Outdoors

Bowlus elongates beauty with $185,000 aluminum-skinned off-grid camping trailer

Bowlus elongates beauty with $185,000 aluminum-skinned off-grid camping trailer
Bowlus introduces a larger 26-foot Road Chief
Bowlus introduces a larger 26-foot Road Chief
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A stylish combination touring a "heart of the canyons" of its own
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A stylish combination touring a "heart of the canyons" of its own
Bowlus decorates the Road Chief On Road Edition 26 in a "Heart of the Canyons" theme
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Bowlus decorates the Road Chief On Road Edition 26 in a "Heart of the Canyons" theme
The Road Chief 26 seats four for dinner on its combination of armchairs and sofa
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The Road Chief 26 seats four for dinner on its combination of armchairs and sofa
The kitchen includes stainless steel counters and sink and a dual-burner cooktop
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The kitchen includes stainless steel counters and sink and a dual-burner cooktop
The removable tabletop on the sofa makes it a functional dining area
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The removable tabletop on the sofa makes it a functional dining area
The rear bedroom has twin beds that convert into a king
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The rear bedroom has twin beds that convert into a king
Besides the rear bedroom compartment, all other rooms span across a central aisle
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Besides the rear bedroom compartment, all other rooms span across a central aisle
Inside the bedroom of the Bowlus Road Chief 26
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Inside the bedroom of the Bowlus Road Chief 26
Bowlus introduces a larger 26-foot Road Chief
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Bowlus introduces a larger 26-foot Road Chief
At $185,000, the Road Chief 26 isn't a trailer for the masses, but it sure would look nice behind one of the many high-performance or luxury SUVs hitting the market
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At $185,000, the Road Chief 26 isn't a trailer for the masses, but it sure would look nice behind one of the many high-performance or luxury SUVs hitting the market
Capturing natural and manmade beauty
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Capturing natural and manmade beauty 
Bowlus includes a folding outdoor cafe table
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Bowlus includes a folding outdoor cafe table
The front deck isn't exactly a grand veranda, but it's a nice platform to poke your head out on and enjoy the sunrise or sunset
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The front deck isn't exactly a grand veranda, but it's a nice platform to poke your head out on and enjoy the sunrise or sunset
Looking back through the living area
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Looking back through the living area
One side of the kitchen has the sink and microwave, and the other has the fridge and cooktop
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One side of the kitchen has the sink and microwave, and the other has the fridge and cooktop
The bathroom shower head can be pulled through the window and used outside
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The bathroom shower head can be pulled through the window and used outside
Floor plan and select specifications
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Floor plan and select specifications 
View gallery - 17 images

Bowlus expands its lineup of gorgeous, aluminum-skinned Road Chief travel trailers with its longest model. The new Road Chief 26 gives four campers extra room to stretch out and a small front porch for enjoying the sunrise and sunset. It also loads the luxury high, packing in heated floors, 4 kWh of lithium battery power, a mobile router with 3G/4G modem, and an interior inspired by the canyon country of the American Southwest. Forget "roughing it" – hitch this trailer to your performance or ultra-luxury SUV and tour, live and work in full comfort and style.

Introduced last week, the Road Chief On Road Edition 26' has an extra 2 feet (61 in) of length as compared to the original 24-foot (7.3-m) Road Chief. An extra few inches of height help even out the profile and provide the high-performance aerodynamics Bowlus prides itself on. Interior headroom is still a comfortable-for-most 6-ft 4-in (1.9 m).

Out on the road, that extra size should only make the reflective aluminum shell that much more impressive to onlookers. It'll also give the engine a little more work, but with a base weight of 3,300 lb (1,500 kg) and gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,000 lb (1,814 kg), you don't need a semi cab to pull it and will be able to use a variety of mid- and full-size trucks and SUVs.

The Road Chief 26's interior layout is largely the same as the Road Chief 24, with the exception of the bathroom. Located just ahead of the rear bedroom, the new bathroom includes individual toilet and shower rooms separated by the central hallway, rather than the single wet bath on the 24-footer. The shower appears roomier and includes teak flooring and seating and a shower head that can be pulled through the window and used as an outdoor shower/sprayer. The toilet room has a cassette toilet and stainless steel sink. Two closets adjacent to the bathroom space provide yours/mine storage for linens, toiletries, robes and other items.

