Built for Adventure: The Journey of a 2001 Nissan Xterra Overland Rig

Dressed In the Essentials to Bring Full-Time Adventures

Jonathan White bought this 2001 Nissan Xterra in 2011 with thoughts of it being a reliable family car. Of course, life changed courses a few times, and instead, it became his most trusted travel companion and home-on-wheels.

This Xterra has become an important part of White’s life, as it has seen him through a wide range of tough times, including an engagement and subsequent break-up in the vehicle. He says it has become his “heart and soul.”

From day one, the Xterra spoke to White. Even Nissan’s original marketing slogan, “everything you need, nothing you don’t,” can describe how White lives his life. He even named the vehicle after his late grandmother Margaret, who he says was, “a big part of my life growing up and made me into who I am today.”

North America Overland

Born and raised in Washington state, White took this Xterra all over the Pacific Northwest, including Canada, for the first decade of its life with him. In 2021, White set out on a grand two-plus year, 20,000 mile, U.S. overland adventure, living in the Xterra full-time during that period. The trip took him down the west coast, across Route 66, to Niagara Falls, down to Key West, and back to Washington state.

Sadly, a little over halfway into his U.S. road trip he was involved in an accident in Charlotte, North Carolina. A careless and impatient driver decided to use the shoulder of the road to pass traffic that had stopped for him to make a left turn in front of them. The crash caused some serious damage to the front end of the Xterra, but luckily White walked away unscathed.

Most of White’s friends and followers told him to look for another vehicle to finish his trip, which was probably the prudent move, but his passion and connection to the vehicle was unwavering and he found ways to get it back on the road.

He first found a shop, Deluxe Paint & Body Works, that would work with him to put it back together on a tight budget. He then found a donor vehicle in a local junkyard that he used to replace the hood, fenders, and many inner front-end parts. It took about six weeks to get it fully repaired and back on the road.

When the Xterra was hit, it was sporting a custom bumper built by White and one of his best friends. The bumper no doubt saved the vehicle, taking most of the impact and creating a scenario in which it could be rebuilt. With tight time and budget constraints, an ARB front bumper was sourced to replace the mangled custom one.

Building an Xterra

In 12 years of ownership, White has put 120,000 miles on the Xterra, with many of those miles put on in the past few years. Before that, it sat idle often as White worked a day job and subsequently traveled the globe with only a backpack and/or bicycle.

After 30+ countries traveled, including a “bikepacking” trip around the globe, he decided that it was a good time to explore his own country further. The Xterra was still in good shape and completely paid off, so it was a great basis for a proper overland build, leaving the most budget possible for travel.

Margaret sports 32-inch BFG KO2s wrapped around the signature Xterra four-spoke “X” style alloy wheels. The front torsion bars have been cranked up to level the vehicle with the two-inch Nisstech shackle lift in the rear. Other exterior mods include a front bumper and snorkel.

A custom roof rack was also built specifically to hold a CVT Mt Hood RTT, Bush Company 270XT awning, and an array of area lights to light up camp at night. Atop the tent is also a set of Maxtrax and a mountain bike.

Life in an Xterra

While the exterior mods are relatively basic, the interior has been fully modified for life on the road. Up front, an AuxBeam light switch controller, a Scosche phone mount, and a Wolfbox rearview mirror (which is also a dash cam and reverse camera) have been added.

The headliner was also replaced with a burnt orange suede fabric. This color was chosen because a 90-year-old lady at Joann Fabrics told White that she thought it was a “happy color.”

The back of the Xterra has been custom-built out with a wood drawer/wardrobe/kitchen/sleep platform system. The setup has a huge drawer for kitchen supplies, dry food, and White’s cigar humidor. Slide-out countertops create a kitchen area at the back of the vehicle that features a classic 1984 WhiteStag two-burner propane stove. The setup also has a slide with Dometic fridge/freezer and a hidden compartment on the side to store propane and spare fluids. A Front Runner Outfitters six-gallon water tank and Wolf Pack storage box complete the setup.

This inside storage system was built with a lot of thought, to be ready for many scenarios on the road. For example, one side of the drawer system is completely flat on top so White can sleep in the vehicle if need be. The clothes dresser is also able to be moved to the other side of the vehicle, so a third seat can be made available for passengers.

Margaret’s Future

As with all overland vehicles, especially those that are lived in for extended periods of time, the modifications are never truly done. White says he’s “very content with how the Xterra is at the moment, but in the future, would like to do some custom-built sliders and possibly some updated Bilstein shocks.”

The unfortunate thing about building out a first-generation Nissan Xterra is that there are not many aftermarket parts available. This results in lots of custom-made parts and some unique builds. However, the lack of aftermarket support can also cause headaches and eat time.

Since the big U.S. overland travel adventures in the Xterra, White has continued to live in it full-time, generally in the Prescott, Arizona area. While he doesn’t see this scenario changing anytime soon, he does envision a larger mobile living space at some point. Even with those dreams, he has no plans to sell his beloved Margaret.

To follow White’s adventures, be sure to check out his Instagram @OutOfRoutineNomad.

UPGRADES

2001 Nissan Xterra SE

Engine: 3.3L V6

Wheels & Tires: Nissan Xterra four-spoke “X” style alloy wheels; 32-inch BFG KO2s

Suspension: 2-inch Nisstech shackle lift (rear)

Interior Accessories: AuxBeam Light Switch Controller, Scosche Phone Mount, Wolfbox Rear View Mirror/ Dash Cam/Reverse Camera, Orange Suede Headliner, Custom Wood Drawer/Galley/Sleep Platform System, Dometic CFX55 Fridge/Freezer on Dometic Slide, Front Runner 6-gallon Water Tank, Front Runner Wolf Pack, 1984 WhiteStag Propane Stove

Exterior Accessories: Nissan Navara Snorkel, ARB Single Air Compressor, 2” Lift via Nisstech Shackles in the Rear, 32” BFG AT KO2, ARB Front Bumper, Custom Roof Rack, CVT Mt Hood tent, The Bush Company 270XT Awning, Roof Mounted LED Area Lights

Editor’s Note: A version of this article appeared in TREAD Nov/Dec 2023.