Overlanding in Tacoma and Basecamp Armada: Members’ Rides

It’s already December! I swear it was summer like a week ago, this year has gone by crazy fast. I hope you all had a fantastic Turkey day, and successfully made it out of the food coma that follows the typical Thanksgiving day meals. Last week on Members’ Rides, we went along with Nick on that favorite American pastime of a cross-country road trip. Given that people often travel a lot to visit family this time of year, I figured we’d look at another garage built around getting out and about this week.

This week we’re headed to Portland, where we meet Stephan, aka House Atreides Combat Pug. Stephan is a manager of supply chain things who gets out into nature as often as possible, which makes for some fun stories! It also means that his vehicles have to be able to keep up with the crazy adventures, and boy, can they ever!

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Now, before we even get to the cars, where did your Member handle come from?

I really enjoy Dune, and I have a soft spot for the 1984 David Lynch version. In the 1984 version, “Gurney Halleck,” as played by Patrick Stewart, goes into combat with a pug under his arm. No reason or context is ever provided. I’m sure someone smarter than me has identified deeper subtext or meaning. As someone who married into small dog ownership, I just find the idea of lugging around a small dog into war inherently funny.

How did you get into cars?

Growing up in Vermont, having a car meant getting to the mountain, the lake, and ripping around dirt trails late at night. After a strong of beloved shit boxes (Mk2 Jetta, Gen 2 Integra, Sentra, Gen 3 Integra, Accord, Subaru Legacy) and destroying all of them on dirt roads, I bought a Tacoma that I use as a platform to camp 40-60 nights a year in the PNW.

What’s currently in the garage?

• 2016 Toyota Tacoma
• 2021 Nissan Armada
• Airstream Basecamp 20

What prompted you to pick up the Armada?

The Tacoma is great, but when it comes to towing in the mountains and in the Columbia River gorge, where 20-30 MPH winds are normal, it was rough. I wanted something that could tow the Airstream in all conditions, seat four adults comfortably, and have room to keep our three dogs kenneled in the back. I really wanted a 200-series Land Cruiser or LX570, but on the budget I had set, we were looking at high-mileage, 10-15-year-old vehicles. On paper, the Armada fit the bill, and when my wife went and test drove it, she loved it.

How is it?

I love it. Enough that I previously wrote shameless propaganda to the Autopian Tips email, and got Thomas to write a “Beige Cars” column about them. It’s comfortable, it’s 400HP, it has a real transfer case and low range, and it has a decent stereo.

What does it do best?

It is really the ultimate cruiser, tourer, and tow vehicle. We took it from Portland up through Glacier, then on to Banff and Jasper. Even on 8-hour driving days through the mountains, we would arrive feeling rested because it’s so darn comfortable and competent. Even towing the trailer, there is enough power to travel with traffic and safely pass trucks going up passes. More importantly, it has enough brakes to come down the other side of long, steep descents.

Had you been using the Tacoma as your tow rig?

I towed with the Tacoma for the first two years we had the trailer. The Tacoma has an “add-a-leaf” on the rear suspension and a good brake controller. I also use a weight distribution hitch. The reality was, though, that on mountain passes and in high winds, it just didn’t feel safe. Leaving Portland to go anywhere, you are either going to go over the mountains or through the gorge (which is a windsurfing hotspot). There were some trips that got pretty white knuckle driving over Steven’s pass and back, and it was taking away some of the fun.

Anything you don’t like about it?

There are a couple of things that bug me.

It’s just not a good-looking vehicle. They started making the Y62 Armada generation in 2017 at a time when curvy and blingy were the defining design characteristics, and even though my 2021 is post-facelift, it just looks gauche in a way that offends my personal sensibilities.

The second thing is the tech integration. Since it is an old vehicle with new tech sort of stapled together, nothing really works quite like it should. For example, if I put it in Tow mode, it doesn’t turn off the rear collision detection. That means every time I go to hook up the trailer (even in tow mode), it applies the brakes as I’m backing up.

Does it have any mods to make it more overland-friendly, or are these pretty capable from the factory?

When I rescued it from its previous life as a rental, it had very bald tires on it. I’ve added BFG KO3s which have added some real capability for driving on bad dirt roads and snow.

Any plans for mods or additional ones?

Since its job is towing the Airstream, I don’t think I’ll do much more in terms of mods. The only thing that might be in the cards is upgrading the suspension when the factory setup starts to fail. I also play with the idea of adding a hidden winch and rock sliders, but that’s about it.

