This was an expedition truck design and build project that I completed over an 18 month span with my wife Yvonne. The goal of the project was to build and travel in a custom four-wheel drive expedition truck.
We built the vehicle from a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 435 military truck. In addition to refurbishing and modifying the truck chassis and drive-train ourselves, we personally designed and built the habitat living module and systems specifically for this vehicle.
The chassis is large enough to accommodate a 75 square foot living module with a total vehicle weight of up to 16,500 lb. The habitat module has a bathroom, shower, kitchen, eating area, permanent bed, refrigerator, heating, full solar charging system, and a pass-through into the refurbished truck cab. The vehicle is capable of remote operation for several weeks without re-supply.
Trip at a Glance
Number of Days – 133 (19 nights above Arctic Circle)
Total number of Canada/US border crossings – 10
Number of ferries/barges – 13
Miles on Pavement – 9,478.3
Miles on Dirt/Mud/Gravel – 2,521
Miles on Ferries – 618.7
Total Miles – 12,618
Up to date information on the project can be found on our blog and Instagram:
instagram.com/wabi_sabi_overland/
Michael Fuchs Personal Projects 