What Do You Get When You Combine a 15-Ton Army Truck and a Container? A Badass Camper

This creation is the brainchild of Mike Amo. At first, he bought this 1990 BMY army truck to start a tourist operation, carrying people through various routes. However, he soon switched to transforming it into a mobile home.

The vehicle used to be a Colorado National Guard troop carrier. It boasts a 179-inch (455 centimeters) wheelbase and a width of 93 inches (236 centimeters). It sports a Cummins engine paired with an Allison automatic transmission and rides on 14.00R20 XZL tires.

The camper box on top of it is a 40-foot (12.2 meters) sea can, also known as a shipping container, which was cut in half. Furthermore, Mike mounted it on a floating frame to allow it to flex when going off the beaten path.

Since Mike had a tight budget and relevant welding and electrical experience working with cars, he made the conversion himself. It took him ten months to bring the project to a point where he could move inside the vehicle, but it took him some extra time to complete it.

Mike ended up investing about $50,000 (€46,408) into this build. That might sound like a lot, but considering the features and capabilities of this tiny home on wheels, I'd say it's a fair price.

As usual, I'll start with the camper's exterior features. At the front, you'll discover LED headlights and a custom bumper holding hoses, cables, and more, as well as a barbeque and a chainsaw, believe it or not. Other notable features are a firetruck horn and the vehicle's two starter batteries.

On the sides, you'll find various compartments holding a bunch of stuff, such as a 2,000 W diesel generator. One cool feature is a massive toolbox. Finally, at the rear, Mike installed a spare tire, a propane canister, and a sizeable box housing diesel and petrol canisters.

Step inside the driver's cabin, and you'll notice Mike kept most of it as it came when he bought the truck. One significant modification is, in fact, the wood roof since the truck had an open driver's cabin. Other notable details here are a radio and a fan.

The next part of this interior is a bathroom located behind the driver's seat. It consists of a regular RV toilet that drains into a 40-gallon (151-liter) black tank, a mirror, and a full-sized shower connected to a 40-gallon grey tank.

Regarding design, his truck's living space has red walls, a white ceiling, and a vinyl plank floor. There's not a clear design direction as you see in other tiny homes on wheels, but like a lot of people, Mike cares more about how practical rather than how aesthetically pleasing his rig is. Moreover, he repurposed various interior elements, such as an old window turned bookshelf door, to keep costs to a minimum.

On the opposite side, Mike fitted a wood stove he built himself for just $600 (€557). You'll also notice a unique feature Mike also made: a hydronic heating system that uses heat from both the engine and the wood stove to heat water, which is then used in the shower. This system also allows the engine to start even in very cold conditions.

Walk deeper inside the camper, and you'll be in the kitchen. It's split into two parts and has a fridge/freezer, a deep stainless-steel sink, and two large countertops. For storage, Mike uses multiple cabinets and drawers, as well as an overhead shelf.

The most unexpected feature in the kitchen is a stereo sound system with a 5,000 W amplifier, two enormous speakers, and four subwoofers – I've never seen anything like it in a camper before. Mike even had DJs play inside his camper.

And finally, we have the bedroom at the rear of the interior. It boasts a double-sized bed, a bookshelf, a fan covering part of the rear window, and a 5,000 BTU A/C. What's more, underneath the bed, you'll discover a cluttered garage with crates holding all sorts of stuff, as well as the rig's electrical system – its highlights are a 3,000 W Victron inverter/charger, 650 Ah batteries, and a solar charge controller connected to 1,200 W solar panels on the roof.

All in all, this is genuinely a one-of-a-kind tiny home on wheels. It's got serious off-road and off-grid capabilities and a practical living space. The genius hot water setup is extremely useful, and the cherry on top is the insane sound system. It might not be the prettiest camper, but it's one of the most practical 6x6 projects I've seen built for just $50K.