Arriving at Overland Expo West this year is a travel trailer that is one of the wildest camping creations I’ve seen in a while. Mammoth Overland has unveiled the ELE Off-Road Trailer–a ridiculous camper that sprays a huge cloud of bear spray, has weapons storage, optional bullet-proofing, a drone launch platform, cameras, a sealed cabin with an air-filtration system, and more for the price of $67,000 (or $92,000 when bullet-proofed).
This camper seems to come at the crossroads of the prepper movement and overlanding. Unless Mammoth Overland is aware of an impending extinction-level event that the rest of us are oblivious to, it’s unlikely you’ll ever need your camper to be bulletproof. You probably don’t need to worry about having a completely sealed cabin or weapons lockers. Everything about this trailer is outrageous.
But, I feel this is one of those instances when something is just so crazy that it comes right back around to being neat again. Some people like to dress up their cars like the apocalypse is right around the corner. Well, here’s a trailer just for them.
Born From Planes
Here’s another company that isn’t a household name in the RV world, but its history is pretty neat. Mammoth Overland is a subsidiary of Vashon Aircraft, founded by John Torode in Washington in 2012. Vashon Aircraft’s mission is to make flying more accessible so that the next generation of pilots can actually afford to get up into the sky. The company’s aircraft, the all-metal Ranger R7, is a Light Sport Aircraft that claims to comfortably seat two real Americans while providing similar flight characteristics as a Cessna 172.
For those of you that don’t fly, the Ranger R7 is basically supposed to be super easy to fly–good for students–and durable, so even a sloppy landing isn’t a bad day.
Another interesting feature about the Ranger R7 is that it features seats that fold flat so you and your passenger could sleep in it. Sounds like a dreamy way to camp at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh to me!
Inspired by its planes, Vashon has decided to take its ideas from the skies down to the ground. In 2021, the company launched its first Mammoth Overland trailer. That camper boasted a riveted aluminum construction, a Timbren 3500HD axle-less suspension, and a tent for an outdoor bathroom.
At first, Mammoth Overland took these campers around to different air shows, targeting pilots. Later, the company pivoted toward targeting both pilots and the overland crowd.
Now it’s time for Mammoth Overland’s next camper, and this one is out there.
The Extinction-Level Event (ELE) Off-Road Trailer
The ELE takes Mammoth Overland’s basic squaredrop design and cranks it up to 11. The company says that this trailer came after being asked if the original Mammoth Overland trailer was bear-proof:
“People ask me all the time if our trailers are bear-proof — and they are, technically. That got me thinking: ‘What if we made a trailer that’s truly bear- as well as apocalypse-proof?’” said Scott Taylor, Mammoth Overland President. “I grew up in Montana, and Montanans know a thing or two about bear-proofing and self-reliance. We designed ELE to aircraft standards. It can handle whatever campers might encounter, from bears to wildfires to social unrest, so overlanders can explore fearlessly.”
No matter whether campers are looking for a bear-proof off-road trailer, prepping for societal upheaval or natural disaster, or simply want the strongest and safest overland trailer on the market, ELE has something for everyone — including a six-bottle wine rack.
Again, I sure hope Mammoth Overland isn’t aware of something the rest of us are missing. Anyway, the ELE is built out of aerospace-grade aluminum sheets with high-density foam insulation sandwiched between them. To protect the trailer off-road, the front of the trailer is covered with steel armor. This is to stave off damage from trees, rocks, and projectiles. Other protection comes in the form of a large underbody steel skid plate and additional chassis plating. The company says that the protection adds R20-level insulation.
If that isn’t enough for you, for $25,000, Mammoth Overland says it will add Level 3 bulletproofing.
We’re still not done with the exterior just yet. Mammoth Overland has made it clear that this camper is supposed to survive whatever riots or perhaps warfare you may encounter deep in the woods. To keep the cabin clearly separated from the outside world, the camper’s doors are said to be submarine-style pressure doors. These close with four pins that insert into the walls of the camper. Mammoth Overland says that the interior is sealed off from the outside world and maintains a positive pressure of 0.25 PSI.
