Rigs We Dig: Tonya the Toyota 1998 4Runner

September 07, 2022 3 min read

HEST Rigs We Dig GMC Sierra Camper Buildout Back of truck Dually

Your name: Adam & Brittani Fenimore

Location: Boise, ID

Nickname: Tonya the Toyota

Make & Model: Toyota 4Runner

Year:1998, Automatic

HEST products: HEST Dually Long + Camp Pillows

Critical dimensions for your bed platform:
Length: 78"

Width (at narrowest point): 50"

Is this your daily driver or getaway car?

After living and traveling full time in a Ram ProMaster van, we recently settled down in Boise & bought this 4Runner for both our daily driver and getaway adventure vehicle. Right now, she is all we have and we have loved giving this ole girl a new life.

What do you like most about your rig?

Gosh, hard to say just one. Reliability. Capability. Classic. are 3 words that immediately come to mind. Before we lived in the van, Adam had a 5th generation 4Runner (2015) and we absolutely knew once we settled down that another 4Runner was in the cards. But you know the saying "they don't make 'em like they used to?" We feel that with this old Toyota. It's just incredible how much a 25+ year old vehicle can feel so incredible to drive. The 5th generation 4Runner was great...but this 3rd generation has it beat in our minds!

On your average weekend adventure, what is the gear set up you bring with you? How did you navigate gear storage needs into your rig set up?
Something that was important to us was being able to pack up and go super easily. Our storage platform from Solid Wood Worx is always in the back so we grab our HEST Mattress & Pillows, our MoonShade awning and our clothes and we're pretty much set to go. If we know we're gonna hit some lakes or rivers we grab our paddle boards and strap them to the roof!

How did you navigate gear storage needs into your rig set up?
Storage in a smaller SUV is key, especially when 3 of us are sleeping inside (us two + our adventure pup Levi). We maximize our storage space 3 ways: 1) We have a Roam Adventure Co. box that we put on the roof to store mostly our dog's belongings & food as well as some other odds & ends like our fishing pole and paddle board pump. 2) Our Solid Wood Worx bed platform has two locking sliding drawers that hold all our kitchen & food items. 3) One of our FAVORITE things about the HEST Mattress is that it folds in half and clips. We keep the mattress folded in half when we're driving to & from and keep our cooler, water jug & solar generator on the other half. Then of course we lay our HEST Dog Bed right behind the two front seats so Levi has a comfy place to sit.

Any cool custom details you’re proud of?
Not yet ;) Tonya is a newer adventure rig for us. We're cooking up some good ideas for making her one of a kind. But right now we're kinda loving that for a 1998 she's pretty stocked up!

Coolest place you’ve taken your rig to?
We'll definitely have to update this again after we get into more shenanigans with this rig, but we recently went to Mt. Hood & Hood River and absolutely loved it.

Any projects in the pipeline to get the cruiser even more adventure ready?
Oh yes! We want to start with suspension because we know that it needs some updating/upgrading. We also would love a full length roof rack for more secure storage on the roof.

Biggest challenge in your build out?
Gosh we feel super lucky from our prior experience from living on the road for this buildout. We knew a comfortable night of sleep was key & HEST has more than delivered on that! I'd say our biggest challenge going from a van to a SUV is simply storage. We were so used to having a full "garage" in the van to store toys so now we have to be a little more choosy when we're headed out on what to bring.

Tips for others looking to do the same to their vehicle?
What are you waiting for?! Something we hope to share is you don't need the newest, biggest, bestest vehicle to get out and adventure. All that you really need is a solid place to sleep & the desire to get out there. HEST has you covered on the former and if you are reading this then I think you also have the latter. Start with the very basics and build your rig as you go. You will find the gaps along the way, but don't let them stop you from starting. We feel like having a classic, simple car camping setup really gets you out there more!