Quote direct from the manufacturer in that link
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Overall the vehicle is externally L6200 x W2150 x H3100m and does compromise the vehicles off-road ability”.
There are certainly some nice truck based campers on the market, but most have less than optimum off road capabilities, when compared to our current set up. Most will not get to some of our favourite (to date) spots. They will get to most, but our very favourite places we’ve found, they would not. And it is finding these sort of special (to us) places which make our ongoing travel worthwhile. Many times we are satisfied with wonderful places which many others enjoy too, but if that was what we were limited to, we think that full time Australian travel over years might lose it’s ‘spark’ for us. We could sacrifice this occasional ‘access issue’ for the comforts such vehicles offer over what we have, but it’s all about compromises, & this horse is not ready for that course ........yet.
An example- our very favourite camp spot of all time is ‘Running Waters’ off the Skull Springs Road in the Far East Pilbara. Camped right on the water’s edge where we could jump into the warm crystal clear spring water just a couple of steps from our bed, under the shade of big old paperbarks - idyllic, and all alone for the duration of our stay..........because the high clearance access through tight trees prevents the majority of folk getting there. Friends with an ‘off road’ Canter based motorhome have been there, but had to pull up 2kms short, and walk to the water. It is this sort of access we want to retain, whilst adding indoor cooking & seating.
Light trucks such as Canters, Isuzu’s & Hinos whilst 4WD, with low range, are built with their main focus as extra traction in slippery conditions as opposed to true off-road capability. They come with small dual wheels on the back axle which are no good off-road. Companies like AAV, All Terrain Warriors & Discovery Motorhomes overcome this by fitting ‘Super Singles’ on the rear & doing what they can to improve the rear suspension, usually by replacing it with parabolic leaf suspension. This gives a more comfy ride, but is less than ideal for off road conditions. Length of springs is too short, restricting wheel articulation/travel. In addition parabolic suspension has no ‘self damping’ and consequently is totally dependent upon shock absorbers, those who have that setup complain about the frequency they have to replace shocks.
I think most folk when looking at off road truck based campers fail to recognise that the vast majority of wonderful ‘expedition vehicles’ which provide 4x4 ‘luxury & are very suitable for long term overland travel, are not particularly well suited to many of the narrower & tighter Aussie tracks. They will manage the Gibb River Road, the Gary Junction Road , the Great Central Road etc with ease, they will also cross the likes of the Simpson desert & possibly the Canning Stock Route, but they won’t get into the likes of Running Waters or Desert Queen Baths in Karmalilyi NP. Even Unimogs, with their exceptional 4wd capability (& price) would not get to those places as they are on average 400mm to wide for such tracks. To stand a chance of access to these sorts of places, Cape Domett north of Kununurra is another which comes to mind, would require at minimum a chainsaw & a preparedness to commit what we feel would be selfish ecological vandalism.
Even the vehicle we are currently considering is subject to compromise for us. (No surprise there I guess) but it would go to the places I’ve mentioned we think, despite being around 500mm taller ( between 2.5m & 2.6m) than our Patrol & Tvan combo. Being 4 metres shorter than that combo, with almost identical width (100mm difference) & wheelbase of our Patrol would help a lot. We have found that our now ‘bush pinstriped’ rear canopy, a bit wider (1900mm) than the Patrol’s cab, is about the maximum desirable width.
I am being coy about what the vehicle is that we are considering whilst negotiations are ongoing, as to say what it is would likely identify the specific vehicle & risk someone else being interested in it. This morning a good friend is inspecting it for us & if he gives it the thumbs up , I’ll get on a plane to go check it out for myself.