That would be crazy enough, but Mammoth Overland elaborates on just how far this system goes:
The pressurized cabin can be completely purged and refilled with purified air in less than three minutes through an integrated, medical-grade E.L. Foust air filtration system, providing up to six months of purified air. The system is so sophisticated in fact that it’s capable of filtering out odors — something consumer-grade purification systems can’t. In addition to filtering the air supply, ELE can refill and filter its onboard 22-gallon water tank in just 10 minutes.
All of this sounds cool, but it seems like Mammoth Overland may be missing the mark with a tank that’s just 22 gallons. You’ll have to venture out into the real-life Fallout world to get more water long before you run out of clean air.
From here, Mammoth Overland starts getting into how the ELE (which is pronounced like “Ellie”) allows you to protect yourself. There’s a gimbal-mounted, boom-operated night vision camera that sends its feed to a TV inside of the camper. There’s also a drone launch platform in case you want to get a view of what’s going on around the camper. It also comes with exterior flood lights to illuminate the area around your campsite.
Overkill, Literally
If none of that stops whatever is going down in the woods, Mammoth Overland says that the camper comes with its Bear-Spray Defense System. With the push of a button, canisters of bear spray will deploy a 25-foot by 10-foot wide cloud of spray, which is supposed to protect the camper from bears or “bandits.” Should those bears or bandits not care about the cloud of spray, your final line of defense is a weapons locker that can hold rifles and handguns.
Again, I should stress that it’s unlikely you’ll ever need any of this stuff in an overlanding camper. It’s unlikely you’ll find a riot in a forest or desert. But, it’s so wild that I can’t help but smile. Other notable features of this camper include an onboard weather station, Starlink internet, radios, and a geiger counter.
Power comes from four self-heating Renogy 100 Ah lithium-ion-phosphate batteries. Helping to charge the batteries are 100W flexible solar panels, which are found on top of the camper’s Roam awning. Should that not be enough, there’s a WEN generator onboard as well.
Mammoth Overland’s press release says nothing about the living space, but it looks to be the same as the regular Mammoth Overland camper. That means a neat kitchen that swings out of the rear. It has a two-burner stove, stainless steel sink, and a refrigerator. Inside is a bed that Mammoth Overland says is large enough to fit four adults.
There’s also a bunk bed for kids or pets. Up top is a roof rack that holds 500 pounds of weight while on the move or 1,000 pounds when parked. Additional off-road gear comes from rock sliders and 31-inch BFGoodrich K02 tires, giving you 19 inches of ground clearance.
As I said before, it also comes with an outdoor bathroom, which consists of a portable toilet, a privacy tent, and a heated outdoor shower. The standard Mammoth Overland trailer is 13 feet, 10.9 inches long, 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighs 1,650 pounds dry. It’s currently unclear how much the apocalypse gear changes the dimensions and weights of the camper.
Mammoth Overland does say that the Extinction-Level Event camper has a starting price of $67,000. The only option is bulletproofing, and that raises the price to $92,000. Mammoth Overland is planning a limited production run and is taking deposits now for fourth-quarter deliveries.
The camper will be on display at Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona next weekend. Who, exactly, is this camper for? Outside of a rich prepper, I’m not entirely sure. But, you bet I’ll be there to check it out and try to figure this thing out.
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I fully expect to see more than one of these on Constitution Avenue here in the good old District of Columbia.
The 1950’s bomb shelter on wheels. “Feeling paranoid, Punk? Well, do ya? We have 96 month financing.”
That’s an expensive coffin.
I prefer my Extinction-Level Event bunkers in floating form.
I’ll take a nice catamaran and some fishing poles over a trailer and some rifles any day.
nice 46-52 foot sailing catamaran with a water maker, fishing gear, solar, starlink and a 5 gallon bucket garden setup (you’re gonna need veggies and limes at some point)
Bear spray you say? WTF sign me up. Thanks Mercedes!
This is THE camper for people who lock their doors when they see a homeless person and worry people are putting Fentanyl on their door handles.
That’s oddly specific.
That’s a Cayenne’s worth of money for a camper. A. Cayenne. Why even venture into nature at that point? Like, you’ve probably got internet and more usable water in your [UNDISCLOSED SECRET BUNKER] built in [REDACTED] with plenty of [REDACTED] for worst-case scenarios. I guess the civilizationy things are good for hardcore vanlifers, but personally, I go camping to get out of civilization, not bring it with me. The rest of this seems to ride the line between “neat engineering exercise” (which I do appreciate) and “weird insecurity,” which I’m less a fan of.
