I went off-road RVing for the first time in a $375,000 Ford-based EarthCruiser RV and saw why people are ditching traditional road trips for this luxury tiny home on wheels

Brittany Chang/Insider

• I tried overlanding for the first time with EarthCruiser in its $350,000 Terranova RV.
• EarthCruiser's team and I spent a night in Oregon's backcountry where they taught me how to operate the vehicle.

One of the reasons I moved from Southern California to New York City was so I would never have to test my lackluster driving skills on a bumper-to-bumper freeway again.

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I can't stand driving.

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So don't ask me why I thought it would be a good idea to try overlanding for the first time with EarthCruiser and its luxury Terranova RV …

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… a fully capable Ford F350-based home on wheels with a price tag higher than my four-year college tuition.

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I didn't even have any RV experience to prepare me for this trip.

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And despite all odds, my nervousness, my jetlag, and whatever other excuses I can come up with, the experience and guidance from EarthCruiser's team left me missing driving ...

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... and thinking I too could switch my cozy city apartment for a giant overlanding RV.

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I know, I'm shocked too.

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In the late summer, overlanding vehicle maker EarthCruiser invited me to visit its headquarters in Bend, Oregon to experience what it would be like as a customer about to take delivery of their new build.

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Ordering an EarthCruiser isn't like going to an auto dealership to buy a traditional car.

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Instead, the company works with the buyer to customize their overlanding vehicle.

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Throughout the construction process, the team will send updates its customers.

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And when it's finally complete, the future EarthCruiser owners can travel to the company's Oregon headquarters and manufacturing site …

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… where the team will take them out for a test drive and an overnight overlanding experience in their new home on wheels.

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I wasn't able to present EarthCruiser with $350,000 to buy my own overlanding RV.

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So instead, they let me spend a night in their demo Ford F350-based Terranova RV, which has seen "significant demand" since it was first unveiled in the spring of 2021, Mary Balk, the director of marketing, told Insider in an email.

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Before my trip, the company sent me a full itinerary detailing my daily expected schedule, drive, and mileage, similar to what real customers might receive before they visit.

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I used to drive 90 miles daily for my commute when I was still living in California. With traffic, that was six hours of my life wasted every day.

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Now, the thought of driving over an hour makes me shudder.

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So imagine the nervous dread I felt when I opened the itinerary and saw that my second day would include driving 47 miles for up to 3.5 hours, some on off-road paths.

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But I reassured myself and my anxiety that I would be in good hands with EarthCruiser.

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Overseas, the company has been building overlanders in Australia since 2008.

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Here, EarthCruiser has been a mainstay in the US overlanding market since 2013.

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And lately, business has been booming as more travelers learn about overlanding.

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The company hit record sales during the last two years and has continued to see "strong" demand this year, Balk said.

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She said EarthCruiser has sold "well into the hundreds" of its bespoke overlanding RVs that each take between six to eight months to build.

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And the company predicts this will only continue to increase as more travelers explore the off-grid, off-road lifestyle.

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Unlike traditional RVing, overlanding vehicles can bring travelers to remote destinations that typical RVs can't access.

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And over the years, more people have begun taking interest in the off-grid promise: 75% of EarthCruiser's customers ditched traditional RVs for an overlander.

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In Kampground of America's (KOA) annual 2022 North American Camping Report, 27% of surveyors said they went overlanding for the first time in 2021.

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And KOA expects this public intrigue to grow with 46% of surveyors saying they wanted to try overlanding this year.

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Source: Kampground of America

I now see why the intrigue has been growing.

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After arriving in Bend, Oregon to warm greetings from the team, I was given a quick tour of my tiny home on wheels and EarthCruiser's manufacturing site.

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And before I could register the events ahead of me, I found myself in the driver's seat of the giant Terranova RV.

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Just hours after landing in Oregon, I was off on a roughly hour-long drive into the Deschutes National Forest with Ellen Wayte, EarthCruiser's adventure manager, in the passenger seat ...

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... giving me the reassurance and fun small talk I desperately needed to distract myself from my own anxiety.

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For the first few minutes, I was nervous as I followed Clive Watson, the company's customer experience and training manager, in his own EarthCruiser.

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But after a couple of miles, I realized driving the Terranova was like driving any typical automatic car, just with some added elevation and weight.

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And when we finally hit unfamiliar terrain — corrugated dirt roads that kicked up blinding dust — most of my anxiety had already dissipated, allowing me to feel comfortable as I navigated this new path.

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The Terranova is the largest vehicle I've ever driven.

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But somehow, it was intuitively easy to operate. If anything, its size — which easily passed over the bumpy roads — made me more confident.

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I might be disrespecting EarthCruiser by saying this, but the vehicle was as easy to drive as my mom's Mazda SUV.

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After venturing deeper into the forest, Watson eventually led us up a tall clearing with sights of the surrounding mountains and trees.

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This secluded space became our home for the night.

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And I quickly wondered why I opted to live in a big city when I could have views like this.

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Like great hosts, Wayte and Watson quickly set up camping chairs, a table, and a variety of snacks and beverages shortly after we arrived.

