5th Gen Diesel Ram 2500 Overland Truck Build for Big Adventures

There is one thing that matters the most for overlanding and expeditions. It’s not how many people can sleep in a roof top tent or cow convenient is your storage setup or even the recovery. It’s the reliability of the vehicle itself cause the last thing you want in your adventure is being stranded in the middle of nowhere due to mechanical failure.

For his overland build Marshall Chambers, the hero of our today’s feature was looking for a vehicle that’s as off-road capable as it’s reliable. Having the first hand experience with Cummins diesel engines and knowing their versatility his choice was obvious. Read on to find out how did he built his rock solid Ram into a very convenient and versatile overland rig and what modifications allowed him to achieve this goal. 

Interview with the owner

How did you become interested in overlanding

– Growing up, did a fair amount of camping and doing outdoor activities with my family. So at some point I wanted to start introducing my own family to the outdoors.

But campgrounds and crowds have never been my style, so with the growth and popularity of roof top tents and such, I was intrigued to build out a rig that could be a “Swiss army knife” that could handle whatever was thrown at it… and could sustain us off grid for a ample amount of time comfortably.

Which models have you considered and why did you choose the Ram for your overland project?

– I have owned a lot of different vehicles in my years. So when the time came to make this decision I already knew where I was going to go with it. I wanted an engine that could go for hundreds of thousands of miles with low maintenance. My prior Cummins was just shy of 500k miles when I sold it…

I wanted more then enough power to handle weight, tow if I needed and to be able to get out of its own way… so I had further reinforcement to get a diesel. And with a full family and a large dog… I knew it was going to be full size.

My only regret was rushing to buy the first of the new generation Ram’s I could find… which was a crew cab. If I was to do it again I’d get a mega cab. Because beyond the gear, there are things like jackets, and snack food, the kids bring electronics to keep themselves occupied on the road, just things you can put in the bed of the truck. So that all goes in the back with them…

I also knew from prior experience that a solid axel truck with coil suspension. Would give me a comfortable ride on road, but allow flex and off road capability that we might need. For a rig that weighs in at 5 tons, it’s really impressive off road

The Overland Build

Suspension and Wheels

– It has a Carli Suspension 2.5” leveling kit on it, and I have upgraded the shocks to the Carli backcountry reservoir shocks. The steering has been also upgraded with a Synergy drag link and tie rod. I have Airlift Airbags in the rear to help with the extra weight with and a onboard compressor and wireless remote.

Wheels, we went with 17” TR Beadlocks, and Falken AT3W 37×12.50 tires.

Exterior

– Bumper is a Trailready stealth bumper with 4 Rigid lights in it with a Warn 15k winch.

Bed

– Because we overland with a family of 4 which includes a teenager and a 120lb German Shepard, managing space and gear is a constant adjustment.

Gear & Rack

– Leitner Designs HD rack, it has a Gearpod XL on one side that’s houses our kitchen (stove, pot, pan, plates, blows, spices, dish soap, paper towels, silverware…etc), next to that I have a Rotopax storage that holds my water line and propane hose.

Behind that I have a 10lb propane tank. On the other side it has a smaller Gearpod dual, that has a 280ah lithium battery, 40amp dc/dc charger and tools in it. And beside that… there is 3 2gal diesel rotopax and 3 2 gal water rotopax. Inside the bed, we have a Dometic 55im fridge, and molle panels on 1 side that hold another onboard air compressor, ax, shovel, and some tow straps On top of the rack, we have a 7gal water tank from Roam, and a ikamper skycamp 3.0.

To sleep in. And for a awning we have a Bush Co 270 Max. I guess I should add. On top of the cab we have a Rhino Rack platform with backbone, and on top of that 2 Roam Adventure 95L cases that house pillows, chairs, chainsaw, fire pit, tools, lots of misc items. And next to one of those cases are our Maxtrax traction boards.

What was the most difficult part of the build?

– The most difficult part… is space. Making sure the kids are comfortable, the dog has his space in the bed. The game of bringing enough gear to be comfortable while still “roughing it” but also being effective and efficient with how the truck is packed so everyone is able to travel for 4,6,10 hour drives if needed!

What do you love the most about your build?

– My favorite part of the build… is simply the truck. It can literally handle anything I’ve managed to throw at it. Snow? Sure. Sand? No problem. Mud? Ok. And we still manage to get around 25-27 mpg combined in mileage! It’s been many years of tweaking and changing gear up… but no matter what situation we are in, I know when we are all in the truck we can get to where we are going regardless of what’s happening around us.

List of Modifications

Suspension

• Carli Suspension 2.5″ leveling kit
• Carli backcountry reservoir shocks
• Synergy drag link and tie rod
• Airlift Airbags in the rear
• Onboard compressor and wireless remote

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Wheels

• 17″ TR Beadlocks
• Falken AT3W 37×12.50 tires

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Exterior

• Trailready stealth bumper
• Warn 15k winch
• Leitner Designs HD rack
• Gearpod XL for kitchen
• Gearpod dual for battery/tools
• Rotopax storage units (multiple)
• Rhino Rack platform with backbone
• Roam Adventure 95L cases (2)
• Maxtrax traction boards
• Ikamper skycamp 3.0 rooftop tent
• Bush Co 270 Max awning
• Roam 7gal water tank

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Lights

• Rigid lights (4) in the bumper

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Other

• 280ah lithium battery
• 40amp DC/DC charger
• Tools
• 10lb propane tank
• 3 2gal diesel Rotopax
• 3 2gal water Rotopax
• Dometic 55im fridge
• Molle panels with onboard air compressor
• Ax, shovel, and tow straps
• Various kitchen supplies
• Pillows, chairs, chainsaw, fire pit, misc items

Final thoughts

Based on our capability score this Ram overland build scores 60 out of 70 points possible with only the front locker missing to gain the maximum points. The best choice for an overland expedition is certainly a reliable, off-road capable and spacious vehicle and this Diesel Ram ticks all the boxes for it.

These features alone make them a dependable choice for overlanding and expeditions, but add here a decent level of comfort and all you need to do is a range of mods and upgrades to make the pickup meet all your needs.

That’s exactly the way Marshall Chambers, the hero of our today’s feature, did with his Ram 2500, looking to make his truck as off-road capable as it’s reliable.