Jeep JK. Land Cruiser. Defender. Tacoma. Discovery. 4Runner. If you ask members of our community what the “optimal” platforms are for an “overland vehicle”, chances are these are these usual suspects will be brought up. But, what about the full-size pickup truck?
Is America’s job-site/mall parking lot staple, the full size truck, a worthy “overland rig”?
You bet your ass it is. Even on the East Coast.
When I hear folks casually debunk full-size trucks as unworthy expo vehicles, these are the reasons I most frequently hear is that they’re too big to fit on the trails. I decided to look at a few models side by side, by the numbers, and see just how “big” these trucks are.
So I don’t forget to cover the basics, all of the trucks in the chart feature body-on-frame construction (they’re trucks, after all), 4-wheel drive, and low-range transfer cases. All also come standard with, or have an option for a rear differential locker (the Dodge Power Wagon and Jeep JK also come standard with a front differential locker).
The full size trucks are really only significantly bigger in terms of wheelbase and total length, which on the trail is going to translate into more multi-point turns and a slightly less attractive breakover angle, but in any reasonable “overloading” situation isn’t going to be a deal killer.
Width of these big boys is only 4-6” more than the mid-size staples and stock ground clearance is right in line, or better than the “Usual Suspects”.
Not called out, but the full size trucks have more power, and more payload across the board vs. the Tacoma, 4Runner, and Jeep, and deliver that with comparable MPGs.
Translation: You’ll be able to handle just about everything short of intense rock-crawling in one of these full-size trucks, and do even more with basic mods. White Rim Trail, no problem. East Coast USFS Trails and Vermont Class 4 roads – most will be no problem at all – certainly not going to inhibit you from reaching any desired destination.
And in a full size truck, you’ll have both more interior and bed space, as well as payload capacity for piles of gear, or to more comfortably accommodate a larger family.
Who here is already exploring in a full-size rig? Tell us about your setup!
I’m going from a 2012 4Runner (2.5″ lift, metaltech sliders, wet okoles, AT tires, recovery gear) to a 2016 F150 for the towing capability, plus when fully loaded with 2 people and 2 hunting dogs in crates it just felt cramped. Already looking at 33″ ATs, 2.5″ lift, sliders, skids, bed cover with crossbars for RTT, Vision X light cannons on hood hinge mounts in addition to all of the tech that comes with the truck. I am not getting it till later next year but when I do I’ll send a pic (Black on black with bronze rims). I followed Ben from the early days of his modding on T4R, that’s how I came to here.
Sounds like an awesome build Josh. I’m already finding myself in the same boat with just my wife and dog in the JK. Once we add a little one, all bets are probably off.
2004:Crew Cab Super Duty, 8 foot bed. Tower Arch road, Utah, Schaefer switchbacks, Canyonlands, Engineer Pass, Colorado, etc…. I couldn’t agree more with the above article. Except for some hairy 3, 5, 6, and a few 8 point turns on the trails, and when you get stuck, it usually requires more effort to extract, I take my truck on way more adventures than my wife’s Jeep JK because we can take everything we desire. See you on our next overland trip!
That’s awesome Dan, I’d love to see some pictures sometime. A lot of times when I’m out camping, I wish I had a full size truck to carry all of our gear, things can get cramped in the JK from time to time with 2 adults and a dog!
What no Nissan Titan love? 🙂
Derek we’ve got love for the Titans too! Another example of a sometimes overlooked, but great option out there – especially with the new diesel option. We’d love to see some pics of yours in action and hear about your setup!
Thanks for putting this together. I’m north of Philly and trying to figure out if a Tacoma, Land Cruiser, F150 or something else make sense for family camping (just me and my 2 boys) and winter commuting. This helps me see that either can work, so now I just need to find a southern no-rust vehicle.
Pete,
We’re glad we could help, if you have any questions feel free to ask away in the comments or shoot us an e-mail. We’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the field with a wide variety of rigs and if we don’t have the answer we can point you in the right direction.