It seems like it's been a lot longer, but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I noticed my rear axle housing was leaking at the passenger side leaf spring perch. On my way home from surveying the Aftermath of the Creek and Dixie Fires, I knew that this was not some maintenance item that I could just put off until there were no trips on the horizon. Nope, this is something that I needed to deal with right away. After several fruitful discussions with my buddies on TacomaWorld, I immediately set about lining up the long-term fix…
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Everything on AdventureTaco is Epic, but only posts in this category will be sent via email to those who have subscribed to be notified of new content. A post with this category should always be included in at least one other category as well.
September 12, 2021. Whereas my previous update was several months in the making, it seems that I've already got several updates regarding the Tacoma after my trip to Canada and a few days in California, so let's get right down to it. Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews Relentless Skid Plate Attachment Hella HIDs fail to turn on, sometimes Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather than highlight those things again, I'll simply…
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August 1, 2021. It's been a while since the last Rig Review. Since then, I've put five trips and 20K more miles on the Tacoma. It has - as always seems to be the case - been fantastic. Scouting Black Rock Desert (Apr 2021) Owyhee West (May 2021) Forty-One Miles of Mesa (May 2021) New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (Jun 2021) Smoke in the Sawtooths (Jul 2021) One Night at Mt. Rainier (Jul 2021) Let's do a quick rundown of things that are working well, and places that need a little TLC after the last bunch of miles. Seemingly solved…
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June 17, 2021. I've used a fuel siphon ever since I switched from carrying extra fuel in Rotopax to using Scepter Military Jerry Cans. Siphons make the whole process easy - fuel cans don't need to move from their storage location in order to refill, and there's no risk of spilling fuel down the side of the truck or on the ground. The only drawback I've heard is that draining a 5 gallon jerry can takes three minutes instead of 45 seconds with a spout. But seriously, who is in that kind of rush? There are a plethora of fuel siphons…
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April 14, 2021 When I started Rig Reviews several years ago, I quickly found that after addressing a few significant items, most trips seemed to go smoothly, with relatively few notable issues - good or bad - cropping up along the way. But, on my last trip to Utah, that was far from the case. In fact, though most were minor, there were so many this time that I feel it worth listing them here, just to drive the point home: Passenger rear indicator lamp has burned out Driver front marker lamp has burned out Hella HIDs fail to turn…
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March 8, 2021. Over the course of the winter, the truck has performed well. Four (!) trips down to the desert to stay warm have put a bunch of miles on the odometer and resulted in only a few little tweaks to the set up. But any tweak is worth understanding, so let's check them out. This rig review covers: Tragedies in the Tablelands (Jan 2021) Right Back to the Owens Valley (Jan 2021) Mid-Winter Mojave (Feb 2021) An Island in the Sky at the Top of the World (Feb 2021) Whew, at ~2500 miles each, it's only the beginning…
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Well, another year is in the books. It wasn't normal - not by any stretch of the imagination, but we were lucky to get a lot of great trips in despite the precarious situation that the world found ourselves enveloped by for most of the year. As the end of the year rolls around, I recalled enjoying the process I went through for the first time last year - picking through my photos from the year, re-remembering all the great times, so I figured I'd do it again! So let's get started. My Top 24 I see the light. (Exploring…
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December 1, 2020. There've been a few tweaks to the truck, and two trips to Death Valley since the last rig review, so it's a good time to take stock of how things are going. First, in case you missed the trips, check out: Retracing Panamint Valley's Nadeau Trail Death Valley Loose Ends Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews ADS 2.5" Coilovers - Need Limit Straps Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather…
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October 12, 2020. There's no doubt about it, the truck worked pretty well on the Clear, Colorful, Colorado trip for the entirety of the two weeks. Heck, it even got me there and back on the highway - two 20+ hour drives straight, with a bunch of dirt thrown in-between. So, without further ado, let's do a quick rundown of what worked well, and what could have been better. Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews The Ham Radio Antenna Oil Spray in the Engine Bay - solved itself. I hope. Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews There…
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For a couple years now, I've been using a Coleman Camp Grill/Stove. While the stove isn't perfect, I don't consider its drawbacks to be that big a deal, and as far as camp stoves go, I think its one of the better values out there. In fact - both of my (only) complaints about it are related to its fuel system: first, the burners aren't adjustable enough - they tend to be fully on, or off. This is annoying, but not really that big a deal for what I do on the trail, primarily boiling water or reheating food I've previously…
