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Check out these DIY conversions:

“Bantha” Converted M1087 FMTV - Zack & Krystal full-time Overlanders, U.S.

Drive the Globe M1079 - Michael Ladden, bike packer and adventurer, explored 70+ countries on 5 continents

Patrick Whitt Racing - 2020 Trophylite Champion, Trophy Truck Spec #6191, half Race Support and half Zombie Response Vehicle

Globe Trekker - Providing USA made quality recreational mobile shelter kits to the everyday offroad enthusiast, adventure camper, and tiny home aficionados

6x6tortuga - Brian Anthony dirt bike enthusiast, outdoor explorer, 6x6 Stewart & Stevenson Military Truck

Traditional RV owners and adventurous people who have been living the van life or experiencing RTT (Roof Top Tent) exploits, seem to be craving more space, as well as increased off-road ability. Why not have all the comforts? When they see a capable vehicle we are hearing, “Let’s take that extra step. I’ve had some time behind the wheel, now I’m looking to go further off-road.” Of course, this too, creates circumstances for more of us to be “way out there” - so we may have to work harder to get even further removed from the crowds. This is yet another reason off-roaders need to support organizations like ShareTrails/Blue Ribbon Coalition, TreadLightly, and others to keep public land use open.

If you’re not a DIY’er, stay tuned! We’ll be introducing you to some of the newest and most exciting expedition vehicle manufacturing brands out there, giving you the opportunity to explore the great outdoors in style. We’ll be taking a deep dive into the established industry giants down to the small conversion companies, asking the eternal question: Is bigger better, does size matter? Stay tuned and get ready to hit the road and experience adventure like never before!

By Mike Ingalsbee

DirtVenture Magazine recently learned about the unveiling of a brand new adventure rig designed and built by 27North. We sent our adventure vehicle expert, Krystal Fitzpatrick, to check it out for us. Krystal travelled to Springfield, Missouri, to the home of 27North conversions who has been building custom adventure vehicles since 2020. 27North is the latitude of Mount Everest. Owner, Pavel Bosovik, chose that name because he always wanted to be at the top, building the highest or best expedition trucks. 27North quickly set themselves apart from the many builders with their quality, engineering, and quick turn-around times. They didn’t get their prompt delivery reputation by cutting corners. Instead, they simply perfected the build process.

The builds go smoothly because they take the time to think of everything they need to be successful.

That brings us to their latest creation, the Ascender. The Ascender is also the product of thinking about everything you need to be successful. There is not one thing on the truck that was not fully researched, tested, and optimized right down to the paint. It’s a special blend from Fine Paints of Europe. The paint is non-toxic, and is applied in 8 coats. On the exterior, it contains Kevlar. The Kevlar paint applied to the composite panels works with the unique shape of the living quarters to deflect impacts. The shape comes in handy whether you are avoiding tree limbs in the forest, overhanging ledges in a desert canyon, or strong

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• Unmatched personal technical assistance headwinds in the plains. The cabin slips through the wind, and it doesn’t plow through it like a barn door. Because of the interior layout, it’s small on the outside, but big on the inside.

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The interior spaces are luxurious without being fragile. One thing that immediately catches your eye is the beauty of the wood. The wood for cabinets, tables, and accents is hand selected from locally harvested slabs of walnut. Through 27North’s personal relationship with the mill, they can select only the finest wood with the most beautiful grain patterns. They don’t use veneers on engineered wood, it’s all solid, and finished by hand. The angular shapes of the cabin are incorporated into the interior as well. The windows are custom shapes, and features found within are akin to modern architectural design as opposed to the cookie cutter parts found on other builds. One example is the pass-through to the truck cab. Instead of a plain rectangle, the opening has interesting angles that make it a design feature as well as a functional opening. What isn’t there to please the eye is designed for functionality and comfort. The bed is extremely comfortable because why wouldn’t it be? They reserve the walnut for the trim instead of giving you a cheap mattress that feels like you’re sleeping on a bag of walnuts. The linens are custom embroidered with the owner’s initials. Inside the galley, the hand built drawers and cabinets are designed to securely store your dishes and utensils just like in the finest yachts.

