I drove Isuzu’s AT35 Basecamp – you won’t find it on any old showroom floor

EVER been tempted to tick ALL the boxes for EVERY optional extra on a new car?

I know I have.

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But the end result, usually, is a car that looks almost the same as it did before but now wears a horribly different price tag.

That’s not the case with Isuzu.

Meet the AT35 Basecamp.

Like McDonald’s secret menu, Basecamp is a special order that you won’t find on Isuzu’s regular showroom floor.

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So here’s how to get it. Start with one humble, double-cab Isuzu D-Max pick-up.

Then add the Arctic Trucks treatment which includes monster truck-proportioned 35in tyres on matt black rims, generously jacked-up suspension and a steroidal body kit.

But to turn this “regular” AT35 into an AT35 Basecamp you’ll have to ask for more.

A lot more – and yes, that includes the proverbial kitchen sink.

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AT35 Basecamp is the all-inclusive automotive camping tool of Ray Mears’ soaking wet dreams.

It’s just about everything you’ll need for overnight stays out in the elements and the means to get there over any terrain.

Tent and ladder – check.

Fridge – check.

Kitchen sink – check.

Three-burner gas stove – check.

Roof-mounted rack, light bar and bespoke grille with hidden laser lights – check, check and check.

The only thing it doesn’t have is an en-suite bathroom.

Isuzu has left it to nature to provide that bit.

An ARB modular rolling drawer system stores the slide-out al fresco kitchen in the back to knock up a fry-up.

But most of the time you’re going to be driving AT35 Basecamp, not kipping in it, so is it any good on the move?

While it’s somewhat acoustically challenged in the cabin, it’s a better ride than you’d expect.

The increased mass of all the Bear Grylls-grade extras pushes its weight up to over two and a half tons – but that actually benefits its road manners.

Not its fuel economy though.

I only managed 30mpg.

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The Isuzu AT35 Basecamp may cost some £12k more than a normal AT35, and over £40k more than a base-spec D-Max DL20, but come the apocalypse you’ll be golden.

Here’s our tip. Save all that time ticking the crazy amount of optional extra boxes and just pop into your local Isuzu dealer and ask for a “Basecamp” – they’ll serve you up a treat.