So don’t ask me why I thought it would be a good idea to try overlanding for the first time with EarthCruiser and its luxury Terranova RV …
Brittany Chang/Insider
… a fully capable Ford F350-based home on wheels with a price tag higher than my four-year college tuition.
Brittany Chang/Insider
I didn’t even have any RV experience to prepare me for this trip.
Brittany Chang/Insider
And despite all odds, my nervousness, my jetlag, and whatever other excuses I can come up with, the experience and guidance from EarthCruiser’s team left me missing driving …
Brittany Chang/Insider
… and thinking I too could switch my cozy city apartment for a giant overlanding RV.
Brittany Chang/Insider
In the late summer, overlanding vehicle maker EarthCruiser invited me to visit its headquarters in Bend, Oregon to experience what it would be like as a customer about to take delivery of their new build.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Ordering an EarthCruiser isn’t like going to an auto dealership to buy a traditional car.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Instead, the company works with the buyer to customize their overlanding vehicle.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Throughout the construction process, the team will send updates its customers.
Brittany Chang/Insider
And when it’s finally complete, the future EarthCruiser owners can travel to the company’s Oregon headquarters and manufacturing site …
Brittany Chang/Insider
… where the team will take them out for a test drive and an overnight overlanding experience in their new home on wheels.
Brittany Chang/Insider
I wasn’t able to present EarthCruiser with $350,000 to buy my own overlanding RV.
Brittany Chang/Insider
So instead, they let me spend a night in their demo Ford F350-based Terranova RV, which has seen “significant demand” since it was first unveiled in the spring of 2021, Mary Balk, the director of marketing, told Insider in an email.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Before my trip, the company sent me a full itinerary detailing my daily expected schedule, drive, and mileage, similar to what real customers might receive before they visit.
Brittany Chang/Insider
I used to drive 90 miles daily for my commute when I was still living in California. With traffic, that was six hours of my life wasted every day.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Now, the thought of driving over an hour makes me shudder.
Brittany Chang/Insider
So imagine the nervous dread I felt when I opened the itinerary and saw that my second day would include driving 47 miles for up to 3.5 hours, some on off-road paths.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But I reassured myself and my anxiety that I would be in good hands with EarthCruiser.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Overseas, the company has been building overlanders in Australia since 2008.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Here, EarthCruiser has been a mainstay in the US overlanding market since 2013.
Brittany Chang/Insider
… the entry stairs that lower when the front door is opened …
Brittany Chang/Insider
