When it comes to the truck camper industry, the EarthRoamer is considered the pinnacle of truck camper design. Unfortunately, at 1 million dollars, the chassis-mounted monster rig is also the most expensive. Aside from its size, what makes the EarthRoamer so great? It all starts with the Ford F-550 Super-Duty chassis powered by the 6.7L turbo diesel. This chassis, which comes in Ford’s premium Lariat interior trim package, offers a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 19,500 pounds. The EarthRoamer needs this hefty rating because everything in this 29-foot-long, luxury expedition rig is big. It’s also packed with first-rate cabinetry and components, including granite counter tops, a large wet-bath, a king-size bed, a massive 1,320 watt solar power system, a huge 12,000 watt hour lithium battery bank, mammoth-sized 43-inch super single tires, and a 100-gallon fresh water tank.
Of course, you can build your own rig for a lot less than an EarthRoamer. This is what Alex Ausmanus did. He built his “EarthRoamer” using an Elevation Off Grid Black Edition Ford F-550 outfitted with a Bowen Customs truck bed and a Host Everest 11.6 triple-slide truck camper. What makes Alex’s rig better than an EarthRoamer? Three things. First, the Host Everest offers 180 square feet of living space, much more than an EarthRoamer. Second, the Bowen Customs truck bed provides a lot more storage space than the EarthRoamer. And third, the LiquidSpring hydraulic suspension used by Elevation Off Grid is light years better than the Kelderman air ride system found on the EarthRoamer. Not only that, but the EOG’s Black Edition F-550 with 42-inch super singles is just as impressive looking as an EarthRoamer truck. Sure, At $330,000, Alex’s EOG-Bowen-Host rig isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s a lot less than an EarthRoamer. To learn more about this impressive monster truck camper build, we spoke with Alex.
Thanks, Alex, for talking with us. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Alex Ausmanus: Sure. I have been enamored with anything outdoors since I was a little boy riding dirt bikes in the rural areas of PA chasing rivers, going fishing, tubing and exploring everywhere I could. We didn’t do much camping as a kid and that is something I wanted to incorporate into my family so our kids could experience the wanderlust bug and understand there is so much more to the world than all the stresses we have become accustomed to in our modern lives.
I have an amazing family—my wife and I have three wonderful kiddos who fill our days up with adventures, laughs and boundary testing. We rooted ourselves in Colorado and are so fortunate to have an amazing community around us in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Can you tell us about your truck camper and why you chose that particular make and model?
Alex Ausmanus: I have built several rigs in my time, through all of those experiences I learned what key features make life easy on the road and when setting up and tearing down camp. With a larger family, understanding that having a few different areas that kids can hang, play, and sometimes stay out of the way are keys to a much more enjoyable experience.
I took a look at many different truck campers when I was building this project. The things that sold me on the Host Everest 11.6 were its build quality, enormous amount of space for the footprint it consumes, important (to me) features that are optioned or come standard in the unit from the factory, and its ability to sustain my family and I, untethered, for up to a week, or myself for much longer than that.
Some of the key features that solidified Host as my choice were:
- The ability to have a full lithium setup with ample amp hours, and multiple redundancies for replenishing juice (Solar, 15/30 Amp power, Generator, Truck engine running)
- An efficient A/C unit that I can run fully without worry of depleting my batteries
- The ability to comfortably sleep five to six people.
- A full dry bath—killer!
- Enough onboard Fresh water and grey/black tank capacity for extended trips dispersed camping.
- Storage space in and out of the camper—having an underbelly garage is AWESOME!
- Some flexibility in the interior layout—ability to swivel dining table, pull out couch, king bed with stargazing skylight, bunk bed, etc.
Does the camper have anything unique or custom about it?
Alex Ausmanus: The only things I added to the camper are a DC-DC charging capability with smart shunt and an additional 12 volt Fantastic Fan in the bathroom which adds significant airflow. Everything else was ordered directly from the Host factory.
