Hunting Truck Mid vs Full Size

[jaytaylor]

My vote is for the full size truck. When I had my Tacoma, two things bugged me enough to sell it to my brother in law. One was the lousy mileage they get. Two was the fact that I was ALWAYS trying to figure out where to put stuff. Ok, I guess there were three things that bugged me. I've converted a cargo trailer into a camper for some of our excursions. The wife and I use it on our fishing trips, and we use it on some hunts where we don't set up a wall tent (elk hunting in NM primarily). On the first trip with the cargo trailer, the Tacoma drove me nuts. All it did was try to find the right gear to drive in. Constant shifting, even with the overdrive off (sorry, can't remember what that little button is actually called).
So why is the full size better? Well, in my small Duramax (6 cyl) Sierra 1500, I routinely get 25 MPG around town and on the highway, so the mileage is at least 25% better than the Taco. Second, I can get two dogs, shotguns, 4 hunters, water, lunch, coolers, etc., all in the crew cab 1500 no problem. And everyone is comfortable, so the several hour drive to any hunting spot is good, and once you're there it does find on any forest service road we find. As for towing, there is no comparison between it and the Taco - I can pull the cargo trailer, with or without a 4 wheeler or my Range SxS, and yes the mileage drops, but still plenty of power to get you out of anything or race home at hunt's end at highway speeds.
After having a less than desireable experience with my home made truck bed drawers, I now have a Decked system, version 2. What a difference. My shell has side doors, so you can reach in and grab vests, bow cases, anything you need really easily. The drawers are configured to hold fly fishing equipment when appropriate, shotguns when appropriate, and my bow when I'm bowhunting. And all weatherproof and secure.
That's my two cents. Your hunting needs will likely vary. Good luck!

 

[180ls1]

Taco can’t go wrong. I was able to drive under a fallen tree twice and make a 180 degree turn on a narrow trail in my taco.View attachment 714441
Here is mine set up to go to Idaho next week. For spring bear. I added an rtt and solar recently

Not to be a dick but this is a setup is on the verge of going wrong. Lots of Tacoma's get overloaded. Then adding that much weight up high (RTT), lifting it and adding bigger tires compounds the problem.

 

[fisherman983]

Having gone from a 2013 tacoma with a canopy to a 2021 f150, I'd say get an f150 or newer tundra. I definitely miss my taco and the ability to get into some smaller tighter places and it rode better but my f150 had wayy more room and a 36 gallon tank.

Tacos have their place but for travel hunting a bigger truck would be better imo

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

 

[Loo.wii]

Not to be a dick but this is a setup is on the verge of going wrong. Lots of Tacoma's get overloaded. Then adding that much weight up high (RTT), lifting it and adding bigger tires compounds the problem.

Tent is less than 200 pounds
I’m well below weight

 

[DisplacedHusky]

I vote full size. I drive a F150 with 4 doors and a 6.5 ft bed. It’s a long truck to maneuver but my legs get me through the tough trails. I have spent a bunch of nights in the back and the added room is nice. The extra room in the cab is nice to throw stuff into when you hike out and it’s dark and you just want to crawl in bed. It also halls a lot of stuff for family vacations. As mentioned before, dust does sneak in the cracks of the canopy but you can add some extra weather stripping and it’s not too bad. Are you old enough for the bump-up canopy yet? I’m almost there.

 

[Maverick1]

I am fortunate and can sleep anywhere, including the front seat of the vehicle. It’s really convenient. Just pull over, recline the front seat as far as it will go, and climb into the sleeping bag. Parking on an uphill makes it more reclined, which is nice.

 

[flatelk]

A full size wouldn’t even fit my garage. They are ridiculous. I trail ride and camp and a mid size is perfect for that with my family of three.

 

[Boarmaster]

I’m in the full size camp myself. I’m just a lot more comfortable in a larger truck.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

I have a F150 with a 5.5 bed and camper shell. I can fit a 25"x78" sleeping pad diagonally (on top of a Decked system) and sleep really well (I'm 6' tall). It's been a great set up and I really like a full size, but I have 4 kids and need to fit the entire family in the truck at times.

If I was in your situation, with your budget (assuming you have 2 kids or less), I'd be looking at a used Tacoma with a 6' bed and I'd put a mid-rise shell on it. I think you'll get a longer lasting truck for the money and sounds like it would do everything you need.

