If you have been around my corner of the InterWebs for a while, you are probably aware that the hubby and I love to adventure outdoors. We've upgraded our AdventureMobile a few times and I thought it was time to share our newest one.
Well, before we get to the present moment, let’s take a look back and talk about the evolution of our AdventureMobiles.
Next up, we actually purchased a Volkswagen EuroVan. It was great to have everything contained in one area and have a lot more "luxuries" than we had in the previous AdventureMobile (like an actual bed, storage in cupboards and cabinets, etc). Although it was a step up from what we had previously, it definitely wasn’t what you would call reliable. There was a period of time when the cooling system went out and we would legit have to stop every 30 minutes or so if it was hot out to let it cool down before we could continue venturing on. And don’t get me started on our three week road trip up and down the West Coast, where we had to get it towed multiple times due to an electrical shortage triggered whenever it got wet… Like I said, not reliable... When we got back from our West Coast road trip, we put the EuroVan up for sale. It took a while, but we were able to sell it - even though deep down we were both a little sad to see it go!
I told the hubby I was done going from AdventureMobile to AdventureMobile (especially since I'd have to go to the DMV every time to register the new vehicle - UGH!), so we needed to figure out what we wanted long-term. After researching, the hubby decided getting a truck with off-road capability and putting a pop-up trailer in the bed was more our speed.
I can’t believe I am saying this, but almost a year ago we purchased our new-to-us AdventureMobile (again, sorry it took so long for me to get this post up, I legit had grand ideas about having it live MONTHS ago, but then 2020 happened...).
What we ended up with, was a Ford F150 4x4 truck and a Four Wheel Camper Hawk model pop-up trailer in the bed. The Hawk model we purchased did have quite a few extra features we weren't originally in need of or desiring, but the deal was too good to pass up and we believe that if, in the future, we need/ want to sell it, it will help the resale value.
We also have added a few larger stickers from specific places we've been to on one of the back windows as well.
Originally, we had a lot more camping adventures on the schedule between when we purchased the AdventureMobile and now, but as I am sure you know, plans change... especially when a pandemic is involved! Even still, we have been lucky enough to have gone on a handful of adventures and still have a few more planned before the end of the year.
Oh yeah, and the names. A car always needs a name, right?! The Ford Ranger we built out was named Verde (green in Spanish). The VW EuroVan we named Cherry. {The previous owner was a big Dead Head and would travel from festival to festival to see the Grateful Dead. As a little play on Jerry Garcia's name, we named her Cherry.} We've been going back and forth on names for the current AdventureMobile for a while now. We are currently liking Harriet, the Mullet Mobile, and Miles. Harriet because there is a hawk who lives in the Oceanside Harbor who has what appears to be a spy mask over her eyes, which is why I named her Harriet in the first place (Harriet the Spy... the Nickelodeon movie... anyone remember it?!). Since the camper model is a Hawk we thought Harriet the Hawk sounded awesome. As far as the Mullet Mobile, a friend mentioned the truck reminded him of a mullet, business in the front, party in the back. And if you have seen the hubby's quarantine haircut, you know how much he is feeling this name. We also got the suggestion of "Miles" from a follower and love the fact that it sounds like a name as well as describe what we like to do… Run {and adventure and drive} all of the miles! Do you like one over the other?! Or maybe you even have another idea?! What do you think?!
I'm not sure if folks have specific questions about our AdventureMobile (whether about the purchase process, the features we were looking for, how we currently use it, etc.), but at least this will give you an idea of what we currently own. And I’ve got to say, the hubby, pup and I are loving it! That's not to say we will never upgrade or change it in the future, but for now it is just about everything we could want or need (even if we aren't utilizing everything as it's intended to be used).
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We originally started with "building out" the truck bed of our Ford Ranger truck. And by "building out", I mean we built a platform above the wheel wells in the truck bed that we would be able to throw our camp pads on and could use the space under said platform for storage. Let’s just say it was an AdventureMobile on a budget. It was a step up from tent camping (just barely ;)), and served its purpose when we needed it, but it was bare bones for sure!
Next up, we actually purchased a Volkswagen EuroVan. It was great to have everything contained in one area and have a lot more "luxuries" than we had in the previous AdventureMobile (like an actual bed, storage in cupboards and cabinets, etc). Although it was a step up from what we had previously, it definitely wasn’t what you would call reliable. There was a period of time when the cooling system went out and we would legit have to stop every 30 minutes or so if it was hot out to let it cool down before we could continue venturing on. And don’t get me started on our three week road trip up and down the West Coast, where we had to get it towed multiple times due to an electrical shortage triggered whenever it got wet… Like I said, not reliable... When we got back from our West Coast road trip, we put the EuroVan up for sale. It took a while, but we were able to sell it - even though deep down we were both a little sad to see it go!
