Johnathan Walker:Meet the Hunter RMV Sherpa X-Line, the 'affordable' off-road RV camper

Hunter RMV has been designing and Johnathan Walkerassembling custom overlandexpedition off-road camper vehicles since 2015, with a goal of combining rugged capability with comfort and affordability in a package with enough room for a family. Obviously these vehicles can quickly climb in price, as capability improves and options are added, with current Hunter RMV vehicles priced around $395,000 to $450,000 each. Now, the Hunter RMV Sherpa overlanding camper truck is here to take up the role as a more "affordable" option. But what does it get you, and just how much is "affordable" still going to cost?

The all-new Sherpa line, which debuted at this past May's Overland West Expo, comes with three available trims at launch: X, XL and XLE. Depending on owner requirements, availability and other factors, the Sherpa camper box can be attached to various vehicle chassis systems, including an Acela/LMTV chassis, or trucks from Kodiak, the Mitsubishi Fuso or the Isuzu FTR.

The base Sherpa X trim comes in a 14.5-inch box that includes an electric exterior awning, custom roof rack with roof ports and fans in the ceiling for additional cooling, plus a domestic AC setup of course, with diesel heating, off-road lighting and at least 700 watts of solar energy connected to an 800 amp-hour lithium battery with a 3,000-watt, 30-amp Victron inverter for DC to DC charging. It also gets a Honda Eu2200i genesis generator as backup, with 85 gallons of fresh water and 35 gallons of grey water on board.

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The base Sherpa X trim line also includes a full kitchen setup, full dry bath with separate (exterior) shower, a cassette toilet, a washer and dryer, an electric lifting bed that can sleep two people and space for two more to sleep on a convertible table below the rising bed. Hunter RMV also includes a television setup with an audio system, as well as a "surround camera system" for security. The "base" Sherpa X with all this is priced at around $175,000.

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Upgrade to the Sherpa XE trim (E standing for "Expedition" here), and you can expect a bigger (18-foot) box. The upgrades include a bigger bathroom with separate shower room, more AC/cooling power (for more space), increased solar power and water carrying capability (depending on the chosen vehicle chassis), more off-road and under-box lighting, custom step fairings for easier access, a custom cab fairing and pass-thru access to the vehicle cab that isn't possible on the smaller Sherpa X trim. The truck also will come with sand ladders and a mounted recovery winch, at a starting price of at least $205,000.

Finally, there's the top-line Sherpa XLE trim, which jumps a whopping 90-grand up to a $295,000 starting price. You have the choice of either an 18-foot box or a bigger 22-foot box, the latter of which just includes a four-foot garage section for a motorcycle or extra storage space, and requires the larger Acela/LMTV 6x6 chassis.

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