When the Lights Go Out, You Can Still Serve Matcha From This $325K Mitsubishi Truck

Leave it to a friend to talk you into a new toy. Early in the pandemic, entrepreneur and artist Micah Spear was looking for his next project. But he may have never purchased a truck to turn into a camper if his long-time pal, Devon Turnbull, hadn’t given him a push.

To unplug, Turnbull, a highly sought-after hi-fi sound system designer who goes by Ojas, sometimes heads off on weeks-long trips in a Mercedes he customized, speaker setup included. Recently, he set down the soldering iron to take his 4x4 from Morocco, to Germany, and then to Iceland before bringing it back to the U.S. on a container ship, naturally.

When Covid brought life to a halt, Turnbull’s tuned-up truck spoke to Spear. "I was thinking about mobility, and I wanted to be comfortable anywhere," he says, also mentioning a desire for a remote workspace, and a place to host friends outdoors. "Devon is very talented at this kind of thing, and he definitely inspired me to think about building [an overlander]."

The ability to go anywhere and do anything is the appeal, it seems, of #vanlife’s super-buff bigger sibling, overlanding: By nature of a vehicle’s four-wheel-drive mechanics, a lifted chassis that can be rigged up with off-grid gear, and, ideally, an engine that runs on diesel—a more readily available fuel source the world over—your limitations are few.

Searching for #overlander on Instagram, many of the results are Swiss army knives-on-wheels that you can sometimes sleep in—survival tools with a bare minimum of comforts. Turnbull’s is more homey than that, with wood built-ins, a swing-out table in blush, a sound system, of course, and for decor, at least one Flowerpot VP9 table lamp. Spear’s truck, a Mitsubishi Fuso, leans even further away from the culture’s rough-and-ready aesthetic. For starters, there’s a lot of glass.

"Having light in the space was really important," Spear says. "I sourced the highest-end windows I could."

In fact, he spared few expenses in designing his truck. "Everything about it has been changed, from the seats to the suspension, to the tires and wheels, to the fuel tank, to the head unit inside the cab, and then the actual box," which was formed out of flat-pack panels by a team of shop workers, says Spear. With Turnbull’s guidance, and help from another friend, drummer and woodworker Adam Christgau (who, between gigs with Miley Cyrus, builds beautiful studio gear), Spear implemented precision milled cabinets and engineered oak floors selected for their durability, speakers by Turnbull, and home appliances like a refrigerator and induction cooktop.

So how does it do in the backcountry?

Since putting the finishing touches on his truck, Spear says he’s taken it on one overnighter to visit a friend in upstate New York, where they had a bonfire and slept with the windows open. "I like nature," says Spear, "but despite growing up in the country, the thing is, I don’t actually like camping. That’s not my thing."

Spear’s cup of tea, he says, is literally tea. (One of his Instagram handles is @teacult.) "Ninety percent of the truck’s use right now is hosting people to enjoy a cup with the windows open," Spear says, explaining how the drawers are filled with Japanese tea ware. "The truck is basically a tea house at this moment"—one, he explains, with an electrical system in the tens of thousands of dollars, a lithium-ion battery rated for 600 hours of use, gray- and fresh-water tanks, and solar panels fixed to the roof, to name a few of its off-grid features.

While moving between New York and Tokyo advising a specialty beverage company, Spear developed an appreciation for Japanese tea ceremonies. "They’re less about tea than they are about ceremony of people in a space," Spear says. But, he adds, "all the materials are chosen for the experience of the guest." With the truck’s recessed perimeter lighting, minimalist design, and shoes-off energy, in a phrase, it’s a vibe; even if the Fuso can run strike missions into the hinterlands, this is an atmosphere more suited for serenely sipping genmaicha.

Looking back at when he bought the Mitsubishi, Spear wasn’t sure if he was going to stick with it forever. Now, he’s ready to sell to take on something new, he says, having made proud his teenage self who once took a design/build program at Yestermorrow in Vermont. "I always wanted to do these small builds but never came around to it," says Spear. "This has really satisfied my desire."

Spear never seems to phone it in, whether giving time to his sculpture practice, advising companies, or building a truck. "I had very few compromises with the Mitsubishi," he attests. For materials costs, labor, and the blood, sweat, and likely a few tears he poured in, he’s set his price at $325,000 for the right buyer. "I think someone with a ranch will love having an extra bedroom that they can give to their guests with a stocked kitchen and a walkie-talkie and say ‘Hey, you drive this wherever you want on the property, and if you need anything, just give us a buzz.’"

And then get one by making a fresh cup of tea.

Related Reading:

This New $460K Off-Grid Trailer Is Ready for the Apocalypse

26 Vintage Airstream Renovations That’ll Make You Want to Hop on the Bandwagon