Ok. We are still looking over everything and trying to figure this stuff out. Unfortunately we do not have anyone else we know personally that overlands and the local scene is just a start up that we haven’t yet been able to connect with. Heres what I am wondering... can a family of 5 do this in a Tacoma prerunner double cab? What would the sleeping arrangements need to be, who makes tents/campers for families of 5? Would we have to use a trailer? We are wanting to do remote camping on BLM land and such near national parks for the next few years. Do trails in places like capital reef and remote camp. Is the vehicle a realistic option both for size and for its lack of 4wd. I believe since it is a trd with rear locker it can do most all we would want but can it also accommodate a family of 5? What has been your experience with this? Any other large families out there doing family road trips with a similar vehicle? Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Family of 5 overlanding setups?
- Thread starter Natenite
- Start date
Advocate III
- 5,584
- First Name
- Michael
- Last Name
- Rose
- Member #
-
20990
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- W7FSB
- Service Branch
- US ARMY Retired
I have a family of 5, I have overlanded with a Jeep TJ, Bronco II, as well as a standard cab 2wd Ranger.
First off, does all of your family fit comfortably in the Tundra? Second get a tent from wal mart (Ozark Trail makes decent tents for starting out, upgrade later if you feel the need). As for cooking look into Colman propane stoves. Second hand stores can be a great source for cooking utensils, pots, pans, and sometimes even lanterns and other camping specific gear.
If tent camping seams too daunting, there are many light weight travel trailers that would fit the bill. The one that comes to mind for your current rig would be an Outdoors RV 21DBS. It sleeps 8 comfortably and was specifically designed for 1/2 ton pickups and Offroad use.
Lastly I’ll leave you with this... I personally started off with a 2wd Ford Courier,a sleeping bag, and a cast iron skillet. I would take week long excursions sleeping in or under my rig(depending on weather), and was comfortable. As I camped more the more I looked at my needs and built my gear up from there... to the point I sold it all this past winter to downsize and get back to basics. Now I’m using three cheap backpacking tents, a jetboil stove, and far cookware set for 10.
First off, does all of your family fit comfortably in the Tundra? Second get a tent from wal mart (Ozark Trail makes decent tents for starting out, upgrade later if you feel the need). As for cooking look into Colman propane stoves. Second hand stores can be a great source for cooking utensils, pots, pans, and sometimes even lanterns and other camping specific gear.
If tent camping seams too daunting, there are many light weight travel trailers that would fit the bill. The one that comes to mind for your current rig would be an Outdoors RV 21DBS. It sleeps 8 comfortably and was specifically designed for 1/2 ton pickups and Offroad use.
Lastly I’ll leave you with this... I personally started off with a 2wd Ford Courier,a sleeping bag, and a cast iron skillet. I would take week long excursions sleeping in or under my rig(depending on weather), and was comfortable. As I camped more the more I looked at my needs and built my gear up from there... to the point I sold it all this past winter to downsize and get back to basics. Now I’m using three cheap backpacking tents, a jetboil stove, and far cookware set for 10.
I appreciate that info. We have done loads of backpacking and some car camping so I have a lot of that stuff. I guess I’m just thinking about things like roof top tents and long off road drives and such. Currently the kids fit great in our back seat. The oldest is 7 so they are still young.
Advocate III
- 5,584
- First Name
- Michael
- Last Name
- Rose
- Member #
-
20990
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- W7FSB
- Service Branch
- US ARMY Retired
You don’t have to have all the fancy gear to Overland. Just adapt what you have
Traveler I
Get a 8-10 person tent, or maybe 2 separate tents (depending how old your kids are). A simple 2 burner stove. Load up some pots and pans, plates and other cookware from your kitchen and a cooler. Then get out on a simple one-night trip somewhere nearby. This should be a decent gauge for what else you’ll need/not need to be out there. People love to over-complicate this stuff. The main goal is to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
Member III
We camp with 5. 3 daughters, my wife and myself in a Xterra.
10 man Coleman Instant Cabin tent
1 Queen air mattress for the wife and myself
2 Twin mattresses, eldest minion (12) on one and little two (7 and 9) on the otther. Will add 3rd when needed
12V powered air pump for them
Summer time: Bed sheets on the mattresses Colder weather: Sleeping bags and old quilts
Stuffable travel pillows from Sportsman's Warehouse
72QT Ozark Trail Cooler
Various Coleman white gas stoves and lanterns (I'm a collector of sorts so I have a variety but a 425 stove and 220 lantern are great starts)
6" cast iron pan
750mL stainless pot
various baggies, trash bags, paper plates, cutting board, couple kitchen style knives, spatula, big stirring spoon, also have a griddle to use on the stoves if we want to take it
1 gal pump sprayer for water/showers in camp
5 gal Reliance water container from Wal-Mart
Assortment of camp chairs/beach chairs
10x10 straight leg instant canopy
Lifetime folding table
All this packs into Sterilite "Stackers" totes from Wal-Mart in the back of the X with the tent and canopy on the roof. Cooler and water container are strapped to a hitch basket on the back of the X.
