Boreas Campers Goes Off-Grid With Western Flair

Off-road camping enthusiast Matt Reichel wanted something better than the camper offerings he found several years ago. So, he decided to create his own company, Boreas Campers, in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2015 and went to market with its first camper in 2016.

Reichel studied the available campers at that time and figured he could build something better. That was around the time smaller, towable, teardrop-style campers were gaining popularity. He opted to pursue an off-road teardrop.

“I built the first one in my garage, while I was spending my time skiing in Breckenridge, and living on Boreas Pass Road, which is where the name of the company ultimately came from,” he says. “I looked at what was available out there, and looked into markets outside the U.S., like Australia, where they have been really into the off-road caravan for much longer than North America has. I took some cues from their experience, and from my own personal use.”

Built In-House

Boreas is a relatively small firm, building 100 to 150 units a years. All are built at the company’s factory in Pueblo. The units are sturdy, built from steel and composites. This is a major differentiator for Boreas in a competitive market.

“We do all of our own chassis in-house, all of our own welding and composites,” Reichel says. “We go from raw materials to finished goods. We have a steel chassis, then the camper body is either going to be a metal or composite. We have zero wood in any of our campers. We moved away from wood products in 2018 and never looked back.”

Reichel describes the XT model as the company’s “bread-and-butter” product.

“The XT is a fully loaded, turnkey, ready-to-camp square-drop trailer,” he says. “There is a queen bed inside, so it sleeps two people. Then you can add a rooftop tent to bring the kids along. Then we have the EOS 12, which is our hybrid, so you have a pop-up roof. That can sleep four adults and has a bathroom in it and the four-season capability. It is the Rolls Royce of our lines.”

Boreas’ customers typically range from 35 to 75. This includes remote workers living full-time in campers, hunters, hikers, photographers and retirees.

“We certainly are not the only one in this market, but what really sets us apart is not only the all-metal and composite construction, but the specs,” Reichel says. “We lead the industry in specifications. Whether that is the 30-gallon water capacity on the XT, or the components we use, such as the Zamp solar panels, Battle Born batteries, and Victron solar charged controllers and inverters. We are really using high-end products across all of our models.”

A High-Specification Brand

Being a small manufacturer, Boreas just has two dealers: one in Idaho and one in North Carolina. Reichel plans to add more dealers, but “they won’t be on every street corner.” He plans to maintain Boreas’ status as a high-specification brand. Reichel hopes to find dealers in California, Texas and the Midwest.

The East Coast has been a good market, although it doesn’t have as many off-road trails and wide-open spaces as the West. But there is plenty of adventure to be had in the East, in addition to its population density providing a foundation for sales.

“You do not have many off-road style manufacturers in the East,” Reichel says. “They are typically in the West. To get our product to the East Coast, without asking customers to spend three days in a car just to come look at our line, has been very beneficial to us and to our brand.”

The dealer in Boise, Idaho, is well-positioned to cover the Pacific Northwest and other Western adventure camping areas, Reichel says.

Boreas’ experience in 2023 mirrors the RV industry as a whole. Business has slowed somewhat due to high interest rates and inflation. Reichel describes the last four years as a roller coaster period with ups and downs. He has adjusted production to meet market demand.

Reichel notes Boreas has been quick to make improvements in its short history. The company averages a big overhaul nearly every year.

“We are doing a pretty significant one for 2024 XT, coming out with a 12-volt rooftop air conditioner, also an option for 500 watts of solar power on the roof, and a digital control system. We are always working to have the best product in this competitive market. We have to be on the ball to be in the top tier of off-road campers.”

Up to now, Boreas hasn’t displayed its vehicles at the Open House in Elkhart, Indiana, but Reichel hopes to do that in 2024. The company does exhibit at shows in the West. Its primary show is Overland Expo.

Off-Road Options

Boreas offers options to help any off-road enthusiast. For the DIY crowd, a rolling chassis is available that has a Cruisemaster Australian suspension.

“We also sell our composite panel systems that we use on our campers to the. You can start at the bare bones and do your own thing, or you can get a shell model of the teardrop, which is the chassis and the box, plus the electrical system, if you want to outfit your own kitchen and your own water system. We give you a great platform to finish the build,” Reichel says.

At the other end of the spectrum is the XT, a ready-to-go camper. The EOS is a newer model, in production for just over a year.

“That (EOS) is a really high spec system. It has a Garmin operating system, and everything runs off of the Garmin touchpad. You can outfit it with up to 1,080 hours of lithium batteries and 1,000 watts of solar on the roof, so it is a very capable off-road, off-grid camper.”

Customer loyalty and repeat customers have fueled Boreas’ success.

“These trailers are a large investment and we have had many come back and get newer versions of the XT model, and we have had many go from the XT to the EOS 12,” Reichel says. “They are expanding their camping experience right along with us. We are really pumped whenever that happens.”