It's a 2002 Ford E350 Long Body Camper custom-built by Sportsmobile Texas in Austin. It is also equipped with the Quigley Four Wheel Drive system for getting to those really outta-the-way spots, and to get back out!

It's got a Ford 7.3 litre diesel engine because diesel fuel is more available worldwide than unleaded gasoline of the proper octane rating. The diesel engine generates more torque for this heavy (9,000+ pound) vehicle and will theoretically outlast the gasoline engines available while at the same time provide significantly better mileage. It also has a TransferFlow 46 gallon fuel tank, so fillups don't need to happen all that often, even if they are getting kinda expensive these days. It will go almost 800 miles on a tank though [unless I'm pulling my travel trailer]. so it gets pretty good mileage, mostly due to the 3.55:1 highway gears in the differentials.

Inside are all the comforts of home...in fact, I know several people who live full time in their Sportsmobiles, and love it.

There's a sofa that pulls out into a double bed, and another double bed in the upstairs "sleeping loft". That bed attaches to the ceiling when not in use, to keep it out of the way.

The kitchen has a sink, hot (6 gallon) and cold (20 gallon) running water, microwave and refrigerator (4 cubic feet, with freezer). I opted to not install the cooktop...I never used the one in my house, so why bother with that here? That gained me an extra drawer's worth of storage and some valuable countertop real estate.

All the bathroom plumbing is there too, toilet, bathtub and shower.

There's a 110V 9,000 BTU Air conditioning system that runs while driving too. I did not include the furnace system for heating, preferring a good down sleeping bag, and if it gets too cold for that, I'm in the wrong place and need to vote with my right foot on the gas pedal and head for warmer climes.

For entertainment, there's a 9" TV/VCR, in-dash AM/FM/10 CD changer with speakers scattered around the van, and XM Satelite radio. I also carry a notebook PC that serves as DVD player, MP3 player, GPS Navigation, wireless internet connection via a Verizon broadband wireless (cell) card, and of course, it can be used as a PC too. I'm also a licensed Amateur Radio operator, so there are extra antennas and a radio or two for that. For more mainstream communications, there's a cellphone (standard Cingular with rollover minutes) and for really being in the boonies, an Iridium satelite phone.

All the electronics consume a lot of electricity. A 4D-size AGM battery (210 Amp-hour) is bolted under the van, charged by the engine when running, by 110 volt shore power when plugged in, or by 2 80-watt solar panels on the roof. I have been 6 weeks on the road without ever running out of power. A Xantrex 2000 watt inverter converts the 12 volt battery power into 110 volt AC for those devices that need it.

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