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There was a time when you had to choose between comfort and off-roading chops when it came to pulling your adventure home along with you. You could spend a week in a luxury trailer as far as the pavement would take you, or sleep off-kilter in a Jeep pop-up camper deep in the wild. Now, whether you chase your motor-powered thrills at a gravel campground or 500 miles from the nearest interstate, your options are better than ever. Our favorite slide-in, pop-up, and tow-behind equipment of the year keeps your storage space usable, maximizes sprawl—yes, there’s a short-bed camper that fits a king-sized mattress—and promises as much off-road prowess as you can dream of.
At a Glance
Best Minimalist Camper: Tune Outdoor Tune M1 (From $12,999)
Most Versatile: Adventure Wagon Modular Interior System (From $16,000)
Best Off-Road Trailer: Boreas Campers EOS-12 (From $84,990)
Best Luxury Rig: Airstream Trade Wind (From $129,400)
How to Choose a Trailer or Camper
How We Test
Meet Our Lead Testers
All gear in this guide was tested by multiple reviewers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.
(Photo: Courtesy Tune Outdoor)
Best Minimalist Camper
Tune Outdoor Tune M1
Type: Canopy-style popup truck camper
Weight: From 387 lbs (short-bed Tacoma)
Material: Aluminum/Composite
Pros and Cons
⊕ Incredible space-to-weight ratio
⊕ Sleek
⊕ Retains bed utility
⊗ Heavier than some wedge campers
⊗ Expensive
True innovation has been tough to come by in the lightweight, shell-style truck camper market lately, but that changed when Denver-based Tune Outdoors launched its Tune M1 in 2023.
Instead of releasing just another wedge camper or traditional slide-in, Tune combined some of the best existing features on the market, like building with aluminum extrusions and honeycomb composite panels, and added its own twist: The Tune M1 rests on a truck’s bed rails, but the side walls flare out at the bottom to provide far more interior living space than anything else out there. That extra width also provides more standard sleeping space—in fact, an optional bed extension platform accommodates a nearly king-sized mattress on a short-bed Tacoma.
The Tune M1’s starting price includes features that cost extra at many other brands, like built-in lighting, a 4-inch memory foam mattress, and 440-plus feet of T-Track. All that T-Track means you can bolt nearly anything to the camper, and easily build out the interior if you wish.
Bonus: Side awning panels fully open for gear access. Our favorite option is the tempered glass side panels, which not only look fantastic, but also let more light inside and allow for panoramic views. “The packed-down silhouette is so tight that we never held back on even the burliest roads,” says Aaron Gulley, a longtime Outside contributor and gear tester. “But it has so much popup space that the truck bed felt roomy for two people even with coolers, a generator, and requisite camping gear.”
The perfect cross between a fully featured slide-in and a wedge camper, the Tune M1 is ideal for families who need more space, or anyone who wants a truck camper but also wants to continue using their truck bed for truck things.
(Photo: Courtesy Adventure Wagon)
Most Versatile
Adventure Wagon Modular Interior System
From $16,000 at Adventure Wagon
Type: Van conversion kit
Pros and Cons
⊕ Modularity offers versatility
⊕ Great value
⊗ Fewer amenities than with permanent builds
⊗ Dim ceiling lights
Let’s get this out of the way upfront: camper vans are expensive. Fancy, extensive build-outs also render them fairly useless anytime they aren’t being camped in, which, for most folks, is the majority of the time. Enter Adventure Wagon and its modular interior system.
The company offers van conversions for Mercedes Sprinters and Ford Transits that start at just $16,000 and are completely modular, allowing you to switch your camper back to a cargo van in just a few minutes. You can convert the van yourself with the brand’s kit in 4-6 days, or have one of the company’s many installers do it for you.
The modular system also allowed our testers to easily add and take out rear seats, depending on who was using the van. “We love the Adventure Wagon setup so much because of how easy it is to reconfigure to suit the needs of a particular day, trip or activity,” said Corey Leavitt, a Santa Fe-based filmmaker and adventure rig enthusiast who’s rehabbed his truck camper. “I love that I can pull out the seats and bed platform, but leave in the battery and fridge for when I need to haul gear to a shoot, but also want to keep food and drinks on-hand for the crew.”
(Photo: Courtesy Boreas)
Best Off-Road Trailer
Boreas Campers EOS-12
From $84,000 at Boreas Campers
Type: 4-Season off-road travel trailer
Material: Composite and metal construction
Weight: 3,750 lbs (dry weight)
Pros and Cons
⊕ Incredibly capable off road
⊕ No-wood construction (no mold, rot, etc.)
⊕ 50-gallon fresh water capacity
⊗ Expensive
⊗ No indoor sink/cooking option
We’ve followed Pueblo, Colorado-based Boreas Campers closely since it debuted its AT and XT models, both class-leading off-road teardrops, a few years ago. The EOS-12 builds on the solid foundation of those campers and takes everything to a new level—literally.
The EOS-12 is a 20-foot, overland-style pop-up travel trailer built to go anywhere and keep you comfortable off-grid for extended periods of time in any weather conditions. Composite panel construction keeps the rig well insulated and light on its feet with a dry weight of 3,750 pounds.
The trailer features a slim canvas pop top that keeps it aerodynamic, a well-appointed outdoor kitchen, and a full indoor wet bath. With one queen-sized main bed and a dinette that folds out to about a twin sized bed, we found it could sleep three adults comfortably, and appreciated the copious amounts of storage inside.
