How To Own A Truck

A manifesto for capability you can afford, and the lifestyle you want to live

If there’s one piece of gear that contributes most to all the fun outdoors stuff I get to do—the hunts, the hikes, the dogs, the cabin, the months in Mexico, just living in Montana—it’s clearly my truck. Trucks, and the parts that make them work, are also the most common things you guys ask for help with. With a focus on planning and managing a budget, here’s how to make your vehicle the most useful tool for your life too.

Don’t Start With The Vehicle

The first mistake people make is focussing on the vehicle itself, at the expense of all else. Doing so is a trap that will blow your budget, and limit your capability.

Instead, start by defining the things you want a vehicle to do. Rather than fantasy stuff—Drive around the world! Do sweet jumps! Go vroom vroom!—focus instead on the practical needs of your day-to-day life.

I’m going to use myself as an example here, both so you can see why I’ve ended up with the truck I have, thereby illustrating the process in a tangible format, but also to emphasize how important practical considerations are, even for someone who exists well outside norms.

Transportation

First and foremost, you need a vehicle that will be practical in your daily driving.

• How many people and dogs do you need to regularly carry?

  • Me, Virginia, and three large dogs.

• What kind of fuel economy do you expect?

  • Since I don’t commute, my priority is range over running costs. But I don’t want to price us out of travel. North of 12 MPG is nice, and for purposes of prepping, I need all of my vehicles to be able to reach the cabin from home (300 miles) on a single tank of fuel, with as much range left from there as possible.

• Where will you park?

  • While I’m happy to give up the ability to fit in a standard garage, I do need to fit into the relatively small parking lot at the community food co-op, and I need to be able to parallel park both downtown, and in town centers while traveling.

• Will you tow?

  • I don’t tow regularly, but it do sometimes rent a large utility trailer from U-Haul or a raft trailer. Let’s call the max combined trailer weight I need 4,000 pounds.

• How much cargo do you carry regularly?

  • Between taking all the cardboard we accumulate to the dump, and a need to carry two to three weeks of supplies to the cabin even during winter weather, my need for cargo space is…generous.

All of that begins to point towards a pickup truck, which tend to offer more space and towing capacity than an SUV, at the expense of size and fuel economy. One with a four-door cab to make room in a climate-controlled area for people and pets, and a capped bed to double the space I have to carry cargo out of the weather. And while I could use the largest bed size possible, I need to balance that with practical needs dictated by living in and traveling through cities, and driving tight trails.

Travel

What kind of adventures do you plan to use your truck for?

• Do you plan to drive long distances on highways?

  • Yes. Whether it’s commuting back and forth to the cabin on lonely, high speed two-lane (average speed 80 MPH), or taking off on our annual pilgrimage to Baja (the border is 18 hours away at 85 MPH)

• Do you drive in winter conditions, how often, and how severe?

  • Yes. Here in Montana, heavy snow can fall even in July and August at elevation, and we’re active outdoors in even the worst possible weather.

• Do you plan to visit Mexico?

  • Yes.

• Will you visit or travel through remote areas?

  • All the time.

I need a vehicle that prioritizes safe, comfortable, predictable on-road handling even at high speeds, as well as the power and responsiveness necessary to maintain them. I need summer tires that remain safe to use even in unexpected or shoulder season snow storms. I need winter tires (good ones), and the ability to fit chains to at least the rear wheels. I need a vehicle that can run reliably on low-octane fuel, or diesel that isn’t ultra-low sulfur. I need a vehicle that uses common, easily sourced parts that can be worked on without speciality tools by anyone with basic mechanical knowledge. Any parts I fit need to prioritize long service intervals and reliable performance. I need the ability to self recover.

Traction

Now we can start to define essential adventure capability.

• Do you plan to drive on unpaved surfaces?

  • Yes, nearly every day.

• Do you plan to venture further than simple dirt roads?

  • Yes, I tackle everything from rock gardens to deep mud, sand and snow.

• Do you plan to attempt challenging off-road trails?

  • Yes, but not super often. More commonly, I simply need to tackle a challenging crux on a long trail that’s otherwise fairly easy.

• Do you plan to visit recreational off-road parks or destinations like slick-rock trails in Moab or The Rubicon Trail?

  • The tastiest I would ever get is Hell’s Revenge and I’d skip the potholes.

