I like tents just fine. But when a stream of water found a hole in my rain fly during a summer thunderstorm, I began fantasizing about the cozy confines of a classic teardrop.
If one company stands above the others for combining style and sheer capability, it鈥檚 . Owned by Britton Purser and his wife, Ami, it builds caravans by hand in Grand Junction, Colorado. The trailers come in two sizes, each weighing between 600 and 700 pounds. In the world of towable camping shelters, that鈥檚 featherlight. Not only can the Vintage Overland be pulled by virtually any Subaru, but its off-road-capable torsion axles and burly tires can make it as far into the wild as your vehicle can deliver you.
The Pursers source all materials鈥攚elded steel frame, anodized aluminum exterior, Baltic birch interior trim鈥攆rom Colorado companies. Each trailer comes with a rear coupling for hitch-mounted bike hauling and can be ordered for use with or racks. There are three models, but the largest is the five-by-eight-foot , which has enough room for a queen bed, a writing desk, and a napping dog.
That鈥檚 not to say it鈥檚 a traveling spa: there are no stoves or refrigerators inside, though next year鈥檚 models will integrate solar panels from 聽to power LED lights. Instead, they offer just enough comfort to make the wilderness seem permanently habitable. It takes six weeks to build one, so if you order it now, it鈥檒l arrive in plenty of time for next summer鈥檚 showers.
From $8,500,聽