Starting Overland Build. Help With Plan

Starting out an overland build on my 22 Platinum. I already put on 17" KMC wheels with 35"x12.5R17 Toyo A/T III's, along with Bilstein 6100/6122 + Eibach rear coils for suspension and a Bak Revolver X4s Hard Roll Up tonneau, TRD Grille with DD light bar (white combo).

I am looking to do my next "phase" to set us up for some overlanding (me, my wife, 25lb dog and 1yr old daughter) in Idaho. I am thinking of building out in phases. We already have basic equipment (tent, sleeping gear, tableware, etc.) and will hold off on a RTT or anything crazy like that.

Phase 1:
- Skid plates
- Recovery boards, Bubba rope, shackle
- MyMedic first aid kit (I know it's overpriced but not worried about spending for convenience/peace of mind with my daughter)
- Diode Dynamics Pod lights

Phase 2:
- CBI Baja Front Bumper
- Decked Drawer system
- Bed Rack (if I decide to get an RTT)


Some questions:

1. What are overall thoughts on this?
2. Which skit plate is best? Been looking at Talon's, CBI, RCI. Would want to get Aluminum.
3. For the pod lights, would 3" Sport in white be the ideal?
4. Is the DD stealth light bar worth it? I would get amber if I did for better light in snowy conditions?
5. Anyone here speak to experience with the Decked system? I am OCD and love organization and it seems like for camping it'd be great, but I feel like without the bed rack to have additional mounting points, it'd be kind of hard to bring bulkier things (cooler, etc.).
6. Speaking of bed rack, if I don't plan on sleeping in the truck bed, does something like CBI's make sense or something more enclosed? Part of me thinks enclosed would be nice so I can easily transport taller items on top of the Decked system without them getting all dirty/wet.

Any other general suggestions or thoughts are always welcome.

 

I don't overland but I do offroad. Having got stuck and having helped others get unstuck, it greatly helps to have a hydraulic jack and/or HiLift. I have both and sometimes even throw in a bottle jack. Plus pieces of 2x4 and 2x6. The first time you go to use the oem jack you will see what a PITA it is to set up and use.

 

That's good advice. Do you have some recommendations on jacks?

 

When you piss off the v6 and it bricks you, then what? Carbed 5.0l ford. You couldnt abuse it enough to give up. Plus those 360 hp from atk would be bigger horses than whatever toyota tells you you have.

 

The lightest one you can afford! They can get heavy. I have a HF 1.5 ton aluminum jack, and a 6-ft Hi Lift. They juast had a flash sale on them (the hydraulic jack) for $80.
Edit: to clarify, by hydraulic jack, I mean floor jack, as bottle jacjs are also hydraulic.

 

Couple of thoughts and considerations:

- Your current level of modification will get you to most places
- For the skid plate choice: make sure the same manufacturer makes any skids you may want, especially for the drivetrain, so they nest and work together; on a fairly heavy truck like the Tundra, understand that one good hit to an aluminum plate will definitely deform it; and that if you're planning on dragging the skid plate over a rock, steel slides across rocks better than aluminum does.
- Where are you putting the pod lights? That will entirely determine what power level, size, and color would work best
- If you're looking at a Diode Dynamics light bar, wait until their 2.0's come out in the future (Who knows when, they were announced last November at SEMA)
- For your recovery gear thoughts... a kinetic rope is a fantastic tool, but requires the right conditions as well as another vehicle. As stated above, a Hi-Lift jack is a super versatile tool for recovery and can fulfill many roles. Although, the role it is worst at is to change a tire. For that role look at a bottle jack from Safe Jack or similar.
- DECKED system is great, I've had 3 of them (2.5 gen Tundra, 3rd gen Tacoma, and in our Sprinter) but does eat a lot of vertical space in the bed. The new systems are definitely much more friendly towards minimizing wasted space, but if you're planning on keeping the tonneau cover, make sure whatever you need to store will fit between them. Don't forget that the drawers add considerable weight to the back of the truck, and when combined with a bed rack or cap plus all your gear, you'll want to upgrade the rear springs for the weight
- Bed rack vs. cap is an age old question, and primarily falls back to whether you want the stuff in your bed to be enclosed and protected (from elements or prying eyes), the cost difference is substantial between them.

One of my first questions to clients is to figure out a realistic end goal of where they want to go with the vehicle, and work backwards from there to figure out what the vehicle actually needs

 

For the front, yes. For the rear, not necessarily. If you have a hitch, you can lift using a combination of shackle/tow-hook and lift straps. The bigger issue on HiLifts, especially if it sits in an open bed, is to keep the moving parts lubed so it don't bind on you when you need it the most.

Another thing I always carry is one jack stand, as a safety measure.

 

I have a ARB bushranger that I initially used for my landcruiser and wife's DD.... while I always had hi-lifts in the last and kept one on the 80, the ranger worked well in sand and doesn't mandate strong jacking points... not something the tundra has much of until you armour up.

I love my Decked setup now that I'm figuring out how to store and fit things in after 2 weeks on the road... and I'll add a Vodoo or Backwoods Be rack I suspect soon to get more storage/ fuel and boards etc...

Agreed with all on Skids... alum is nice for weight, but once hit....

E

 

Okay so sounds like I should just get steel skid plates and avoid aluminum. Do I need to worry about the extra weight of them?

 

in the grand scheme of things I wouldn't worry about a 120-150 lbs.... it's between the wheels... I was in DC yesterday and looked at a new TRD PRO - a tow truck was just unloading a 1794 that had the cats cut off- so I'm prioritizing that....

 

Adventure Ready.
Most recent addition was the full height bed rack and the topper. Pairs well with the cab rack.
Other mods include the front bumper and sliders .