Overlanding - Before It Was Cool

The overlanding trend really took off during the pandemic. Millions of people were stuck at home, suddenly realizing all at the same time that they needed to get OUT! Almost overnight, sales of SUV’s shot up, and companies started marketing accessories and conversions to modify them into getaway campers.

Toyota 4Runner’s were a natural choice; small enough to go anywhere, but with enough elbow room for comfortable traveling. These mid-priced SUV’s were easy to modify, and with a 50K to 75K total budget you could be out on the road with a pretty awesome rig. If your budget was about twice that, you’d enjoy some increased head room in a tricked out Mercedes 4WD Sprinter van. But if you really wanted to be the top dog, you’d go all-in with an EarthRoamer. The MXVHD was built on a Ford F-750 chassis and sleeps six - yours for $1.7M.

Hang on, when did camping become so expensive? What happened to the simple tow-behind camping trailer?

You bet, Airstream’s got you covered. With sleeping for two, full kitchen, plus A/C and heat, their sleek Basecamp model gets you away from it all in style - for about $50K. When did camping become so expensive?

Before Airstream, there was a tiny company based in Portland, Oregon that made the first ever pop-up camper. Kozy Kamp was their name, and they were in business from 1930 until the start of WWII. Their factory showroom was located close to the Portland airport on Columbia Blvd, about a mile away from my shop.

The photo above shows the Gorman Family Circus taking delivery of their new trailer. They were famous for their rope-twirling act, which must have been lucrative enough for them to afford to use a Pierce Arrow as their touring vehicle. The ’32 Ford on the left belonged to the owner of Kozy Kamp, and was frequently put to use in their promotional photos. And why not?

The old factory building was demolished in the 1970’s and is now the site of a convenience mart. The home shown at the left in both of the photos still remains, minus its original charm.

It’s estimated that only 300 Kozy Kamp trailers were made, so it makes sense that if one should ever surface it will probably be somewhere close to Portland. And that’s just what happened for me in March of 2020. I found this one listed on Craigslist, and it was only a 20-minute drive away! It showed some wear, but was all original and in fairly good condition for being over 80 years old.

Carefully following the steps listed in the crumbling instruction manual, I raised the canopy for the first time in decades.

The design was pretty ingenious. The founder of Kozy Kamp, Seth Strachen, went on to fly bomber planes in WWII and later worked as a pilot for TWA. No surprise. As they say, the greatest generation.

The interior featured two beds that folded back to create a dining area, complete with a metal pop-out chimney for your camping stove. Hinged windows provided good ventilation, and there was even a privacy curtain that could be hung down the middle. Because when you’re sharing 70 square feet of space you’re gonna, you know, expect some privacy.

I sold this Kozy Kamp trailer on BaT in April of 2020, right when the pandemic shutdowns were beginning.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1936-kozy-kamp-deluxe-trailer/

I guess I could have kept it and begun a throwback overlanding adventure of my own. It was a pretty cool piece of history, but truth be told I’d rather go find that ‘32 Ford.

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