1 week Ago By C.C. Weiss
A compact tagalong designed to explode into a fully equipped hunting camp, the new Built For Xtreme (BFX) is a fundamental building block of outdoor preparedness. Using a series of locking compartments, slides and modular mounts, the trailer packs dedicated space for everything from all-day coffee, to hunting and angling equipment, to off-road recovery tools, to satellite communications, fully bridging the gap between the primal and the modern worlds. Born from the needs of the agriculture industry, Built For Extreme is a young spinoff of Iowa-based Harvest International, manufacturer of some impressively large, rugged tilling and planting machinery like that imposing monster right below.
The company already has experience building agricultural trailer equipment, and BFX extends its footprint to the hunting and camping markets. Steel sharpens steel, they say, and the 14.5-foot-long (4.
4-m) BFX trailer eschews the usual aluminum body construction in favor of American-made steel body panels atop a powder-coated steel chassis. Adding to the go-anywhere ruggedness, a heavy-duty independent suspension combines a pair of shocks and an airbag at each wheel to put some big cushion behind the aggressive 35 x 12.50R15LT Thunderer off-road.
That combo opens up a clean 26 inches (66 cm) of ground clearance. The BFX stands out in a market loaded with off-road camping trailers of various styles and sizes because it was born from a different point of inspiration. Rather than being designed specifically for overlanding, primitive camping or general gear-hauling, like so many other all-terrain trailers, it was designed with hunters in mind.
The great thing about it, though, is that even if you're not and never will be a hunter, you can still use the modular platform to personalize an well-equipped hitch-up base camp optimized to your every need. Beyond merely supporting the outdoorsy chef in cooking dinner, the BFX ensures he or she can procure and process dinner prior to cooking. That starts with a fishing rod holder mounted inside the upper rack that carries up to four different rods.
Down below, the three 57-in-long (144.8-cm) slide-outs stored inside the strut-assisted fold-down hatch are sized to fit up to four gun cases each, providing integrated support for both anglers and hunters. Of course, those slide-outs are also useful for coolers, general storage boxes other cargo if you aren't bringing guns along.
Beyond working as a basic prep surface and table, the fold-down hatch comes with two oversized poly cutting boards that turn it into a butcher's table for processing fish and game. But you don't have to be butchering meat or fileting fish to make use of the table, as it'll also work perfectly for any style of food prep. And you can pull one half of the cutting board out and use the other side of bare fold-down hatch to hold a stove, cooking tools, seasonings or even a whole knife block.
The optional jib crane is another unique multipurpose component, aimed primarily at hoisting game up for processing but also capable of lifting and removing other large, heavy items, such as spare wheel/tire assemblies and generators. Moving around to the driver's side of the trailer, the BFX serves up food and beverage via an integrated "Mudbucket" box on the side built to hold two included gallon-size Big Frig coffee growlers, each designed to keep contents hot for up to 48 hours. The larger hatch in front houses a slide-out Blackstone griddle, perfect for cooking up breakfast staples like bacon, eggs, hash browns and pancakes in the morning, and entrees like burgers, steaks and fish filets for dinner.
The driver's side of the trailer also houses the marine-grade waterproof battery box toward the rear corner. The house battery powers the onboard water pump, 360-degree area flood lighting system, and available electrical accessories. The other side of the BFX houses the water system, which brings together a 151-L fresh water tank and tankless water heater.
There's no formal sink or faucet, but the system includes hookups for a hose, tap or shower. Built For Extreme doesn't waste space, using the front end of the trailer to house a lockable sealed storage box and a mount on the upper rack to attach a Starlink or Dish tailgater satellite. An available mounting system lets owners secure a 32-in TV to the trailer.
Buyers can choose whether to dedicate the BFX to serious gear and utility hauling or turn it into a full camper. Built For Extreme offers a Roofnest rooftop tent and a couple of Freespirit RTT and awning options, and buyers could always mount up a different rooftop tent purchased elsewhere. Steel may sharpen steel, but it certainly doesn't lighten it; the BFX trailer has a dry weight of 3,410 lb (1,547 kg), well heavier than trailers that incorporate structural aluminum and composites into the build.
That's OK, though, as nothing about this one looks like it's meant to be hitched up to a small car or crossover without proper towing muscle. The BFX trailer starts at US$24,750 in its well-equipped base form and ranges up to $32,425 for the fully optioned variant with Freespirit EVO V2 rooftop tent, 270-degree awning with sidewalls, 66-L cooler, 538-L storage bag, jib crane, upgraded Max Coupler hitch, and 32-in TV mount. The video walkthrough includes a look at some of the accessories not highlighted in the photos, including the jib crane.
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