EP21 Moving on up: Aterra XL Walkthrough

[@S.JerseyJim]

Holy smokes, what a set up. That really is living the dream!

[@jeffdouglas7085]

Thank you for posting. I've been looking at the aterra xl for a year and have not seen it on the ford/w Carli. Also appreciate the 37's instead of 40's as shown in all other videos on the aterra. Will look fwd to future posts and would enjoy hearing about the gas mileage with Ford/37's. Congrats on a dream rig.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Thanks Jeff. Time will tell if the 37s limit us offroad to the extent that 40s would make a big difference. What I would say is that so far the height of the rig is something that we're very conscious of, and 40s would make us even taller. Time will tell. In terms of mileage, with mixed driving we're between 9 and 10. Thanks again for the comments and fire away if you have others!

[@jeffdouglas7085]

@@somewhereyetnowhere so appreciate the response, thank you! How tall is rig with the 37's? Was really hoping for 12mpg however, not having to pop the top and take it down after every stay is probably worth the extra wind drag. Regardless, this seems like the most simple, yet highest functioning/capable rig on the road. If you had to find or order the actual truck, how long do you believe it would take to build this truck to completion? In other words, how much lead time would you advise someone to budget?

[@2002guy]

Thanks for the great tour. No one rig ticks all the boxes, ever. They all have their compromises. But this one ticks so many. Very well thought out. With 60 gallons of diesel it would be nice to see if they could build one with diesel heat and delete the propane. Filling propane bottles is a hassle. Congrats on the cool rig. Safe travels.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

We say the same thing- nothing is ever perfect, and there is always a trade off for the things you choose. For our use case, this probably gets about as close as you could ask for. The diesel heat is an interesting thought- I guess the drawback being that if you were taking the camper on and off a lot you'd have to deal with fuel lines...but if you were leaving it permanently attached you're right that it would certainly make things easier. Thanks for the kind words!

[@jrltexas8887]

WOW!! I can see why you went to Aterra XL. What a huge change. Keep up the fun travels.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Will do- thanks as always for the positive vibes!

[@thirdgeniroc1]

Awesome! Between that and the crew cab you have so much more room!!

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

It’s amazing actually- so much room for activities!

[@kerrykreger]

Just wanted to say HI! Hope to see you all again in Big Bend WV. Enjoyed the walk through. Its full of great ideas! Come back to Big Bend WV. for Country Road.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Kerry! We still have the guardian angel you made us in the center console of the rig!. We'd love to get back to Big Bend for Country Road...and a relaxer or two. Keep in touch!

[@danielromero8830]

What is the powertrain? Are there different options for it? It is an amazing build.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Yeah it's an amazing build. This has the 6.2L Gas, 4.88 gears, 6 speed auto trans, and Dana 60 up front. In terms of options, because you can put the camper on any 80" flatbed, the world is your oyster in terms of the base vehicle. Thanks for watching!

[@Mike-Wolfe]

Good energy, well done.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Thanks very much!

[@oldmud]

Hi kids, great to see your in your new Aterra. That 350 will server you well just as your Jeep did. Everything has it's place. When you to get older and need some advice on boondocking to Alaska let me know. 😊It won't be as much fun now that the road is paved but an adventure of a lifetime for sure. Have FUN and keep on keeping on ..

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Mudster! I’ll take you up on the Alaska details- maybe we can cross paths this fall when we’re back East!

[@oldmud]

@@somewhereyetnowhere You bet yer Bippy !!!. ☺

[@guyverfanboy]

Nice looking rig. For me a wet bath or dry bath would be mandatory.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

The outdoor shower is really a great option to have- find a nice secluded spot and there's nothing better. Plus it keeps all the moisture outside. Thanks for the kind words!

[@RedDevilDog1207]

Nice setup, still love ides of indoor toilet and shower especially for prices of these units. Good stuff❤

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Yeah it's a great option to have! We actually love the outdoor shower- doubles as dish washing, etc too. Thanks for watching!

