REALITY of Living in a Small Expedition Truck (FULL TOUR)

In today's video, I'm giving you a full tour of my home on wheels, Odyssey. I'll tell you all about the things I love and all the things I hate about living in this car. Full disclosure. And at the end of the video, I'll be paying a visit to some overlanders whose rigs I'm getting hugely inspired by. And I'm sure you will too. Let's go. I have a dirty little secret and I wonder if any of you do this thing as well. So sometimes, you know, when I spot a really nice looking house in the evening and I see that it's all lit up from the inside, I will just kind of like take a little peek and just see how people live. You know, it's not because I'm like creepy because I want to like catch them in the act or anything like that. It's because I just want to see how they live and what kind of furniture they have. And is that really bad? Should I have not told you this? Anyway, it's out there. Anyway, so today I will reciprocate the favor and I'll show you inside Odyssey, my home on wheels. It's your home too now, isn't it? I got Odyssey just over a year ago and I had zero experience of overlanding, of van life, of van builds, of off-roading. I was really starting from scratch. And so it's really been a year of learning where I kind of just figured out what works and what doesn't, what mistakes I've made because I made a whole bunch of mistakes and I'll share those with you today as well. So I kind of want to show you around my living situation and, you know, kind of share with you whether it's comfortable or not. And I'm very curious to see if you think that you could live in this kind of vehicle pretty much full time. So watch this video and then let me know in the comments what you think. All right, let's dig in. Starting with the technical stuff. Who am I kidding? I know nothing about the technical stuff. She's a Land Rover Defender from 2006. When I bought her last year, she had 110,000. Right now I'm at 164,000. So I've been driving quite a lot. And all the other technical stuff is kind of boring. So I'm just going to move on to the fun stuff, which is the lifestyle section. Welcome to my crib. Did you just take your ball? Why did you take your ball with you? He just stole the water ball. The whole of the interior was done by my uncle. So he is a carpenter and he helped me build everything that you see inside and was really done on the cheap. I mean, all the plywood that we used inside maybe set me back like three or four hundred dollars. And that's pretty much it. So, yeah, it's pretty homemade. Hey, little guy. What do you think about Odyssey, Wilk? Wilk, what do you think about Odyssey? Huh? She's all right, I guess. So there's a little step to enter the inside. And the concept is pretty simple. I mean, on this side, this is the sleeping space. On the other side is the kitchen space. All around is storage. And that's kind of it. So this here is the mattress and then the half of the bed. And you may have seen me in other videos, the way that this part extends over here and kind of like blocks this passageway. And then I take this mattress and I put it down here. So what I basically get is like a decent size bed. But I don't use this bed in all weather, only if it's very cold, very windy or quite scary. We'll get to my alternative sleeping arrangement in just a couple of minutes. But first, let's finish up here on the inside. OK, my kitchen setup, which is probably the worst kitchen setup I have seen in any Overland build or van. Because it's just so basic. So I've got this cupboard here, which kind of opens up. And then I can kind of just keep it open with a little latch. And all my cutlery and all my, you know, plates and things like that is right there. And then in terms of where I store my food, well, that's kind of split between a couple of storage boxes and a cooler. I don't have a fridge. I really would like a fridge. But the cooler is kind of sufficient. You know, the thing is that I don't really carry that much, you know, meat or cheese or anything like that. So I don't really need a fridge so badly. But I'm sure it would come in quite handy. So that's something that would probably change about the build next time. It's having a more built out kitchen and having a little fridge in there just to keep all my stuff fresh. Damn, I have literally just sat on a bee and it stung me. Oh, yeah. Damn, that itches. Anyway, I'll just keep going with the video. But when I cook, I don't cook on the inside. I usually cook out here at this little table, which is like one of my favorite things about the entire build. And this table, we did not make ourselves. This table is from Front Runner. And Front Runner basically gave me an entire bunch of gear last year, just as I was starting out with this whole overlanding thing. And I can't believe that they actually trusted me to, you know, know what I'm doing. But here we go. Let me just clean it a little bit because it's very dusty. What do you think? It's good? It's got your seal of approval? Yes, it does. Yes, it does, ladies and gents. The awesome thing about this table is that