Industry Spotlight: Talus Expedition Gear

Brothers Dan and Will Sunderland grew up among the web of jeep roads in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, building off-roading experience traversing some of Colorado’s most breathtaking vistas right from their back door. That kind of time above the tree line gets in your system, creating a never-ending hunger for mountain peaks and alpine lakes. 

Grief struck in 2018 when the brothers each broke their ankle in completely unrelated incidents — not just any part of the ankle, but the talus bone. It’s the core of your ankle, so the recovery affects every part of the foot and lower leg and can often lead to complications altering your ability to be on your feet. Dan and Will faced one of the most demoralizing feelings to an adventurer — limitation.

Determined to overcome their injuries and continue exploring rugged terrain, the brothers turned to their overlanding roots. In the process, they dreamed of a drawer-based camper that could get them into the high country via something other than their own feet.

Dan and Will created the Talus camper, the missing link between the off-road trailer and the available drawer-based products currently on the market. It integrates a fully equipped kitchen, convenient electricity, and gear storage into an aircraft-grade, all-aluminum system. The compact, all-weather unit fits into most pickup truck beds, sitting below the bed rails without altering your vehicle. It also offers a solid platform for a variety of sleeping options, including rooftop tents or a mattress under a truck cap.

Talus Camper

• The Talus camper offers industry-leading storage dimensions with one entire water-resistant drawer the length of your truck bed (minimum of 8.5 cubic feet) for gear storage with dividers for more organization.

• It includes an easily accessible kitchen drawer secured behind the tailgate with two utility drawers for more storage.

• A 31-quart Dometic® refrigerator able to handle the bumps and twists that come with overlanding, easily accessible from the front of the kitchen drawer without opening any other part of the unit.

• Lift the lid on the top of the compact combination sink-stove to use the sink with pressurized water from an onboard 16-gallon water tank that you can fill or empty from hose fittings on the side of the unit.

• Add on a convenient water filter to fill your water tank from any fresh water source you may come across while overlanding. 

• Onboard propane storage fuels a two-burner stove. Add an Omnia® stovetop oven for off-grid baking.

• The self-contained electrical system features a 100Ah deep-cycle battery with a 700W power inverter, which is enough to run a coffee maker, a computer, charge a phone, or any other device you need while overlanding. Upgrade to a 200Ah battery and a 2000W power inverter for even more power. 

• A standard 120-volt outlet, two USB ports, and a 12-volt automobile and auxiliary power outlet are easily accessible from the drawer face. 

• Recharge your battery from a solar charging system or conventional electric connections at home or in a campground.

• Unlike most drawer-based camping systems currently available, every Talus camper begins with a solid, all-weather aluminum construction.

• A Talus camper is the core of your adventure, so your sleeping options are flexible. You can sleep on top of your camper on a memory foam mattress under the truck cap. Our integral top track system is compatible with a gear rack to mount most roof top tents. 

• The integral top track system is also compatible with most gear racks for bikes, canoes, or kayaks.

• The camper’s aircraft-grade aluminum is riveted and TIG welded to ensure the drawer system flexes in the right places with your truck as you crawl over any type of terrain.

• Unlike off-road trailers or top-heavy truck campers, a Talus’s low center of gravity and truck bed optimization makes backing down trails or turning around easy when necessary.

• The dry weight of a Talus camper for a midsize truck is about 540 pounds. With a full water tank, gear, and a roof top tent, the weight of your camping system is about 900 lbs. 

• Unlike most designated campers or trailers, a Talus camper stays within the body line, minimizing the impact on gas mileage. For example, a 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road that typically gets an average of 18 miles per gallon reduced to 16 mpg with a fully-equipped Talus camper and a low-mounted roof top tent. 

• Because the Talus camper fits in your truck bed, it optimizes parking space at your home and makes exploring urban areas or parking in garages a breeze. 

• The base model of a Talus camper, the CampPack starts at $11,995 for midsize trucks, with custom options and upgrades available. Imagine taking an off-road trailer, removing the axle and tongue, and sliding it into the bed of your truck. When fully equipped with a roof top tent, even a brand new mid-size truck can come in under $50,000 fully equipped.

• Every Talus unit is hand-crafted in Boise, Idaho.

• Financing is available through Lightstream on talusgear.com or you can talk to your bank about an RV loan.

Disclaimer: This paid story was produced in partnership with Talus Expedition Gear