There have been a few trips that I have wanted to do the past few years that I have been putting off because I'd rather not tow the Krawler or jump on a plane to get there. So now that we've finished the build of the Toyota 4Runner (and also because gas prices are at an all-time high), this summer I hit the road in the four-cylinder truck. In fact, since our trip with Tractech in early June until August 4th, I have racked up 16,000 km on the Toyota!

It has been a long time since I have wheeled something so small and with so much body. We did build the XJ a few years back but I never really did wheel it very hard. Since June, we've completed four trails in Washington State, two weeks of pre-running trails at Apex, followed by our Apex Trail Challenge. Four days after that, I headed to the Rubicon via the Oregon Sand Dunes with a group of BC wheelers. I was back for a week and then I was off to Colorado for All-4-Fun, the Die-Trying Trail in Montrose, Colorado (which you will see this issue), as well as a Land Rover trail event in Leadville, Colorado.

That is more wheeling in just a few weeks (with me behind the wheel, that is) than I had done in the entire previous year! (This magazine keeps me pretty busy, you know!)

This summer, I have gained a new respect for all those trucks out there running on 33-inch tires. Admittedly, most would not tackle the trails we have this summer in such a small rig with little more than lift, lockers and winch, but the point is you can, if you drive it right, take your time and don't mind a bit of body damage to go with it. With a dedicated trail rig, you sometimes you take for granted that you can bump and grind, employing big tires and big power rather than relying on finesse and driving skill. But not so in an SUV like our 4Runner, which still has IFS, to boot!

After the Tractech event – in which I had the smallest and least-modified rig, the other drivers were quite amazed I drove the trails I did. I must say it took all the driving skill I had to get it through with such a small amount of damage. Even that little IFS front end everyone warned me about is still going strong, although it does makes a few funny noises now when I turn hard. No surprise that this rig has a new nickname – the "Rock Magnet" – earned from all the hits the IFS took on the Rubicon.

What it comes down to is you can drive some pretty tuff stuff in a small rig. Just don't think you will do it without a winch, or that you'll always keep up with the big trucks. Maybe you need to take a bypass or two but who cares – just don't make new ones!!!!! Even I saw the wisdom of parking the Toyota for the trail named "Die Trying" in Colorado. However, we did manage to take through a TJ with dual Dana 44s and 37-inch BFG Krawlers.

Judging by the content in many magazines (including ours), it might seem that everyone needs a big pair of axles and huge tires under their rig just to go out and play, but that's not necessarily so. Many wheelers are simply over-spending for what they do. It was only recently that we had a rig with dual Dana 60s under it (the Kanadian Krawler), but that was because we planned on entering some serious rock crawling competitions with it. But in the past, I wheeled damn hard with a front Dana 44, or even a solid axle-equipped AMC 20, and never broke it. Looking ahead, I figure I'll be spending far more time wheeling in a small rig like the 4Runner.

For the most part the trails for these types of rigs are plentiful while the trails to challenge the big rigs are far and few between.

So kudos to all you small vehicle owners - I take my hat off to you, and give you this advice: don't always let people talk you into getting those bigger axles and tires. Unless you want to do "Die Trying" or "the Hammers", or the hardest trails that Moab has to offer, you don't need them!

Don't get me wrong, I like the hard stuff. But I think you will find me more often at events with a small 4x4 on 33s or 35s, challenging myself and the vehicle instead of using two-wheel-drive in the big rig – it's way more fun!

Albert Vandervelde
Editor, 4WD Magazine