This is no average ride, this is the living quarters that inspired and facilitated some of the most spectacular editorial we’ve ever seen. We’ve talked about it here before, a lot, and now it’s for sale. Zach Bowman and his family have completed their one-year journey and are settled back into a fixed address, so it is time for them to move on to the next part of life, the next adventure. The camper part of the rig is moving on to the next person who is looking to create adventures, to live life, to go exploring. What’s the price of freedom? This camper and all of its accouterments will run you 30 large, and that’s a pretty damn good start.
Where else are you going to find a tried-and-true Grandby-built living room/kitchen/bedroom to slap on on the back of your truck? Not only that, but this one has been owned by the guy who was awarded the inaugural Hoon’s Choice Award. For as much work went into this setup and for as much life as it’s provided, this thing is a bargain. Buy it, live life, pass it on, ‘do a Bowman‘.
Here’s the full ad copy from the for-sale post on ExpeditionPortal, because we don’t expect it to be for sale long. Of course the ad is one of the best written ads of all time. Informative and evocative, as they all should be.:
It’s time for the next adventure, and that means finding a new owner for our 2016 Four Wheel Camper Grandby Flatbed. There are many photos. Please be patient.
We purchased this set up exactly one year ago, and have used it full-time, day in and day out, since. It was our home for the vast majority of 2016 and into 2017. We watched our one-year-old daughter grow from a crawling infant to a running toddler in this thing. It showed us the very best of this country, and of all the things that went wrong this year, the camper was not one of them.
Some specifications:
166×80
1,689 lbs, dry
Aluminum jack brackets
Two 160-watt Zamp solar panels
Dual deep-cycle AGM batteries
Full LED interior lighting, one LED external “porch” light
110-liter, two-way refrigerator
Forced-air propane furnace w/thermostat
Propane hot-water heater
Propane stove
Sink
20 gallon water tank
Two 2.5-gallon propane tanks
Indoor/outdoor shower
Roof vent fan
Thermal pack
Silver spur interior
Casette toilet
ARB awning 2500
Stereo
Aluminum folding steps
Mechanical jacks
Cooling memory foam gel mattress topper
Most of those are factory options. I added the stereo, the second solar panel (replaced crappy factory crimp connectors with weather-tight MC4 connectors), folding steps, the mattress topper, the mechanical jacks, and the awning.
There’s a camper queen bed up top and a camper twin in the back. The rear dinette serves triple duty as dining room table, second bed, and shower. Plenty of storage under both rear benches and the upper bunk. Lots of cubbies here and there.
It is exceptionally clean and well cared for, but does have the marks of real use. This thing did not sit on lawns and KOAs its whole life. There are some light pinstripes from ocotillos in Big Bend and low-pine branches in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. There are also two noticeable blemishes in the aluminum siding, one from a falling tree in Mount St. Hellens, and another from a light pole in Hollister, CA. You’ll see them if you’re looking, but you do have to look close. The camper needs nothing. It is fully functional. It will keep your beers frosty and your toes warm. It’ll cook your dinners and wash your plates. It’ll do it in some of the world’s most remote and stunning locations. And it will do it with three other friends along for the ride.
It has a functional, off-the-grid time of five days with two adults and a toddler, limited primarily by water. We weren’t great about rationing, though. A single, determined individual could do 14 days in this thing pretty reasonably, regardless of weather. We’ve been in it at 16 degrees and at 97 degrees, all with a one-year old.
This set up has weathered 30,000 miles over the course of our journey, and if we could swing it financially, we’d keep it forever. But we can’t, so we won’t.
We paid $32,572 for it one year ago. I have since added over $2,000 in additional necessaries.
I’m asking $30,000, firm. Delivery is possible, but not preferred. We can talk about it.
We can also talk about a “ready to go” package with everything you’d need to live out your year. Pots, pans, silver, plates, tables, chairs, waste water container, leveling blocks, extension cords, and the like.
What else? Oh, photos. If you’d like shots of anything else, specifically, please don’t hesitate to PM me here, or call me at xxx-xxxx. Email also works _______.
You can see the full ad with tons more beautiful photographs over on expeditionportal.com. You can read the full Bowman Odyssey story, assuming you haven’t already, on The Drive and Bowman Odyssey. We’re looking forward to what comes next for The Bowmans. Perhaps Project Ugly Horse will find its way to road-legality? Please?
[Source: Expedition Portal, Hat Tip: Kevan Ray]
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