 

[Coldtrail]

I think a guy needs to simply decide what is most important, I have a 1/2 ton and a Tacoma & both serve different purposes. The Tacoma is bone stock access cab V6, no topper, no bolt ons, hauls about 500# during fall/winter which I'd say is probably the limit for weight in the bed. I have it because it's lower tech to fix and in my experience a better off road rig for my needs. I can run whatever I want for tires & its adequate and chain up the rears if I need to. My mileage is pretty decent and in the mid 20's highway. I'm solo most of the time, 6'4 & 53yo so it's no Cadillac but I've taken it all over the country and don't find it a big problem, no matter what I drive I need to get out and stretch so for me it's survivable. I wouldn't topper it, I think the extra 200# would be pretty noticeable when added to my already 500#. For me the tacoma is a tool, I want it to do what I need at minimal cost so I don't put anything on it that's not a benefit. I have friends with the same truck in a 4dr with topper and bigger tires who really struggle to get decent gas mileage.

My 1/2 ton is by far a better highway rig, if my driving was point A to point B with a bunch of freeway time I'd stick with a topper & half ton and never look back. My 13yo 1/2 ton has been a very good truck and done a good amount off off road, but doubt it would survive what the tacoma gets put through day in day out. To me the modern half tons have too much technology crammed into them to be able to handle much off road abuse.....why I got a few yr old Tacoma vs new model 1/2ton.

 

[TSAMP]

My vote is for the full size truck. When I had my Tacoma, two things bugged me enough to sell it to my brother in law. One was the lousy mileage they get. Two was the fact that I was ALWAYS trying to figure out where to put stuff. Ok, I guess there were three things that bugged me. I've converted a cargo trailer into a camper for some of our excursions. The wife and I use it on our fishing trips, and we use it on some hunts where we don't set up a wall tent (elk hunting in NM primarily). On the first trip with the cargo trailer, the Tacoma drove me nuts. All it did was try to find the right gear to drive in. Constant shifting, even with the overdrive off (sorry, can't remember what that little button is actually called).
So why is the full size better? Well, in my small Duramax (6 cyl) Sierra 1500, I routinely get 25 MPG around town and on the highway, so the mileage is at least 25% better than the Taco. Second, I can get two dogs, shotguns, 4 hunters, water, lunch, coolers, etc., all in the crew cab 1500 no problem. And everyone is comfortable, so the several hour drive to any hunting spot is good, and once you're there it does find on any forest service road we find. As for towing, there is no comparison between it and the Taco - I can pull the cargo trailer, with or without a 4 wheeler or my Range SxS, and yes the mileage drops, but still plenty of power to get you out of anything or race home at hunt's end at highway speeds.
After having a less than desireable experience with my home made truck bed drawers, I now have a Decked system, version 2. What a difference. My shell has side doors, so you can reach in and grab vests, bow cases, anything you need really easily. The drawers are configured to hold fly fishing equipment when appropriate, shotguns when appropriate, and my bow when I'm bowhunting. And all weatherproof and secure.
That's my two cents. Your hunting needs will likely vary. Good luck!

Pics

 

[displacedtexan]

A full size wouldn’t even fit my garage. They are ridiculous. I trail ride and camp and a mid size is perfect for that with my family of three.

A mid size wouldn't pull my trailers and haul plywood. They're ridiculous.

Horses for courses man.

F250 fits in my shop great.

 

[TSAMP]

I think a guy needs to simply decide what is most important, I have a 1/2 ton and a Tacoma & both serve different purposes. The Tacoma is bone stock access cab V6, no topper, no bolt ons, hauls about 500# during fall/winter which I'd say is probably the limit for weight in the bed. I have it because it's lower tech to fix and in my experience a better off road rig for my needs. I can run whatever I want for tires & its adequate and chain up the rears if I need to. My mileage is pretty decent and in the mid 20's highway. I'm solo most of the time, 6'4 & 53yo so it's no Cadillac but I've taken it all over the country and don't find it a big problem, no matter what I drive I need to get out and stretch so for me it's survivable. I wouldn't topper it, I think the extra 200# would be pretty noticeable when added to my already 500#. For me the tacoma is a tool, I want it to do what I need at minimal cost so I don't put anything on it that's not a benefit. I have friends with the same truck in a 4dr with topper and bigger tires who really struggle to get decent gas mileage.

