The 2016 summer ends with little fan-fare this year. We have been quite busy and really should have spent more time documenting the upgrades to my rig. Here are some pictures and descriptions of some of the work that has gone into our rig this year.
 I plan on adding a custom fold out table for cooking on. I have found the tailgate to be a bit limited with the stove and fridge in use. Now to design a better two drawer bedslide than what is on the market!  Here are my power plugs for the rear of the truck. This is easily accessed above the factory installed 400 Watt plug.  I separated the batteries in the back from the starter battery with a voltage sensing relay. This will ensure that the main battery for the engine is charged first before sending power back to the auxiliary bank. I can still send power to the engine from the auxilary if I need to. Also, note the double 250 Amp breakers.  Okay, this was a big purchase. My attempt to purchase canvas seat covers made in South Africa fell through, so I decided to get neoprene covers from Wet Okole in Hawaii. They fit like a glove, look great and are waterproof. They also come with very well thought out pockets. The best feature of all is that they include heaters to warm my butt during our cold Canadian winters.  This is not a new addition to the truck, but I thought I should mention the well supplied first aid kit and fire extinguisher behind the driver seat. We can quickly access both in an emergency. Shake your fire exchinguisher periodically to keep the powder inside from compacting, which can render the extinguisher useless. |  I finally bite the bullet and bought a BODY ARMOR rear bumper and tire carrier. It was pretty easy to install. The hardest part was heating the old bolts to remove them.  I installed two deep cycle batteries to power another inverter for the back of the truck. This inverter is 1000 Watts for our 120v camp fridge.  I added a dual battery monitor to the dash to keep an eye on the charges.  The Tacoma comes with a 400 Watt inverter that powers one plug in the bed of the truck. I added this outlet in the cab for charging devices or running my laptop.  I created cargo mesh for the top of the Softopper. This bungee material stretches to easily store and retrieve light items like sweaters, raingear and lifejackets. It is amazing the amount of space this frees up in the bed of the truck, and all my gear is clean and dry. Everything is accessible from all three sides of the Softopper in seconds. |
Article by Len Toelke
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