Winter Camping in the $1.1 Million EarthRoamer SX

Nate and Kara Buchanan take viewers on a 36-hour winter camping trip in Central Colorado’s Rocky Mountains in a custom EarthRoamer SX (SX4). The video is a hands-on tour and field test: Nate and Kara showcase exterior features (winches, military-grade tires, carbon-fiber camper shell, 100 gallons of diesel, solar panels, Starlink), interior luxury and upgrades (kitchen with instant hot water, induction stove under a cutting board, washer/dryer combo, cassette toilet, multiple control panels, TVs, California-king bed), and operational systems (alternator charging, onboard air compressor, 120V outlets, heated boot charging). They also demonstrate activities: backcountry skiing (using skins, carrying avalanche safety gear), cooking and grilling outside, cleaning snow off solar panels (increasing solar from ~2A to ~30A), and a cold plunge followed by hot showers.
Questions this video answers
Rocky Mountains in Central Colorado.
About 36 hours.
SX (specifically SX4).
100 gallons of diesel.
Goodyear military-grade tires, rated up to 82 miles per hour.
Chapters
How epic is this? We are currently in the Rocky Mountains in Central Colorado, and tonight we are going to be winter camping in the Earth Roamer SX, which retails for over $1 million. We made our first video with Earth roamer back in 2021, and thankfully, this has kind of become a yearly tradition. The first year we were in Boulder, Colorado, in their LTI model, everyone who drives by is like. And last year, we went on an epic adventure in Moab in the first. First ever SX in existence. That was the scariest I've been yet, for sure. The LTI is the smaller one, and the SX is the monster. This year, we're back in the sx, but in a completely different environment. Yesterday, we met up with Zach and Ryan from the Earth Roamer team, and we spent the afternoon trying to find the perfect camping spot. No way. A moose just crossed the road right in front of us. There's two of them.
A. They're so cute.
Well, there's another one. There's three.
No.
As it turns out, a lot of the side roads here in Colorado actually close in the winter, so it took us a little while to find a spot. This bridge is skinny. What's that saying about you break it, you wouldn't bite. Now it's not a good time as it was getting dark. Really? Once it was completely dark, we found the perfect camping spot.
I think that's camp. This is gonna be sweet.
We're surrounded by the majestic mountains. We're parked right next to a beautiful stream, and this is going to be our home for the next 36 hours. So before we go out and explore this beautiful nature, let us show you around. New home.
Yes.
This is going to be amazing.
Life is good.
I kid you not. 24 hours ago, I was waking up in a snow cave on the side of a mountain that we built with our hands and then slept in. So it goes without saying last night was a bit cozier than that. We always love adventures in the Earth Roamer, but I'm extra grateful for all the little luxuries today. It's going to be a good day.
So last year when we were in Moab, we were in the blue SX1. That means it was the first SX ever built, and at that time, it was the only one in existence. Today we're in the SX4. So these are very similar vehicles. But in case you missed last year's video, we're going to give you a quick overview of the outside and inside of this one. Starting in the Front, working our way to the back. The cool factor of the front of the Earth Roamer is just through the roof. And the light bar not only looks cool, but whether you want 180 degrees view at night in the desert or if you're driving through the snow in the mountains trying to find the perfect spot, this thing looks like the sun. Even the color, it's yellow. And it was magnifying the snow last night as we were driving. It was so cool. Also on the front, we have a £16,500 winch. We used that to pull a four runner out of a ditch in a canyon last year. And if I'm being honest, I kind of hope one of these gets stuck this year so that we can try it out in the snow. All right, working our way back, we've got the Goodyear military grade tires. These are rated up to 82 miles an hour. So you can take these things four wheeling through the backcountry, or you could be going 80 miles an hour on the highway, which is amazing. This is a pretty tall truck to get into. And one thing that I really appreciated last night was this little step that opens up as you get out of the Earth Roamer. So you've actually got two steps to get up into this. I could have sworn the number was on the side. I think It's a Chevy 650.
I'm just confirming.
Thank you.
It's a Chevy 6500. Zach and Ryan are staying in the red LTI. They still don't trust us to take one of these out on our own. But one day. So you actually have two steps to get up into the cab. But last night, when there was all this snow on the ground and I didn't want to get snow in my boots, climb out this door, work your way over, open the door to the back of the Earth Roamer, and you can make it all the way around without ever stepping in the snow.
Or you can just crawl through the back seat like I did.
