Utah startup Addax Outdoors unleashed a rather unexpected micro-camping trailer on the floor of SEMA 2022. While rugged teardrop-sized trailers are par for the course at the high-flash auto supplier show, the original Addax Overland trailer was developed with a rare combination of military toughness and land speed record vehicle expertise. It sized in even tinier than the typical off-road tagalong and wore official "Jeep" badging. The rugged, little sub-teardrop Jeep trailer, now named the Basecamp, has run through a full V3.0 update regimen and packs more trail and adventure readiness than ever. It's an electrified steel core ready to explode into a multi-sport adventure base.
Like any automaker, Jeep isn't afraid to collect a few bucks licensing out its brand to slap onto all kinds of basic lifestyle gear and consumer goods – from tote bags and tumblers to cheese boards and electric wine openers. But it plays a little more carefully with its coveted "Trail-Rated" badge, a category it reserves solely for the most rugged Jeep trims and components, tested and proven on the infamously treacherous Rubicon trail.
So developing a trailer that Jeep calls tough enough to chase its Trail-Rated 4x4s anywhere down any path on Earth is a pretty big deal. And that's praise Addax received directly from former Jeep North America chief Jim Morrison.
"We are excited to announce the co-launch of the most cutting-edge overland trailer on the planet," Morrison said at the SEMA debut in 2022. "The Jeep-branded Edition by Addax can truly follow a Jeep Trail-Rated vehicle anywhere and demonstrates the Jeep brand’s commitment to empowering our community with the gold standard in overlanding performance."
Addax earned those accolades by creating the type of light, compact and hardwearing trailer that could maneuver through the same twisting canyons and over the same unabating rock piles as the Jeep tugging it forward. Last year, Jeep and Addax expanded the partnership to begin offering Addax trailers and modular Gladiator camping shells directly through Mopar, Jeep's official parts, service and customer care arm.
Not every new Addax Basecamp trailer is a "Jeep Edition," but the new 2026 Basecamp V3 does carry over the ultra-rugged construction-meets-lightweight design that caught Jeep's interest in the first place. And the official Jeep Branded Edition is still in the lineup, featured in Addax's MY2026 introductory video, which you can view down below. So you can be sure that the Basecamp still has its Trail-Rated-grade toughness right down to its 3/16-in steel frame and deep-lugged 29-in tires.
Still, it's evolve or die out there in today's crowded marketplace and Addax has been tweaking the Overland-turned-Basecamp trailer and adding to its spec sheet and options list ever since its initial debut. This month, it pulled the cloth off the full V3.0 update.
Addax keeps the Basecamp's heavy-duty bones intact, basing the V3 around the same steel-on-steel construction it touted when it first debuted. That construction sees a 14-gauge body steel atop a crossbar-reinforced steel chassis, all powder-coated for corrosion protection. The fenders are rated to 600 lb (272 kg).
Addax keeps the Basecamp V3 contained within a tiny 6 x 6-ft (1.8 x 1.8-m) footprint designed for light, compact towing, proficient maneuvering through tight off-road spaces, and convenient, space-saving storage at home. That 6-foot length accounts for only the trailer body, but even after attaching the removable 47-in (119-cm) tongue, you still measure in right around 10 feet (3 m) long, well shorter than most camper trailers.
Part of that compacting comes courtesy of Addax's strategy of simplification. The Basecamp looks like a squaredrop trailer but doesn't include interior space enough to sleep a single person, let alone the usual two. Instead, its interior is dedicated entirely to cargo management, for which it includes sidewall MOLLE panels, MOLLE shelving, two slide-outs and a plenty of clear, open space left over. That storage is generously accessed through a door that takes up nearly the entire front wall and a tall, wide split-tailgate opening created by flip-up and drop-down doors.
Where the Addax trailer's design has evolved most is in its standard equipment spec. When we looked at it the first time around, it was advertised primarily as an empty cargo trailer with a variety of options. Now, Addax has worked to identify the components it likes, adding them to the standard package. It still offers loads of options, but those extend to more convenience-based add-ons like heating and air conditioning. The main camper kit is already there.
To start, the front door provides access to the slide-out 53-L fridge/freezer box. Around the back, a separate slide-out houses a sink basin and worktop area, offering plenty of space to set up a camping stove. Fresh water comes stored in an 83-L tank with pump.
The Basecamp V3 is also built to serve as a portable electrical station, starting with a 100-Ah lithium battery and including a 1,500-W inverter, DC-DC charger plugged in to the tow vehicle via seven-pin connection, 30-A shore power hookup and optional solar charging. An easily accessed panel on the sides houses the switches for all the various electrical equipment.
Without an actual squaredrop interior, the Basecamp V3 relies on its large Centori rooftop tent to sleep the family. The expanding aluminum-hardshell tent features a fold-out floor extension that completes sleeping space for up to four people, very similar to the Topoak Vision XL we tested a few months ago. It folds out in a couple of minutes and extends over the side of the trailer to augment the generous amount of shade already on offer from the 270-degree awning secured to the tent's rooftop crossbars.
The revised Basecamp V3 steps beyond the standard features list when it comes to hauling critical gear. It includes MOLLE panels on both outside walls for securing on other provisions and accessories. The crossbar rack holding the Centori tent up delivers 9.5 in (24 cm) clearance over top the main trailer, designed for stowing cargo or oversized gear like a kayak or skis. A perimeter of L-track around the trailer roof is there for securing that gear down.
Finally, the new V3 gains a 26 x 40-in (66 x 102-cm) fold-out deck up on the tongue, good for tying down additional gear and supplies like firewood. Like the tongue itself, that deck is removable.
Oh yeah, and there's a hitch receiver for sliding on a bike rack, cargo basket or alternative carrying system meant to hold any overflow.
In the end, the Basecamp V3 looks like an impressively small, capable trailer ready to carry all types of gear from its every free square inch - a high-capacity tiny hauler built to tow over rougher, narrower, steeper terrain than drivers towing larger trailers would ever dare try.
Addax says the Basecamp weighs in at 1,800 lb (816 kg) dry and has a payload of 1,450 lb (658 kg). The trailer maintains 17 inches (43 cm) of ground clearance with help from its 3,500-lb dual-torsion-axle suspension and includes electromagnetic drum brakes for improved stopping power.
Addax does not advertise an official manufacturer's suggested retail price, but listings at several dealerships put current 2026 Basecamp V3 starting prices between roughly US$18,000 and $19,000. Available upgrade packages include equipment like A/C and heat, solar panels, a water heater, an onboard air compressor, an articulating off-road hitch, a Camp Chef dual-burner stove, a quick-deploy shower and privacy tent, and a Dometic portable toilet.
Addax's video provides a complete walkthrough just inside five minutes.
Source: Addax Outdoors
