This 1954 Dodge M152 was once a Canadian Armed Forces command truck. Rich found it abandoned in Ontario, paid $6,000 for the truck and another $3,000 to transport it home, turning it into his new camper.
It took Rich about a year and a half to run the truck and another year before he could live in it, but he’s been living in it full time for the last four years. Dodge doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but Rich designed it with simplicity in mind. That means the truck doesn’t have a toilet. However, it does have an outdoor handheld shower/tap.
Inside, there’s a large comfortable bed with storage underneath, but the living room is tiny, measuring just 48 square feet. Between the bed and the cabin is a small stool and a desk with drawers. It serves as a pantry and storage, with a small kettle and other utensils for cooking indoors. The camper also has the smallest Dometic refrigerator.
Rich didn’t install hanging cabinets because of the large number of command vehicle windows, giving the military men a 360-degree view of their surroundings. Instead, he discovered he could use magnets to hang items like towel racks from the truck’s ceiling. He even found a drinking glass with a magnet hanging at the bottom. The vertical walls and windows make it feel bigger than it is.
This lack of storage means Rich keeps his clothes under his bed, keeping his belongings to a minimum. A more fully equipped kitchen is available via the rear hatch of the truck, where a folding table serves as a prep station. There’s storage for cookware, condiments, and more.
Powering the 9,000-pound (4,082 kilogram) rig is a Chevrolet small-block carburetor engine. Rich wanted to keep it simple so it was easy to fix down the road. He had a fabricator build custom wheels to run modern tires, slightly improving ride quality. He invested $30,000 into it, and was pleased to see the old Dodge still going on.