Oh, gosh. I just scraped a spine bone off. Between the cab and the camper, we have our onboard air compressor. If we get stuck in the snow or if we hit some really deep snow, we get air down our tires. That'll give us more traction. And then when we get back on the road, we'll need to air them back up. And we can do that all from the Earthworm. You don't have to go to a gas station and sit there forever. And so probably the most unique and special thing about the Earth Roamer Is that the camper part of it is made out of carbon fiber. The entire thing is molded together to be this super strong structure. Last night we invited Zach and Ryan over for dinner and they were explaining to us that is actually a military grade rating. And the cab of the Earth Roamer could be dropped out of the back of a military airplane, hit the ground, and it would still be in one functional piece. So maybe if we can get this video to million likes, maybe Earth Roamer will let us make a video dropping this thing out of an airplane. What do you think, guys? This is a shower that I fumbled with many times before.
Making our way to the back of the Earth Roamer.
That sound is our heater. Our lovely, beautiful, warm heater.
I think we may survive.
Inside this box. We have just forgot how to use this. For three years now, I have shown you this grill, but we have never put it to use. And even though it is completely freezing outside, this afternoon when we get back, we are going to grill out. Because why not? We've got our max tracks in case we get stuck. A spare tire in case we get a flat up top. We've got our cameras and two huge lights. It was so amazing last night. Sitting inside, warm and cozy, eating dinner. We had all the lights on outside and we were just watching it snow. Another 16, 500 pounds winch on the back. So this is the pass through gear locker. Goes all the way to the other side. And this year we actually have some cool stuff in here. We've got our backcountry skis. We're going to be doing a little bit of that later. We've got both of our suitcases. We unloaded all that inside. You'll see that in a minute. I just discovered one other thing that I'm super excited about. There is a 120 outlet and in the gear garage. This is a little bougie, but we do have heated ski boots. And so now we can actually plug our boots in and charge them here in the back without even having to take them inside.
Luxury. Couple years ago, we winterized our sprinter van, or at least tried to, and turned our entire shower into a ski locker. Let's just say this is a lot better than that.
The bottom of the PE funnel froze.
I felt it running down my leg.
Diesel tank number one. Diesel tank number two. We've got a hundred gallons of diesel on board. And that's really important in winter settings like this because our solar panels up top are completely covered in snow today. But the amazing thing about the Earth Roamer is that it can charge itself off the alternator of the Chevy. So even though we're not getting power from the solar panels, we're still completely self sufficient out here.
Not only are we self sufficient, but it's also automatic. I can't count how many times we've woken up in our sprinter van in the middle of the night to the batteries going beep, beep, beep, beep. We literally just left the shop. Waking us up. We have to get up, get the keys, turn on the car so the alternator can charge the batteries. Earth Roamer just turns itself on.
This is my arch nemesis. There is still a cassette toilet in the Earth Roamer. I was told that this toilet is never used. Otherwise I would be worried that this liquid leaking onto my arm right now was not water.
I used it earlier.
No, you didn't. We have been using this on this trip. So I will not open it. And I think that does it. For a quick overview of the outside, let's head in. Look at this. I need bigger boots. All right, I'm going up. Since we're actually getting a little sun, I'm going to attempt to clean off the solar panels and save a little diesel. I definitely did not think I'd be opening the sunroof in this video.
Please be careful. You're also sweeping some snow in here.
It's like an ice skating rink up here.
Pretty cool that you can stand on the solar panels even if they're slippery. Please be careful.
So by cleaning off the solar panels on the top, which turned out to be a little bit dangerous, we went from getting 2amps of solar to almost 30. And the alternator charger is even shut off.
Want some popcorn? Please excuse me for interrupting the Earthreamer adventure, but our friends at AG1 have given us a sweet deal for y'. All. Better than usual. Trying to hit all of our nutritional basis through our diet alone while traveling full time can be tricky to say the least. Which is why we have loved Ag Wine from the moment we discovered it almost four years ago. And we take it everywhere we go, from the North Pole to deep in the jungle of Indonesia with the Mentoi tribe. Those guys loved it, by the way. It's good.
