A house on wheels?
- Thread starter KMR
- Start date
KMR
Adventurer
OutbacKamper said:
Heck yeah, post some up, sounds cool.
haven, I think that in most cases we as a community overvalue the vehicles we depend on. In reality a much "lesser" vehicle could do most everything that our "built" ones can, but we dont seem to like that risk. I know that I would be mortified if I got my home stuck on a flat patch of grass because the tires sunk in 1/2".
Yup, marine stuff is nice, and aviation stuff is even nicer but my wallet really makes me have to be practical about where to draw the line.
Digital Nomad
New member
I just finished reading the book called "The 4-hour Work Week" (it should be named something more like "Lifestyle Design") and have found it to be life changing. I am now investigating the idea of selling my bus and jeep and living full-time on an Earthroamer XV-LT. I just received the brochure and want to head to Colorado soon to take a look at one. I want to talk to people who have shipped one around to places like Iceland to see if they've run into any problems... but could see shipping it to a country and exploring for 3-4 months at a time and returning to the states for a few months to generate some $$ to last me for another few months of exploration (I give seminars).
The key idea is to have only things that are absolutely essential... like only 7 days worth of clothing. With compatible colors so they can be washed together if you go to a laundromat.
I love the unicat setup, but $450-750 is a littte over my budget... living in an earthroamer would give you $200-500K of living $$ when compared to buying the unicat and that's enough to last for many years on the road. If you have the bucks and that's not an issue, then go for it. I've heard a few comments about them being slow on the highway, so you'd have to think about how often you'll be off-road vs. on. I absolutely love the raised roof setup. It doesn't look like you'd be roughing it in one of those.
Another small RV to check out is this 27' 4x4 RV.
I have a storage spot in Boulder, CO... There are a few things that I can't throw out (like historic framed family photos)... I hope my brother or father will take those. Otherwise, I plan to clear the thing out and sell/get rid of everything in it since I haven't missed it in the first year. That will cut my expenses nicely.
I have one of those combomatic washer/dryers... if you get one, make sure it's ventilated instead of the condenser style. Mine is the condenser style and takes FOREVER to dry and everything comes out very wrinkled. I can only fit about two sets of clothes in the thing. It looks like the capacity is larger than it is when you see them in person... you have to keep in mind that there needs to be lots of open space in order to dry the clothes, so you don't want to over-pack it. I never use mine and prefer to go to the laundro-mat where I can fill up 3-4 washers at once and do multiple weeks of clothing in the time of a single wash cycle. My next bus will have a stacked washer/dryer unit that can handle a full-sized load and is vented to the outside.
Doug... it sounds like you come from the yachting world... that's what I'd like to do when I get tired of exploring the US. Although I'd do it in a Nordhavn motoryacht, which you sailing types might consider a "stinkpot", but to each his own. If you want to follow someone's journey in a 55'er, then visit Global Adventure. He just started about a month ago and is on the exact yacht I'd like to have.
When I did my research on living full-time on an RV, I found that 99% of the rigs I ran into were RV-grade, which means very cheap. Every choice they made was based on cost instead of quality. It was only when I made it to the professional Prevost bus conversions that I found the quality I was used to in the homes I've owned (no compromise but cost). But a new Prevost is $1.4-2.5 million bucks! But a 10 year old one has been underused (it's a commercial bus) and very well cared for offered the same quality at a much lower price (in the $200K's) and that's what worked for me. The main thing that turned me away from a standard RV was looking at used ones that were only 1-2 years old and seeing how much wear there was. I was amazed... some of them looked 10 years old. With buses by comparison, a 10 year old bus could easily be mistaken for a new one if you weren't aware of all the electronic wizardry that comes on the new ones. From what I can see (having not seen one in person), the Earthroamer looks to be of much higher quality than most other RV offerings that are in the $0-200K range.
Mark, I'd love to see more photos of that MAN expedition bus.
-Ben
The Digital Nomad
The key idea is to have only things that are absolutely essential... like only 7 days worth of clothing. With compatible colors so they can be washed together if you go to a laundromat.
I love the unicat setup, but $450-750 is a littte over my budget... living in an earthroamer would give you $200-500K of living $$ when compared to buying the unicat and that's enough to last for many years on the road. If you have the bucks and that's not an issue, then go for it. I've heard a few comments about them being slow on the highway, so you'd have to think about how often you'll be off-road vs. on. I absolutely love the raised roof setup. It doesn't look like you'd be roughing it in one of those.
