Full size overlanding pros vs cons.

[Johnboy]

Just traded in my 2016 jeep sahara unlimited for a 2018 Ford F 150 Lariat super king cab 4x4. I’m retired and my wife and I love to go on road trips but we never went in the jeep because it was just tooooooooo small. Yes, the jeep is a more capable offroad vehicle but I am not going to be rock climbing or putting my vehicle in a situation that would damage it,or me. I can take the F150 offroad anywhere where the jeep could go. And now we can take the kitchen sink if we want too. We live in the south so its a lot of interstate driving to get to Moab and out west. Driving the truck is like being in a luxury car compared to the jeep ride. We have trips planned to the ranch in Texas and on to the San Juan mountains this summer then in late summer a trip up the east coast to Canada, to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The new full size trucks get great gas mileage, much better then the jeep. i am getting 21 mpg, and I have a 36 gallon fuel tank. I love a full size rig.


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[Dakota Houligans]

I've taken both my Bronco and the F-250 places a little too narrow but when one is covered in bedliner and the other is old and faded scratches don't really bother ya. When we take the f-250 camping we all 4 fit with a dog and all our gear including firewood and still have plenty of room in the bed. The bronco gets a little tighter. I've driven jeeps and I didn't think they seemed much more nimble than my bronco and then you add bigger tires and heavy upgrades and they loose some maneuverability and puts more strain on their brakes and drivetrain. My bronco currently weighs 5000 lbs. Thats with a winch, heavy bumper, v8, 33 inch tires. Not sure what a built jeep weighs but it's probably not much less and has a narrower width and smaller engine and brakes. I can load mine up and even with a popup camper behind it I have no issues going up hills or stopping. Extra weight doesn't overwork my suspension or brakes. And of course it feels more stable when "accidentally" loosing traction with the rear tires and making the kids dizzy!

 

[Johnboy]

I've taken both my Bronco and the F-250 places a little too narrow but when one is covered in bedliner and the other is old and faded scratches don't really bother ya. When we take the f-250 camping we all 4 fit with a dog and all our gear including firewood and still have plenty of room in the bed. The bronco gets a little tighter. I've driven jeeps and I didn't think they seemed much more nimble than my bronco and then you add bigger tires and heavy upgrades and they loose some maneuverability and puts more strain on their brakes and drivetrain. My bronco currently weighs 5000 lbs. Thats with a winch, heavy bumper, v8, 33 inch tires. Not sure what a built jeep weighs but it's probably not much less and has a narrower width and smaller engine and brakes. I can load mine up and even with a popup camper behind it I have no issues going up hills or stopping. Extra weight doesn't overwork my suspension or brakes. And of course it feels more stable when "accidentally" loosing traction with the rear tires and making the kids dizzy!

We will be in the San Juan mtns in Colorado in June, have you taken your truck on any of the jeep trails there? This will be my first time out west with the new F150.


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[Dakota Houligans]

Sorry, not yet. Every time we've tried to make it out there again life has thrown us another curve ball. I'd bet as long as you stay away from the harder rock crawling type trails you should be ok.

 

[Bleedblue88]

Whats up everyone! When I lived out in Lake Tahoe I had a 1997 Ford F150 Lariat that handled those technical large boulder trails really well. I took that truck everywhere and it never let me down. I then moved to a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500. I was living in SoCal and this truck did more beach driving. Last year I bought a 2016 F150 Lariat, and I just didn't connect with this truck and I just traded it in for 2016 Chevy 2500HD. I'm a huge guy and tried to go the SUV route and always felt super cramped. Also, we wanted a truck that could go just about anywhere, tow just about anything, and have tons of room for maximum comfort. I look forward to putting this truck together, but it is my daily driver and I have to fit in parking garages in downtown Austin from time to time so that limiting some.

 

[ckkphoto]

F250 4wd 6.7 liter diesel crew cab, 35 inch tires, lift, bumpers, 16k pound winch, front and rear truetrack differentials.
Why full size? It is what I had when I started. Pros: very comfortable off road. very good engine control. Not worried about stressing brakes or shocks.
Cons: I have stuck this 7k pound truck several times. Still learning what I can do and where I can go. Every failure means more experience. Looking forward to meeting folks in the Georgia area of like mind.

