Since the Ineos Grenadier launched in 2021, the overland aftermarket has been slowly building it into the competent all-terrain micro-camper its spiritual successor, the original Land Rover Defender, once was. But no one has done it quite like Storyteller Overland. The company puts to work the adventure RV craftsmanship it’s honed on larger off-road camper vans and expedition trucks, but on a smaller scale. The Grand Bohemian arrives as a compact, go-anywhere micro-camper so versatile and purpose-focused, you wouldn’t be wrong in describing a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman as “the Grand Bohemian of pocket tools.”
Since its own 2019 debut, Alabama-based Storyteller has been focused on becoming the American brand name of overland adventure, a more mainstream, RV dealership-stocked face in an industry patchwork of smaller boutique builders and customizers. It started the journey with increasingly rugged, flexible all-terrain camper vans before getting into bigger, burlier expedition trucks by way of acquiring Global Expedition Vehicles in 2022.
Now Storyteller steps in the other direction, launching what hopefully becomes a third product line of compact off-road RVs installed within the stock footprints of serious off-road utility vehicles. Starting with the Grenadier, a 4×4 that epitomizes what Storyteller terms “analog safari vibes,” the company develops a segment-defying RVIA-certified camper specced to spend indefinite chunks of time in the distant, treacherously beautiful places accessible only to the Grenadier and a handful or two of comparably rugged vehicles.
Storyteller Overland
“Even before we ever fully built out our first Mode Adventure Van back in the day, we were dreaming about creating a world’s first turnkey micro-camper like the Grand Bohemian,” Storyteller founder and CEO Jeffrey Hunter said in an announcement this month. “But it wasn’t until Jim Ratcliffe and the good people at Ineos dared to bring the Grenadier to market that we finally had the right platform to go live on. With its iconic styling, body-on-frame architecture, full-time 4×4 design, and global footprint for serviceability, the Grenadier presented the perfect canvas to design and deliver something like no other.”
While Storyteller’s previous campers have all been based on capable vehicle platforms upgraded to even higher levels of off-road worthiness, none has had the old-school 4×4 spirit embodied by the Grenadier. Powered by a 3.0-liter BMW turbo six, the Grenadier moves across the Earth’s surface via four permanently driven wheels with power funneled through a full-time 4WD system with two-speed transfer case and center differential.
Storyteller Overland
When pavement gives way to slipperier ground, the driver can throw the center differential lock on so that both solid-beam axles rotate at the same exact rate, ensuring that the axle with the best traction has torque to work with. Front and rear differential locks synchronize the left and right wheels for even better traction, and the two-speed transfer case lets drivers drop to low 2.5:1 gearing to multiply torque for the best chance of muscling slowly through tire-sucking mud, sand and snow.
Storyteller improves upon the Grenadier’s factory-given rough-terrain gifts by installing an aftermarket Evictus dual-piston pre-runner suspension that automatically adjusts stiffness based on the conditions under-tread – whether that’s stability at highways speeds or cushy articulation in boulder fields. The company also adds in a twin onboard ARB air compressor for filling tires back up after mandatory air-downs, a full 360-degree auxiliary lighting system for dark trails and campsites, and a bull bar with embedded 12,500-lb (5,700-kg) front winch.
Turning thrilling day trips into epic extended adventures, Storyteller continues its work by sourcing a Silenus pop-up roof conversion from South African overland supplier Alu-Cab. Developed specifically for the Grenadier, the Silenus gives the Grand Bohemian a primary double bed while also opening up standing height above the rear vehicle floor, perfect for cooking inside or changing clothes. The bed uses a two-piece lift-away panel system to clear out overhead space, folding down at night to sleep two people.
Storyteller Overland
Below that roof, the Grand Bohemian floor plan includes an L-shaped sofa setup just behind the cab seats. The passenger-side bench has a foldable backrest so campers can lie back while gawking at the scenery through the open tailgate doors, while the transverse bench sits atop a pass-through storage cage with access from both rear doors.
The longitudinal sidewall bench comes equipped with a slide-out expansion that turns it into a single bed, the full-length back cushion doubling as the second half of the mattress. So the Grand Bohemian can sleep a total of three people or serve effectively as a one-person stealth camper with no need to pop the roof for low-key solo adventures.
Storyteller Overland
Despite the compact size of the new camper wagon, Storyteller is able to install a versatile galley with indoor and outdoor meal prep options. This flexibility hinges on a single-burner induction cooker that can be plugged in and used on the driver’s side interior countertop or on one of two fold-down outside tailgate worktops. Both areas have 110-V electrical outlets for plugging in the cooktop and other appliances and additional work space for prepping ingredients. A rear drawer below the interior countertop houses the 20-L Iceco fridge for easy indoor/outdoor access.
The sink is located farther inside on the interior galley area, and comes complete with a primary faucet and a smaller indoor/outdoor-accessible faucet plumbed directly to a Guzzle H2O filtration and purification system for delivering clean drinking water from untreated source water. Water stores in a 40-L fresh tank.
Storyteller Overland
The tailgate area includes an outdoor shower hookup with hot water delivered from the onboard hydronic air/water heating system fueled by the vehicle’s gasoline tank so as to eliminate the need for a separate fuel tank. The rig also comes standard with a portable composting toilet. About the only thing it seems to be missing is a drop-down shower/toilet tent, though some of the passenger-side photos appear to show something that looks just like a packed shower tent attached to the rear sidewall corner – perhaps it’ll be an option. Regardless, where this thing’s made to camp, there won’t be many peeping neighbors.
Storyteller Overland
The Grand Bohemian includes a 30-A shore power hookup, but the real fun doesn’t get started until you’re miles away from the electrical towers. Storyteller wires up a 5.4-kWh Lithionics battery system, with a 2,000-W inverter serving up power to the 110-V electrical outlets. That battery charges from a 400-W solar panel setup on the pop-top and off the running vehicle’s battery, and a Redarc management system provides fast fingertip control.
As you’ve probably realized by now, Storyteller hasn’t done a whole lot to keep costs down and deliver an everyman’s adventure-mobile. Beyond the impressively comprehensive package of high-end components and furnishings, it also opts for premium materials like real hardwood, custom leather upholstery and SeaDek flooring.
Storyteller Overland
And while we’d prefer to see something more attainable, Storyteller doesn’t shoulder all the blame – the US$71K+ Grenadier never came particularly close to being an affordable, utilitarian workhorse and has always been a more natural choice for uses like underpinning a luxurious, well-equipped two-person overlander that costs a whopping $198,888. That’s some crazy eights to go along with an even crazier 190K.
On the bright side, Storyteller has done a nice job fully outfitting the Grand Bohemian and doesn’t even list any options – so if you pack your bags and Uber over to your Storyteller dealer, you can essentially push off on a years-long intercontinental expedition straight out the lot.
Source: Storyteller Overland