Solid rock sliders are a must for those who plan on wheeling their Tacomas. Unfortunately, they’re often confused with side steps or running boards, which offer little protection.
Running boards have a different design and function altogether. While allowing easier ingress to the cab, they often compromise ground clearance and pose a hazard when navigating over obstacles.
Rock sliders, however, have minimal impact on clearance. Usually made from steel, they protect your vehicle’s rocker panels against rocks and boulders, allowing your truck to be deflected off of them. Without them, you could sustain damage to these panels, preventing the doors from closing. It will also undoubtedly be a costly repair.
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Who Is Backwoods?
Backwoods Adventure Mods (BAM) is based in northern Arkansas and specializes in exterior components for adventure van builds and Toyota 4x4s.
You’d probably recognize some of their employees and ambassadors from Instagram or YouTube. They’re operated and trusted by die-hard 4×4 addicts, so I was ecstatic to try some of their products.
BAM touts shorter lead times than most of its competitors. This is made possible by utilizing robotics and staying on the cutting edge of manufacturing processes. This also ensures their products remain precise and uniform. That being said, they still embrace hand welding and a personal human touch with customer service.
Bolt-On Option With Flair
These rock sliders are compatible with 2nd & 3rd Gen Tacomas in all configurations and provide ample protection on the trails. They also have the added benefit of a rear kick-out, which serves as a larger step for accessing your roof rack and obstacle deflection.
These are uber-durable sliders made of 1.75” inch DOM steel tubing and are made in America. As with most armor, this isn’t a lightweight modification. However, the added weight is well worth the added peace of mind on the trail.
The welds appear solid and uniform, and the corners are gusseted for reinforcement. BAM ships them with a black powder coat that looks flawless. Each slider features a bolt-on, laser-cut aluminum top plate that creates a perfectly flat step area for you and your passengers. You can run the sliders without the top plate if you prefer, but I like the improved functionality with them on. The 0-degree angle also preserves most of the ground clearance.
The rear kick-outs aren’t as low profile as some other options on the market, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as they allow your truck to deflect off obstacles on tight turns.
Installation Overview
One of the things I’ll praise most about Backwoods is how easy these sliders are to install. All necessary hardware is included.
Backwoods even shipped a second set of aluminum top plates with a note mentioning that a run of plates was cut incorrectly and that the bolt holes may not align with the pre-drilled mounting points on the sliders. That proactive level of customer service is second to none.
To clarify, this sounded like an isolated issue that I’m sure has been resolved in the few months since I’ve installed my set.
I won’t reiterate the step-by-step details of the installation process as Backwoods already has a fantastic installation video.
Installation Notes
While the installation was mostly straightforward and well-explained, I’ll add a few notes and points of confusion that I came across.
- Installing the driver’s side slider takes significantly longer and is more involved than the passenger side.
- There are brake lines that run along the driver’s side frame and push against one of the large mounting bolts. To keep the lines from touching the sliders, they need to be bent up and away from the frame by hand. This isn’t mentioned in the installation video but it’s pretty simple to improvise.
- The fuel tank on the driver’s side makes it a tight fit trying to get a hand in between it and the frame to tighten the clamp on the back end. For someone with large hands, this might be difficult.
- As mentioned in their installation guide, you can use two jack stands to install the sliders solo. In hindsight, it’d be much easier to have a friend help.
Pros
- I’m 5’2” and the kick-out makes it much easier to reach my awning and rooftop tent. The same goes for any form of rooftop storage.
- The sliders can be used as a step, which my dogs and passengers have appreciated.
- The kick-outs can be used to push off trees or rocks without damaging your truck on tight sections of the trail.
- DOM steel tubing is thick, very protective, and doesn’t show wear easily.
- The sliders bolt into preexisting holes in the frame. There’s no need to drill new holes or modify your truck.
- They look awesome and the bolt-on top plate lets you customize the appearance.
Cons
- They are quite heavy. As is to be expected when you start adding armor of any kind, you may want to consider a new suspension or leaf pack. I do notice the extra weight a little bit in how my truck accelerates. But it’s not terrible, and certainly not as noticeable as my camper.
- Although Backwoods sent two pairs of top plates, neither pair aligned perfectly with the mounting points on the sliders. As they stated, the first pair was cut incorrectly and didn’t line up at all. The other did align, although the holes were still slightly off. Lining everything up was tedious, but this type of stuff happens with fabricated parts. Not a huge negative, but something to note.
Final Thoughts
When I installed these sliders, I was afraid they sat too low. Fortunately, after testing them out on familiar trails, they don’t negatively impact my Tacoma’s ground clearance. The rear kick-out has even saved me more than once on narrow trails.
Backwoods claims these sliders can support the weight of the entire vehicle. I’ve yet to test that claim, but from what I’ve observed, I don’t doubt them.
If serious offroad protection is a priority, I can’t recommend these sliders from Backwoods Adventure Mods enough!
