Skip to main content

Trekking: Yes, the roof of this camper moonlights as a boat

Man isn’t meant to stay indoors — our weekly “Trekking” column can attest to that. It’s a column dedicated to the adventurer inside of all of us, the one pining to ditch the office humdrum for a quick surf session or seven-week jaunt in the Grand Tetons. One day we may highlight an ultra-light stove and the next a set of handmade canoe paddles. Life doesn’t just happen inside the workplace, so get outside and live it.

The notion of the American Dream, oft defined by economic and social opportunity, has never been anything short of alluring. It’s what many of us strive to achieve in our day-to-day lives, a sense of stability and peacefulness that’s as picturesque as the small house and white picket fence we tend to associate with it. Achieving it in these days of political turmoil and economic strife, however, seems easier said than done. Thankfully, the same isn’t necessarily true of the Portland-bred camper with which the concept shares its name, aka the American Dream Trailer ($8,900+).

Related: The Pendleton Limited Edition is built for the outdoors (not your budget)

The American Dream TrailerUsing a 1961 teardrop trailer for inspiration, husband-and-wife duo Paul and Tyla Dahlman have helped forge a modern replica with a penchant for authenticity. The 650-pound, fiberglass trailer takes a cue directly from the original’s design, and relies on a local metalsmith and fiberglass company to manufacturer the same glass windows and molds that defined the original. The entire building process takes five to six weeks, but the end result is a compact towable that sleeps two and houses a small cooking and storage galley in the rear for food preparation, complete with room for customization.

The real kicker of the American Dream Trailer isn’t the checkerboard floor, though, or the  two-tone color scheme and optional galley table. The trailer’s biggest selling point lies in the secondary roof, which conveniently functions as a small rowboat when it’s not securely attached to the top of the trailer’s lightweight frame via a set of five hood latches. How and where you want to use the trailer, well, that’s totally up to you.

Visit The American Dream Trailer Company online to request an estimate. Each camper is custom built to order, and takes roughly six to eight weeks for delivery.

Brandon Widder
Brandon Widder is a journalist and a staff writer for the Manual and its brother site, Digital Trends, where he covers tech…
16 true crime podcasts to obsess over this year
Try out some of our favorite true crime podcasts
headphone laptop podcast

Even with a plethora of entertainment at our fingertips, podcasts remain one of the most popular and effective forms of communicative storytelling on the planet. As podcasts remain popular, true crime podcasts stand out as one of the medium's most popular genres. The best true crime podcasts thrill listeners who want to inject a little excitement into their lives without facing any actual danger.

All of this crystallized around the first season of Serial, which transformed everyone who listened to it into an investigative reporter, part-time detective, or  aspiring lawyer. Since then, that kind of amateur detective work has only become more common, and the internet has provided a safe space for people to speculate without directly harming those involved.

Read more
Ranking the 10 Best Samuel L. Jackson Movies
With so many Samuel L. Jackson movies, how do you choose the best ones?
best samuel l jackson movies

Samuel L. Jackson absolutely loves to act. How can you argue otherwise? Jackson has appeared in nearly 200 movies in his career, a whopping total that demonstrates his willingness to take on small and large projects, staring and supporting roles. No matter whether a movie is good or bad, you can count on Jackson to make the viewing experience better. More than just his signature expletives, Jackson is a talented dramatic performer and a witty jokester all in one. We want to celebrate his diverse filmography by ranking the 10 best Samuel L. Jackson movies of all time. You'll find violent Tarantino movies, Pixar classics, and even some science fiction work as a purple lightsaber-wielding Jedi.

 

Read more
Cigar humidor 101: What they are, how they work, and our top picks
cigar humidor

Some things get better as they age, including red wines, good cigars, and George Clooney. Ah, but that red wine will swill if stored upright in a warm, sunny room. And if overexposure to heat, cold, a glut of humidity, or even overly-dry conditions, your prized Montecristo or Highclere stogie will soon taste like ash.

Let's talk about good cigars for a hot minute, specifically proper cigar storage, which depends on having a great humidor. Cigars need precisely controlled temperature and moisture levels to keep them fresh for long-term storage, and without a humidor, you won't be able to keep them at the proper humidity. A cigar will lose quality in less than two weeks without proper storage. With proper storage, however, cigars can improve with age. A smaller, paler cigar may be at its peak flavor profile after six months of careful storage, while a larger, darker, and more robust cigar may be at its best after two or three years.

Read more