4th gen as expedition vehicle

A

alexh1

New member
Hi all,

I currently own a 98 Tacoma TRD which has served me very well but I need something more suitable for long trips on and off road. One of my main requirements is the ability to sleep in the back of the vehicle and this is not ideal in a truck shell for various reasons. Also the older Tacoma's are very noisy and I can only imagine how much more comfortable the runner is.

The runner has wheel arches in the cargo area but I don't see this as a problem since I would probably install a storage drawer system (could make it if none exist) level with the arches. If this was done could 2 people (up to 6' tall) sleep in the back and still be able to sit upright? I thought I read that the rear seats do not fold in the 4th gen but in pictures they look like they do. In any case I could remove them if necessary.

BTW, I considered the FJ cruiser and although both vehicles are based on the same chassis it seems the FJ chose form over function in regards to cargo capacity. Edmunds says the 2010 runner (no fold down seat data for 4th gen) cargo capacity is 89 cu ft whereas the FJ is only 66 cu ft. Not sure where all the space went in the FJ but cargo capacity is very important to me.

The only other must have is an expedition roof rack. I'm partial to the Wilderness rack as it has adapters for Yakima cross bars and thus you can use any Yakima bike. kayak etc. mounts. Also, wilderness has a multitude of accessory mounts for hi lift jacks, gas cans etc. There does not seem to be an application guide link on their website now but I'm hoping a wilderness rack could be used even if some mount fabrication might be required, perhaps using the factory roof rack mounts.

Thanks for any answers!
 
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There are several expo 4th gen (2003-2009) builds here and on toyota120.com, although a 2010 as you mentioned is a 5th gen (2010-up). Still plenty of 5th gen expo rigs too though, it shares the platform with 4th gens so there are a lot of common items. It seems obvious that any gen 4runner should have more cargo space than the FJ.

As far as I know garvin does not make racks for 4runners but racks are made by Whitson Metalworks, Gobi, BajaRack, and others. Most of those also have mounts for gas cans, tents, yakima accessories, hi-lift, shovel/axe, etc. Most also make racks for 4th and 5th gens.

I recommend checking out [MENTION=15853]Redswan[/MENTION] 's 4Runner, he has an amazing expo build, that is well used, with a FrontRunner rack - http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/146153-mikes-redswan-2005-4x4-sport-edition.html

Also, I'm not 100% sure about the 5th gens but I know 4th gen rear seats do fold down. Some people who sleep back there often, and have no need for extra passengers, choose to remove the rear seat bottoms for about 6-8" of extra space when sleeping.

No cargo boxes are really made, but as you said it's pretty easy to DIY one and several people (including myself) have done that here. Be sure to check out the full-time rear AC power mod if you pull the trigger, seems to be a popular one with expo rigs here so you can have power at the hatch whether the 4R is on or off.

Welcome to the forum! I highly recommend checking out the technical write-ups, trip report, and gallery sub forums of toyota120.com, the forum there is much less active but the builds are pretty serious and many are geared toward expo.
 
In terms of competence aside from all other camping questions the ability to actually get there and get back with the 4th gen is superior. Just yesterday my wife and I went looking for some land to purchase in the Pauma Valley. There was 14 acres with a "road" through it. It just rained so the dirt was slick and muddy steep and rutty. We slipped a bit on the down hill but coming back in 4WD in low it was staggering (again) how competent the traction is and did I say fun?

The rear will be tight for sleeping....but you will get anywhere you want to go.
 
I suppose there are the arb and ironman options, but it sounds like he wants a sleeping platform and I don't think any of those will fill the space enough to work as such.
 
Most of the 4th gen 4runners have flip-and-fold back seats, that is, the bottom cushion flips up to vertical to lay alongside the back of the front seats and the back cushions flip downward to lay horizontally. They do NOT lie completely flat, however.

For additional load space, the bottom cushions can be removed entirely in less than 5 minutes with a 14mm socket.

I think the 4th gens that came with the optional 3rd row seat have a different seating arrangement, it's a fold-and-tumble 2nd row that is bigger and heavier than the flip and fold of the non-3rd row models, so stay away from any 4runners that have the 3rd row. I don't know how you take out the back seats in the 3rd row models.

2 people sleeping in the back is possible, although it would be tight. You'd definitely need to take the seat bottom cushions out to give you maximum length. I'm 6'1" and I barely fit in there by myself.

You also have to consider that 2 adults camping means you have stuff, so you not only need to fit the two campers, but also the stuff. I will be building a simple platform and hope to be able to stow a lot of my camping gear underneath it. Still, you may have to stow some of your gear on the roof if you are sleeping 2 people in a 4runner.
 
alexh1 said:
Hi all,

I currently own a 98 Tacoma TRD which has served me very well but I need something more suitable for long trips on and off road. One of my main requirements is the ability to sleep in the back of the vehicle and this is not ideal in a truck shell for various reasons. Also the older Tacoma's are very noisy and I can only imagine how much more comfortable the runner is.

