TOP:^ DREWM
ARTINBEST OF THE WEST
The Daily Driver
Sure, those #vanlife humble brags look great
on Instagram, but living free doesn’t always
come cheap. Lurking beneath the hood of a
converted Sprinter van can be tens or thou-
sands of dollars in retrofit or vehicle costs, all
for something you’ll likely park alongside
your house when it’s not in use.
That’s why GoFast Campers cofounders
Graeme MacPherson and Wiley Davis took in-
spiration from a simpler era of exploration,
when Westfalias and VW buses traversed the
West in search of adventure. “I had so many
friends who wanted a camper that didn’t suck
for less than $10,000,” says MacPherson,
who launched the company in 2017. “I want-
ed something that was high quality, American-
made, and the kind of thing you could drive
every day.”
Fast-forward to today, and GoFast has
equipped hundreds of trucks, SUVs, and even
vintage low-riders with a lightweight system
inspired by pop-top Westie ceilings. Set up for
the two-person sleeping cabin is as easy as re-
leasing two pins and letting the hydraulics de-
ploy the translucent ceiling and side walls with
a whoosh.
“It’s something you drive every day,” says
MacPherson of the topper, which starts at
about 130 pounds. “You’ll always have a
place to sleep no matter where you’re head-
ing, and it’s not a full-on quarter-million-dollar
van. I call it the people’s version of #vanlife.”
From $3,500; gofastcampers.com.Smarter,
Farther,
Faster
THREE INNOVATIVE NEW
PLATFORMS FOR SEEING
MORE OF THE WESTThe Classic Cruiser
Roughing it isn’t exactly the point of the
Bowlus Road Chief—but if your budget is as
refined as the aesthetics on this throwback
tow-behind, you’ll appreciate its thoughtful
design. The aerospace-inspired luxury cabin
comes from a long line of riveted aluminum
trailers (see Sunset’s 1938 coverage, inset)
but this model, dubbed “Endless Highways,”
adds state-of-the-art electronics for a week’s
worth of on-board battery power. At just more
than 3,000 pounds, it’ll
even tow comfortably be-
hind a Tesla X. Teak show-
ers, an en-suite bathroom,
and room for four make this
the most comfortable cruiser
on the road. $185,000,
bowlusroachief.com.The App-y Camper
tries, the company behind many popular models of RV—Airstream, Jay-
co, and the ThorMotor Coach shown at left, to name a few—partnered
with an app called Togo to help you achieve escape velocity. Select
from prepopulated checklists including safety inspections, maintenance
checks, packing guides, and more. A companion 4GLTE device can
even be controlled from the app. Free to download, $400 for the Wi-Fi
4GLTE extender; runswithtogo.com. —Matt BeanSunset^
February^
1938