After a year-long absence that many thought would mark the end of an influential brand, Bend-based EarthCruiser has returned to the overland market with a self-described “bold new chapter” that fundamentally reshapes how its expedition-grade campers reach customers. The comeback follows the company’s abrupt decision to cease operations on 25 April 2024, a move it attributed to changing market dynamics and economic headwinds after 16 years at the forefront of US overland vehicle design (you can read more about the company shutdown here).
EarthCruiser’s hiatus capped an already turbulent period when the firm completed and delivered EXP #107, the last direct-order truck in its build queue. That milestone was celebrated internally as the close of a successful manufacturing era, yet it also prompted Founders Lance Gillies and Michelle Boltz to reassess how a boutique builder could thrive in a maturing, more price-sensitive overland market. The subsequent shutdown in 2024 appeared final, but behind the scenes, the leadership team was mapping an alternative path that would preserve the brand’s engineering DNA while lowering the barrier to ownership.
The strategy now unveiled dispenses with EarthCruiser’s factory-finished, turnkey business model favoring a platform-supply approach. In a statement posted on the relaunched website, the company concedes that it “closed its factory doors,” but insists the retreat was “the beginning of a bold new chapter.”
Instead of complete vehicles, EarthCruiser will provide two core shells—the lightweight MOD slide-in camper and the 1-ton-chassis Terranova—to a network of independent van upfitters and custom builders across North America. Those partners will execute interior fit-outs, allowing customers to tailor layouts, finishes, and accessory packages at their own pace and budget.
By distributing unfinished but structurally complete units, EarthCruiser hopes to couple its proprietary composite construction and kinetic mounting with the creative flexibility of regional artisans. Gillies argues that the switch “isn’t just about distribution,” but about realigning with the small-town manufacturing ethos that defined the brand’s early years. The firm stresses that every shell carries the same expedition-grade engineering that enabled earlier EXP and FX trucks to circle the globe yet avoids the cost premiums of a single, centralized factory build.
Research and development remain in Bend under the banner “EarthCruiser Innovation,” where engineers are finalizing the EVADO slide-in module for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis and prototyping towable products aimed at adventure-sports users. The company is simultaneously building a nationwide service network and inviting owners to nominate trusted local workshops, a nod to the reality that its vehicles often roam thousands of miles from the Pacific Northwest.
To knit its community together, EarthCruiser will launch “Tag-Along Training Tours,” guided expeditions combining driver training, field maintenance instruction, and camaraderie in remote settings—an evolution of the adventure programs it ran before closing.
Industry watchers note that EarthCruiser is not alone in rethinking the overland business model. The pandemic-era boom in van conversions has eased, and high interest rates have cooled demand for six-figure turnkey rigs. By outsourcing interiors, EarthCruiser can scale output without the capital burden of a full production line, while local builders gain access to a proven composite shell—an arrangement reminiscent of boatbuilding or specialty aviation, where third parties finish hulls or airframes.
Whether the new structure will restore EarthCruiser to its pre-closure prominence remains to be seen, but early signals are promising. The company reports “hundreds of inquiries” from upfitters seeking to join the program and has already allocated the first batch of MOD and Terranova shells. With a leaner balance sheet, a distributed manufacturing base, and a product roadmap that includes electric and towable offerings, EarthCruiser is positioning itself less as a niche manufacturer and more as a design and engineering house that licenses its expertise.
For long-time admirers—and for owners still driving early EXPs across continents—the relaunch offers reassurance that parts support, technical advice, and brand community will continue. More broadly, it underscores a maturing phase in the overland sector, where collaboration may trump vertical integration and where the spirit of exploration remains intact even as the business model evolves.
Read More: Classic Land Rover Defender Upgrades: More Capability and Greater Reliability
Our No Compromise Clause: We do not accept advertorial content or allow advertising to influence our coverage, and our contributors are guaranteed editorial independence. Overland International may earn a small commission from affiliate links included in this article. We appreciate your support.
