Percy the WanderBox Hides a Very Creative Layout and the Most Gorgeous Kitchen

The rising popularity of vanlife is perhaps one of the most unexpected developments of 2020, a year that brought a complete shift in perspective on issues like wellness, health, and sustainability. Vanlife is also a profitable business now since most people to have ditched their 9-to-5s and rented apartments in favor of living on the road are now content creators who try to fund their travels through… their travels.

Mark and Marina also fit this category, but that's not exactly relevant when discussing their latest rig, the one they call Percy the WanderBox. Percy started as a 2003 Mitsubishi Fuso FG box truck, which they converted with help from INCH into a very surprising, very colorful, and quite self-sufficient home on wheels.

For a box truck conversion, "surprising" is the most accurate descriptor. It hides the most creative layout and is able, because of it, to offer all the creature comforts of a traditional home.

To promote their upcoming documentary All Who Wander, Mark and Marina sat down for a video tour of the rig. This isn't their first mobile home, but it's the best suited for their current needs, as they used their previous experience and what they saw in fellow travelers’ rigs to put it together. To us, watching at home, it's like an amazing exploration into what's possible in the ever-fascinating realm of tiny houses and mobile homes.

The WanderBox doesn't offer much space to work with: it is literally a 12 by 8-foot (3.6 by 2.4-meter) box that has to serve as a permanent home. By using an elevated platform for the kitchen, an elevator bed, and other "tricks" like custom furniture and multi-functional or modular spaces, Mark and Marina were able to turn it into a home with everything from a wet bathroom to a full kitchen, a sizable living room and a bedroom. Oh, and it also has plenty of storage!

Since their previous rig wasn't off-road-capable, the couple knew that an upgrade would have to be 4x4, so when they came across the Fuso at the unbeatable price of $7,500, they jumped at the chance.

The transmission had to be rebuilt three times to get it to work, and the box was removed and replaced with a new one, but the Fuso has proven itself worthy of the effort. Powered by a 3.9-liter turbo diesel engine, it's able to tackle rougher terrain with ease and has the advantage of a compact size that still allows it to fit a regular parking spot.

The interior is crammed, but not in the way you'd expect – especially if you take into account all the features and amenities available. The kitchen sits on a raised platform that offers plenty of underfloor storage (accessible both from inside and the exterior) and features as highlight a gorgeous butcher block epoxyed to the level of a statement piece.

The kitchen is a complete one, too. It has a four-burner gas stove and a deep oven, a large sink, garbage disposal, heaps of counter space, and even some storage. To create a space that "flows," the two opted for curved cabinets, which also lowers the risk of injury by bumping into furniture.

In one corner, tucked between the full-size fridge and freezer and the residential-size stove, is the bathroom. This space is a step down from the kitchen because the elevated platform ends here and holds a shower and a composting toilet. Sure enough, for those of us who live in brick-and-mortar homes, it's somewhat strange to be showering in the kitchen, to put it mildly. But for digital nomads, even having a space to call a bathroom inside such a small footprint is a big deal.

Storage is available under the kitchen floor and inside a modular wardrobe. The living room at the rear end holds a couch and movable pieces and a makeshift table that matches the kitchen countertop. It expands considerably onto the fold-down deck and can, Mark swears, even host dancing parties.

Over the living space is the elevator bed, which comes with a custom metal frame that matches the interior styling and doubles as hanging space for Marina's swing.

Just as important as the WanderBox's off-road capabilities are its off-grid features. The mobile home features 990W of solar panels on the roof, which allow it to go for longer stretches without relying on the grid. There's no mention of how much water it carries.

The WanderBox, as shown in the tour available at the bottom of the page, cost $37,000, including the price of the original box truck. The memories it's already helped create are, as the saying goes, priceless.