Tag Archive for: HQ15

Storm Chasing in the HQ15 Off-Road Trailer with Harlan Taney

Black Series Community Spotlights are our chance to tell your stories of adventure. They’re also an opportunity for you to get to know the owners, ambassadors, and friends of Black Series who are out there, right now, taking their off-road trailers to truly wild places. These Spotlights are authentic accounts of explorers and overland go-getters utilizing Black Series campers to assist them in their endeavors.

Professional Videographer & Storm Chaser

Black Series Ambassador, Harlan Taney, owns and operate two outdoor film production companies – 4 Corner Film Logistics and the film collective Sandcast Media. In his career as an adventure-film creator he’s produced content for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, REI, CNN, and others.

Harlan grew up outdoors and naturally fell into work as a river guide on the Grand Canyon where he’s guided 180 trips down the river. A side gig running rivers as a competitive whitewater kayaker? Sure. He’s done that, too. After competing and guiding in some of the world’s preeminent outdoor locales, Harlan parlayed his penchant for epic outdoor sports into a career filming the wild places he’d grown to know so well. Before long he’d racked up the aforementioned client list – a who’s-who of iconic brands in the outdoor industry.

Now, he’s a single dad to 9 and 11 year old daughters who are bad ass lil adventurers themselves – skiers, whitewater kayakers, mt. bikers, climbers, aerial artists, you name it. We recently caught up with Harlan to ask him about his most recent project, how the HQ15 off-road trailer has helped his film endeavors, and what, exactly, a day in the life of a storm chaser and adventure videographer actually consists of.

Getting To Know Harlan…

BSC: What does a day in the life of Harlan Taney look like?

Harlan: A day in the life is never boring for me. I am either off on the road with my kids going on adventures, planning/working on our next film project. When home, we make sure to get outside and hit the trails almost daily. I’ve worked hard to build a life where my work and passions overlap significantly, and thankfully I get to do the majority of it with my kids.

BSC: What’s the Monsoon Project? Why do it? How’d it go?

Harlan: The Monsoon project was a 15-day film project, based in Southern Arizona. The purpose was to chase and film lightning by getting as close to the thunder cells as possible before they actually let off bolts. Each day, we would study the weather models and drive sometimes hours across the Southern Arizona Desert to find and capture lightning with highly specialized cameras. One of said cameras is one of only two of its model in existence. The Black Series HQ 15 trailer was our mobile production headquarters while filming. It allowed us to have portable power supplies, make meals on the go between racing from one place to the next (most of the time in the middle of nowhere), and most importantly have shelter from the storms so that we could actively study where the next was going to spawn.

BSC: How did you come to do what you do? What’s the backstory?

Harlan: I was traveling the world as a sponsored expedition whitewater kayaker. This included doing many expeditions to class V rivers and doing multi-week, hundreds-of-miles-long first descents on rivers that have never been run. This is where I first realized a passion for remote film production. I was soon contacted by the Discovery Channel to be on screen talent and to kayak off a 100’ waterfall for one of their programs.

The producers were clueless on how to effectively generate content in these harsh conditions, so the production team brought me onboard to assist. I knew at that moment that there was an unfulfilled niche in remote film production. My decades of experience as both a world expedition traveller and a Grand Canyon River guide provided me the skills required for this. More importantly, I realized as a sponsored, Cliff Bar-eating, dirtbag kayaker that I could get paid for the entire two weeks instead of being paid for one day while risking my life performing in front of the camera. From there, 4 Corner Film Logistics was born and has now evolved into a thriving operation.

The HQ15: Best Features, Adventure Stories, and More…

BSC: Take a deeper dive into your adventures for us. How does your Black Series Trailer enable those adventures?

Harlan: I always strive to be off grid. This is where I thrive. This can mean driving far down remote roads in Baja on vacations, or finding iconic landscapes and settings for film productions. I have searched for years to find a vehicle basecamp solution that can withstand the rigors of where we go. I’ve looked for a rugged camper, an off-road trailer, and nothing I’ve seen tops what Black Series offers. The HQ15 has opened that door for us to have an off-grid basecamp. This trailer allows us to have indoor cover and storage in environments that typically destroy cameras, while also providing solar charging to keep production going.

“The Black Series HQ15 has opened the door for us to have an off-grid basecamp.”

BSC: What’s the most memorable adventure story you have during a trip with your Black Series trailer?

