rruff
Explorer
Kids... how many, and age? Does your wife care about amenities? How far from home will you typically be traveling? Pop-up or no?
I paid $31.2k OTD for my Tundra, new. My assessment at the time was that used ones held their value so well it made little sense to buy used. If you plan on keeping it a long time, I still think this is true. And for that reason and since you want something smallish, I'd look at 2022 Tacomas... double cab, long bed. Get a lowly model and upgrade to taste. The new Tundras seem to be having lots of "first year" issues, the rear axle is not very beefy (unlike the 2-2.5 gen), and there is currently little aftermarket. Think I'd lean towards a F150 with 2.7 or 5.0 and the payload package before a 2022 Tundra.
Pretty sure the ATerra weighs a lot more than 600lbs... maybe that's just the shell? At any rate you are going to be way over GVWR on any of these Toyotas once everything is included.
Speaking of composite layups... I'm doing (the shell is actually done now) fiberglass and carbon over PVC foam, and I really hate all the sanding! The dust is nasty and gets everywhere. I'm not picky about cosmetics, so I didn't think there'd be a lot... but I was wrong. If I did it over I'd try making the structural part of the shell out of curved pieces of marine ply, stitch and glue style. Add insulation inside and let it breathe... no moisture rot worries.