Tacoma Build
3rd Gen Toyota Tacoma Built for adventure
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Custom Vehicle Build
Requirements
Versatile
My vehicle needs to be the “jack of all trades…master of all.” I want to “have my cake and eat it too.” The vehicle / platform is the foundation of the build and for my purposes needs to be very versatile. My vehicle is my everyday driver, comfortable on and off-road, comfortable on long distance drives and able to carry all of my gear while towing the rest.
Daily Driver
My rig still needs to get me around town and be usable for Costco runs. When not in “overland mode” I love being able to use my truck as a truck.
Off-Road Capable
This isn’t a trophy truck, or the most decked out instagram influencer rig out there, but it does need to go where most won’t (or at least allow me to reach places without the fear or worry of not making it.)
Tow Vehicle
The next steps for full time living on the road will be a travel trailer. I’m currently seeing what long term life on the road entails and what my needs would be. Tacomas aren’t the best tow vehicles but can pull up to 5000 lbs so a smaller trailer is what I’m looking for.
Off Grid Adventures
Once I’m out in the middle of nowhere I usually go for a hike with the dog, fly the drone and take a ton of photos. If I’m staying the night I usually will have a pop up tent and camp kitchen with me. I love being able to go and do these things on a moments notice since 90% of what I need is usually in the truck.
Reliable
Let’s go places! Tacomas are known for their long term reliability and durability. Over the last year I’ve done a bunch of tinkering (I’ve never worked on a vehicle before this) and I think it’s due to how simple, reliable and durable these vehicles are.
Versatile
Off-Road
Daily Driver
Off Grid Adventures
Towing
Reliable
Installed
Parts
Exterior
- King 2.5 Remote Resi Front Coilovers
- SPC Upper Control Arm
- Fox 2.0 DC Adjustable Rear Shocks
- Icon RXT Leaf Pack
- Method NV305 Wheels 16
- Yokohama Geolandar Mud Terrain Tires 33
- RCI Steel Sliders
- RCI mid height rack with Cover Brackets
- Uptop Overland Alpha Roof Rack / mounts
- Runnin4Tacos Turn Signal Mirrors
- R4T Pro Front Grille with Raptor lights
- LED replacements for all lights
- Custom Badging / Vinyl
- Recovery Boards
- Pelican Cases
- Rigid Tool box with compressor
- Baja Designs S2 sports
- Baja Designs S1 chase lights
- Rough Country Black Series lights
- Wiring by UptopSubi
- Hi lift jack
- Krazy beaver shovel
- Fiskars Axe
- Rotopax 4 gallon tank
- ROAM awning
- Durabumps
- Blacked out logos
- Hood struts
Exterior
The first mods I did were a tonneau bed cover, bed rug, Toyota pro grille with raptor lights, ditch light brackets and ditch lights.
After that I focused on the interior and added to the build with each trip that I took. This included suspension, wheels, tires, racks etc.
If I were to do it all over again I would suggest focusing on the suspension of the vehicle first. I tried going the cheap route and ultimately I ended up doing it the “right” way.
If I have any advice to people it would be to buy once, cry once.
For overlanding, the journey is the destination. With that being said, focus on the foundational elements of your build. Traction and suspension are some of the first areas to address.
What I did was slap on some cheap pucks and spacers to clear larger tires. The new tires were great but I nearly destroyed my suspension with the type of off-roading I was doing. If I have any advice to people it would be to buy once, cry once. Just save up and do it right suspension wise.
Next, even though they aren’t the sexiest mods, I would focus on the gears / gear ratio and the tune (OV tune.) Either that or a front bumper and winch. (I’m addressing those next with my build.)
(See blog for more)
I’ll be updating this with a youtube video shortly.
Interior
- Seat Covers and cushions
- Molle panel with grab and go essentials (fits in my backpack and hangs from the headrest)
- EDC bag – The Brown Buffalo Conceal
- Hiking Media bag – PDW Shado Pack
- Go Bag – TAD fastpack litespeed
- PDW Bags (grocery / multipurpose)
- Tripods / manfrotto magic arm
- Ram mounts
- Taco Garage Multi Mount
- Front / Rear camera
- Dash Cam
- Garmin InReach
- USB everywhere
- Iphone 12 magsafe charger
- Always on 12v / voltage monitor
- Cali Raised Light switches / mount
- Baofeng GMRS Radios
- First Aid (EDC)
- Knives
- Lights
- Jump starter
- Tire Deflators
- Molle Visors
- Jackery Solar Panels
- Jackery Batteries
- Dog Bed
- Blankets
- GoRuck Clothes Bag
Interior
When I started messing with my interior I thought about what comfort would mean on a long trip and how I would interact with the vehicle. Most people usually perform a routine every time they jump behind the wheel. This needs to be effortless and should flow even when on the move. This includes being able to access navigation, comms, media, snacks, medicine and emergency tools.
Additionally, I need to make sure that everything has its place like my camera equipment, dog treats and water and any additional layers I may need to access. Having stuff buried ends up creating more stress and more of a mess in the long run.
On top of all of this I have a small patch collection that reminds me of my “why” and the adventures of the past and that new ones await.
The interior connects you to your vehicle. Every time I jump into my vehicle I’m reminded that adventure is just around the corner.
Interior wise I feel like I am in a pretty good spot. I really focused on this aspect since we spend a good majority of these trips behind the wheel.
The only “interior” mod that I’m going to do next really isn’t for the interior but it’s a tune for the vehicle to adjust throttle response.
(See blog for more)
I’ll be updating this with a youtube video shortly.