Why do you think this is such a good platform for your use case?

I love that it is a simple V8 connected to an old school transfer case, all put together in a Japanese factory. Because they are so unloved, I could get a 2021 in 2024 for $30k off the lot with 60k miles on it. There was nothing close in terms of capability, age and mileage that we could touch for that price.

Any idea why the community never really seemed keen on these?

I think it comes down to looks. The aesthetic is soft and blingy at a time when people like boxy and rugged. There’s a world where it takes off the way that the GX470 does once people realize the value and capability that they represent.

The other problem is Nissan itself. They never led the marketing or aftermarket support for Armada with capability. When I went into the NISMO tent at Overland Expo this year and told them I was dreaming of putting on the Patrol Warrior suspension onto my Armada, they just shook their heads. Toyota/Lexus, Jeep, Ram, Ford, and Chevy have really embraced upfitting as part of their DNA, and I wish Nissan would wake up to the opportunity. It’s especially frustrating since outside of the US, the Patrol is a head-to-head Land Cruiser competitor.

Has it given you any problems?

Since I got it from a rental fleet, the first thing I did was get all the preventative maintenance done as if it had never been serviced. I’ve been getting it serviced since then on the heavy-use PM cycle. With 8,000 miles of towing and 13,000 miles total, it has not given me so much as a warning light.

How long have you had the Tacoma?

I got it in 2016. I was getting into backcountry car camping, and I had just dropped off my 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon to have its exhaust welded back on. I was riding my bike from the shop to work, and I cut through the back of a Toyota dealership. They had just unloaded the Tacoma, and it was perfect. It was a used 2016 with 3000 miles on it. Most importantly, it was the TRD Off-Road with a manual.

Continuing the Dune theme, I call it Duncan Idaho.

What all have you done to it?

My philosophy on modding the truck has been to not do any modifications until I reach the point of failure with the stock components. I see off-road mods as something that should be necessitated for a use case, not put on for aesthetics. This is a function of my personal economics, not a judgment I place on others. For instance, I got the winch after spending the night in a ditch, and the skid plate after sacrificing the factory one to the rock gods.

Suspension:

• Old Man Emu BP-51s with additional leaf and upgraded control arms

Lighting:

• 2021 Factory LED headlights and a Nighlight light bar with floods and rear spot lights

Racks and Utility:

• Prinsu Racks front and back
• Aluminum reinforced A.R.E. cap with toolbox
• iKamper 3.0 roof top tent

Protection and Recovery:

• Warn Semi-Hidden Bumper
• Warn Evo 12S winch
• Cali Raised Skid Plate

Tires:

• BFG KO2s for not snow
• Blizzak DM-V2s for snow

Electronics

• Stinger head unit with upgraded speakers

Are you all done modifying, or is there still a wish list?

I was really bummed not having Apple CarPlay for OnX maps, so I put in the new head unit this week, along with a set of new speakers. That represents the end of my wishlist.

What made you want to use this as your overland platform?

I love driving stick. I know and accept that modern automatics are better for off-roading, but I was dead set on a manual. In 2016, that meant my options for something newish were a Wrangler, a Frontier, or a Tacoma. The Gen 3 Tacoma had just been introduced in 2016, and to me, it represented the best balance of capability, livability, and reliability.

Do you ever wish you’d gone a different route?

Never. My truck is fantastic. I hope I’m teaching my grandkids to drive stick in it someday.

What is your favorite thing about it?

It’s just been with me through so much of my life at this point. In 2017, I went through a breakup with my partner of 10 years and lost my house and my dog, but I kept the truck. My life basically felt like a country song. That truck moved me into my new place.

When I met my wife in 2019, our third date was a backcountry camping trip together in the truck. She liked me enough to stick out a year of long-distance dating. When I got a job in Silicon Valley, I moved down to the Bay Area. When COVID hit, it moved me back to Portland. While I was in grad school, I would take my laptop camping, and I finished most of my capstone project sitting in the front seat.

Through all of that, it’s been my adventure buddy, and it’s been out on more than 350 nights of backcountry camping through Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. I’ve pushed it hard to get into remote places, and it’s never let me down. It’s gotten me into beautiful remote places and out of situations where the stakes were very high.

To sum it up, having a vehicle that is more capable than I am brave and more reliable than gravity has been an anchor point through the last nine years of my life.

Anything you don’t like or wish it did better?

The seats are crap. I really wish they were more comfortable.

How many miles have you put on this over the years?

