Overlanding and “van life” have been very popular in the past year or so, mainly due to the pandemic. Some brave adventurers choose to buy smaller rigs like vans and Honda Elements to venture out to the great unknown and live and work off the grid. Other adventurous people, like Mike – who has a YouTube channel called “goingfarther” – choose to kick things up a notch and make homes out of more off-road capable rigs like his 2007 Lexus GX470.

The Lexus GX 470 provides a great platform for living on the road

If you ever choose to live on the road, then you’ll need a good platform in which to make your home. The Lexus GX 470 is a great choice as its 263-hp, 4.7-liter V8 engine can get you up almost any mountain and its adaptive suspension is good for almost any type of terrain. What’s even better is that it’s a three-row luxury SUV, so it’s great on space and comfort as well and it’s reliable to boot.

That all being said, we can see why Mike decided to with a GX470, despite the fact that it’s a little unique for his application. He definitely made the best of it, though, as he showed in a recent video tour of his home on wheels.

The GX470 is outfitted for full-time overlanding

If you take one look at this ultimate overlanding rig, you’ll see that Mike made good use of all of the space the GX470 provides. Looking through his build list, he upgraded the GX470’s capability and looks by adding a set of TRD wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich K02 tires, and gave it a slight two-inch lift using OME struts and springs. He also added DEPO headlights, Built Right rear trailing arms, a roof rack, and a Nashfab ladder.

Mike’s video tour clearly shows off his craftiness as his spare tire carrier not only holds a full-size spare tire, but it also holds a propane tank, a gas can, and a shovel. Moving the spare out of the way and opening up the cargo door reveals Mike’s kitchen.

Of course, it’s not a normal overlanding kitchen in that he mainly fastened a wood panel onto the rear door to act as a countertop and a cover for his set of kitchen knives. Mike then mentioned that he cooks his food using a small stove, in case you were wondering.

Moving to the back of the SUV, Mike installed a set of drawers for his medical kit and other supplies. Next to that, he has a water spout that spits out water cleaning and drinking, which is made possible by a water tank and two pumps.

The GX470 even has a roof-top bedroom and an office

You might think that for sleeping, Mike probably just sleeps inside the car, but you would be wrong. Instead, he added a rooftop tent from CVT complete with three solar panels affixed to it. The solar panels provide power for his laptop and photography equipment that he uses to make a living while out on the road.

Speaking of work, Mike also built an office into the GX470. Actually, it’s basically a makeshift desk and an iPad located in the front passenger seat, but it’s a mobile office nonetheless. Also, for an Internet connection, he even has a cellular signal booster attached to the GX 470’s roof.

What’s in the backseat area?

A large plywood box. Mike says that he built the large box to use for storage, but he also sleeps on it sometimes when the weather gets too rough for the rooftop tent. Otherwise, there’s nothing too fancy in the backseat, although Mike said that’s it’s actually comfortable to sleep on.

While some overland enthusiasts like buy cheaper cars or vans to live out of, Mike has definitely taken a unique approach by properly outfitting a Lexus GX470. It’s no wonder that his channel is called “going farther.”