In a previous post about the Exploring Elements 2001 Dodge Ram Overland vehicle, we detailed the concept and design of the new rig, including
a checklist of requirements they hoped it would meet. Now with over a year of
adventure under its belt, let’s see how it’s holding up.
One of the major factors in the design of this vehicle was
size. Owner Bryon Dorr wanted to ensure the Dodge would be small enough to fit
into a shipping container and remain agile on the trail. They met this goal for
the most part, although it’s a very tight fit in a container and it exceeds the
gross vehicle weight of the Dodge Ram by 1,700 pounds when fully loaded. Bryon
noted that while it certainly feels like you’re driving a heavy rig, it’s still
amazingly agile and capable on the trails.
The XP Camper has been everything Bryon and Sarah need for a
two person living arrangement. The three sided dinette area quickly converts
into a full size bed and there’s enough room to leave the table up when only
one person needs to sleep. The kitchen consists of two butane stoves and a
propane grill, accompanied by a top load fridge that allows them to keep plenty
of food on deck.
The first off-road test for the EEXP Dodge came in the desert of
Moab, Utah. Over the course of two days, the team drove through The Lockhart
Basin accompanied by a Toyota Tacoma XP Camper, Jeep Rubicon, and Nissan
Xterra. The EEXP proved more than capable on its first journey, making it
through a number of technical stair stepper formations. With only 33” tires,
clearance for the rear differential housing became something of an issue on a
few occasions though.
Since that first trek across Moab, the Dodge has made it to
the 2014 and 2015 Overland Expo in Arizona, various parts of Alaska, the
Northwest Territories in Canada, California’s Redwood Forest, and the 2014 SEMA
show in Las Vegas just to name a few.
Bryon continues to make upgrades as he sees fit to continue
travels, including the recent addition of two
10 inch RF10 LED light bars to the
front bumper.
A full year of
adventure left Bryon with this to say about the build:
“Hindsight is always 20/20 and there are a ton of things
that I would have done differently in regards to both the build process and
build itself. In the end, the build was a collaboration between Exploring
Elements and XP Camper. This collaboration created a truly unique and capable
overland vehicle that meets most of the original design goals.”
“Sarah and I live and travel in the EEXP every day and we
love the nomadic lifestyle that we live. We are grateful and proud of the home
we’ve built for ourselves and are excited to see where it takes us in the
future. As with all adventure mobiles, the EEXP is a work in progress and we
will continue to fix, improve, and upgrade it as necessity and budget dictate.”
We have no doubt these two will continue their journey
around the U.S. and the world and we’re happy to be a part of the ride. You can
find more behind the scenes content at
ExploringElements.com and
@ExplorElements on Instagram.
Video courtesy of
General Tire