What do you like most about the Host Everest 11.6?
Alex Ausmanus: The space. It is truly amazing how big it feels inside when camping and the amount of comfort it provides is world-class. Besides that, the ability to have little concern on power consumption whether running the AC all day to streaming shows with Starlink, etc. And the ability to be fully set up at camp within literally 4-5 minutes of arriving is also pretty sweet. The self-leveling feature of the truck is a huge help as well!
Can you tell us about more about your amazing truck?
Alex Ausmanus: My truck is a 2022 Ford F-550 custom built by Elevation Off Grid and Bowen Customs. The truck has a GVWR of 19,500 pounds. Going over the GVWR is not something you want to be flirting with for a variety of reasons, namely safety, capability, legality and insurance. Having peace of mind that you are well within bounds provides a true level of confidence and comfort.
When doing research on this project, I came across Elevation Off Grid and through them, Bowen Customs. I was simply amazed at what seemed to be the perfect truck with world-class engineering, detail and execution. After a few months of speaking with EOG, I did a factory tour with them. I spent several hours with Jerime and Travis at EOG. We went super deep on design and engineering decisions, capability, weight distribution, features, their history, etc. The amount of time they spent with me and going into such detail was the deciding factor in me doing business with them—I knew they had the chops to build the best, most capable truck in the world, and have my back should I ever need anything.
Going back to capability and GVWR. My EOG truck has the ability to carry 10,000 pounds of PAYLOAD and tow 30,000 pounds. VERY few people can say they have that level of confidence at those figures. Additionally, with EOG’s LiquidSpring suspension, the ability to adjust height (4 inches in either direction), stability and dampening is game-changing. When you’re traveling at highway speed and a gust of wind comes across with a camper this size, it is amazing the level of control and anti-sway the LiquidSpring suspension brings. Slamming your brakes from 50-60 MPH, the nose of the truck doesn’t dip, at all. It’s pretty amazing.
How was your experience with Elevation Off-Grid?
Alex Ausmanus: Amazing. The features that Elevation Off Grid offers are endless. It has a 360 camera system, fully multi-layer insulated cab (no just a layer of dynamat), on-board air with couplers at each wheel and fully automated inflation and deflation, an engine performance tune (1,000+ ft/lb torque), a center console fridge for food and drink on the road, extended range with aux fuel tank, exterior driving / camp lighting packages, the list goes on and on. If you have an idea, they will usually discuss it with you in detail and find a way to make it happen. Everything EOG does they do it themselves and they do it better than the factory would.
Can you tell us more about your Bowen Customs truck bed? It looks amazing with your setup.
Alex Ausmanus: The work by Bowen Customs speaks for itself and is at the same level as EOG’s, which is why they partner so closely together. I met Brent right after I met with Jerime and Travis at EOG. We had discussed the plans for the truck, the center of gravity of the camper and weight distribution, and some of the features I was looking for.
Brent was in the middle of finalizing his design for their three-point, fully articulating bed system. This system allows for a much lower profile bed while enhancing the truck and bed’s ability to move independently of one-another with plenty of clearances from the garage to cab and camper to cab. This engineering design only extends the truck’s ability to truly go anywhere off road with confidence.
Bowen also added heavy duty structural support where needed to support the capability of the trucks payload capacity.
Additionally, the amount of storage that a Bowen Customs bed provides is similar to the underbelly storage of a Class A motorhome. They designed a cradle, ramp and winch for the massive 42-inch Goodyear tires to be able to carry a spare and actually use it when needed.
Getting back to the camper. Can you tell us about the electrical system including your solar power and DC-to-DC charger systems?
Alex Ausmanus: The camper has the Off-Grid Extreme package from Host. It consists of 1080 amp hours of lithium batteries (Expion 360’s) with a Go Power 3,000 watt inverter and monitoring system. There is 800 watts of solar on the roof. For DC:DC charging, I used Victron with a smart shunt and Anderson plugs make the connection between chassis and camper. It is a very simple yet robust system which is why I love it.
