Everything & The Kitchen Sink - Miranda & Kyle West

The start of my camping experiences began simply during the few years I spent in the Girl Scouts.

Fast forward about 12 years, when my then-boyfriend and now husband took me to Huntsville State Park, where he introduced me to his two-man mummy style tent. I was not enthusiastic about this in the least.

On our next camping trip, Kyle brought his dad’s tent, which was roomy but 30 years old. An afternoon rain shower that came while we were away hiking quickly revealed the tent’s age, and we came back to our belongings

Everything & The Kitchen Sink

soaked and our air-up mattress floating. I then bought a tent that I believe made Kyle, who is an Eagle Scout, very embarrassed by the mansion I had purchased.

Over the next few years, we camped seldomly because I was frustrated by it all: Setting up a tent in the wind, the dirt in the tent, the air-up mattress never holding air conveniently by 2 a.m., and the lack of organization. Not to mention the storage of all the gear at home.

In 2016, we had a baby and travel got expensive on a one-income budget (due to my choice of being a stay-athome parent). Kyle decided he wanted to spend at least a week in one of his dream destinations, Big Bend National Park.

While we had done short camping trips with our daughter, I put my foot down and informed Kyle that in order to do a weeklong, backcountry desert camping trip with a toddler, I wanted a sink and no more ground tent. I honestly was oblivious to the fact that there were a handful of pricey off-road trailers on the market, and just thought I had given my husband an impossible task to fulfill.

Then one day Kyle came home with a fiberglass utility bed off of a Ford Ranger, and let me tell y’all it looked nasty. I thought he had lost his mind

and for the life of me I could not see his grand vision.

Slowly but surely, Kyle brought the trailer to life, starting with the frame. Everything on the trailer either came from Facebook Marketplace or Amazon, and it did not come together overnight or even over a few weeks.

Our first trip with it we did not have the tent. By the second trip we had recently received the CVT Mt. Rainier, but it was temporarily strapped on the trailer. Our third trip was an 8-night trip to Big Bend National Park, complete with my sink and tent on top of a telescoping rack. This project began in November 2016 with the Big Bend trip happening in April 2018.

We have since added trailer brakes, awning, 12-volt charging system, lighting system, fresh water tank, water pump, and a myriad of other gear. What I love about the trailer is the fact that everything has a home, a place, a dedicated storage space. The trailer is constantly ready to go and no longer takes us several days to ready our gear for a quick weekend trip.

Going with the trailer route, I enjoy the fact that my RTT is not mounted on my vehicle so I can set up base camp and still be free to explore. The RTT was a game changer compared to the ground tent in its ease of set up, comfort, and, well, no more dirt except for the time we encountered 55 mph winds.

Basically, to wrap this up I’ve always loved the outdoors but not traditional camping. The off-road trailer has allowed me some comforts and lets us go further than an RV. By going the home-built route we saved a huge amount of money and made it the way that fit our lifestyle.

We have now visited 33 different campsites, and we could not be more thrilled that our daughter looks forward to each trip. Our trailer is an everevolving project that we are always proud to share. And who knows? There may be a hot water heater or a 12-volt refrigerator in our future. Huge shout out to Kyle for making my kitchen sink a reality, as well as several friends and family members that were always willing to lend a hand or an idea.

Miranda & Kyle West

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