Before COVID, I was mostly a bike commuter. Since COVID, I’ve worked from home. As a result, almost all the miles are “fun” miles. It’s sitting at 112k.

What spec is the Basecamp?

Mine is the 20-footer with the offroad package … aka the “BC20x.”

What makes this the best platform for all your overlanding needs?

Calling the Airstream good for overlanding would be generous. I would say it’s good for dispersed backcountry camping on forest roads. It has a couple of good things going for it, though:

• 33” tires with 12” of ground clearance, so I don’t have to worry much about rocks and tree stumps
• The 23-gallon fresh tank, which is enough for a week of judicious use
• It has a solar setup that keeps the batteries topped off as long as we have good sun exposure
• The only big advantage of a trailer over a Sprinter / Transit 4×4 build is that you can leave your camp behind to “mark your spot” for the day when you leave to go hike/bike/fish, etc.

What’s the layout inside?

There’s a king bed in the back that can become bench seats. There’s a small kitchen, a small wet bath and a dinette in the front. With our three dogs, the reality is that it’s a great place to sleep and drink morning coffee and a very cramped place to do anything else.

A highlight of the layout is 180-degree wrap-around windows at the front that give wonderful views.

How did you come to choose the Basecamp?

My “camping season” generally runs from April to October. My wife also loves to camp, but she was tired of being cold sleeping in the rooftop tent. We borrowed a trailer to give trailer camping a try, and morale improved significantly. We did some shopping and fell in love with the Basecamp for its balance of utility and aesthetic. We wanted something that would last, and decided to buy a new one.

With all the quality issues plaguing so many other brands, have you had any problems with it?

So far, it has not had any real issues. We’ve used it hard, and everything is holding up well. My only complaint is that the cabinet closures are magnetic, and they tend to bounce open on dirt roads. We’ve solved that issue with strategically placed bungee cords.

Any fun stories you’d like to share with this?

We recently had the chance to take a four-week sabbatical from work, and Banff and Jasper National Parks have been on my list forever. So we drove up there. While we were in Jasper, the dogs woke us up with a growl we had never heard from them before. When I popped open the door, there was a bull moose bedded down about 20 feet away, staring at us, quietly chewing grass. It really just hit home how nice it was to be out in nature.

I’m so jealous! How was it?

We drove up through Idaho, then on to Glacier National Park on the US side. From there, we headed up to Banff and stayed in a campground for a week. After that, we headed up to Jasper for another week of camping.

It’s hard to describe just how beautiful and remote it is up there. There’s a central corridor of highway, and then it drops off immediately into wilderness. On the scenic stops near the highway, it is absolutely mobbed. What really hit home after the first two days is that if you get off the highway, you will basically have the place to yourself. A ranger told us that 95% of visitors never make it more than 10 minutes from the highway, and I believe it.

Which park was the most impressive?

Jasper was definitely the highlight for me. Driving in, you go through the Columbia glacier fields, which are an astounding and rugged topography. The area around Jasper gets much fewer visitors than Banff, and we found some really wonderful hikes into very unspoiled areas. Sadly, Jasper had a horrible forest fire recently, but it has created a really fascinating natural landscape with all the flowers and critters that prefer grassland. Maligne Lake near Jasper is a beautiful area with views of the glaciers, jagged mountain peaks, and wetlands where moose like to hang out.

The other highlight is the hot springs. Our favorite was Miette. It’s a long drive up mountain roads with the reward of a swimming pool full of 100-degree water surrounded by incredible mountain views.

Any other cool places you’ve been?

During the summer, we have some secret spots in Washington where we can camp next to mountain lakes and step out from our campsite onto our paddle boards.

In the winter, we like to take it to the Oregon coast. It basically becomes a tiny beach cottage where we can watch the storms roll in.

Any thoughts of upgrading or trading this in or anything?

This might be anti-climactic … but definitely not. I think we got exactly the right thing for the way we like to camp. Anything bigger would mean giving up our backcountry camping spots. Anything more rugged would mean giving up the creature comforts that keep my wife cheerful.

What’s in the dream garage?

• Ineos Grenadier
• Gen 2 MR2
• Manual, supercharged Previa
• SC430
• Gen 1 Supra Turbo
• 100 series Land Cruiser

What do you love about these?

I really like the raw functionality of the Grenadiers. To me, it represents the ideals of the original Defender updated for pure function. Outside of that, my dreams are mostly of 80s-2000s Toyota products. If left to my own devices, I’d love all of them!

Thanks, Stephan!

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