Hitting the road in style with Nomad Monster

BY MARINA SACHT

It’s big. It’s red. And wherever it goes -- people are talking about it.

It is a truck/highway tractor turned motorhome, but nothing like you may have seen before. It features two stories, a spiral staircase, a pop-up roof, big screen TVs, sliding beds, a library, a drop-down deck, and even a garage for tools and toys.

The Nomad Monster is a 2004 Volvo VNL with a Cummins ISX 15L 450 hp engine. The trailer is a standard production commercial 53-foot drop-deck trailer that was re-registered as a 'travel trailer'. The total length of the unit is 73 feet, and it is 13' 5" high when travelling. When stationary, the roof pops up for an additional foot of headroom. It is 102" wide.

And every inch of the behemoth has been a labour of love for Clayton Balabanov and Teresa Davies.

“Ever since we met, we always talked about eventually selling and starting to travel. I like seeing the countryside and moving from one place to the next,” says Teresa. The couple recently returned from their fi rst season on the road and are doing some upgrades in Saltair before returning to their nomadic lifestyle later this summer.

To realize their dream, the couple retired from work, sold their house, and downsized. They moved into a tiny basement suite to focus on creating their not so Tiny Home. Five years later and they are on the road.

And now they have travel and adventure plus all the comforts of home.

Clayton Balabanov and Teresa Davies celebrating Christmas on the upper deck of the Monster Nomad.

Photo submitted.

On the roof, there are 20 250w solar panels. The house batteries are five 100 Watt-hour 48 Volt lithium "power wall" units giving us 50kwh electrical storage with a maximum charge/ discharge of 500 amps. The inverter feeds a 100 amp split phase standard home distribution breaker panel that is enough to power everything simultaneously.

Clayton's background includes robotics, computer software, and interior design, has always been involved in sustainable living-type adventures. They have installed two pellet stoves, and two heat pumps. “Pretty much everything is run on solar, so no need to plug in,” he says. One of the significant issues, especially down south, can be water. So they are installing a commercial reverse osmosis system that will allow them to use and conserve water. “It will take even gray water and give me 100 percent clean water that is drinkable,” explains Clayton.

Once finished, they can go three months without having to fill up. The fuel tanks on the truck hold 950 litres. "So a couple thousand dollars to fill it up, and then we're good for about 3000 kilometres," says Clayton. To conserve fuel, they use their Goldwing bike and side-by-side 4x4 for touring and exploring the surrounding areas leaving the Nomad Monster parked.

The project was a joint effort, with Teresa doing most of the shopping and helping with painting, staining, lacquering or getting groceries to keep them going. “I'm not good at wallpapering, so there was a lot of swearing going on there.”

Every adventure has challenges, from weather to expensive

tow jobs when they blow a tire. You can catch them on an episode of Highway Thru Hell on Discovery Channel.

The Nomad attracts a lot of attention wherever they go. “People are always asking -- is this your home? Do you live in there?” They have caught people’s imagination. “Even the New York Post wants to do a story,” says Clayton. The Nomad Monster was recently featured on Tony Homes Giant Journeys on YouTube, attracting over a million views.

You can follow their adventures by subscribing to their YouTube channel at Nomad Monster.

Now, instead of saying go big or go home, Clayton and Teresa say, go big and go home. And their advice to those who dream of hitting the road -- don't wait. Just do it.