Toyota Tundra Trailhunter Concept Previews Overlanding Trim for Trucks and SUVs

Toyota's Trailhunter concept, a Tundra-based overlanding vehicle that previews a lineup of coming Trailhunter models is such a no-brainer we're struggling to figure out how none of its competitors have thought of this first. The pairing of Toyota's rugged off-road pickups and SUVs with factory installed overlanding gear ranging from built-in pop-up tents to coolers, onboard recovery gear, and other provisions for camping off-grid is quite natural—how many Toyotas do you see with lift kits and roof tents? Tons. For Toyota to offer such builds from the factory is genius, and likely lucrative—after all, surely there are lots of potential Toyota buyers who'd flock to a turnkey overlander from Toyota, the brand renowned for rugged reliability?

That's the future previewed by this Tundra-based Trailhunter concept debuting at the 2022 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Toyota isn't merely envisioning a one-off Tundra with some camping gear bolted to it—no, the Trailhunter concept portends an entire lineup of Trailhunters. Per Lisa Materazzo, group vice president of Toyota marketing, these "Trailhunter trucks will come straight from the factory equipped to meet the needs of overlanding enthusiasts," and will "be developed in-house by our engineering teams and will be the most capable OEM overlanding solutions designed to meet Toyota's legendary quality, durability, and reliability standards."

Just think—instead of going out, buying a new Toyota off-roader, then seeking out a rooftop tent, then the rack to support that roof tent, then maybe some ladders, or a lifted suspension, better tires, or other upgrades before then either installing all of it yourself or paying someone to do that for you, you could just waltz into a Toyota dealership, plunk down some moolah, and drive away in a factory built Trailhunter model where that's all been done for you and is warranted by Toyota.

So far, the company isn't specifying which of its vehicles might receive the Trailhunter treatment, but we can guess the Tundra shown here (festooned with said tent, bed rack, cooler, recovery gear, and sweet wheels and tires), along with numerous references to "trucks" in Toyota's announcement indicates the Tundra and smaller midsize Tacoma are likely candidates. We figure SUVs such as the new Sequoia, the 4Runner, and maybe even a RAV4 could be fair game, too. More details will be coming next year, Toyota says, so stay tuned for more Trailhunter news in the future. In the meantime, let this Tundra concept be a preview of the overlanding to come.

Dirt Every Day hosts Fred Williams and Dave Chappelle talk about the best ways to spend money on cheap off-road builds, then put their money where their mouths are out on the trails. To see the full episodes (90 and 115), sign up for a free trial to MotorTrend+ today! Video created by Little Dot Studios.