So deeply ingrained in my daily routine that I just don't feel complete without it. Just in case you haven't heard, one serving of Ag wine, which is just one scoop of the powder mixed with some water, contains 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source. Ingredients. Pretty much anything you've Ever heard of that's good for you and more is in this stuff. All the amazing things in one serving of Asian not only supports your energy, immune system, gut health and digestion, liver function, hormone function, brain and neural function. The list goes on and on. And not to mention it's vegan, paleo, keto friendly. All the things. In conclusion, it could not be any easier to get so many good things in your body in such a short amount of time. Nate and our friend Rick actually raced to see how quickly they could make it and drink it recently.
Holy cow.
Yeah, pretty quick. Now for the sweet deal. If you use our link in the description below, not only will you get the jar in the shaker with your first purchase, but you'll also get a whole year supply of these vitamin D3K2 drops. But you'll also get drumroll please. 10 of these travel packs. Packs for free. Usually the deal is only five travel packs, but for a short time only it's 10. This deal is only available for the next month and I think it's a no brainer. So click the link in the description or scan the QR code on the screen to try AG1 today. So every single Earth Roamer is custom built for the owner who's buying it. So they're all just a little bit different. This one being the SX4. It has quite a few similarities, but also some some pretty cool upgrades that we're very excited about. I'll do a quick overview of the whole inside starting here in the dining room, slash spare bedroom slash best office ever. Look at these views. 180 degrees. I love the windows. Pretty sure this wasn't in the SX1. This is one of three control panels that you have in the Earth Roamer. So with this you can check your levels of your water or your tanks or the temperature, or you can turn all the lights on and off. We have a television hiding up here in the ceiling and with the press of a button it just boop comes down.
Also for the TV and for working there is Starlink Internet on the roof and we also learned that Starlink actually has a feature where it automatically melts the snow off of the satellite. So it continues to work even in a snowstorm. So this morning I put the drone up above the Earth Roamer. All the solar panels were completely covered in snow and there was one little white spot with no snow on it and that was Starlink.
Like I said, this is also the spare bedroom. So if you have guests, this table just lowers. The cushions come In. And you have a California king.
In our van, there's pieces of plywood that you have to mess with. It's a whole thing to put the table up and down. This table goes up and down with the push of a button.
Oh, yeah, this also moves, which is just nice. Here is the drawer that everything is stuck in. Curly. Maybe because I'm sitting on it.
I bet the cushion is.
Ah, here's where we're keeping a bunch of our electronics now. Welcome to the galley, as they say.
Do they say that?
Is that only on boats?
It might be on boats.
Hey, Siri, what is a galley? Here's what I found. I think it's only on boats. I don't even know where to start, because kids are my favorite. I love to eat, I love to cook. And they have nailed it. Microwave. This is something that we didn't have in our van. And I learned to live without a microwave. But there is one thing that I miss so badly, and that is reheating my coffee. Life is too short for cold coffee. We have this lovely freezer fridge combo. Continuing on this side, we've pretty much used this drawer. It's just our pantry, so all of our little snacks are in here. And then these next two, we've put all of our clothes in. They're gigantic and they all fit. Now let me introduce you to the most beautiful kitchen of any camper that's ever existed. I say this every year, but wow, did they nail the dish organization. We don't dare to have glass in our van, but we only have glass. Glass plates, glass, glass bowls. They've custom built this structure so that nothing moves. If you're in an Earth roamer, you better be off roading, going cool places on rugged roads. And they make it so that nothing breaks. And then the sink is shiny and beautiful. But this is very special. This side, filtered water. But this side is instant hot water, which is one of those things that doesn't really sound like a big deal until you've experienced experienced it. And then you don't know how you've ever lived without it. Then I'm pretty sure this was not in the SX1, but they have custom built these inserts for the sink so that it is so functional no matter what you're doing. And you have so much more counter space, which is always a big deal when you're living in a vehicle, even one as big and great as the earth. And then this big mixing bowl that we filled with snow because Zach used to be a bartender. And he made us some really fun snow cocktails in the winter.
You still have a hundred percent functionality in the Earth Roamer, which is not something that a lot of campers can say. Normally you have to shut off water to certain places, or if you're like us, you have to build a completely different gray water system and bring it inside so it doesn't freeze. Also, on that same trip, I had to buy insulated Crocs because the floor of our van was getting so cold.
That's actually one of my ideas. Earth Roamer, if you're watching, I think heated floors would just really make it next level.
They're not cold though. Like, even not standing.
