TREAD January/February 2025

With winter here, that means desert season is here! Don’t get me wrong—I love the snow, but there is just something cool about the cool mornings and warmer days the desert has to offer this time of year. Our January/February issue has a little of everything. You will find an article from the TCB Ranch and the full send event, 500 Days of Swag in the Outback, and much more. You’ll meet Darren Parson’s F-100, Ryno-Built Subaru, Evan Walsh’s 4Runner, Vernon’s Tacoma, and project TWOBARU. We’ve also got an update on the TREAD Edition Tacoma, Offroad Testing with Toyota’s New Offerings, and some great tech for you. And don’t forget about all our great columns, including Made the Cut, Tread on Trails, Outfitted, and Gear Box. They each feature the…

01. DECKED/CARGOGLIDE 600 Glide your cargo out to you with one hand on the half-width CargoGlide truck bed slide-out. It features 75% extension, a 600-pound payload, and multiple installation configurations. MSRP -$899 www.decked.com 02. TITAN/SIDEKICK II 15-GALLON FLUID TRANSFER TANK Introducing the TITAN Sidekick II, designed to be the ultimate solution for all your liquid storage and transport needs. The Sidekick mounts over wheelwells, maximizing the usable area in your truck bed, while still offering a massive 15 gallons of capacity. MSRP $349 www.titanfueltanks.com 03. BLUETTI POWER/AC70 PORTABLE POWER STATION 1,000W BLUETTI AC70 portable power with multiple outlets delivers 1,000 watts of continuous power, allowing you to connect and run several appliances at once. Activate the Power Lifting Mode of the AC70 portable power in the BLUETTI app, effortlessly powering…

01. COAST RL35R HEADLAMP The hands-free RL35R headlamp from Coast uses cutting-edge voice-recognition technology to make versatile lighting responsive to intuitive spoken commands. Engage this game-changing voice control feature and then tell your headlamp what to do—with options for power on/off, lighting output, beam shape, beam color, and more. Ideal for hands-on work and messy environments, the RL35R makes portable lighting as dynamic and easy as possible. MSRP: $99 coastportland.com 02. PATAGONIA NANO PUFF QUILT Incredibly warm for its weight, the Macro Puff Quilt from Patagonia is a nearly queen-size blanket that uses the same insulation material as the company’s Micro Puff Hoody. It packs down easily for travel, stays warm even when wet, and is ideal for curling up in after a frigid day on the skin track. Made…

Having the opportunity to build my ideal outdoor adventure rig has been a dream for many years, and a new 2024 Toyota Tacoma was the perfect blank canvas. I spent a lot of time looking at the Tacoma’s different trim levels and, based on what I planned to change, decided to go with the SR5 with a 6-foot bed. Now, I know a few people out there will ask, “Why did you go with the longbed?” Well, for how I like to spend time in the backcountry, where I plan on going, and how I wanted to outfit the build, it was the right choice. The first thing to address was the suspension, wheels, and tires. We chose the Stage 4 suspension system from ICON Dynamics. The system comes with…

Back when Darren Parsons first unveiled this truck, it gave off a menacing vibe somewhere in between the cold, calculated nature of Darth Vader with the predatory pounce of the Batmobile. As dark and chilling as it sounds, these two descriptions may still not even totally peg down how demented Darren Parson’s 1975 Ford F-100 was. Obviously, it still is—don’t get it twisted. It has recently received a facelift and other upgrades that have since increased its appeal. For those questioning the origins of this Ford, let’s clear the air—yes, this is the old RPM / RoadHazard truck. It changed aliases as it changed hands, but since Darren purchased this rig, it now responds to the name Lucky7—and it has a whole new persona to go along with it. Surely,…

I travel a ton with my truck, and one of the things I’m always looking for is a better way to organize, store, and protect gear from the elements. The new YT8 system from DECKED is the perfect answer to all of those needs. The company made the buildout to install super quickly and easily by yourself in the driveway of your shop. Not only is it super functional, but it looks great as well.…