Dat 4Runner Life Doe - Adventures in a T4R

[Dbest]

[Dbest]

I got the propane bottle mounted to the tailgate and the proper adapters and fittings to run the camp stove and a fire ban legal fire pit.






Click the last image for a vid

[D Griff]

Great images as always!

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Pretty that you're teaching the kid good stewardship of nature by cleaning up other people's campsites. What life lessons he's learning out there!

Always been a believer in leaving things cleaner than you found them.

Always.

[Dbest]

I haven’t forgot about this, but I’m very behind again, I’ve been so crazy busy with moving and a new job.

But here’s a preview of what’s to come….

[MrH42]

Well??? Did she catch it?

[Dbest]

Yes lol

[Desertbreh]

Bro levels on this truck are reaching epic heights.

[Dbest]

Bro levels on this truck are reaching epic heights.

I’m missing to many key pieces of bro for it to be epic levels - there’s no black wheels, fake bead locks, 12.5” wide mud terrains, wheels spacers for offset, Raptor lights on the grill, stickers/decals, blacked out emblems, etc.

I’m like poser bro at this point, some bro features but missing most of the package.

[Acid666]

I watched every episode of Donut Media's Hi/Low series. They took two Tacomas and decked them out for trail riding and camping. It was pretty sweet. Made me miss my old truck with mud tires. Going out into the elements with only what you've got and far away from where normal vehicles can reach is pretty cool. My wife wants to do some camping and trips and shit, but I've been on a lot of that in my 20's, and on a handful of motorcycle trips with friends... Camping in primitive campgrounds that provide you with absolutely zero except parking spots and places to burn fires. She wouldn't last 2 days out there in the elements.

Good to see you're using your ride for these adventures.

[Dbest]

This back over Father’s Day weekend.

Stopping for bbq then camping

[Dbest]

Another mid summer trip that resulted in snow



Snow in a bottle science experiments


He brought with some socks for his puppies to use as sleeping bags


where we were camping


Snuggled up watching a movie while I made breakfast





Heading home

[Dbest]

Exploring

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Man, this is so 5/7.

How's the RTT working out for your guys?

[D Griff]

Looks awesome man!

We were up in the mountains this weekend as well, epic views around the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western NC.

[max225]

Cool pics ! always nice to see y'all having fun.

How's the T4R holding up? And what sort of mpg are you seeing with all of your gear?

[D Griff]

Cool pics ! always nice to y'all having fun.

How's the T4R holding up? And what sort of mpg are you seeing with all of your gear?

Can we make this a price is right thing?

I'm going with 11.5 MPGeez on Colorado's finest 85 octane donkey jizz.

[max225]

Cool pics ! always nice to y'all having fun.

How's the T4R holding up? And what sort of mpg are you seeing with all of your gear?

Can we make this a price is right thing?

I'm going with 11.5 MPGeez on Colorado's finest 85 octane donkey jizz.

I am going with 13.5.

[Dbest]

Man, this is so 5/7.

How's the RTT working out for your guys?

Few years and lots of nights in here my honest opinion.


Pros:
- Very very fast setup time with a hardshell
- Very fast tear down time with a hardshell
- Don’t need to pack and unpack the tent in and out of the vehicle since it’s attached
- Doesn’t take up any interior space
- Storing sleeping bags and pillows inside frees up more interior space
- The ground surface of camp doesn’t matter - wet, rocky, uneven, soft, not level, whatever
- Increased sense of security (especially for the significant others)
- Being off the ground gets you away from water, bugs, and animals that may show up unexpectedly during the night
- Cleanliness of not packing away dirty/muddy tents/tarps
- Hardshell is more comforting in bed weather
- Having a real mattress
- Increased comfort overall in every aspect
- My son loves it and WANT to go out in it
- It’s just 1 piece of the puzzle but it’s a big step towards making your vehicle a self contained basecamp
- With the tent and sleeping stuff already in it, it makes grabbing a couple items and being ready to go a little bit faster and more convenient
- You can always move it to a trailer
- When you have an special camping buddy, having flat, not lumpy ground, and a mattress has its benefits. Plus ladders and platforms can be exciting...

