Every year, from the myriad of flashy SEMA builds, there’s a handful of off-road rigs that people can’t stop talking about. One of 2021’s standouts was no doubt Toyota’s Tacoma Overlanding Concept, however the attention it drew was not due to beyond-reach exuberance.
Overlanding has taken the world by storm. Fueled by the ongoing pandemic, adventurous types are looking for safer ways to travel and explore. Overlanding has been the answer for many. The idea around this Tacoma build was to inspire overlanders to enrich their 4WD experiences.
Toyota selected Cruiser Outfitters founder and owner Kurt Williams to help them build a capable, versatile overlanding beast without an extravagant price tag. In order to do so, they decided to use a Toyota Tacoma SR5 as the bones of the project.
Explains Williams, “We chose modest yet approachable modifications to create a really great long-weekend adventure truck that doesn’t detract from being an everyday driver… Not everyone can buy, let alone find, a TRD Pro, so we wanted to build on the SR5 platform since it’s a great starting point to customize.”
Overlanding by definition requires being self-sufficient off the grid for an extended period of time. Doing so requires plenty of storage and organization for important necessities, so this “weekend warrior” Tacoma is equipped with ARB’s new BASE Rack and Outback Solutions Storage System. The fully-welded BASE Rack offers superior strength with weight-conscious aluminum and a dovetail attachment system that makes loading up an absolute breeze. The Tacoma is the latest fitment to be released from ARB and is expected to hit the market early 2022.
Secured on top of the drawer system, an ARB Elements Fridge Freezer is mounted. The weather-proof fridge can hold enough food and drinks for a weekend in the wild for four people. No soggy food. No stops for ice.
Taking charge at the front of the vehicle is ARB’s iconic Summit Bumper which is crucial for two reasons: 1) it protects the vehicle from trail debris and animal strikes and 2) it houses a Warn winch. What’s more, ARB bumpers are designed to work with safety system and adaptive cruise control sensors, so no functionality is lost in protecting the front-end of the truck. Rounding out the armor is a dual swing rear bumper, rock sliders and UVP from Expedition One.
No overland beast is complete without suspension upgrades. While many systems support heavy-loaded overlanding rigs, Old Man Emu’s BP-51 suspension offers customizable comfort. Rebound and compression can be independently adjusted on BP-51 shock absorbers for a fine-tuned ride. This means shocks can be dialed stiffer for rugged off-road terrain, then easily softened for the trip home on pavement. Additionally, BP-51 suspension’s by-pass technology scales for more control on challenging terrain.
TLDR: this rig is ready to conquer anything.