In addition to taking care of comfort, the Ascender is also a technological masterpiece. Just as the capable FORD F550 chassis and solid construction of the cabin gives the occupants peace of mind, so does the GOST security system. There are 360 degree cameras mounted on the vehicle. 27North also includes a military grade tracking system on the vehicle. It is installed early on in the build process and is accurate enough so that owners can track the progress of the build as it moves through the construction process. The truck also comes with a radar system with a 25 mile radius. You can see any approaching vehicles from a long ways out. If a threat is identified, such as a zombie hoard, there are two separate SOS buttons; one hidden and one clearly visible. They are connected to both private and public security if a rescue is needed. You could of course use the Wet Sounds audio system to repel them. The design criteria given to Wet Sounds was to create the loudest sound system possible, and they did. Of course, everything electronic, including the lighting, can be controlled remotely using the handheld electronic device of your choice including the specially designed roof hatch that opens when you want to launch the drone. The Ascender is a true world traveler. It’s a luxury home on wheels that you can take anywhere, and it will get you back if that’s really what you want to do. With its capability, comfort, and features, you may want to bug out forever, or until you run out of food and water. Then it’s on to resupply and head to the next incredible location.

Porsche China Gray

6 7L 4V OHV Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel

B20 Transmission TorqShift 10-Speed

Automatic GVWR 19,500 lbs Payload

Total Seating 4

Highline Color Display Instrument Cluster

Blindspot Mirrors

Active Lane Keeping Assist

Wireless Smartphone Charging

Selectable Drive Modes

397 Dual Amp Alternators

Leather & Suede Seating

Carbon Composite Shell Structure

Proprietary Adventure Skin™ Coating

Frameless 1” Thick Polycarbonate Windows

Heavy Duty Steel Bumper

Custom Grile with Winch Mount

8’8” Powered Awning

20x10 Bead-lock Military Wheels

41x13 Military Off-road Tires

150 gal Fuel Tank Capacity

50” LED Light bar & 30“ Bumper Mount

LED Headlights

Spare Wheel and Tire with Electric Mounting System

Two 12k lbs winches with Wireless control

8” upgraded touch screen

150 PSI On-Board Air Compressor

Full Offroad Recovery Gear Package

5k lbs Rear Air Suspension System + Wireless control Offroad Coil-Over Suspension

Custom Cab Modifications for Access to Living Area

Karastan Hardwood Floor

Cambria Quartz Countertop

Hand-Crafted Walnut Cabinets

55” Convertible Dinette

13 5k BTU Air Conditioner

60" Door/Drawer Fridge and Freezer Combo

Safe Efficient 2 Burner Induction Cooktop

24" Drawer Microwave/Convection Oven/Air Fryer Combo with Wifi

Wet Sounds

A Conversation with Adam and Terry Householder

By Mike Ingalsbee

Adam Householder won the T1 Desert Challenge overall at this year’s King of the Hammers. Since points from KOH are being applied to the Best In The Desert series, Adam sits at the top of the Trick Truck points’ standings. His father, Terry, was also racing, but in T2 (6100 class); finishing 15th in class, and 23rd overall. We decided to go under the helmet with this father and son duo that have been racing for many years.

Mike: Who was the first to start racing? Were you a racer when Terry got Adam into it, or was it the other way around?

Terry: I started racing back in ‘75 or ‘76. I raced from ‘75 until ‘80 and then I quit, started a family, did that whole thing right there. Then Adam came along in ‘84. As he got older, we started racing micro sprints when he was 14. Then he made the transition to 1450 trucks.

Mike: Micro sprints, I’m somewhat familiar with those. They have a motorcycle engine in them?

Terry: Yes, exactly.

Mike: Was that winged, or non-winged?

Adam: We ran both, but mostly winged.

Mike: Wow, so you have a lot of stuff going on in those cars, right?

Adam: Oh, yeah. I started in ‘99 till 2005 or 2006. We traveled all over to race multiple nights a week. That’s where I cut my teeth going racing.

Mike: Was that based mostly on dirt or pavement?

Adam: On dirt.

Mike: Would you say that gave you your car handling abilities in the dirt?

Adam: When I was growing up, I remember going to Glamis as a young kid, that’s where my off-road side comes from. We won a few championships with the micros and then, as I got older, in high school, I started going to Glamis on my own. I met more friends that were truck guys. That’s how I was brought into offroad racing. My dad was already way out of it at that point.

Mike: Terry, was that the 70’s and 80’s?

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That was the hardcore time for off-road racing. We didn’t have 4.0 shocks and 40 inch tires.

Terry: You had probably six and a half inches of wheel travel for a swing axle if you were lucky.

Mike: What do you think about these guys today who say it’s rough, you know, in their nice seats and their super suspensions and their GPS and their onboard drinking systems and everything else?

Terry: They don’t have a clue (laughing). They don’t pre-run and use beer cans or tie ribbons to trees to find which line they’re going to do.

Mike: So Terry, Adam got into racing, and then he kind of pulled you back in?

Terry: That’s exactly how it worked. I tried everything to discourage him from going off-road racing. I was willing to step up to a sprint car and do more dirt stuff, but it didn’t pan out that way. That’s how we got into it. Adam - what was your first race; MDR in 1450?