The runner has wheel arches in the cargo area but I don't see this as a problem since I would probably install a storage drawer system (could make it if none exist) level with the arches. If this was done could 2 people (up to 6' tall) sleep in the back and still be able to sit upright? I thought I read that the rear seats do not fold in the 4th gen but in pictures they look like they do. In any case I could remove them if necessary.

BTW, I considered the FJ cruiser and although both vehicles are based on the same chassis it seems the FJ chose form over function in regards to cargo capacity. Edmunds says the 2010 runner (no fold down seat data for 4th gen) cargo capacity is 89 cu ft whereas the FJ is only 66 cu ft. Not sure where all the space went in the FJ but cargo capacity is very important to me.

The only other must have is an expedition roof rack. I'm partial to the Wilderness rack as it has adapters for Yakima cross bars and thus you can use any Yakima bike. kayak etc. mounts. Also, wilderness has a multitude of accessory mounts for hi lift jacks, gas cans etc. There does not seem to be an application guide link on their website now but I'm hoping a wilderness rack could be used even if some mount fabrication might be required, perhaps using the factory roof rack mounts.

Thanks for any answers!
Click to expand...

Build it, don't buy it!

My sleeping platform was mentioned above so I figured I'd chime in. We also considered going between the FJ and a 4runner. I'm very glad we choose the 4runner for a couple reasons. First off, the ground clearance is comparable, but the head room with a platform is not. I'm 5'11" and my platform is the perfect length for my to lay down and not have to move the seats forward. The rear drawers on my platform are 4" tall, and the overall height I think is 5" in the rear. I wanted to get a low profile system with plenty of room to sit up if we were stuck inside.

When building your own, you have a lot more choices on what you can do. The only thing I wish I did differently was use 80/20 extruded aluminum rather than the free mdf board I used. I have two slide out drawers in the back, one if the perfect size for a two burner camp stove, and the other is for the wife's stuff. Two smaller hatches directly in front of that holds camp fuel, cook set, paper towels, and so on. The two front compartments are quite a bit deeper. The drivers side can hold over a weeks worth of food with no problem, and the passenger side holds our tent, sleeping pads, and other small backpacking gear. As far as sleeping goes, plenty of room. That being said, I do have a 3rd Gen, and not a 4th Gen. Basic measurements of my sleep area is a full size bed. I have two MMA wrestling mats side by side with a full size egg crate on the top of it. My wife and I have two zero degree down bags that we zip together. The bag fills the platform perfectly, and has plenty of room for the two of us and our small dog.



You also talked about the wheel arches in the back. My platform is well below the top of the arches, and it doesn't cause any issues. I thought about notching the sleeping pads around them, but there was no need to do that.

 
Last edited:
alexh1 said:
...could 2 people (up to 6' tall) sleep in the back and still be able to sit upright? I thought I read that the rear seats do not fold in the 4th gen but in pictures they look like they do. In any case I could remove them if necessary.
Click to expand...

The roof is low and being able to sit up is going to depend on torso length and what you have under you for sleeping. I'm 5' 9" with somewhat long legs for my height and sitting upright leaves very little room above my head, although I'm missing about an inch or two of height due to the double decker (OEM) storage system which makes the entire area flat when the seats are folded down. See here. The distance from the (removable) folded seat backs to the tailgate is 5' 10".

I can't sit completely upright under the moon roof area which takes up a solid 2+ inches of headroom and extends rearward about as far as the rear door handles. If you can find any, you may want to look at some trucks without a moon rooof. I still love having one, though, for the ability to cover it with a screen and have instant access to bug free ventilation.
 
I just completed an 11,000km trip with my 4th gen and I couldnt ask for more!(maybe an awning) . I have a sleeping platform with a fridge integrated in there and I slept better than I do at home. The 4runner took me everywhere I wanted to from the high country in Colorado to most of the difficult trails in Moab.

Here is a pic of the truck. I'll snap one of the inside set up.
 
84ability said:
Pics aren't showing up? I created an account on that site hoping they would show up, very interested.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I just tried in different browsers without logging in, and they do show up for me. Were you able to see them after registering for Expedition Portal? Please do let me know if you still have trouble.
 
laufer said:
Hmmm... I just tried in different browsers without logging in, and they do show up for me. Were you able to see them after registering for Expedition Portal? Please do let me know if you still have trouble.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, just tried it on my phone and was able to see them. Must have been blocked by my work firewall originally.
 
djtc said:
I just completed an 11,000km trip with my 4th gen and I couldnt ask for more!(maybe an awning) . I have a sleeping platform with a fridge integrated in there and I slept better than I do at home. The 4runner took me everywhere I wanted to from the high country in Colorado to most of the difficult trails in Moab.

Here is a pic of the truck. I'll snap one of the inside set up.
Click to expand...

Whoa I'm diggin the white steelies! What kind of snorkel you got on there?
 
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