Unique RVs BY JANOS BALOGH Rear view of the smallest Earthroamer. The Loftop open with the queen-size bed.
have to wait another day or two. Bill wanted to have more than just a tent and sleeping bag and the idea of the Earthroamer was born. He wanted more than a regular RV. He wanted a real expedition vehicle you can drive off road just about anywhere, have as much comfort as possible without any hookup or generator. He started building the fi rst expedition camper in 1998 on a Dodge pickup, and many
We travel to see new things and like to share what we see.
Earthroamer
more have been built since, and the company has a very well known name with adventure travelers. Today there are many Earthroamers on the road but the one I’m writing about has been discontinued last year (2011) to make room for the production of other models. It was the XV-JP that caught my eye because it’s really unique. If you have one now, you own a piece of Earthroamer history. T e base is the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4X4 but everything inside has been designed
to provide as much comfort for the traveler as possible. T e top mounted “Loſt op” easily unfolds to a large comfortable tent with a queen-size bed kept cozy by a forced air furnace. An 80-watt solar panel keeps the battery charged, making sure there is always enough power to run the compressor fridge and freezer keeping food and drinks cold. T e 4- gallon hot water tank provides for the inside or outside shower, water is heated up by the engine while driving. T ey even found room for a toilet; it’s like those we have seen in Europe with a cassette as a black tank. It can be removed from outside and emptied just like a Blueboy, an easy and clean solution. It also has a 25-gallon freshwater tank with fi ltered drinking water and a 10-gallon grey water tank. To enjoy all the comfort you have to get there and the vehicle has been modifi ed to
Most of us driving a bigger motorhome also pull a “toad”, a tow vehicle to get around and explore the area where the Big Rig is parked.
T e more adventorous pull a Jeep to go
to places where other vehicles could not. What if you are on a budget and can’t
aff ord two vehicles? No exploring? Could you take a motorhome into the backroads? What if the toad could provide a comfortable accomodation in the back country? Well, you would not need a motorhome and drive back to homebase every time. Let me introduce you to a Jeep that
does just that. T e whole story begun with Bill Swails, an engineer, traveler and photographer from Colorado at the end of the 1990’s. As a photographer you have to spend a lot of time on location; if you are a nature photographer shooting deep in the back country you hike in and wait for the best light. If it didn’t happen today you
28 RVT 149 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 RVT 149
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improve the Jeep’s capabilities. It has electric rear and front diff locks, heavy-duty springs and shocks, a winch with synthetic rope for “ just in case”, custom heavy-duty bumpers with more anchor points for the winch, and skid plates to protect the vehicle’s bottom from rocks. Seasoned off -roaders are happy to have another “just in case” accessory: the under the hood compressor for airing up tires and running power tools. You have everything to spend a few days in the wildest areas in comfort and when you
are headed home you don’t have to worry about parking that big RV; it fi ts in your garage and you can even use it for your commute tomorrow morning.
Earthroamer is building other, bigger vehicles that provide more comfort,
many of them travel all over the world. More about those in the next RV Times. PS: Latest news from Earthroamer: this model will be back in production as soon as Jeep will have a vehicle with a powerful enough diesel motor. F
Accommodation with full comfort.
Overhead storage area.
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