Harlan: We were chasing into a massive building thunder cell. Tight turns in and out of washes make this a road that is hardly travelled. I dropped over a hill and saw our other two vehicles (without trailers) both stopped and trying to figure out how to turn around on a deeply rutted and steep off-piste hill. Once the other two vehicles were able to escape, I began thinking of how to turn myself around and get out there. The storm had shifted and was now approaching overhead. Backing up the hill was not an option.

The only feasible exit was taking a very narrow, old off track that made a tight turnaround through Juniper trees. This however meant dropping down another steep hill. A 180° right hand turn over heavily rutted tracks in the middle of this descent was also required. My truck slowly navigated the ins and outs of the ruts, and by putting us fully sideways on this steep hill, I was able to put the Black Series in tow. At one point we estimated that the trailer was at a 30° sideways angle. This was a move that I would have hesitated to do even in my truck by itself. Yet, the HQ15 performed immaculately with no issue.

BSC: What are your favorite features on your HQ15?

Harlan: There are three features of this off-road trailer that really stand out to me:

The plug and play robust solar and battery charging system. There is no need to stress about finding a charging station if you’re low on battery. The onboard display panel also tells you exactly the state of charge on the system, how many watts of solar are coming in etc. We were pulling a hefty electrical load off it everyday without any issue. Definitely the most well-thought out and efficient charging system I have ever used.

“There is no need to stress about finding a charging station if you’re low on battery. The onboard display panel tells you exactly the state of charge on the system, how many watts of solar are coming in etc.”

The next feature I love is the effortless slide out, outdoor kitchen. I’m really not interested in cooking or being indoors unless it’s absolutely unbearable weather. To pull up somewhere and just slide out a whole prep table, sink and stove is absolutely amazing and the pinnacle of convenience. (Check out our trailer camping recipe for simple cast-iron pizza).

The third feature I would like to highlight is the chassis, suspension and build of the trailer. It is designed to go where we go and caters to our off-grid needs. This off-road trailer offers peace of mind, because we know that it can handle the terrain effortlessly. Wherever we go, the HQ15 lets me focus on my job and enjoy my surroundings.

BSC: In moments of downtime, what’s your go-to form of entertainment while off-road camping? What’s your favorite way to unwind at camp?

Harlan: Probably my favorite way to unwind at camp after a big day of adventuring is to play my guitar while enjoying an ice cold cocktail.

Off-Road Trailer Camping Tips, Dream Destinations, and Future Projects…

BSC: If you could take your trailer anywhere in the world for a week-long off-road expedition, where would you go?

Harlan: I would take my family from our home in Flagstaff, Arizona and drive to Tierra Del Fuego circumnavigating South America. Bring all of our equipment for adventure – kayaks, bikes, skis, paragliders etc but also spend time getting involved in the different communities along the way immersing ourselves into the cultures and landscapes. This obviously isn’t a week long excursion, but honestly a week isn’t enough time for what we really want to go do!

BSC: What is your #1 tip for off-road trailer owners who are setting out for a trip?

Harlan: Respect the natural places you go. Tread lightly and be a steward of those wild-places to help keep them wild.

BSC: What’s next for you?

Harlan: We have a multi-year film project currently happening in Tsegi Canyon on the Navajo Nation. This is an environmental film documenting the efforts to restore the land up this canyon to what it once was before overgrazing completely devastated this treasure. We will be going up into this canyon for a week this fall to film and check our multi-year time lapse cameras we built.

This canyon is closed off to all visitation, and requires special permission from the Navajo families that own the land. Once through the locked gate it is a three-hour 4×4 drive through a place where time stops, back up into a hidden canyon oasis in the desert Southwest that is quite possibly one of the most beautiful and unique places I’ve ever been.

Caravans shown in this post:

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blog, Trip Ideas

Live the Adventure with a Black Series Off-Road RV

Have a hankering for the great outdoors? The urge to just head out on the open road, the number on the odometer ticking upward while you enjoy uninterrupted views en route to the destination of your choosing? We know the feeling. It is hard to resist when nature calls, so you pile into your off-road RV and head off to a campsite for a few days. Great, right?

Well, sometimes. The reality is, taking your RV to a campsite isn’t always the best way you experience nature at a camp. Wouldn’t it be amazing to explore the wilderness in your camper without being tethered to a campsite? If this sounds more like the adventure you had in mind, you’re in the right place!

Camper Trailers and Campsites

For as long as the modern camper has existed, the idea was to park them at campsites or camper parks. Pack your family in the car and head off to spend a summer of fun in nature. However, the unfortunate reality is that these campsites rarely allow you to enjoy the great wide open in all its wonder.