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August 29, 2020. Well, it's been a while since a rig review - things have been working reasonably well; a nice side effect of constantly evaluating and tweaking the setup of the truck to dial it in. Since last time, we've completed the following trips: Nevada Backcountry Discovery Route Bridge-to-Bridge in the Middle of Nowhere Dead Ends through WA, ID, and MT Roaming Around Rainier So, lets dive right in. Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews Relentless Skid Plate Attachment Cooper ST/Maxx Tires It's Noisy in the Cab The Air Conditioning Doesn't Work Unchanged / Still an issue from previous…
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May 24, 2020. Our last two trips have both been to the Owyhee area of southeastern Oregon and western Idaho - Into the Owyhee Uplands and Owyhee Redux. The truck performed well on each trip, but as always there are little tweaks I want to make to the setup, so let's dive in to the rig review. Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews Front ADS Coilover Spherical Bearings - "solved" in that I know they are going to require constant maintenance for a while. Second (House) Battery Seems to be low - completely fixed with a new battery. Propane Bottle…
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I get asked - not infrequently - whether I carry gun(s) with me on my numerous outdoor adventures. So without further ado, here is what might be my most controversial post ever. You've been warned. First a few ground rules: I want to try to stay non-political. I recognize that this is a highly politicized topic in society today, but I'm not approaching it from that perspective. These are my current opinions. I reserve the right to change them at any time and I may or may not update the post. I'm totally fine with anyone else having the same…
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March 17, 2020 Back from the eastern Mojave, it's time for another look at how the truck performed over the course of the last 5 day's adventures. If you haven't read those - and want to - go right ahead, I'll wait. Removed from previous Rig Reviews The Swing-Out Table - I still don't have one and the truth of the matter is that I've been getting along fine without by using the tailgate. Adding a table would be a nicety, but would also add weight - even if only a small amount - so for now it's…
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If you missed the first part of this story, you may want to read 4Runner Accident, and the Saga of Repair when you're done reading this. It was a Monday morning when we showed up at Jim's Body Shop in Seattle. Arriving a few minutes after they opened, they were in the process of assessing where they were on their various projects and one of the guys made an off-hand remark that they might be "overbooked." I wasn't worried though - in my dealings with Humberto, he'd seemed genuinely interested in working on the 4Runner - and a few minutes…
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If you own vehicles long enough, it's a safe bet that one will be in an accident. Luckily for us, when the 4Runner was hit, no one was in it. This is the story of what happened, and the saga that followed. So, it was the first Friday in December when @mrs.turbodb drove the 4Runner a few miles to a school where she volunteers as a tutor, around 10:00am. I'd gone to help a buddy with some landscaping at his place. He and I were eating lunch when @mrs.turbodb called to let me know that a 17-year old girl had…
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January 4, 2020 Another year of wheeling and camping is in the books. I find myself here writing a rig review as one of 2020's first posts, for the last couple of trips that we took in 2019. By and large, the truck performed well on those trips In Search of Overlooks in Death Valley and though an unexpectedly snowy trip to the Mojave Preserve. There were - as always - a couple things worth calling out - so without further ado, let's get to it! Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews Front ADS Coilover Spherical Bearings Squeaking Unchanged /…
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Well, another year is nearly in the books - with a lot more trips to amazing places, memories made with old and new friends alike. As the end of the year rolls around, I generally find myself looking ahead to what's coming rather than looking back - so I thought I'd step out of my groove and make a pass through all the photos from the last year, pulling out the ones I really liked for one reason or another. So let's get started. My Top 11 It's not easy coming up with my 10 favorite photos, so here are…
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September 30, 2019. It was another whirlwind of trips through August and September, with three more trips and 21 more nights now in the books: The Whipsaw Trail in BC, Canada, a trip with Pops to the California Sierra, and a nearly two-week adventure through Wyoming and Colorado. Of those, the two driving adventures both ended early due to mechanical failure of at least one vehicle on the trip, so without further ado, let's get into what's bound to be a stunning rig review! Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews Front ADS Reservoirs Too Close to Tires Unchanged / Still an…
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I've built a couple of storage platforms in the past - a slide-with-a-slide style platform for my 1st gen Tacoma, and a fridge-slide style for my 3rd Gen 4Runner - so when a buddy of mine asked for help building one for his 5th Gen 4Runner, I was happy to help. The goal was relatively simple for this build - a simple platform with some L-track to secure loads, and a way to level out the back of the 4Runner to sleep at night. No fridge slide (yet), but the ability to add it in the future. And, lastly -…
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