In the hills of Colorado, a group of dedicated men and women build some quite fearsome crafts: overland ‘Xpedition’ vehicles, equipped with punchy V8 engines, capable four-wheel drive, and extensive living quarters. Those folks are part of EarthRoamer, the XV-LT is their rough-and-tumble product, and singer John Mayer is one of their most recent customers.
Mayer took a moment to pose with the sizable vehicle outside of the EarthRoamer factory, adding the following on Instagram.
“I am a proud owner of this most formidable go-anywhere, live-anywhere vehicle. One year and many meetings in the making, she’s all mine. Completely hand built in Colorado by extremely talented and innovative men and women. Who knows where I’ll end up next.”
If he does venture through downtown Los Angeles in his new XV-LTS (‘S’ for stretch), he isn’t apt to evade the paparazzi. Measuring in at over 26 feet long, the Ford F-550 based EarthRoamer is hard to miss, though it does make room for quite a lot of gear. Inside, the XV-LTS packs an overcab bunk compartment, various storage cabinets, a bathroom, shower, kitchenette, and seating for up to eight (driver included). Underneath, the rugged turbodiesel F-550 sports four-wheel drive and a potent 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8, good for 300 horsepower and 660 lb-ft of torque.
So what does one do with such a vehicle? If you needed to ask, you probably don’t need one. Adventurer and nature photographer Bill Swails started the company back in 1998 with the intention to bring RV comfortability to the world’s most remote areas. Over a decade and a half later, his rugged creations are allowing ‘XVers’ to do just that.
If you’ve suddenly decided that you need one of these brutes in your life – you’re in luck. EarthRoamer currently has two used examples for sale ($329,000 and $365,000). According to the site’s pricing guides, Mayer’s LTS-spec vehicle usually runs between $312,000 and $560,000 brand new.