Last year we tried to make camp at Inyo mine and didn't know we setup on top of a underground bee hive until they started to swarm all of our equipment. Breaking camp that moment made for interesting story to tell for ages.
One of the best offroad adventure videos I have seen. Love the way you narrated this. Edits are great also. Keep up the awesome vids. Would love to visit death valley some time for wheeling fun. Maybe one day.
+cavi3961 Haha, that's a good point to bring up. In this case it was mostly because Andy thought we should be in 4x4 (I think you can hear him mention it). I sometimes run 4Hi on dirt roads to give better steering authority and on unknown roads like this I will use 4hi in case I hit an unexpected soft patch. It's not out of the question to get stuck in 2wd because you bogged down or pulled to the side to let someone pass and then not be able to get out with 4x4. Given that 95%+ of the miles are on-road, I also take advantage of the opportunity to run the 4x4 system to keep everything lubed (10 miles/month per the manual). I also use 4lo a lot because it gives me better control of downhill speed and yet I've met people who did go off-road and didn't even know what 4lo was. As you say, each to their own. I would guess I am an outlier when it comes to my threshold for using 4wd. I also started wheeling in much less capable vehicles, so that's where I developed my habits.
Thanks! I just need to find time to finish Day 3. I've already got footage for several more videos just waiting for editing. I plan to do some How-To and equipment review videos as well as some shorter trail report videos.
Stock ????? lift ???, I got a 2015 Tacoma TRD Sport double cab, I want to do the same, hat kind of tires you have, and are the rims aluminum or steel ?
On this trip the the truck is stock other than the SnugTop and things like seat covers. No lift and the tires and wheels are what came stock on the TRD Off-road. If your 2015 is a 4x4 and you have a little experience, you would have no problems with any of the places we went. Even if your truck was 2wd you should be able to do Inyo Mine and Titus canyon (and many other places). Just don't go alone, go prepared, and check road conditions before you go. (And maybe NOT go in Summer?)
+noah4314 Thanks, but you will still want that Ford when you have to tow something big or carry more than 5 people. In my *amateur* opinion an Excursion could do everything we did on Day 1 with ease. Day 2 would have been more challenging but doable up to the last shelf road if it's a 4x4, and Day 3 might have been a problem with some of the obstacles and going in the mine but you could have walked that last bit easily. There is so much stuff you can do in the DV area with just a high ground clearance 4x2* with good tires that you could spend many days exploring. *(but go with a buddy)
yep, the ford is a beast. its 4x4 v10 gas 6.8L But the taco is brand new and is armed with locking diffs. and you have the crawl mode or whatever its called. the ford weighs 8000 pounds and the toyota weighs probaly 2500 3000 pounds at most. both are great. I only get 12 mpg tho so yah.
+speterbilt Thanks!. At least now with the 3rd generation you can get a LB with the TRD Off-Road package. The SB vs. LB decision can be tough. I went SB because I primarily bought the truck for off-road, not for hauling. The SB turns tighter and has a better break-over angle. However, there are folks with LB trucks that do far more off-roading than me, so it's great either way. I think LB trucks with a little bit of lift look great.
+Amateur Expeditions i want the longbed to camp out of. i can sleep long ways. I really like the 2017 PRO coming out, but it's only in short bed. when will you have the next video. My daughter & I were in DV a year ago. Didn't have time to go offroad. Anyways I like your truck with the camper shell. take care of it. Maybe see you on the road somwhere. I live in La Grange, Tx. if ever around look for me. lol. thanks for the response. Have a good evening.
+speterbilt Sleeping in back is certainly a lot easier with the LB. I agree the PRO looks great. You could add an upgraded suspension to a regular TRD Off-Road and that way you can still have your LB. I've been working on the next video, I'd say it's about half-done. I really enjoy making videos, but It takes a lot of time when you are doing everything yourself and you have a real job/family that takes priority.Thanks for watching, I hope you get that Tacoma.
+Richard Moran yeah i have an 06 Colorado I take offroad some and want to do more camping from my truck. i agree the 5 ft bed does stink. i want a camper shell with roof rack and arb awnings on them. mines been paid off just debating on pulling the trigger on the new Taco. I like having no payments so maybe I'll just make mine work for awhile. lol
+Steve Get "Death Valley SUV Trails" by Roger Mitchell and the National Geographic Death Valley National Park trails illustrated topo map and they will give you lots of ideas for planning. Note that I used digital topo maps for detailed navigation, but the book and map I mentioned are great for planning. Death Valley Jim also has a series of books plus a website and Facebook page with a lot of interesting places all over the desert. For up to date road conditions, check out the Death Valley Road Conditions Facebook page.
