ACELA 6X6 WITH SLRV EXPEDITION BOX NEW BUILD

Adventr.us

Adventr.us

New member
@poohbearusvi As I'm continuing my research for our eventual expedition vehicle, and trying to balance the tradeoffs between extended-journey-comfort and ability-to-access-beautiful-places, I'm settling in on something about the same size as your rig (give or take, maybe a bit shorter habitat, but not longer.)

So my question is, now that you've had that much more time/travel on your rig - are there places you wanted to go but couldn't, whether due to length, weight, height, turning radius, or other limitations? (Similarly, do you ever miss having a TOAD to get to a trailhead or into town - or does the rig go everywhere you want to go?)

Thanks in advance!
 
poohbearusvi

poohbearusvi

Well-known member
We had our Jeep EcoDiesel all tricked out ready to tow behind but after talking to a friend with the same Acela 6x6 but with a BlissBox on it, he said try it without towing. And I’m glad we did. There is no way we would be able to tow behind on the roads we were on. We went everywhere with the rig. I would look up on Google maps first to check out the parking situation at grocery stores, Home Depot, etc. Scouting ahead made it much easier. We only missed the Jeep on a couple of occasions. We have emountain bikes so that worked out really well. I’ve done White Rim trail on three separate occasions with our Jeep. I would love to do it with our rig. And we could do it all except for a few narrow spots with overhangs that would really hurt the paint job. But we did go to to some very remote areas with no one in sight. It’s all a trade off. I’m glad we explored all the places we did in our Jeep that are inaccessible in our rig, Point Sublime and Toroweap to name two places. We were in some tight and iffy situations with the rig but managed to get through. Not having the tow vehicle made me test the limits of the rig and myself. It made me a better driver. We explore different places as well as revisit the places we can get to. We get to stay there in comfort and explore with our ebikes. Don’t get anything bigger. Before the rig, we had a 45’ motorhome and a highly modified Jeep with rooftop tent. That’s how we traveled for a few years. Hiking, biking, sailing, cross country skiing, kayaking, Jeeping or overlanding in a 6x6. We’ve tried them all and loved them all. All that counts is being out there. It’s getting tougher now. I’m not 21 but 71. A little more comfort is very welcome.
 
Adventr.us

Adventr.us

New member
poohbearusvi said:
We had our Jeep EcoDiesel all tricked out ready to tow behind but after talking to a friend with the same Acela 6x6 but with a BlissBox on it, he said try it without towing. And I’m glad we did. There is no way we would be able to tow behind on the roads we were on. We went everywhere with the rig. I would look up on Google maps first to check out the parking situation at grocery stores, Home Depot, etc. Scouting ahead made it much easier. We only missed the Jeep on a couple of occasions. We have emountain bikes so that worked out really well. I’ve done White Rim trail on three separate occasions with our Jeep. I would love to do it with our rig. And we could do it all except for a few narrow spots with overhangs that would really hurt the paint job. But we did go to to some very remote areas with no one in sight. It’s all a trade off. I’m glad we explored all the places we did in our Jeep that are inaccessible in our rig, Point Sublime and Toroweap to name two places. We were in some tight and iffy situations with the rig but managed to get through. Not having the tow vehicle made me test the limits of the rig and myself. It made me a better driver. We explore different places as well as revisit the places we can get to. We get to stay there in comfort and explore with our ebikes. Don’t get anything bigger. Before the rig, we had a 45’ motorhome and a highly modified Jeep with rooftop tent. That’s how we traveled for a few years. Hiking, biking, sailing, cross country skiing, kayaking, Jeeping or overlanding in a 6x6. We’ve tried them all and loved them all. All that counts is being out there. It’s getting tougher now. I’m not 21 but 71. A little more comfort is very welcome.
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Again very helpful. I appreciate all the insight you've shared.
 
