I tried looking around and of course there are many varying opinions on the topic on the net, but I did not find anything 4runner specific or regarding a similar scenario.

I was wondering at what point is a winch or other gear/mods is a good and practical investment? Would there be any advantages/disadvantages between hidden winch, hybrid, and full bumper as well?

Here is my situation/4runner use:
washboard roads, trail offroading, camping, hunting, fishing/ice fishing. Typically camping in forest type areas, and I prefer to go in the colder months to avoid the mosquitos. no rock crawling, but the trails can get quite muddy and also be covered in snow.

I usually just go with the wife and rarely go with someone else so it may help with being self sufficient if I do get stuck somehow. I have been lucky so far and have not gotten stuck, but the trails can get pretty worn and beaten down and I can see when it rains hard that some roads do get washed out.

I would like to try and venture out to more secluded trails as well eventually once I can find some places to go.

Because I have a large RTT(Smittybilt XL) I don't think maxtrax on the roof is an option(dont think they would fit). I may try and look again and take measurements.

Current mods:
2018 ORP
bilstein 5100/OME 2" lift, 285/70 KO2's, SSO roof rack, baja designs lights all around, switchrpos 9100, BPF Molle panels, shrockworks dual battery kit, smittybilt XL RTT

I have not gotten any armor/sliders since I do not go to any rocky areas(yet). I may consider suspension upgrade to kings/fox if I find the need. Right now I am trying to be practical about mods and get them for real life use cases.

Any info or advice is appreciated.

If you think you need a winch, you need a winch.

But it's no replacement for going out with a buddy or two.

The first time it bails you out, it will have been worth it.

That seems to be my thoughts right now. I am not sure if it is an "immediate" need, but seems like it would be a safe bet and to be at the upper part of the to-do list. As you have said, all it takes is one time needing it for it to be worth it. The places I go currently aren't anything crazy, but its out of any cell reception range unless I walk .5-1 mile, and maybe I can get a bar.

Unfortunately I dont have any offroad friends. I do occasionally go with a couple other people for hunting/fishing/camping, but they are much less prepared than I am.

The Winch is desirable for you if you are in snow and potentially mud and by yourself. Especially in a forested area where there are a lot of hook up points. Just get a tree saver with it. You may not use it for years but as Opie! said above, you need it once and it's paid for itself. PLUS it's useful for all sorts of things like clearing a fallen tree out of your path or hanging a sun shower bag over a tree limb at the perfect height =)

If it was me I would get a hidden winch or a front hitch and a winch on a cradle you can take off when you're not out in the woods. A front bumper if probably overkill for you and most people on here, yet everyone seems to recommend them. Not sure why, they're expensive and heavy and will absolutely require a front suspension re-work.

Yea the hidden winch seems most practical/favorable. less weight, less hassle, less cost, and if I decided to go back to stock I only need to replace the front valence. Only downside is no anchor/tow points.

I'd agree on the hybrid. Keeps the looks I like about the 4runner and probably (though I don't really know) keeps a good bit of the aerodynamics and less of a wind drag

I have had trucks with winches and without them as well in the past. Currently, I do not have a winch on my T4R (waiting for a lift as I've added a fair bit of weight already and it is beginning to sag). The most important stuff, IMHO, when going off road is a good set of off road tires, followed by decent recovery gear and perhaps traction boards. You can recover out of a fair bit of tough situations by airing down and using traction boards and if you go off roading with a group and you have recovery points and a strap you can use that to get out during a pinch. Having said that, a good winch is not very expensive these days and if you plan on going solo then it is a really really good and affordable insurance policy given how much you would pay to recover your rig in case you cannot get unstuck on your own. I haven't met someone who has a hidden winch mount but from what I've read you kind off get the same capability as if you were rocking a steel bumper so that is a cost-effective way of going about it..

Recovery boards was my first thought, but the RTT takes up the entire roof rack so there is no place to mount them. I will definitely have to consider all options. Since the hidden winch mount does not have clutch access, I would probably get a Warn Zeon platinum 10s. I also like how it looks mostly OEM and does not require much cutting.

My comfort level might be different but I would prioritize traction boards over a winch and would most certainly try to find some way of carrying them. I've seen folks carry them in bags and then wrap it up in some tarp if they get dirty. Those along with some way to air-down/up is essential in getting unstuck from my limited experience. Keep in mind that when you rock a winch you will also have a much larger recovery bag as you'll need a tree protector, shackles and Snatch Block etc. so that too will eat some space..You can spend anywhere from $500 to $1500 for a winch in the 8-10K lb class and all work reasonably well (depending upon how much you'l use them) but I wouldn't skimp out on on other recovery kit..

Thanks! I would definitely buy recovery gear as well. I could probably fit that one a bag on the molle panel. Usually by the time I pack everything in, I am not sure there would be sufficient room for recovery boards. But I will continue looking into how I could try and make it work. I did get the mount for an ARB single compressor near the secondary air injection pump(Shrockworks relocation kit), I just need to buy the compressor. Maybe recovery boards mounted on a C4 ladder could be a better option. Will look into it more.

I too am torn about a winch on our month old TRD ORP. I have one on our FJCruiser and have done tons of 4wd trails in the west and never needed it except once to drag a small tree out of the way that had fallen across the trail. Honestly I could have moved it with just a strap.
So I'm torn about putting a winch on the 4R since it will likely not go on trails as tough as some we did in the FJC.
But then that nagging feeling of needing it and not having it creeps into my mind......

No one knows your habits, preferences and use like you do so if you haven't felt a need for it, and you have experience out on the trail then I would make it low priority. That is almost the same situation I find myself in. I've used winches in the past but have also been ok plenty of times without them and the off-road driving I intend on doing given my current situation is going to be moderate and with others so it is quite low on my priority list..I'll probably end up getting it but only after all the other stuff that is higher priority..

There are recovery points that work with the OEM "bumper".
I too am still deciding on my uparmoring strategy. Since I'm in the desert, there are no trees to hook to. Rocks large enough might be too large. So a winch would be best vehicle to vehicle for me.
So I'll be concentrating on front recovery points, then skid plates, then winch mount/bumper.
Already have a rear/receiver recovery point.

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