It's a great truck and really capable off-road for a stock vehicle. I don't think it's for everyone, but if you value reliability and want to do significant off-roading, I think it's a great choice. My biggest complaint was the way the transmission shifted, but once the dealer loaded the software update it has been so much better. The details would take pages to describe, but it is doing exactly what I wanted and exceeding my expectations in many areas. I need to do a video on CRAWL Control, I really expected that to be a gimmick, but it has actually been far more useful than I expected under certain conditions (specifically going DOWN steep inclines and digging itself out of sand).
These were all very well known roads that are on the park map, but if you are going I strongly suggest getting this book: Death Valley SUV Trails by Roger Mitchell trackandtrailpublications.com/publications/dv/It was the most useful resource for this type of trip.
+Robert Alvarado We were there in January. Several roads were closed due to the storm late last year and big bloom hadn't gotten going yet, so there weren't a lot of people out there. In roughly 50 miles of dirt roads over the two days we were in Death Valley, I think we saw 5 or 6 other cars off the pavement (one Tacoma, and a few Jeeps, many of which were rentals).
Isn´t that road a bit overkill for the Tacoma? I mean the road is so smooth a FWD Sedan could have gone through. Is there a Day 2 with something challenging? I was going for a Tacoma myself but I think it was just too much for what I wanted to do.. I ended up buying an Acura MDX instead and have gone through some off road trips myself.. This my latest in Baja th-cam.com/video/Cgha1ohFwQQ/w-d-xo.html
+skirmich Yes, the road to Inyo Mine is a pretty easy 2wd high-clearance route. My guess is your MDX would have no problem. I would also take the MDX on Titus Canyon (Day 2: Coming soon!). Day 2 and 3 had routes that did need 4x4, and I'm not sure I would have taken the MDX there (but it might have been OK, or had limited damage). I do think folks over-buy when getting a 4x4 and maybe I did also. Keep in mind this was our first significant trip with this truck and I did hit the bottom 3 times between day 2 and 3 (no real damage). You can see one of those times in the opening montage of Day 1 (showing a shot from Day 3) where I kicked up a rock that wedged under the lower control arm and lifted that wheel completely off the ground. Looking at your video, I would say the MDX is fine for that, but something like the Tacoma would be able to go much faster on the same route. However, there's a lot of trade-offs for that capability in cost, mileage, handling, and comfort. My intent is not to do "hard core off-roading", I just want to explore back roads and trails and have enough capability in reserve that I feel comfortable taking my kids. Lots of choices and everybody has to make their own decision. And I'm OK with that.
+skirmich Yah, the Tacoma is not easy to get into. The roof is low and the floor is high. I have to dive in head first like I'm climbing through a hatch.That video on the sand is pretty impressive.I would say there are plenty of places you could explore with the MDX, you just need to plan on taking your time, be ready to turn back if need-be and go in a group so you have help if needed.Did you watch Day 2?
Lucky son. Lucky Dad. Keep showing our youth what growing up and living outside the internet is all about.
I live on the internet now
Last year we tried to make camp at Inyo mine and didn't know we setup on top of a underground bee hive until they started to swarm all of our equipment. Breaking camp that moment made for interesting story to tell for ages.
you have an awesome truck, and i bet you son will have that same awesome truck in 8 or so years! Awesome video!
+Trevor C Thanks! I suspect you are correct.
maybe I will
One of the best offroad adventure videos I have seen. Love the way you narrated this. Edits are great also. Keep up the awesome vids. Would love to visit death valley some time for wheeling fun. Maybe one day.
Thanks for the kind words. This was my first trip into DV and it was even better than I imagined.
Great video! Glad to see kid's getting outdoors.
Excellent posting! 🏜️✌️Happy trails!
What a cool dad you are.
Thanks! I try. Well, I try to be a good dad, I don't worry about being cool.
You must’ve had a nice trip!😎
The Day 3 video posted today, so you can see how the trip ended (yes, it was nice).
Good to get the kid started early! Keep em outside!
Very clean Tacoma! Wish I had one
Love your video i wish one day I could be part of team. I'll be glad to go off road. Awesome
Video
Jorge Gonzalez just say when! 🏜️✌️
awesome video. And nice truck!
thank you!
Enjoyed the video!
Cool video. Love off road adventure stuff. Kinda weird that you would engage 4x4 on a compacted well traveled dirt road. But to each their own.
