For over two decades, Pat Callinan has built himself a reputation as a no-nonsense outback tourer. His shows, websites, magazines, and 4X4s have all been about exploring the Australian landscape focusing more on the natural beauty and the excitement of discovering new tracks, than showboating. But with last season’s Everest and Ranger builds serving as big-lap proven tourers, and the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a 2024 F-150 Lariat, what happens when Pat wants to have a little fun? What does it look like when he sets out to build a rig that’ll put a smile on his face whether he’s parked up trackside in Innamincka, or just heading to his local watering hole to spend an afternoon with mates? Enter ” Project Thirst Responder”, a vehicle that marks a departure from Pat’s utilitarian ethos to embrace the sheer joy of motoring down an outback track with the promise of good times and better mates at the end.
The Rig
Ford’s F Series line of trucks has had an on-again-off-again relationship with Australia. Factory-backed, we’ve seen a few models over the last 50-odd years including the F-250 in the mid-2000s, and the F-100 and Bronco back in the 80s. While you’ve been able to buy grey import and locally converted F-150s for a while now, Pat’s 2024 model is one of the very first brought in through Ford Australia meaning it’s a factory finish conversion and backed by a full factory warranty. Even with a magnifying glass, you’d be hard-pressed to pick how or even that it’s been converted from left hook to Aussie spec.
Being the Lariat trim in crew cab means on the inside, it’s a seriously nice place to be right out of the box with things like heated and cooled seats front and rear, a huge 12in infotainment system, and enough leg room in the back even Michael Jordan could stretch out. But the real selling point for Pat was the driveline. Under the bonnet, a twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 turbocharged petrol engine punches out 298kW and 678Nm of torque while still returning around 12L/100km. Pat’s added a 203L Long Ranger fuel tank that bumps his touring range out to around 1500km between drinks. The best part? That powerhouse gives Pat full-time 4X4, a rear locker, and a huge 4.5T braked towing capacity. Not bad Ford, not bad at all.
But what about a new stance?
In stock form, Pat’s F-150 is a seriously impressive beast, but he wanted to have a little fun with this rig and build something with a little more attitude, the first step? Altitude. With success running the Outback Armour kit in Rangers and Everests over the last few years Pat got straight onto the blower to Odell to sort out the F-150. “To maintain the control, performance and comfort of the vehicle with the added weight of the custom tray and canopy build, we opted to put our Outback Armour Adjustable shocks under the front and rear.” Odell tells us. “This will give Pat the ability to fine-tune the feel of the F-150 no matter the setup in the rear or if he’s towing. We also gave the F-150 a true 50mm lift which accommodates the custom wheels and tyres. This 50mm lift keeps the vehicle legal height without requiring modification plates or other accessories.”
With the new real estate found inside the wheel arches, Pat’s optioned up the most impressive wheel and tyre combo on any Mr 4X4 vehicle to date. Huge KMC Wrath alloy wheels punching in at 20x9in with a 0 offset on each corner have been shod in equally impressive 35×12.5in Rugged Trek’s from Cooper Tires. It’s a package that’d look comical on a smaller rig but right at home on the Thirst Responder. The combo has bumped the wheel track out slightly too so to keep the long arm of the law pointing in another direction a pair of Bushwacker pocket flares from Upfitter have been fitted up giving an extra 50mm of cover.
Hey there good lookin’
Out of the box Pat’s F-150 came draped in chrome and an oh-so-shiny “Rapid Red” paint job, and while it looked a million bucks it wasn’t exactly outback ready. First things first Pat had our relentlessly talented designer Kirsten come up with a vinyl wrap concept that’d give the F-150 a retro twist three-strip colour scheme while still keeping it classy. Up front, the bull bar has had custom in-fill panels made and painted to match the Rapid Red paint and soon enough a 12,000lb winch wrapped in synthetic rope from none other than U.S. based Warn Industries will be fitted. Hey, nothing but the best here right? The front bar also plays host to a pair of Night Hawk VCT driving lights. These lights can change colour temperature via seven settings, as well as change intensity. They essentially put the power in the hands of the driver, so you can adjust to your conditions, and your taste.
Moving along the flanks and the ubiquitous Clearview mirrors have been given the nod. Despite the F-150 having better factory mirrors than most 4X4s on the market, the Clearviews give that much more vision looking back behind the touring setup and bump out even further for towing. Mike Cowan, the head honcho over at Clearview had this to say. “They’ve been built in conjunction with Ford Motor Company and are tested and approved by Ford for installation on their new F-150 models. This partnership with Ford allows Clearview Towing Mirrors to offer seamless integration, extended visibility, and cutting-edge technology”. The factory side steps were also replaced. UpFitter, an Aussie company specialising in kit for American rigs had us fit up the very first set of their AMP Research electric folding steps. More ground clearance off-road and easier access in and out make them a no-brainer.
Tell us about the tub
Up the back and things start going from talking the talk to walking the walk. Pat was keen on keeping the tub open which meant some interesting challenges and even more interesting solutions. Giving him a framework to build the setup off was a bed rack from U.S. based Go Rhino (not to be confused with Rhino Rack). A combination of steel and alloy, it’s got strength where it needs it and lightweight where it can and serves as the perfect platform to mount gear like the Survival First Aid Kit, Exitrax, and recovery shovel. There’s also pairs of Night Hawk LED light bars on either side providing bulk camp lighting. You can change the filters to run orange or white light.
