This Ford F-550 Overlander Is a More Compact, Efficient Expedition Vehicle

Scott calls it Adrift. It’s a Ford F-550 that’s been turned into a custom overlander with a flatbed-mounted cabin that packs every comfort and amenity Scott wanted but couldn’t find in an RV. It took him five years to build it, but now he’s selling it because he wants to start another project.

When building this one-of-a-kind overlander, Scott had something very specific in mind: he knew he needed it to be able to go off the grid for at least couple of weeks, he wanted it to be as comfy as an EarthRoamer but it had to be smaller because he found EarthRoamers slightly impractical because of their size, and he wanted it to accommodate his wife and their two large dogs.

Being a designer himself, in addition to an adventurer, he set out to build the thing himself. He told his wife the project would take him three months. He got it done in five. Years.

“We started off on this journey with the goal of creating a smaller, more capable, and higher performing EarthRoamer. We’d been in one before and liked many aspects of it, but we felt like it was much too big for true off-grid exploration,” Scott says writes on Expedition Portal, where he lists the overlander.

“My wife refuses to camp within five miles of anyone, so we wanted something that was really comfortable but small enough to get to the out-of-the-way spots we love to visit. We also needed something that would fit me (I’m 6’6”), the family, and two enormous dogs. So, we had some design challenges right from the start,” he explains.

In terms of his height and ability to fit in a family with dogs, he came up with the solution of a pop-up roof. When deployed, it’s got enough space inside to allow Scott to stand, and opens up incredible panoramic views from the (almost) king-size bed. When the pop-up camper is stowed away, the whole rig is just 10 feet (304 cm) tall, so it’s easy to handle offroad. In fact, Scott says that it performed admirably on technical trails in Baja and in Alberta, Canada.

Also inside, there’s a dinette that also converts into a kid-sized bed, with all the appliances neatly tucked under the seating or stacked on top of each other. There’s a special spot for the dogs, but they seem to prefer their humans’ bed, judging by the video at the bottom of the page. A porta-potty is also tucked under the seating, while the faucet from the sink is extendable and can be used to shower, also indoors – but you have to strip the rug off first.

Two exterior showers are available, as is a secondary, outdoor kitchen with a barbecue grill and induction cooking top. Every appliance runs off solar power from the panel array on top, including heating and cooling, but Scott added backup systems too, just in case.

“We designed all of the major systems to run off of solar with backups for each. The truck has 1,300 watts of solar,” Scott explains. “Heating and cooling is accomplished via a rebuilt-for-off-road-use mini split air conditioner which draws around 350 watts, with an Espar gas furnace as a backup. Keeping cool while parked in the full sun of Baja is pretty glorious. Cooking and hot water are accomplished with two induction cooktops, an electric BBQ (the latter two are in a pull-out for outdoor use), and a dual fuel water heater.”



There’s a 100-gallon (378.5-liter) container for fresh water and a smaller, 40-gallon (151.4-liter) one for graywater. Scott says he and the wife (and the doggos) were able to last two to three weeks on site before having to watch water consumption. There’s also a 70-gallon (265-liter) of fuel, allowing them to reach more remote areas and not having to worry about getting stuck there.

Perhaps the best part about this amazing rig is that it could be yours. Having developed a tasted for building overlanders, Scott says the time has come to part with Adrift, so he can start a new project. He’s selling it for $225,000.