Inside The $500,000 Expedition Truck

28 May, 2019 by Rose

When you think about van life, it’s likely that a compact camper van, pop up campers or small travel trailers will come to mind. Well, while checking out the Overland Expo West, sponsored by Four Wheel Campers, we came across some epic off road trucks that certainly take the compact out of camper van. In fact, we’ve found the perfect Expedition Truck for your next adventure!

This article is sponsored by Four Wheel Campers. They were kind enough to invite us to Overland Expo which gave us the chance to produce this article for the Van Clan community. Check them out if you’re interested in the best pop up truck campers around.!

The not so tiny home that we’re looking at today is the Patagonia Expedition Truck brought to you by Global X Vehicles. This monster camper is for you if you are serious about van life and off-roading, and when we mean serious we mean SERIOUS. It would also be a great vehicle if you’re looking at living off the grid for an extended period of time as this off road bus is a fully souped and kitted out off grid home. So read more if you’re ready to ditch the compact camper and want to take living in a van to a whole new level!

Say Hello To The Gnarliest Expedition Truck On The Planet!

Expedition truck - exterior

The Patagonia can be built on several different chassis options- Kenworth, International, Freightliner, BAE, Mercedes, MAN or Unimog with the length varying between 17’-25’ depending on which chassis you go for. Whatever you choose, you’re sure to end up with a monster home on wheels with space for everything you could ever need, and more. The exact dimensions of the exterior of your expedition truck camper depend on your chosen chassis with the length varying from 17′ 6″ (5.3m) to 29’ (8.8m), the width at 96″ (2438mm) and height at 84″ (2133mm). This truck would dwarf any of the micro campers that we have previously seen, and with dimensions, that big this expedition truck could make a very comfortable full-time tiny house.

What’s On The Outside?

This expedition truck is fully insulated using closed-cell foam insulation with reinforcement, sandwiched between fibreglass reinforced polyester to keep a controlled interior temperature and to avoid getting too hot or cold. This is good news if you want to take on more extreme climates in the desert or snowy areas in your off-road truck. The number of windows you choose to have on your vehicle is customisable and depends on what sort of layout you desire.

However, all windows are Armor Vision™ Premium windows which are made of Dual-Paned Glass with Integrated Blinds and Insect Screens. These windows are built especially for Expedition Vehicles and they have excellent thermal and noise-filtering properties, dual steel locking points are flush-mount with outside wall, and are paintable to match the Patagonia Expedition Body. On top of this the expedition truck can be fitted with Dometic skylights to flood your living space with even more light, making it feel like a home.

There is one main entry door into the expedition truck which has an electric step for ease of entry as well as an automatic sensor LED light above the door. The under bed storage can be accessed by storage doors on either side of the truck, keeping everything neatly organised. Alternatively, the back of the truck can open to reveal a toy haulier/garage area, meaning you can take your quad bike, dirt bike or snowmobile on the road with you because what’s the point in having an expedition truck if you can’t take your toys along too?! For safety, all entry points into the vehicle are secured with 3 point stainless steel locks meaning you can sleep easy at night. The Expedition truck body can be painted to match your chassis vehicle, or it can be adorned with cool body graphics of your choice, making your truck truly one of a kind.

Tell Us More About This Expedition Truck!

The exterior of your truck can be made even more epic with many added components. An added electrical or manual awning will give you plenty of extra living space on warm days. The truck can be installed with an LED high-intensity light bar so you can drive in the remotest of places without worrying about night drawing in as well as a front winch to help others out of a sticky situation. An added roof rack with storage boxes above the cab can give you even more storage space if you find you need more than there is inside. Moving to the roof of the expedition truck, you will discover an immense 800w of solar power, a high capacity air conditioner, exhaust fan with rain sensor as well as the opening skylight.

What’s On The Inside?

Stepping into this expedition truck camper a large living space greets you, measuring Length: 17’ 1”, width 7’ 5”, height 6’7” (which is customisable if you’re on the taller side). There are so many interior layout features to suit your needs and everything is full customisable so you can really make your expedition truck a home away from home. Today, we’re going to look at the most popular layout options but head to Global X Vehicles for a full overview of different layouts.

