My Toyota Tacoma Overland Build

This adventure is in honor of my dad

Finally, my overland build is complete. Last decision, picking a name. It has been narrowed down to Macho Taco or Mighty Taco. For short the truck will be called MT, this was my dads nickname.

In this post, you will read about the truck, solar, camper, suspension, and the bed replacement.

the truck

ps if you do not want to read the link to the YouTube video is below

For my number lovers, the total build cost is $88,523.65 USD. That includes the purchase of the truck, license, registration, camper, solar wiring to the truck, all terrain tires, OTT tune, suspension, snorkel, grill upgrade, and the bed replacement.

* does not include Starlink, inverter, cooking gear, shower, bedding, cooler, black out window shades etc *

Why Toyota?

Simple, Toyota is extremely reliable. And, a true international auto brand.

With Toyota I can properly service and maintain my truck anywhere in the world. If I happen to break down in the middle of nowhere, any mechanic can help.

As a solo overlander that equals safety.

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Frequently asked questions from wizards of the internet. Why didn’t you buy a $3,500 van? Why waste so much money when you could make friends when you break down?

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The answer is in the question, I do not want to spend my time breaking down nor do I want to travel off-road in a van. This journey will be five to eight years. For this reason, I have zero interest in hitting the road with a vehicle more than five years old.

Bare minimum truck requirements: access cab, 4WD, and 6 foot bed. Those who know the Toyota Tacoma market understand that trio represents less than 10% of the market.

That being said, I would have LOVED to buy a cheaper, used, manual Tacoma or a diesel Hilux if they were sold in the US. Unfortunately, at the time of purchase there was an embargo and private sellers were [and still are] listing their used trucks for more than the cost of a brand new truck. Not to mention, my new truck came with free maintenance for 25,000 miles and roadside assistance. It would have been financially irresponsible to buy used for a higher cost.

I’d like to take a moment to address this advice: breaking down is fun, you make new friends. I see it often and it should not be advice.

Having a tire blowout on a main highway or getting stuck in the sand on a popular beach where locals laugh, pull you out, you have beers and you make friends.

That’s great, but is not the case for all. Each overlander has a different journey. For me, I am living off grid, not driving from the tourist area to a hotel.

Breaking down in the middle of a desert or in the mountains with high temperatures, unforgiving humidity, and no water source. Is not a joke. It can quickly become dangerous and result in loss of life. When one has a goal to travel around the world it should be taken seriously.

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Logistics of breaking down: MT is not just a truck it is our home. Being homeless for an unknown period is stressful, expensive, and can be difficult to book a rental that allows dogs. In a lot of places, even taxi’s do not allow dogs.

Getting Repairs: parts are not a guarantee. There is no two day Amazon Prime shipping, it can take 2-3 weeks to get parts. It is important to understand, while you wait for parts and repairs you run the risk of overstaying your TIP [temporary import permit] and tourist visa.

Overstaying is illegal for both the passport holding human and the vehicle. Overstaying will result in a daily fine and a potential permanent mark in your passport that can prevent entry into select countries.

Lastly, things will break. Hopefully, following the 7Ps break downs will be few and far between.

the camper

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Thankfully, I got lucky and was able to purchase my custom fleet from a great family in Sacramento. The shell models come completely empty. Meaning, they are low weight.

Suspension + Snorkel

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Why Dobinsons IMS? This suspension set-up is set it and forget it. Dobinsons is an international brand with a long reliable history. MT will be putting on thousands of miles with a constant load. MT is not climbing rocks, wheeling, or playing fugg around and find out. That being said, there is no need for a high performance [high maintenance] system. Considering that, the camper is bolted down through the bed there is zero need for airbags. Which are designed for endless load (weight) changes.

If you have any questions on what suspension set-up is best for you, what you are doing, where you are going, and the load your truck will have I recommend contacting Stellar Built.

Stellar specializes in Toyota. However, they can install suspension on any vehicle. A daily driver, overland rigs, and even rock crawlers.

It should be noted that, not once did Stellar try to oversell me products. During the install, I was allowed to film and it was the best experience to observe, ask questions, and learn.

Sure, it might be a simple suspension set-up, but for me it is much more than that.

As a customer and as a woman it was the best experience to witness how hard these men worked to understand my exact build and every step of the install they assessed the setup to ensure they provided the best product for Porter and I to safely travel around the world.

Solar

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This setup provides for all my electric needs. Note, I do not have an electric cooler, but the previous owner did. Overall, my charging needs are simple, laptop and cell phone. I did install a 2000W inverter for my electric tea kettle to make my morning coffee and when the temperature drops at night I use a heated throw blanket.

All solar and wiring was corrected and upgraded by Zero Declination. Once, the camper was installed onto my truck wiring from the solar system was connected to the truck battery.

This way if the sky is full of clouds or it is raining for a couple of days I can simply start my truck and charge the enter system. The truck does not have to be driving, just running. A must have if you prefer to be off-grid, saves you the hassle of breaking down camp to drive around.

Highly, highly recommend Zero Declination. Do not hesitate to contact KP for any of your solar questions, comments, or concerns.

OTT Tune

Grill Upgrade

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Excellent quality, fast shipping, and five star customer service. Without a doubt, I love the classic aesthetic of having Toyota spelt out.

Saving the best for last

The Bed Replacement

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I’m used to turning heads, but these bed replacements by Bowen are breaking necks. The welds are absolutely perfect and I am not saying that because I personally think it is beautiful. I am saying that because on a regular basis complete strangers gawk, stare, gaze and some even walk to my truck to caress the welds and tell me how perfect they are.

Besides being beautiful and bad@ss there are several reasons why I purchased Bowen’s camper bed replacement option versus the flat bed option. One, having the flat bed raises the center of gravity six inches. For me, it is important to keep the center of gravity as low as I possibly can and I also do not want to feel any more top heavy.

Two, storage, storage, and more storage. As someone who genuinely enjoys organizing and having my living space feel clean, comfortable, and organized this camper bed was an absolute MUST. I am not even joking, I spent months mentally organizing each cabinet. Overall, the additional storage maximizes the living space inside the camper and truck.

Lastly, besides Porter, anything and everything that is, can, or will be dirty lives outside of both my home and truck cab.

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That concludes the truck build. If you have any questions or comments, drop them below. It was an incredible experience to put this build together.

Most importantly I cannot thank all of the incredible men that went above and beyond enough. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

This adventure is in honor of my dad

Business Inquiries Email: ahoy@hifromashley.com 

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