I don’t know about you, but when I go camping, I want the place to myself. Here in California, that’s hard to do! Unless, of course, you go off-grid, where the vast majority of folks can’t go…
But to go off-grid for some fun backcountry camping adventures, you either have to hike in or have a beefy off-road rig that can handle the rough Jeep trails that get you deep into the wilderness. I’m not much of a hiker, so for me, the best solution is something like the SasquatchXC Smuggler…
I’ve written about this incredible cargo expedition trailer before. But today’s article takes a different route – let’s explore how this bad boy can help you get way off the grid and have a fun and comfortable time backcountry camping.
Table of Contents
- This Backcountry Camping Machine Has a Heavy-Duty Chassis
- You Get Plenty of Storage for Backcountry Camping
- Interior Storage Space, Too? You Bet!
- The Smuggler Has a Fully Featured Kitchen for Extended Backcountry Camping Trips
This Backcountry Camping Machine Has a Heavy-Duty Chassis
Let’s start with the meat and potatoes of this trailer…
SasquatchXC’s trailers are built with the rough stuff in mind, and it shows! The Smuggler comes standard with a bespoke coilover independent suspension system mated to a heavy-duty aluminum frame that’s powder-coated for durability (and covered by a lifetime warranty, too!).
The trailer furthers its off-road capabilities with an Ark Two-Inch 360-degree articulating coupler, 17-inch wheels, and 32.5-inch 285/70R17 BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 tires. The folks at SasquatchXC have added electric trailer brakes, your choice of an Ark XO 500 or 750 extreme off-road tongue jack, and full-length, bed-lined running boards to give you easy access to the trailer’s roof rack.
It should be of no surprise that this trailer has such a robust build. After all, SasquatchXC was born in the high country of Colorado – Silverton, to be exact. The Silverton area is ripe for outdoor opportunities, many of which necessitate a well-appointed off-road rig. The Smuggler certainly fits the bill with the specs listed above!
If being away from other people is what you want, simply hook The Smuggler up to your truck or SUV, put it in 4-Low, and set out on your favorite mountain trail. This trailer can go anywhere your vehicle can, so your backcountry camping experiences are really only limited by your vehicle’s capabilities and your imagination.
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You Get Plenty of Storage for Backcountry Camping
When you’re heading off-grid for a while, you have to take everything that you’ll need for the trip. That, in turn, means you need a trailer with a lot of storage. Again, The Smuggler ticks that box in spades!
In fact, The Smuggler boasts 90 cubic feet of storage space, which is the best in the industry. And don’t think it’s all contained in a big interior storage area, either…
This trailer has 11 cubic feet of kitchen storage, 53 cubic feet of interior storage, and 15 cubic feet of storage in the sidebox cabinets. There is another 11 cubic feet of storage up front in the tongue box, too. So, you quite literally get storage all the way around this trailer!
But you’d be wrong to assume that’s all the storage this trailer offers…
There’s Storage Up Top, Too
On the top of the trailer is a custom-designed aluminum roof rack. The rack has four T-track cross bars that allow you to add accessories as you see fit – a rooftop tent, perhaps. Better still, the roof rack sits up above the top of the trailer, allowing for more storage underneath. This is an ideal spot for some waterproof boxes or bins for items that you frequently need but that don’t need to be inside the trailer (e.g., recovery gear).
If you want to take the area under the rack up a notch, you can have an optional Squatch Box installed. This custom-designed box fits perfectly under the roof rack and has room to store two solar panels and a custom-made fold-up camp table. Nice!
But it isn’t just the volume of storage that’s impressive on this trailer. When you’re backcountry camping, having all your gear neatly organized and easy to access makes for a more pleasant trip. This trailer accommodates this with standard features like independently controlled LED lighting above the cargo access doors and rear kitchen doors. There’s also LED lighting inside each aluminum side box (which have doors that are weatherstripped and have sealed compression latches).
On top of all that, there are cargo access doors on both sides of the trailer, so you can quickly find what you need. And with optional features like adjustable sidebox shelving and an optional expedition rack that holds items like recovery gear and rotopax, you have the makings of a backcountry camping trailer that lets you bring everything you need (and then some!) for an off-grid adventure of a lifetime.
Interior Storage Space, Too? You Bet!
For me, one of the biggest highlights of this trailer is the interior storage space. As I mentioned earlier, this area offers a whopping 53 cubic feet of space for your gear. With the aforementioned access doors – both of which are weatherstripped and feature lockable compression latches – the gear you keep inside will be dry and safe no matter where your travels take you.
This interior storage area isn’t just a metal box, though. Instead, there are interior LED floodlights so you can actually see what gear you have. There are exterior LED floodlights above each door, too. You’ll also find a bed-lined aluminum floor for durability and USB, 12-volt, and AC power points for charging your devices in this weather-sealed, secure storage space.
Whether you need to bring sleeping bags, a camp stove, a portable power station, a table, or some combination thereof, this area in The Smuggler is the ideal spot for ensuring it gets to where you’re going without being exposed to the elements.
The Smuggler Has a Fully Featured Kitchen for Extended Backcountry Camping Trips
Cooking while you’re backcountry camping often looks like this: sitting on a rock boiling water on a tiny butane stove to add to your package of Ramen noodles. Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of that, but with The Smuggler, you can take your backcountry culinary pursuits to a whole other level.
For example, this trailer’s kitchen boasts features like LED lighting, 12-volt power for a refrigerator, and a Furrion 3-burner propane cooktop. You can prepare food on the stainless steel countertop, use the stainless steel sink and on-demand hot water to do the dishes, and rely on a 36-gallon water tank with a self-priming pump and an accumulator to have more than enough water for your backcountry camping needs.
Heck, this kitchen even has USB and 120-volt outlets, a fold-down glass lid on the sink to provide added prep space, and a three-bay kitchen cabinet system featuring two drawers with dividers and shelves for your kitchen necessities. You can also add an optional stainless steel fold-down prep table to the mix to give yourself even more room to cook.
In other words, The Smuggler from SasquatchXC is no ordinary backcountry camping trailer. Instead, it allows you to get further off-grid than you can imagine, yet do so in comfort. I mean, how many people can enjoy a hot outdoor shower when they’re backcountry camping?!
So, there you have it – four ways the SasquatchSC Smuggler can help you realize your backcountry camping dreams. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?! Don’t take my word for it, though – visit SasquatchXC to learn even more about this epic backcountry trailer!
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Learn More:
- Top Areas for Camping Near Silverton, Colorado
- Everything You Need to Know About the Highland 60 Trailer From SasquatchXC
Images for this article were provided by SasquatchXC.