poohbearusvi

poohbearusvi

Well-known member
I'll answer wfv56 and Semiquixotic together.
Having lived in the Caribbean for nearly 30 years, we are very adverse to cold weather. I think the coldest it got on our summer trip was at about 8500 feet elevation in the Wind River area north of Dubois, Wyoming. It got down to about 29 degrees. We like to sleep in a cool environment so we never use the heaters at night. When we got up the next morning, temperature inside was about 60 degrees. It's a small space with 2.3" thick walls and double pane windows so it's just a matter of 15 to 20 minutes to get the inside toasty. We are an all electric unit so, there is heat generated with any electrical use like the toaster, or microwave or induction cooktop via the two 3500 watt inverters. We've had no problems with keeping warm. As a matter of fact, when using the oven for 45 minutes or more, you can have too much heat. That was one of the mods we did when we got back. We added an additional one way fan to dissipate the heat out of the cabin if it gets too warm. We have a heater installed in the shower. We preheat it prior to taking a shower when it's really cold outside. In addition, our AC is a heat pump which can also be used to heat the place up. We've only used it once to try it out.
As for updates, we sold our place in California and are now in Tucson house hunting. On the way here we took the slow way via Highway 8. We went to Fonts Point in Anza Borrego as well as camped in a couple of nice spots, one being near the Wind Caves. What we like about our rig is the unbelievable luxury inside once we've parked for the night. So matter what is happening outside, wind storm, hail, downpour, hot or cold, the inside is just so damn comfortable.
Here are some pictures (best campfire spot we ever found; tucked in among the rocks in Mojave Desert; driving on the edge.IMG_2217.jpgIMG_2882.jpegDJI_0410.JPG
 
driveby

driveby

Active member
Beautiful shots/spots. Looks like you are having fun! I recently went back and looked and your designs again. I like the ideas overall. Couple questions popped to mind. 1) do you think if I copied your plan but put a ~30' deep full wall garage on the back end of your plan for packing kayaks, bikes, skis etc it would affect the handling too much? I like to kayak and want to keep that stuff clean so something "indoors" is mandatory. 2) bed vs sitting area. Have there been times when one of you wants to lay in bed the other sit and read/work at the table? I see great value in reusing spaces like tables/beds and making the bed slide up like your design but the one downside I see is then there is ever only 1 place to hang out. At the table *or* bed, never both. Has that been an issue so far? Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences it helps me greatly in planning our build.
 
poohbearusvi

poohbearusvi

Well-known member
driveby said:
Beautiful shots/spots. Looks like you are having fun! I recently went back and looked and your designs again. I like the ideas overall. Couple questions popped to mind. 1) do you think if I copied your plan but put a ~30' deep full wall garage on the back end of your plan for packing kayaks, bikes, skis etc it would affect the handling too much? I like to kayak and want to keep that stuff clean so something "indoors" is mandatory. 2) bed vs sitting area. Have there been times when one of you wants to lay in bed the other sit and read/work at the table? I see great value in reusing spaces like tables/beds and making the bed slide up like your design but the one downside I see is then there is ever only 1 place to hang out. At the table *or* bed, never both. Has that been an issue so far? Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences it helps me greatly in planning our build.
Click to expand...

With a 6x6 I don't think so. You can carry a lot of weight back there. As for the bed vs sitting area, I planned for that in my layout. You'll notice that the driver side of the dining area seating is 24" longer than the passenger side. My wife likes to sleep in a bit longer than me. This way, the bed can be down but I have a 24" seat. I was going to add a fold up table there but didn't bother as I have a laptop and iPad. I have the driver side counter available to me for my tea and I've added two usb port right there. Works great for us.
 
Adventr.us

Adventr.us

New member
poohbearusvi said:
Recent health issues forces sale of this incredible expedition vehicle. You can get details by searching SLRV/Acela 6x6 for sale on the expo forum or go to www.expedition6x6truck.com Asking price $625,000. Offers encouraged.
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Very sorry to hear of your health conditions. Happy to be praying for you in that. Meanwhile, I really appreciate all the advice/answers/encouragement you've given me on this forum. It's a beautiful rig. You've done a great job with all the layout and design details. Someone's gonna be beyond blessed to be the next owner ...
 
poohbearusvi

poohbearusvi

Well-known member
Adventr.us said:
Very sorry to hear of your health conditions. Happy to be praying for you in that. Meanwhile, I really appreciate all the advice/answers/encouragement you've given me on this forum. It's a beautiful rig. You've done a great job with all the layout and design details. Someone's gonna be beyond blessed to be the next owner ...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the nice comments.
 
Greg D

Greg D

New member
FourSevensWest said:
I saw this rig for sale today on rvtrader for $585K


Located in Yucca Valley CA (near Palm Springs)
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Hi FourSevensWest - I’m considering giving this SLRV on an Acela Chassis a look (Ie, swap my Global Expedition Vehicle). It appears you may have an Acela Chassis….if so, have you had any experience (good or bad) with Acela US HQ in Bozeman MT or otherwise? Appreciate any Insight you might have. Thanks!
 
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