Like anyone who ever drives on an unpaved surface, I need four-wheel drive in order to minimize the damage I do to those surfaces while maximizing safety. When things get more slippery, I need a rear locker to increase traction. I need good articulation to keep tires in contact with the surface over big rocks, deep ruts, and tall ledges. I probably don’t need a front locker and the problems those can bring, especially while traveling in remote areas. Electronic traction aids would be nice to have. Basic protection parts like skid plates and rock sliders are necessary to prevent damage. I definitely need upsize tires, and the gearing necessary to adequately control those.

Conveniences

Stuff that’s nice to have, but not essential. Much money and weight can be spent chasing stuff that may not actually be all that important to the overall experience.

• Do you want to sleep in or on your vehicle, and if so how many people do you need to accommodate?

  • Yes, me and Virginia.

• Do you live in or travel through areas with a high density of road critters?

  • We divide time between the greater Yellowstone and Glacier ecosystems.

• Do you spend lots of time driving after dark?

  • Way too much.

• How much time are you spending off-road?

  • Probably 1/4 to 1/3 of total mileage.

• Of the trails you normally drive, are many of them confined by trees and rocks, or are they more open?

  • In western Montana, most trails are in heavily forested, rocky areas.

From those answers we can see that the ability to carry a camper or rooftop tent would be nice. A quality aftermarket bumper will help shed animal strikes, and a good set of driving lights will help me avoid those. I do enough mileage off-road that I seriously need to consider the ability of my truck’s suspension to support the weight of a loaded vehicle across challenging terrain, and I need dampers that won’t overheat across long durations of corrugation. And I need a vehicle narrow enough to tackle trails that were originally built for horse-drawn wagons.

Which Truck Is Right For You?

Those questions allow us to narrow down the answer that will deliver the most possible practicality for your actual needs. Let’s list out the needs that result for me:

• A pickup truck

• Enough payload to support people, cargo, camper, accessories

• Common, proven powertrain

• 7-8,000 pound towing capacity

• 300-mile+ fuel range

• Crew cab, mid-size (which then dictates 33 to 34 inch tires, more one that below)

• Final drive ratio of at least 3.73

• Independent front suspension

• 4WD with rear locker, preferably with electronic traction aids

• Recovery points front and rear

• A winch

• Bypass dampers and high capacity springs

• Disconnecting sway bar

• Steel bumpers and sliders

• Good lighting

We haven’t talked about budget yet, so let’s keep this as easy as possible. We want to find a vehicle that gets closest to all those needs in stock form for the cheapest price, and offers wide availability of quality aftermarket parts to get us the rest of the way.

You can begin to see here how quickly many vehicles get ruled out, even ones commonly associated with off-roading and camping. An Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster might seem like a fun if expensive choice given its high payload, and the ability to fit it with a winch, lockers, and protection parts from the factory, but its hodgepodge of high-end European parts rules it out for travel through remote areas, and they’re way too ponderous to handle high speed freeways in heavy traffic. A Tacoma may seem like the obvious route to reliability, but with a payload of only 1,100 pounds, one couldn’t safely carry my family and our cargo, let alone any protection parts or a winch. And with a final drive ratio of only 3.58, its ability to support upsize tires is marginal. One of the various Raptor-spec Fords would give us at least the dampers, but leave us with a need to swap in heavier springs, and saddle us with the need to maintain and fuel a high performance motor. What about a Jeep Gladiator? Those are immensely capable off-road, but payloads are as low as they are on the Tacoma, and the solid axles don’t provide the high speed handling I’m looking for.

That’s why, for me, the answer was a humble Ford Ranger. I spec’d one up to XLT 302A for heated seats and remote start and added the FX4 package for its skid plates, rear locker, and electronic traction aids. In 2021, that cost me about $38,000, which I financed at 0.9 percent. But it didn’t get me all the way. By checking off as many of my needs on the above list as possible, at the lowest possible cost, I left room in my budget not just to fix its shortcomings, but also to run the vehicle correctly, so it can be as safe and reliable as possible.

