Camping trailer or Tundra?

[thegame7]

Kind of weighing my options here but the wife and I have 1 kiddo (20 months) and another on the way. The 4th gen is still a good vehicle for us until I think about loading it up to go camping, space quickly runs out. The 4runner is getting kind of up there in miles (223k) but it would be reliable for many more years. It's got power and is easy to drive around town, love it.

For doing truck stuff, I've always thought I'd need a bed until I saw recently that people turn M416 military trailers into camp trailers which is pretty intriguing for the current situation and probably the most cost effective.

Or do I jump ship and get a crew max Tundra? Downsides are its going to be more expensive up front and its a bigger vehicle to drive daily but will ultimately last us a much longer time and I won't have to deal with hooking up a trailer any time I need to do truck stuff/go camping.

 

[JustRidin]

its a bigger vehicle to drive daily

...

I won't have to deal with hooking up a trailer any time I need to do truck stuff/go camping.

These are the only two factors that would weigh on my mind if my 4runner was still reliable. I'd rather hook up a trailer occasionally than drive a much longer vehicle around on a daily basis, but YMMV.

Additionally, I find hauling larger items to be much easier with a trailer given the lower load height and the larger space offered by a trailer. Really depends on what "truck stuff" you're doing though.

In my world:

Trailer -> street bikes, drywall, plywood, other building supplies, large furniture.

Truck bed -> Dirty/wet/stinky camping gear, small landscaping supplies, dirt bikes.

 

[thegame7]

These are the only two factors that would weigh on my mind if my 4runner was still reliable. I'd rather hook up a trailer occasionally than drive a much longer vehicle around on a daily basis, but YMMV.

Additionally, I find hauling larger items to be much easier with a trailer given the lower load height and the larger space offered by a trailer. Really depends on what "truck stuff" you're doing though.

In my world:

Trailer -> street bikes, drywall, plywood, other building supplies, large furniture.

Truck bed -> Dirty/wet/stinky camping gear, small landscaping supplies, dirt bikes.

Yeah mainly lightweight house stuff, sheets of plywood, mulch, plants etc. Stuff you don't really want to shove in the back of an SUV. Would be a nice useful item for a lot of things I think including shoving camping gear in and heading to the mountains.

Another idea I had was wait til the kiddos are both forward facing (2-3 more years I'm guessing, second kiddo is due April 2024) and buy another Tacoma. Not quite as big as a Tundra but has a bed. IDK, too many options lol. I couldn't imagine waiting 2-3 more years before going camping again though

 

[Thai]

If you're camping a lot, then maybe consider Ford F150 Powerboost with the 7.2 kW generator? Yes, it is a Ford and may not be the most reliable thing on the planet (it is actually theoretically pretty bad). But the power outlets are pretty darn ideal for campers and RVers.