Tag: flatbed

Dirt roads offer mystery and adventure, and while sometimes they’re dead ends, sometimes they lead to epic campsites and amazing trails. For many road-trippers—myself included—a random dirt road holds an undeniable allure. Where does it lead? What will I discover along the way? From sandy, arrow-straight tracks disappearing into barren deserts, to rocky roads climbing high into mountains, dirt roads practically beg to be explored. They promise (mis)adventure and freedom, campsites with jawdropping views, and beautiful solitude. If you’re lucky, the bars on your cell phone disappear with the miles in your rearview mirror. Devoid of technology, we pick up books and read them, play card games with family, or simply lie on the ground beneath a blanket of stars, Read More…

A rough map of Dinosaur National Monument’s Echo Park doesn’t look like much but don’t let that fool you. Start by drawing several zig-zags that extend into a long tail that opens up into a horseshoe. At about three quarters of the length, add a few small squares on either side of the tail followed by a bird wing and cone. Finally, draw a meandering line that closely follows the radius of the horseshoe and continues on. The result is a rough map that reflects the less than smooth entrance to Echo Park but begs for exploration.   When traveling in our Four Wheel Camper Flatbed Hawk, Gretchen and I rarely stay in one location more than a day. That Read More…

Dinner was over and the campfire was beginning. It was an old school evening. No propane or smartphone apps. Crackling flames, against a dark backdrop of Ponderosa soldiers, kept us warm on the outside. A peaty scotch whiskey would take care of the inside. Topo maps were spread out on a weathered burl table. Flakes of ash temporarily interrupted the contour lines. The topic was ‘Honey Holes’ – camping locations that checked all the boxes. A theme Grayson and I often gravitated towards during similar evenings. Without a prelude, Grayson simply said ‘Steens Mountain’ and handed me a book of the same name. We had lived in Sisters Oregon for 7 years. Although we explored and camped at many locations Read More…

“What is this?” “Wow!” “Are you serious?” “This is unbelievable!” Those were just a few of the questions and comments I received when I test drove Four Wheel Campers (FWC) new vehicle/camper build. Over a four-week period, I tested the vehicle/camper in the wilds of Montana and Wyoming (view recent web article: Western Ramble on the OutdoorX4 website HERE). Simply put, it performed exceptionally. As I conversed on the phone with Dan Welty, FWC’s Vice President, he informed me that FWC intentionally built this vehicle/camper combination to accommodate and highlight long term travel and adventure. Sounds like a recipe for van life, right? Well, the combination of a diesel-powered truck, a flatbed, and pop-top camper created much more than a Read More…

The nation’s first national park, Yellowstone, remains an awe-inspiring place with geysers, mud pots, and wildlife. However, a unique attraction presented itself in the parking lot outside Mammoth, Wyoming: the Four Wheel Campers (FWC) Hawk Flatbed Camper. Tourists gawked and took pictures of our adventure vehicle/camper. The Hawk Flatbed Camper, mounted to a Norweld aluminum tray, and sitting on a 2021 Ram 3500 made this the ultimate Yellowstone attraction. Ha! It creates the ultimate adventure vehicle. “Hello.” “What’s this?” A tourist asked. “It’s a Four Wheel Camper.” I replied. “A what?” Another tourist remarked. Much of the exchanges followed that pattern as my family and I adventured for a few weeks in the states of Wyoming and Montana. And lucky Read More…

I’ve spent the last 4 years driving a JKU, so when I jumped in behind the wheel of the Ram 3500/FWC Flatbed Hawk Camper combo, my first impression was that it was a BEAST. I’m not going to lie, I was a little intimidated by the thought of driving it on the southern Californian freeways, let alone off-road. However, once behind the wheel, it didn’t take more than a few miles to relax and realize that freeway driving was pretty easy and the Cummins 6.7L engine allowed the rig to fly whenever I needed to put my foot down. The plan was to spend a week in the rig and make my way from San Diego to the Lost Sierra Read More…

Six weeks of dirt, dust and dog food has been cleaned from our camper. We brought home enough of the Southwest, Midwest and Utah to amend a garden. It was a very successful and memorable trip. We saw some incredible sights and were able to connect with family and friends, while comfortably traveling in our new Four Wheel Camper Hawk Flatbed. We even learned a few things about our camper that made us very pleased with our decision to build out a flatbed. But first, let’s wind the clock back. For six years, my wife Gretchen and I enjoyed our beloved Toyota Tacoma equipped with a Four Wheel Camper Fleet. It was nimble and reliable and provided cooking and sleeping comfort Read More…

For better or worse, I’ve gotten soft. I turned 50 last year and though I still ride my mountain bike like a 20 year old, albeit one with a gut and less hair, I’ve come to appreciate that enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t have to involve some level of suffering. As a young backpacker I tossed an emergency blanket on the ground, on top of which went my sleeping bag with nothing else between me and nature. I eventually graduated to a sleeping pad, inside a tent. Ten years later, at 30, I bought a Tacoma, installed a shell on the bed and built a plywood platform with gear storage below and an egg crate mattress topper on top. Oh, Read More…

Sweaty palms. Blood flowing quickly through our veins. Butterflies blooming in our bellies. We were Yosemite bound. The thought of being suspended thousands of feet over the valley floor, balancing on webbing no thicker than a thumb, began to consume our minds with each passing mile. Since departing sea level, we’d been eastbound for the high desert, redwood forests, and everything in between. We’d set out to put the new rig, our Toyota Tacoma Xtra Cab Limited Edition Four Wheel Camper, to the test on a classic California overlanding expedition. After each of us spent four years living full-time on the road (Travis in his 1994 Dodge Ram van and me in my 1983 VW Westfalia), we paused our travel-centric Read More…

Pete Stajduhar is a Connecticut native and electrical contractor by trade. He specializes in power systems for places like hospitals, marinas, and remote island. This is to say the Stajduhar thrives on engineering challenges and appreciates integrated systems that work together flawlessly. In order to find out how he came to build and explore in the custom AEV Prospector XL Tray Bed with Woolrich Edition Hawk Flatbed Four Wheel Camper (FWC) we need to step back in time about seven years. Read the rest of the article

Back in 2015, Joe and Kait Russo sold their home, quit their jobs, bought an RV and left the safety and comfort of home for a new beginning—life on the road. What started as a one-year vacation and a chance to do some traveling turned into an adventure with no end date, new careers, and a new understanding of what it means to truly live the life you want. During their first few months on the road, Joe and Kait began posting blogs to update friends and family about their travel. That led to posting videos on YouTube and slowly, they found that they were reaching far beyond their network of loved ones. They also realized this new reach could Read More…