it extends this way as well. So you've got a chopping board here, as well as a proper kind of cooking space here. No, little boy. No. I got this really, really, really long line for you so that I don't have to have you in my hand the entire time. Yeah, but don't bite through it. Because that will be completely counterproductive. No. No, sit. Yeah, that's a good boy. That's a good boy. All right, so I would normally just take my gas stove, put it here, kind of cook here, chop stuff up here, and that's it. Can you see that bee sting? Oh man, it's right here. This is what I do for content. As it turns out, water is a super, super important component of overlanding. It's really hard to go anywhere over a week without a properly functioning water system where you can store loads of water for drinking, cooking, washing, showering, if you're into that. I mean, I'm not, so it depends. You know, it's up to you. It's your cup of tea. I'm kidding, I do shower once in a while. Anyway, so I have a water tank that's about, I don't know how many liters. I forget. Anyway, it's pretty big and it's kind of like we slid it underneath, just kind of up there. That's also from Frontrunner. And what happens in this system is that the water just goes in here and I built this hole with a couple of friends much later on in the build, but it's just so convenient. So I just open this up, stuff a hose in, pour water in and the water just kind of goes down via a system of pipes. I say a system of pipes, via a pipe into the water tank and then over here is the tap. We have water, but that's just water for cooking and washing. This is my drinking water setup, which is awesome. So I've got a bracket here, also from Frontrunner and this water filtration system, basically water purification tank from Lifesaver. It's amazing. What am I doing? Why am I putting it back? I wanted to show you. Let's see. Hey, little buddy. You all right? Oh yeah, nice and comfy down there, aren't you? So what happens here... Sorry, I'm just going to sit in front of you. So what happens here is there's a purification system inside with like a pump and basically what you do is you kind of pump it and then clean water comes out of here. Here we go. So this is beautiful, safe drinking water and you can get water out of rivers, streams, really whatever, wherever and turn it into potable water, which is awesome. And no more plastic bottles. Yes. In terms of storage, I've got plenty of storage here, but I've got way too much stuff that I'm carrying around everywhere. So there's storage boxes around here. So here is like everything and nothing. You want to get in? You want to come inside? There you go. How's that? Continuing with our conversation while my dog chews on my mountaineering equipment. Better not. This cupboard right here is for things like some clothes and some toiletries. This one right here has my socks and underwear and things like that. See, I could definitely make this fit in a much smaller space. This one is all my electronics. Yes, I am a professional filmmaker at the end of the day. So I carry a lot of electronics. Also, there's a storage box right here and this here is a new addition. Some more storage. This is usually the space that I reserve for my power station and some other random junk. But it's amazing because it kind of just goes into the side of the car and it takes up no space. Super, super good solution. There you go. Done. This here is my dining table slash desk slash whatever you need it for. So what happens here is you just kind of undo this latch and you just slide it out. Now, the big question is, since I travel alone, do I use this table very often? And the answer is not really, but it's really good to have the option. In this next section, I want to address a couple of the most commonly asked questions that I get about my living arrangement in Odyssey on Instagram. So let's take a look. I've got them written down here. I do have a very, very specific system for that. So it's called a diesel heater and you can't really see it because it's underneath all this junk, but you can see the little remote control panel that I use for it. And it's super simple. The heater runs off of the diesel that is in my main diesel tank. So they're kind of connected, which is super useful. And honestly, this is like one of the most useful things I have in the car. I cannot imagine living in Odyssey without it because when it gets really cold at night, sometimes inside, I actually get to go in there and just be super, super balmy. Sometimes I have to like switch it off after a couple of hours because it just gets way too hot. So diesel heater, amazing, amazing. I love that addition. Another question that I get asked all the time is, how do you take showers in your car? Since you don't have a shower. I used to have like a shower curtain and cabin from Frontrunner that was like attached, that I could attach to the roof rack, but I just never used it. And at some point someone stole it. Why would you steal a shower cabin for an overlanding vehicle? I still don't understand. It got stolen. So I didn't really use it. So it's