I thought about how to answer this in away of comparing in my mind what my Gen 2 Double Cab Tundra provides that my Gen 3 Taco Double Cab does not and provide some stand out short comings. Short answer is yes! Its more then enough truck....No! if you want it to be or need to do more then the following. You really do need to keep the weight down on the Taco and haul nothing more then a single axle trailer with under 1,000 lbs. The double cab Taco is best suited for 2 adults in the front and children under the age of 12 in the back i.e under 5'4" ...... for extended travel due to leg room. If 30% more fuel consumption is no problem a V8 can't be beat....here is the single reason I would pick my Tundra over my Taco. If you need some thing that needs to be better off pavement then on pavement its great choice! At least that is what i have found. Honestly it sounds like a full size would suit you better. The Dodge Power Wagon is a great alternative.
Is the Tacoma enough truck?
- Thread starter leman
- Start date
Clutch
<---Pass
I like Tacomas, Tundras.... annnnnd I like F150/250/350's...
Don't mind all the comparsions.
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phsycle
Adventurer
Pfffffft! That's nothing. Try camping with wife and 2 kids. But we keep things light. Tacoma has plenty of cargo capacity for us. However, I will say a fullsize will be much appreciated for the interior space. You'll just have to prioritize your needs and buy accordingly.
Another option may be to find a low mileage 05-06 Tundra.
Another option may be to find a low mileage 05-06 Tundra.
bkg
Explorer
I almost recommended this until the he mentioned the tractor...
Clutch
<---Pass
I don't know how you guys do it. When my wife used to go with me, and we had a dog. It was **********' tight! Loaded to the gills, with two dirt bikes on the trailer, the moto gear bags, and all the camping crap stuffed into the truck. Last trip we had together was with my buddy and his F350 CCLB and 24' TT...I was sure eyeballing that....especially during the afternoon rains in the Colorado high country holed up in a leaky Wildernest....
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toylandcruiser
Expedition Leader
I wonder how people explored the world in fj40s and series iis.
Clutch
<---Pass
I do camping off the dirt bike. FJ40 is luxurious in comparison.
This was one of our 7 days/1600 mile, sleep under the stars on a tarp...Baja trips. All you need fits in a pack.
But 99% of my truck trips are dirt bike related base camping...lots of gear, tools and spares. After years and years of doing that out of small Toyota trucks, having to unload everything gets quite old. An enclosed trailer that everything has a spot where you open it up and step in, and don't have to shuffle things about sure would be nice. But I have no where to put it our new-to-us house. Means it would have to go storage...plus need a bigger truck to pull it.
So I deal with the Curly shuffle BS...
The size/weight of the truck really doesn't become a factor unless you start getting into the very technical rock-crawling (Rubicon-like trails) or straight-up mud bogging. For nearly all of the 4x4 'trails' I have come across, if a Tacoma or 4-door Jeep can fit, so too can a fullsize or 3/4 ton (albeit with more pin striping). Tire pressure will need adjustment, as you noted.
I would base your decision on what you plan to carry/tow, because it doesn't sound like you're looking for a dedicated rock-crawler or mud truck.
phsycle
Adventurer
We are lite campers. A good sized tent, sleeping gear, couple 5 gal water jugs, firewood, and food. I'm used to cutting weight and fluff as a backpacker. I don't need 3 tables, 2 awnings, and enough food to last an Armageddon. Kids don't take toys. They love to play with whatever they find. Or if we're near water, they spend the whole day playing.
I used to take my bikes (road or mountain). But even gave that up for a pair of trail running shoes. Keep it light, go far, and have fun.
That said, if one day, the kids wanted to take their e-dirt bikes
, I would consider an off-road trailer of some kind. Probably something like a Ruger:
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phsycle
Adventurer
I've seen fullsize trucks on some tight trails. I'd say you'll need more armor and hope you don't care about keeping the paint and panels in pristine shape. But it was surprising to see PowerWagons on some of these trails in Moab. He's got a RZR so he's got both bases covered.
Trikebubble
Adventurer
If you bought your Tacoma because your a Toyota guy, if you appreciate the pedigree and the proven reliability of the brand then just buy a Tundra and be done with it. I moved up from a well built Xterra (that I thought had tons of power) to a Tundra and have never looked back. I bought the Tundra partly because of the name that stands behind it and because I wanted to put my money into a proven drivetrain that I know will last for decades without giving me much hassle. The 5.7 V8 has a ridiculous amount of power, the interior is very roomy, I find the seats to be fantastic and had no comfort issues on our 3 week week 8600km road trip at all. I'm not a diesel kind of guy. and I appreciate the idea of a nice big V8 under the hood and having more than enough power to deal with any issue that I may run into. Their are son many claims of all the new bells and whistles that trucks now have. and folks seem to push the Tundra to the side for not being as up to date as the new trucks, none of that mattered to me in my decision making process. I felt, still do, that my money was better spent on the proven and reliable drivetrain of the Tundra than some of the new shiny things that it may not have.
It may not fit up 100% of the tight twisty trails that our trusty old Xterra did, but it sure will squeeze into places and up switchbacks that I didn't think it had any place being. Their are comrpomises with anything but So far I have not encountered an obstacle or trail that had me re-assesing my choice to go full size
I have a FWC on my Tundra and on our summer adventure was really fully loaded down. 2 spare wheels, 14 gallons of extra fuel, lots of tools, food,m water ,propane, you name it we carried it. And the truck performed like a champ. Never once did I feel like i needed more power, never once. I don't have a heavy foot, but if i needed to pass a line of trucks or rv's going up a grade then it was no problem at all, ever. Mileage on our long trip averaged to around 12mpg, which was totally acceptable for me.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
This is not the case in the mountains of Colorado. My Tacoma feels big compared to my Hilux. Although the turning radius of rack & pinion I have to admit helps, any time you have wheel base and track width more than a CJ2A you're doing mutli-point turns on switchbacks. Either way you have to accept pinstripes are part of using your truck. But sometimes even the little bit of size of a F150/C1500 makes squeezing in tree and rocks uncomfortable. We even see it with 100/200s over 4Runner/Tacoma, inches do add up. But it depends on how far you want to push it on trails. Most dirt roads and mild trails are doable in anything as long as you have clearance, it's the mild to harder stuff where it matters.
That's the bottom line. Everything is compromise. I long ago accepted that 120"+ wheel bases are acceptable to have a bit of elbow room in the cab and a pickup bed. Some guys feel the same about a wagon over a FJ40. I personally don't want to deal with dragging around toys so I adapt my outfit to fit within the constraints of a Hilux/Truck/Tacoma. The overhang is what I really notice, I tend to hang up more than Cruisers and SUVs and since I don't yet have a rear bumper I have to be careful not to tear off things or dent the box.
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