So here she is……. I bought her last fall. Its called a Tiger Adventure Vehicle, and it was built by a company called Provan Industries in Columbia, South Carolina. They’ve only made 1300 or so of them since they started building them in the early 90’s and the new ones cost as much as a f***ing house! Annie is #958. I named it Annie because anything named Annie has to be sweet. ( if you’re a dude you probably know what I mean by this!) Annie is a 4 wheel drive go anywhere in the world self contained camper thing sitting on a 2001 Ford F-250 chassis. She has almost all the comforts of home. Solar, TV/internet, bathroom with a shower (tiny) , sitting area, fridge, full kitchen (albeit small) and a comfy bed. She’s 19 ft long from bow to stern and has a pass thru from the drivers seat to the living area. It is small enough to go places others can’t…….and for what I want to do……ABSOLUTELY PERFECT……….I plan for it to be my home while taking this journey of self discovery.
In the fall of 2018 I found Annie sitting in my neighbors yard being unused and a little neglected. She needed a lot of love….. I immediately knew I had to have her! So, after a couple of discussions, haggling and telling my neighbors about my plans they reluctantly agreed to sell it to me. After many months of modifications, customizations and repairs I have brought her back to life and made her livable for my wants and needs. I hope she serves me well ……..All 85 sq. ft. of her!!!!
Here’s a list of the customizations I have done. I am currently as of this date living in a place on the property of a large mechanics shop in the industrial district. Yes, I live in a loft apartment! I have access to a collection of mechanics tools that would put Jeff Spicoles ( from Fast Times at Ridgemont High! Remember the car crash scene? PRICELESS!) dad to shame! Lucky me. I am taking full advantage of this perk while I am getting ready to do a little traveling in it. Why not?
2001 Provan Tiger CX 4×4 on a Ford F250 single cab chassis with a 5.4 liter gas V8 engine. 59,000 miles to date. Parts are cheap and plentiful. Plus it’s a gasser so you can go out of the US in it. No worries about ULSD ( ultra low sulfur diesel, they don’t have it in Mexico or Latin America. You’ll DESTROY a Diesel engine if you take it south……)
ADD ONS
- Solar system with 230 watts of panels and two lithium batteries to store the power produced. It’s enough power for EVERYTHING! 440 amp hrs……
- Multiple USB and 12 volt outlets and a 2000 watt inverter hooked to the solar.
- New LED lighting throughout. Uses WAY less power then the OPEM incandescents.
- An onan 2800 watt generator for back up power for the AC or microwave and recharging the batteries on cloudy days.
- A TV/VCR combo on a swivel. Gotta have a movie or a little news from time to time. Funny thing is I don’t even have a TV in my “home base.”
- Bad ass sound system. Gotta have tunes……self explanatory……
- A cell phone and Wi-Fi signal booster. Another duh……
- All kinds of exterior storage. Cargo carrier, storage boxes, outdoor solar shower, bike rack, custom built motorcycle rack, surfboard/SUP rack. Carrying toys is what it’s all about!
- New vinyl flooring and tile backsplash in kitchen. The carpet and kitchen were “SO 90’s!” LOL.
- A custom butcher block table and cutting board to replace the factory ones. Once again 90’s, had to update to “get with the times!”
- New upholstery and custom black out curtains.
- New cabinet hardware, refinished cabinets and reconfigured all cabinet space to maximize storage.( I’m a carpenter….. gotta tweak stuff!)
- High performance brakes. “Cop brakes.” Stops on a dime!
- New performance shocks, heavy duty leaf springs, air bags and sway bars to improve the suspension and handling.
- Hidden safe for passport, laptop, electronics etc. etc.
- A deer slaying grille guard. I swear those f***ers are like magnets out here in Colorado. They are attracted to metal!
- “Mudflap Girl” mudflaps. Check out my new logo. You’ll see.
- A hula girl and plastic Jesus on the dashboard. I don’t care if it rains or freezes. It’s the “Buddy Jesus” from the movie Dogma……
- A 2 inch lift kit so I can run 33 inch tires at a later date! ( gotta wear out the set of meats on it first!) They’s 16’s but I keep em’ clean……
- And a a**wad more I’m forgetting to add…..
F*** em and feed em fish heads if people don’t like it!
livin' before dyin' 