10 man Coleman Instant Cabin tent
1 Queen air mattress for the wife and myself
2 Twin mattresses, eldest minion (12) on one and little two (7 and 9) on the otther. Will add 3rd when needed
12V powered air pump for them
Summer time: Bed sheets on the mattresses Colder weather: Sleeping bags and old quilts
Stuffable travel pillows from Sportsman's Warehouse
72QT Ozark Trail Cooler
Various Coleman white gas stoves and lanterns (I'm a collector of sorts so I have a variety but a 425 stove and 220 lantern are great starts)
6" cast iron pan
750mL stainless pot
various baggies, trash bags, paper plates, cutting board, couple kitchen style knives, spatula, big stirring spoon, also have a griddle to use on the stoves if we want to take it
1 gal pump sprayer for water/showers in camp
5 gal Reliance water container from Wal-Mart
Assortment of camp chairs/beach chairs
10x10 straight leg instant canopy
Lifetime folding table
All this packs into Sterilite "Stackers" totes from Wal-Mart in the back of the X with the tent and canopy on the roof. Cooler and water container are strapped to a hitch basket on the back of the X.
Member I
Member III
I've clipped it once on a "hard line" on a mild trail. I could have taken a slightly different line and been ok though. No damage, just heard it rattle a little. If I get worried, I'll have the wife get out at spot for me.
The whole family usually isn't with me on the really challenging rides so my 26qt cooler in the back seat works fine.
The whole family usually isn't with me on the really challenging rides so my 26qt cooler in the back seat works fine.
Contributor III
Fam of 5. My kids are small. we fit & we don’t go to places with trail ratings above 5.
Detailed list of what we had for roadtrips.
2018 F150 2wd on BFG KO2 33s
Gaia GPS downloaded on my iPad
ARB Recovery Kit
ARB onBoard Air for filling tires & ARB deflators
MaxTrax MK II
Shovel & Axe
Leveling kit on front for added clearance.
Tepui Tent Autana 4 XL sitting on Yakima Outpost
1 BioLite Tent Lantern
1 Coleman Northstar
1 Coleman Stove
1 Propane Tank & 2 Canisters
3 sleeping bags(kids 11,9 & 3yo)
1 double for me & the wife
3 pillows.
1 REI Camp table & 4 chairs
1 kettle
1 non stick pot(easy cleaning)
1 non stick pan
1 cast iron skillet
2 rolls of paper towels
1 tub of baby wipes
2 kitchen knives
1 tong/ladle/spatula
1 bag of disposable cups/plates/utensils
Assortment of spices & seasoning
2 rolls of mountain money
1 7 gallon Reliance water container
1 Helio Pressure Shower
1 Reliance Portable Potty(it has done wonders!!)
1 Yeti Roadie(dry ice for ice cream & frozen food)
1 Yeti Tundra 65(fridge)
1 Solo Stove Firepit
24 12oz bottles of water(kept in truckbed)
4 Plano 1919 Sportsman’s Trunk
1 Glock 17 & 2 Magazines
1 Oz of the Spirit of Adventure & a whole lot of Determination. Travel in Pairs.
Enjoy.!! We sure did.
OB 15885
*** we used to have the yakima bedrock for the tent but we upgraded to the outpost HD so the tent would sit higher. ***
Detailed list of what we had for roadtrips.
2018 F150 2wd on BFG KO2 33s
Gaia GPS downloaded on my iPad
ARB Recovery Kit
ARB onBoard Air for filling tires & ARB deflators
MaxTrax MK II
Shovel & Axe
Leveling kit on front for added clearance.
Tepui Tent Autana 4 XL sitting on Yakima Outpost
1 BioLite Tent Lantern
1 Coleman Northstar
1 Coleman Stove
1 Propane Tank & 2 Canisters
3 sleeping bags(kids 11,9 & 3yo)
1 double for me & the wife
3 pillows.
1 REI Camp table & 4 chairs
1 kettle
1 non stick pot(easy cleaning)
1 non stick pan
1 cast iron skillet
2 rolls of paper towels
1 tub of baby wipes
2 kitchen knives
1 tong/ladle/spatula
1 bag of disposable cups/plates/utensils
Assortment of spices & seasoning
2 rolls of mountain money
1 7 gallon Reliance water container
1 Helio Pressure Shower
1 Reliance Portable Potty(it has done wonders!!)
1 Yeti Roadie(dry ice for ice cream & frozen food)
1 Yeti Tundra 65(fridge)
1 Solo Stove Firepit
24 12oz bottles of water(kept in truckbed)
4 Plano 1919 Sportsman’s Trunk
1 Glock 17 & 2 Magazines
1 Oz of the Spirit of Adventure & a whole lot of Determination. Travel in Pairs.
Enjoy.!! We sure did.