Adam: Yeah, the MDR night race in a 1450 truck.

Mike: Do you still have that truck now?

Adam: No, that truck is long gone. Before we got into the Trick Truck, I ended up crashing the 1450 truck out at Glamis.

We scrapped it because it wasn’t worth saving. It started as my high school truck. It was my daily driver. One weekend my Dad caught me in the shop and it was all torn down.

Terry: I remember that part.

Adam: I was fortunate enough that my dad allowed me to use the shop and gave me the tools. I built my own truck back in the day. I learned every aspect of the truck by building the suspension, building the roll cage and fabrication. And you know, I know how to do it all and I enjoy doing it. I like working on them just as much as I do racing them.

Mike: They say the best drivers are the guys who are fixing their own stuff because they really know the truck inside and out.

Adam: There’s the good and the bad take on it. When I hurt it, I gotta fix it. It keeps you calm a little bit. You learn real quickly when you start running into stuff; you’re gonna keep spending late nights fixing it. That’s not the case as much nowadays; we have employees, but I still don’t want to hurt my truck. So like I said, there’s good and bad to it.

Mike: I remember when you raced the Playtech car.

Terry: Yeah, we actually leased their car in 2008. Our trophy truck at that time wasn’t done so we ventured into class one for a little bit. We ran that car for a couple races, and then I took a liking to that car. We continued to campaign that car for a while once we got the trophy truck up and running.

Mike: Those were some rough courses back then.

Adam: Give me bumps. That’s what I like, the more whoops the better. I think that’s where I have an advantage because I set my truck up to work well. You get some people that get overly comfortable and don’t want to get beat up all the time. I can keep a good solid pace. I definitely prefer it rough over smooth.

Mike: I ask everybody; what’s your favorite part of racing? Is it the logistics? Is it the speed? Is it the jumps? What really stands out in your mind, or is it a combination?

Terry: It’s probably a combination. I enjoy racing. I enjoy watching Adam race. He’s very good at what he does. I enjoy the competition aspect of it. I think the start to the finish, the whole thing. I think finishing a race is an accomplishment. I don’t care if you win, or come in second, fifth, or tenth, just finishing a race is an accomplishment. Today, it’s a little easier to finish races than it was before because equipment is a little better than it was. We have a pretty good finishing rate with our trucks in our shop here.

Mike: And what about you Adam, what’s your favorite part?

Adam: Mine is the racing. You hear where people like to pre-run and I like a little bit of pre-running, but I like to go racing. That’s where I think we excel a little bit better here in the states because we don’t get “out pre-run” by people. You get the guys that go down to Mexico and they’ll spend two weeks running down there back and forth. That’s where I think racing in the states really suits me. Sometimes you only get a day of pre-running and then go straight into the race.

Mike: Adam, when you’re racing on a dirt track in a sprint car, you have to be able to read that dirt, right? Out in the desert, it’s more about reading the terrain?

Adam: I had a difficult learning curve going from micro sprints to desert racing. When you hit the dirt oval, and that green flag drops, you give it 110%. You put your foot to the floor and go and make it work. There were quite a few desert races where I didn’t make it one lap because I broke my equipment. I didn’t know how to keep it alive. I learned how to keep stock parts alive on my Chevy truck. In the micro sprint you were reading dirt, but in desert racing, you’re reading terrain and at a lot higher pace. You have to read it right because it can hurt you. It’s just a different style, and I consider myself pretty good at reading terrain now.

Mike: And I assume you’re kind of the same, Terry? Being old school, you guys didn’t have GPS and all that kind of stuff, so it was pretty critical to be able to read the terrain.

Terry: Honestly, I wish they would throw that stuff away. One of my favorite races is Vegas to Reno. I mean, that’s a good race. It’s a fast paced race, but you still have to endure the nine hours plus to finish that race. Two years ago, we ran the last 50 miles with no GPS. It was challenging, but it was good. I think everyone relies too much on GPS these days. That’s my take. It will tell you every corner, every rock, and you wind up looking at the GPS more than you do out the window.

Adam: This is how it is nowadays; the pace is so incredibly fast now that your co-driver needs to be on point all day. It’s getting harder and harder to find good codrivers. The co-driver works harder than I do. I can admit that. When I get a flat, I can relax for a little bit and be good to go. When he hops back in, it’s straight back to work. They are such a vital part.

Mike: I’ve noticed that you guys don’t have huge sponsors on your race vehicles. Is that on purpose?

Mike: You have nice equipment Adam, what’s your current truck now?

