Originally published at: The Donut guys absolutely trash a $1.2 million camper | Boing Boing
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This is the same one, right? Looks like that thing has some serious design weaknesses.
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Yes, they mention a few vloggers and other off-road adventure types who’d found it and posted about it.
It doesn’t seem very safe for any purpose.
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This is exactly the kind of RV a rich ammosexual would buy.
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And call it a “Prepper Wagon.” 
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Also seen with the same failure mechanism on Matt’s Off Road Recovery:
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It looks like way too much of the weight was on the rear tires. On that hill the front end was looking really light which means less traction on the front tires and therefore less steering authority. When they tried to back it down with just the brakes, the front tires weren’t turning at all, which means that they were essentially just along for the ride and had no directional control AT ALL.
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Cool to see Matt rebuild a driveshaft in the field like that. We would do that in my dad’s garage with race cars once in a while, only with a lot more room to work! (It’s been a few decades, but I seem to recall we were changing the wheelbase to improve the performance for specific tracks. We’d have not only a specific set of tires for a given track, but also a position for the rear axle and some other changes I’ve forgotten over the years.)
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And it’s way too much weight in general. Smaller winnebagos with comparable interior space and amenities weigh about 1/3 that much.
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Not necessarily. A similar kind of vehicle is produced by Earthroamer.
In contrast, Earthroamer replaces the stock drive shafts and joints with heftier designs to manage the weight of the vehicle in off-road use.
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At 11:00 “They broke the drive shaft on my house, which is severely cutting into my golf time.”
This is exactly who these high end “overlander” vehicles are aimed at. They’ve even invented all new jargon for this new version of what we used to call 4x4 camping. As soon as you see the word “overlander” you know you’re in Poserland.
Our family grew up doing this, starting in the 1970s. All you need is an old Jeep or Blazer, tents, and knowing what you’re doing. We’d go hundreds of miles back into the bush and be in amazing places that few have ever seen. The excitement and challenge is taking care of the vehicle that has to get you home. That means going slow, packing light, treading lightly, understanding the terrain, picking your lines, and leaving everything as you found it.
These new generations of wealthy ammosexual “overlander” vehicles (none of which will ever actually see a trail) are the opposite of all of that. I guarantee none of them could get through the stuff that my dad got our old Blazer in and out of over the years. For starters they’re way too big. Small and light are good on the trail. That thing will never make it out of the first mud hole it touches. There’s also no visibility in those things, which is a death sentence in the bush. If you can’t see the holes in the bottom of the river below you, you’re gonna have a bad day.
I’m gonna stop now because as someone who used to take 4x4 camping seriously, these new “overlander” vehicles make me really stabby.
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I wonder if a retractable sail might help? /s
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Good point. The type of rich, self-identified “badass” driving these are totally reliant on their phone to call for help. They put little thought into consequences.
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The problem seems to be that they went with a ‘truck’ chassis (Ford F550), and then overloaded it so much at the back that it effectively broke itself.
I’d have thought it would make more sense to use ex-military trucks. They’re readily available, designed to carry a very heavy load over rough terrain, and I’m sure the ‘ex-military’ angle would sell well. (Also, they’re designed to be driven by grunts, which would help).
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