Hi! My name is Nick, and this is my family.  We are on a quest to build an overlander trailer that we can enjoy during our camping adventures. If you are not familiar with what an overlander trailer is, well, you’re not alone! In fact, I had no idea what it was even just a few short months ago.

Growing up in the woods of Vermont, my parents were great about exposing me to the outdoors through various activities including camping. Though we did little tent camping, as they were big fans of popup campers, also known as tent trailers, the experiences were as good if not better – no one really likes being wet, cold, and miserable in the outdoors and having some key amenities can make all the difference.

Now that I have a family of my own, my wife and I are always looking for ways to share our love for the outdoors and camping with our kids (and get them off their devices, if only for a weekend). While we have tent camped with them a bunch, we wanted to heighten the experience while staying true to the tent roots (though I will always have a love for popups). 

Enter an overlander trailer. As with most things, there are several different types. Some, like the teardrop campers, are versions that you actually sleep in. Others sport roof top tents that open and close as needed when you reach your camp spot. Now, not to knock roof top tents, but after a couple late night whiskeys by the campfire, I don’t exactly want to be going up and down a ladder, if you know what I mean. But I guess that’s just me because roof top tents are crazy popular! Joking aside, overlander trailers are meant to go just about anywhere your vehicle can while still providing you with a great experience in the outdoors like off grid power for lights, running water and more (sorry kids, not for the iPad!), room for extra propane for extended camp cooking and all the gear you need for a brief (or long) home away from home.

So why build when we could just buy? I did my due diligence here, believe me. What I found is that these trailers, even the most basic configurations are SUPER expensive! Starting in the $10k range and going up as high as $30K+ – um, sorry but no. I knew I could build one for a fraction of that price and that would also ensure I have everything I need and want in the trailer…

Of course, we could just pile everything in the car and go for it. But, I am not our two kids would love that nor would our 8 month old Bernese Mountain Dog “Westy”, especially when he grows up to his full weight of 120lbs