Among the sleek new versions of travel trailers aimed at tech-rich millennials and well-heeled boomers, the Bowlus Road Chief is a standout with deep historical roots.
More than just a shiny piece of eye candy for the road, this sleek construction with Art Moderne lines is filled with 21st-century comforts. Think heated floors, charging stations for devices, flexible space options, and a lithium power management systems that extends off-the-grid capability for up to seven days, according to Forbes.
It also looks cooler than any other trailer out there, the ideal vehicle for your next trip to Burning Man. So how did a 28-year-old Wharton Graduate named Geneva Long become CEO of the Bowlus Road Chief, a travel trailer company with roots in that go back to Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St Louis?
The story starts with Hawley Bowlus, a designer, engineer and aircraft builder known for his role as Superintendent of Construction for the aircraft Spirit of St. Louis, which Charles Lindbergh would fly on the first transatlantic flight. As a designer, Bowlus was intrigued by the fledgling market for lightweight travel trailers in the 1930s and in 1934, he unveiled the Bowlus Road Chief. This lightweight 1,100-pound trailer even had an intercom system to connect trailer occupants with the car driver. Bowlus produced about 80 travel trailers in various designs.