Welcome, Olde_Kyng! You've got a great rig to adventure in. I hear you on that payload sticker being a concern, but remember that humans regularly go on multi-week long camping treks with no car at all (just a backpack), and they can fit everything they need in a very small payload. So, you may be less in a case of "my rig is too small" and more in a case of "I will need to compromise on what I classify as a 'need'". You can get a lot of miles of adventuring for the price of a vehicle upgrade, so there's merit in the "run what you brung" approach to this hobby unless your pockets are very deep. Here's some examples for you to think about:
- Improving approach angles is a good first start as you've identified that you've already skipped on some experiences because of that limitation. But, while you are probably Ok to skip on the winch, you will want to put some thought into how you will self recover (i.e. MaxTrax, a come-along, or similar) if you are crossing creeks or other obstacles solo. Usually beyond the small creek crossing is more rough terrain, and so once you "unlock" your ability to get a bit further in with an improved approach angle, you also increase the risk that you'll need to self recover while simultaneously decreasing the chances that someone else will come along to help. We tend to be a bit casual about this hobby but I think we are lulled into a false sense of safety by the quality of modern tech (the vehicles, InReach comms, etc.) to the point where we tend to forget that on some of these trips we are one error away from death - and that error can be something as simple as getting stuck with no way out.
- Improving approach angles is one of those "two birds, one stone" things in a build: You can improve approach angles while also enhancing recovery gear options (i.e. a winch or at least some anchor points for shackles) while also providing front-end animal strike protection, which is your most likely risk when in remote areas. However, an ARB bullbar is going to be 150-200 lbs or more, so you may want to consider sourcing an aluminum winch-ready bullbar for your truck. This will be more expensive but could save you 50% or more of the weight.
- There's been mention of an RTT. That will take away about 150 lbs from your payload. If you mount it on your cab, you're looking at another 25-75 lbs reduction for the mounting rails and hardware. If you go with a box rack (i.e. a Leitner or similar ladder-style rack), you're looking at 50-150 lbs or so for the rack, and if you are wanting to use a truck cap or sealed topper to mount the tent, you'd be looking at about 200 lbs + tent. A wedge camper is about 300 lbs dry weight, depending on which one you go with. All of these options reduce your useful payload:
- RTT + Cab Rack = 1025 lbs remaining
- RTT + Box Rack = 900 lbs remaining
- RTT + Truck Cap = 850 lbs remaining
- Wedge Camper = 900lbs remaining
- You mentioned a Decked unit - this will be about 200 lbs on it's own. You can probably build a comparable system out of wood for about 50 lbs less. Having drawers to keep your kit is really handy though - it allows you to be prepared to head out of civilization whenever you want. That's how we keep ours and it's great.
- One caution - I know a lot of people sleep in the bed of their truck under a cap, but I've got some experience with this and nobody ever talks about this part: It's dirty as hell. Truck boxes and caps are notoriously hard to seal, and all of them have some level of dust and water ingress. It's fine MOST of the time, but if you end up stuck behind a logging truck for a while, all that dust they kick up will at least partially cover your stuff. That means where you sleep is filthy, and that means you are filthy, and everything you touch gets dirty after the first night or two. For some people, that's no big deal - "its camping" - but for me, I tend to like longer trips (month or more) and for longer trips, constantly being dirty causes problems. I would prefer a ground tent over sleeping in a dirty truck bed. But, if you can get a good cap installed that helps limit this issue (none eliminate it but some are better), or if you don't tend to spend a lot of time in dry and dusty conditions, this might be a moot point for you.
So here's my opinion:
You can either improve your off-road worthiness with bumpers and recovery gear, improve the storage shell and sleeping experience of your truck, or improve your internal storage solutions - but you probably cannot do all three of the above with your current rig. I'd suggest you identify what's most important to you based on your activities: Are you more likely to meander down the trail all day long, seeing what you can see, and snapping photos? I would then probably prioritize the recovery gear and approach angles. Are you more likely to find that epic campsite and pitch up around the fire for a few days? You might want to consider how you "live around" your truck with a convenient storage solution for the cold beers and snacks and other camp essentials - a way to charge devices if needed, maybe an option to avoid the soggy mess caused by melting ice in coolers by going for a fridge, etc.. Or, are you wanting to ensure an easy-to-set-up, ground-conditions-irrelevant, guaranteed-good nights sleep as you go from non-technical location to non-technical location? Then you might want to prioritize a quick pitch tent/camper solution. If more than one of these things is deemed critical for you then you might want to consider a higher payload truck - but if you do, that comes with other compromises (total weight is much higher for example, as is cost) so it's not as obvious a solution as that either.
I'd suggest keep doing what you're doing - get out and use your current rig - and only if you are feeling truly limited (i.e. there's an experience you want but cannot have) should you invest in upgrades. The marketing in the Overland world is real - and it's really effective! - but the best adventures are often on a shoestring budget in a vehicle held together with chewing gum and faith so don't let the marketing hype get to you.
