Tundra TRD Pro for first overland vehicle?

[Detour joe]

I am in similar situation, a long time Tundra owner but just now starting to think about long term truck camping/living, I've decided to do a trial period of short term camping before shell out large sum of money, not wanting a large rig that move slowly. I have to go through this learning curve first, so I am doing some upgrades on my double cab with 6.5 foot bed add an aluminum camper top, tire and suspension upgrades, then just go out and try it. People have lived in Jeep and Tacoma and all sorts of rigs, I have to find out what suits me by trying one setup first, if I like it I will then consider get a 3/4 ton truck and a bigger camper. All the research and Youtube watching leads me to this point. Let us know your decision and pictures!

 

[phsycle]

I am in similar situation, a long time Tundra owner but just now starting to think about long term truck camping/living, I've decided to do a trial period of short term camping before shell out large sum of money, not wanting a large rig that move slowly. I have to go through this learning curve first, so I am doing some upgrades on my double cab with 6.5 foot bed add an aluminum camper top, tire and suspension upgrades, then just go out and try it. People have lived in Jeep and Tacoma and all sorts of rigs, I have to find out what suits me by trying one setup first, if I like it I will then consider get a 3/4 ton truck and a bigger camper. All the research and Youtube watching leads me to this point. Let us know your decision and pictures!

You don’t even need suspension “upgrades.” Stock will get you to a lot of places.

 

[rruff]

I am in similar situation, a long time Tundra owner but just now starting to think about long term truck camping/living

Keep it simple... you might surprise yourself, and find that simple is enough.

If you are in the western US you can travel so you're are always in a place with a good climate, which makes things a lot easier. I did it for 13 years; no heat, no fridge or cooler, no toilet... didn't miss them. And in a 2wd Toyota truck. I eventually got a laptop and solar but you can be simple with that as well.

One thing that made a big difference though was being able to sit up. I had a topper at first that was cab height. Later I built one that was tall enough to sit up on the bed/couch and that was the sweet spot for that truck.

 

[dman93]

To the OP, isn’t the TRD Pro only available as CrewMax? That 5.5’ bed just seems too short to live in, even if you store a lot of gear in the (roomy) cab. If you want a Tundra, I’d start with a DoubleCab and 6.5’ bed ... skip the TRD Pro. As for 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton, I myself drive a Tacoma and have a high roof Transit 250 on order, so don’t know about the bigger pickups. But a friend has a 5.0 F150 with FWC, the HD payload package plus airbags and LR E tires, and it works quite well. SuperCab with 6.5’ bed. The popup has drawbacks but seems much more manageable on road and trail than a full size truck camper.

 

[rruff]

To the OP, isn’t the TRD Pro only available as CrewMax? That 5.5’ bed just seems too short to live in, even if you store a lot of gear in the (roomy) cab. If you want a Tundra, I’d start with a DoubleCab and 6.5’ bed

It comes in DC, but I agree there isn't a good reason to buy a Pro.