Life in a $450,000 RV for 10 Days | GXV Hilt by Storyteller Overland
Kait and I have always wanted to know what is it like to live and travel out of an expedition vehicle like the GXV Hilt by Storyteller Overland. Now we get our chance and we're going to see what it's like over the next few days on our way to Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona. The first challenge with the Hilt is going to be figuring out how to Austin Powers my way out of here because this thing is 27 feet long and... came up here we didn't realize how small this spot actually was.
So I think I'm gonna have to do some maneuvering, try to back up that hill to get us out of here. We made it out without a problem and I think one of the reasons is this thing has a crazy turning radius. I had no problem making that turn back there. So let's hit the road. I have a feeling this will be one of the most expensive test drives Kait and I will have ever taken.
Pretty cool to be driving down historic Route 66 in the Hilt. Welcome to Arizona. It's good to be here. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that diesel is 6.75 on the California side. And once we crossed into Arizona, it's 3.75 per gallon.
Very happy we're filling up on this side because there is a 74 gallon fuel capacity. So 52 gallon primary, 22 gallon secondary tank. On average, we're getting around 10 and a half MPG.
So that's a mix of city highway, mountain driving. So it's doing pretty good. I think if you were just on a flat open highway, you'd be doing better than that.
Now, this thing is an absolute pleasure to drive. On the dirt roads, it was extremely smooth. You didn't feel all the washboards and everything.
On the highway, set the cruise control and this thing just goes. There was some really heavy crosswinds and normally in our van, I'd be back and forth with the wheel really fighting it. This thing did pretty good. You barely felt the wind.
I mean, I knew it was out there, but it wasn't pushing me all over the road. And I think part of that is because of the Liquid Springs suspension. I adjusted it from comfort mode with the panel here up to normal and sport so that stiffened up the suspension a bit and really just kept it going true down the road.
So far so good. I'm really enjoying driving the Hilt. First stop on our adventure out to Flagstaff is Oatman, Arizona. Oatman, Arizona has been on Kait's list of places to visit for years because she wants to visit with the wild burros the area is known for.
And what do you know, before we even made it into town, the welcoming committee came out to greet us. Hey little guy. How's it going? Good to see you. Be safe.
This is why I wanted to come to Oatman. So excited to see all the wild burros! At this pace, it could take a while before we make it into town. So I just went into the shop and I spoke to the shopkeeper and she said, please don't feed the wild burro.
But I'm going to try and see if I can pet one. According to a quick internet search, these burros were brought to the area by gold miners and later set free. No one knows exactly how many burros live in the area, but it seems like there's quite a few.
Oatman was not what I was expecting, but it's a cool little destination and I'm glad we stopped in. This is the first time the Hilt has felt big to me. We're going on Route 66 between Oatman to Kingman, Arizona. And the Hilt is bigger than the lane is wide. And we've got a lot of rock outcroppings and things on our side of the road. So it is very slow going and I have to watch out for people coming down the road.
Luckily, we've only seen a few cars so far, but I've had to kind of pull over and stop, let them go by before I can continue. So like I said, time of this thing has really felt big and it's because it's such a small road! This does have the optional exhaust brake and it is doing wonders going down this hill right now. It's quite nice actually.
So we can camp here for the night and I think that's just what we'll do because you can't beat that view. Alright, if we're staying here I think I have to kind of shimmy the truck around to get us somewhat level. So the interior temp in here is 99, assuming it's a bit hotter. So I'm going to put the AC on and run that. This has a 16.8 kilowatt battery system, so we can run the AC in here all night
long if we want to. just hit 100. Could you hand me a sparkling water? Sure. I turned the AC up to high.
Thank you. You're welcome. I think it's cooled down enough and the sun is setting, we can turn the fans on. If you're wondering what that fan is in the background, that is the cooling fan for the inverters. There are two 3,000 watt inverters in here, and I'm gonna put one of them to use to make dinner.
It's really nice to have 120 gallons of water on board. I feel like I can use it with complete abandon. so much counter space. So I'm boiling up some brats. Kait has diced some vegetables and fruit. Remember, being smart is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Being wise is knowing not to put tomato in a fruit salad. Keep that in mind. Alright ladies and gentlemen, it is shower time. I've had the heater going for a bit so I should have nice hot water.
And it will be nice to wash all the grime off from all the sand and dust today. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a nice shower. Now I can look at the stars from bed, which is really a nice feature. Well, I'm gonna say good night.
