Hummer H1-Based DIY Overlander Is a Hell's Revenge-Rated Miniature Mobile Home

For these people, what happened between late 2019 and early 2022 was a godsend. A mask-wearing, social-distancing, health-threatening godsend, but let's focus on the few positives instead, and one in particular. What was once a very unlikely option only reserved for the very few had turned into a mandatory widespread solution to tackling the spread of the virus. I'm obviously talking about working from home.

However, it soon became obvious that while having your desk a few feet away from your bed did have its perks, you were basically exchanging your office chair for your home one. It didn't take long to realize you were still sitting all day, looking out the same window at the same scenery every day, and, worst of all, you were still feeling a little unfulfilled. This time, though, it was pretty clear who (or rather what) to blame: your house.

Most of them have this nasty habit of being pinned in one place by things like foundations and piping and cables and whatnot. It's a good thing somebody invented mobile homes, and even though they've been around for quite some time, it feels like only now they're starting to garner the attention of the wider public. Indeed, you don't need to be a keen observer of this market to notice it has never before been buzzing the way it is these days - especially if we're talking of the tiny home variety. They're not the symbol of poverty anymore, but rather of a different lifestyle that focuses on experiencing the world without the constant obsession for... things.

Well, the Hummer H1-based conversion you'll see below - built by a company called Wolf Rigs from Englewood, Colorado - doesn't fall into the mobile home category by definition, but when you look at the sort of amenities that can be found inside, you will wonder whether one person couldn't actually turn it into a permanent residence.

The very fact it sits on a Hummer chassis puts it firmly in the camper or RV territory. It also means the rig is probably more capable off-road than a lot of other somewhat similar builds out there. In fact, the owner says he went on to make Patton - the name he chose for his creation - after feeling disappointed with the 4x4 Sprinter van conversions he used to see at various meetings. They seemed to do the trick for overlanding, but any serious rock crawling would have left them stranded in a matter of minutes.

He'll have no such problems with the Hummer. He claims it is designed to tackle the infamous Hell's Revenge trail, though, at this moment, we only have the owner's word to go by. However, just by looking at the thing, it's pretty obvious that at least its approach and departure angles won't pose a problem.

The one thing that would give me some anxiety if I were to drive it over any seriously rough terrain is its height. Eyeballing it, I'd say the superstructure adds a good 70-80% to the vehicle's overall height, and that's bound to mess around with its center of mass. Granted, the Hummer is a very wide vehicle to begin with - so wide, in fact, that it could fit a queen-size bed over the cabin. Sideways.

The owner is obviously aware of the whole weight thing, and even though the diesel engine shouldn't have any problem dealing with the extra bulk, it would have a significant impact on the vehicle's dynamic performance. With that in mind, he tried to keep the heavy stuff mounted as low as possible - hence why there are no upper cabinets installed although there is room for them - while also using lightweight materials. For instance, he talks about the ceramic tiles that line up the surprisingly spacious shower/bathroom saying they "feel like air" when you hold them.

Perhaps even more important than the shower was the choice of material when it came to the superstructure's exterior. The owner says it's all wrapped in 1/8-inch (about 3 mm) aluminum plates that have been coolly riveted together. Add the gray Raptor liner paint, and from the outside, you get this tough, military-grade look that fits the Hummer so well, but also contrasts heavily with the very warm interior.

That warmth comes down to quite a few things. On the one hand, you have the choice of materials - white siding for the walls, teak wood for the ceiling, wood countertops and floors, and a fluffy blanket covering the bed; on the other hand, there's the lighting - lots of windows, but also warm-white artificial lighting once the sun goes down; then, there's the layout itself - one big-small open space where everything is in plain sight and the kind of finishes, furniture, and accessories you're more likely to see in a regular home than inside one with wheels.

The Patton is fully capable of functioning off the grid, as you would expect from an overlander, thanks to its 800-watt solar panels, as well as five 100-amp batteries. The kitchen burner runs on propane gas - kept in a tank at the back of the vehicle, along with a spare tire and other useful stuff - but let's face it: if you choose this lifestyle, gathering a bit of wood and starting a fire is probably part of your skill set. Not that there's any guarantee you'll find wood where this truck is capable of going - i.e., pretty much everywhere.