Cons:
- Prohibitively expensive for a lot of people
- Climbing up and down for bathroom breaks
- Tent with rack is heavy in general, but all the weight is up high which raises the center of gravity
- Tear down before being able to drive anywhere
- Having to find a place to park and dry it out after packing it away wet
- It effects the height of your vehicle, from trees on trails to parking garages, you need to be mindful
- Harder to take off and store

I typically get 20-30 nights in it per year and not once have I regretted having it.

[Dbest]

Looks awesome man!

We were up in the mountains this weekend as well, epic views around the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western NC.

I need to get out there at some point, I have family in the Carolinas but I’ve never been.

[Dbest]

Cool pics ! always nice to see y'all having fun.

How's the T4R holding up? And what sort of mpg are you seeing with all of your gear?

This thing is a f’n tank, it never skips a beat.

MPG depends on what’s going on. Typical day to day driving I see right about 15mpg (indicated).

Right at this moment I’m laying in the tent on the bank of Missouri River somewhere in South Dakota mid 3000ish mile trip.

I basically spent Saturday and Sunday road tripping from Colorado to Chicago camping along the way. I road my old local mountain bike trail system Monday and spent the night at my sisters. Came up to my moms Tuesday in Wisconsin. Wednesday I road at the the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Thursday I had an day of virtual divorce court mediation scheduled. While I did that my GF flew into Milwaukee and my mom picked her up. Friday I headed to Portage for wedding rehearsal stuff. I stood in the wedding Saturday. Sunday we headed out for the Palisades Staye Park in South Dakota and camped there. Monday night stopped along the banks of the Missouri to camp, from here it’s 6 more days of some undetermined mix of camping/hiking/biking/exploring through the Badlands National Park, Black Hills National Forest, Yellow Stone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and Bridger-Teton National Forest.

So, I have the 4R as it normally sits, plus bike rack and 2 bikes, plus hiking and biking gear and equipment, wedding stuff, camping stuff, clothes, toiletries, supplies, cold weather gear, a bunch of shit for 2 people and 15 days on the road, plus food and 7 gallons of fresh water. I have no doubt it currently exceeds the gross capacity.

This is most loaded down this thing will ever be. Indicated average 2000 miles in is 12.8 mpg. I have been tracking it but not calculating it.

[D Griff]

Looks awesome man!

We were up in the mountains this weekend as well, epic views around the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western NC.

I need to get out there at some point, I have family in the Carolinas but I’ve never been.

If you ever decide to go, feel free to PM me if you want recommendations. I'm not sure how the mountains would feel here coming from CO, they are obviously a lot smaller, 6K feet is rather up there here. They are also significantly more wooded, so you don't always have the open views you see out west. That said they are very beautiful and there's tons to see and do, it's just a different scene. IMO both are extremely wonderful and worthwhile.

[D Griff]

That sounds like a killer trip! I miss our cross country trip we did last winter, wish I had time to do one again this year.

[D Griff]

If you ever decide to go, feel free to PM me if you want recommendations. I'm not sure how the mountains would feel here coming from CO, they are obviously a lot smaller, 6K feet is rather up there here. They are also significantly more wooded, so you don't always have the open views you see out west. That said they are very beautiful and there's tons to see and do, it's just a different scene. IMO both are extremely wonderful and worthwhile.

He should take a look at the MABDR after the Carolinas: https://ridebdr.com/mabdr/

Something I've always wanted to do, but not really with a trailer in tow. Definitely a RTT/Airbnb kinda trip.

Would also be a crazy epic gravelpacking adventure.

Dang, I wonder if I could convince the wife to do that.

Let me know if you ever want to do some gravel riding/packing down here, I would be in. I will buy a bike if necessary

[D Griff]

Dang, I wonder if I could convince the wife to do that.

Let me know if you ever want to do some gravel riding/packing down here, I would be in. I will buy a bike if necessary

Definitely want to do some gravel - check out the Belgian Waffle Ride: Asheville.

I think I might add that to my list next year, they're moving it to July I think.

I'd like to get my other friend in Charlotte out to do some Gravelly stuff, too.

in4 an introduction. I'll look that one up.