fine, I guess. But I do have a shower solution that I picked up from a couple of van life friends. And it is the most ridiculous thing, but it really works super well. Ta-da! This is my portable shower. Yes, it is a garden water pump from like the garden center. So what I do is I just pour water in, pump it up, put it like here, lock it in, and it just pours water. It's amazing. It's magical. And you basically use no water for a shower and it works really, really well. So that is actually how I shower. Another super common question is, how can you charge all of your electronic devices while you're out camping? Do you just do it via your car's engine? No, I have a couple of different solutions to that. I mean, you know, sometimes I will use the car, but that's on rare occasions. I use solar panels of different kinds. So I have two different setups. I have one solar panel on the roof, which I really rarely use because in order to use it, you kind of have to be in direct sunlight, which, you know, it just gets really, really hot in the car. So I try to avoid that. And then the setup that I use all the time, pretty much every day, is the system that I have from Jackery, which is like the portable solar panels and the portable power station. So I use that all the time. Let me show you how Wilk is going to ride in the car. So this is the current setup of the passenger seat. So my Airbnb host very kindly made me this wooden platform with a little pillow where he can kind of just, you know, lay on top of this. And here is a little seatbelt. But depending on his mood, he doesn't always love sitting in here. Sometimes he prefers to be in the back. So we built another kind of like safety system for him so that he can be in the back safely. And let me show you. There it is. So there's a hook right here, which has been drilled into the structure of the build itself. So it's super stable and it doesn't really move around. We've tested it a bunch of times. And with a carabiner attached to it and then like a short leash, this is a pretty good solution for when Wilk doesn't want to sit in the front and he'd rather be in the back, comfortable, laying down, taking a nap or whatever. You fell asleep. Yes. Moving to the top. So there's a whole bunch of things going on here. So there's a roof rack, there is a marquee, and there is a rooftop tent. And there's a couple of storage boxes, a fuel tank for extra fuel and that solar panel. Pretty much all of this stuff is from Front Runner with the exception of the solar panel. But let's open up the rooftop tent. It's really spacious. Definitely more than enough for a single person and probably really quite good enough for two people. I mean, I wouldn't know. So I've really, really loved sleeping in the rooftop tent over the last year. It's been like hands down my favorite spot to sleep in in the car rather than inside because you're so high off the ground. You've always got a beautiful view. It's spacious. It's great. But now that I have a puppy, the situation has changed a little bit. So I will be getting this entire part converted, which is quite exciting. You'll see probably next month. But I have loved it. So I'll definitely, I'll definitely miss it. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been staying in that A-frame cabin in the woods that you see behind Odyssey, not in the car, because I wanted to give myself time with the puppy to kind of adjust slowly without the pressure of having to like find campsites and things like that. So let's keep talking in the cabin. So the million dollar question is, do I regret buying a Land Rover Defender instead of just like a van to live in full time? And my answer is still no. I mean, a van is definitely a much more convenient and comfortable solution. That's for sure. But I love the fact that I can go absolutely anywhere into the most rugged places in the world and I'll still be able to get in and get out. I love that about Odyssey. And with some of the changes that I've got coming up next month, it's going to be a real game changer. So I really can't wait for you to see that. Meanwhile, a couple of days ago, I went to visit some people who happen to be the global authorities on overlanding and they're right here in Montana. So just wanted to check out what they had to say. Just a little recce trip. Anyway, let's go back in time and meet them. Okay, so, you know, over the last few weeks, as I've kind of prepared my trip up to Alaska, I've been asking people for advice. So some people have given me great advice on where to stay, where to go, what to do, and like off-road situations. But I got to say, I know nothing about like surviving, you know, emergencies, things like that. So I got the guy who can explain all of that to me. This is Mike. Hey, how's it going? Hey, Mike. Okay, what do you think, like, I mean, overlanding to Alaska, like as a woman traveling alone, what are your like immediate thoughts? Don't do it. Don't do that. Great. Too late for that now. Yeah, it's too late. The thing about Alaska is you will get in situations where it's very remote. It's very austere. There's places