Tundra or Tacoma - future camper hauler???

[Camp JP]

Hello all - I'm a long time listener, first time caller.

I'm in a position where I'm ready to buy a new vehicle this fall - it will be my daily driver for the next 3-4 years (about 40 k miles) at which point it will become our recreational vehicle and will haul a four wheel/ATC/hallmark/outfitter/phoenix or pull a light-weight towable (most likely pop-up or hybrid). A lot of camping in smaller BLM or other 'dirt road' campgrounds as well as some boondocking, but not hard core off road.

In the mean time, in addition to daily duties, it will haul 3 9-12 foot kayaks to the high sierra lakes and gear for 2-3 day camping trips - limited off road/ dirt road, and snowshoeing trips, etc. Its myself, wife and 9 year old.

Finalists are the Tacoma long bed double cab as well as a Tundra double cab or crew max. Pricing and payload is surprisingly similar for both. I've driven both and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Its a challenge to plan 4 years in advance - so any thoughts on which would be a better platform are appreciated.

I should mention that the rig we are currently using is a 99 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton turbo diesel that hauls a small Sun-lite pop-up, so I'm pretty familiar with truck campering. Thanks in advance.

 

[tanglefoot]

It probably depends on which size truck you personally prefer and what kind of camper you want to use.

I personally prefer more compact trucks, but many prefer full-sized. Campers for mid-size/compact trucks don't have as much width as the campers for full-size trucks, but a more compact combo may be easier to sneak between trees on forest trails.

I personally prefer less engine...I'm used to toting the camper around with the 2.4, so I'd find the Tacoma 4.0 to be more than enough and the Tundra 5.7 to be ridiculous.

It's probably a personal decision based on exactly how you use the vehicle, how much stuff you bring along and what you prefer.

 

[southpier]

you won't hate the Tacoma as a daily driver

 

[Mrknowitall]

Both will do the job, but once a slide-in camper is the focus, the Tacoma will deliver more compromise. You'll either be locked into a much smaller camper- with a lot less room, or you'll have to modify the tacoma a lot to make it anywhere as capable as the Tundra right out of the box. Where the Tundra will hardly notice a light camper, the same thing in the Tacoma will take the joy right out of driving that small, nimble truck. If you end up with a towable (nice to set basecamp and ten daytrip) then the taco will be more than adequate- chances are the track will match better, too, which can be a benefit.

 

[Darius379]

Personally after purchasing a fee mid sized suv i will never again by anything but a full size anything.

 

[Dances with Wolves]

I was in the same situation. I had a '05 Titan 4X4 Crew Cab. My plans were to build it up as a camping rig then down the road buy a newer Titan and transfer everything over. After driving it for almost 2 years I found it was too big to get me where I wanted to go, Trails around NE Utah, Moab, Canyonlands and Page AZ. It had HP and room but drank gas with wild abandon and just felt too big as a daily driver.

I purchased a Certified Used '13 Tacoma Double Cab short bed a month ago and couldn't be happier. MPG is better, it's not too big and handles better than the Titan. I'm going to Salt Lake City this week to spec and order a topper. I have a coleman pop up now and may be getting a RTT in the future.

 

[carbon60]

I was in the same situation. I had a '05 Titan 4X4 Crew Cab. My plans were to build it up as a camping rig then down the road buy a newer Titan and transfer everything over. After driving it for almost 2 years I found it was too big to get me where I wanted to go, Trails around NE Utah, Moab, Canyonlands and Page AZ. It had HP and room but drank gas with wild abandon and just felt too big as a daily driver.

I purchased a Certified Used '13 Tacoma Double Cab short bed a month ago and couldn't be happier. MPG is better, it's not too big and handles better than the Titan. I'm going to Salt Lake City this week to spec and order a topper. I have a coleman pop up now and may be getting a RTT in the future.

That kind of comment really pushes me towards a small truck. Currently have an 80-series Land Cruiser and I know it will not last forever, the next truck is likely going to be a Tacoma.

