(Photo submitted by the author)
July 18, 2025
By Bruce W. Smith
Setting up a comfortable hunting base camp that has a kitchen, room to sleep four, an enclosed bathroom and a hot shower can be a real challenge in a remote area that’s accessible only by a rough two-track deep in the backcountry. A good four-wheel-drive takes care of the “getting there” part. But the camp accommodations require a special breed of trailer to handle both the rugged terrain and a small hunting party’s needs while spending days camping off-the-grid.
That’s precisely what the 2025 “Genesis Edition” Tall Boy (TL) delivers. It’s built by Washington State off-road trailer manufacturer Mammoth Overland to provide everything one needs when camping off-the-grid. This new tandem-axle overlanding-style RV is as robust as they come, comfortably sleeps four, has an inside bathroom, more than six feet of headroom, tons of storage space, a big exterior galley, and enough water, propane, electrical and solar power to keep everyone comfortable for days on end.
Mammoth Overland’s TL is the lightest tandem-axle overlanding trailer of its size, and with 22 inches of ground clearance and dual independent axles, it can be easily towed over rough terrain. (Photo submitted by the author) My wife and I enjoyed several days off-grid camping in the prototype TL late last summer high in the rugged, forested mountains about 40 miles north of Mammoth Overland’s Woodinville manufacturing facility. A few months later the Tall Boy served well during a late fall hunting trip with some buddies in an even more remote area of western Washington.
The TL is a uniquely-designed and constructed off-road camper trailer built right alongside Vashon Aircraft’s Ranger 7 airplane. Tall Boy uses the same aircraft-quality manufacturing equipment, aluminum materials, employees, and is subjected to the same attention to detail and quality control as the two-seater airplanes that share the production floor.
Advertisement
The Mammoth’s construction makes it light enough to be towed easily by ½-ton pickups, and by most mid-size pickups and SUVs. Empty it weighs just 2,900 pounds, and fully loaded the tandem-axle camper’s GVWR tips the scales at 5,200 pounds. For most outdoorsmen the towed weight of the TL will probably be around 4,500 pounds with a hitch tongue weight in the 400-pound vicinity.
High Strength-to-Weight Ratio (Photo submitted by the author) “We designed the trailers the same way as we build Rangers (airplanes),” says Scott Taylor, president of both Mammoth Overland and Vashon Aircraft. “The TL utilizes a dual-monocoque design that gives these trailers an incredible strength-to-weight ratio. It also allowed us to seal each shell separate from itself. This gave us the opportunity to provide our customers a product that will hold up to the elements and environment that hunters and outdoor adventurers here in the Pacific Northwest find themselves camping in.” Taylor’s resume also includes a long career as a production manager of numerous Boeing military and commercial aircraft programs.
A close look at the TL’s body during the fabrication process reveals its secret to being both rugged and its ability to keep the elements at bay. The panels have a unique aircraft edge design Vashon developed that overlap in a special way before being riveted together over the custom aluminum ribs. The panels are also bonded to one another using an aircraft/marine product called SilPruf to make sure rain and dust are sealed out.
Advertisement
A Generational Off-Road Trailer The Mammoth TL has one large storage area located in the front compartment on street-side. More cargo can be stored on the roof rack. (Photo submitted by the author) “We designed this trailer with an aircraft manufacturer’s mindset: to make it really strong, really light, and elegantly functional with minimal moving parts. Our goal was to build a ‘generational’ off-road trailer, one that could be handed down to the next generation, and the next,” said Taylor, who himself is a long-time pilot and family-oriented adventure camper.
The result is a robust body that sits atop a very stout steel frame with rock sliders riding on a lifted, tandem Timbren axle-less suspension. The articulation of the axle setup significantly reduces the amount of jostling the contents of the trailer get when the off-road travel begins. The tires are meaty, and two spares hang off the rear just in case a tire gets punctured along the way.
Storage for gear and cargo boxes is provided by the heavy-duty roof rack, plus other racks that are located on the front and rear. There’s also a cavernous storage locker at the front of the Mammoth on the street side.
Windows to the World (Photo submitted by the author) Stepping Inside the TL reveals how bright and airy it is compared to your typical travel off-road trailer. There’s a big RV-style side window on each side mid-trailer that gives a great view of the surroundings and sky, and they are fully adjustable to open as far as needed for cross-ventilation. They are also fitted with bug screens and black-out shades like a traditional camping trailer.
There are also four smaller oval-shaped windows running along each side of the canted roof. The “skylights” really open up the camper’s interior, and they are an obvious carry-over from the Vashon planes its built alongside.
When the side windows and rear entry door are shut, the TL does a great job sealing out noise, even the patter of a heavy rain. The build quality of the body and the insulation also makes it super easy to keep the interior toasty on cold winter days using just the one wall-mounted Dickenson Marine propane heater.
Spacious Sleeping Quarters Mammoth Overland’s 2025 Tall Boy does a very commendable job in the sleeping arrangement, too. It employs a king bed up front and adult-size bunks in the rear opposite the bathroom.
“We focused a little bit differently in the interior design than other off-road trailer manufacturers, designing it for sleeping and using the restroom facilities,” said Taylor. “The kitchen is located outside, and there’s a reason for that design: it makes it more comfortable for the women and children who might have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.”
