While this is most likely not the best place for my first post to go. As in life; "Here hold my beer." I understand, perhaps the OP's idea in its infancy. I have been reading EP for years and years. I never chimed in before as I was taught if you didn't know shut your hole and learn. So first and foremost, thanks to all members for adding to the knowledge base I now enjoy and for the reality lessons. I have a confession, I am DODGE guy. 2005 SRT10 2012 Challenger.... But we can go on about torque, HP and that kind of crap forever. Fact, is the Ford Raptor is probably the coolest 4x4 production released. Sales, stares, re-release...Perhaps not the best 4x4 or the most capable 4x4 or even the best for this build design past the cool factor. But it does have that in spades. I looked into some of the building materials they OP is talking about. Truly bleeding edge stuff. As for Earthroamer. Bill is an awesome guy and the company design and plan is perfect. Build very cool trucks for people with money. A Canadian company made a counter sniper rifles like this back in the day. The only person that could miss with it is the jerk that could afford it. But seriously how many Earthroamers have you seen for sale with 90 000 miles? A bunch. How many parked on pads with 30amp shore power? They are awesome rigs, I considered one in 2009 or so for a good long while. Built it out using the handy exel price sheet. Imagined this and that like we all do, have done, and will do again. It is part of the hobby. Endless carts of parts we would like to use to make our dreams come true. Be honest! So I will not pee out the back door of my dream camper and into the wind of this dream build. Can he build a month long Expo Rig on a 1400 pay load Raptor and fly across the offroad wilderness at 125mph with his tail onfire? Perhaps only at White Sands. But has he introduced some very smart people some new tech? Yes. Is he frustrated by Earthroamers response? Yes again, just as I was. I approached Earthroamer around that time and before TechnoNomad did his LiPo4 battery build. I had researched the tech and wanted to add two D8 sized batteries and wanted to get a tech to install a modified charging system better suited to the batteries. Bill said, "No". The tech then was bleeding edge and an Earthroamer on fire by the side of the road was not something his brand needed. He didn't say as much. He just said words to the effect that the technology isn't proven and he doesn't recommend it and wouldn't add it to a build. Then running a large AC off a battery was impossible. Now it is easy. Having 1200 useable amp/hr's required a Unimog now a 3/4 ton! But production companies don't push design. Not if they want to remain successful. Baby steps to profit. Even today, the wealth of forum disinformation and repeated "facts" muddy the water of our hobby. I want to go with a large LiPo4 setup to build in redundancy and remove weight and one Expedition Builder, who I won't name as he is a great guy, but too busy to keep abreast of tech, suggested I look closely into low temp performance. He'd put them in but...Yes below 0 (metric) they don't like to be charged and they drop in available, power and it gets bad at about -20. So battery blankets, radiant heaters on temp switches with another one to disconnect the bank if the heaters fail to come on and a signal to make you aware. Simple fix. -20 and a house bank failure is a start the rig and access type of failure. I have picked most of the ideas and work around solutions from people like you reading and commenting on this forum thread.
I too want to build a Raptor off road vehicle. I am waiting for the new ones to come out as that will affect my decision in several ways. Price, weight, and available new options and equipment. Worth going to the new motor, and losing a little throaty cool points or...? In all seriousness the added range is the biggest factor as has been rightfully pointed out. Carrying Diesel in places that, while stealth, make DOT types crazy is an entirely different animal than petrol. I don't get the water issue past the desert use. Pump from source and filter. A hell of a lot easier than doing it while backpacking without power!! Perhaps it is perspective LA types feel the need to carry their own personal supply of drinking water at all times and being from BC Canada I just have to look to God. Well, and open my mouth. In a desert application three flats of 1 liter tossed in at the last gas station should be ok? The weight issue is the one I am struggling with. In BC they weigh RV's. I don't know how it goes currently as I have been away from my info source travelling the world for the past 2 years. But it used to be you went got weighed and were entered into the system. The only time you ever were directed to go through a scale again was if you got caught sagging. If you looked overweight or if you were towing a trailer. Past that you went on by. A few years ago, they focused and pushed some big 350/3500 single rear coal burners into the scales as it was discovered the bigger drivetrain made it easy to go over. But for the most part it was easy sailing. This is a good thing as no matter what you do to your truck door sticker GVW is it. Period, full stop. But I put in a two ton frame and 'Awesome Best Stage 9.5.3 Super Duck hunter' suspension and 12 piston Bembo space shuttle stopper brakes with Firestone moon lander air assist bags...Sticker says 5523 and your 5525 park it! This sucks.
It will be the challenge for what I want to do. But thanks to you guys I am slowly getting past those challenges. Why the power? Power is a great tool and to make it with gas requires cubic inches or pressure. Diesel is awesome, but I will be camping cold -20 -30, and perhaps -40 Metric! Yeah, yeah, I know additives...blah blah. I have enough tree killing friends and coal oil supplier workers in Fort McMurry that have cured me of the diesel heater, cook top, water, single fuel dream...Need any cheap Alberta oil field trucks? Gas is instant power, works easy underload while doing so and rolling down the road with +400 ponies at 65mph stresses nothing. Out of the box suspension and offroad capabilities is perfect for BC backroads. Light is important as it is wet and while that makes the mud that big heavy dinosaur devouring Dodges may love it also errodes forest service roads and trails. A week can spell the difference between heavy big super truck made camp or decorated 2000 feet of mountainside. I want to go light, agile, and capable. The added cool factor is nice too. So lightening the load and design napkin ideas are awesome and exactly what I wanted to read today. Camper interior design for ONE! Thats right ONE! Repurpose super cab cool black and red Raptor seats and move to the camper installed in such a way to allow crashing, for a night, with the roof down. Wet bath toliet (cassette/porti) without the privacy crap. Even in a 12 foot center Dry bath jacuzzi model we can still hear you! The door does what? The poo face is more disturbing than the other faces you make? And this is for one anyway! Remote three weeks, off grid, no geni expedition rig for filming. Light enough to pass inspection when stripped to the bare bones and made specifically enough to make one person happy, productive, and cool. Carbon fiber is light, and matches the interior of the Ford. Black Carbon cabinets with red carbon door fronts and stainless pop-pulls. Red bamboo flooring and black and red leather accents? A 27 inch 5k video editing platform and UltraHD tv, video/music library for stupid cold days. Each piece installed in the bare bones, fluid out preload configuration serves at least two functions. Get it weighed. Then go add some weight bags, compressor (air up and down capable), winches, lights, bump stops, and brakes and explore for a year and see what you brake before fixing "problems" not yet discovered. I don't know how many times I've read custom rigs that got later tweeks, and Tiger Customs that needed a rework after real world time. It is normal. Thanks for reading my first post, I hope you got a laugh or two and continue to help out in the generous way you all do!