Bed / Cases
- Bak Rollup Tonneau Cover
- Front Runner chair
- Front Runner waterproof bag
- Front Runner stratchits
- Gazelle pop up tent
- 2x Pelican Cases
- PDW CC12 – Overlanding Bag
- REI camp kitchen
- 20lb propane (winter)
- Jack stands
- Bottle Jack
- Mr. Buddy Propane Heater
- Tools
- Fire Extinguisher
- First Aid
- Cali Raised Molle Panels
- Waterport
- Alpicool Fridge on Slides
- Sand bags
- Camping Supplies
- Sleeping essentials
- Cookware / cups
- Lights
- Knives
- Recovery
- Total chaos bed stiffeners
- Tire Table
- Tarps
- Extra Tent
- Gas Generator
Bed / Cases
I approached the build out of the bed and the pelican cases in the same way that I created the interior.
Everything is task based and everything has it’s place. This usually means bags within bags or smaller organizational things to easily find what you are looking for.
This method also allows you to move a smaller more specific bag for a one off task.
Additionally, this method allows you to quickly find things in the dark with no wasted movements.
Being able to find things in the dark at a moments notice is essential in case an emergency situation presents itself.
The bed itself is broken down into specific areas being:
- Food
- Water
- Fire
- Survival
- Large recovery
The large Pelican cases are broken down as:
- camping equipment essentials
- recovery equipment / tools
(See blog for more)
Everything is removable from the bed to use for every day tasks like Costco runs or trips to home depot.
Next for the bed is an always on 12v panel with monitor, a pressure fitting for a compressor and air hose connection for filling up my tires and water for water pressure to the waterport. I’m also contemplating adding a diesel heater to replace my propane heater for winter camping.
I’ll be updating this with a youtube video shortly.
If you can dream it…you can make it a reality!
The concept
There’s something about having the ability to jump in the truck at a moments notice and escape to nature that is very appealing. I love knowing that at any moment I can be on the road on the next adventure.
There’s no thinking…just go! This is possible due to planning and preparedness which is part of GOFRTHR.
Concept of GOFRTHR – Climbing the Mountain
From a distance, climbing a mountain can seem like daunting task. You plan, pack, create milestones and train in preparation for the journey. After that it’s as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.
Foundation / Idea / Primary Form
What is the base idea / goal that you want to achieve. What logistically needs to happen. In one sentence what is the idea in its primary form. In the case of my vehicle build it would be – create an off-grid overland vehicle that can get to the backcountry for 3-5 days.
Secondary / Planning / Training / Milestones
How are we going to achieve the Primary Goal? Let’s break down the primary goal into secondary milestones. These milestones directly contribute to the achievement of the primary goal. The vehicle needs to be off-road capable and carry items related to food, water, fire, survival, travel and recovery.
Breaking it down further / Tertiary Tasks
Lastly, break down the secondary milestones to bite size tasks in order to complete the secondary milestones. The key is to always be moving forward…soon enough you’ll be at the top of the mountain.
Looking at the vehicle or the adventure or the task this way allows for more digestible bite size chunks to tackle or approach. This approach can also be put into a larger “system” and can scale to whatever the task is.
I will expand upon these concepts more in separate blogs.
What’s next
Photo Credit – Runnin4Tacos
After hanging out with the guys over at R4T and Uptop Overland and picking their brains, it’s no wonder why I hold Tuan’s and Micah’s Vehicles as the “benchmark” for what I would consider my dream vehicle.
Visit the guys over at www.runnin4tacos.com and at www.uptopoverland.com
I want to make it clear that you don’t need a lot to go “overlanding.” Before this was a thing I would take my 1997 Ford Explorer and drive to either the Mountains or the Beach and camp out of the back of that vehicle. I continued to do the same in my Jeep Grand Cherokee and now out of my Toyota Tacoma. Backpacking and car camping have been something that I’ve enjoyed for most of my life and travel and road trips have been a part of my entire life. This is just a natural progression from the years before.
What I’m hoping to do is work remotely and be full time on the road. The ideal rig setup would be my truck towing a 17-21 ft. trailer that I can either park where there are hookups or boondock and take the truck a little further on 3-4 day excursions off grid. The travel trailer would have a bathroom and shower and a bed for those recharge sessions inbetween the “overlanding” portions of the trips.
New iterations of the “dream build” will be posted to the blog and on www.the3dgarage.com
Wishlist
Some of these are need based…some of these are wants…either way here’s the list
Tuan (R4T) and Micah (Uptop) killed it with their builds!!!
Let’s GOFRTHR
Photo Credit – Runnin4Tacos / Uptop Overland
Upgraded Rear Suspension
Roof Top Tent
Front Bumper and Winch
Rear Bumper with Swingouts
35's / 5.29 gears
Dual Battery / Solar
Exterior
- Front Bumper
- Winch
- Rear Bumper with Dual Swingouts / camp table / rear tire carrier
- Roof Top Tent / Annex
- 35 inch tires / cab mount relocation
- 5.29 gears
- Armor
- King 2.5 Rear shocks
- Baja Design Lights
- Uptop Overland Snorkel
- Maxtrax
Interior
- OV tune
- More Patches!
- Brake Controller
- Switch Pro
- Fuse Box
- Upgraded Battery
- Dual Battery
- Cascadia 4×4 hood solar
- Weboost
- Wifi booster
- Starlink
- Eluktronics laptop
Bed / Cases
- Wiring / 12v rear
- Fuse Box
- compressor mount / pressure switch
- diesel heater
- diesel fuel holder
- Frontrunner Wolf Packs
- Frontrunner products
- Maybe a Decked System in the future
- Maybe a Leitner Designs Rack in the future
- Pelican / Roam cases
- Trasharoo
- Skottle
- Chainsaw