​​An Examination of the Tacoma Trailhunter’s Special Features​

Google “overlanding” and the AI view tells you that “overlanding is a combination of off-roading and camping where the journey is the main focus, rather than just the destination. It typically involves traveling to remote destinations in a sturdy vehicle and often involves extended camping trips.” For Americans, it brings to mind a modern version of traveling the frontier in a covered wagon in search of a better life out west. We’ve seen it in movies, and some had ancestors that did just that. 

The Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter is explicitly designed for overlanding and thus has various unique features to facilitate that activity. Sharp Automotive examines these features to explore their perceived and actual uses. 

The camping and survival aspect distinguishes the Trailhunter from Tacoma’s other supreme off-roader, the TRD Pro. You are not likely to hit off-road trails at great speed and jump in the air if everything you need to survive is taking a beating in the bed behind you. That doesn’t make the Trailhunter any less tough; it just focuses its toughness in a slightly different direction. 

It also must be said that the Trailhunter looks exceptionally cool, with plenty of testosterone-infused bling. It looks like you gave a Tacoma 4×4 to an adventurous young man and then handed him $30,000 to add whatever he wanted to make it adventure-ready. Let’s look at what some of the “bling” is about. 

High-Mount Air Intake 

This is the most “out there” mod on the Trailhunter and likely the most misunderstood. It is a black composite tube that starts at the passenger-side front fender and runs along that side’s windshield pillar; it serves as the source of intake air for the engine. It resembles a snorkel and has been nicknamed as such, leading one to suppose its purpose is to help the Trailhunter breathe during high-water situations. In reality, its main function is to enable the engine to draw in air that’s located further away from trail dust and mud. It isn’t watertight, and while it could probably be made so, remember that the Trailhunter already sits relatively high. Toyota hasn’t provided a water-forging metric for the Trailhunter, but it clearly falls short of the hood.  

The intake transfers all the induction sound to just outside the cabin. This is cool for those who enjoy mechanical audio, but others may find it annoying, particularly on the highway.  

ARB Sports Bar 

This is likely the second most noticeable and “cool-enhancing” feature of the Trailhunter. ARB is an aftermarket supplier of off-road accessories, only here Toyota arranged to have a few ARB pieces that were not so “after” the market, including the rear bumper and the ARB® modular bed utility bar with removable MOLLE panels. Sturdily mounted, the sports bar angles up behind the cab with the MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) grid filling the triangle-shaped space within. Presumably, you would hang easy-to-access equipment from the side (up to 25 pounds each), like jerry cans or extraction equipment.  

Additional Front Lighting 

In addition to the LED headlights, the Trailhunter features two long, rectangular fog lights that can be switched from amber to white, and an additional LED bar underneath the TOYOTA badge in the grille. Having extra lighting for off-roading in the dark is certainly beneficial, although one can assume that experienced overlanders typically aim to reach their overnight destination before dark. Still, the unexpected can happen, and if there are mountains to the west, sunset can arrive unexpectedly early, making the additional lighting useful for navigating in the wilderness. If you desire extra lighting or other electrical accessories, the already extensive lighting panel in the dash includes three pre-wired auxiliary buttons for those purposes.  

Integrated Bed Scene Lighting 

There’s more lighting, this time aimed at or around the bed. Its purpose is to help you load, unload, or just find equipment when it gets dark. Well integrated into the truck’s form, they don’t add much bling, but that also keeps the fixtures out of the way and relatively protected. 

Skid Plates 

The Trailhunter sits high enough to see some of these, but in this case, their utility far outweighs their appearance enhancement. The Trailhunter has high-strength steel plates to protect the radiator and oil pan, transfer case and rear differential. There’s a composite protector for the fuel tank. These skid plates take the brunt of skidding to be sure, but they also protect against denting, bending or even piercing—any of which could ruin your trip. The skid plates may be one of the most important features on the Trailhunter package. 

Surround and Off-Road Cameras 

Situational awareness is essential in all endeavors, but it becomes critical in the wilderness. The same 360-degree camera system that assists you in parking neatly between the lines can alert you to a stump or other obstacles around the truck that are out of your view from the driver’s seat. The 3D Multi-Terrain Monitor provides a detailed view of what has long been obscured by the hood or bed, which is especially helpful if you don’t have an experienced spotter on board.  

On-Board Air Compressor 

In off-roading, it is common to lower the air pressure of your tires to create larger contact patches for greater traction, mainly when traversing soft surfaces such as sand or mud. On the other hand, when traveling over hard and rocky surfaces, you want the tires inflated to their recommended levels to enable the sidewalls to protect the wheels from damage. The Trailhunter has a built-in air compressor with a hose that can reach all four tires. The air compressor doesn’t take up any bed space. It is accessible from inside the bed and includes a digital pressure read-out. It has adaptors to inflate other items like air mattresses and water toys. It is a great item to have for any kind of camping. 

Bed-Mounted 2,400-watt AC Power Supply 

An inverter converts electricity from DC to AC. It’s becoming common to find vehicles equipped with 400-watt inverters that have standard household outlets capable of powering laptops or video cameras. The Trailhunter takes this a step further—actually five steps further—offering six times the power, which can run power tools or other appliances. The whole idea of overlanding may be to escape civilization, but having a little backup never hurts.  

High-Clearance Trail Exhaust Tip 

On the street, exhaust pipes are often made more visible to signal power, but off-road, you want them protected and out of the way. Less is more in this case. So, instead of emerging under the driver-side taillight, the Trailhunter’s exhaust pipe ends just before the rear axle, where it can stay elevated to prevent damage from truck bounces against rocks and other obstacles underneath.  

It is safe to say that the Trailhunter goes well beyond merely looking the part. Everything mentioned above, and more, clearly stems from extensive research and feedback from individuals engaged in the very activities for which the Trailhunter is designed. Sharp Automotive may not always have one of these specialized Toyotas in stock, but if Toyota’s ultimate overlander is what you seek, a conversation with one of our sales professionals can help bring one to our door.