Sprinter or 7.5 ton rig? Help me decide...

[d.brophy]

I'm at the early stages of planning an open ended tour around the world in a van/truck. I've been working remotely and travelling more or less full time since 2012, and I really fancy trying a few years using a van as a base for adventures (trekking / rock climbing / mountaineering / ski touring / etc etc etc). We would be living in the van full time, moving around pretty slowly spending a few weeks in each place.

Maybe you can help with the pros and cons of either an off-road capable van (e.g. Sprinter) versus a bigger 7.5 ton truck. Or maybe you can suggest something completely different.

I'm also trying to get an idea for very rough estimates of the cost of both options: depreciation, running costs, spares etc.

Essentials
Crew of two
Hot shower
Double bed 2m long
Moderate off-road capability for crappy dirt roads
A bit of storage for skis, adventure gear, etc.
Enough fuel / water for a few days off the grid
Heating and aircon for hot/cold climates

Would be nice but not essential
Space for two visitors to join us temporarily
Proper off-road capability for real off-road travel
More fuel / water for longer stretches off the grid

Destinations
Probably sticking to mainly Europe / Asia / Africa to start with - perhaps ship the van to the Americas after a few years.
I'm a big fan of cold climates and snow sports, so performance and comfort in cold weather as well as hot weather is critical.

Examples
Here's a couple that caught my attention:
Van example: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264857727423
Truck example: https://www.expedition-trucks.com/iveco-110-17-4x4-expeditiontruck

Van advantages
Smaller, lighter, faster - more convenient when driving / parking
Better fuel economy - cheaper running costs
Lower initial cost - cheaper finance, depreciation, insurance
Cheaper to ship on a ferry
More?

Truck advantages
Larger, more comfort when stationary
More fuel, water - longer off-grid autonomy
More storage space for adventure gear
More storage space for spare parts - more confidence in remote areas
Greater off-road capability - but how much greater exactly?
More?

Yearly budget
Very rough costs for driving ~100,000km per year:

Van (initial cost ~€50k)
Finance @ 5% €5k
Depreciation €10k?
Fuel (20l/100km?): €20k
Repairs, parts and servicing?
Insurance?
Tolls and ferries?

Truck (initial cost ~€100k)
Finance @ 5% €10k
Depreciation €20k?
Fuel (30l/100km?) €30k
Repairs, parts and servicing?
Insurance?
Tolls and ferries?

 

[d.brophy]

Also, I'm trying to get a feel for the difference in off-road capability between a Sprinter size van with off-road upgrades and a bigger truck. I guess it really depends on the exact vehicle but any generalisations you might be able to point out would be great.

I don't have an exact destination in mind, but we'll probably be trying to access pretty remote locations for adventures, so greater off-road capability will mean less approach hiking to reach our objectives.

 

[alanymarce]

It seems to me that you've done a good job of identifying pros and cons already. Seeking to help, i think your challenge is that you're in the cusp between whether you need to handle more challenging "off road" conditions or not. I would choose a "truck" over a van for Maun to Kasane through Savuti or to cross the Simpson, however as you note, fuel consumption is probably going to be higher, and in 100K K per year this will add up. If you ship once in a couple of years then shipping cost is not so much of a challenge, however if you're shipping every 9 months it may be a more significant factor.

In terms of "off road" capability, check the approach, breakover, and departure angles, and the clearance.

In your situation we'd go for the Iveco not the Sprinter, however it really depends on where you want to go, as you realise.

Just out of interest, in our 3 "big trips" (about 150,000 Km of travel - South America, Africa, Australia) we're seen a fair number of Ivecos and hardly any Sprinters.

 

[Lovetheworld]

If you don't have to go with such a truck, don't.
We have a 4x4 van, a small one, and we were able to travel so much faster over the worst tarmac roads.

In the bigger sizes I see 4x4 mostly used as a security feature, rather than doing challenging 4x4 tracks.
I think in reality a Sprinter 4x4 on big wheels wil be adequate. Just don't take to long of a wheel base.

If you have/want to build it yourself, then a van is also much faster.

 

[Furaites]

To me, as I am getting up in years, I would want more space and more comfort. It is something that will be my home for years to come.

That being said, you go to big and you become your own worst enemy. My right size is the 7.5t about Man 8.150 FAE.