When it comes to sleeping, the king-sized mattress is thick and comfortable. So are the mattresses on the twin bunks on the street-side. The top bunk easily unlocks to allow it to fold down to become the back of the lower bunk, which is now a long couch.
The stand-up bathroom is located opposite the bunks just inside the entry door. It’s small, but very functional. The cartridge-style toilet slides under the front wall of the shower. The instant hot water system reduces waste draining down the 50-gallon freshwater tank. There’s also an outside shower that is tied into the same hot water system.
Our only complaint with the interior, as it were, is the aisle between the entry door and the dining area is very narrow. The tight passage way is the result of a compromise for having the big bunks and king bed.
Exterior Swing-Out Kitchen The swing-out kitchen has a 12V 46-quart freezer/fridge, stainless sink and a two-burner propane stove. (Photo submitted by the author) Unlike most conventional campers, the Tall Boy doesn’t have an interior galley. Instead, the kitchen is outside, located on the curb-side front of the TL. The aluminum kitchen unit swings out, locking in place to provide a stable cooking platform with a two-burner propane stove, small sink and convenient 42-quart, 12V freezer/fridge.
The big 270-degree 23Zero awning does a great job keeping the rain, snow and sun off the entire side and entry door of the trailer, including the swing-out kitchen.
In addition to the outdoor kitchen the TL also has a nifty foot-wide, three-foot-long drop-down side panel for a prep table—or a serving table—whichever is needed. When it opens the space behind reveals a convenient three-shelf pantry that can be accessed from inside or outside.
Handling The Electrical Needs We used the table to hold a portable Kenyon SilKEN smokeless electric 110V grill that plugged into a receptacle inside the drop-down table’s cubby. (The TL has USB, 12V and 110 plug-ins conveniently located throughout the trailer.) The amp draw from the grill was easily handled by the 2,000-watt inverter that’s fed by a pair of 100-watt roof-mounted solar panels and the Renogy 400aH lithium battery located in the big storage compartment.
“Making sure there was enough 110V electrical power was a priority for our electrical engineering teams,” said Taylor. “My wife had a lot to do with that aspect of the Tall Boy. She spends a lot of time curling her hair even when camping, and as an accomplished barista, using her espresso machine for morning coffee.”
The abundance of USB ports, solar power, and inverter are great for hunters to charge cell phones and hand-held GMRS radios. The Mammoth Overland Tall Boy is also set up for the use of a portable generator should that be one of the items needed in hunting camp.
Mammoth Trailer The Tall Boy is an easy tow for any vehicle with a towing capacity of 5,500 pounds. It can also be towed by some Jeeps and SUVs if the total weight stays within the appropriate weight range for that vehicle.
A big part of Mammoth Overland’s TL easy towing nature is because it has about 400 pounds of tongue weight, which makes trailer-induced sway non-existent—at least that’s how it towed behind Taylor’s four-door Wrangler. The long tongue, Lock N Roll articulating hitch and tandem Timbren Industries axle-less suspension helped isolate the Jeep from the trailer when the terrain got a little twisty and rough.
When the TL was towed to the hunting camp, the Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport, which has a 6,400-pound towing-capacity rating, felt smooth and stable both on the highway and off-pavement thanks in large part to the axle-less suspension and articulating hitch. Towing the Mammoth should feel the same behind any vehicle with similar tow ratings.
Final Thoughts A drop-down table adds extra prep space and storage space behind it. It also serves well for our Kenyon SilKEN smokeless 110V portable grill. (Photo submitted by the author) Overall, Mammoth Overland’s 2025 “Genesis Edition” Tall Boy overlanding camping trailer is stout, well-designed and more than capable of being a great base camp for hunters and overlanders, regardless of location.
The build quality and aircraft-style monocoque design of the body is designed to withstand the rigors of being towed over rough terrain like is found in the Pacific Northwest, and the interior provides four-season comfort, warmth and a great view of those types of surroundings.
According to Mammoth Overland, the first 10 “Genesis Edition” Tall Boy trailers will be fully optioned just like the one we used for camping. After that the TL will be offered at a lower price as a “base model,” which can then be accessorized and outfitted per the buyer’s needs, much like the auto industry does.
Genesis Edition Tall Boy Specs Construction: Robust steel chassis, Aircraft-grade aluminum monocoque shell, Double-wall R-5 insulated panels, Double-pane glass main windows, Stainless steel hardwareSleeps: 4Dimensions: 16 ft. 5 in. (L), 7 ft. 4 in. (W), 9 ft. 1 in. (H)Interior Height: 6 ft. 3 in.UVW: 2,900 lbs.GVWR: 5,200 lbs.Tongue Weight: 400 lbs.Track Width: 74.4 in.Wheel/Tire Package: 17 in. steel wheels with 33 in. BFGoodrich All-Terrain A/T KO2 tires, two mounted sparesSuspension: Tandem Timbren axle-lessGround Clearance: 22 in.Hitch: Lock N Roll articulating hitchElectrical: 100W (2) solar panels, Renogy 400Ah LifePO4 12V battery, 800Ah optionalMSRP: $72,000 (limited production run)Manufacturer: Mammoth Overland, mammothoverland.com