These campsites or parks, often packed to capacity, are noisy, busy, and a far cry from the quiet of nature. In addition, the camps provide very little space and require you to be reasonably close to your campsite neighbor. So, aside from the lack of space or privacy, you will have to deal with the noise too. And, if all that isn’t bad enough, staying in a park is expensive.

But why do we do it then? Why not just head out into nature? The answer to this is two-fold. First, most off-road RV need hooking up to power and a fresh water supply, amenities these camps provide. And second, most campers don’t offer the ability to travel on uneven surfaces, so you’re stuck to traveling only on tarred roads.

Or are you?

Until now, traveling with a camper trailer has been relatively limiting, which is why the travel trailers from Black Series are causing such hype in the world of RV travel.

Black Series – Allowing You To Be With Nature

Black Series is a unique brand that specializes in the design and engineering of off-road recreation vehicles. The Black Series off-grid trailers enable you to be with nature. Combining the comfort and style of campers with masterful construction, a Black Series overland camper enables you to head off the beaten track and explore the wilderness. Experience the great national parks, the Grand Canyon, or Mount Rose wilderness in Nevada like never before.

Combining the comfort and style of campers with masterful construction, a Black Series overland camper enables you to head off the beaten track and explore the wilderness.

Going Off-Road

Black Series pop-up campers and travel trailers use innovative engineering that makes it possible to travel off-road. An all-aluminum lightweight chassis combines with high-strength composite materials to leave you with a durable trailer that easily withstands grueling off-road terrain.

A Black Series trailer utilizes a unique suspension system. Unlike the typical two-shock systems found on most campers, these off-road trailers take things up a notch. A quad-shock suspension system evenly distributes the trailer’s weight across four points, offering a smoother ride and safer handling.

Engineers designed unique trailing arms that operate independently, allowing each wheel to move independently, making tackling uneven off-road terrain an effortless task.

Each off-road RV sits higher off the ground than regular campers to allow easy movement over rocks, branches, and other obstacles. In addition, the bottom surface of Black Series trailers features an aluminum diamond plating for added strength and a stone guard that adds protection for the bottom edge of the camper. Eurovision windows with flyscreens and privacy shades make it easy to allow the cool air in without the bugs.

The bottom surface of Black Series trailers features an aluminum diamond plating for added strength and a stone guard that adds protection for the bottom edge of the camper

Living Off The Grid

Now you know you can take a popup camper or travel trailer from Black Series off-road; chances are you’re wondering about where the water or power comes from.

Black Series believes that to enjoy a nature adventure fully, you should be able to live off the grid. It is for this reason that you will find these campers self-sufficient. Designed to provide long-distance endurance in the wild, each trailer comes with solar panels, an inverter, and a 48V fast charging off-grid system with a lithium battery.

If you’re worried about water, don’t be, each off-road RV comes fitted with a large water tank, plumbing, and a hot water system. You will find a separate tank for drinking water, fresh water, grey water, and black water, so you can go about your daily routines as though you were at home.

Black Series fits its camper trailers with an innovative Intelligent Control System. This unique feature allows the pertinent information of the RV such as gas, electricity, water, and other elements to be displayed in one place – on your mobile phone or a screen in the camper. Keeping this data at your fingertips makes it easier to monitor these elements in real-time.

The Luxury of Home Comforts

The interior of a Black Series off-road RV epitomizes luxury, combining the comfort of home with unique interior technology and an intelligent control system.

Black Series notes that just because you’re roughing in the wilderness doesn’t mean that you have to give up living comfortably or luxuriously. Each travel trailer features an elegant interior with a bedroom that offers a queen-size bed, a fold-out lounge, and a kitchenette and bathroom.

The bathroom is fitted with a fiberglass shower that offers hot water and ventilation and a porcelain toilet.

Elegant wood-vinyl flooring matches the exquisite timber veneer cabinetry found throughout the camper. The kitchen is a work of art and comes fitted with a stove, microwave, fridge, and sink.

To keep you in comfort no matter what the weather brings, you will also find a furnace and air-conditioning in the trailers.

The appliances found within the campers are of European design, providing you with premium quality to match the luxury the interior of these cabins exude. In addition, lighting is provided throughout the camper, with reading lights in the bedroom and lounge, along with wide-angle LED floodlights located on the trailer’s exterior.

Final Thoughts

Outdoor adventuring in your camper no longer needs to involve trips to overcrowded, noisy campsites. When you buy a camper trailer for sale from Black Series, you expand your travel horizons.

Stick to tarred roads or head off the beaten track and see nature in all its wonder, all while enjoying the luxury and comfort of home in your new Black Series travel trailer. Be with nature and experience adventure with Black Series.

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