Hunting rig?

[BRTreedogs]

1st Generation tundra.
You can say you need a small yota to save the paint.
But just screw the paint.
Room, bed, power, ride great.

 

[TacoHunter]

I’m seriously debating selling my Polaris ranger and getting a 4Runner. Towing it everywhere gets old, plus having heat/ac would be a nice change.


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[Squamch]

Well, I've had a lot of toyotas. I've had 1 pathblocker, it broke pretty quick just farting around on stuff a toyota wouldn't have blinked at. Used my buddy's xterra a bit. Total roach. Front end sucked, auto hubs would half lock and chewed up their inner workings. Rear leaf hangers were anchors. Jeeps, well, I drove one once. We used to run laps on a trail in my buddy's yard in toyotas. The jeep got about 50' in and broke a front axle. I was driving so I bought a new axle and installed it. Broke the rear axle before we finished the lap. Towed it out with a toyota, and kept running laps in daily driver toyota pickups.

The toyotas are under engined and over axled. Ideal situation for reliability.



They make terrible boats though.

 

[Vandy321]

I've had both, 2nd gen 4runner, 1st gen tacoma and now 2nd gen tacoma...a taco with a camper shell, imo, is a huge winner over a 4 runner, sleep in it when needed, carry all your gear, dogs, dead animals, etc, and most importantly hose it out when done.

Throw some sliders on and lockers in it if needed, and go places even some SxS's can't go

 

[Boiler]

Got a '97 4-runner with 267,000, and a '98 S-10 ZR2 with 253,000...love em both!

 

[shedfinder7]

Just picked up a 94 toyota pickup that has a 3" lift and 33's. 143k miles, only downside is its automatic transmission so ill be leary of problems. Want to put kuiu camo wrap on it, anyone done it?

 

[Sacmaster]

1st Generation tundra.
You can say you need a small yota to save the paint.
But just screw the paint.
Room, bed, power, ride great.

I had an 04 Tundra.it was a great truck- not too big and not too small. Wish I hadn’t sold it.

My current hunting truck is an 03 Land Cruiser with 250k miles, and my daily is a Lexus GX. Can’t beat a yota truck, especially the made in Japan models (4Runner, GX, Land Cruiser).

 

[eatmyfly]

Another vote for Toyota!!!

 

[JoeDirt]

Tacoma

 

[Where's Bruce?]

For backcountry four wheeling I want diesel (for added range) and storage space.

 

[roosiebull]

I drive a Colorado zr2, it’s my favorite rig I have owned... if that’s an option, it’s a good one, they are awesome in the mountains.

I have owned 2 4Runners, and my wife has also had 2, nothing wrong with them either, very good in snow/mud/icy conditions

one thing I liked about them is when you lift the back to get your gear on or take it off, you have some shelter from rain... also not bad to sleep in

I was always a Toyota guy, lots of tacos and a tundra, couple 4Runners, and a couple early 90’s standard cab pickups... liked them all, but the zr2 is a different caliber of woods rig

traded in my 2019 taco trd off-road for the zr2 and it blows the taco out of the water in every regard... it’s a cool little capable pickup and fun to drive on and off pavement

 

[rootacres]

I have a 2019 Diesel Colorado with 70K on it already. Its a Z71 that I put some aftermarket wheels on with some 32" Falken Wildpeaks. I picked up sliders from a ZR2 for $100 off FB marketplace, added a Diamondback cover and some ditch lights. All the exterior & interior lights were swapped with LED. I think the whole package is tuning into a pretty good hunting rig.

All around fuel mileage is 27+ average. 550+ mile range per tank. In the backcountry that will be nice.

If I wasn't as die hard "buy American" as I am I would have taken a serious look at the Tacoma or 4Runner.

 

[roosiebull]

I have a 2019 Diesel Colorado with 70K on it already. Its a Z71 that I put some aftermarket wheels on with some 32" Falken Wildpeaks. I picked up sliders from a ZR2 for $100 off FB marketplace, added a Diamondback cover and some ditch lights. All the exterior & interior lights were swapped with LED. I think the whole package is tuning into a pretty good hunting rig.

All around fuel mileage is 27+ average. 550+ mile range per tank. In the backcountry that will be nice.

If I wasn't as die hard "buy American" as I am I would have taken a serious look at the Tacoma or 4Runner.

