Matt Reichel used to love his job in construction project management and engineering, which took him all across the US. But after six years in an intense industry, Matt was missing something.
“I’d always been a big outdoor enthusiast,” he says. “I loved mountain biking and skiing, and I wasn’t able to do that.”
So he left his job, sold all his stuff, and bought an RV. After a few seasons of ski bumming, mountain biking, and camping, Matt saw the need for something different in the backcountry: an off-road camper.
And so, Boreas Campers was born. The company manufactures hand-crafted, off-road trailers that are compact, yet full of features like solar panels, a stainless steel kitchen, a hot water shower, and climate control. The name came from the road in Breckenridge, Colorado, where Matt lived when he built his first camper.
“We wanted to build a better camper,” says Matt.
We want to build the highest quality product on the market and help people get outside and do the adventure sports and activities they want to do in a relative amount of comfort.
He also wants Boreas Campers to help build a more sustainable world. The company makes its unique campers out of composite materials—and absolutely no wood—which:
- Reduces waste produced during manufacturing by 40 percent
- Is durable and reparable, making it longer-lasting, and therefore more sustainable, than traditional campers
- Makes for a lighter camper that can be towed by an SUV or midsize truck
Turns out, there was big demand for a better camper: Now in its sixth year, Boreas Campers will build 100 campers in 2021 and is already booking for 2022.
Recently, Matt decided to leave Boreas Campers’ bank because he felt uncomfortable with their business practices. When he learned about Bank of the West’s environmental values, he knew he had found a fundamentally different kind of bank. And when he reached out, Bank of the West treated Matt responsibly, too.
“They really looked at the business, what it’s done, and where it’s going,” he says. “Their sustainability stance is kind of the cherry on top.”
Learn more about Bank of the West.
share
