He cut his roof off to make the world’s only Xterra Pop-Top!

[@evilcam]

This is a super cool build. I've seen a few other vehicles where people took the sensible approach and cut the roof of something in order to put a rooftop tent over it, but this guy has the cleanest version that I've seen so far. His cabinet system is also super cool. He managed to turn a tiny xterra into a full time camping rig, and one that looks genuinely comfortable at that.

[@mtnbound2764]

yeah the combination of the passthrough pop up tent and his interior build really sets this one apart, it looks almost professionally done.

[@georgecarousos6735]

That is an epically good build out on the Xterra platform. Would love to see this rig again as the build out matures.

[@alanmohn4146]

I like how he did his cabinets. With the aluminum channels and light weight panels his idea is weight saver that is still strong and it also looks good.

[@norsefalconer]

That's a bold approach, and a fantastic use of space! Nicely done. I hope the roof to tent interface holds up to the rigors of off-road, especially if the Pan America Trail travel opportunity materilizes. I wish them safe travels.

[@mtnbound2764]

as an xterra owner and off roader, that is awesome!

[@scottshepperd7634]

Appreciate some xterra love

[@BirdPhish]

Lots of good reasons to have standing room indoors while in the great outdoors....you realize this when you own a teardrop style trailer that you can't stand up in . Those latches he chose to go with though are murder...same exact units that came in my trailer on the inside storage compartments. I eventually took them off cuz the bolts on the back side of the latch kept gouging my head when the door was open and getting stuff....nothing much worse than a gash on your head when you're already frustrated trying to find that one thing way in the back. Thanks for sharing!

[@tclg1]

There's a guy in Brazil who's done that to his Xterra like, 3 or more years ago. His KZbin channel is 'Habitat Natural' and he travels through South America in his rig :)

[@kenmcdougal97]

I've always wanted a troopy with a roof conversion I think it's the perfect setup 👌

[@BackroadExploration]

Incredible build! I love the craftsmanship and creativity.

[@frankansley7941]

He has done a great job on that build!

[@SketiSquad]

Hell yeah Enoch! The rig is looking great 😊

[@louiskudlak2241]

Cool rig, love it, seems like a good dude, love the diy stuff, so satisfying 👍👍👍thanks for sharing Donald

[@TheDenisedrake]

What a great rig. Love the color.

[@erichughes9098]

Thank you Donald for sharing Love the videos keep up your great work

[@bryanblinn7302]

I got to meet Enoch and Delia and see their rig at Overland Expo Mountain West. Super great people to chat with and it's always awesome to see fellow overlanders in an Xterra. Hoping to catch up with them at Overlanding The Red in the coming weeks.

[@_moes_garage_]

Wow this is amazing! I love that tent hole idea.

[@swidahooverlanding2867]

Some good ideas there! Thanks for sharing! George.

[@fwdadventuresza254]

A very interesting build indeed.... Love the DIY aspect of it too👍🏻

[@AllOverOverland]

Bro I love it! The interior looks amazing! Great work!

[@JonDZ_Adventuring]

Amazing build!! I always wanted to do something like this!

[@CholulaDaddy]

That is an awesome build

[@wellnessotr]

Awesome build! I love the roof!!

[@bradcallander7789]

Very cool

[@getwesleysmith]

Saw the rig on TFL...Nice!!

[@midnightadventureswa]

It so nice to see the build come together and how much you have done since I met up with you in Washington earlier this year you did a fantastic DIY on your rig looking forward to the next time your in Washington take care

[@softroadingthewest]

Remind me, where did we meet?

[@midnightadventureswa]

@@softroadingthewest Donald I met you on Friday the first day of the Pacific Northwest Expo over close to the grizzly booth and also at the ASFIR booth and we all at the booth talking about the new top gun Maverick movie and you said stop I haven’t seen it yet and the only thing I said was some parts of the movies were filmed in the north Cascade and how we knew chad from all dog off road

[@softroadingthewest]

@@midnightadventureswa AAah yeah gotcha. That was Oregon, not Washington. Thus my confusion. I was only in Washington very briefly this year and I was pretty sure I didn't meet anyone when I was there. 😄 Or if I did, I was seriously worried about my memory, LOL

[@midnightadventureswa]

@@softroadingthewest yes you are right We met in Oregon only

[@christopheranderson8619]

Love it!

[@zackdemundo]

Brilliant!

[@tdg0101]

Super nice job.

[@NarleyAdventures]

👍👍👍👍👍, Creative!

[@MrUltralight55]

Great build!

[@haydonjones7995]

This is making me rethink titan swapping my Xterra, might just go with the Koni set up.

[@hangingwithpete2416]

Awesome video.

[@joea3235]

You should consider Puerto Rico and American Virgin Islands. There are overland clubs there.

[@sierramantrvlnus]

Yay!

[@dlansburg2673]

Paint or maybe bed linner on the vehicle

[@sawcycle]

I’m looking at doing this to my gx would you be willing to share how the interface works and what is that floor material made of ..

[@wildmongoose7037]

This is the same thing I wanted to do with my van so he actually had to cut out the camper floor or did it come that way?

[@softroadingthewest]

It was a standard rooftop tent, yes, so he cut the bottom out of it in addition to cutting the hole in his Xterra roof, and crafted the bed platform that raises and lowers on hydraulic struts.

[@GeorgeLoch]

Love this build. How will this function when temps are low? The tent is insulated?

