OSV Sprinter to F550 or Fuso

srqsup

Observer
Hi Everyone

For three years we have crisscrossed the country in our Outside Van "OSV" Sprinter "VANdal" (see www.livingVANdal.com). We love the van its been wonderful, however for the next few years we would like to explore a bit more off the beaten path. We are trying to decide between a F550 mounted camper (Earthroamer) or building something on a Fuso frame (Earthcruiser). We don't intend to do radical off road stuff just double track, sand, mud and deep snow. We do carry a tone of sports gear 4 bikes, hiking, climbing, paddling and kite boarding gear. So enclosed gear storage is key. Looking for suggestion and insights.
In advance, thank you!
 

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GR8ADV

Explorer
I would think the FUSO with a custom box option would give you the most flexibility. The Earthcruiser is designed as a very compact package I do not think it has many options for the kind of storage you are looking for.
 

srqsup

Observer
True and I am not a fan of the main door opening right into the head. Suggestion on custom camper builders? GVX?
 

srqsup

Observer
That looks fantastic. Enjoyed looking at the pics and looking forward to more progress photos.
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Wow you guys carry tons of gear!
As for builders: There are many around North America. If you want to take advantage of the exchange rate between Canada and USA, I would recomment contacting "JEEP" here on the forum.
In the US there are many on the west coast. I would give them all a call. Like Marc at XP camper, the guys at VMI http://www.vmioffroad.com or Earth Cruiser. I'm sure they are all more than capable in building something truely custom.

Good luck!
 

Healeyjet

Explorer
Absolutely agree with Victorian. Mark at Lite Industries (Jeep) is a great resource for a custom camper, especially to take advantage of the low Canadian dollar.

Ward
 

srqsup

Observer
Aside from being out in the great outdoors we enjoy urban environments and have found trailers to be a huge hassle. The 4x4 sprinter would certainly give us some more traction but sprinters aren't really off road vehicles. So we are looking for something more robust. Regular vans lack the standing headroom that we enjoy.
 

Maninga

Adventurer
I went the fuso route. They've fairly large load carry capacity while still being fairly compact overall, mines around 22' long overall and 14' internal living space. Living section could be larger,but I chose to use extra for carrying more gear outside and spare wheels. My builds slowly meandering along, but could give you an idea of what she'll end up like
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/124471-FG84-Camper-Build

The build I based mine off of.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/48351-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new
 

trailsurfer

Explorer
I have owned Earthroamers and Sportsmobiles (Ford E-350). I bought a 4x4 Sprinter Sportsmobile that I will take delivery on in November.

The Earthroamer is incredible, but it will not be able to transport all of your gear inside (enclosed).

I use my vehicles off road, from the Arctic Circle to the tip of Baja, for my outdoor activities (surf, ski, mountain bike, motorcycle, etc...). From what Alan Feld, owner of Sporstmobile, has told me after 20,000 miles of driving his Sprinter 4x4. The Sprinter, with the proper tires, will do 90% of what the Ford SMB will do off road, and that would put it very close to the off road capabilities of my EarthRoamer.

I think your answer might be a new, custom built 4x4 Sprinter.

Good luck with your decision, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the options you are looking at.
 

Healeyjet

Explorer
Thinking about it. For enclosed storage at the back. Something similar to what we are doing but making the back 2-3' storage accessible through two large opening doors may work as well. Similar to the back of a moving van or Sprinter but the rear "compartment" is only 3' deep, or whatever space you need. Our camper is square sided and wider so a bit less aerodynamic but more space than a Sprinter. The rest can be a camper pod similar to all the others. While our camper area is 17' on the floor you could go the same exterior dimensions and have 3' enclosed at the back and a 14' on the floor camper. You could even make the kick-over the cab larger than ours and have your queen size bed up there if you wanted. The beauty of what we are doing and what JEEP (Mark) can do is that it is totally custom limited only by your imagination. The only issue I see with a unit like ours and what you need to carry on top is that you are getting awfully high. Our DRW to SRW conversion means larger tires which means added height. We will end up at around 12'3"high. With legal height being 13'6" you would only have 15" on top for canoes/kayaks. Of course ours is fairly high inside so dimensions can be played with. With a unit like ours the back is totally structural so you will see our spare tire and swinging storage box are mounted to the camper box itself not the rear bumper.
Ward
 

srqsup

Observer
I have owned Earthroamers and Sportsmobiles (Ford E-350). I bought a 4x4 Sprinter Sportsmobile that I will take delivery on in November.

The Earthroamer is incredible, but it will not be able to transport all of your gear inside (enclosed).

I use my vehicles off road, from the Arctic Circle to the tip of Baja, for my outdoor activities (surf, ski, mountain bike, motorcycle, etc...). From what Alan Feld, owner of Sporstmobile, has told me after 20,000 miles of driving his Sprinter 4x4. The Sprinter, with the proper tires, will do 90% of what the Ford SMB will do off road, and that would put it very close to the off road capabilities of my EarthRoamer.

I think your answer might be a new, custom built 4x4 Sprinter.

Good luck with your decision, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the options you are looking at.

Thank you for your comment. We love the sprinter set up. The 4x4 certainly would provide more versatility then the 2WD that we currently have. But I am looking for a little more space and a bit more robust mechanicals. After speaking with a couple of Sprinter Engineers the four wheel drive model is really designed for additional traction on snowy/wet roads and dirt/sand conditions. Also, our van is very well insulated but the cab is not. So we loose some heating/cooling efficiency my even with thermal window shades. ER has those nice insulated baffles between the cabin and the living quarters. With a Fuso the same strategy could be applied.
Question-what made you switch from the ER to the Sprinter? Also if you don't me asking why did you choose Sportsmobile over Outsidevan.
 
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srqsup

Observer
Thank you for your comment. Is Mark doing the furniture and interior work as well. If so I would love to see pics of his current and prior work. Can you give me an approximate cost of what he charges. I would probably go with a Fuso frame and a 15x7 camper box. I am hoping that the Fuso has better reliability then a F550 and the driving position is much more comfortable.
 

Healeyjet

Explorer
SRQSUP, if you meant thank you to me you are welcome. In the effort of clarity, what we are doing and what Mark (Jeep) is doing are two different things.

What we are building here http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/143852-Dodge-Ram-5500-motorhome is an interlocking paneled aluminum camper. Ours is permanently mounted to the chassis like a motor home. Ours is being built by ITB Truck Bodies. We are just at the interior skinning stage and should have the interior totally done in the next two months. I will be updating our build thread with interior photos as we go.

What Mark(Jeep) is building here http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/143766-Flatbed-and-composite-panel-build-on-Dodge-2500 is a composite panel camper box that will be mounted on top of a tray/flat deck. While I have seen Mark's fabrication skills with regards to vehicles and his composite panels he would be the best person to provide interior shots of his camper. Mark's I believe is slightly narrower than ours and isn't as long. His however will be a fair bit lighter than ours.

Ward
 

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