where you won't have time to feel love. And even the connection to 911 or emergency services takes a very long time. So you have to be self-reliant and you have to be your own first response in that area. I would say the priority for you in this situation outside of security and personal protection, which we talked about, is first aid. Right. First aid is key. Right. Yeah. This is all stuff that is based off, we call it mobility. A lot of people think like if I take a backpack first aid kit and put it in my trunk, that's going to be effective. Not remembering that in the worst case scenario where you're upside down in a ditch hanging from your seatbelt, that you're not going to be able to get back there because it's the worst case. So for example, like imagine I'm out hiking somewhere in like remote Alaska and a bear comes along and bites me in the leg. No, I'm kidding. Yeah. That won't happen. Hopefully. That would be horrible. I fall, I make a huge cut on my leg. I'm bleeding profusely. How do I use this? The priority is putting the tourniquet on your extremity and stopping the bleed. Okay. I want you to put that around your leg, like you have a bleed. How would you put that around your leg? So stop. So that's, I knew you were going to do that. Oh, I know, because I can't lift my leg if I'm bleeding. Yes. So I knew it. So the cool thing about this tourniquet, as opposed to other tourniquets is you could detach it. So yeah, you would be in the fetal, hopefully with this backpack or some pack with this on your person to be able to apply it. So put it around your leg. So you would detach it. There you go. Just like that. Yeah. And then attach it. So you want to cinch this down as tight as you can. And this is going to be on the top of your thigh where you could access it. And this is called a windlass. They turn this clockwise. So go ahead, turn that clockwise on your own. Like more? Yep. A lot more. You would turn this until you stop the bleed. So if you had a laceration and blood was pouring out because it was a femoral bleed, when you saw the bleeding stop, you would stop it or until it hurted like hell. As much as I love Odyssey, she is my home, she is my life. There is a channel on YouTube and there are cars out there which are just a little bit more advanced. I mean, Odyssey is basically like a home build. So I want to show you this little girl. My name's Clay with Expedition Overland. Raven was originally a truck that we built to take to Alaska and it's built around a convoy truck. So this is designed to be paired with two other vehicles. Oh, wow. And it's designed to sleep two guys so that they can sleep, rest, eat and be productive in the field while we make films on overlanding. So inside, we pop this up. I love that. On the roof is 400 watts of solar and then you crawl in. Amazing. And you can actually stand upright. Yep. This is the biggest problem with Odyssey is that when I'm inside, my head touches the ceiling. I can't actually properly sit upright. And you've got this little table as well, just like me. Yep. Cook here, little, a smaller fridge. I hear you're still with a cooler. That's a small fridge. This is one of the smaller ones. Oh my God, there's like two bottles in there. Would you like some water? Yeah, thank you very much. And then, yeah, power systems, lithium batteries but we're not roughing it. This is luxury for sure. Yeah. But it's that way so that we can thrive on the road, not have to survive. Okay, so the million dollar question. Okay. How much would a truck like this cost? Right now, at this time of the filming, with the current market, this would probably be about 150 grand. I'd pay 20,000 for mine. You're doing great. And there's something to be said for that though. It doesn't matter if you have a $20,000 car or $150,000 truck. The experience is pretty much the same. You know, we're out camping. We're out seeing the world. We're getting windshield time. We're meeting people. So a lot of people can get tied up that you need to have $150,000 because Expedition Overland shows this crazy truck, right? Well, you know, you just need to use what you have and go see the world. Okay, back to Ava from the future in the forest cabin. I think that as with anything, you can invest as much money or as little money as you want into your rig. Converting it into the most magical car in the world or just a simple setup where you have a mattress and some kitchen supplies. Either way, the most important thing is the adventure of it. What you do with it because you could spend years working on a car and never take it anywhere. Or you could just throw in a couple of bits and pieces, the absolute essentials to survive and go on the most incredible adventure. So I think that's my takeaway. I mean, it's nice to be comfortable. That's for sure. And it's okay to make improvements, especially gradually as you learn about your rig. But, you know, take it slow. And the most important thing is enjoy the ride. Enjoy the journey. So that's that. He's still biting on that pig's ear. Oh, it looks gnarly. Hey, Wilk! Wilk! What do you have there? Looks pretty gnarly, Wilk.