[@MoLeisureXventures]

The tent is not insulated but we have a heated blanket and we tend not to camp in cold weather

[@GeorgeLoch]

@@MoLeisureXventuresI see. I was thinking about your big trip and assumed you would have to deal with the cold at some point.

[@MoLeisureXventures]

@@GeorgeLoch we used to have a zero degree sleeping bag which was great for cold weather. When the time comes we will probably upgrade to thicker blankets

[@gideonporter537]

Is it legal to cut your roof like that? What reinforcing specs would you need?

[@davidcolinstillman5585]

HI DONALD 👋 PRETTY COOL 😎 HOPE THEY MAKE IT SAFELY DONE & BACK ON THEIR ADVENTURE . BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 THANK YOU 🙏 GOD BLESS YOU ALL ALWAYS ON YOUR ADVENTURES 🙏

[@davidcolinstillman5585]

SORRY ! DOWN & BACK FROM THEIR ADVENTURE .

[@michael_notMike_stillman]

So what about the overall stiffness (in the truck body) or loss of in off road situations?? Cutting out those cross members gives me the worries…

[@MoLeisureXventures]

That’s why I went with a welded RTT just in case I lost any rigidity. We were just wheeling in the San Juans and Yogi did a great job didn’t feel any different than last year.

[@tjkrueger2655]

That's an impressive build... did he have to reinforce the roof after cutting it for the tent? I would imagine a loss of rigidity for offroading but maybe not

[@MoLeisureXventures]

We chose the welded tent to limit any rigidity loss

[@lweleven3423]

Aways enjoy listening and watching people travel stories and plans . Maybe a video to how they afford all this lol obviously a different world they live in to many of us

[@Nolgore]

You do realize a 2009 Xterra that is almost completely DIY is not that crazy in today's world I hope

[@MoLeisureXventures]

We saved up $ for the first 2 years and have been working remotely in the last year

[@lweleven3423]

@@Nolgore no in the world of 4x4 I agree I guess I was talking more in general and the amount of travel some do , I know in the US your mainly running gas ( petrol ) not diesel that makes it harder with todays gas mileage . My trips have been cut to 1 200. / 300 trip a month if I’m very lucky and I reckon mine probably does twice if not 3 times the mpg some of the US rigs do I’m on the + side of 30 just about to change vehicles and hope to get a bit more maybe 35/40 maybe lol I use a cheap tent or sleep in the back , I think also there does seem a much much bigger selection of 4x4 rig accessories and modification bits over there . I have sent a few emails to a US company asking if they ship worldwide , I’ve had no response tho I do know some do but very expensive, I’m switching to a more affordable to run vehicle also a vehicle that has bits more available in the UK market place . A Jeep over here is impossible no one want to work on them and the Nissans and Toyotas there isn’t much available to modify them . I guess if you are very handy with a tool bag that helps but modern vehicles are near impossible to work on for your average man . Let’s hope the cost of fuel comes down some . Also very very little and near impossible to find free camp grounds here average would probably be $30 a night

[@birdlady2725]

Can the roof tent install with th low end at the rear? Or does it have to be this config to open? I Love This!! Be Safe, Have Fun and Happy Trails!

[@MoLeisureXventures]

You can set up the tent the other way but with the way we cut the hole, we maximized the standing space in the rear instead of the front

[@birdlady2725]

@@MoLeisureXventures Thanks! Makes sense.

[@uglyducktales]

@@MoLeisureXventures I can see at 2:14 that the roof is not flat and in the front there's some sort of support. How did you connect it & weatherproofed the connection, if it's not a secret? :) I think i've heard you mentioning rivets in your videos, but what about that front part? Thanks :)

[@oregonsquatch9881]

What was the name of those storage boxes that he got off Amazon??? Great setup.

[@MoLeisureXventures]

You can find them here: www.amazon.com/shop/moleisurexventures

[@oregonsquatch9881]

@@MoLeisureXventures thank you. I have a small camp trailer that’s in need of storage for clothes. These will work nicely.

[@patriotsleepercell4060]

Cutting the roof, what about structural integrity?

[@blegi1245]

Roof skin is as structural as a door skin or quarter panel.

[@guilhermearruda6037]

Does anyone know if this car model we’ve got in Australia? Thanks

[@jimt2316]

Innovative! I love it, we have a 2009 Xterra that we have been considering a lift for. What size tires and what type of wheels. What coating is on the outside?

[@MoLeisureXventures]

33 inch tires with anthem offroad wheels. The outside is a mixture of paint and bedliner. Highly suggest getting your lift kit from All Dogs Off-road Coop

[@Meerlu]

Is he a Poindexter or a Funk Lord?

[@butchgreene]

So you can stand up in it, but you can't sit down in it. And can you get in the side from a ladder or do you have to get in and out through the door? Pissing in the middle of the night would be a nightmare.

[@softroadingthewest]

They've got a little bench built in. It's a conventional rooftop tent affixed to the top, so ladder access should be possible. They specifically wanted to eliminate the ladder for a number of reasons. This setup wouldn't be for everybody, but it works for them...they're still out traveling in it visiting more national parks as we speak. It's always interesting to see what solutions are _possible,_ even if they don't all work for everyone.

[@POSS99]

so he is carrying 10 gallons of water, plus all his heavy wooden cabinets inside and that hideous cut out roof ... wtf is he doing?

[@GratefulOverlander]

Total waste of money. Yeah he can stand up.....in 1.5 sq ft at most. Ruined the Xterra as well, these vehicles are not made to have the roof cut out. "One of a kind"can be either genius or stupid. It doesnt automatically make it a great thing. This build falls in the latter category