Just like, gimme a tent. If the bears/zombies/whatevers get me, screw it, I don’t have much to live for right now. That vulnerability in the outdoors is a feature. I am not there to be coddled by carefully filtered air. I’ll still try to minimize the chance of bear encounters just in case by like, keeping food tucked away at night and putting the garbage out of reach for varmints, but also…come at me, bears. If that’s what finally gets me, at least they can write “tried to kick a bear’s tail” on my headstone.
Are you okay, Stef? You mentioned that you got injured, and being injured sucks out loud and can be frustrating AF. How are you doing other than physically?
She might have meant ,in that specific scenario.
Not good, not gonna lie. Just feeling useless and stuck.
Basically: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc0RXStA9XO/?hl=en
Yeah, how ya doing, Stef? We worry, you know.
Bad. Just stuck in a useless despair pit with no end in sight.
So.. the classic?
“Damn, I’m in a tight spot.”
That’s what I’m going with on my tombstone.
“Here lies Stef. She wrestled the bear.”
(DO NOT MENTION THAT I LOST. MY GOSH, I WOULD HAUNT YOU.)
“ [UNDISCLOSED SECRET BUNKER] built in [REDACTED] “
Hmmm.. I’m gonna guess eastern Oregon or Tasmania if you’re smart or rich.
eastern oregon, just south of the hanford nuclear bomb factory in southeast washington.
good choice if surviving a nuclear war is on your “don’t really wanna” list.
places to survive a nuclear war: Patagonia, New Zealand, pacific coast between Vancouver Island and Juneau, Costa Rica.
That’s the joy of saying something’s in [REDACTED]: we’re either talking about Hooniverse’s name for Jello Picnics or a nice way of saying NOT TODAY, FEDS!
hahahaahhahaahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha
The rich and insane better hope that no bandits shoot the propane or those bright red jerry cans full of flammability. It’s a bright orange sign that advertises “treasures await inside’.
First thought I had about “bulletproof” option? I’ll just light a fire under it using those fuel cans!
(Practically though, what exactly do these people think they are protecting themselves from?)
L3 bulletproofing is only good for non-magnum handgun rounds anyway. just about any rifle round will go right on through.
You know you’re living in a dystopia when “capable of surviving societal collapse” is a selling point.
This is so, so dumb, but I expect they will find several buyers.
I don’t want to survive an ELE. If such a thing happens, I very much want to be one of the rotting corpses the surviving dystopian suckers have to see and smell.
Does the generator run on petrol or propane?
Because the designers left the propane tank very unprotected. That’s a pretty bad idea, I tell ya what.
And looking at the doors, one can see Chazz Palminteri leaning a couple of logs up against them and saying “Now youse can’t leave”. Wait a couple of months – free trailer! By then you’ll need that air purification, though.
Well, that, or as I said above, just light a small fire under it. Doesn’t have to be hot enough to damage anything permanently, just enough to… create a vacancy. Probably faster than the log/waiting option.
Oh man I could hot box in that sucker so well
The fact that it seals nicely would do that, but you will have to deactivate that amazing air filtration system first!
Am I the only one who sees this as a company having a laugh and not taking itself too seriously? I bet the production numbers are intended to be super low and the profit margin pretty high. Its totally possible many buyers will take it seriously, but I don’t get the impression that the manufacturer does.
Exactly my thinking. This was totally made for fun, and I for one kinda dig it! If I was a rich dude, I would totally get one just to play with like a big tonka truck in my backyard. Honestly, this is so hilariously fun, I kinda want one anyway.
That’s my thought. It’s so silly it comes back to being fun again!
“Extinction Level Event” meets “He who dies with the most toys wins!”
Now there’s a JOKE!
That didnt occur to me.You’re right.If nothing else it’s good publicity
The bullet proofing may work if you camp in areas with shoot at anything hunters. You know the ones that shoot through the kitchen window because they thought a deer was
Or so drunk they shoot the cooler, had a coleman with a 7mm hole in it for years
Six months of filtered air, and an outside bathroom, eh? Someone didn’t think this through.
