If making 600 custom parts by hand doesn’t count as a labor of love, nothing does. That’s give or take the number of specialized pieces American Expedition Vehicles had to create to bring the Outpost II camper prototype to life.
AEV are the same folks who wrought Filson’s head-turning Brute a few years ago. In addition to making specialty Jeep Wrangler parts, they create handsome, rugged custom rigs as well, having recently added Ram trucks and Chevy Colorados to the Wranglers they’re best known for. Today we are looking at one of their most ambitious endeavors to date, the Outpost II.
As you can see, the custom camper on the chassis of this Jeep Wrangler JKU has some clearance. A lot of special engineering had to happen to safely remove two of the doors and make a strong structure for the camper, and even with all the tinkering, it’s still a work in progress.
Inside, they were economic as possible with the space. The couch is long enough to sleep on. There’s a hanging closet, storage for gear and all the parts that make the Outpost go: water tank, water heater, gasoline heater, air compressor, water pump, solar charge controller, battery charger. There’s a snorkel to deliver fresh air when you’re in muddy or deep waters, a special heat-reduction hood, high-capacity springs and shocks, and AEV Borah DualSport wheels wearing BF Goodrich Performance tires.
The fridge, however, is accessible from both the inside and out, because even though it’s efficiently designed, AEV’s president Dave Harriton tells Truck Camper Adventure, “Cooking bacon in a camper this small is not a good thing, I envisioned cooking outside 99 percent of the time and maybe just making coffee inside in the AM.” One thing to note: no bathroom. So you’ll still be answering the call of the wild outdoors.
And just because, here are some more custom 4x4s to carry you into the weekend.
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