You Could Tow This Adorable and Rugged Camper With Your UTV And Sleep Like a King

Rooftop tent? So old-fashioned.

Photo by: Motsmann Engineering

By: Jonathon Klein

Aug 20, at 8:17am ET

Add RideApart as a preferred source in Google

Comment

I know this makes me a bad outdoorsman, but I hate sleeping in tents. Well, I hate ground tents. They're uncomfortable, often sit on rocky, uneven ground, are cold as hell, and do nothing when Yogi Bear comes a knockin'. It's just not my jam, I'm old and creaky from years of off-road motorcycle abuse, and is the primary reason why I slapped a Roofnest rooftop tent onto my Can-Am Maverick X3, complete with twin Hest Foamie sleeping pads.

But even that has its limits.

Last weekend, I headed out for the season opener of my elk hunt, and folks, it got bitterly cold. Despite the Foamies, a set of Dainese thermals, a hoodie, and a 20-degree Marmot sleeping bag (it is probably a decade old at this point...), I was cold. The fabric tent walls of the Roofnest just couldn't keep the cold at bay. That's why I've paid way more attention to off-road campers in recent years, as they could be the ideal solution to me finally getting a great night's sleep in the woods.

And this Outranger camper from Motsmann Engineering, with its relatively low curb weight and heavily insulated construction, could be the most perfect of all those available right now.

Motsmann Outranger Camper 7

Motsmann Outranger Camper 4

Motsmann Outranger Camper 6

Motsmann Outranger Camper 3

Photos by: Motsmann Engineering

The pint-sized camper forgoes the traditional teardrop shape for a decidedly cube appearance—my kids and their current Minecraft addiction would approve—but that just means you actually get headspace, along with additional cargo room, and room for a small kitchen. Weighing in at just 1,450 pounds dry (adding things like water and gear will obviously bump that up), the 13.5-foot trailer—from tongue to tail—is designed to go just about anywhere and, given its low weight, can be towed by almost every utility-focused UTV on the market, including Polaris' Ranger and Can-Am's Defender, both of which have 1,500-pound and up towing capacities on select models.

Coming complete with Timbren 2000 HD independent suspension and 30-in Falken Wildpeak tires, they're bolted to a steel-reinforced frame, with the molded composite body affixed on top, and a special polyurethane coating at the base of the body to protect it from mishaps on the trails. And or regular wear and tear. Inside, however, is where the magic happens.

Motsmann Outranger Camper 1

Photo by: Motsmann Engineering

See, I'm 6'4" tall. That's 76 inches of gangly man to contend with for most rooftop tents, all of which don't come in those dimensions. The Outranger, however, comes standard with an 82-inch-long, 57-inch-wide interior sleeping surface. And the cabin height is a whopping 50 inches. So not only would I be able to lie parallel to the sides, something I can't do in the Roofnest, I'd have room to stretch out, making those nights after 15-mile treks all the more bearable to release the tension in my tired muscles.

What do you think?

View

Comments

Buyers also get a 12V electrical system as standard, with a 200-Ah Renogy battery, though an optional 600-Ah battery is also available, all of which powers both the interior and exterior lighting. A solar system is also available. Customers also get a cargo box mounted ahead of the camper, and an optional roof rack can be had with a 650-pound static payload rating. But what's really cool is you can get a full galley kitchen, complete with a Dometic burner, and Vitrifrigo fridge, for an additional $2,450. Which, honestly, isn't all that bad.

As for price, the Outranger starts at $25,950, which is some coin, don't get me wrong, but it's not as much money as some of these other off-road camper rigs I've seen pop up. But if you're the sort of person that goes into the deepest, darkest hellholes imaginable, and does so on a frequent basis, this might be the perfect addition to your camping setup so that at least you sleep well.