Moving up top, Pat’s optioned up a literal penthouse suite for his off-road escapades with a Bushwakka “Penthouse” rooftop tent. The top-tier offering from Bushwakka comes decked out with features like a 75mm memory foam mattress, internal lighting, hidden storage, anti-condensation tech and an aerodynamic design to keep Pat’s touring range up. It even boasts a fan and a couple of memory foam pillows! He’s paired it with a super-sized “True Blue” awning from Bushwakka, dubbed the 270+ for 20m2 of shelter from the elements, the clever D-Zip design means the back of the F-150 is fully sheltered but Pat can still access the rooftop tent. Perfect for those tropical FNQ storms and dreary High Country nights.
A beer with Pat
Fun and practical don’t often go hand in hand but Pat’s managed to keep the big rig looking flash while still boasting serious touring cred. A huge part of that is the custom-built storage setup from Offroad Systems, or ORS as you’re probably used to seeing them referred to as. Riding on top of a full-length bed slide, the ORS system incorporates an onboard water system, bulk storage, and most importantly a pull-out beer tap system complete with a full-size keg… yeah, you read that right. Hiding from sight in the cacophony of raptor-lined marine ply and custom-painted sheet metal is a Benchy beer tap system from Kegland running twin taps, one, has 15L of chilled gin and tonic ready to go, the other a full-sized keg with 160+ schooners of Mountain Culture Lager Pat’s planning on sharing with you lot at 4X4 shows up and down the country.
Of course, there’s a Smeg Bean to Bar Coffee machine on the slide as well for the morning after, and a custom red-wrapped Engel M-TV 60L Fridge Freezer on a Clearview Expanda slide full of non-beer items, or so we’ve been told. More camp lighting has been provided with an internal lighting system from Westside Auto Electrical in St Marys,, and a monster SE28 sound bar from EcoXgear colour matching lighting to the very best of Jimmy Barnes.
What’s powering it all?
Big power demands mean big power systems and the Thirst Responder is punching well above every weight class when it comes to that. Pat’s running Redarc’s new Manager Alpha100, and boy oh boy is it seriously impressive. Boasting up to 100A of charging capacity the Alpha100 can simultaneously charge your battery bank from AC power, DC power, and Solar. Pat can easily run an entire campsite and still be putting more power in than he’s taking out. It’s also capable of charging his start battery while he’s at it, with the Recovery mode essentially jump-starting the car if the big rig ever goes flat. The battery management system charges twin 200Ah Redarc lithium batteries for bulk capacity, while a 180W Redarc solar panel up on the roof keeps them full.
A Redarc Rogue system was also installed. Paired with twin RedVision screens, the Rogue is a total vehicle management system or TVMS for short. It lets Pat keep a watchful eye on power levels, but also control up to 10 accessories in the rig from the panels or an app on his phone. That means from the comfort of his bed Pat can turn on fans, pumps, fridges, and compressors, even dim the camp lighting for that perfect ambience.
What’s stashed under the seats?
No matter how cool the F-150 looks parked up in the driveway (seriously, get a load of this thing) every outback tourer worth its salt has a laundry list of kit stashed inside every nook and cranny. We won’t get bogged down talking about raincoats stashed under seats and head torches in door trims but there are a few key interior items that’ve made a huge difference. Down beside Pat’s knee in a handy little pocket is a Uniden XTrak Pro UHF. With the unit remote mounted, the handpiece itself has everything Pat needs for reliable outback comms, and with the other rigs in the fleet all running the same model they can all pinpoint locate each other if someone takes a wrong turn.
Both front and back pews have been armoured up as well. The factory leather options look great, but not as great as the custom-made Black Duck covers. With red piping to match the paint and Mr 4X4 logos embroidered in the seats are well suited now to the harshness of remote touring. Mean Mother are well represented too. The Aussie mob is responsible for traction and reliability. Their tyre deflators are in a handy pouch inside the centre console letting Pat effortlessly drop tyre pressures down just by screwing them on at the start of the track. And when he reaches the end there’s a Mean Mother Adventurer 4 compressor to bump back up to road pressures again too. She pumps out 180 litres per minute, so can get those 35’s pumped up nice and fast.
But what if it all goes wrong?
All in, with the purchase price of the F-150, the camping kit attached to the vehicle, and the accessories stashed in its various hidey holes, there’s around a big investment rolling down the road here at any one time, and that raises some pretty serious questions. If the worst was to happen, would Pat be able to recover from it? Now the worst can mean a bunch of things from the vehicle being written off in an accident, it being broken into, or even a breakage far from the black top that needs a serious recovery.
Pat’s $151,000 F-150 has nearly $100,000 worth of modifications and accessories, which Club 4X4 Insurance were able to cover for a total of just under $250,000. Add to that $5,000 of Personal Effects Cover for things like the Engel fridge/freezer, Kegland Benchy beer tap system, Smeg coffee machine, shower system, portable toilet, Exitrax and recovery gear, and every inch of Project Thirst Responder is covered. Given this vehicle will be doing some remote runs and tackling the odd tough, he’s also invested in $30,000 worth of Off-Road Recovery Cover – just in case. And given Club 4X4 Insurance covers 4X4s, caravans and camper trailers anywhere they’re legally allowed to go in Australia, that could be a very long way from anywhere…
