What do you really NEED for overlanding

[Eric_]

I know traveling on your own is generally a bad idea, but unless my friends and family take their corollas and accords, I’m on my own with the girlfriend (and MAYBE dog.. she’s loony)

Rig: 2018 TRD Off-Road tacoma 4x4 with the stock e-locker.

With so much influence form social media, and people driving 100k+ rigs, I’ve forgotten what basic even means anymore. So instead of what I want, I’d like to start with what I truly need.

-recovery gear
This is one area where I don’t exactly know how much or what recovery gear I need.

-satellite phone (since I’m on my own).. not sure if it’s overkill but good for peace of mind.
-ground tent, food, things to cook the food with.
-Good ol’ classic cooler..
-basic first aid things..
-cheap little air compressor
-tools?

-As for tires, are the stock tires sufficient? I think this is one area where it may be more of a want than a need. I was looking into ******** cepek extreme country 255/85/r16.

-And lighting, only because last time I was out on a dirt road I couldn’t see anything. It was so dark I felt like all my lights were turned off.

-sliders/armor, necessary? I have a front skid plate. Don’t plan on rock crawling but I’m afraid of running into a situation where I’ll need them.

I’ve done thousands of miles of “on-road” road trips, not so much off-road. I’m planning a trip to Death Valley which sparked this thread. I suppose I should call it explorative camping lol. I’m sure my mind wanders off into the Himalayas, but the truth is I’m in the 95% on road, 5% off road (if that) we do 1-2 roadtrips a year.

So I don’t really know how to go about making it great on/off road without going overboard on something I don’t need.


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[Smileyshaun]

honestly you can overland in anything , be smart about what you try traveling over and you will be fine . pick up a good come along , sometimes when your stuck all you need is a couple of inches of movement to gain traction again .

 

[Smileyshaun]

that is a fantastic tire size I had that on my sequoia but in the Cooper st maxx. but if most all your driving is on road look into a good at tire

 

[steelhd]

Here is my minimum.

Recovery gear:
Front and rear recovery points. The second gen OR Tacomas have one marginal but adequate front point and the other point is just a transportation tie down location. I assume it's the same with your third gen? For the rear a receiver shackle insert works well. Two quality rigging grade 3/4" screw pin shackles or soft shackles. A 30' kinetic recovery rope or kinetic snatch strap with loop ends. Stay away from tow straps with metal ends and those that aren't specifically advertised using the words "kinetic", "stretch", "snatch", etc that indicate it's suitable for kinetic recovery. A real shovel, short handle is fine. A pair of traction boards. A bottle jack with a few 2x6 and 2x4 wood scraps to use as cribbing and base. Good leather gloves. A bow saw. A lithium jump starter. Mine is a Microstart XP10 but there are a lot of others out there that will work too. Bonus is they can also recharge your phone, GPS, and other electronics.

Armor:
I don't rock crawl either (thats what my Jeep TJ is for) but still went with a set of good bolt on sliders with rear kickouts. They are heavy at something like 75lbs each side for my OR double cab but they have paid for themselves more than once. The sides of muddy and icy roads and trails are lined with rocker panel eating stumps and rocks and I've accidentally ground across more than one. And as a bonus they protect your truck from door dings from most cars.

Tire repair kit:
A cheap pump will work but a Viair 400 is the cheapest I would recommend even though I'm currently only carrying a Superfow MV50 (exact same thing as the Masterflow MF1050) and it's worked fine for several years. Regardless, stay away from cigarette plug/power port pumps and get one with alligator clips that hook directly to the battery. I also carry a tire plug kit with both the black and the large brown fuzzy plugs, a Colby emergency valve stem, and a couple of valve cores and a core remover.

First aid:
A space blanket, standard first aid kit, and a trauma kit that can deal with life threatening bleeds, punctures, and amputations. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and diphenhydramine.