See y 'all in the morning. Good Morning. It's coffee time for Joe and some ice water time for me.
It is hot out here. The luxuries of having a bigger camper. Best part of waking up. Coffee in your cup. Now that Joe is well caffeinated, we can take off.
I'm thinking we continue down Route 66 and see what we find. Kingman, Arizona really came into its own with the arrival of Route 66 in the 20s. This old railway and mining town turned into a hotspot for travelers cruising towards California. Even when the newer Interstate 40 rolled in, shadowing Route 66, Kingman adapted to the changes and has maintained its economic vitality and historical significance. We enjoyed exploring the visitor center and Kait even left a love note for historic Route 66 before we made our way to the popular road sign for a photo. I'm in Love. This truck is very easy to drive.
When a big rig goes by I can't even feel it. I know that look and that smile on Kait's face and that could end up costing us a lot of money. 30 days. Hath September.
April June. And the Speed Offender. Burma Shave! There were a plethora of ads to keep us entertained along the drive to Seligman, Arizona. This small town is now known as the birthplace of Historic Route 66 because of the preservation efforts to revitalize the famous route after the town was bypassed by the construction of I-40, which we were happy to get back on towards one of our favorite towns on the Mother Road, Flagstaff, Arizona. I love pinecones.
I already decorated this part. I'm gonna put more around the steps. Well, there are plenty.
We're all set up. I think we're just gonna enjoy another peaceful evening in this lovely lovely backdrop. Heat up some leftovers in the microwave and just call it a night. So I'm gonna speak for Kait and say that her favorite feature is the 120 gallon fresh water tank. Because Kait loves doing dishes.
And she's getting so much pleasure from the fact that she can wash all the dishes every time we're done with them. Right? Truth. We just spent the entire morning working on our next YouTube video and I think we are going to pack up and head north since we have a few days before the start of expo. I've always wanted to check out the Page, Arizona area. I think Joe is going to come along for the ride.
I pretty much have to come along for the ride. So yes, we're going to go to Page, Arizona. I mean, I could leave you here. This has been on Kate's bucket list for a long time, so we are definitely going. And we're off like a herd of turtles. That was incredible.
It's one thing to see photos and it's another to see the Bend with my own eyes. Hopefully we can book a kayak tour tomorrow. It's kind of last minute, so I'll give them a call and see if they have room. Unfortunately, the kayak trips were all sold out, so we will be planning a future trip back to the area to float down the Colorado River. Since we couldn't float, we enjoyed the views from a different vantage point.
We driving and saw a barbecue joint. So Kate is going to go inside, scope it out and maybe get us a pound or two of something. I was able to find a parking spot down the road, but that is one downside of having a vehicle that is 27 feet long.
You don't fit everywhere. Most places we've been able to fit just fine. We take up about one and a half parking spots. Overall, I would say when you start getting into like downtown centers, you're either parking on the street or you're going to have to park outside of town and find your way in. What'd you get? [Kait] A pound of brisket.
This is supposed to be Texas style barbecue so let's take a look. And I have spicy and original barbecue sauce. Once one of the parking spots next to the restaurant opened up, I parked the GXV Hilt over there so we could enjoy our brisket away from the dumpsters. that's good. Worth the stop? Mm -hmm. With a belly full of brisket, we made the scenic drive back towards Flagstaff.
Although we arrived at camp after dark, the exterior lights on this camper gave us plenty of coverage to scope out a camp spot for the night and ensure we didn't bump into any trees. It has been an amazing week in the Hilt. Unfortunately, it is coming to an end because we need to take this to the show, get it loaded in with the Storyteller Overland crew. And I'm going to be sad to see it go. This has been a great vehicle. I have to admit, I love having all the extra room over our van.
I think one of the most impressive things was having all that extra water. With 120 gallons, both of us were able to take a shower, I think every night. Kate even washed her hair and we still have over, just over a half a tank left. So this has been my favorite bathroom and shower setup in a camper.
I love the roominess of this. I've been able to change with the door closed. I love the big mirror. The water pressure out of the shower is fantastic.
I washed my hair. The toilet has worked out great. We've had a cassette toilet before. but it's been really nice to revisit with a cassette toilet this week and we've been using it for number one and number two and it's worked out fantastically. If you haven't already seen the full tour of the Hilt on our channel, go check it out. If you want to see other content, head on over to our website at weretherussos.com
and if you enjoyed this, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already. We'll see you next time. Bye. This video is sponsored by Storyteller Overland.
2024-05-31 12:32
