Other Interests among 4Runner Owners
 

We all have one thing in common, our love of these fantastic SUVs. I am pretty sure there are other common interests we share as well. Guns is one of them, a lot of you have made that pretty clear. I shoot skeet a few times a year in Texas but keep my hobbies gun free for the most part. (I do love that center console safe).

1) Mountain Bike Riding - I got a Kuat bike rack for our yearly drives to Colorado and that thing is nearly perfect. Took it to Marble Falls in Texas over memorial day weekend and had a blast riding in the Texas Hill country with friends/family. The Kuat NV 2.0 rack is the best IMO, but it's not cheap. I am able to fit 2 adult bikes on the rack and 2 kids bikes in the back of the 4Runner, it's perfect for a family of 4.

2) Camping - I'm not an overlander, and usually try to rent a "screened shelter" or something similar when we head out. Anyone near South Texas needs to check out Brazos Bend State Park, a great place to spend a day or two with the family.

3) Off-roading with my son - My wife and daughter don't like it so it's become something I do with my son. We just went to Hidden Falls adventure park Memorial Day weekend and really enjoyed it. So many helpful people there to assist and a ton of Toyota guys willing to share their stories and modifications. Thanks to the two guys I met last Sunday, your 4Runners are awesome!

4) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - I'm a lover, not a fighter but I'm always looking for ways to stay in shape and there is no exercise like grappling with grown ass men. It's been great for me, even at 42, and I wish I would have started earlier.

I have a feeling this group has a decent amount of endurance racers, fisherman, outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, surfers, etc. There is no other vehicle I can think of outside of a Jeep that asks to be taken out and used outdoors. It's made me more active and that alone is worth the price of the vehicle. I just love this thing. What do you do in your 4Runner?

Mountain Biking (I ride an Orange Crush 27.5 hard tail), Hiking with the wife and dog, Camping with the wife and dog, Recreational and competitive shooting.


I am also into Nitro 1/8 RC Truggy racing as fun hobby, but haven't done it in a while.

Many of the same hobbies without a doubt. Mountain biking is by far my favorite though, nothing like really getting out to some remote areas.

1Up makes by far the best rack system though. Give it a try whenever your Kuat breaks.

I'd love to get into archery but have too many hobbies as it stands.

I just spent $650 on one with the hopes it'll never break! I took a deep dive on racks recently and did see the Kuat and 1Up are at the top of the reviews. My familiarity with Kuat from my last rack tipped me to the NV 2.0. I also like the ability to add extension for another pair of bikes, most high end racks have this feature. Heading to Leadville CO in August to cheer on my buddy who's competing in his 10th race up there. Just being around those people will inspire you to do more with yourself.

Rafting!
 

We had a week to buy a vehicle last summer between river trips when we grenaded the transmission on our Pilot on the way home from the Rogue and didn't have time to get it fixed before heading to Idaho for the Middle Fork of the Salmon. My wife and I both agreed immediately on a 4Runner to handle getting us to and from the boat launches.

Since getting the 4Runner we've gotten more into exploring our neck of the woods on "roads" that the Pilot wouldn't have enjoyed.

Amazing shots. My two Brother In Laws guided on the Royal Gorge for years in college and I went out a few times. Nothing like what you just showed but it was exhilarating none the less. People really underestimate how powerful those rivers can be, especially when the water levels are high.

Edit: My wife drives a 2017 Pilot and while she loves it the transmission is the worst thing about it. That and the lack of a volume knob.

Yeah, our Pilot was a 2004 with the 5 speed that gave us 14 years and 150k miles. Our plan was to drive it until it died, and we pretty much did it. Over the last few years downshifts into 3rd got harder until it finally went to downshift up a hill pulling the trailer and there was just no gear there anymore. Amazingly, we were able to limp home as 1-2 and 4-5 both still worked. We replaced the transmission before selling it (cleared a whopping $1,000 on the sale after the $5,000 repair costs) since we couldn't bear to just let it die that way.

I'm hoping the 4Runner will go well beyond the 150k we got out of the Pilot. The reputed longevity was one of the deciding points, along with it being totally bad-ass in comparison to a 2004 beige Pilot!

I almost bought a Pilot but luckily got 4Runner instead. I had a Tacoma for 11 yrs and 236,000 miles and decided to stay with Toyota.

As far as interests outside of the T4R, I play guitar. I actually made one last year. Wanted to see what the process would be building one, so I did. I play ice hockey when I can. Had a back operation a few years ago so that makes playing regularly a bit rough. Play golf when I can for same reasons. I used to ride motorcycles. Track riding was awesome. Street is a bit too dangerous in North Jersey. I recently took a small motor repair class and fixed up a 50cc Yamaha dirt bike for my sons to learn on. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4c9a7f60ac.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...781c1da6e9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0830ef274c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ba93787482.jpg

I wish I was more athletic like some of you guys, my outdoors lifestyle includes hiking, and drinking :o

I do enjoy being outdoors but never found anyone to go mountain biking or any water activities with. So wife and I usually just resort to outdoors beer and wine festivals, we love our wines and beers.

I love cars and racing, used to race a 335i at VIR but after getting married, budget went to building a family. :)

Wife and I do love traveling. We have been to 34 countries so far. Will be at 46 countries by the end of next year. We thoroughly enjoy eating various cuisines and love street food in other countries. been sick on occasions (diarrhea) but eff it, e-coli be damned. lol.

NFL - Wife and I are both Panthers fans.

Mountain biking is my top (I ride a 2016 Scott Genius 740 that has had every part upgraded, besides brake calipers and levers).

I also started road biking now too (2016 Cannondale CAAD12).

Camping with the wife and dog, along with hiking is another one.

A bunch of endurance-y things:

Bike racing (road and cx), trail running and road trips to watch endurance sportscar racing.

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Hobbies other than the 4Runner
 

Mountain biking - I ride a 2010 Specialized XC Pro or 2016 Salsa Beargrease Carbon X7 depending on conditions and trail. Love both.

Hiking - living in Anchorage, awesome hiking within 20 minutes.

Fishing - when I can!

Oh, and I do work.....

We share many interests. I also love cars and tracked my last car (BMW M4 - not me in the car) in almost every track Texas has to offer. That became too expensive for me so I sold the car, then flooded in Houston losing my 4Th Gen 4Runner, and drove a GTI for the last 2 years. It's a great car, and the most bang for the buck vehicle I've ever owned. I am very glad to be back in a 4Runner now but do miss the GTI from time to time. Small and zippy is a lot of fun.

I'm also a HUGE sports fan and my teams are the Houston Astros (!), the Houston Rockets, Colorado Avalanche (wife is from CO) and sometimes the Houston Texans. The Texans just haven't won me over like my other teams. I've always like Cam Newton and feel he's been treated unfairly as a pro. He can be my QB anydday.

I also travel for my work and have been to North Africa at least 50 times. This is nothing to brag about. I've been on all continents with exception of Australia and Antarctica. You've been to more countries and travelling is really underappreciated.

Finally, it's never too late to get in shape. I didn't start exercising until I was 30 and now at 42 I don't know what I'd do without it. Lots of guys at my gym start later in life, all that matters is that you start. Thanks for the response.

Ham radio.