Another small RV to check out is this 27' 4x4 RV.
I have a storage spot in Boulder, CO... There are a few things that I can't throw out (like historic framed family photos)... I hope my brother or father will take those. Otherwise, I plan to clear the thing out and sell/get rid of everything in it since I haven't missed it in the first year. That will cut my expenses nicely.
I have one of those combomatic washer/dryers... if you get one, make sure it's ventilated instead of the condenser style. Mine is the condenser style and takes FOREVER to dry and everything comes out very wrinkled. I can only fit about two sets of clothes in the thing. It looks like the capacity is larger than it is when you see them in person... you have to keep in mind that there needs to be lots of open space in order to dry the clothes, so you don't want to over-pack it. I never use mine and prefer to go to the laundro-mat where I can fill up 3-4 washers at once and do multiple weeks of clothing in the time of a single wash cycle. My next bus will have a stacked washer/dryer unit that can handle a full-sized load and is vented to the outside.
Doug... it sounds like you come from the yachting world... that's what I'd like to do when I get tired of exploring the US. Although I'd do it in a Nordhavn motoryacht, which you sailing types might consider a "stinkpot", but to each his own. If you want to follow someone's journey in a 55'er, then visit Global Adventure. He just started about a month ago and is on the exact yacht I'd like to have.
When I did my research on living full-time on an RV, I found that 99% of the rigs I ran into were RV-grade, which means very cheap. Every choice they made was based on cost instead of quality. It was only when I made it to the professional Prevost bus conversions that I found the quality I was used to in the homes I've owned (no compromise but cost). But a new Prevost is $1.4-2.5 million bucks! But a 10 year old one has been underused (it's a commercial bus) and very well cared for offered the same quality at a much lower price (in the $200K's) and that's what worked for me. The main thing that turned me away from a standard RV was looking at used ones that were only 1-2 years old and seeing how much wear there was. I was amazed... some of them looked 10 years old. With buses by comparison, a 10 year old bus could easily be mistaken for a new one if you weren't aware of all the electronic wizardry that comes on the new ones. From what I can see (having not seen one in person), the Earthroamer looks to be of much higher quality than most other RV offerings that are in the $0-200K range.
Mark, I'd love to see more photos of that MAN expedition bus.
-Ben
The Digital Nomad
OutbacKamper
Supporting Sponsor
Here are a few more pics of the Aussie Man expedition bus conversion. Unfortunately I never got to talk to the owners, they were not around at the time.
Cheers
Mark
Cheers
Mark
KMR
Adventurer
Very cool bus. Was it 4wd?
Ben, you wont find any opposition to that line of thinking around here:sombrero:
You have a great setup, and rolling the dual vehicle into one purpose built vehicle could be really cool/liberating. Or it could make for a vehicle that does all of the things you want it to, but not very well.
Is there an earthroamer that could fit in a shipping container?
Take a look at the "camper plans, ideas" thread. Metcalf is attempting to develop a very internationally transportable vehicle and there are a lot of great ideas floating around in that thread.
The earthroamers are cool, much better built than most other US market "rv's" Check them out in person, I would say go for it, a vehicle of that nature would allow you to remove yourself from the grid a little bit further.
P.S.Thanks for the insights on the washer/dryer stuff.
Ben, you wont find any opposition to that line of thinking around here:sombrero:
You have a great setup, and rolling the dual vehicle into one purpose built vehicle could be really cool/liberating. Or it could make for a vehicle that does all of the things you want it to, but not very well.
Is there an earthroamer that could fit in a shipping container?
Take a look at the "camper plans, ideas" thread. Metcalf is attempting to develop a very internationally transportable vehicle and there are a lot of great ideas floating around in that thread.
The earthroamers are cool, much better built than most other US market "rv's" Check them out in person, I would say go for it, a vehicle of that nature would allow you to remove yourself from the grid a little bit further.
P.S.Thanks for the insights on the washer/dryer stuff.
Robthebrit
Explorer
At exactly 8 feet wide the earthroamer is also too wide to flat rack. The max useable width on the rack is 7 feet 6, same as a container.
The height is not a problem for flat racks, you'll simply get charged more for the height. Also being more than standard height means you get stacked on top which typically means exposed to salt.