No, you're right, they're not cold. Continuing along this side of the kitchen, we have the classic Earth Roamer cutlery drawer. Each piece has its own perfect slot, so nothing jiggles around. And that brings us to our next upgrade. I do feel responsible for this because last year we were in the second. Unfortunately, the moment I started driving over the sand dunes, Shoot. Oh, no. So they've installed this nifty little latch so that no matter what road you're on, all your wine stays nice and safe. This is another upgrade that we did not have last year. It just looks like a nice permanent cutting board, but actually, boom, it's an induction stove, which you can't really set anything on it. You want to protect it. So they built this cutting board that is somehow perfectly still. Like, no matter what, you can't move it and you got all this counter space back. And then lastly, this is definitely one of the highlights. We have a washer dryer combo machine. So obviously it's very convenient to not have to drive your million dollar vehicle to a laundromat on your trip. But here in the winter time, like when our socks get wet from walking around in the snow, or if I want a warm jacket or a towel after my shower, I can give it a little dry and get it all nice and cozy.
I just gave myself chill BS just talking about it. This door is to the bathroom. Full length mirror. This is pretty much identical to the SX1. We have toilet with this nifty little bench. If you feel like sitting down and hanging out in the bathroom, you can do that. Sink, shower, fan. That's actually a great touch because, you know, it's a small space if you want to.
What are you trying to say? Kara's currently trying to talk all of us into doing a cold plunge in the river behind the Earth rover. So if we do that, I'LL definitely be taking a hot shower in this thing.
It's happening above the door. We have a control center just like the one over there where you can do all the things. And then here we have the security cameras, which we've shown in the past and had some fun with that. But most importantly, this is the thermostat. Last night we put it on 70 degrees. We stayed nice and warm. Just so much better than a snow cave. This is also an upgrade from last year. These are doors to the truck that slide and disappear. So obviously this is a great way to get in and out of the truck without having to go outside if you don't want to. But also imagine how cold your car is or how hot it is in the summer. That is what is happening right here. When you open this door, all of a sudden there's this cold breeze that comes in here. Last but not least, that leads us to the bedroom. I've just been climbing up these, but technically there's a ladder that you're supposed to use when it's time for bed or if you want to go relax, you just climb up.
You have a nice warm bed. Once again, so much better than the ice cold ground. I don't know if I've mentioned that yet. The low is one.
What?
This is also a California king size bed. We have another TV right here if that one is too far away. Also another control panel so you don't have to get up. Storage, wireless charging, USB and USBC on both sides. We also have not one, but five windows in the bedroom.
All right, I think that about does it for our quick tour. Now we're gonna cook some lunch and then we're gonna go out and explore.
Keeping it simple, doing a salad kit where they put all the toppings and dressing and everything in there for you. But I'm making it a little fancy by toasting some tempeh to put on top. My arch nemesis. Somehow they figured out how to fit like 20 pans stacked in a perfect puzzle to fit in one drawer. And every single time, I can't get them back the way they were and I can't get the drawer to shut. So we're just gonna use the one on top. I know it looks really gross, but it's really yummy.
It's the pepper.
Okay.
What did you put in there?
It's just black pepper. Hold on. Getting.
That's all it is.
Lunch is ready.
It's going to be the weirdest salad.
No, no, no. Not to go on your salad.
No, it's like a Mexican.
It's like an Asian salad.
Oh, gross.
Cheers.
Mine just served. Not that I didn't love my instant meals in the ice cave, but I think this is a little better.
Check out where we're camping.
Oh, I broke my elbow, but it's okay. You can still see the beautiful river.
We didn't even know that was there when we got here last night. That's the best part is we woke up and we were like, at least.
We have more time.
How many layers are you wearing?
I think I'm just going to wear this.
Yes.
Be bold. Start cold.
Did you forget that we slept in an ice cave?
Are you alive over there?
Oh, they're nice and toasty from being back there. All right, so if you grew up around the mountains, you're probably very familiar with these. They're called skins. But being from Tennessee, this is the first year that I've gotten the pleasure of backcountry skiing. The way these work is they're sticky on one side, and that sticks to the bottom of your skis. And then this other side, it's, like, smooth. If you rub it in one direction, it feels kind of like petting a horse. Like if you pet a horse, one direction, a horse feels smooth. If you pet a horse, opposite direction feels really rough. And by putting these on the bottom the of your skis, it actually allows you to walk up the mountain.
