"White Warrior"-2013 Toyota Tundra Double Cab Rock Warrior Build Thread

[Tailwind4life]

After learning so much from both the 4Runner and the Tundra forums over the years, it's time to start giving back and sharing with ya'll.

Coming from a 4th Gen 4Runner, properly built, with OME lift, ARB bumper, winch, sliders, racks, interior build, and other goodies, I wanted to start from scratch with an untouched Tundra.

I chose the Tundra for many reasons, some of which are as follows...
-Reliability
-Full Size Platform and Payload
-V8
-Ability to haul 4 people and all the stuff everywhere
-Comfort putting down big highway miles
-Proper tow vehicle
-Ability to sleep in the back with my significant other

Things I learned from the 4Runner
-Weight is my enemy
-Start simple and go with what you need next, not what you want or see others with
-One can sleep in a modified 4Runner, two in a survival situation, but not comfortably (sure some will disagree, but these are my learnings)
-I can do some mods myself, and others are better left to professionals
-Living in a hot place for much of the year now (North Carolina summer and Florida this past winter) A white vehicle makes more sense for me than black, as the Black 4Runner was a hot ride!

The first day I picked it up.

 

[Tailwind4life]

Next came the camper shell, a LEER 122. I came by it second hand and was stoked for the color match. Initially I was skeptical of the raised height, but quickly came to love it for the extra interior space for bikes or when sleeping back there.

 

[Tailwind4life]

Having built a storage area and sleeping platform in the past for the 4Runner I knew I wanted something similar for the Tundra. I really liked what I had read about and seen from DECKED, so I knew I wanted to go with that system and got lucky and found a used one on Craigslist right down the road. Gotta love modern technology sometimes when things play out in your favor!

 

[Tailwind4life]

 

[Tailwind4life]

As I have always been curious what others are packing in their DECKED systems, I figured I would share what I have in mine.

Tools, recovery gear, full backcountry kitchen setup, repair kit, solar lighting and charging kit, air compressor, box of food for a couple days, chairs, shade setups, and a few other random items. All fits great and I love the organization that the decked system has allowed.

And yes, those yellow lid boxes are the cheap ones you can find at Lowes or Walmart. The big one is the kitchen kit and the small is for food. They fit in the drawers perfectly!

I keep the full first aid kit and fire extinguisher in the cab.

 

[Tailwind4life]

After addition of topper, decked system, bike rack, and other gear, it seemed like I was starting to get the wretched "Carolina Squat."

We also just purchased a 20 foot Camper that we will towing places and I wanted to beef up the rear end for such trips.

I debated long and hard on what to go with, debating between airbags, add a leafs, and going new leaf packs and shocks. My budget was around $1200.

I only wanted to address the rear suspension at this point because the front end seems to be doing well and came stock with Bilsteins in the Rock Warrior Edition so its sitting taller than other Tundras as it is.

Ultimately I went with OME Leaf Pack, Bilstein 5160s, and Timbren Active Bump-stops.

OME Leaf Pack as I figured I wanted to do it once and do it right and didn't want to trust my already saggy rear end to an add a leaf option.

I went with the Bilsteins as even though I had great experience with my previous OME suspension on the 4Runner I wanted a slightly more plush ride on long stretches of washboard, and I hope the extra oil in the 5160s will help with heat dissipation and promote a more plush ride over time.

The Timbrens came as a recommenced solid alternative to Firestone airbags. I liked the idea of the adjustability, but I didn't want to take the chances with the reliability issues I have heard from a few folks. Again, I wanted to do it once, do it right, and forget about it.

 

[Tailwind4life]

Couple of pics with the camper attached. Worth noting, the Timbrens are not touching (still close to couple inches of space) I am also running a 3" riser hitch and that is perfect for this travel trailer and Tundra combo right now.

 

[Tailwind4life]

I have have always had roof racks on my vehicles, and I knew I waned one on the Tundra, but with the LEER 122 high rise camper shell my options were a little limited as my first thought was I wanted to have a full length set up with the same heigh. (Prinsu, Frontrunner, or something comparable) But, I also didn't want to drill into my roof at this time. So, I went with the tried and true Thule EVO rack. Super easy to install and easy to strap stuff down to them.

We often are traveling with surfboards and I was worried that with the hi rise of the LEER 122 I was going to run into some problems with strapping boards on. Thankfully that was unfounded and the boards strapped on flawlessly and are not touching the camper shell despite what this pic may look like.

 

[Tailwind4life]

Latest addition for our month long road trip we are about to embark on is an old school Yakima Roof Box. The color match was the icing on the cake. I wanted the ability to store more stuff that we wouldn't be using every day while on the road. This won't be up there permanently, but think it will work well for its purpose for the next month or so.

 

[ITTOG]

Seeing the topper from the outside it didn't look so big, but it is amazing the amount of space inside the topper and looks much bigger from the inside.

Nice set up.

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