Small Truck, Tall Driver, Crappy Member

[Howzit]

The title pretty much sums it up lol. I shoehorn myself into a 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Reg Cab. I call her "Taquito". I joined over a year ago and this is my first post. Sad, I know. I live in the California Central Valley, in Bakersfield. The Taquito entered my life almost 3 years ago and I have been building her up ever since. She's currently on her third sleeping setup. I first had some low rise bed bars and a soft RTT on them. It was almost perfect. With the tent closed, it was even with the top of the cab. Then I got a little tiny puppy that decided to grow into a decent sized dog. I wasn't about to carry him in and out of the RTT. I ended up ordering a shell for the truck and bought a hard shell RTT to go on top. It took all of one trip for me to hate that setup. It was just too much weight on top of a little truck. Now I just use the Topper EZ Lift Nomad package and sleep in the back, with the dog. I've been using this current setup for a bit over a year and I am tired of it. The regular cab life is great for wheeling, not so much for camping. It has gotten really old unloading the truck every night. New camping setup is coming soon! I try to get out for a 3-4 day trip 7-8 times a year, with a longer week long trip every fall. I'll start a build thread soon. Anyways, thanks for having me! I've really enjoyed lurking around the site.

 

[Viking1204]

LOL, that's a great starter post! The more I got into Overlanding I too learned I needed a bigger truck. I upgraded from a Ford Sport Trac 2 wheel drive to a F-150 Super Crew FX4 with a huge back seat for lots of storage. I also have a Diamondback bed cover I can secure things under. I have a soft cover RTT and want to eventually get a hard cover one when I can afford it. Welcome to to the forum, hopefully you'll find a lot of good info here, I know I have!

 

[grubworm]

great looking rig and pooch...
yeah, a 4 door truck would def give you more options for space
let us know how the new setup works out.
are you considering a really small trailer?

 

[Narbob]

The title pretty much sums it up lol. I shoehorn myself into a 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Reg Cab. I call her "Taquito". I joined over a year ago and this is my first post. Sad, I know. I live in the California Central Valley, in Bakersfield. The Taquito entered my life almost 3 years ago and I have been building her up ever since. She's currently on her third sleeping setup. I first had some low rise bed bars and a soft RTT on them. It was almost perfect. With the tent closed, it was even with the top of the cab. Then I got a little tiny puppy that decided to grow into a decent sized dog. I wasn't about to carry him in and out of the RTT. I ended up ordering a shell for the truck and bought a hard shell RTT to go on top. It took all of one trip for me to hate that setup. It was just too much weight on top of a little truck. Now I just use the Topper EZ Lift Nomad package and sleep in the back, with the dog. I've been using this current setup for a bit over a year and I am tired of it. The regular cab life is great for wheeling, not so much for camping. It has gotten really old unloading the truck every night. New camping setup is coming soon! I try to get out for a 3-4 day trip 7-8 times a year, with a longer week long trip every fall. I'll start a build thread soon. Anyways, thanks for having me! I've really enjoyed lurking around the site.

Hey Mike,
Welcome To Overland Bound

Check the forum calendar and Meet-Up page for events, and the Trip Planning page for trips being planned by members. These pages can be filtered by region.

Overland Bound Meetups

Overland Trip Planning

You can use the Member Map to find other members and events in your area. You can also send a message directly from the map to other members.

RESOURCE MAP

Adventure and Expedition App Tutorials

Overland Bound One App Adventure and Expedition Tutorials

Local information for any of our regions can also be found in the “Overland Bound by Region”

OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

Quick adult & youthTread Lightly online awareness course.

Online Courses - Tread Lightly

Tread Lightly! Youth Online Course

If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me, your Regional Director, @Narbob

 

[Dave Snyder]

Thanks for your service. Welcome to the forum.

 

[oldmopars]

Our dog is one of the big reasons we don't do a RTT, that and we are getting old (Arthritis). Going up and down a ladder at night to pee really sucks.

Welcome, and for what its worth, the rig looks great.