I told the hubby I was done going from AdventureMobile to AdventureMobile (especially since I'd have to go to the DMV every time to register the new vehicle - UGH!), so we needed to figure out what we wanted long-term. After researching, the hubby decided getting a truck with off-road capability and putting a pop-up trailer in the bed was more our speed.
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After more research we finally decided on the Four Wheel Camper brand. The models are made in the US, have great longevity, awesome resale value and were made for folks who like adventuring a little more off-the-grid. But, don’t get it twisted, just because we had made a decision on what we wanted, it was not easy finding it. Like I mentioned, the resale value stays strong, so it was hard to find what we wanted in a price range that worked for our budget.
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Eventually, and by that I mean I think it took us close to six months to find the one we ultimately ended up purchasing, we found what we were looking for. We had to purchase the truck separately from the pop-up trailer, so as you can imagine, lots of moving pieces needed to fit into place for it all to work. Thankfully the timing and everything worked out perfectly!
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I can’t believe I am saying this, but almost a year ago we purchased our new-to-us AdventureMobile (again, sorry it took so long for me to get this post up, I legit had grand ideas about having it live MONTHS ago, but then 2020 happened...).
What we ended up with, was a Ford F150 4x4 truck and a Four Wheel Camper Hawk model pop-up trailer in the bed. The Hawk model we purchased did have quite a few extra features we weren't originally in need of or desiring, but the deal was too good to pass up and we believe that if, in the future, we need/ want to sell it, it will help the resale value.
The time has FINALLY come to get to the fun part and share some photos of the AdventureMobile... I mean, that is why you're here, right?! The first batch of photos are what it looked like when we first purchased it. The fabric on the cushions was... um... not our cup of tea... and the cover for the mattress was missing (hence why we covered it with a blanket).
We used our government stimulus check to source a local seamstress to replace the covers on all of the cushions. We also bought new tires with the remainder (due to the additional weight from the trailer, we needed higher grade tires).
Besides the "big" changes we also made a few aesthetic updates. As you may have noticed, we changed the floors (and added a rug). Peel-and-stick flooring definitely wouldn’t be our preferred method if we were to do it again in the future (or we'd want to add extra adhesive under each plank), but it's working for what we need for the time being.
And we can’t forget about our sticker collection! The hubby and I have been collecting stickers, either general outdoors stickers or specific location stickers that we have travel to, and we have started putting them on the trailer fridge.
We also have added a few larger stickers from specific places we've been to on one of the back windows as well.
I'm not sure if you can tell from the photos, but there's a slide out portion for the bed which is located over the cab. We have additional cushions that fit in that space to make the bed closer to a queen size. When not in use, those "extra" cushions can be stored between the back of the fold-down couch/ futon and the window/ wall.
Oh yeah, and the names. A car always needs a name, right?! The Ford Ranger we built out was named Verde (green in Spanish). The VW EuroVan we named Cherry. {The previous owner was a big Dead Head and would travel from festival to festival to see the Grateful Dead. As a little play on Jerry Garcia's name, we named her Cherry.} We've been going back and forth on names for the current AdventureMobile for a while now. We are currently liking Harriet, the Mullet Mobile, and Miles. Harriet because there is a hawk who lives in the Oceanside Harbor who has what appears to be a spy mask over her eyes, which is why I named her Harriet in the first place (Harriet the Spy... the Nickelodeon movie... anyone remember it?!). Since the camper model is a Hawk we thought Harriet the Hawk sounded awesome. As far as the Mullet Mobile, a friend mentioned the truck reminded him of a mullet, business in the front, party in the back. And if you have seen the hubby's quarantine haircut, you know how much he is feeling this name. We also got the suggestion of "Miles" from a follower and love the fact that it sounds like a name as well as describe what we like to do… Run {and adventure and drive} all of the miles! Do you like one over the other?! Or maybe you even have another idea?! What do you think?!
I'm not sure if folks have specific questions about our AdventureMobile (whether about the purchase process, the features we were looking for, how we currently use it, etc.), but at least this will give you an idea of what we currently own. And I’ve got to say, the hubby, pup and I are loving it! That's not to say we will never upgrade or change it in the future, but for now it is just about everything we could want or need (even if we aren't utilizing everything as it's intended to be used).
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If you do have specific questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments. PS Now is a good time to remind you, if you are not already following me on Instagram, feel free to do so at @CarleeMcDot. Most of the time I try and unplug when we are in nature (my phone goes on airplane mode), but I also do my best to try and share photos and videos of our journeys (when we return or get service), so if you're looking for more content on our AdventureMobile, you’ll find it there.
Do you enjoy camping? What "comforts" are a must-have when you are outdoors?
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