Why EarthRomer or Unamog Overland Campers?

[BigJohn]

Ok, I get it .... they are flippin awesome and cool, but really? We are talking about rigs that are over a million bucks to far more.

And what do you get for that amount of money in regard to off-road ability? I have never seen these rigs on the off-road trails in Colorado. Yep, I have seen them in a camp ground and in front of a Starbucks, but really????? I suppose if I dropped just short of a million bucks on an RV, I wouldn't want to tear it up either.

Now if WW3 and the Apocalypse happen.... this is the rig I would want, a long with a roof mounted 50 BMG auto.....

Me.... I will stick with a $15k 4x4 and roof top tent for some back country camping and loving!

 

[Hirev]

I would take a good overland camper if it was given to me. Some people have money to burn so I guess they are living a dream. Good for them.

 

[dnewton3]

Why? If they have the money, and that's what they want, then by gosh they should have it. How they use those vehicles is up to them.

Conversely put, why not? It's not any more of a waste than folks who mall-crawl in their expensive 'Rover, G Wagon or other SUVs, which never see any "sport' or "utility" use. Or, like the man I see all over the neighborhood in his 'Vette, tooling along about 10mph under the speed limit, which probably has never seen more than 1600rpm ...

As BB once sang .... "I'm paying the cost to be the boss!"

 

[AZjeff]

Why not?

Those things originated in Europe for rich people to explore the world. See them around here quite a bit, no idea where they go.

RTT no go for me, I always have to get up in the night and besides, lion and bear attacks are extremely rare to non-existent. Most "overlanding" equipment and kit is obscenely expensive like the stuff in the back of that FJ. BITD before it became the hip thing it was called car camping and you used what you had around plus a tent.

 

[svtrit]

Earthroamer started as a Dodge pickup with a camper, blogging about travels around the world. They’ve gotten bigger and bigger, and still have buyers.

The new trend in YouTube Overlanding is showing how simply you can do it now vs. post pandemic extreme builds. My JL and a ground tent work just fine. For that matter, so does my minivan.

 

[CarbonToast]

I imagine you cant drive a class C or tow a travel trailer on anything rougher than a smooth gravel road. If you do want to get off grid it's necessary. Also, they probably sell less than 10 per year.

 

[BobsArmory]

I've always wondered why people would want a tent on top of their vehicle. With having to tear down your tent any time you want to drive anywhere, climbing up and down slippery ladder in the middle of the night, higher center of gravity and so on. I must be missing something.

 

[BigJohn]

You all make a good point. If you want it and have money to burn and want to live the dream.... then go for it. I have plenty of money, but I guess the miser in me just thinks that is the ultimate waste of money and about the most vain show of that money, as the rigs cannot go on 50% of the Jeep trails in the Rockies.

Guess my point is... They are vanity rigs. Much like most of the BMW motorcycle community. Probably less than 20% of those $30k GSA's ever get a real off road test.

But once again.... if having the bling is your thing and driving 40" mud tires down interstate roads makes you happy.... giddy up. To each their own.

I've always wondered why people would want a tent on top of their vehicle. With having to tear down your tent any time you want to drive anywhere, climbing up and down slippery ladder in the middle of the night, higher center of gravity and so on. I must be missing something.

You ever slept in a tent in a rain storm? You do it once and you will never want to do it again. Wake up at 11pm and your down bag is in an inch of water and you will not go to sleep until the next day, freezing your ass off all night long. A tent on a rig NEVER has that issue.

Also, my wife ..... all of the sudden ...... started tent camping with me, when the tent was 6' off the ground. Her issues were big critters that might eat a person. Never mind that a little 44 mag pill popper is beside my inflatable pillow.

.......

 

[Fitter30]

If you have a million bucks for a off road vehicle your worth a whole lot more than even a few million. Probably 20-30+ at a minimum. My 2¢.

 

[02SE]

A neighbor has one of the latest Earthroamers. The thing is far too big to take on most of the desolate tracks we like to take our 4wd exploration rig on, but it is nice inside and definitely looks impressive. For where they take it, and for what they want to do, it's fine.

We had a really nice RV, and may get another. Random people often asked if it was excessive, my standard reply was it suits our needs/wants perfectly. Occasionally they'd keep going, usually with something negative to say. I'd just cut them off and suggest that they mind their own business, and we'd mind ours...

 

[D60]

The one thing that makes sense to me about an Earthroamer is the monocoque construction of the camper. No seams, no chances to leak.

Now, this may not be exclusive to Earthroamer -- I wouldn't know as I dont follow the high dollar RV world.

Beyond that I've always just seen them as a motorhome on a truck chassis. Advantages include: anyone who can work on Ford trucks can work on them, more ground clearance than the average motor home for greater selection of remote campsites, and true, non-aftermarket 4wd for driving CO passes when snow packed.

But yeah, they're stupid expensive

 

[4WD]

Well, when you go off-road you better understand vehicle recovery and have a plan. Something that large would be a challenge …