At the front of the Expedition Truck, you’ll find the dining area situated just behind the cut through that allows you direct access to the cab. This dining area officially seats four, but I’m sure you could squeeze more around this spacious table, especially if you’re travelling with kids. This dining layout converts into an extra double bed, meaning you can comfortably sleep four within the truck. If you need to be able to sleep even more people, bunk beds can be added above the dining area that lower down from the ceiling. This is excellent news if you’re travelling as a family. Of course, each bench seat that makes up the dining area has ample storage within for extra bedding or other items you may need. If you don’t want a dining area in your expedition truck, it can be easily switched out for a lounge area.

Does This Expedition Truck Have A Practical Living Space?

The extensive kitchen runs along one side of the expedition truck spanning from the entrance door all the way to the bed at the back. The cabinetry can be made form your choice of wood veneer or laminate for easy cleaning and each cupboard door has an intergrated locking system meaning your dishes won’t come flying out while on the move! On the 3cm granite worktops you will find either a one or two burner induction cooktop, a stainless steel deep sink and 120v power outlets. For cooking there is also a microwave/induction oven, meaning there are no restraints on what you can cook in this kitchen. The kitchen comes complete with plenty of prepping space and storage, including a Vitrifrigo stainless steel two drawer 3.7 cu. ft. refrigerator / 2.7 cu. ft. freezer. You’ll certainly never go hungry in this expedition truck!

The kitchen wall features a window so that you can look at your beautiful views while cooking or doing the dishes. If this isn’t close enough to nature for you, you can add a side out outdoor kitchen unit to the exterior of your expedition truck. This outdoor kitchen unit comes complete with a grill, stove top, cutting board/sink slide out and a refrigerator cooler- time to get grilling!

Expedition truck - bathroom

The bathroom area is opposite the kitchen and is a wet bath with a shower, a Thetford cassette toilet, medicine cabinet with mirror and a vanity cabinet with a stainless steel sink. If you’d prefer the wet bath can be switch out for a dry bath with a separate shower unit. This bathroom is a luxury for a camper and is one of the touches that makes this expedition truck feel that nit more homely.

What’s Out The Back?

At the back of the truck is a raised large, comfortable queen sized double bed, with the garage stored hidden below it. The bedroom area comes complete with windows on either side, as well as a skylight above – perfect for stargazing in the warmth of your home on wheels. The bed’s headboard boasts bedside storage and charging outlets. Above the bed are two storage cabinets, perfectly placed to act as a wardrobe. Handy reading lights are placed below the cabinets to provide softer lighting so you can read or chat long into the night.

Expedition truck - interior

State Of The Art Electrics

This expedition truck camper, of course, comes with a state of the art electrical system, meaning you will even have enough power to operate the optional onboard washer/dryer! The truck has an 800w solar system as well as a diesel generator which can be used to control the air conditioning. Along with an immense amount of power the Patagonia truck is fitted with 135 gal (510 litres) fresh water supply (510 litres) which is filtered at the entry point and a 28 gallon (105 litres) grey water tank. With this much power and water, you can stay off the grid for long periods at a time, meaning your adventure can last for even longer.

You’ll never be cold in this expedition truck as it has a Webasto Hydronic Thermo Pro 90 Heater with Thermostatically controlled heaters. This unit also provides engine-off cabin heating, hot water, and pre-heats the vehicle’s engine for cold-weather starts- fancy! Also on board is an Isotherm Water Heater. You’ll also never be bored with the LED HDTV on an adjustable wall mount and the Kenwood audio system, keeping you entertained even on the rainiest of days.

Expedition truck - washing machine

Final Thoughts…

We can’t think of anything you could ever need that isn’t onboard the Patagonia expedition truck. In fact, I think it’s got more essentials than some of the apartments I’ve lived in. The Patagonia Expedition truck comes in at a base price of $465,000, including the truck allowance. Sounds like a lot but this truck really is a beast, you could take it anywhere you like and stay othe ff grid for long periods at a time. This truck could easily be used as a home, one that can show you the world while having to give nothing up. I’m not sure you can put a price on that.

Let us know what you think by joining the Van Clan over on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’d also like to give a massive thanks to our sponsors Four Wheel Campers for hosting us at the Overland Expo West 2019!