Heads UP! For an exceptional company!

[JKDetonator]

I took a detour last friday and ended up at Global Xpedition Vehicles in Ozark, MO. I got there about 10:30 am and told the wife we'd be about 30 minutes out of our way. I just wanted to see #91 and get an overall perusal of the company. Four hours later, we had to tear ourselves away because we still had a 6 hour journey ahead of us! Mike and Rene' Van Pelt are outstanding stewards of expedition travel and just good people. We very much enjoyed our tour of his vehicles, manufacturing plant, and their travels. #91 is the epitomy of expedition vehicles! Because of their own travel experiences their vehicle is designed/engineered with travel, comfort, and security in mind. It doesn't have unnecessary frills, but it does have all the comforts of a home away from home. The fit/finish is first class, the materials of construction are top notch and space utilization is the best I've seen. Because they are a small company the ability to build your vehicle to your "spec's" is easy to do. #91 reminded me of a yacht or sailboat, far from the RV that I was expecting. I just wanted all of you guys and gals to know what a positive experience it was to visit them. They've even been able to persuade the wife from a "No Way" stance to a "That Might Be Pretty Cool" idea! I really appreciate the time they took with us; and suggest that anyone that might be in the market for an Expedition type vehicle to get in touch with them. They can even build on your Ford F-350!

PS: They are real close to Lamberts "Home of the Throwed Rolls" so go hungry!
PSS: They are going to be in Tulsa, OK next weekend at the Gun Show :victory:

 

[olympiccop2002]

They've even been able to persuade the wife from a "No Way" stance to a "That Might Be Pretty Cool" idea!

That right there is worth the price of admission for one of those awesome rigs! I would love to tour their facility. Maybe they can talk my Wife into one too! :elkgrin:

 

[406to417]

You've got to be kidding me,this place is just down the road from where i live and i never knew it!

 

[corax]

No kidding - I think spotted one the other day at a WalMart in eastern PA, it looks like #71 from their site. I couldn't figure out who made it at the time, but took this pic.

 

[DLippke]

Yes, you've got that right. That's me following my wife up the Appalachian Trail. Eastern PA and now Northern NJ are proving very challenging wrt finding nice camping spots and maneuvering / exploration in general although we did wind up in a nice stealth site along a creek in the DWG Recreation Area night before last.

If you want an interesting logistical challenge try following a hiker moving 20+ miles a day with two vehicles, generally picking up and dropping off said hiker in the mornings / evenings, trying to locate camps that will work more than a day, and locating trail crossings up two and three days in advance. That Jeep has 17K miles on it since our March 14 start on Springer Mountain in GA! Anyway, some nights I just have to throw in the towel and head for Walmart and that's what happened that night.

As you may have noticed, I've learned to position the vehicle such that it can't be circled and so it's hard to get at the business side of the thing. Otherwise we're kept up all night with people cruising around and around it and folks walking around it commenting loudly upon it -- somehow never imagining that we're inside listening to every word. LOL.

No kidding - I think spotted one the other day at a WalMart in eastern PA, it looks like #71 from their site. I couldn't figure out who made it at the time, but took this pic.

 

[dzzz]

.................. Otherwise we're kept up all night with people cruising around and around it and folks walking around it commenting loudly upon it -- somehow never imagining that we're inside listening to every word. LOL.

I restored an old house that had the kitchen table was only about 20 feet from the public side walk. The loud opinions where always from some guys telling his wife why he didn't like it.

I'm sure the graphic is a big part of people noticing your truck. White commercial trucks are so common that they blend into the landscape at a moderate distance.

You must hear some odd explanations on the purpose of your vehicle.

 

[DLippke]

Yes, it's actually surprising how few guess correctly that it's a camper even when we have the windows open. Generally they engage some sort of transference and declare it to be whatever it is that they'd most want it to be. If I'm outside they will ask "What is *in* that thing?" thus demonstrating that they don't understand it to be a camper.

The strangest serious conclusion we heard while lurking inside was that it was a govenment vehicle for putting ETs in! But the funniest extended conversation we heard was between a set of kids in their early 20s who had decided its best use was as a zombie defense and fighting machine. The discussion centered around the various modifications and additions one might make to enhance the vehicle's effectiveness. I may think about some of those ;-)

I restored an old house that had the kitchen table was only about 20 feet from the public side walk. The loud opinions where always from some guys telling his wife why he didn't like it.

I'm sure the graphic is a big part of people noticing your truck. White commercial trucks are so common that they blend into the landscape at a moderate distance.

You must hear some odd explanations on the purpose of your vehicle.

 

[dzzz]

I am attracted to Zombie Apocalypse defense. I think I rationalized with that logic when I went with 200 gal. fuel.

How is your toad working? You have it on a dolly?

 

[DLippke]

No dolly for the toad. I flat tow the jeep with a custom tow bar off the pintle hitch. It's a bit longer and beefier than the usual bar but breaks into three pieces for easy storage on & in the jeep.

Incidentally, I use a RoadMaster "BrakeMaster 9160" proportionate braking system for the jeep. It's simple, small, and works very well. I've had people ride in the jeep to test the braking system and they've reported almost zero backlash on the hitch during stops and I've never had any sense that the jeep was getting squirrelly on me back there.

 

[teamtrailrunner]

Sounds like GVXER is grumpy. It also appears that he literally JUST JOINED EXPEDITION PORTAL TODAY to spew hate. So he/she are not in th ecommunity. His/Her only posts are hate filled. Too bad. Have only had great dealings with Mike and Rene Van Pelt. I would hope the moderators would end the hate. Just my 2 cents.

 

[JKDetonator]

Yep!

x2 :smiley_drive:

 

[Scott Brady]

He is gone for now. Clearly nefarious purposes...