 

[Kent R]

The title pretty much sums it up lol. I shoehorn myself into a 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Reg Cab. I call her "Taquito". I joined over a year ago and this is my first post. Sad, I know. I live in the California Central Valley, in Bakersfield. The Taquito entered my life almost 3 years ago and I have been building her up ever since. She's currently on her third sleeping setup. I first had some low rise bed bars and a soft RTT on them. It was almost perfect. With the tent closed, it was even with the top of the cab. Then I got a little tiny puppy that decided to grow into a decent sized dog. I wasn't about to carry him in and out of the RTT. I ended up ordering a shell for the truck and bought a hard shell RTT to go on top. It took all of one trip for me to hate that setup. It was just too much weight on top of a little truck. Now I just use the Topper EZ Lift Nomad package and sleep in the back, with the dog. I've been using this current setup for a bit over a year and I am tired of it. The regular cab life is great for wheeling, not so much for camping. It has gotten really old unloading the truck every night. New camping setup is coming soon! I try to get out for a 3-4 day trip 7-8 times a year, with a longer week long trip every fall. I'll start a build thread soon. Anyways, thanks for having me! I've really enjoyed lurking around the site.

Don't hesitate to message your Regional Director @Narbob if you have any questions.
If you ever start thinking about setup #5 look into a pop up shell, after many iterations we finally went that route and love it.
For local information about trips and meet-ups contact; Central Valley @TOMB. A great resource north of you in Visalia @Inthewoods, he plans trips and meet-ups locally. There is also a group of members who meet on and off in Bakersfield.
You can use the Member Map to find other members and events in your area. You can also send a message directly from the map to other members.
RESOURCE MAP
Check out Overland Expo About WEST — Overland Expo®
If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me, hopefully I can get you going in the right direction. @Kent R or Kent@OverlandBound.com

 

[tjZ06]

Howdy and welcome.

-TJ

 

[Inthewoods]

The title pretty much sums it up lol. I shoehorn myself into a 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Reg Cab. I call her "Taquito". I joined over a year ago and this is my first post. Sad, I know. I live in the California Central Valley, in Bakersfield. The Taquito entered my life almost 3 years ago and I have been building her up ever since. She's currently on her third sleeping setup. I first had some low rise bed bars and a soft RTT on them. It was almost perfect. With the tent closed, it was even with the top of the cab. Then I got a little tiny puppy that decided to grow into a decent sized dog. I wasn't about to carry him in and out of the RTT. I ended up ordering a shell for the truck and bought a hard shell RTT to go on top. It took all of one trip for me to hate that setup. It was just too much weight on top of a little truck. Now I just use the Topper EZ Lift Nomad package and sleep in the back, with the dog. I've been using this current setup for a bit over a year and I am tired of it. The regular cab life is great for wheeling, not so much for camping. It has gotten really old unloading the truck every night. New camping setup is coming soon! I try to get out for a 3-4 day trip 7-8 times a year, with a longer week long trip every fall. I'll start a build thread soon. Anyways, thanks for having me! I've really enjoyed lurking around the site.

Howzit, welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of rigs that have different set ups and I hope you find one that fits you. I hold the Visalia CA meeting and we are heading out on November 11th to November 13 to Monache Meadows. You are welcome to come and see the guys that have a taco. The trip is on the rally point for information.

 

[Howzit]

LOL, that's a great starter post! The more I got into Overlanding I too learned I needed a bigger truck. I upgraded from a Ford Sport Trac 2 wheel drive to a F-150 Super Crew FX4 with a huge back seat for lots of storage. I also have a Diamondback bed cover I can secure things under. I have a soft cover RTT and want to eventually get a hard cover one when I can afford it. Welcome to to the forum, hopefully you'll find a lot of good info here, I know I have!

great looking rig and pooch...
yeah, a 4 door truck would def give you more options for space
let us know how the new setup works out.
are you considering a really small trailer?

Thank you both! The pain of a small truck is self inflicted. Before I bought this I had a Tundra. Then once all the kids were out of the house, I decided that I was tired of driving a full size on the trail and had too much space. My wife also hates wheeling and camping. So I sold the Tundra and went on the search for a reg cab Tacoma. I thought about at least getting the extended cab, but I really wanted that short wheelbase. I really enjoy the way it drives. Except on the highway. She's not a fan of 6%+ grades at highway speeds. On a 6% grade, I can hold 60-65, but anything more than that, nope lol! She also drinks the gas at highway speeds. The little 4 banger just has to work too hard. I actually got better highway mileage with my old Tundra. Even then, I really can't complain. I usually average around 18MPG, on the highway. I have some friends that I go out with that have bigger and more powerful trucks and they get better highway mileage lol. That changes once we hit the trail. Once aerodynamics aren't a big factor, having the 4 banger pays off with great range on the trail. A trailer would be cool, but I don't have a good place to store it at. Half my garage is used as storage and as my RC Plane hanger and I also park my daily in there. The driveway is taken up with the wife's car and the Tacoma. Thanks again for the warm welcome!