 

[Luinil Explorations]

Currently have a 4Runner and a Ford E350 extended body pop top camper. The 4Runner is for day trips and daily driver. The E350 is for weekend and long trips. Have done long trips in the 4Runner and have found unpacking and repacking it got old in shor order. Plus no where to hide when is starts to rain. The E350 is comfortable to drive on forest service and back country roads. The nice part is pulling into a campsite, putting the top up, opening up the camp chair and relaxing. No other unpacking is necessary. If it starts to rain or snow we just go inside and relax. Dinner can be cooked inside or out. My wife enjoys the onboard porta potti and heat. Occasionally we will take it to the beach for the day, find a nice place to park, and listen to the ocean while we nap.

 

[58-fc170]

The biggest pro to a full size is the existence of an actual frame instead of a unibody that requires extra reinforcement to bolt on a bumper.

 

[Old Griz]

We have a 2001 k2500 8.1L suburban.
The thing I like about the most is I don't have to mess ass around with a rtt and never having to say "that won't fit so we have to leave it home".

 

[Lindenwood]

I thought Id always own small vehicles; my early vehicles were a Toyota MR2, a Suzuki Samurai, and later a Honda Fit. It took me months for my wife to talk me into 4Runners.

But, honestly, you guys are really selling the idea of a full-sized vehicle down the road! I was honestly shocked the 2018 Excursion is rated for better fuel efficiency than my 2016 4Runner!

 

[trikebubble]

#fullsizematters, right? I went full size last summer, and haven't looked back. In every decision their is comprise, and I was willing to sacrifice the possibility of maybe not being able to (as easily) access some areas with my Tundra as I had with the Xterra for the added power, room and comfort, and payload......oh yeah, did I mention the power?
Our adventures can also involve hundreds and/or thousands of on road miles and the Tundra just feels more confident, comfortable, and stable on road.

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[TrippinStfflr]

Just thought of another one. My F250 XLT came with 6 upfitter switches, prewired to a relay box in the engine compartment. All I have to do is wire my accessories to the exposed harness. I believe Chevy and Dodge also have this option available for some HD models.

 

[expeditionnorth]

the extra torque from the V8 and added weight can be a bonus at times in wintry conditions

plus Im not crushed into the vehicle like a sardine

 

[Arailt]

The biggest pro to a full size is the existence of an actual frame instead of a unibody that requires extra reinforcement to bolt on a bumper.

Most "offroad-worthy" mid-size SUVs and almost all mid-size trucks are body on frame.

 

[squishware]

The RIGHT answer is "buy both". It looks like I am keeping Cleo ( 2000 F150) until I have Xena ( '82 CJ7 w/89 GM 4.3 V6) fully sorted.

 

[Old Griz]

I have to stay truly full size because I am a full-time RVer. Most everything I own is in my Suburban or my 21ft travel trailer.

 

[Plisken]

Alot of people don't realize that even with a smaller rig once it's armored up , lifted and loaded down with gear it's going to get just about as bad milage as a full size rigs, plus because of the limited interior room they end up loading the rack with all sorts of stuff making it just as tall as a full size .

I will take interior room and a v8 over small and better (debatible) Highway mpg any day of the week .

I generally agree with your sentiment here. I've had the small trail rig and there is no doubt it can go places my Tundra never will (primarily tightly treed trails) but everything else favors the full size rig for family travel.

 

[Plisken]

We will be in the San Juan mtns in Colorado in June, have you taken your truck on any of the jeep trails there? This will be my first time out west with the new F150.


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Plenty o'fun to be had in your F-150 in the San Juans! The best guide book for full size rigs I have found is this one: 4WD Adventures Colorado They cover it for smaller rigs too but this is one of the few guide books I've come across that specifically mentions full size rigs and trail suitability for them. The authors clearly use a variety of vehicles up to Suburbans in size. If any trail mentions "shelf road", tight switchbacks, or trees I would dig deeper into the likelihood of getting your F-150 through with multiple sources but it is usually called out in this book.

 

[SlashX]

I have both a Chevy 2500 and a Tacoma, both trucks are great for getting you where off road.
The Tacoma is a smoother ride vs the 2500.
The 2500 has more space to pack up.
The 2500 can tow my trailer to any camp site with the fam.
When you have a wife and kids the full size truck wins. When I'm going off on my own the Tacoma wins.

 

[itsdchz]

Many of the items mentioned is what pushed me full size... Most notably the engine size and tow capabilities: