Webasto has become a household name in the campervan world where their diesel (and gas) forced-air heaters are the gold standard for keeping warm in cold environments. Webasto heaters are versatile and compact, so it’s no surprise that we are seeing them more and more of them in the overlanding world as well as being installed in a variety of vehicles and campers.
Webasto and XOverland Team Up
If you’ve been following along with Expedition Overland’s (XOverland) Arctic Solo YouTube series, then you may already be aware of just how crucial heat is for cold-weather overland travel (check out our previous article here to learn about the series). Webasto teamed up with XOverland on the Arctic Solo project to outfit their 2016 Tacoma with an Air Top Evo 40 diesel heater. This particular model features automatic altitude adjustment and low fuel consumption (in this case, drawing from a stand-alone diesel tank installed specifically for this expedition), producing 13,650 BTU/h of heat to the habitat rooftop tent.
Having this kind of warmth was mandatory when Richard and Ashley Giordano were driving the Tacoma to Tuktoyaktuk on the shores of the Arctic Ocean in the Canadian Northwest Territories in winter.
Clay Croft, founder of Expedition Overland had this to say: “The Webasto Air Top Evo 40 is incredible. It worked its magic in a very harsh environment. We asked a lot from the heater and it met the challenge when it hit -20° F.” (See video below to watch the Webasto team visit the XO hanger in Bozeman, Montana, to assist with the Air Top Evo 40 installation.)