How To Choose Parts

It’s time to talk about a build. And while that may seem like an exotic, out-of-reach proposition for many budget-conscious drivers who may not consider themselves enthusiasts, it should’t be. The idea here is to add capability, practicality, and reliability, and through those factors, create possibilities that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

Is this relevant to you, the non-truck loving outdoor enthusiast on a budget? Yes. No vehicle is capable of meeting your needs in entirely stock form. And if you want to hike lonelier trails, find more animals, camp in new places, and do all that reliably and conveniently, you’ll need to change some stuff around. Don’t be intimidated, it’s easier and most cost effective than it sounds.

Let’s look back at my checklist of needs and see where the Ranger falls short.

• A pickup truck (CHECK)

• Enough payload to support people, cargo, accessories (1,600 pounds, CHECK)

• Common, proven powertrain (motor from Explorer etc, transmission from F-150, global platform, CHECK)

• 7-8,000 pound towing capacity (7,500 pounds, or as close as possible to double my typical load, CHECK)

• 300-mile+ fuel range (15 MPG x 19 gallons = 285 miles, MUST FIX)

• Crew cab, mid-size (CHECK, with dog retention net and rear seat delete)

• 3.73 final drive (CHECK)

• Independent front suspension (CHECK)

• 4WD with rear locker, preferably with electronic traction aids (CHECK)

• Recovery points front and rear (CHECK)

• A winch (no)

• Bypass dampers and high capacity springs (no)

• Disconnecting sway bar (no)

• Steel bumpers and sliders (no)

• Good lighting (a big NO)

I’ve previously detailed all the modifications I’ve done to the Ranger. Since this is a piece about general guidance, let’s focus instead on some best practices around the most common performance upgrades.

Tires: Very few vehicles of any kind come with suitable tires. No vehicle comes with tires suitable for use in winter weather. These should be top on your priority list, but as with the entire program I’m detailing here, they require a little forward planning. Just another reason to plan your entire build before deciding which vehicle to purchase!

If you simply want to endow an otherwise stock truck with the ability to operate safely and reliably, then either stick with the stock tire size, or search the relevant owner’s forum for “biggest tire no rub.” Then go buy a quality all-terrain tire in that size, which will maintain highway safety while adding off-road traction. For anything lighter than a 3/4 ton, stick with a p-metric tire.

Because larger tires air down to a longer footprint, and because larger tires more easily roll over obstacles, adding a larger tire is the most effective route to increasing capability. As a general rule of thumb, a mid-size truck like my Ranger will perform best on a 33-34 inch tire, which will typically require a suspension system to fit. A half-ton or larger truck will require a 35-inch tire at a minimum if you hope to get beyond the simplest dirt road, and you’ll be way happier on a 37. Both will likely require suspension. 33 to 35-inch tires or similar require a final drive ratio of 3.73 or so if you want to maintain fuel economy, performance, and powertrain longevity. Any larger and you’ll be wanting to see numbers like 4.10, 4.30, or in extreme cases, even 5.29. It is much easier to buy a truck with adequate gearing than it is to change that gearing.

Consider winter tires mandatory north of the Mason-Dixon Line, or in any areas that experience regular winter weather. Since you won’t be tackling big rocks off-road on winters, feel free to run them in smaller sizes closer to stock. The all-terrains on my Ranger, for instance, are 275/75-17s. In winter I run 275/70s. Going a bit smaller and narrower in winter will also give you extra clearance for chains, which you’ll want to carry if you plan to tackle really deep snow or steep climbs or descents. The largest winter tire available is the 315/70-17 Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3. Keeping that size accessible to your plus size build would be a smart idea.

Make sure you buy five tires in each flavor, so you can continue a trip should one be destroyed. While spending $1,000 to $1,500 on a set of tires, twice, may sound extravagant, you’ll obviously get twice the years out of each. So this is a case of bringing an inevitable expense forward, which works out as cheap insurance since you’ll end up crashing so much less often once snow starts to fall.

Suspension: Aftermarket suspension systems are commonly considered for their ability to lift a truck to fit large tires. But, they should also provide the ability to adequately support the weight of a lifted truck, and to avoid overheating while driving on rough surfaces. So, again, we need to consider them as part of a cohesive, whole vehicle.

