Your New Car is Built For Off-Roading. But Does It Have What It Takes for Overlanding?

I do like shopping, so the idea of buying the equipment needed for overlanding really appealed to me (my dad was not a big shopper, but he would have liked this kind of shopping.)

What doesn’t appeal to me is all that goes with outfitting a car with gear, especially since I’m not a mechanic or seasoned camper. For me, figuring out how to put up a simple tent can be a frustration. Add that it has to fit the car, meet weight and size limits and other criteria, and it can be confusing. 

Read: BFGoodrich and New Tech Brings More Fun to Off Roading on The World’s Best Trails

One of the cars eBay Motors featured on our trail ride was a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, an all electric AWD crossover designed for light trail riding. It has an adaptive air suspension (gravel mode) that will add 1.5” of ground clearance and can easily handle a gravel road. But rutted, rocky trails are another thing, and that’s where we were going. To get to the top of the trail to Homestake Reservoir, the eBay Motors team swapped its stock wheels with larger Aero wheels ($1,899 —this is a Porsche, after all) and a set of Nitto off-road tires ($982). 

Had I been the one outfitting this car with off-road tires I’d have gone to an off-road shop for advice. The idea of swapping manufacturer equipment for aftermarket parts makes me nervous; I don’t know enough about it to ensure I got the right part and that it’ll work properly. The eBay team had to get up to speed, too; they are not off-road modders, either. So they developed relationships with carmakers and experts to be sure their recommendations are right.

Video: We took the Porsche Taycan out for a spin… and a trail ride!

A big part of the eBay push into selling off-road equipment has been building relationships with sellers and car makers to ensure that all products specified for a car will indeed fit and perform as expected. From this they built what they call the “eBay guaranteed fit.” If a part comes with this guarantee, it’s returnable if it won’t fit.

I was a bit nervous about how the Porsche would do on the trail. I drove the Taycan Cross Turismo on a trail a couple of years ago when Porsche introduced this beefier, more capable version of the Taycan with the idea that owners would take it to trailheads for mountain biking or hiking. That experience was good, though slow; I felt most comfortable at slower speeds on the trail, which thankfully was short. 

But when equipped with Nitto off-road tires and Aero wheels, we kept a speed of about 35 to 40 MPH on our mountain climb, even easily running over ruts and rocky spots. The 12 mile trek would have taken much longer at a slow pace; being able to zip up the mountain was not just fun, but made the climb from 8,700 feet to 10,200 feet a quick one. And the Porsche never felt as if it was sliding or losing control.

Then, for the fun stuff: Porsche makes a roof-top tent that is designed to fit the Taycan ($4,600), and it requires a roof rack to attach it to ($698). With those simple additions (keep in mind, the Taycan is a $200,000 car) we took the trail to Homestake Reservoir where we could set up camp. This part really surprised me: the rooftop tent was simple to open and it securely attached to the roof rack. Climbing into it was easy, too. 

And then, we were rewarded with an incredible view of the reservoir and the White River National Forest that surrounds it.

You’d think a Toyota Tacoma is as off-road ready as it gets. And while you can opt for all the off-road options Toyota offers, it can get pricey. In fact, the TRD Pro version of the Tacoma comes with a price of about $63,000 but still doesn’t offer some of the key equipment that eBay Motors added to our test model. For our afternoon excursion to Camp Hale, and an elevation of 11,300 feet, the eBay Motors team cherry-picked the features they wanted to add to a stock Toyota Tacoma SR5. 

They added four Cycle wheels ($1,360), four Pirelli Scorpion tires ($1,179) and Rough Country fender flares ($280). Then, to ensure the ability to navigate in low or no light, they added a ditch light kit ($180) and a roof rack with a light bar ($750). And to get out of a pinch, they added a winch mounting plate, which replaced the front bumper ($650) and a winch with tow/recovery capacity of up to 12,000 lbs. ($450). 

Setting up camp is the purpose of climbing the trail, after all. And the room in the Tacoma’s bed— and remember, this is a mid-size truck—can be better for carrying all the gear you need: tents, sleeping bags, kitchen equipment, coolers, safety gear and of course, your own gear. Our personal gear would be stored on the roof and secured to the roof rack that came with a light bar. 

To stow all this, eBay added a bed rack ($600), a cargo divider ($398), a bed mat ($160) and a molle panel, which can be used to clip gear to so it doesn’t slide around. The cargo divider essentially separated the truck bed with camping gear, coolers and cooking gear stowed against the rear truck bed wall; the molle panel on separated the front of the bed and allowed an emergency kit, winch tools, fire extinguisher and other small bags to be clipped to it so they don’t bounce out of the truck or fall out when the gate is opened.

If you’ve ever been on a trail with experienced trail riders, you know: Half the fun is finding something to winch. A tree that fell across the trail, perhaps or a stranded vehicle whose occupants will forever be grateful for the help. What you don’t want is to be that stranded vehicle, though with a winch installed, you can be your own help.  

The winch that eBay chose fit into the front bumper of the Toyota Tacoma with a winch mounting plate and can tow (or really, recover) up to 12,000 lbs. Again, this is where I’d really appreciate the expertise of the seller, since figuring out towing and winching weights are both complicated and can damage your vehicle. 

On our climb to 11,400 feet we stopped for a winching demo. The eBay team staged an ATV on a downslope and we watched as our trail guide, Davy Jones, positioned the truck, attached the winch controller and recovery loop, let out the rope from the winch and attached it to the ATV. Soon, with the ATV in neutral, it was being pulled up the hill. Being able to move large, heavy things with equipment certainly inspires a feeling of accomplishment. 

We continued our trek up the hill where the trail narrowed and became uneven and rocky. Finally we crested the last hill and came into a large clearing with a 50 mile view across the valley. There, the team had set up camp: A tent for two (or maybe four, if two are small), seating, a kitchen with pans, dishes and a sink and a couple of tables. All that was needed was a fire, food and some blankets for when the temperatures drop and I’d be set— for a couple of days, at least.

Though my dad loved to climb every peak, we never had off-road vehicles to get us to places like the peaks at Camp Hale. Because he was always on foot, he was limited in how far he could go. But getting up a mountain in a truck or SUV means you can take the trail further and discover more peaks. Or find a more remote trail head from which to hike. And follow the less-traveled trails for more exclusive views. It just takes the right gear—and the right attitude. 

Disclosure: I was a guest of eBay Motors for this adventure. Travel and accommodations were provided but all opinions are my own.