TAV Expedition Outfitters and Enduro Campers came together to build what their client calls the “perfect marriage.” It all started with a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series Heritage Edition, which was chopped in half and built up with a TAV Stage 2 Long Travel system and an Enduro Campers SuperTourer.
What resulted is what the new owner, a long-time TAV client, calls an “expedition-ready” machine. Think high-speed Baja runner with a comfy, full-featured house on the back. And, the rig is still small and nimble enough to tackle serious off-road obstacles in a wide variety of terrains around the globe.
Land Cruiser Upfit
First, the 200 Series Land Cruiser was fully outfitted for adventure by the experienced team at TAV in Albuquerque, N.M.
Of course, the vehicle has all the off-road bits you might expect. That starts with Method 703 wheels wrapped in 35-inch Toyo R/T Trail tires.
Then it moves to 4.88 Nitro Gears and Eaton E-Lockers front and rear. An underhood ARB Twin Compressor on an SDHQ mount helps you keep the tires inflated properly, while a Come Up Gen 2 12.5rs Slim winch with Factor55 Ultra Hook ensures that it stays moving through any terrain. To ensure it keeps moving for extended periods of time, a 24-gallon Long Range America (LRA) auxiliary tank was installed.
Armor gives this Land Cruiser confident capability and its tough looks. Dissent aluminum bumpers and a 3-piece skid plate kit are the meat of the armor upfit. Metal Tech sliders complete the program, and protect the sides of the vehicle.
But, to make the 35s work and make the vehicle smoothly dance over any terrain and just about any speed, TAV added its special sauce. In this particular case, it’s a Stage 2 Long Travel system.
This setup is a combination of beefy Tundra parts, Radflo shocks, a host of Total Chaos long travel bits, and a few other ingredients.
Specifically, the TAV Stage 2 Long Travel suspension setup on this 200 Series Land Cruiser consisted of:
- Total Chaos – Bushing Upper Control Arms
- Total Chaos – Stock Length Chromoly Boxed Lowers
- Total Chaos – Weld-On Spindle Gussets
- Total Chaos – Lower Control Arm Cam Tab Gussets
- Total Chaos – LC 200 Chromoly Adjustable Rear Links
- Toyota – Tundra CV Axle Assembly
- Tundra – Steering Tie Rod End
- Radflo – Front Coilover Kit With Remote Reservoir and Adjuster
- Radflo – Rear Shocks W/ Remote Reservoir & Adjusters
- Ironman- Rear Coil Springs 3-Inch
- Timbren – Active Off-Road Bumpstops
- Drkdss – Bolt On Trackbar Correction Kit
Overland Camper
Once the Cruiser was dialed in for off-road adventures, it was time to dial it in for overland ones. In this case, that meant cutting off the rear half of the body of the vehicle in order to install an Enduro Campers SuperTourer.
Enduro Camper has been building SuperTourer campers for full-size pickups for the past few years. While very similar to what you see here, this Land Cruiser camper has been shrunk down to fit properly.
It has an 82-inch-long floor — with the camper only extending the vehicle’s overall length by 8 inches, not including the spare tire carrier — and offers a queen-size drop-down bed with ExPed inflatable mattress in the cab-over.
The lightweight and durable composite panel construction and direct-to-frame mounting help keep the entire camper weight down to just over 1,000 pounds. Eight hundred pounds were saved from the removal of the back half of the Land Cruiser cab to fit the camper, so only a few hundred pounds were gained.
A honeycomb floor and carbon-reinforced corners coated in Raptor Liner also help add to that lightweight and durable program. The camper is completely wood-free, with the interior furniture made of honeycomb panels and aluminum, while featuring Richlite countertops.
You won’t be left wanting when adventuring in this camper. It has an Espar gasoline heater for those chilly nights. A full-featured electrical system ensures your digital gear stays charged. The system includes 600W of solar, 200Ah of Deep Cycle Systems lithium-ion batteries, a 2,000W Xantrex inverter, and a Switch-Pros P9100 controller with Bluetooth.
All that power not only charges up your devices but also keeps the food cooled in the Isotherm 85L 12V fridge, cooked on the True Induction cooktop, and cooled in the Isotherm 85L 12V fridge.
It also has essential water systems. You get an 18-gallon fresh water tank, Expedition Outfitters 6L 12V hot water heater, and GuzzleH2O Stealth water filter with UV purification. An Aquor outdoor quick-connect faucet and indoor RRE Global sink give you access to that water inside and out.
A bench on the driver’s side of the camper provides comfy seating for up to four people. It also offers under-bench storage that can be accessed from inside and outside the camper. Storage cubbies cover the back wall, with STEP22 Stingray cases offering a quality, secure, and organized gear storage solution in the cubbies.
Finishing Touches
Out back, a Wolfbox rearview mirror camera system ensure you don’t back this awesome camper into anything, at camp, on the trail, or in the supermarket parking lot. A Dirtbox Overland 270 awning ensures you have lots of outdoor shade while a roof-mounted Starmont Starlink flat mount ensures you’re always connected, no matter where you are in the world.
A custom rear spare tire carrier securely carries a full-size spare while also being a mount for Maxtrax on an Overland Kitted mount and a Blue Ridge Overland trash/trail bag.
This vehicle is also ready to tackle tough terrain at any time of day, as it has a plethora of Baja Designs lighting, all controlled with a Spod Bantom X switch system. Up top, it has five amber LP4 Pro driving/combo lights.
On the front bumper, it has two big LP9 Pro driving/combo and two Squadron Pro Flush lights with wide cornering lenses. In the back bumper is a set of S2 Pro flush-mounted LED work/scene lights for backing up into that perfect campsite.
One of my very favorite features of this build, and one not found on many overland vehicles in North America — besides van builds — is the pass-through to the cab from the camper. Having the ability to go from bed to the driver’s seat is such a great thing for security when traveling in sketchy areas of the globe, which can even be a Walmart parking lot when traveling across this country.
Dream Overland Rig
While this style of overland vehicle is common in other parts of the globe, especially Europe, it is quite rare in North America. It is an impressive and highly functional setup, but does come with a hefty price tag — in this case, upward of $215K. That’s about $90K+ for the Land Cruiser and $125K to $140K for the camper and vehicle upgrades.
The TAV x Enduro LC200 makes its world debut at Overland Expo West 2024 in Flagstaff, Ariz., in Booth A1. Be sure to check it out if you’re attending the largest overland gathering in North America this weekend, May 17-19.
TAV has plans to make more of these as turn-key rigs, so reach out to them if you want to hit the road less traveled in one of these super-capable and wildly cool overland campers.