Even though I'm super new to it, I think backcountry skiing maybe my new favorite hobby. Being able to put on skis that allow you to walk up a mountain through a snowy forest, and then getting to avoid the worst part of any hike, which is the way back down. Instead, you get to turn into the most fun part, which is skiing back down. And you just end up in places a few other people go. You're avoiding the big, crowded ski slopes. So nice and peaceful out here. Here's a sign just reminding us that avalanche danger exists. In our backpacks, we both have our avalanche probe and our shovels that we used to build the snow cave a couple nights ago. And then we're wearing a beacon on our chest. And I also have a walkie talkie to call the Earth Roamer. Guys, a we need to my new favorite hobby that could possibly kill you.
There are a few times that I see Nate smiling this big and this genuinely. He loves playing in the snow.
I had such high expectations for this. I was so looking forward to winter camping in the Earth Roamer. And this is living up to everything I hoped it would be. Listen to how peaceful it is out here. The only thing I can hear is my skis against the snow and the birds chirping.
All right, we made it. About an hour and a half up the mountain. The snow's starting to move in. So it's getting darker. A little faster than we expected. But now it's time for the best part. We get to rip the skins off, ski right down to the Earth Roamer and then have a quick out. My mouth is frozen, man. Now for the fun part.
Oh, it's so soft. Yeehaw.
I thought I was having fun hiking up.
Oh, my gosh. That was the best run of my entire life. And we just skied right out of our Earthwormer.
All right, tomorrow we're waking up before the sun. And we're doing it again.
Don't push it.
Oh, don't be over.
Hit the jump. They did it so fast.
So fast. It's so fun. The Earth Roamer is officially ski in, ski out. Now. That was the trailhead, and we'll be home in 30 seconds.
So epic.
So good.
Watch what I'm about to do. With the push of a single button, extend. I am putting the awning out. How cool is that? And now we have an awning.
I think we're the first ones to ever use this grill. I am so happy right now.
While the guys have been outside trying to figure out the grill and the fire thought I get a head start on dinner. One of our sides is sweet potato fries. And this microwave doubles as a conventional oven and an air fryer. Oh, you can even broil, man. I love it here.
All right, I don't usually do this, but I'm gonna try my best with the tofurkey sausage. Pretty much everything in the Earth Roamer is branded, including the knives.
Baby. Look at that. Was it gonna be good? I've just created my own honey mustard. Apparently, to make honey mustard, you just mix honey and mustard. Homemade. Makes you feel really fancy.
A little olive oil. Cut some French baguettes in half. Oh, I'm burning everything. That's gonna be good. Feel like I'm working at a hibachi restaurant.
Wait for the onion, Ross.
I mean, right? Let's eat before it gets cold, because that's happening quick. Here you are, sir.
Thank you very much.
That is the finished product. Turned out better than expected, if I do say so myself.
Cheers.
Hard to beat today.
A good day. I love the toasted bun. Do it. Enjoy it.
Go all in.
I didn't think it was possible but the mountains look even more beautiful today.
The very top is just completely white. All the trees are covered.
I would just like it to be known that what you are about to witness was my idea. Nate is not forcing me to do this. In fact, it was the opposite. For once, I convinced him. You got this. Wham.
Okay, I can't think about it anymore. I just have to go. Oh, no. Oh, it's already in my feet. There is no fiber in my body that wants to do this. This is all Kara's idea. And she does things that I don't want to do all the time, so I'm doing it. Oh, no. It's a lot further than I thought.
It was gonna be.
All right, 60 seconds once we get in.
No.
Yeah.
Oh, man. Oh, gosh.
Oh, gosh. She's doing it.
I'm sliding. I'm fighting. Three. Three.
Oh.
I can't feel anything. That was worse than Antarctica and the North Pole because you had to slowly lower yourself down. Oh, my gosh.
It's all worth it for this feeling right now. Okay. The tips of my toes and the tips of my fingers. I'm kind of feel like they've been run over by a truck.
Turn the warm shower.
I can't. My hand is too frozen.
Straight to the shower. Oh, my hands.
100. I can't even turn the.
It's so hot. Come in here quick.
Wow.
That was the best shower of my life. And I don't think there's any hot water left. And I'm sorry.
Okay, that's what it's here for.
Why is it doing that?
Thank you guys for another epic trip. We're super grateful to the Earth Roamer team for trusting us to take these massive machines out. We had a good time. It's always good to see the trucks out in the extreme conditions. It's what we build them for. Let's do it again soon. Sounds good to me.
All right. Comment down below where you want us to take the Earth rover next? It's become a bit of a yearly tradition.
Can I cross the wall?










