Military vehicles converted into go-anywhere campers aren't exactly a unique idea. Still, one sample we have right here is probably one of the readiest DIY motorhomes we've seen.
Featured by Tiny Home Tours, Parker and Isabelle's "van life" story has begun just as most in this lifestyle did: the love to travel. The couple decided to convert a retired military truck into a tiny home on wheels to do that in a less expensive way.
The DIY motorhome conversion started when they bought the old truck on December 25, 2021. Dubbed the Expedition Nugget, the process took months, and the embedded social media post below shows what the military truck looked like before the conversion.
The decommissioned military truck was a Stewart and Stevenson M1078, which was designed to transport cargo and soldiers. Meanwhile, the box was a Stewart and Stevenson M1079 – made out of aluminum and was made for logistics support and a mobile workspace. According to Expedition Nugget's Facebook page, the conversion was 99 percent in June 2022, which was roughly half a year since the ex-military truck was acquired.
According to Parker, the conversion of the cab was the most challenging as the original one was bare. As starters, it didn't have any form of insulation. The final design was a bit far from the original, styled to resemble an airplane cockpit inside a truck with nifty emergency toolboxes for any uneventful situation.
Painted white yet still looking extremely rugged, the Expedition Nugget comes packed with features that make it ready for just about anything. It even comes with three cranes designed to lift heavy objects – including the over-400-pound spare tire. Of note, the wheels come with a central tire inflation system (including the spare), which should be pretty handy for off-road excursions.
The video atop this page should give you a quick tour of what the Expedition Nugget has to offer inside its living space. But most importantly, Parker and Isabelle also shared some pros and cons if ever you're contemplating converting to the "van life" lifestyle.
