The camping trailer market continues pushing out new and unique designs, in part because camping has grown in popularity, and in part because every single person to ever call a patch of public dirt home for a night has a different idea on the best way to lay out a camper. Colorado Backcountry Trailer is the latest startup to put its own spin on capable towing and spacious living. Its Timberline trailer follows an ATV or UTV like a loyal Labrador and relies on an electric-lift tent, deluxe kitchen and smart storage solutions to let you live like a king, even when your only throne is a folding camp chair or cassette toilet.
What initially caught our eye at Colorado Backcountry's Overland Expo booth was the Timberline's large slide-out kitchen facing the dusty aisle. The Loveland, CO-based company's idea of a backcountry cookout starts with a full kitchen that takes up the entire driver side of the trailer. The stretched unit includes a triple-burner stove from Furrion, providing a little extra cooking power over the usual dual-burner. The meal-prep powerhouse also includes a slide-out sized for an optional Yeti 65 cooler or 63-quart (60-L) ARB fridge/freezer, a sink and storage drawers.
As we continued our guided Timberline tour, little innovations and nice touches continued to pop out. The biggest among them was the custom-designed electric lift holding the roof-top tent to the trailer. The lift is there to keep the center of gravity low during driving while offering a higher sleeping platform at camp and opening up access to the diamond-plate trailer top, which can be used for work and storage.
In our experience camping, you can never have too much worktop/table space, because that's about the only thing keeping your food, gear and other essentials from being absorbed into the dirt, dust and mud below. So having access to the entire Timberline trailer top is definitely a plus.
Another little touch that we liked was the flush-mount compartment for 2-gal (7.6-L) Rotopax fuel canister, keeping the canister readily accessible without having it dangle off the side of the trailer. This compartment sits in the rear corner, back from the drop-down electrical controls access door and hot water heater hatch on the passenger side.
The folks at Colorado Backcountry developed their trailer specifically for towing behind side-by-sides and UTVs, making it compact enough to tow on trails measuring 50 in (127 cm) wide and tough enough to take anywhere. The idea was to create something akin to the burliest premium off-road camping trailers out there, but smaller, lighter, more maneuverable and more affordable.
With that in mind, Colorado Backcountry builds the Timberline like a little brick, skinning the steel-tube frame in steel body paneling for hardwearing off-road use. A 2,000-lb (907-kg) Timbren trailing arm suspension cushions away the bumps and dips under-tire, while a Max Coupler hitch offers full articulation. The trailer weighs 1,550 lb (703 kg) dry.
Rather than offer an empty lockbox that customers build up into their perfect trailer, Colorado Backcountry offers a well-equipped package straight out of the gate, ensuring every buyer enjoys some homey comfort in the boondocks. The Gordigear roof-top tent is part of the package, as is the electric lift. The 17.9-gal (67.8-L) fresh water tank comes piped to a water heater, keeping both hot and cold water available at the tap. The kitchen comes with the three-burner stove, sink and LED lighting, but the cooler or fridge/freezer is optional.
Timberline pricing starts at US$18,900, and the Overland Expo show model was modestly optioned to $20,250.
In the video below, Colorado Backcountry co-owner Austin Kopf provides a walkthrough of the Timberline's features and set-up.
Source: Colorado Backcountry Trailer