Other:
Lifestraw
Small camp axe/hatchet
Collapsible cup
Vehicle fluids
Water
Empty "Camelback" type bladder
Knife
Stormproof matches
Magnesium block with striker and a short lengthof hacksaw blade
Fire starter and tinder. Petroleum jelly impregnated cotton (real cotton) balls stored in a tin is a fantastic option
Emergency bivy sack
Headlamp with an extra battery
Batteryless hand crank flashlight
DEET
Sunscreen pads
Hat
Frogg Toggs rain jacket and pants
3 lb Class B fire extinguisher

30 liter back pack for a get home bag (handy for storing stuff above), boots, and extra clothing depending on the season. There are few places in the lower 48 that are more than a days walk to get out.

Tools - a regular old Harbor Freight tanker bag with the basics is plenty. Add tie wire duct tape, and waterless hand cleaner. Here is a complete list of sizes for the second gen Tacoma. Maybe there is something similar for the third gens. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ckets-and-wrenches-for-2nd-gen-tacoma.158302/

I'm sure I've got more crap stashed in the truck but that's what I can remember off the top of my head. But enough of my amateur nonsense. Here is the opinion of a real pro. https://expeditionportal.com/going-alone-single-vehicle-offroad-travel-safety/

 

[1leglance]

Forget the sat phone and get a Delorme InReach, you get sat text messaging way cheaper than a phone, plus your friends and family can live track your trip...
And you get some decent navigation when you use the Earthmate app on your phone.
Well worth the money...

Otherwise
small air compressor that clamps to battery so you can air down and up
Extreme Outback tire repair kit, has everything is a nice bag
Maxtrax x4 as one of the best self recovery tools that is fast and easy to use
Small shovel
first aid kit and plenty of water to drink, wash, clean wounds
that is all I would worry about sending someone out for basic forest service road adventures

 

[Eric_]

Here is my minimum.

Recovery gear:
Front and rear recovery points. The second gen OR Tacomas have one marginal but adequate front point and the other point is just a transportation tie down location. I assume it's the same with your third gen? For the rear a receiver shackle insert works well. Two quality rigging grade 3/4" screw pin shackles or soft shackles. A 30' kinetic recovery rope or kinetic snatch strap without loop ends. Stay away from tow straps with metal ends and those that aren't specifically advertised using the words "kinetic", "stretch", "snatch", etc that indicate it's suitable for kinetic recovery. A real shovel, short handle is fine. A pair of traction boards. A bottle jack with a few 2x6 and 2x4 wood scraps to use as cribbing and base. Good leather gloves. A bow saw. A lithium jump starter. Mine is a Microstart XP10 but there are a lot of others out there that will work too. Bonus is they can also recharge your phone, GPS, and other electronics.

Armor:
I don't rock crawl either (thats what my Jeep TJ is for) but still went with a set of good bolt on sliders with rear kickouts. They are heavy at something like 75lbs each side for my OR double cab but they have paid for themselves more than once. The sides of muddy and icy roads and trails are lined with rocker panel eating stumps and rocks and I've accidentally ground across more than one. And as a bonus they protect your truck from door dings from most cars.

Tire repair kit:
A cheap pump will work but a Viair 400 is the cheapest I would recommend even though I'm currently only carrying a Superfow MV50 (exact same thing as the Masterflow MF1050) and it's worked fine for several years. Regardless, stay away from cigarette plug/power port pumps and get one with alligator clips that hook directly to the battery. I also carry a tire plug kit with both the black and the large brown fuzzy plugs, a Colby emergency valve stem, and a couple of valve cores and a core remover.

First aid:
A space blanket, standard first aid kit, and a trauma kit that can deal with life threatening bleeds, punctures, and amputations. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and diphenhydramine.

Other:
Lifestraw
Small camp axe/hatchet
Collapsible cup
Vehicle fluids
Water
Empty "Camelback" type bladder
Knife
Stormproof matches
Magnesium block with striker and a short lengthof hacksaw blade
Fire starter and tinder. Petroleum jelly impregnated cotton (real cotton) balls stored in a tin is a fantastic option
Emergency bivy sack
Headlamp with an extra battery
Batteryless hand crank flashlight
DEET
Sunscreen pads
Hat
Frogg Toggs rain jacket and pants
3 lb Class B fire extinguisher

30 liter back pack for a get home bag (handy for storing stuff above), boots, and extra clothing depending on the season. There are few places in the lower 48 that are more than a days walk to get out.