How do you keep your camper’s batteries charged?
Alex Ausmanus: There are four ways you can keep the batteries charged on my rig. You can use shore power, you have solar, the truck’s engine running (a big generator), or a generator. Honestly, I have never had the need to use the truck’s engine to top off the batteries while camped. The amount of lithium on-board and the solar is enough to charge things back up by mid-day.
Does your EOG Black Edition Ford F-550 feature any other accessories or features worthy of note?
Alex Ausmanus: The feature and accessory list is extensive. Here is a snapshot of the features on the rig, I’m sure I am forgetting a few.
- Hutchinson 8,000-pound-rated bead lock wheels all around + spare
- TST TPMS Tire pressure/temp monitoring system that is expandable
- Full suite of safety features and sensors including lane departure and emergency braking, etc.
- Center console fridge—keeps snacks and drinks very cold for on-the-go access
- Switch-Pros light management
- Full suite of Baja Designs lighting surrounding the truck for late-night campground arrival, scene lighting and under truck lighting
- LiquidSpring Hydraulic suspension
- Raises and lowers 8 inches from low to high position with adjustability on the fly
- Suspension compression/stability adjustability modes with adjustability on the fly
- Self leveling – “True Earth Leveling” – just pull up to the campground and self-level within two minutes—this feature is absolutely killer!
- Starlit interior cabin roofline—amazing 1200+ hand-laid fibers, optical color spectrum and completely changes the mood of the cabin while on journeys
- Fully insulated and sound-proofed cabin—as quiet as a Mercedes S-Class, seriously!
- Built-in compressor with auto inflate / deflate function for the 42-inch tires through mobile app and air couplers at each corner
Do you have any regrets in your choices? Anything you wished that you had done differently?
Alex Ausmanus: No regrets at all. Working with the folks at EOG and Bowen really allowed me to think through all the aspects of the build.
What kind of mileage do you get when hauling your truck Hist camper?
Alex Ausmanus: If just the truck camper I tend to get 12-12.5 mpg. If towing a trailer and the truck camper I expect to be in the 11-11.5 range.
Where have you taken your rig thus far?
Alex Ausmanus: We’ve gone throughout the Gunnison, Colorado area, Breckenridge (Mineral Hill, Georgia Pass), Glacier National Park, Whitefish, Jackson and a few other stops along the way.
Where are you planning to take your rig in the future?
Alex Ausmanus: We have actually decided to sell our rig. It has truly been amazing but with our kids growing up fast and their affinity running towards athletics and activities we just are not using the rig that much and want to support our kids’ decisions in pursuing their sports, etc. So we’re going to sell the rig and likely get something smaller, more Class C-ish so we don’t feel that bad with it sitting around 98 percent of the time.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your truck camper rig that would interest our readers?
Alex Ausmanus: Having spent 20 years building different rigs, I have really never come across anyone in the industry as meticulous and best-in-class craftsmanship as EOG and Bowen provide. It is really exciting to see our world of overlanding and exploring evolve to catch-up with other parts of the world.
This has been great talking to you. Thanks again for taking the time to talk with us. Do you have any final advice for our readers?
Alex Ausmanus: It was fantastic getting to speak with you, thank you for the time! I would say it always pays-off to spend the extra time doing deeper level research and speaking with as many people as you can. There is a tremendous amount of information available to you and the people we have in this community often love talking about their experience and lending a hand however they can.
To learn more about this or other Host Campers or to get a quote, email the company directly at rpozzi@hostcampers.com.
To learn more about Elevation Off Grid trucks or to get a quote, email the company directly at sales@elevationoffgrid.com.
To learn more about Bowen Customs truck beds or to get a quote, email the company directly at info@BowenCustoms.com.
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