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you ain't getting 27mpg on a toyota! i have always been a fan of toyotas, and still am, but they don't great gas mileage, they are rough riding compared to your colorado. i bet if you drove a tacoma for a week, on and off road, you would be wanting back in your chevy... they are just more comfortable.

my 19' taco got around 18mpg after i blew out a stock tire and put 10 ply tires on (that's all i use, lose some gas mileage, but i like the reliability in the mountains)

on a side note, Toyotas are pretty damn American, more so than most "American" auto companies. they make more of their vehicles here than most anyone.... if you are a diehard "American made" then you can't rule out Toyota for that reason.

years ago i got a S-10 ZR2, coming from a Toyota tacoma, and man that thing rode nice off road vs my taco. the newest version of Tacomas ride a lot better, but not near as nice as my ZR2... crazy comfort difference off road. that multimatic suspension on the ZR2 is amazing, but the Z-71's are nice riding too compared to a taco.

i don't get great mpg in my colorado, about 17-18, but it's way peppier than my tacoma was.... such a fun little pickup to drive. i go through rigs every 2-3yrs, but the ZR2 isn't going anywhere.... there is nothing better on the market for me.

 

[ianpadron]

Get yourself a low mileage 3rd generation (96-02) 4Runner with the 5vzfe 6 banger, slap some more aggressive meats and a 3" lift on it and you are ready to rip. Super narrow for winding roads, short wheelbase to go over anything, and the 4-lo (especially with an e-locker) is just flat out ridiculous.

I bought one in 2015 fresh out of college with 164k miles and have put 120k miles on since, aside from the usual (water pump/timing belt, brakes, oil, gaskets, etc) the thing is a workhorse. Best part about them is they are SUPER cheap to get parts for, so you can swap things like rear diffs, drive shafts, u joints, etc from junkyard Runners and keep yours going indefinitely.

Can't recommend a 3rd gen Runner more for a woods/mountain rig.

 

[rootacres]

you ain't getting 27mpg on a toyota! i have always been a fan of toyotas, and still am, but they don't great gas mileage, they are rough riding compared to your colorado. i bet if you drove a tacoma for a week, on and off road, you would be wanting back in your chevy... they are just more comfortable.

my 19' taco got around 18mpg after i blew out a stock tire and put 10 ply tires on (that's all i use, lose some gas mileage, but i like the reliability in the mountains)

on a side note, Toyotas are pretty damn American, more so than most "American" auto companies. they make more of their vehicles here than most anyone.... if you are a diehard "American made" then you can't rule out Toyota for that reason.

years ago i got a S-10 ZR2, coming from a Toyota tacoma, and man that thing rode nice off road vs my taco. the newest version of Tacomas ride a lot better, but not near as nice as my ZR2... crazy comfort difference off road. that multimatic suspension on the ZR2 is amazing, but the Z-71's are nice riding too compared to a taco.

i don't get great mpg in my colorado, about 17-18, but it's way peppier than my tacoma was.... such a fun little pickup to drive. i go through rigs every 2-3yrs, but the ZR2 isn't going anywhere.... there is nothing better on the market for me.

Your points are very valid on the buy American. Toyota as a whole does a pretty good job employing Americans. I should have added that being from MI I have family that worked for both Ford and GM and both my wife’s and my family’s incomes growing up were heavily influenced by those manufactures.

You probably own the most comfortable off-road mid size truck. I know with mine they’re trying to cram out towing capacity (7600lbs) so with the 10 ply equivalent tires it gets a little bumpy. With some different shocks I’m sure it would be pretty good. I do really like the little turbo diesel though.

 

[MeatBuck]

Another vote for the 3rd gen 4runner. Hauled a lot of meat home in my first gen and did a ton of stock wheeling in a ‘96 limited.
A roof rack or one that slides into a hitch does come in handy for hauling whole animals. Especially if you are planning to sleep inside it. You can have your bed set up all the time and store the gear that would normally go in it’s place on the rack. Makes it nice to be able to just park and crawl in bed after a long drive.
4.10:1 and 4.30:1 locking differentials come stock in the limiteds and will easily push a 33” tire. Put a small lift or spacer kit on, money for a hunting rig. Nothing like being mobile on a hunt.

 

[Fallow120]

As soon as I get my wife something else to drive, the Subaru forester I bought “for her” will be my mountain rig. Add a roof rack, light bar, good all terrain tires and I’m set. Perfect 2 man hunting rig. It’s got a turbo, custom performance kit and 2” lift, and I’ve seen the AWD on it outperform many 4WD vehicles.


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[JoeDirt]

Ive hunti

As soon as I get my wife something else to drive, the Subaru forester I bought “for her” will be my mountain rig. Add a roof rack, light bar, good all terrain tires and I’m set. Perfect 2 man hunting rig. It’s got a turbo, custom performance kit and 2” lift, and I’ve seen the AWD on it outperform many 4WD vehicles.


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I hunted out of a Forester for years before I bought a newer Tacoma.

 

[Hucker]

Still driving a 4th gen 4Runner I bought new (2006). What a great off road vehicle (with AndyMod 2.0). Love the turn radius, etc. Other than the usual tires/fluids, I had to replace a gas cap ($7 IIRC). 150,000 miles and counting. Still getting 24-26 mpg on highway, and 20 city. Recently towed a trailer with ~ 2,000 lbs across the country (2,600 miles one way), and averaged 15 mpg. I will cry when I have to part ways...

 

[Hucker]