We Imported a Land Cruiser TROOPY to the USA from AUSTRALIA!

Here it is. Our new rig. It’s a 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier. It has come a long, long, way before it nested into its quiet parking spot in California. It was trucked across the land mass of Australia, boarded a giant ocean-going ship, floated around the major ports of Australia, toured the whole of South East Asia before making its way to China, Korea, and Japan before it made the huge leap across the massive pond.

Back in 2019, on a rainy, bone-chilling, evening down a muddy road in Wyoming, we finally lounged back at camp to enjoy what remained of the day. It was Linhbergh’s birthday, and, I had a mini cake in the fridge. We sat under the awning to keep dry from the cold steady rain. I sang and he blew out the candles. We retreated to the Montero’s front seats to enjoy the cake with the heater on. Rubbing our hands to bring back warmth, we turned to each other and said:

“It’s time.”

During that same trip, we found ourselves in Oregon at a campsite overlooking Mt. Hood. Wind and rain began to dump on us before having dinner. We escaped to our tent with a Jetboil and two packs of instant miso soup. Over the sounds of trees tousling, and the steady pitter-patter of rain, we heard the low clack-clack-clack of that is characteristics of a diesel engine heading our way. I took a peak outside and spotted headlights in the distance. It was too dark to see what’s headed our way. But, as the sound rolled closer I gasped:

“LINHBERGH! IT’S A TROOPY! THE GODS ARE LITERALLY TEASING US RIGHT NOW!” 

It’s been a long hunt. Two years to be exact. Acquiring the Troopy wasn’t easy. A ton of patience involved to find the right one. We had many fall through. We would pout a little, but would quickly get up to start the hunt all over again.

I dove deep in forums and FB groups. I had what seemed like a million tabs open. 

Then, everything aligned. I stumbled on this absolute weapon in NSW Australia and jumped at it. Finding a car was the first step. We then had to pay for it. When you’re wiring a huge amount from your bank account to a person across an ocean, you truly hope for the good in humanity. Thank you for being such incredible people, Kurtis and Brock! 

This is the day we went to go pick up the Troopy from the Port of Long Beach, and it's also the first time we've ever seen the car in person after only seeing pictures of it on the internet!

We have big plans for it. Stay tuned for more!

—Karissa