This Polaris Build Says "#Vanlife But Make It Off-Road"

Polaris Xpedition Vanlife Build

A different kind of overlanding for a different kind of adventurer.

The 2024 Polaris Xpedition range aims to bring a little extra ruggedness to the side-by-side genre. The company calls it an ‘adventure side-by-side,’ geared toward even more rugged terrain than other UTVs on the market. Could you still pull stumps with it? Probably, but Polaris is also hoping you’ll do much, much more with it.

To illustrate some of the Xpedition’s potential, Polaris teamed up with UTV customization specialist Draco UTV to do a full #vanlife build for adventure photographer Quin Schrock. You read that right, they did a vanlife build on a Polaris UTV.

That’s got to be a first.

Now, chances are excellent that you’ve seen at least one (and probably more) intriguing vanlife builds by this point in 2024. The majority of them tend to involve larger vehicles of some kind, from the ever-popular Sprinter Van to decommissioned school buses. Builds can be done professionally or DIYed into being with a whole lot of elbow grease and the help of friends and family (at least, most of the time).

While I’ve seen some kei van vanlife conversions as well, one thing I hadn’t previously seen was a side-by-side conversion like this one. Kei vans are awesome, but they’re generally meant to stay on paved roads, not venture far off the beaten track and deep into the wilderness.

This Polaris Xpedition, on the other hand, is meant to go wherever photographer Quin Schrock sees fit to take it. While the vehicle is built for trails, the interior is clearly built for convenience and comfort.

There’s a fold-down bed in back for camping, as well as a cool refrigerator/sink/kitchenette unit that can fold down into a tiny cube for storage. When you want to use it, it expands neatly into a tidy kitchenette solution for your outdoor cookery needs. All it needs is a camp stove, soap and water, and some basic cooking implements and you’re good.

For me, half the appeal of a good vanlife build is seeing the creative solutions that people come up with to make the most efficient use of the small space available. There’s the little fold-out, slide-out kitchen cube here, and the flat top of the Xpedition makes a solid space to mount a big rack, lights, and an absolutely massive storage box to keep other necessities simultaneously contained and within easy reach.

It seems like an interesting vehicular solution for someone who wants to explore off the beaten path and also not have to worry about where they’re going to sleep and eat dinner tonight.

Is it cheap? No, but neither is rent, and I know which one looks like more fun.

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