Then comes the cab and bed length decision matrix…

For two adults and small boy, I'm kind of hoping we can do with an extended/access/extra cab in an effort to keep the whole vehicle as short as possible. Any thoughts on that?

A.

 

[155mm]

Don't forget any kid will grow pretty quickly in 4 years, so backseat access and comfort needs some consideration

 

[carbon60]

Don't forget any kid will grow pretty quickly in 4 years, so backseat access and comfort needs some consideration

I've never even seen an access cab, how small are we taking?

 

[Dances with Wolves]

I looked at access cab long bed, it was my first choice. My son is 20 months old and the car seat didn't fit without sliding the front seat all the way forward. I was thinking long term when he grows out of the car seat. The back seat isn't comfortable at all. It would be ok for short trips but not for anything over a few minutes. It's more like a padded shelf than a seat.

At the end of the day, I chose to give up a foot of bed for usable back seats. I plan on keeping this truck for the long haul and I want it to be comfortable. If I was going to sleep in the back, I'd look at long beds. Since I have a camper, I opted for the short bed.

 

[Mrknowitall]

I've never even seen an access cab, how small are we taking?

Small. The manual sais you can fit a seat back there, but its really tight. It could work if your wife is really short, I guess. If the cargo space of the 80 works for you, a D-cab with the 5ft bed might be enough, esp. with a tall cap. Going RTT will free up lots of space inside, too.

 

[carbon60]

I would think that a 5' bed should give me quite a bit more room than the cargo area of the 80.

I was contemplating a high cap with a basket on the cab and the RTT (hard shell) on the cap.

A.

 

[MINO]

I'm in a position where I'm ready to buy a new vehicle this fall - it will be my daily driver for the next 3-4 years (about 40 k miles) at which point it will become our recreational vehicle and will haul a four wheel/ATC/hallmark/outfitter/phoenix or pull a light-weight towable (most likely pop-up or hybrid). A lot of camping in smaller BLM or other 'dirt road' campgrounds as well as some boondocking, but not hard core off road.

In the mean time, in addition to daily duties, it will haul 3 9-12 foot kayaks to the high sierra lakes and gear for 2-3 day camping trips - limited off road/ dirt road, and snowshoeing trips, etc. Its myself, wife and 9 year old.

I own a FJ80 and a 2012 5.7 Tundra 4x4 with a Phoenix camper. I'm 6'1" and found the Tacoma tight on leg room, especially on the passenger side (tighter than the 80 too).
You mentioned your wife. The Tundra has dual zone AC. My wife is always cold, so the heat is almost always on - on her side.
Payload of the base tundra is 1745 vs 1450 on the tacoma. That goes real quick if you have a 4x4, a fully loaded camper, 2 passengers, recovery gear, etc.
I've got armor, winch, tire chains and a 160lb 200AH battery. I'm sure I'm over GVWR now.
I went with the 2012 Rock Warrior because the tire package included BFG AT KO "E Load Rated" tires. Gave me piece of mind with the extra weight and off road capability.

Is the Tundra a big truck? sure. Smaller than your 3/4 though. I've run into overhead clearance issues more than width issues on the trails we take. We do mostly dirt roads but don't hesitate on the harder stuff either.
There's only one trail I couldn't complete, and that's because it was snow covered.

Lastly, that V8 rumble is sweet but my lead foot gets me 12mpg. I can't drive 65.
Attached "stuck on trail" and "Cold Springs Camp parallel parking"

 

[Dances with Wolves]

I think your size does does play into it. I'm 5' 9" and 155 lb soaking wet. The Tacoma fits me well but I could imagine it being tight for larger people. Our salesman was about 6' and around 200 lbs. When he pulled the truck around for us to test drive, I took notice on how tight it was for him.

That is a nice looking Tundra. My neighbor has a white Rock Warrior and he loves it. He looked at Tacoma too but pulls a camper so went with the Tundra.

 

[Gregster]

Double cab long bed Tacoma will get the job done and you will be much happier driving it around, manouvering and parking it, and especially filling the gas tank compared with the Tundra for 98% of what you will actually use it for - every day use.