But opinions are like butt holes, everyone’s got one.

 

[Lovetheworld]

Yes, but as you go up in age, it becomes harder to change a flat tire because of the enormous wheels. And it becomes harder to get in the car.

 

[grizzlyj]

100000km a year leaves no time to stop and look around. Fuel in Europe is something like €1 a litre at least. £1.19 nearest me now.
You can't really sleep across the back of a Sprinter, tho you can put pockets in the side panels to increase width but still a bit compromised. Sleeping in it lengthwise eats more interior space.
Accommodating the odd visitor should be a small tent, anything more will eat up a lot of space.
Water tanks need to be inside not underslung like that Sprinter. Inside eats more space.
A truck that can be 12tons but derated to 7500kg is only for licence purposes, and maybe tax depending where and how it's registered. But to stick below 7500kg (and so be legal) may not leave you with as much payload as you might like.
A 3500kg Sprinter may be fine with 100-150l of water plus everything else. A truck might be fine with three or four times as much, and so how long you can stay put in that dream location while showering inside. You can get a higher rated Sprinter but on super singles they are maxed at four and a bit tons and the tyre choice is small and not common. So above that dualies.
Heating should not be gas because there is no commonality in gas bottles. A six or twelve ish kg bottle for cooking will last months, so leaving one behind and paying a deposit for a new one it becomes less of an issue. Cooking on induction looks easier but you need a lot of battery (space), lithiums don't like the cold. Lithium for cooking and AGMs (weight) for heating hydronically with diesel?? People spending two weeks camped in an Alpine car park to ski cheap use gas to heat but don't change countries. Recharging while stationery for two weeks in the winter might be tricky too. Those central town car parks might not appreciate a truck. And a few EU places have banned older polluting vehicles but not enough for me to be bothered.
A white van blends in, a stickered truck does not.
A separate body on the back can be well insulated. A van cab can never be well insulated. I wouldn't bother with a/c myself. My view would be in a country where you can bounce from a/c cab to a/c camper to a/c shop or museum etc then maybe, but in a country with no a/c in most places then you make your life harder. Slow down and get used to it if you can.
My wife and I have owned a 6m 2wd camper van with shower but couldn't carry enough water to make it worth doing unless you were next to a tap (ie campsite with decent showers). We've owned a Transit Connect pop top which was good as a daily driver but flipping cold to camp in, underslung tanks. We've hired one Hyundai i800 camper and two Transporter pop tops and owned one high roof one. All with one leisure battery which was not enough to run the diesel air blown heater for more than a few hours for one evening before recharging. One approx 100W solar panel on each. We lived in a Mog based camper for three years weighing about 9000kgs. For two people would be my choice again. New spares if needed are pricey, used spares from a few worldwide distributing specialists are not so much. Old Mog prices are going up it seems, a twenty year old truck vs a twenty five year old truck values will be based on condition not age. Or for two people look at a Murvi Morello in the UK, he can build new on a 4x4 van chassis if you ask (and pay!), a nice, well thought of conversion.
Look at the John Speed Travel Vans book ISBN-13 : 978-9992011584 where he fits out a Merc Vario 4x4 after considering other stuff, the legend that is Tom Sheppard who can help focus your thinking into what you do and don't need http://www.desertwinds.co.uk/expedition_guide.html , and Ulrich Doldes book that you can download or buy off Amazon probably, equally helpful. He built his bed to accommodate his kitesurf set up https://www.selfbuildmotorhome.com/Main_navigation/Bookstore.html

Search mobile.de in campervans, diesel, manual, 4x4 (a selection further down their search page) and find -

https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=308632949&axles=TWO&damageUnrepaired=ALSO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED&features=FOUR_WHEEL_DRIVE&fuels=DIESEL&isSearchRequest=true&pageNumber=2&scopeId=MH&sfmr=false&transmissions=MANUAL_GEAR&usage=USED&action=topOfPage&top=1:1&searchId=560473e9-3d74-40da-6d0d-b435ad21de0c

All above not worth 2c

 

[grizzlyj]

And, sulphur in diesel will possibly dictate vehicle age and complexity depending on where specifically you want to go. I don't know how 100% accurate it is but the below may give you an idea, outside of 10-15ppm a dpf may not be happy?
You could ask in the camper section here too?

 

[d.brophy]

wow, amazing info thanks!