And an outside kitchen. So since you aren’t eating or drinking for six months, you won’t need the bathroom either! See, it works itself out.
All this talk about being “bear-proof,” fine, I didn’t want your stupid camper anyway.
Perfect comment, 100%.
What happens if you need to get away from the hazards this thing is designed to protect you from? Wouldn’t this make more sense as a self-propelled RV?? Also, what is the point of the system that can provide 6 months of purified air? Even if you could solve the problem of getting water, do they think someone wants to spend their last 6 months of existence in something barely larger than coffin??
This isn’t a vehicle for a rich prepper. It is a vehicle for a very stupid rich prepper.
I wouldn’t pepper spray the bears, humans? I have no qualms pepper spraying a human, especially if out in the middle of nowhere. I am more surprised it doesn’t have a gun mount inside for the imaginary enemy.
70K is still a pretty penny, but I was expecting it to start at 150K. so not so terrible I guess.
The bathroom being outside seems like a pretty major blind spot in a “bunker”.
Not to mention that a couple strong men could lift the tongue and roll your “bunker” away at any time.
Also LOL at the idea of finding “social unrest” in the wilderness.
Piss in a bottle or your pants until you feel safe to step outside, then empty the bottle and shower away the urine before the forest rioters return. Unless they’ve taken your bunker to their stronghold (since forest rioters are fictional, I get to assume they have some sort of stronghold), in which case you lay on that bear spray until you run out, wait for it to settle, then realize you’ve really pissed them off now.
Right. As a potential rioter, I will just steal their truck or use another to haul them away. Ooo, or find a boat ramp, beach, or pond and back them into the water. Let’s see the air filtration system handle that!!
You never know when Anti-Fa will descend from the trees and attack! They’re everywhere!!!!!1111!!! /s
I used to sell guns at Cabela’s, and I can safely say that the sort of prepper who buys something like this imagines an apocalypse that certainly isn’t real, along with suddenly having abilities they definitely don’t have. These are the guys who stockpile a little food, a lot of ammo, and have no plan to sustain themselves. They think that they’ll trade precious metals for essentials and shoot roving bands of raiders. They have fantasized about the “cool” parts. They aren’t thinking about the bathroom or anything else that’s not them as the hero in an apocalypse movie.
If civilization ever did collapse, gold would be as useless as any other dense rock.
Currency would be canned food and antibiotics.
Correct. And you’d want some viable farmland and access to relatively clean water, not a bunker full of guns. But these guys aren’t interested in the hard work of survival, just shooting imagined enemies.
For real, water will be the most valuable resource on the planet. I wonder how many preppers have a hand pump well or spring in their compound
Met a guy who couldn’t afford gold bullion so was stockpiling copper ingots, he probably had at least $400 worth. Myself I would stockpile beef jerky, but would probably eat it faster than I could replenish the stash
Copper ingots are an odd choice for the paranoic on a budget. Why not hoard pre-1982 pennies for the copper content? Buy rolls of pennies and return the newer ones. You get 3 cents of copper for only 1 cent!
Back in the late 70’s, I worked for a company that made resistance welding transformers for the automakers. There was literally tons of pure, solid copper sitting on skids out back in the open. No thefts. A different time.
Another thing I realized about hoarding gold for the apocalypse is that most people hoard big pieces of gold. However, it’s pretty hard to buy small things as you can’t get change from a Kruger-Rand. You don’t want gold bricks or coins … you want earrings and small broaches.
Culture of Fear, baby!
The geiger counter is my favorite part. You’re not outlasting the radiation in this, so I guess it’s just nice to know how irradiated you are going to be.
This will sell, though. I know plenty of people will pay that kind of money to feel protected from all sorts of threats, real or imagined (mostly, if not entirely, imagined).
“The Geiger counter is going nuts, we better get outta this area!”
“Damnit! We’re in a trailer.”
“Rock Paper Scissors?”
“Sigh.. I’ll drive. We’re out of beer and I gotta take a piss anyway.”
A Geiger counter! Be you’re own prospector and find all that ore near Moab that earlier generations missed!