Enthusiast III
Without getting too long winded (n.b. looks like I failed, sorry), here is my quick story on how I ended up here. Got ultrarunning, adventure cycling and backpacking while I was in grad school, and now that I'm done my postdoc, have stable work, and am living in a pandemic where I can't fly, overlanding kind of seemed like the next logical step for me. I have a tendency to go all in on my hobbies, so I wanted to try it out on the super cheap and so built a plywood sleeping platform in my '04 Honda CRV and drove to Big Bend National Park to run the Chisos Mountain Trail. Since this was my first time ever doing anything like this, I just booked sites in state parks along the route. Turns out, I loved it, just enough adventure to keep it exciting (mind you, this is just with SP campsites, nothing special) but you sleep well enough that you can recover well from running/cycling. I've also taken several weekend trips and am pretty excited about a slightly more capable (or confidence instilling) vehicle!
Looking to buy a truck I can grow into; something capable on mild to moderate dirt/gravel routes more or less out of the box, but can be built out as needs come up. My only other requirements are I'd like to be able to carry a single bicycle at least, sleep 2 people with minimal setup, and I'd really like something that can eventually make it out to The Maze in Canyonlands NP (I fully understand that this is a very challenging place to drive, and I obviously won't be trying to make it out there for a long time, but I figured dream trips were worth mentioning).
Looked hard at the Tacoma DCLB, and a camper shell/platform in the bed, but it seems this truck is nearly impossible to get in off-road trim and a lacks a lot of aftermarket support (and even support from Toyota, see new lift kit). The other options I was looking at were the DCSB and maybe the Nissan Frontier (but am nervous due to 1. a new generation year and 2. bad prior experiences with Nissan). I'm 6'3" and so the only real option for sleeping in the short bed midsizes is a RTT. I understand a lot of the pros and cons to the sleeping solutions, but am not sure what I really lose by going to the long bed due to lack of any experience with trucks. I'm also open to other trucks.
Edit to add some requirements and budget:
-4x4 (prefer stock rear locker to get started)
-Automatic
-Server as daily driver for the foreseeable future
-Quick and easy to set up for sleep
-Carry at least 1 bicycle
-Good aftermarket
-Good reliability, I intend to have this vehicle 15-18 years
-Storage for normal equipment plus extra running/cycling gear, 2 weeks food, potential to upgrade to refrigeration
-New
Perfer:
-Leaning midsize truck but am open to full and SUV as well
-Decent gas mileage such (inasmuch as any of these get decent mileage)
-Am open to both RTT or camper shell
-Lower maint costs
-Some self driving features like lane assist and smart cruise control
Budget:
$40k for vehicle but I'm flexible for a few k higher.
$1-3k for a sleeping solution, again slightly flexible.
Trip style:
Frankly, I'm going to be mostly a weekend warrior, going out to NF or similar in VA, MD, WV and PA several times a month. I will take multiple longer trips ~1 week long up and down the east coast. I'll drive this thing cross country 1-4 times a year for 2ish week trip. I'd like something that could potentially be upgraded take on more challenging routes in the future.
TL;DR: Trying to decide between Tacoma DCLB + camper/sleeping platform, DCSB + RTT and am looking for advice from those who have way more experienced than I do
Thank you in advance. This will easily be the biggest investment I've made in outdoor equipment and so forgive me if I'm overthinking things a little too much!
Looking to buy a truck I can grow into; something capable on mild to moderate dirt/gravel routes more or less out of the box, but can be built out as needs come up. My only other requirements are I'd like to be able to carry a single bicycle at least, sleep 2 people with minimal setup, and I'd really like something that can eventually make it out to The Maze in Canyonlands NP (I fully understand that this is a very challenging place to drive, and I obviously won't be trying to make it out there for a long time, but I figured dream trips were worth mentioning).
Looked hard at the Tacoma DCLB, and a camper shell/platform in the bed, but it seems this truck is nearly impossible to get in off-road trim and a lacks a lot of aftermarket support (and even support from Toyota, see new lift kit). The other options I was looking at were the DCSB and maybe the Nissan Frontier (but am nervous due to 1. a new generation year and 2. bad prior experiences with Nissan). I'm 6'3" and so the only real option for sleeping in the short bed midsizes is a RTT. I understand a lot of the pros and cons to the sleeping solutions, but am not sure what I really lose by going to the long bed due to lack of any experience with trucks. I'm also open to other trucks.
Edit to add some requirements and budget:
-4x4 (prefer stock rear locker to get started)
-Automatic
-Server as daily driver for the foreseeable future
-Quick and easy to set up for sleep
-Carry at least 1 bicycle
-Good aftermarket
-Good reliability, I intend to have this vehicle 15-18 years
-Storage for normal equipment plus extra running/cycling gear, 2 weeks food, potential to upgrade to refrigeration
-New
Perfer:
-Leaning midsize truck but am open to full and SUV as well
-Decent gas mileage such (inasmuch as any of these get decent mileage)
-Am open to both RTT or camper shell
-Lower maint costs
-Some self driving features like lane assist and smart cruise control
Budget:
$40k for vehicle but I'm flexible for a few k higher.
$1-3k for a sleeping solution, again slightly flexible.
Trip style:
Frankly, I'm going to be mostly a weekend warrior, going out to NF or similar in VA, MD, WV and PA several times a month. I will take multiple longer trips ~1 week long up and down the east coast. I'll drive this thing cross country 1-4 times a year for 2ish week trip. I'd like something that could potentially be upgraded take on more challenging routes in the future.
TL;DR: Trying to decide between Tacoma DCLB + camper/sleeping platform, DCSB + RTT and am looking for advice from those who have way more experienced than I do
Thank you in advance. This will easily be the biggest investment I've made in outdoor equipment and so forgive me if I'm overthinking things a little too much!
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