RoRo is about the only option which for a $200,000 truck is a little scary.
Rob
The height is not a problem for flat racks, you'll simply get charged more for the height. Also being more than standard height means you get stacked on top which typically means exposed to salt.
RoRo is about the only option which for a $200,000 truck is a little scary.
Rob
Digital Nomad
New member
Mark... thanks for those extra shots... would love to see the interior of one of those.
KMR- I haven't found a vehicle I could live on quality and space-wise that will fit in a container... a unimog with pop-up top would be great, but it's also overly tall. I'm going to be talking to someone who owns an earthrover that ships it all over the world soon and I'll find out what's really necessary and the challenges involved at that time. I didn't see a "camper plan, ideas" thread, but I have explored the Vans and RV's forum... let me know if there's something I'm missing.
I need a professionally-made vehicle... I don't have the time or energy to design/build my own and I'd like to buy something that is a proven design instead of a one-off test vehicle. That's just me... I'm not saying there is anything wrong with taking that approach and I envy the people who have the skills and desire to go that route. I know I'd end up paying a lot less and knowing a lot more about my rig if I were to do something custom. I'll be following the forums here to learn how to outfit my rig and to see if there's anything else out there I should investigate.
Haven- The jeep based Earthroamer is too small for me to live on full-time, but would be great for a few weeks. I need to have computers, printers and other stuff for my work that the XV-JP wouldn't be able to accommodate. The design looks great though and I could see towing it behind something like the bus I'm currently living in. Although who knows... I went from a pretty big house to a 40' bus and am now thinking of heading into a 25' RV... maybe something smaller is next, but I can't envision it right now.
What is the inside dimensions of a standard shipping container and what are the limitations of the "flat racks"? I'm not educated in this area at all.
If you have other suggestions for professionally produced 4x4 RVs that are of high quality and in the $0-200K, then I'd love to hear about it. I'd even consider spending a little more, but nothing over $300K.
KMR- I haven't found a vehicle I could live on quality and space-wise that will fit in a container... a unimog with pop-up top would be great, but it's also overly tall. I'm going to be talking to someone who owns an earthrover that ships it all over the world soon and I'll find out what's really necessary and the challenges involved at that time. I didn't see a "camper plan, ideas" thread, but I have explored the Vans and RV's forum... let me know if there's something I'm missing.
I need a professionally-made vehicle... I don't have the time or energy to design/build my own and I'd like to buy something that is a proven design instead of a one-off test vehicle. That's just me... I'm not saying there is anything wrong with taking that approach and I envy the people who have the skills and desire to go that route. I know I'd end up paying a lot less and knowing a lot more about my rig if I were to do something custom. I'll be following the forums here to learn how to outfit my rig and to see if there's anything else out there I should investigate.
Haven- The jeep based Earthroamer is too small for me to live on full-time, but would be great for a few weeks. I need to have computers, printers and other stuff for my work that the XV-JP wouldn't be able to accommodate. The design looks great though and I could see towing it behind something like the bus I'm currently living in. Although who knows... I went from a pretty big house to a 40' bus and am now thinking of heading into a 25' RV... maybe something smaller is next, but I can't envision it right now.
What is the inside dimensions of a standard shipping container and what are the limitations of the "flat racks"? I'm not educated in this area at all.
If you have other suggestions for professionally produced 4x4 RVs that are of high quality and in the $0-200K, then I'd love to hear about it. I'd even consider spending a little more, but nothing over $300K.
mog
Kodiak Buckaroo
Digital Nomad said:
From the web: (door size should be limiting factor?)
Shipping Container Sizes
Dimension Length Width Height empty (tare) weight
External 20' 8' 8' 6" 4000-5300 pounds
Internal 19' 4.5" 7' 8.6" 7' 10" door 7'8" x 7'5"
External 40' 8' 8' 6" 6000-8800 pounds
Internal 39' 5.5" 7' 8.6" 7' 10" door 7'8" x 7'5"
External 40' Hicube 8' 9' 6" 8500-9200 pounds
Internal 39' 5" 7' 8.6" 8' 10" door 7'8" x 8'5"
Robthebrit
Explorer
Flat racks are 8 foot 6 wide, they are basically the floor of a container and there is just under 8 feet useable so you might be able to squeeze an earthroamer on. However, you probably want to keep a few inches at the sides to allow for tiedowns, straps, the crane handling and stacking.