The best suspension components are available in systems that allow you to spec spring weight to your load. Stock, your vehicle will be sprung to ride comfortably unladen. But on high payload vehicles, you cannot expect a spring that’s comfortable with the weight of two adults (say 350 pounds) onboard not to begin sagging when fully loaded with 1,600 or more pounds. An overloaded spring will also transfer more movement to dampers, whose job it is to control movement while resisting heat. So, inadequate springs will also quickly lead to overheated dampers. Look for kits that provide springs, dampers, and even upper control arms (which increase available travel and foster proper alignment) in a single package, and calculate your all-up weight before ordering. I use and recommend Old Man Emu components, and base a large part of my vehicle shopping decisions around compatibility with that brand.

Recovery: If you’re venturing off-road or into inclement weather, you’ll want the ability to get your vehicle out of a ditch. This will require both stuff that’s bolted to your truck, and accessories you’ll carry. Many vehicles the Internet will tell you are good trucks no long provide front recovery points. Yes, I’m talking about Toyota. If a vehicle does not, adding such should be one of your primary considerations. You’ll also want to budget for an air compressor, recovery straps and shackles, and Maxtrax. I detailed some recommendations at this link.

What about a winch? I sold a buddy on one by framing it as insurance. If you get badly stuck or slide off a trail way out in the middle of nowhere, you’re not going to be able to get out unless you have a winch. Otherwise, you’re either requesting a specialty rescue truck over your satellite messenger at the likely cost of $2,500+, if such a service is even available. If not, you’re abandoning your vehicle.

But, winches are heavy, and require specialized mounts and wiring. If one is offered as a dealer or factory-installed accessory, along with all the systems required to mount and run it, check that box! The Ford Super Duty, for instance, offers an option that includes a dual-battery and hidden mount for the stock bumper, and wiring and mounting designed and added at the factory are always going be more reliable than even work performed by the most skilled mechanic.

This is another reason why I try to stay in the ARB/OME parts ecosystem. Their front coilovers come setup for the weight of an ARB bumper and its compatible winch. So, you’re handling all the considerations at once, rather than trying to figure them out piecemeal.

Everything Else: By now, I hope the formula here is obvious. You want the most possible function at the least weight and cost. Any additional component you add to your vehicle also adds a potential point of failure, which will add further maintenance costs and headaches. Your priority should be vehicle performance in real world, every day driving. For the best possible result, add the least amount of stuff to your truck possible.

Here’s some links to stuff I’ve written explaining popular parts in depth:

All-Terrain Tires

Campers

Driving Lights

Recovery Gear

Interior Modifications

Drawer Systems

Rooftop Tents

Solar Power

Arrrr Gnarrr

Jeeze Wes, Make This Simple

Starting with some dream truck you want to own, then trying to turn a square peg into a round hole is going to cause frustration, add cost, and limit utility.

Instead, pencil out your end product, and work backwards to find the cheapest possible vehicle capable of supporting that result. If you can’t reach your goal with a brand new vehicle, start looking at used ones. This is the reason many builds start with a five to seven year old truck instead of a brand new one.

Create a list of stuff you need that vehicle to have/do, and find the one that checks as many of your boxes for the lowest possible price.

Prioritize non-sexy sounding stuff like final drive ratios, payloads, towing capacities, and easy availability of quality aftermarket parts over stuff that gets marketed and advertised.

If you plan to tow, look for a vehicle with a capacity around twice the weight of your loaded trailer. This takes the hard work out of final drive ratios, cooling capacities, weight distribution, etc, and generally adds up to stability, confidence, and manageable fuel economy.

Speaking of fuel economy, consider fuel range for the kinds of trips you need to do.

Tires determine capability.

Maintenance determines reliability.

Trucks are expensive, even before you start modifying. Most new car buyers keep their vehicles for three to five years. Planning to keep your truck from five to ten years can help spread out the cost, and justify the expense.

72+ month finance terms don’t cost out well unless they’re paired with very low interest rates, in which case they can prove cheaper than paying cash.

Going and doing cool things is way neater than blowing your entire budget on badge. Buying a cheap truck, and making the most of it, will result in much higher value.

Do more with less.

Want help planning a purchase and build? Drop your own answers to the questions above in comments or in our new Discord forum, and I’ll help you get there.

Want to save money on outdoors gear, while buying the most effective stuff? Upgrading to a paid subscription is an investment in the future of independent journalism around the outdoors, and buys personal access to Wes, who will guide your individual purchases for apparel, tools, vehicles, and more. You can read more about that value proposition at this link.