaver shovel
-BedRug kit for floor & tailgate
-custom canopy ceiling bungees
-custom window covers
-Hondo Garage phone mount
Things To Come:
-BFG KO2’s
-Go Fast Campers pop up camper (so excited for this)
-bed storage (waiting for camper, want something that can be removed easily)