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And I was finally able to relax after driving an overlanding vehicle for the first time in my life.

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I was admittedly nervous — this seems to be a theme — about spending the night with two strangers.

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But Wayte and Watson were some of the most laid-back and amicable people I've ever worked with.

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Despite spending almost 24 hours together, I never found myself stuck in an uncomfortable conversation lull with them.

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They reminded me of my Californian friends who constantly sought out the outdoors and new travel opportunities, a common thread I noticed with other EarthCruiser employees.

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And this familiarity instantly put me at ease and made me feel secure during my unconventional work day.

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It was clear they were passionate about EarthCruiser.

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As we watched the sunset, stargazed, and ate our delicious salmon dinner — expertly prepared in the other EarthCruiser — Wayte and Watson reminisced about EarthCruiser owners like they were talking about their old friends.

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The employees will sometimes stay in touch with their customers, they said.

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And the "family" is so tight-knit, many owners now go on "EarthCruiser Adventures" — led by the company — together.

EarthCruiser

Source: EarthCruiser

Like I said in my previous review about the vehicle itself, it's easy to see why these travelers have flocked to EarthCruisers and stayed dedicated to the lifestyle.

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Source: Insider

The Terranova has the same amenities as a studio apartment, just in a more condensed space with a pop-top roof.

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Inside, there's a living and dining room that can turn into a separate bed …

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… a kitchen ...

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… a raised queen bed surrounded by outlets, reading lights, and windows …

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… and a toilet and shower hidden by the entry door.

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The vehicle's well-designed amenities, like all the hidden storage units …

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… the entry stairs that lower when the front door is opened …

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… and the secret stairs that pop out from the kitchen to help travelers easily access the lofted bed …

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… made me appreciate EarthCruiser's craft and attention to detail.

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And all these amenities helped me settle into the Terranova quickly.

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The home's functions — like adjusting the temperature and turning on the lights and water — were intuitive using the touchscreen control panel behind the kitchen.

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I was asked to not use the demo vehicle's toilet, but at least the option is there for travelers who buy their own EarthCruiser.

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I'll spare you the details of my alternative bathroom.

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But at least the lofted bed was fairly comfortable.

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It certainly doesn't compare to my bed at home. But it's definitely better than a sleeping bag on the hard floor.

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And I still quickly drifted to sleep.

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I certainly needed this rest.

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When I woke up, I was greeted with a homemade breakfast made by Wayte and Watson, coffee, a sunny day, and my day's assignment: learning how to off-road and winch. I was truly starting with the bare basics.

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After securing our belongings, I took the wheel as Watson jumped in the Terranova's passenger seat to give me a crash course on navigating roads with steep uphills, downhills, and ditches.

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Wayte cheering me on from a distance reminded me of a proud parent, boosting my low morale.

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And the witching demo was shockingly easy, although I will admit Watson did pretty much all of the work.

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My big takeaway from that day was "trust the vehicle."

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When we first began the off-roading lessons, I found myself struggling to trust both the Terranova and my own driving capabilities.

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But within the first few minutes of the gentle training, I realized the vehicle was more capable of handling uneven roads than I could've imagined.

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Watson taught me how to avoid the dips in the gravel and corrugated dirt road that could make passengers bounce off their seats.

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But any errors I did make were cushioned with the upgraded suspension system that kept the drive unbelievably smooth.

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And as I continued on rockier roads with both Watson and Wayte in the Terranova (the other EarthCruiser had to be temporarily abandoned due to an unforeseen problem), I found myself feeling more comfortable and confident with the vehicle.

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After two hours of navigating the forest, it felt like I had been driving any typical car, just with a bit more required finesse and concentration.

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And by the time we finished training, I no longer had to sit in silence as I concentrated on the road and my tiny obstacles.

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Instead, I was finally able to take in the views, keep up with some small talk, and actually drive just a couple miles-per-hour faster.

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Best of all, I didn't make myself carsick, which I have unfortunately done before.

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Before this, I had never purposefully gone off-roading,

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But now, I actually miss the liberating feeling of driving a capable overlander like the Terranova in Oregon's backcountry.

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And I never thought I would say that I miss driving.

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I've been writing about EarthCruiser and the boom in overlanding for several years now.

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I thought I was fully prepared for this experience, but it turns out research can't prepare you for what it's actually like to operate one of these large overlanders.

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The Terranova was the roomiest vehicle I had ever been in, and its functions and furnishings were more similar to an off-grid home than a typical car.

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Before this, my only experience with the outdoors was camping for a few nights.

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I'll always love camping, but even I acknowledge it doesn't compare to the luxury of EarthCruiser Terranova.

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And that better be the case: If I'm paying $350,000 for a vehicle, I'm sure hoping the inside will be significantly nicer than a polyester tent.

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But Balk believes this pricing is on the "lower end" compared to other expedition vehicle makers.

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And for the up to 20% of EarthCruiser owners who live in their vehicles full-time, the $350,000 could be justifiable.

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Living in any other vehicle full-time may seem like too much of a comfort sacrifice …

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