+cavi3961 Haha, that's a good point to bring up. In this case it was mostly because Andy thought we should be in 4x4 (I think you can hear him mention it). I sometimes run 4Hi on dirt roads to give better steering authority and on unknown roads like this I will use 4hi in case I hit an unexpected soft patch. It's not out of the question to get stuck in 2wd because you bogged down or pulled to the side to let someone pass and then not be able to get out with 4x4. Given that 95%+ of the miles are on-road, I also take advantage of the opportunity to run the 4x4 system to keep everything lubed (10 miles/month per the manual). I also use 4lo a lot because it gives me better control of downhill speed and yet I've met people who did go off-road and didn't even know what 4lo was. As you say, each to their own. I would guess I am an outlier when it comes to my threshold for using 4wd. I also started wheeling in much less capable vehicles, so that's where I developed my habits.
Can't wait to see more!
Thanks! Believe it or not, I finally posted Day 3 today.
That was Great !!
very well put together video
Thanks! I just need to find time to finish Day 3. I've already got footage for several more videos just waiting for editing. I plan to do some How-To and equipment review videos as well as some shorter trail report videos.
Looks like a good ol' time.
good work.
Enjoyed the vid.
Very cool video
Thanks! Day 3 uploaded today (finally!).
Why did the videos stop? You did such a great job!
Thank you!. There were some major changes in 2016 and my priorities shifted. I did finally finish up editing Day 3 and published it today.
Stock ????? lift ???, I got a 2015 Tacoma TRD Sport double cab, I want to do the same, hat kind of tires you have, and are the rims aluminum or steel ?
On this trip the the truck is stock other than the SnugTop and things like seat covers. No lift and the tires and wheels are what came stock on the TRD Off-road. If your 2015 is a 4x4 and you have a little experience, you would have no problems with any of the places we went. Even if your truck was 2wd you should be able to do Inyo Mine and Titus canyon (and many other places). Just don't go alone, go prepared, and check road conditions before you go. (And maybe NOT go in Summer?)
I have a ford excursion right now, would kill for that truck.
+noah4314 Thanks, but you will still want that Ford when you have to tow something big or carry more than 5 people. In my *amateur* opinion an Excursion could do everything we did on Day 1 with ease. Day 2 would have been more challenging but doable up to the last shelf road if it's a 4x4, and Day 3 might have been a problem with some of the obstacles and going in the mine but you could have walked that last bit easily. There is so much stuff you can do in the DV area with just a high ground clearance 4x2* with good tires that you could spend many days exploring. *(but go with a buddy)
yep, the ford is a beast. its 4x4 v10 gas 6.8L
But the taco is brand new and is armed with locking diffs. and you have the crawl mode or whatever its called. the ford weighs 8000 pounds and the toyota weighs probaly 2500 3000 pounds at most. both are great. I only get 12 mpg tho so yah.
This should be on The Travel Channel or the Discovery Channel!
You are too kind!
OMG! amazing! subbed! post more videos!
Day 3 of this trip posted today!
sub, awesome video need more like this.
thank you for the sub!
Thanks! Day three of this trip was uploaded today.
nice camper shell
I want my Tacoma like this but longbed. I want to do stuff like this with truck. Great video
+speterbilt Thanks!. At least now with the 3rd generation you can get a LB with the TRD Off-Road package. The SB vs. LB decision can be tough. I went SB because I primarily bought the truck for off-road, not for hauling. The SB turns tighter and has a better break-over angle. However, there are folks with LB trucks that do far more off-roading than me, so it's great either way. I think LB trucks with a little bit of lift look great.
+Amateur Expeditions i want the longbed to camp out of. i can sleep long ways. I really like the 2017 PRO coming out, but it's only in short bed. when will you have the next video. My daughter & I were in DV a year ago. Didn't have time to go offroad. Anyways I like your truck with the camper shell. take care of it. Maybe see you on the road somwhere. I live in La Grange, Tx. if ever around look for me. lol. thanks for the response. Have a good evening.
+speterbilt Sleeping in back is certainly a lot easier with the LB. I agree the PRO looks great. You could add an upgraded suspension to a regular TRD Off-Road and that way you can still have your LB. I've been working on the next video, I'd say it's about half-done. I really enjoy making videos, but It takes a lot of time when you are doing everything yourself and you have a real job/family that takes priority.Thanks for watching, I hope you get that Tacoma.
+speterbilt yep that stinks...I want the pro with a real bed! Love my 2010 taco but the lil bed stinks....
+Richard Moran yeah i have an 06 Colorado I take offroad some and want to do more camping from my truck. i agree the 5 ft bed does stink. i want a camper shell with roof rack and arb awnings on them. mines been paid off just debating on pulling the trigger on the new Taco. I like having no payments so maybe I'll just make mine work for awhile. lol
awesome video! Planning on going out there with my land cruiser. Can you post a map or gps coordinates?
