By Russ and Tiña De Maris
If RVing for you doesn’t equate to “glamping” somewhere in a high-end resort, but on the other end of the spectrum, there may be an RV for you. The “OverKill” touts itself this way: “Adventure comes from new experiences. Danger comes from being unprepared for them. Whatever your journey throws at you, your OverKill Camper keeps you protected and prepared without making you sacrifice the thrill of carving your own road.”
We could call it a travel trailer, but that might be misleading. It’s definitely not a pop-up, although it does sport a pop-out. Supporters seem to like to call this genre of RV an “off-road caravan,” and advertising photos promote the idea by sticking the OverKill behind a lifted, 4-wheel-drive pickup, smack out there in the middle of nowhere. It would appear that if you tried to take the standard off-the-shelf Elkhart, Indiana-built RV where you can take the OverKill, you’d spend more time picking up pieces than actually seeing the countryside. It’s in the build, you see.
OverKill doesn’t have an axle to break, rather it uses a design popular in the Australian Outback, a Timbren 3500 HD axle-less suspension system, connected with 2″ x 3″ tubular steel framing. The body, unlike layered composites found in well-mannered RVs, is still a composite, but it’s a sturdily constructed honeycomb core. Stick the whole works on top of 16″ radial tires and get ready to rumble.
Not to say that you’ll need to be prepared to live in something akin to a torture chamber. The rig’s compact size is deceiving, as a “manual pull” (more dependable than electric slides) pop-out expands the inner space of the rugged rig, providing a comfortable bed and bench seats, the latter which belly up to an adjustable table. By the way, if you pull off the trail late and don’t want to fuss with the pop-out, the bed is still accessible and ready to send you to the “Land of Nod.”
When it’s mealtime, you’ll need to brave the elements, as the galley is accessed and used from outside. Optional dual burner stove slide and optional fridge slides upgrade the standard sink and worktop. Other standard features include 26 gallons of fresh water tankage, supplied with a demand water pump, fired by two Trojan batteries. It gets higher tech, too, with electrical outlets, LED lights, backup cameras (that project their images through Android or iOS systems), and even a key code entry system as standard features.
Base price for this Oregon-built model S.O.5.10? Just a shade under $23,000. Find out more by visiting the website.
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