OB 15885
*** we used to have the yakima bedrock for the tent but we upgraded to the outpost HD so the tent would sit higher. ***
Attachments
Member III
This is super helpful. Thank you! Do you sleep everyone in the tent? Do you have a way to secure the stuff in the bed when you are away from the truck for extended time? Maybe when hiking or?? Is there a resource for finding trail ratings? I didn’t know they had ratings. That would be super helpful in planning trips. Thank you!
Contributor III
Yes! We all fit in the tent and it seems to have enough room for us 5 to move around comfortably. As of right now, we don’t have a way to secure what we have on the truck bed but i’m looking at the RetraxOne XR to keep all of it secure & dry at the same time. But so far, all of the places we’ve been to usually don’t have a bunch of people around at least not that I know of. If we do go to a regular campsite, we try to be friendly with everyone around that way someone’s on the lookout when we’re not around. Trailsoffroad and theadventureportal has been very helpful to me finding good trails and i can download .gpx files to transfer to gaia automatically. Gaia gps also lets me explore USFS trails. It shows you all the drivable trails. But be sure to do your research on the trail to see how difficult its going to be. Hope this helps!! Travel in pairs & good luck!!
OB 15885
Member III
the Colman insta cabin tents are awesome when your cramming alot of people in. If everybody gets a task to do you can easily get camp completely set up in 15 min. On a good day we could get it all done in 10 . Just keep things simple a Colman stove and some old cookware, pre make and freeze a couple one pot meals and your good to go. We used folding cots for the kids , gave them there own little space and clears up floor room in the tent being able to put their belongings under the cot . To save time in camP I just folded up the legs and laid all the sleeping bags in the rocket box
Attachments
Member III
I like the idea of cots. Being able to store individual gear under them is a very efficient use of space. We may have to look into that ourselves!
Pioneer I
We switched to cots last year after I got fed up with waking up in the middle of the night flat on the ground because the air mattresses we use only a few times end up with holes in them. Wife and I are using Cabelas regular folding cots and our 3 girls are using the low profile Cabelas cots (which pack up really small). We each have an Amazon Basics self-inflating pad to put on the cot for warmth which have been great so far.
Not only do we not have to worry about holes anymore, but for my wife and I it's a lot easier to get in and out of bed and we can store our gear underneath. It wasn't too much of an investment either since we got them all on sale.
The big obstacle will be staying legal on the GVWR. With a Curb Weight of 4000# and a GVWR of 5500# you ony have 1500# for fuel, people, gear. Family of 5 is likely a full third of that and gas in the tank close to 200#. Your best bet is likely to tow a tent trailer which has no affect on the vehicle weight rating. Tacomas are rated to tow 6500# WITH the tow package, 3500# with out it.
You get a ton of space in a tent trailer.
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We call it "Overlanding". In the 1960s it was called camping. Family of 4 here, 50 years ago.
Enthusiast I
My camping set up has evolved. Family of 5 and 2 small dogs. I prefer dispersed/primitive/BLM camping over established camping. We can be off the grid for 5-7 days. I pull an offroad trailer now but prior that I just brought what we needed. It all comes down to how much space things take and weight. Your rig a carrying capacity as well as your tires.
Shelter- something comfortable because you want the rest of the family to enjoy the trip. Tent vs RTT vs Camper. Cot, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, pillows. I stay in the rig or if the weathers good I'll sleep under the stars while the family sleeps in the RTT.
water-
Food- Easy meals, plan or precook so you can just reheat on the stove. I also bring dehydrated ready meals just incase for emergencies, the late night camp arrival, or kid melt downs
cookware- I used to use old pots my wife didn't care for but I have transitioned to lighter gear that can be used over an open flame or on a stove I use washable plates but will bring paper plates if we're in a pinch to conserve water or time.
Trash- i use a trasharoo
latrine- TP, a shovel, i have my little girls use portable toilet for #2
clothes- layers, comfort, something that you can reuse over a few days
travel games- cards, chess, uno, coloring books
lights- headlights or flashlights, kids have walkie talkies
recovery gear-
bear spray
fire extinguisher
chairs-
shade if possible
have fun and make memories
Shelter- something comfortable because you want the rest of the family to enjoy the trip. Tent vs RTT vs Camper. Cot, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, pillows. I stay in the rig or if the weathers good I'll sleep under the stars while the family sleeps in the RTT.
water-
Food- Easy meals, plan or precook so you can just reheat on the stove. I also bring dehydrated ready meals just incase for emergencies, the late night camp arrival, or kid melt downs
cookware- I used to use old pots my wife didn't care for but I have transitioned to lighter gear that can be used over an open flame or on a stove I use washable plates but will bring paper plates if we're in a pinch to conserve water or time.
Trash- i use a trasharoo
latrine- TP, a shovel, i have my little girls use portable toilet for #2
clothes- layers, comfort, something that you can reuse over a few days
travel games- cards, chess, uno, coloring books
lights- headlights or flashlights, kids have walkie talkies
recovery gear-
bear spray
fire extinguisher
chairs-
shade if possible
have fun and make memories
