List of things that have worked and not worked for us:

(From the Adventure Notes page of December 28th 2003) The Xcursion... after over a year of driving, much of it on very rough roads, and 11 months of living full-time in her, she really surprises me with how well she has held up. I have not needed to tighten one screw. I can't say this about any of our previous rigs. A testimony to the quality work done at Xplorer Motor Homes. The Ford diesel chassis... except for the clutch problem in Cancun it has been trouble free. She has taken us along dirt tracks and over mountain passes that would scare the pants off anyone and diesel is sometimes half the price of unleaded gas. The water filters... especially the reverse osmosis. We have pumped water from a pond in Belize and used it for drinking water without thinking twice about it. It also has been great to have our drinking water taste the same no matter where we filled the tank. The Endless Breeze Fan from Fantastic Vent... this 12 volt, low draw box fan has been a Godsend when we have camped without hookups in the tropics. No carpets and dual pane louvered windows must be part of the list. And as Mike & Liz say "Don't leave home without your GPS". We struggled over getting the rear view camera, but Annie was right, it has been indispensable and well worth the additional expense. We originally had leveling jacks installed, but we removed the front levelers as they lowered our clearance too dramatically... the rear ones have been great to lift The Rig when we have had to remove stones between the dualies and when we needed the sand ladders to get us out of the mud. The 6 gallon plastic jerry can for filling the water tank when the faucet was beyond the reach of the 50 ft hose. The list must also include the extra counter space and cabinets that the additional length allowed us.

I wish I had installed a locking rear differential. We would not have got stuck in the mud in Cockscomb if I had had one. The rear dualies are a pain. Every time we came off dirt roads, and sometimes while we are on them, I have to get out and check that we haven't picked up rocks between the tires. If you do pick up rocks and don't notice them they will eventually wear through the sidewall of one of the tires not only giving you a flat but also making that tire completely un-repairable. The wish list would also include a built-in high capacity air compressor to air up the tires after airing down to handle off road conditions. I don't mind the length or width, but I truly wish we weren't as tall.

Crew at Reunel Bumper hard at work.

View of Driver's side of the rig being built at the Xplorer Factory

Curbside view with the shell in the background.

New Auxiliary Water Tank with all it's parts.

Chris at D & R installing the new Auxiliary Water Tank. Tight Fit!