[@andrewdevries9848]

Thanks for sharing the Aterra XL. When you time maybe a montage of some of your camping experiences focused on the XL as you travel? Glad to see the winch was helpful on the beaches in Oregon.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Thanks man-that’s a great idea! Is there anything in particular you’d like to see? Dan

[@andrewdevries9848]

How about some tips and tricks on using the Aterra for everyday life? Like how's the kitchen working out for you, the storage, bed, etc now that you have had a few weeks in the vehicle. Maybe some more highlights of the offroad capabilities of your rig. @@somewhereyetnowhere

[@Wa61105]

Looks great! How long & tall is your rig? Considerations for storing inside.. TIA!

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

From front bumper to the end of the water/fuel boxes it's about 24', and the height I estimate at 11.5'. We haven't found the length to be a problem, but the height is something we are very conscious of. Hope that helps!

[@hiker88]

Hey Dan and Jen, thanks so much for the walk thru. There is not a lot of owner info on these on line yet. I was wondering how tall your setup is? One location here in Maine we often go to (Baxter State Park) is restricted to 9 feet so I was wondering. Thanks!

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Ours would be too tall for Bastard er...I mean Baxter State park ;). We're just over 11, but we're on a F350, Carli suspension with 37s, etc. I think you could get closer to 9' with a shorter rig or even the Aterra truck topper that they've been doing. Baxter aside, this setup would be great for that area- North Maine Woods, Acadia, Nova Scotia, etc. Good luck with your decision and feel free to fire away with any other questions!

[@jkinney5]

Nice walkthrough. 210 ah isn't a huge amount of power. Do you find it's sufficient? Also, does the table swing out of the way to use the toilet?

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

So far 210 has been great for us. As long as there is some sun, the solar keeps up. We just finished 5 days in the back woods of NH with heat, fans, electronics, and minimal sun and the lowest it got was about 80% about 3 days in. If we were to have AC that would be a different story, but so far so good. The table slides towards driver side enough to use it adequately, but to have total freedom you'd need to remove the top. Thanks for watching and let us know if you have any other questions!

[@jeffkinney6449]

Per AT Overland, you can now get up to 315 ah

[@ivanzilla]

Finally someone with the Aterra that has a KZbin !! I subbed immediately... I do have some questions... Was this financed as a single unit ? Or was the truck and camper purchased separately? Thanks

[@dtadventure4x4]

Subscribed. Great looking rig. How tall is it? Will be on the lookout where this thing takes you.

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

We're taaaaaaall LOL. We call it 11.5' to make sure that we clear obstacles, bridges, etc. Thanks for watching, and sub'd back. See you out there!

[@thatguy5586]

Followed build on exp forum. With gears and 37’s what’s your highway MPG’s? What’s your cold temps so far? Thanks so much

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Sorry just seeing this- we drink fuel at just under 10 mpg, and are comfortable up to 80ish. On back roads at 50 we can do a little better. Our coldest temps have been high teens. Fire away with any other questions!

[@thatguy5586]

Going to be CO anytime CO?

[@jeffkinney6449]

How much ground clearance do you lose by having the spare underneath? Also, how much do the steps weigh, given that you have to get them out and set them up every time?

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

Hey Jeff- clearance wise you really don't lose any because the spare is tucked up and the bumper extends back such that from a departure angle perspective you'd hit that before you hit the spare. The negative of having a spare there is that if you were stuck in mud/sand/etc and had to get to it you would obviously have to figure out a way to get enough clearance to drop it. The ladder is light- it's aluminum. Storage of it is the only consideration- if you're in snow/rain/dirt/etc then putting it inside the camper or truck isn't ideal, so we rigged up a system that we can mount it to the back to keep it all out. LMK if you have any other questions!

[@jeffkinney6449]

@@somewhereyetnowhereThanks. Also, I believe the heater requires propane. Is that right?

[@donpaul2883]

Is there a all diesel version with no gas , just electric , max. 12 volt amp hours in storage for lithuim , love you people cheers

[@somewhereyetnowhere]

The F350 has a diesel version to be sure, but our preference was gas as the newer diesel engines can be finicky with the modern emissions controls. Thanks for the kind words!

[@heythere1968]

lost me at 76 grand for the camper