Inside the bedroom of the Bowlus Road Chief 26
Inside the bedroom of the Bowlus Road Chief 26

The private master bedroom is wedged into the tapered rear-end, housing two twin beds that convert into a single king. The bedroom also comes with sheets, duvets and pillows for both bed configurations, a night table, drapes and wood window inserts, LED reading lights, a dedicated heating fan tapped into the hydronic heating system, and a cooling fan.

Moving forward from the bedroom and bathroom areas, the living room is split into two convertible lounges. The right-side lounge includes a sofa with removable tabletop, while the left-side lounge has armchairs and a table. At night, each side converts into a bed, completing the four-berth sleeping layout.

Bowlus decorates the Road Chief On Road Edition 26 in a "Heart of the Canyons" theme
Bowlus decorates the Road Chief On Road Edition 26 in a "Heart of the Canyons" theme

In addition to dining and sleeping, the living area is optimized for laptop work, with a device charging station on the underside of the left-side table and a mobile router with embedded 3G/4G modem and GPS. Soft-close storage drawers are located under the chairs and sofa.

The kitchen fills out the front of the trailer, with a gas dual-burner cooktop and 88-liter fridge/freezer on one side, a sink and microwave on the other. The appliances are surrounded by cupboards, drawers, shelves and stainless steel countertops.

A front door on the kitchen opens up to a small diamond-plate deck located on the drawbar, good for stepping outside with a morning coffee or evening wine. The deck isn't sized for entertaining, but Bowlus does include a stowable, folding outdoor cafe table for more formal outdoor dining.

The kitchen includes stainless steel counters and sink and a dual-burner cooktop
The kitchen includes stainless steel counters and sink and a dual-burner cooktop

The Road Chief 26 isn't quite as tech-forward as the Lithium+ we looked at two years ago, but it benefits from the same-size 4-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery that provides for up to a week of off-grid electricity. That's double the capacity of the Road Chief 24, allowing campers to run power-heavy appliances like the microwave and remote-controlled 10,000-BTU air conditioner directly off the battery. Bowlus says that A/C will run for about four hours on battery power alone, so a better option for off-grid pre-cooling than extended off-grid running. A 120-watt solar panel is available optionally.

Other key standard features include a gas hydronic heating system, heated floors, real wood and anodized interior walls, a cellular booster, bronze window, vent and door screens, a continuous hot water heater, a 72-L fresh water tank, an 80-L grey water tank and LED lighting. The interior comes in a "Heart of the Canyons" motif inspired by the colorful sand, dirt and rock of the superlative national lands of Utah, Arizona and neighboring states. The exterior includes LED lighting and an awning that can be attached to either side.

The front deck isn't exactly a grand veranda, but it's a nice platform to poke your head out on and enjoy the sunrise or sunset
The front deck isn't exactly a grand veranda, but it's a nice platform to poke your head out on and enjoy the sunrise or sunset

The On The Road 26 Edition starts at a cool US$185,000, which actually puts it in the middle of Bowlus' lineup, between the $137,000 On The Road 24 Edition and the $219,000 Endless Highways. Those looking for "entry level" will be looking at the $120,000 three-person Heritage Edition. But hey, charge a dollar or two to answer every time someone stops to ask, "What is that gorgeous thing and where can I get one?" and you should pay it off in no time.

Note: Bowlus plans to send us bathroom photos after a scheduled shoot in about a week. We'll add them to the gallery once we have them.

Source: Bowlus

View gallery - 17 images
5 comments
5 comments
Ricky Bobby
Very nice, but very pricey. I wonder of there is a connection to Boles, one of the original aluminum trailer companies. This bears a really strong resemblance to a Boles Aero. On a side note, Bowlus reminds me of "bolus", which is what NASA calls a turd.
guzmanchinky
Uhhh, I just bought a 24 foot Mercedes Sprinter RV with a full slideout for about $100,000. Why in the world would anyone spend this much on such a tiny trailer?
flyerfly
The price is to funny! Reminds me of the aluminum trailer my grandpa had out in the woods that looked VERY similar. Even the interior looked almost identical. The seats looked 98% the same. I used to play in it all the time when we visited until they gave it away. I think new it cost under a $1000 back in the 60's. I manufacture things for a living and the cost to make the one in the pictures does not match up with the asking price. Good luck to them!
paul93
This is hands down, one of the ugliest campers I have ever seen! 😂
Martin Hone
I love it, but not at that price I'm afraid !