 

[Howzit]

Hey Mike,
Welcome To Overland Bound

Check the forum calendar and Meet-Up page for events, and the Trip Planning page for trips being planned by members. These pages can be filtered by region.

Overland Bound Meetups

Overland Trip Planning

You can use the Member Map to find other members and events in your area. You can also send a message directly from the map to other members.

RESOURCE MAP

Adventure and Expedition App Tutorials

Overland Bound One App Adventure and Expedition Tutorials

Local information for any of our regions can also be found in the “Overland Bound by Region”

OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

Quick adult & youthTread Lightly online awareness course.

Online Courses - Tread Lightly

Tread Lightly! Youth Online Course

If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me, your Regional Director, @Narbob

Lot's of great info, thank you!

 

[Howzit]

Thanks for your service. Welcome to the forum.

Thank You! Two of my kids decided to carry on the tradition and became the fourth consecutive generation of family to serve. My son was in the Army and my daughter is currently in the AF.

 

[Dave Snyder]

Thanks for your service. Welcome to the forum.

Thank You! Two of my kids decided to carry on the tradition and became the fourth consecutive generation of family to serve. My son was in the Army and my daughter is currently in the AF.

That's awesome. I have a daughter who is currently serving in the Air Force.

 

[Howzit]

Our dog is one of the big reasons we don't do a RTT, that and we are getting old (Arthritis). Going up and down a ladder at night to pee really sucks.

Welcome, and for what its worth, the rig looks great.

Damn dogs. Kids grew up and moved out and I thought that it was time for us to enjoy life. Then we got a dog... When I had a RTT, I would just get on my knees and pee in a bottle, Trucker style! I know that doesn't work for everyone. I mainly had one because my knees are shot and getting down on the ground is something that I only do if I absolutely have to. It's so cool how many different options are available these days. It seems the older we get, the more comfort we require. All these options allow us to still get out for an adventure AND not wake up in a world of pain.
Thanks for the compliment on the truck! She's small and gutless, but so much fun on the trail.

 

[Howzit]

Don't hesitate to message your Regional Director @Narbob if you have any questions.
If you ever start thinking about setup #5 look into a pop up shell, after many iterations we finally went that route and love it.
For local information about trips and meet-ups contact; Central Valley @TOMB. A great resource north of you in Visalia @Inthewoods, he plans trips and meet-ups locally. There is also a group of members who meet on and off in Bakersfield.
You can use the Member Map to find other members and events in your area. You can also send a message directly from the map to other members.
RESOURCE MAP
Check out Overland Expo About WEST — Overland Expo®
If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me, hopefully I can get you going in the right direction. @Kent R or Kent@OverlandBound.com

Thank You! Which one did you decide to go with? I ended up going with the Topo Toppers Badlander. They're a newer company, based in Ventura. Besides liking the design of it, I was really sold on it after they spent a good part of a day giving me a tour of their facility and answering a bunch of questions. My install date is 11/4, can't wait!

 

[Howzit]

Howzit, welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of rigs that have different set ups and I hope you find one that fits you. I hold the Visalia CA meeting and we are heading out on November 11th to November 13 to Monache Meadows. You are welcome to come and see the guys that have a taco. The trip is on the rally point for information.

Sounds like fun! Unfortunately, I'll be working that weekend. I have a weird schedule and only get 2 weekends off a month. The nice parts is, both of my weekends off are 5 days long. Once a month I also get a Mon-Thur off.

 

[Howzit]

That's awesome. I have a daughter who is currently serving in the Air Force.

Hell yeah!

 

[Kent R]

Thank You! Which one did you decide to go with? I ended up going with the Topo Toppers Badlander. They're a newer company, based in Ventura. Besides liking the design of it, I was really sold on it after they spent a good part of a day giving me a tour of their facility and answering a bunch of questions. My install date is 11/4, can't wait!

We have the OVRLAND camper. campovrland.com

 

[Howzit]

We have the OVRLAND camper. campovrland.com

Those are nice. I considered one of them. I like how the sleeper area is bigger than the Topo and you can close it up with the bedding in place. I ultimately went with the Topo because of how the sides taper in with the cab of the truck and its overall low profile. My 4 banger isn't exactly a fan of added aerodynamic drag at highway speeds. It's pretty peppy around town and on the trail. It's a good thing that I like to drive and don't mind going 55-65, on the highway.

 

[roots66]

Hello and welcome to the OB family.