The EOS-12 really shines when it comes to its mechanical and electrical features. It rides on a Cruisemaster XT—an independent trailing arm suspension with airbags and auto-level, capable of handling much rougher terrain than you’re likely to experience—540 amp hours of Battleborn lithium batteries, Victron electrical components, and 400 watts of solar panels.
Everything on this camper, from the exterior rock lights to the air compressor and the furnace, are operated by a portable Garmin O.N.E. tablet, which, despite our initial hesitation, performed flawlessly.
“We loved using the EOS-12 on a 5-day mule deer hunt,” says Eric Ladd, a mountain biker, hunter, skier, and all-around adventure seeking ER doc based in Santa Fe, NM. “We never worried about where we were towing it, it didn’t come close to running out of power or water, and we ate like kings thanks to the amazing outdoor kitchen—despite being off grid the entire time.”
(Photo: Courtesy Airstream)
Best Luxury Rig
Airstream Trade Wind
Type: Travel Trailer
Material: Aluminum
Weight: 6200 lbs (dry weight)
Length: 25’ 2”
Pros and Cons
⊕ Fully off-grid power system
⊕ Gorgeous interior design
⊕ Roomy floor plan
⊗ Expensive
⊗ Not as off-road-capable as others
The reintroduction of the Trade Wind model shows that Airstream is listening to consumers. While the Basecamp models have been marketed towards younger generations looking to get a little further off the beaten path, the Trade Wind is the first of the company’s iconic, silver bullet-shaped travel trailers to come off the factory floor with everything a boondocker needs—and, as it turns out, everything our testers have added to their personal Airstreams.
It comes with a robust solar system, Battleborn lithium batteries, a 3-inch lift kit and all-terrain Goodyear Wrangler Workforce Tires. When you combine the system upgrades with a stellar floor plan that sleeps up to five, gorgeous interior design, and other smart features like a recirculating water heater, optional composting toilet, and an optional rear hatch that lets you easily load bulky gear, it all adds up to an incredible, luxurious, off-grid basecamp.
“We have owned an Airstream for nearly a decade and modified it for heavy, backcountry, boondocking use. The new Trade Wind is everything we always wanted ours to be—and much more,” said Gulley. “This is a rig built to go anywhere and do everything, and to do it in classic Airstream style. We definitely see an upgrade in our near future.”
How to Choose a Camper or Trailer
Buying a camper of any kind is a big investment, so it’s best if you can try one out or at least see one in-person before pulling the trigger. Visiting a dealer is great, but a lot of today’s best rigs are sold direct-to-consumer, which means that events like Overland Expo are a great way to see a camper up close.
Even better, try renting the type of rig that interests you on Outdoorsy to get a real feel for it. Even if they don’t have the specific model you’re looking for, you’ll get an idea of whether you’re a van, trailer, or truck camper person.
What Kind of Camper Should I Buy?
The short answer is, it depends. In general, we think most folks are better served by buying a tow-behind they can pull with their current vehicle. Trailers have more space than a van or truck camper could ever provide, and they don’t have engines, transmissions, and other expensive parts to maintain.
How Much Should I Expect to Spend?
For a new rig, you should budget anywhere from $100-250K for a van, $10-30K for a truck camper (sans truck), and $30-130K for a trailer, depending on your tastes and needs.
How Much Solar Do I Need?
It all depends on how much luxury you want off grid. For most weekenders, around 200-300 watts of solar and 100-200 amp hours of lithium batteries will be more than enough.
How We Test
Number of testers: 6
Nights Spent Camping: Over 20
Number of campers/trailers tested: 6
Longest Stint Spent Off-Grid: 7 days
Most Challenging Test Drive: 23 miles of rugged, New Mexico washboard
Between attending overland expo shows to tour the latest rigs and testing demo trailers on extended trips, category manager Bryan Rogala spends over 30 nights camping in everything from rooftop tents to Airstreams every year.
Because evaluating adventure rigs isn’t as simple as testing a pair of running shoes, our testing criteria looks a bit different. We look at build quality, standard features and components, pricing, and availability, as well as details like trailer suspension and camper wall construction methods, in an effort to find a broad array of what we think are the most well-made and value-driven rigs on the market.
Meet Our Lead Testers
Bryan Rogala is a longtime contributor to Outside and has been reviewing trailers and campers since 2018. He covers overlanding gear and rigs in his regular column, and his 101 video series for Outside Online. As a hunter, mountain biker and skier, he’s in a constant search for the perfect adventure rig.
Aaron Gulley and Jen Judge, both former Outside contributors and gear testers, spent 3.5 years living full-time in their 2014 Airstream Flying Cloud 23FB. Their travels as cyclists, hikers and hunters have taken them and their Airstream all around the U.S., and provided serious insight into the world of travel trailers.
Corey Leavitt is a filmmaker, truck nerd, and adventure rig enthusiast. He’s filmed and helped produce all of Rogala’s 101 videos, rehabbed a truck camper, and spends more time on Craigslist seeking the next rig than anyone should.
Eric Ladd is a mountain biker, hunter, skier, and all-around adventure seeking ER Doc. He’s modified his own travel trailer for off road and off grid use, and takes his young family of four camping all over the Western U.S.
The post The Best Trailers and Campers for Off-Grid Adventures appeared first on Outside Online.
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