No matter how many off-road overland trailers exist from multitudinous manufacturers small and large, there's always room for more—and we're always ready for more. Add Sasquatch Expedition Campers' new Highland Camper Series to the list of off-grid trailers. Headquartered in Silverton, Colorado, Sasquatch was founded in 2021 after three buddies took a backcountry camping trip in the Rocky Mountains during pandemic closures.
The Highland is a sleep-in expedition camper (meaning you literally sleep inside of it) in contrast to the company's other trailer, the Smuggler ($32,450), which swaps out living quarters for cargo hauling-capabilities and a rooftop tent—although you can add a rooftop tent to the Highland for, um, more square footage. Differing in width, there's the Highland 60 ($41,950) and the Highland 48 ($38,450), with the former housing a 60-inch queen mattress and the latter a 48-inch mattress.
Adding the Pro+ ($3,500) or Pro-X ($7,000) packages to the base Trail makes the price shoot up, as do a good selection of other add-ons. Customers can choose from 10 exterior colors, with orange, blue, red, and moss green (pictured) being the most colorful of the bunch.
Riding on an aluminum powder-coated frame, the compact Sasquatch Highland 60 weighs under 1,800 pounds (dry) and is 196 inches long from hitch to spare tire. That's basically the length of an Acura MDX, Hyundai Palisade, Subaru Ascent, Volkswagen Atlas, or similar midsize three-row SUV, making garage or driveway on-site storage totally plausible. It packs a ton of off-grid capability into its small footprint, containing just about everything but a bathroom, although there's an optional shower enclosure that could provide some privacy. As for other bathroom needs... nature's your oyster.
The Highland Sasquatch traverses off-road trails thanks to Sasquatch's Bigfoot independent coilover suspension system with Fox shocks. It has 285/70R17 BF Goodrich KO2 tires (and a full-size spare) mounted on black steelies or optional Methods. The approximately 32.5-inch wheels, off-road suspension, and trailer design allow for a 38-degree departure angle and 22 inches of ground clearance. Trailer protection in the form of full-width bed-lined running boards protect the body.
Let's explore how the exterior of the Sasquatch Highland is designed to carry stuff. There's an aluminum roof rack with T-rack cross bars. The gap between the roof and roof rack allows for more storage. For example, there's an optional Squatch Box that fits in that gap. This custom storage box holds two 100-watt solar panels and a custom fold-up camp table. An Expedition side rack system (those metal panels under the roof rack) holds RotopaX containers and multitudinous mountable recovery gear. Four aluminum side boxes (two per side) are located under those racks and have independently controlled LED lighting, weatherstripping, sealed compression latches, and optional adjustable shelving.
The tongue area houses most of the proverbial guts 'n thingamabobs that run the whole operation: Renogy DC-DC battery charger; Renogy 1000-watt inverter; optional 200-Ah Renogy Lithium battery; Renogy solar charge controller; and shore power, electrical cord passthrough, and solar passthrough bulkheads. One exception is the propane. Two 11-pound bottles are secured at the rear. There's an additional storage rack above the tongue box.
The mid-section constitutes the sleeping quarters, complete with a memory foam mattress, aluminum cabinet storage, lighting, power outlets, mesh side pockets, and a nifty roof vent. The interior walls are not wood that can rot, crack or splinter. Rather, they're made of something called ACRE, a sustainable wood alternative. The walls, roof, and floor are fully insulated. Like conventional RVs or trailers, the miniature entrance doors to the living space latch open and have screen doors and opening windows, allowing for bug-free airflow on warm nights.
The rearward-facing aluminum CNC-cut kitchen is a neatly organized, rather simple clutter-free space, providing a wind-free area for cooking and food prep thanks to the three-burner cooktop, stainless steel sink, and stainless countertop. There's a 36-gallon water tank and on-demand hot water to the sink and shower. Three overhead shelved kitchen cabinets and two drawers under those provide adequate food storage.
Where's the refrigerator? On the rear swing-out door shelf. The shelf has tie-down provisions, LED lighting, and a 12-volt power supply for the fridge. This location is very convenient in theory, provided you have a door that can handle the extra bulk and weight, which most setups don't have. The optional ICECO VL65 fridge/freezer weighs over 60 pounds unloaded. As with any overland setup, you might need an extra body to hoist the fridge onto the shelf, and you might consider loading heavy items after it's homed. All in all, this is a great solution to housing a life-saving—albeit storage-gobbling and back-breaking—keeper of cold food and frosty beverages.
The very back of the Sasquatch Highland has a spare tire rack with integrated lighting, a 2-inch receiver hitch, and an optional fold-down stainless-steel prep table. The spare tire rack operates independently of the rear door; the spare tire rack swings open toward the passenger-side first, then the back door opens toward the driver-side, allowing kitchen access. Since the receiver hitch is attached to the spare tire rack, your loaded bike rack or hitch-mounted cargo carrier doesn't impede kitchen access. If you've ever attached a bike rack to a receiver hitch and then realized you now can't open your tailgate, rear door, or hatch to easily access your fridge (oh the irony!) or anything else in the rear, you know this problem well. Not speaking from experience, of course.