My 1/2 ton is by far a better highway rig, if my driving was point A to point B with a bunch of freeway time I'd stick with a topper & half ton and never look back. My 13yo 1/2 ton has been a very good truck and done a good amount off off road, but doubt it would survive what the tacoma gets put through day in day out. To me the modern half tons have too much technology crammed into them to be able to handle much off road abuse.....why I got a few yr old Tacoma vs new model 1/2ton.

I think you could use the technology argument on any older truck not just a taco. My 2014 f150 has manual.headlights and no options. It's been bulletproof. I drove it 11 hrs home with hundreds of pounds of clay stuck to it and didn't think twice.

The fact is the mid size trucks offer generally no substantial fuel economy improvements. On paper it makes no sense besides possibly better off road width. A large percentage of the guys who have a taco on here don't seem to DD it either. Or at least also have another full size truck to do actual truck stuff.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I like my F250 w/ campershell, go any where when it’s dry, but go no where or thread lightly when it’s real wet. Good news is with diesel you learn quickly not to press your luck. Gas you get a little more daring. With that’s I also use SxS or horses

 

[OkiechasingElk]

Full size vote for me. I've never owned a Mid-size. I've traditionally flipped between 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons.

Love my 2022 1/2 ton AT4X. It handle some trails in CO last year, that should be reserved for a Jeep or SxS. The 6.2L gets terrible mileage pulling my trailer with a SxS and ATV on it, otherwise it can't really be beat for function, ability to navigate terrain, and tech. Not really in the price range being discussed.

But overall the flexibility to tow, haul, comfort, and get in/out of where you want to go. Why limit yourself to a Midsize?

 

[Coldtrail]

I think you could use the technology argument on any older truck not just a taco. My 2014 f150 has manual.headlights and no options. It's been bulletproof. I drove it 11 hrs home with hundreds of pounds of clay stuck to it and didn't think twice.

The fact is the mid size trucks offer generally no substantial fuel economy improvements. On paper it makes no sense besides possibly better off road width. A large percentage of the guys who have a taco on here don't seem to DD it either. Or at least also have another full size truck to do actual truck stuff.

Valid points and i agree, keep in mind I'm not a Toyota salesman, just own both and swear at, as well as praise each one for different reasons from time to time which is kinda why the thread was started.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Full size vote for me. I've never owned a Mid-size. I've traditionally flipped between 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons.

Love my 2022 1/2 ton AT4X. It handle some trails in CO last year, that should be reserved for a Jeep or SxS. The 6.2L gets terrible mileage pulling my trailer with a SxS and ATV on it, otherwise it can't really be beat for function, ability to navigate terrain, and tech. Not really in the price range being discussed.

But overall the flexibility to tow, haul, comfort, and get in/out of where you want to go. Why limit yourself to a Midsize?

The at4x comes in the 3.0 diesel now. much better range

 

[OkiechasingElk]

The at4x comes in the 3.0 diesel now. much better range

Yea, my dad has the baby-diesel in his '21 AT4. I just can't stand the fact that it sounds like a puppy panting for 3-4 minutes after he shuts it off. LOL

My next truck will be a 2500 AT4 Diesel anyway. Starting to tow more often both at work and in out west.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Yea, my dad has the baby-diesel in his '21 AT4. I just can't stand the fact that it sounds like a puppy panting for 3-4 minutes after he shuts it off. LOL

My next truck will be a 2500 AT4 Diesel anyway. Starting to tow more often both at work and in out west.

lol panting puppy. that’s funny.

I wish GM would of put atleast an e-locker in front of the new 2500 ATX4

 

[5MilesBack]

They are a tool. And because they are a tool, a single tool doesn't excel for everything. So, either have multiple tools to cover all situations........or pick the one that has the least amount of tradeoffs for everything you use a truck for.

On the first trip with the cargo trailer, the Tacoma drove me nuts. All it did was try to find the right gear to drive in.

That wasn't the truck, that was the darn "automatic" transmission. I absolutely HATE automatic transmissions. Doesn't matter which one, none of them upshift or downshift when I want or expect them to, and constantly shift when I don't want them to. Gosh, doing 80 on the interstate empty on a 1% up grade and the transmission just decides that it wants to downshift for no good reason. Hate them. Love my manuals.