In the older days of Recreational Vehicles, the only way to come up with a four wheel drive RV, would be to purchase a four wheel drive truck and a truck camper to hit those rougher, gravely back roads. A recent introduction to the RV scene has been the appearance of four wheel drive motorhomes. Though they are relatively rare, they can be purchased from mainstream companies like Host, Xplorer and other prominent, forward thinking, recreational vehicle manufacturers.
Built on a heavy duty truck chassis, these rigs are truly go anywhere vehicles and also pack along the luxury features one expects in a "normal" motorhome. The market offers both smaller rigs for getting to those remote out of the way camps, all the way up to large coaches resembling a normal motorhome, except with the presence of four wheel drive. There also exist other rigs of this nature that fill in the gaps, such as four wheel drive van conversions by Sportsmobile Corporation, and open body truck campers by the Earthroamer Company.
Resembling a Class C coach, the four wheel drive motorhomes come with everything you'd expect in a good sized motorhome, full galleys, bathrooms, entertainment centers and one or more slideouts. Some of the offerings can include essential off boondock gear like built in generators for dense forests where solar may prove inadequate. Models from Xplorer Corporation sport extended self-sufficient equipment such as full diesel appliances, once the property of the boating crowd. This includes diesel heating, cooktops and generators, allowing one to draw off of the main gas supply to power them, and eliminating the use of potentially dangerous propane. Composting toilets can also be outfitted in the rig eliminating the use of dump facilities for "black waste".
Pros:
A four wheel drive motorhome is a sophisticated, true go anywhere in luxury, camping machine.
These units can be purchased for extreme self-sufficiency allowing extended camping in remote areas.
These rigs are built tough and rugged to withstand rough roads and extreme conditions that would tear up a normal RV.
Cons:
Four wheel drive motorhomes are not common, and are only offered by a few companies, thus the selection is limited. What is offered though is impressive.
Since these rigs are relatively rare, they are at the present, very expensive and exist on the high end of the scale for a comparable Class C coach of similar length.
With four wheel drive you can travel out twice as far before getting stuck!
Cost: Deep pockets are needed to purchase these one of a kind rigs. Expect to pay from ,000 to well over 0,000 depending on model and options desired. Even the four wheel drive vans by Sportsmobile can run ,000 or more depending on gear and options.
For outdoor enthusiasts of all types to, a purchase of one of these unique coaches is a no brainer. The biggest barrier will be affording the steep purchase price. If you are fulltiming, the decision will be worth every penny, especially when considering the rigs that are built for extreme self-sufficiency. Being able to travel the back roads to highly sought out campsites with ease and grace, they will be the ticket to one of a kind camping experiences.
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