Tools - a regular old Harbor Freight tanker bag with the basics is plenty. Add tie wire duct tape, and waterless hand cleaner. Here is a complete list of sizes for the second gen Tacoma. Maybe there is something similar for the third gens. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ckets-and-wrenches-for-2nd-gen-tacoma.158302/

I'm sure I've got more crap stashed in the truck but that's what I can remember off the top of my head. But enough of my amateur nonsense. Here is the opinion of a real pro. https://expeditionportal.com/going-alone-single-vehicle-offroad-travel-safety/View attachment 442546

This has to be the greatest, most comprehensive response I’ve ever had! Thank you so much. I’ll look into it with detail. I really appreciate it.


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[steelhd]

I should have written strap or rope WITH loop ends. I accidentally fat fingered WITHOUT.

 

[Eric_]

Forget the sat phone and get a Delorme InReach, you get sat text messaging way cheaper than a phone, plus your friends and family can live track your trip...
And you get some decent navigation when you use the Earthmate app on your phone.
Well worth the money...

Otherwise
small air compressor that clamps to battery so you can air down and up
Extreme Outback tire repair kit, has everything is a nice bag
Maxtrax x4 as one of the best self recovery tools that is fast and easy to use
Small shovel
first aid kit and plenty of water to drink, wash, clean wounds
that is all I would worry about sending someone out for basic forest service road adventures

I think the texting feature alone has me sold haha! Is this the one that requires a subscription? Regardless the features seem to make it worthwhile. That’s for the tip!

As for the maxtrax, you think 4 are necessary? I never thought of using 4 of them as opposed to 2.


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[Eric_]

I should have written strap or rope WITH loop ends. I accidentally fat fingered WITHOUT.

It’s all good brother lol I appreciate it. Here’s the truck btw!

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[steelhd]

Nice

 

[steelhd]

As for the maxtrax...

Maxtrax and a couple other premium name brands are undoubtedly good but they are also pretty darn expensive. Most of the inexpensive boards are total junk and are prone to shattering and melting from friction during the first use. An inexpensive option I found (unfortunately right after buying my Liteway/Litefox boards) that might be a good buy are the Maxsa Escaper Buddy/Rustik Escape Buddy boards. Cartoonish names and probably Chinese manufactured but the reviews posted by people that have actually used them are shockingly very positive. At least they were a couple of years ago.

 

[kdeleon]

A basic recovery gear including a traction mat, shovel, straps, rings are a must but first on my list is a good set of AT tires with a full size spare.

Then go camping to places as far as your rig will take you. Dont second guess if you need to turn around, especially when going solo. You will find your rig needs as you want to go further, but you dont really need any of those to go on your adventure.

Go join a local group for some trail runs and see what you and your truck can do. It's better to experience all these in that setting rather than your first time in the middle of nowhere.

Bottom line, just go!





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[neil d]

Wow....lotta info here. Sounds like you have a capable rig, and you should be able to go out and have fun without dropping the $$$$$.

My kit includes shovel, gloves, jack, recovery strap, tire plugs, cheapo air compressor. A sensible first aid kit, plenty of food, and several days’ worth of water. Then, I drive and travel within my means, instead of trying to break my truck or otherwise cause a crisis. After all, we’re just camping in the wilderness. It’s worked so far...

 

[Outside somewhere]

....but the truth is I’m in the 95% on road, 5% off road (if that) we do 1-2 roadtrips a year.


Drinks, food, way to cook food, place to lay your head. The rest is just stuff. Dont get caught up in the overlanding ****************.

 

[BPD53]

....but the truth is I’m in the 95% on road, 5% off road (if that) we do 1-2 roadtrips a year.


Drinks, food, way to cook food, place to lay your head. The rest is just stuff. Dont get caught up in the overlanding ****************.

I could not agree with this more.

If you can't go off road 5% of the time once a year with nothing but a brand new TRD Tacoma you have problems that gear will never fix.