Toyota vs SxS

[RichardSkinner]

Where are we hunting at? It’s a lot better when you dgaf about the body, paint, or armor, and the rig is tested through some of the nastiest trails in the West.

 

[WRO]

Tacomas in this thread.
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My old taco

 

[WeiserBucks]

I just wanted to post this pic. Ha
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To the OP. I would get the Tacoma. Not having to trailer and unload is worth it. You will lose a little mobility but not a ton. Just know your Tacoma limits and you’ll save 100’s of hours of hassle in the long run.

What are the 100's of hours of hassle? SXS and Tacoma owner here.

 

[JF_Idaho]

Damn. I have a Tacoma and broke my shovel. Had to buy a new one. Guess I better go move some rocks around the backyard to scratch it up. I'm looking like a overland poser. FML.....

 

[Stache Attack]

I would go pickup and leave anyone who doesn’t fit behind. If I was only on private/expendable income I would take the side by side.

So much more you can accomplish in a small pickup and longevity is huge.

 

[nphunter]

IMO you give up speed for anything out there except a Raptor, and those don’t fit on many tight trails. There’s no perfect vehicle, but I tend to gravitate to my Jeep the most. Getting to different trailheads in one day might require pavement which is a no go for SXS in my state (mostly). My Jeep is quieter as well. It’ll go anywhere my SXS will and more maybe.

However, on crappy two tracks I’m doing 10mph max in the jeep, 5 mph in my F350 or 20mph in the SXS. Covering ground from a glamp camp might chew up hours each day and a SXS can cut that in half.

Basically you need an HD tow vehicle, SXS and Jeep. And maybe livestock. Also good boots.

My wife and young sons hate the cold so we plan around the SXS or jeep for them. For me, I’m leaning more towards lighter base camp at the end of a gnarly Jeep trail, then boot it from there…

lol, I drive my aired down vehicles faster than i ever drove my SXS in the woods. Good shocks and 10psi absorb a ton of bumps and the longer wheel base of a vehicle makes it much smoother in the ruts. I’m normally 25+ on 90% of roads, a little less when the old lady is with me.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

lol, I drive my aired down vehicles faster than i ever drove my SXS in the woods. Good shocks and 10psi absorb a ton of bumps and the longer wheel base of a vehicle makes it much smoother in the ruts.

It’s crazy to me that I still meet guys on trails who don’t/wont air down.

 

[nphunter]

It’s crazy to me that I still meet guys on trails who don’t/wont air down.

I see it everytime in the woods. Followed a two door rubicon for a couple miles last weekend at 5mph with fully aired 35’s. I feel like 80% of guys even in built jeeps and tacos don’t air down enough, if I’m going to be in the woods for multiple days I’m down around 6-8lbs in my tundra on 33’s, even lower when I had a Rubicon in 37’s.

 

[nphunter]

Gen 2 Tacomas are great. I went from a SXS to and Wrangler to an Unlimited Rubicon to a Taco and now a 05 tundra. The Rubicon was my favorite but was a little small for out of state hunting trips with my boys. The Taco was great as well but I feel like the 05 tundra is the best all around. For a dedicated wheeler an Unlimited Rubicon with 37’s or 40’s with Hydro assist is almost impossible to beat, still super road worthy, as good of mpg Tacoma and can be had for about $20K.

 

[Dogone]

I am told that the lifespan of a sxs is about 30,000 miles. Would certainly vary with hard usage. That is good for half a lifetime for most people. Drive into oblivion or flip often.

 

[omicron1792]

Tr

What are the 100's of hours of hassle? SXS and Tacoma owner here.

Trailering a side by side to go hunt over many hunts

 

[swavescatter]

Tr

Trailering a side by side to go hunt over many hunts

But with a SXS you get that time back each day during the hunt. I don't care what guys on here say about having Tacomas that can safely and comfortably drive on rough terrain as fast as a SXS. I don't buy it unless they're running full on baja/rock crawler rigs. Most SXS only run 12 PSI normally AND have much more compliant suspension with travel.

It's extra work loading/unloading, but for SOME of my hunts my SXS makes sense. We might hit places 30 miles from camp before sunrise, and the SXS can give you back an easy 30 min+ of sleep. For any unit where I'm crossing pavement frequently, I'm taking the Jeep due to the hassle of trailering daily.

Kombucha/yoga run? Tacoma for sure is king.

 

[WeiserBucks]

If pulling a little trailer is to much of a hassle just forget about the SXS.

 

[Lngrange Hntr]

I have owned a Polaris XD1500 SXS for a little over a year now. This is a full size 4 door SXS and about the same size as a small pickup. It does become a hassle having to trailer it to and from my hunting areas. If I could do it all over again I would go with a small 4x4 truck dedicated as a hunting vehicle.

 

[dirtytough]

I bought my SXS in 2015 for $12k out the door. The same one is $16k today. You don't need a $30k+ SXS by any stretch of the imagination.