+Steve Get "Death Valley SUV Trails" by Roger Mitchell and the National Geographic Death Valley National Park trails illustrated topo map and they will give you lots of ideas for planning. Note that I used digital topo maps for detailed navigation, but the book and map I mentioned are great for planning. Death Valley Jim also has a series of books plus a website and Facebook page with a lot of interesting places all over the desert. For up to date road conditions, check out the Death Valley Road Conditions Facebook page.
Thank you!!!!
This video took a long time to make, thanks for all the support!
where
Why did you wash your truck to go off road
because the windows were dirty, but the windows were dirty because of testing the truck
We had done some "testing" the night before and I wanted the windows clean for the cameras and the views.
the Hills
Rate the truck out of 10? Pros/cons?
It's a great truck and really capable off-road for a stock vehicle. I don't think it's for everyone, but if you value reliability and want to do significant off-roading, I think it's a great choice. My biggest complaint was the way the transmission shifted, but once the dealer loaded the software update it has been so much better. The details would take pages to describe, but it is doing exactly what I wanted and exceeding my expectations in many areas. I need to do a video on CRAWL Control, I really expected that to be a gimmick, but it has actually been far more useful than I expected under certain conditions (specifically going DOWN steep inclines and digging itself out of sand).
Great video. Subscribed. :)
thank you for the sub!
sincerely, Andy
Thanks! I've finally completed Day 3, sorry for the wait.
do you have a link to all the roads you went on?
These were all very well known roads that are on the park map, but if you are going I strongly suggest getting this book: Death Valley SUV Trails by Roger Mitchell trackandtrailpublications.com/publications/dv/It was the most useful resource for this type of trip.
Nice Exploring!! What time of year was that?
+Robert Alvarado We were there in January. Several roads were closed due to the storm late last year and big bloom hadn't gotten going yet, so there weren't a lot of people out there. In roughly 50 miles of dirt roads over the two days we were in Death Valley, I think we saw 5 or 6 other cars off the pavement (one Tacoma, and a few Jeeps, many of which were rentals).
That looked like a fun trip! Thank you for posting video!
Isn´t that road a bit overkill for the Tacoma? I mean the road is so smooth a FWD Sedan could have gone through. Is there a Day 2 with something challenging? I was going for a Tacoma myself but I think it was just too much for what I wanted to do.. I ended up buying an Acura MDX instead and have gone through some off road trips myself.. This my latest in Baja th-cam.com/video/Cgha1ohFwQQ/w-d-xo.html
+skirmich Yes, the road to Inyo Mine is a pretty easy 2wd high-clearance route. My guess is your MDX would have no problem. I would also take the MDX on Titus Canyon (Day 2: Coming soon!). Day 2 and 3 had routes that did need 4x4, and I'm not sure I would have taken the MDX there (but it might have been OK, or had limited damage). I do think folks over-buy when getting a 4x4 and maybe I did also. Keep in mind this was our first significant trip with this truck and I did hit the bottom 3 times between day 2 and 3 (no real damage). You can see one of those times in the opening montage of Day 1 (showing a shot from Day 3) where I kicked up a rock that wedged under the lower control arm and lifted that wheel completely off the ground. Looking at your video, I would say the MDX is fine for that, but something like the Tacoma would be able to go much faster on the same route. However, there's a lot of trade-offs for that capability in cost, mileage, handling, and comfort. My intent is not to do "hard core off-roading", I just want to explore back roads and trails and have enough capability in reserve that I feel comfortable taking my kids. Lots of choices and everybody has to make their own decision. And I'm OK with that.
+skirmich Yah, the Tacoma is not easy to get into. The roof is low and the floor is high. I have to dive in head first like I'm climbing through a hatch.That video on the sand is pretty impressive.I would say there are plenty of places you could explore with the MDX, you just need to plan on taking your time, be ready to turn back if need-be and go in a group so you have help if needed.Did you watch Day 2?
Amateur Expeditions Already Commented on it :D spectacular views.
This is so embarrassing when I look back at it
BTW, I'm ten now.
theotherwayaround desendent hi
Hey, we all have to start somewhere!
part two?!!!
+axsb Almost there! Hopefully it will be ready for upload this weekend.
Wow you washed your cars before taking them off road
Ha! Not normally. I'd been out playing in the mud a bit the night before and I wanted the windows clean for visibility on the long drive.
Amateur Expeditions fair enough lol
cali
yes, it is in California.
Rad. We did a similar trip back in March too. Check out my channel for the videos.
-M