“Living the dream” is a term that gets tossed around a lot, but let there be no doubt that Rachel Harris is living her best life traveling from Alaska to Mexico in an OEV Back Country truck camper. Here’s a personal story to share with the young people in your life. Hard work and willpower can take you anywhere.
Most of us can relate to the desire to see the country, continent, and world we live in. Maybe that began when you were a kid following your parents in their own wanderlust adventures. Or maybe that itch started later in life when you discovered far away places of wonder awaiting your arrival.
For Rachel Harris, it started in high school. Starting her freshman year, she worked two jobs and saved, and saved, and saved. Through sheer determination and grit, she earned enough to backpack Europe and Africa after graduation.
Above: Rachel’s 2015 Toyota Tundra and 2023 OEV Back Country rig
When her overseas wandering was done, Rachel returned to the United States and started working and saving again. This time she targeted South America and Brazil where she lived for two years while taking college classes online. After two years, she returned to the United States, completed her college degree in Biology, and promptly couldn’t find a job.
Here’s where I find Rachel’s story the most compelling. After hitting bottom and living in her car, she picked herself up, made a new plan, and became a content creator, freelance photographer, videographer, and remote marketer. She progressed to a truck and camper, and became a digital nomad; working and traveling.
If this sounds like the van life lifestyle that’s become so seemingly ubiquitous among the Millennial and twenty-something Gen Z generations, you’d be right. Rachel has put tremendous effort into this path and made it successful, just like we did when we learned about website magazines, WIFI hotspots, and truck campers about seventeen years ago.
Above: The above video was produced by Tiny Home Tours
Rachel’s OEV
Rachel’s rig is a fully outfitted 2023 OEV Back Country pop-up truck camper and a 2015 Toyota Tundra. This is a truck and camper setup that’s firmly in the Overland style. In the video above, you’ll note that her camper is built for function and off-road durability, not plush comfort and pleasure cruising pavement. This is all by design, and 100 percent the lifestyle Rachel craves.
The OEV Back Country has an interesting blend of built-in and modular components. Two major components in Rachel’s camper, the cooktop and refrigerator, are modular. Should these components need to be serviced or replaced, all she needs to do is carry her cooktop or refrigerator out the back door, get them repaired or replaced, and put the items back into their positions. Don’t try that with traditional built-in appliances. Heck, our old refrigerator had to be disassembled and cut down to even make it through the door.
Rachel’s electrical system consists of 400 watts of solar, a 200 Ah Dakota lithium battery, and Victron components. This setup powers her Starlink satellite internet system, charges her computer and cameras, and runs her air fryer. Built-in Truma components provide heat and hot water.
She shows off the underbed storage when discussing the pop-up mechanism of the camper. This is where even hard side enthusiasts may feel a tinge of storage envy. There’s about as much storage space under her bed as there is in the cabinets, hampers, and front penguins in normal hard side cabover; maybe more.
Popfly Startup
Taking her ambition to the next level, Rachel is developing a startup business called Popfly. Popfly is a marketplace for outdoor, recreation, and adventure for content creators. Popfly also assists brands in connecting with their users for images and other creative. It’s a brilliant idea with a well-defined niche. Rachel has her sights aimed not just at world travel and adventure, but firmly on the American Dream. Can Rachel have two dreams? You’re darn right she can.
To learn more about Rachel and her adventures, check out sunnyvibesonly.com, or her sunnrayy social media on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Click here for more information on OEV campers.