Not going to lie I’m a Can am fan. But what’s the price on a fully enclosed SxS that has a bed and seats 4 people? I usually see Can ams and Polaris and they are easily $25k plus even used. I paid like $10.5k for my 2020. But it’s not a 4 seater. It’s not fully enclosed. No heater, etc.

Nice side effect of the reduced drive time is more sleep. If I can eliminate 2 hours of driving in the dark, in a perfect world that would equate to 2 hours of additional sleep.

I’ve hunted this one area a few times in November. A couple times we camped right at the start of the crappy roads. Once we stayed 10 miles away in a little cabin from the start of the crappy roads.

Camping at the entrance isn’t horrible. But we still leave early and get to our destination in the dark. Then we sit there in the cold waiting for daylight. If you don’t get to a spot at least 30 minutes early someone else will be there.

Staying in the cabin wasn’t great because you are cruising in the cold first thing. We could trailer but I dislike spending the time to get the machine strapped down at night and unstrapped in the morning. Plus same as above.

So even if driving slower in a pickup it probably wouldn’t make a difference in the morning. At night it would make a difference driving out with a SxS vs a pickup.

I might get a little more sleep with a SxS. Late season vehicle hunts vs early backpack hunts or work I get more sleep anyway on late season hunts with the lack of daylight.

Im glad most concur that Bilstein 5100's are pure trash. I hated them on my 2500 and tacoma. On my 1500, I went King's with longer travel UCA's. Now that is a comfortable ride. I put Fox's on my Honda 1k SxS. Huge difference over stock. Stock I might as well been driving an Osh Kosh. I LOVE my SxS when I use it. Weather, dust and terrain dependant for me. I do have spots here in AZ, that I refuse to take my pickup. It's over an hour on a SxS and in a pickup would probably be close to double maybe 1.5 and you'd be pissing blood by the time you got there. Perfect world, you have all 3. A nice pickup to haul with, a Tacoma and a SxS. If I went Tacoma, I would probably trailer it.

If I had the room I would just keep my SxS and buy a Toyota. Since storage is limited I have to decide which is best suited for us. A 4 seat enclosed SxS or a pickup with upgraded suspension.


I have ridden in a stock Toyota. Maybe I’m a wuss but even compared to my F150 the Toyota is a rough riding vehicle imo.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Not going to lie I’m a Can am fan. But what’s the price on a fully enclosed SxS that has a bed and seats 4 people? I usually see Can ams and Polaris and they are easily $25k plus even used. I paid like $10.5k for my 2020. But it’s not a 4 seater. It’s not fully enclosed. No heater, etc.

Mine is bare bones, budget model. Works fine and does what I ask it to do. To me it's just another tool not a luxury item, I'm not paying for a full cab, heater, A/C, 13 light bars and whatever else people do. It just needs to go from point A to point B and back, I don't drive it around all day road hunting like so many guys do.

A guy I used to work with bought a new $25k SXS several years ago for "hunting" and complained after using it the first season he had it, said he put 1300 miles on it, killed 9 bottles of whiskey and didn't see any elk. Cracks me up

 

[Poser]

Hell my 4Runner Trail with locker in the back and ATRAC can't even go where my Mule Pro will go and it has an open front axle. And if the Toyota could get there, it takes 3 or 4 times as long.

Are you talking about the illusive 4th Gen 4Runner V8 "Trail Edition" or the new 6th Gen 4cyl Turbo"Trail hunter"?

I've only actually ever seen one of the 4th Gen Trail Editions in the wild, but those are baddass. Not sure what to think about a 4 cyl 4Runner.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

With a small truck you have ac in the summer and heat in the winter. You can lock your shit up in it. If you are tall (I am 6’5”), a small truck will fit way better than a SxS. I have ridden in several and it is no comparison. Even the best fully enclosed SxS doesn’t fully seal and keep dust out. Truck beds are bigger and more functional. You can throw a shell on it and sleep in the back or keep your gear dry. Can you get there a little faster with a SXS? Sure, probably, but it will be nowhere near as comfortable.

I looked hard at jeeps, but at the end of the day they are a stellantis POS and no where near as reliable as a Toyota or Nissan pickup. Plus the newer bodies are very wide.

 

[Customweld]

Mine is bare bones, budget model. Works fine and does what I ask it to do. To me it's just another tool not a luxury item, I'm not paying for a full cab, heater, A/C, 13 light bars and whatever else people do. It just needs to go from point A to point B and back, I don't drive it around all day road hunting like so many guys do.

A guy I used to work with bought a new $25k SXS several years ago for "hunting" and complained after using it the first season he had it, said he put 1300 miles on it, killed 9 bottles of whiskey and didn't see any elk. Cracks me up

Exactly. They are just tools. I have a Tacoma, SxS and a quad. Each has it's purpose. As it sits right now, there is no way in hell I'd take my Toyota where I take my Pioneer.

 

[WeiserBucks]

As it sits right now, there is no way in hell I'd take my Toyota where I take my Pioneer.

Take em both to the same places for 10 years and see which one is clapped.