Outdoors

Ruggedly nuggety micro-camper urges you to mod your own adventure

View 15 Images
The Ushi Chuck tows quite tiny but grows into a capable base camp thanks to a modular MOLLE accessory system
Ushi Outdoors
The new Chuck from Ushi is a blank canvas for overland adventure
Ushi Outdoors
Ushi offers several options for mounting up a spare tire, including atop the optional diamond-plate bed cover
Ushi Outdoors
The Ushi Chuck can be equipped with hitch and roof carriers to become an all-out multi-sport trailer (but you might have to move the rooftop tent to the tow vehicle, as done here)
Ushi Outdoors
The Chuck doesn't include its own kitchen but does come with a mountable worktop and available sink system
Ushi Outdoors
Worktop mounted to the side and ready to cook, prep and maybe serve as a workbench for wrenching on gear
Ushi Outdoors
Ushi finishes its steel bumpers and over-bed rack system in a textured polyurethane coating
Ushi Outdoors
The available slides make access easy, particularly useful when coupled with the diamond-plate top
Ushi Outdoors
A welcoming friend lurks in the wild
Ushi Outdoors
Ushi Chuck with open bed, under-rack-mounted spare tire, hitch receiver and rooftop tent
Ushi Outdoors
Above-fender spare tire carrier
Ushi Outdoors
Lockable weather proof tongue box
Ushi Outdoors
The Ushi Chuck tows quite tiny but grows into a capable base camp thanks to a modular MOLLE accessory system
Ushi Outdoors
Previously strictly a kitchen and gear-hauler, the Ushi OG now offers the option of a rooftop tent
Ushi Outdoors
The Ushi OG rooftop tent support can also be combined with a table attachment
Ushi Outdoors
Ushi Chuck all-terrain modular camper trailer
Ushi Outdoors
View gallery - 15 images

If there was ever an RV that should be called "Chuck," it was the original Ushi Outdoors trailer. The North Carolina startup must have realized its oversight because its second trailer wears the name. It's not quite as natural a chuckwagon as the original, but it is a tiny, lightweight support rig that owners can quickly customize into their ultimate adventure partner. The Chuck can carry nearly twice its own dry weight, and Ushi offers a long list of ready-to-add options to fill that payload atop the open bed and MOLLE rack.

The Ushi Chuck isn't quite as instantly endearing as the original Ushi trailer – now fittingly named the Ushi OG – but that's mostly because it has a more imposing presence to it, a function of its lower, stouter center of gravity, slightly wider 70-in (178-cm) track that extends well past the body width, and burlier mud-terrain tires. It's clearly made to venture off the pavement and not sugarcoat life off the beaten path with gratuitous kindnesses or unnecessary luxuries. It's, rather literally, a tent and rucksack on wheels.

At a mere 711 lb (323 kg) to start and 8.3 feet (2.5 m) from its bumper to the tippity-tip of its tongue, the Chuck ranks among the smallest off-road trailers designed to hitch to street-legal four-wheel vehicles, not motorcycles, or bicycles, or human waists. It's a tad larger than the 7.4-foot (2.3 m) 500-lb (227-kg) Road Warrior, a car/motorcycle hybrid trailer, but is designed with a similar exoskeleton-based accessorize-it-yourself ethic.

In fact, the Chuck represents the latest debut in a wave of highly modular adventure camping trailers that's brought us a steady stream of new releases like the bolt-and-play Beaver Built, the roll-and-schuss Genimax HR, the load-it-out VanMe Bobo, and the moto-hauling Runaway Venturist.

Ushi Chuck all-terrain modular camper trailer
Ushi Outdoors

Ushi's new design is as modular as any of those others, thanks to a combination of boxy 43 x 39 x 21-in (109 x 99 x 53-cm) cargo bed and MOLLE-style steel rack. The former is there to hold the large, bulky stuff, such as coolers, duffel bags, grills, stoves, and crates loaded with gear. Buyers can add a set of slides for more easily accessing cargo from just behind the swinging tailgate. A diamond-plate aluminum cover is also available to improve security and weatherproofing while adding a second level of storage.

The above-bed rack is where things get really fun, and creativity is openly encouraged. First and foremost, if you want to camp on this trailer, you'll have to add a roof tent up top. Ushi offers a two/three-person tent, but with 700 lb (318 kg) of static weight capacity on the rack and 1,289 lb (585 kg) of payload, buyers should have some freedom in choosing their own without cutting into their freedom for additional accessorizing.

A welcoming friend lurks in the wild
Ushi Outdoors

The towers and crossbars of the rack are steel beams with MOLLE-style mounting points, designed to make adding components as painless as possible. These complement the larger MOLLE panels that stretch across the sides and lower front of the rack.

Many truck racks and accessories already use this same style of attachment, so the Chuck is ready to start loading on components from the get-go. Ushi sprints out of the gate with a rather long, comprehensive scroll of options that includes camping add-ons like pressurized 15- or 30-L water tanks, an awning, a sink faucet, a grill mount, a battery and plenty more. Buyers can also add gear-carrying options like a kayak rack, ebike rack and fishing rod holder.

The Ushi Chuck can be equipped with hitch and roof carriers to become an all-out multi-sport trailer (but you might have to move the rooftop tent to the tow vehicle, as done here)
Ushi Outdoors

Beyond Ushi's own list of options, the rack can be easily outfitted with compatible mounts for gear like traction boards, spare tires, shovels and Rotopax canisters.

Out front, the Ushi stores even more cargo in a lockable weatherproof tongue box. It also brings an attachable side worktop and sink basin mount, brake lights, and textured polyurethane-finished 12-gauge steel fenders as standard equipment. Both the aluminum bumper and tongue are removable, allowing the tiny Chuck to store away even smaller than it tows.

Ushi plants the Chuck atop a 1/4-in aluminum-tube chassis and cushions the wheels with a torsion axle suspension. A 4-in lift raises ground clearance to a comfortable 14 inches (35.5 cm) while steel wheels shown wrapped in mud-terrain tires ensure the trailer keeps rolling.

The Chuck doesn't include its own kitchen but does come with a mountable worktop and available sink system
Ushi Outdoors

The built-in-the-USA Ushi Chuck starts at a budget-friendly US$6,990 but will rise rapidly once buyers get started accessorizing it into their dream rig with camping amenities, overlanding kit, accompanying mounting hardware, sports racks and more. On the plus side, they can spread that financial pain out over time by gradually adding components, a clear advantage of the ultra-modular cargo-cum-camper trailer.

It's also worth noting that Ushi has added the option of a rooftop tent support system to the frame of its chuckwagon-like OG trailer, giving the gear-carrying tagalong full camping capability.

Source: Ushi Outdoors

View gallery - 15 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
0 comments
There are no comments. Be the first!