Born and Raised near Buffalo New York, I joined the Air Force shortly after graduation in 1992, Elmendorf AFB was my first assignment after basic training and tech school, and have now Been in Alaska for over 30 years. Time flies up here when it’s a never-ending adventure.

I Grew up playing sports all my life but also was an avid outdoorsman as I spent most of my childhood on a lake with my grandparents fishing every day with my grandfather in the summers. Looking back, I think I was born with a fishing pole in my hand. My family pretty much lived for hunting season, so getting to Alaska and reading and seeing many books over the years was also an influence. I really had no idea what I was in for once I got here, but after being here a short few days I was embracing not only the beauty of this place and the mountains but the hiking, climbing, skiing, rafting, flyfishing and so many amazing ventures. I rolled into Alaska with a backpack, a few fishing rods, and new guns, my folks got me a new Pentax 35mm camera and sweet camcorder…remember those?

My first time fishing here I caught a 53-pound king salmon on a fly rod and about 25 of the biggest trout I had ever seen in my life and pretty much knew this is where I am supposed to be I quickly met many amazing people and friends who were into everything with the outdoors and everything Alaska has to offer. My Friends had boats, rafts, and airplanes, got into rowing and rafting, fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing, floating rivers, and doing the most amazing adventures in my first few years here.

That’s when the Van Life/Truck life began. In the summers, I lived in the back of my truck. which I decked out with sleeping quarters, and storage, had all the gear for just about anything, and kinda fell in love doing them. The goal after several trucks and more things was to make them more practical and efficient and to be ready for just about anything all the time. Anytime anyone would check them out they always thought that it was so cool and they would all say I would love to do that to my truck and the next! Do you think ya could help me do that to mine?…was always the classic after talking about it for a few minutes. So in the winter, I did help a few folks out but as ya do a few ya, ya always learn a few more tricks or kinda have a wish list. I need this or I should have done this.

For me, it was cheap living, and always just kept a gym membership for showers when needed. In the winters and 4 of my good friends, I would always just find some big 4 bedroom house to rent and live in for 6 months but as soon as spring hit, we were outta there. and even still most weekends in winter we were backcountry skiing and camping in our rigs anyhow.

I tell all the young folks that I was doing Van life down by the river before they were born. always brings a good laugh. I have had many different setups in trucks, and vans and converted them and were tricked out n custom-built around the gear I had and ready for any adventure with all the gear all the time. As we grow older we want more comforts, starting with tents, then trucks, and then the vans. then who knows the ultimate 30-foot RV to travel the world? I still at almost 50 years old enjoy sleeping in my rig and usually have the best night’s sleep in there anyhow.

People now are spending 150,000 on a Sprinter van and then realize this is not for them pretty quickly.
But I found myself later on after renting a Sprinter van out way before anyone had any up here but also when a lot of others were definitely talking about it. My buddy started Alaska AdVantures. but he had a euro van that was in the shop more than it was rented and he also had a truck with a cab over camper on it. So I then added my decked-out 2007 Sprinter to the fleet, cause that was more my music festival rig and only used in the summer a few weekends here and there. I really want to point out that I got this thing for 12,000 bucks at an auction and I definitely put a few grand into it but it was so awesome like the ultimate build for me when I started, but after a million ideas I just still wanted it practical and bomb proof….no systems, no TVs, no solar. I did get, for the first time ever, a generator and a small inverter so I can have a coffee pot. So to me, the simpler and more bombproof it is the more practical it works for me.

I also quickly realized that it’s a lot of work renting them out. meeting with folks, going over all the things, cleaning them, lots of maintenance, oil changes, who knows what folks are doing to my stuff. So kinda let it go for a while and then sold it. now there is like 15 folks up here doing vans, rooftop tents on Subarus, all kind of things. and it seems like such a thing everywhere.

I picked up a trailer as I am now pretty much a seasonal worker and snowbird to stay warm in winter. and I met up with w one of my favorite people on the planet in Montana who can build and do just about anything. I get to his place and He has this 7×14 trailer and man. it was the coolest one I had ever seen. he got it converted to a hunting rig, carpenter rig, and flip-up beds, can still load his 4-wheeler, all his tools, and anything else. it was super simple but it was also practical and super bomber. and ya also can unload it and set up camp in like 10 Minutes anywhere and still have your truck to do stuff.

I personally do not like that idea once you’re set up in the van, or truck, (it’s kind of a pain in the ass to break down), put all the things away so stuff doesn’t fly all over and kinda once you’re parked you are stuck there. then ya realize, I need to run to the store, whatever it is. So trailers to me have been a game changer, they are super simple, Hardly any maintenance, and might only have a tire go once in a blue moon, that is about it.

So my mind was immediately spinning on doing these. I had a million ideas in one day and just started to do that on this little 5×8 I had. I had initially bought to just haul stuff back and forth as I drove out of Alaska. I immediately started to convert this thing. How do I maximize storage in a 5×8 little trailer not much bigger than a few sheets of plywood, have a bed, etc.

I built the first one like a little log cabin. Alaska theme. live edge wood milled on my buddy’s chain saw mill, a few things of tongue and groove on the walls. bench seats of 3/4” maple plywood. I can sit on it and then just add a middle piece between the two benches. and also have an instant flat platform for a bed n can sleep two. Genius. Still put tons of totes, bins, and gear on top of all of it. I’m into this for a few sheets of plywood, some 2×4 and some stain, clear coat, and wallah…got this a kick-ass cool pull-behind camper/trailer. It can be hauled with just about any SUV, small or big truck.

I quickly had a business plan and wanted to make them unique. So my instant thought was since I can’t draw a stick figure, I love art. and Alaska has so many amazing people, I could ask some local artist to paint the outside. Be able to support local artists as well as endorse them at the same time and collaborate my thoughts with all my favorite things, and stick out. This part has actually been my favorite cause I always have a million ideas but cannot paint and it’s super fun to collaborate with artists and let them have the trailer as their canvas.

The first one has northern lights with some dancing Grateful Dead bears around a fire, then the other side is a summer scene with mountains, a lake, and reflections, back just looks like little cabin doors and the front is like stacked chord wood. Sarah Chavout is an artist and a good friend of my mom. She is super talented and does workshops, watercolors, custom portraits of humans and pets, lots of commission work, landscapes, and just about anything still life.

Check her out at www.sarachauvot.com

Jennifer Kosharek is an artist on the second trailer. since I’ve been spending the last few years in AZ n NM I thought it was fitting to stick to the desert, Navaho theme mixed in some Grateful Dead n Alaska since I have them up here.

Check her out at www.kosharek.art

My mind is already starting on the 3rd one and will get started this fall on at least 2 more, possibly a 70’s theme is trailer #3, and might continue that with an 80’s on the 4th one… we’ll see what the future holds.

The trailers come with a water jug, a 2 burner stove, 2 beds, essential cookware, a 10×10 pop-up tent for the outside n a table. trailers have roof racks, and a hitch for additional storage while traveling that holds coolers and totes. Inside is up to you to store your own clothes and gear, and you can set up camp bout anywhere, drop the trailer, and let the fun begin!