Overland Travel
It was around three years ago that I was originally introduced to Overlanding. After a trip to Outdoor Retailer, Tepui was kind enough to send roof top tent for us to demo for the summer. So I mounted it atop my 2007 Tundra and our new adventure began. In 2018, I finally sold my eleven year old work truck in favor of a newer Tundra TRD Pro. This is when I really started building the vehicle for Overlanding. Since I still need the truck for my day job as a General Contractor, I find myself converting it from work status to Overland status almost every weekend during the summer.
After busting through the terrain of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island, the tight trails of the DBBB in Kentucky, and various mountain switchbacks in both Colorado and Utah, I noticed a recurring theme. The Tundra is a pretty big vehicle! Good for hauling gear but not great for maneuverability. Constantly challenged by its long wheelbase and maximum width, the Tundra was limited to only certain trails. Which was kind of a bummer on our 4000 mile trip to Colorado and Utah last fall. A great trip by all accounts but some boxes were left un-checked. So the search for a smaller Toyota began…
Toyotas FJ Cruiser
In 2003, Toyota decided to introduce a retro version of the iconic FJ Cruiser at the Detroit Auto Show. With an overwhelmingly positive response from the public, Toyota got to work on a production version that they debuted at the same show in 2005. The latest rendition of the FJ Cruiser became available for sale in the US in 2007 and sadly discontinued in 2014. In it’s short 7 year run, this quirky short wheel based “Jeep-like” vehicle performed like a champ on the trails. And may be exactly what the doctor ordered to check those un-checked boxes of ours. After months of researching, browsing FJ forums and asking questions at Overland Expo, we settled on a used 2011 Trail Teams Edition FJ Cruiser.
Modifications
This vehicle is modified in a way that will save me time and money. Since so much of the heavy lifting has already been done by the previous owner. This winter, I plan to inventory what it already has, what it needs, and address any looming mechanical issues. Having never purchased a vehicle with 100,000 miles already on the odometer, I’m a bit apprehensive. But for a Toyota, I’m told that’s just the warm up lap. However, I plan to insure this vehicle remains as reliable as the engineers originally intended so we’re not left broken down on our next Overland trip. Stay tuned to The Gear Bunker as we re-fit this already capable vehicle to suit our needs as our new adventure vehicle. Allowing us to get out there to continually test new products for our readers.
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