Storyteller Overland unveiled its Type C adventure truck, named The Hilt, at Elkhart Extravaganza.
The Hilt adventure truck is the flagship of Storyteller’s new GXV expedition vehicle line developed in partnership with Global Expedition Vehicles.
The Hilt is built on the Ram 5500 chassis and features a tough exterior with some highly intentional off-roading upgrades. Upgrades include a proprietary Zero Torsion Subframe system, enabling independent movement of the capsule from the chassis; an active hydraulic Smart Suspension System from Liquid Springs; a 20,000-pound electric winch; an Extreme 360° exterior lighting package from KC Hilites; and a custom nVader rack and storage system from Flarespace.
Jeffrey Hunter, Storyteller Overland CEO, said: “Vehicles like this have historically been outrageously expensive, built to order and complicated to buy. We wanted to solve for this by making it easier to own and lowering the barrier to entry without sacrificing a single bit of quality — instead actually elevating the quality and capability in the process.”
The interior provides a tranquil, spa-like retreat. The vehicle includes atmospheric elements such as flowing, radiused corners and dimmable, programmable mood lighting. The interior also features a full-height wet bath, a queen bed in the cab over, a rear dinette convertible into a second queen bed and a kitchen with a convection microwave oven, air fryer, full-size fridge, freezer and two-burner induction cooktop.
The Hilt has a closed-cell foam-insulated interior lining, providing thermal and acoustic control throughout the vehicle’s perimeter.
The Hilt features a 120-gallon freshwater tank and a 52-gallon fuel tank. The Hilt also includes with a 16,800-watt-hour M-Power System with two Lithionics 3,000-watt, high-efficiency inverters. The vehicle has 1,325 watts of solar panels on its roof.
The name of the truck comes from the phrase “to the hilt,” which Hunter said reflects Storyteller Overland and Global X communities’ desire to live life to the fullest without compromise.
“It is almost like it named itself,” he said. “When you are doing things to the highest and best, and the biggest and the most, you are doing it to the hilt. That is what this vehicle is; it is a tool … for people to live life to the fullest and to do it all to the hilt.”
The Hilt project has been in the works since Storyteller’s December 2021 acquisition of Global Expedition Vehicles.
“We were always looking for the big leap forward that brings adventure closer in reach for more people,” Hunter said. “We anticipated the adventure truck space was the next wave. There is so much to like about it: it is a platform that allows more creature comforts and more space to stretch out, while still remaining nimble and agile to travel farther, go bigger, and stay longer. The partnership with Mike & Rene Van Pelt and the team at Global X allowed us to advance much more rapidly toward our goal of bringing a pinnacle quality product like this to the broader market.”
Trent Tiffin, Global Expedition Vehicles’ general manager/executive vice president, said he is excited to see the Hilt finally hit the market.
“It is a great feeling,” he said. “It is exciting to bring this type of unit to the overland space on this type of level.”
