In November of 2025 I pulled the trigger on a camper top for my Tacoma. I had been hard eyeballing a topper made from scratch by a little company in Denver, Colorado. I’d been silently stalking this camping box in my mind for a bit. I had come across a random YouTube video when I was scrolling mindlessly online for a new camper set up. A young (by my standards) entrepreneur showing off a new truck topper he had created – the Moonlander X.

If the video had 100,000 views at least 100 were mine. I liked the guy’s vibe and his energy. I gravitate towards entrepreneurs chasing their dreams man god knows I’ve been there before.

Still here btw

I said to myself “this is it”

“Hey Moonlander, you wanna be my gal?”

It pinged

She didn’t respond but I knew I had found my camping haven.

It’s just a camper Chad.

Yeah to most everyone else in all the land but not me.

Resonation is a good drug

In September after my 10 day trip up to the upper peninsula of Michigan (yeah I’m name dropping) I had convinced myself to sell my trailer, cab cover and roof top tent to try to purchase this camper.

If it sells I’ll buy it. If it doesn’t then it just wasn’t meant to be.

Two weeks after posting my set up and trailer online on marketplace I sold it.

All of it.

All of my overlanding set up was off to new homes thanks to marketplace. The very next day I sent Radica (the company that makes these I guess I should’ve mentioned that) and told them

“Hey I want one of your campers”

That was on October 21st, 2025.

After processing, paperwork and payment I got my Moonlander delivered to Wilmington on April 2nd.

From October to April I didn’t camp.

No big deal Chad.

Listen

It is to me

Camping is my hobby. No it’s a lifestyle. I found the love for this in 2018 and refused to allow it to dim.

I’ve put away a lot of demons with this activity.

Most of them actually. Sure there’s more attached but this was an important factor.

Camping and I are like peas and carrots you could say.

I got my camper the week before my trip to Utah. 5.5 months without access to my hobby.

What do you like to do when you unwind?

Golf?

Beach?

Sewing?

Drinking?

Bridge?

Fishing? I don’t but I think I would enjoy that

Mine’s camping, overlanding, sitting next to a campfire with my thoughts. I’m pretty simple with it. Get me to a ridge line or a river and I’m good.

Easy peasy

Indeed

I got the camper while I was packing for Utah. No time for any modifications other than having two roof bars fabricated for an awning. I just threw our shit in the back of the truck and made it up as we traveled. I didn’t have a chance to actually sit inside and enjoy the vibe until my first morning in Dead Horse Point Utah. I’d watched the sunrise and walked to my camper and had a seat inside

And smiled

I don’t ask for much anymore in this life. I tried to grab everything I could get my hands on for decades. Most of the time it was just out of reach but not this time.

I sat overlooking the canyon for about 20 minutes. Feet dangling off my mattress that I still had not sat on until that morning. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Not for the purchase of the camper as much as the opportunity and experience.

I put a lot of boxes together to sit in that camper. Toiling can be gracious. I rewarded myself for it. 10 years ago I was getting my car repo’d three times while our finances were crumbling while I tried to grow my old business. I worked for 8 years and moved backwards most of the time. This is not a knock on my old business.

I earned this shit. Period

Since that moment up to now I’ve spent 48 nights in that little camper out of the last 207. A calculation will tell you that I average a trip every 4.3 days.

8 days in Utah/AZ

10 in New England

The others razzling and dazzling around NC and north GA. And now 2 more on the coast.

Every year around this time I go through my little ritual of tidying my gear up and setting it aside for the holiday season rush. I take a few weeks off from my hobby but I don’t see it happening this year. She’s gonna ride with me a little more. I’ve gotten a little better with my freedom time.

I was just looking for better headroom. What I found was my peace.

Come to find out that’s really all I’ve been looking for this whole time.

I haven’t figured out much in this life but I got that one. I’m gonna hold onto it like a charm from my daughter

I’m not sure what encouraged me to write this declaration maybe my soul just needed a pat on the back. So pat pat brother you done good.

Peace ☮️