Towable luxury camping trailers from established stalwarts like Airstream and Living Vehicle are great for campsites, but if you to mix off-roading with outdoor living, this killer custom Ford F-550 is perfect for the job.
Starting as a 6.8-liter V10-powered 2016 Ford -F550, a Santa Barbara-based DIYer manufactured a pop-up cabin in the SolidWorks CAD program and then molded the composite construction himself, according to Expedition Portal. The cabin towers at six-foot 10-inches tall to accommodate the tallest occupants when extended. When stowed the compact rig measures 10 feet tall, dropping the center of gravity to a point that allows for safe navigation of trying terrain.
“My wife refuses to camp within five miles of anyone, so we wanted something that was really comfortable but small enough to get to the out-of-the-way spots we love to visit,” the DIYer, who’s referenced only as “Scott,” told Expedition Portal. “We also needed something that would fit me (I’m 6’6”), the family, and two enormous dogs. So, we had some design challenges right from the start.”
With reliability and comfort in mind, Scott also designed all major systems to run off of 1,300 watts of solar power and backups. A plethora of lithium batteries and power inverters, an auxiliary alternator and a voltage regulator help run a mini-split AC in high temps. An indoor Kenyon induction stove can be used for cooking in bad weather, but most meals would surely be made on the exterior galley’s second pull-out stove and electric grill.
Other glamp-worthy features include a king-sized bed, a dinette that doubles as kid-sized bed, a 6.4-gallon water heater, a full interior shower and two exterior showers, 90 gallons of fresh water capacity, 40 gallons of gray water capacity, a slide-out composting toilet, and 72 gallons of fuel between a main and accessory tank.
Scott also installed new brake lines, a custom fold-down rear rack for firewood or bikes, a custom front bumper to accommodate the truck’s widened fender flairs, a heavyweight winch, and four high-output bumper lights.
“While it isn’t a Tacoma, we have taken this truck through some very tight, technical tracks and it has performed flawlessly,” Scott said. “It did spectacular all throughout Baja, and was wonderful on our trip to the northern reaches of Alberta in Canada.”
Reach out here to inquire about buying Scott’s F-550 Full Custom Camper for $225,000.