Terry: I wouldn’t say it’s on purpose. I think it’s fine. We are always looking for the right company to partner with. We are very fortunate that we can fund the majority of our racing efforts. We do have a few people who help us out with the small things, but we’re mostly self-funded.

Adam: In desert racing, sponsors are harder to come by. We live our lives to go racing, and we’re fortunate to be able to do it. I’m fortunate that my dad is able to support our racing habits and still have fun, but we also take it very seriously.

Adam: Both of our trucks are identical trucks. They are both Herbst Smith trucks. The only difference between my Dad’s and mine is the motor and transmission package. Since mine is unlimited, I have the Gibbs motor with the Albins sequential in it. And my Dad’s, being a 6100 spec truck, has the crate LS3 with a turbo 400 and underdrive. Other than that, everything else is identical: coolers, shocks, steering, fuel cell, etc.

Mike: They’re two identical trucks? That must make it a lot easier to work on the trucks if they’re identical.

Adam: It does because I don’t have to stock multiple different parts. We are able to grab from one pile instead of everything being separated.

Mike: There are a lot of builders out there now. What made you decide to go with Herbst Smith?

Adam: When the opportunity came up to get a new truck, we looked and we talked about it a lot. The Mason stuff wasn’t even out yet and the all-wheel drive stuff wasn’t there. We looked at the Herbst, and after seeing them up close, I mean, they’re gorgeous trucks. I was looking for a little bit of a more lightweight truck because my old BMS truck was a little bit on the heavy side. Then we started looking at their finishing rate; they had an unreal finishing rate. Their program was stepped up. How quickly they could have a truck for me; just a little over three months was unheard of back then. And, they’re local. They’re close by in Huntington Beach; our shop is in Anaheim.

Mike: Do the Herbst’s prep your trucks too?

Adam: No, we do everything in our Householder Motorsports’ race shop. We have three full time employees who work for us preparing our race cars and chase trucks and keeping everything maintained.

Terry: I have a business that I run out of the Householder Motorsports shop. I prep and maintain cars for other customers that mostly go to the sand dunes. So we’re not just racing, we’re an actual shop.

Mike: It’s always good to make what you love your business, right?

Adam: Oh, without a doubt. We have the freedom of being able to go to the races. Our customers who bring their stuff in might have only seen off-road racing on TV; they get exposed to it. They get to see it up close. I get more followers and more friends out of it, so it’s always a lot of fun.

Mike: During the King of the Hammers race, Terry, you were out on the course racing. Did you hear over the radio that Adam had won?

Terry: I did! I think I was probably 25 miles from the finish when it came over the radio. They said they thought he had it. It was pretty exciting, but we were trying to deal with our own issues at that time. We were eight miles from the finish when we got a flat that set us back a few spots. Today, in our class it’s so competitive, you can’t even afford a single flat tire.

Terry: Yes, we’ve shared a truck a couple of times. It depends how we’re doing. We were fortunate enough to win the Mint a couple of years back. We were going to share the ride there, but Adam was having such a good day he just continued on the whole way.

Mike: Congratulations. Adam, you won the Silver State race too I believe.

Adam: Yes, Silver State was my first win in 2011. I also won the Henderson 250 that year. Those were my first two wins. Then I had a bit of a dry spell until the Laughlin Desert Classic in 2020.

Mike: That Henderson race; that’s another really rough course, right?

Adam: Yes, that definitely fits my driving style.

Mike: Is it technique, or is it having the knowledge to know what the right pace is to win?

Mike: Do you ever race together in the same truck?

Adam: It’s kind of both. It’s how you manipulate your truck through this terrain. The hardest part is figuring out the pace at every race. No matter what you do, you’re trying to figure out what the pace is. It’s every time, every race. You run where you think you need to put a blistering pace out front or to run them down. That’s always the hardest part. If you’re somewhere in the pack, you want to get split times so you know if you have to pick it up. If you’re running up on them you know you’re running a good pace. It takes a little bit to figure out.

Mike: Then there are those certain racers who just have one speed. It’s either on or off; there’s no throttle modulation at all.

Adam: Those are the days that hurt when you get beat by them. In the back of your head, you’re thinking they’re gonna break. They’re not gonna make it. When they do, you’re like man, we did something wrong that day.

Mike: I think that’s a strong attraction for most people to desert racing; it’s just so hard. It’s so hard just to finish a race.

Terry: I take whatever you give me; I’ll just roll with whatever you give me. I’m not a good qualifier, so I end up starting mid pack anyway. I’ll take it either way; I just like racing.

Mike: Well, I wish you guys the best of luck at the Silver State 300 this April. It’s been really great learning more about the both of you.