Funny you mention this Keith, because I ran across a post on Pirate regarding an expedition style vehicle, and at least pondered the question myself (although, no money leads me to refrain from any true contemplation)

I have come to the conclusion that an FZJ80 would be the best overall truck out there for size/capability. I do like the Troopers, and since you are already used to IFS, it would be a good choice. You have the support and knowledge of knowing much of what you need to know regarding them, etc.

The benefits of a Trooper..size and price. While not huge has a good amount of room behind the rear seats for storage. You should be able to easily get your gear in there, maybe a litlte bit going on the roof. It would easily seat your family and dog with enough leg room to not feel too cramped. All this while not being a full width, which could limit some of the trails you get to go on.. They are also relatively cheap to purchase and known to be very reliable...the downfalls..IFS mainly

The benefits of the others...larger, which equals more storage, and extra capacity/room to hold your family/gear without putting much, if anything on the roof. The downfall is that they are full width and extra large. Also, I am not sure on overall reliability.

FJ60...pros. Toyota reliabilty, solid axle...ok on size. They aren't as big as they seem. I think they are somewhere between a Rodeo/Trooper in size, while I don't think they are as comfortable in seating position over a long time. Size is good for trails.

FZJ80...pros. Solid axle, Toyota reliabilty, not to mention possibility of getting factory locking diffs. Their size is good, and probably compirable to a Trooper. Their size on the trails is a little larger then the Trooper, but not yet a fullsize truck. The downfalls is, they are still relatively expensive. A 93-97 FZJ80 runs roughly $8500-$11K here in UT, and I would assume close to the same in CO.

Good luck with your choice....sounds like you are on the right track.