Earthroamer is a foot wider than my mog and a foot taller. My mog is 7 foot wide and just under 10 feet tall, maybe exactly 10 feet now its got big tires. I can lower the tire pressure and get 6 or 7 inches and if necessary drive on rims to get about 10 inches but I don't think I could get it into a hicube - If I did get in I would not be able to open the door!!
Rob
Earthroamer is a foot wider than my mog and a foot taller. My mog is 7 foot wide and just under 10 feet tall, maybe exactly 10 feet now its got big tires. I can lower the tire pressure and get 6 or 7 inches and if necessary drive on rims to get about 10 inches but I don't think I could get it into a hicube - If I did get in I would not be able to open the door!!
Rob
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OutbacKamper
Supporting Sponsor
Robthebrit said:
When my F350 was in the container (40' Hi-cube) I had to slide out the window and over the front fender to get out!
My limited experience with shipping by container was not very positive. One of the supposed advantages of shipping by container is security right? wrong!
With todays bonded warehouses, you are not allowed to even be there when the vehicle is put into or removed from the container. I had to put up a big fight to be allowed into the container after my truck was loaded into it in Vancouver. The only way they agreed to this was to 1) load the truck into the container, 2) remove the container from the warehouse, 3) allow me access to the container 4) return the container to the warehouse. I am very glad I did this because the only tiedown these so called shipping experts were going to do was nail a 2x4 to the floor each side of the tires!!! I used 4 - 20,000lb rachet staps to make things a little more secure. When shipping from Sydney I could not convince them to allow me to have any access for tiedown work. The wimpy little pot metal hooks they used for tiedowns were pretty useless, at least one of them broke during the voyage (luckily no damage). When picking up the truck in Sydney the truck was parked in the warehouse parking lot, unlocked, with the keys in the ignition - so much for the secuirty of shipping by container! However I was lucky, nothing was missing
Cheers
Mark
I was not there when they shipped my TroopCarrier from Perth to South Africa so I don't know how they attached it...but they must have done a good job because there was no damage.
However, I think the custom agents or someone in Durban got some freebies...my toolbox and a few other minor items were missing - but they did not take my surfboard!
i think the secret is to no ship anything you can't replace easily...and cheaply...
However, I think the custom agents or someone in Durban got some freebies...my toolbox and a few other minor items were missing - but they did not take my surfboard!
i think the secret is to no ship anything you can't replace easily...and cheaply...
charlieaarons
Explorer
I agree completely. You have to live in the thing. I met some Germans this AM at my Unimog dealer who have been on the road for 18 years in Thomas Ritter's first Unicat, on a 1550L chassis. They have nice trick steel shutters for the outside of the windows for shipping, and it's easy to design a box with deadbolt door locks and with a passthru closeoff plate that locks from the inside of the box.
Charlie
Charlie
Rhode Trip
Adventurer
"regardless of the dimensions of an ISO can, it looks like the weight limitations could be the deciding factor. Possible these weights are in kilograms rather than pounds. Even then it could be close."
Quote:
Shipping Container Sizes
Dimension Length Width Height empty (tare) weight
External 20' 8' 8' 6" 4000-5300 pounds
Internal 19' 4.5" 7' 8.6" 7' 10" door 7'8" x 7'5"
External 40' 8' 8' 6" 6000-8800 pounds
Internal 39' 5.5" 7' 8.6" 7' 10" door 7'8" x 7'5"
External 40' Hicube 8' 9' 6" 8500-9200 pounds
Internal 39' 5" 7' 8.6" 8' 10" door 7'8" x 8'5"
(tare) weight refers to the weight of the container itself.
Quote:
Shipping Container Sizes
Dimension Length Width Height empty (tare) weight
External 20' 8' 8' 6" 4000-5300 pounds
Internal 19' 4.5" 7' 8.6" 7' 10" door 7'8" x 7'5"
External 40' 8' 8' 6" 6000-8800 pounds
Internal 39' 5.5" 7' 8.6" 7' 10" door 7'8" x 7'5"
External 40' Hicube 8' 9' 6" 8500-9200 pounds
Internal 39' 5" 7' 8.6" 8' 10" door 7'8" x 8'5"
(tare) weight refers to the weight of the container itself.
Joaquin Suave said:
If designing a truck to fit inside a shipping container is misguided, how silly is this?
http://containeryachts.com/