Our Story

HELLO

We're Ty & Annie Tatro, husband and wife team, adventure buddies and founders of Redtail Overland. At Redtail, we’re driven by quality and innovation. Our mission is to build the finest overland products possible, using the highest quality components. Ty likes to say, “I don’t know how to build cheap stuff,” and it’s true. His design philosophy revolves around dreaming up the coolest products then building them to the highest standards. It’s not a race to reach the biggest market, it’s a thoughtful process of precision and love of design. We believe we aren’t the only ones who crave craftsmanship in an increasingly assembly line world. For those seeking something more than typical, we see you. We’re building these products for you.

DESIGNED BY EXPERIENCE

Together, we have 25+ years experience in the overland world and have built our lives around a mutual love of travel and exploration. We've traveled in and built-out every kind of camping setup from tents to slide-in campers to vans, trucks and RVs. In addition to years of personal experience we also have extensive professional experience. Before forming Redtail Overland, Ty spent 12 years at luxury expedition vehicle manufacturer EarthRoamer, becoming President, co-owner of the business and lead designer of their line of overland vehicles. Annie spent 6 years at EarthRoamer, becoming the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer and directing the customer experience and growth of the brand. We exited EarthRoamer in early 2019 and set our sights and passions towards something new. 

We began dreaming up a product that more closely aligns with how we personally like to access adventure, something that would be nimble and hassle-free for backcountry travel but also comfortable and well-made, with more amenities than a simple tent. We sought a balance but in all our years of adventure, we'd never found a product that checked all the boxes.

THE NEXT EVOLUTION

As we began to imagine the perfect camping solution for us and our family, we drew from our extensive background in two contrasting experiences - designing and manufacturing luxury off-road vehicles and our personal travels in a bare-bones rooftop tent. There are inherent benefits and drawbacks to each. An expensive RV offers the comforts of home, but the size hinders where you can travel and the inevitable maintenance cramped our style. 

At the other end of the spectrum, a simple rooftop tent allows easy exploration in remote areas with minimal prep and hassle, and had become our preferred way to explore. But there are significant drawbacks to the soft-sided construction. We dreaded windy nights, rain and cold weather. Many areas in bear country require hard-sided campers. And we wanted to camp in the winter and ski from our rig.

Drawbacks aside, we loved how quickly we could hit the road with an RTT. It felt like nothing on top of our vehicle as we bombed down highways and dirt trails alike. But, after a long day of exploration we wanted more security, comfort and a better night's sleep. Where was the middle ground?

UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE

We decided to fill the void by taking the best elements from each end of the overland spectrum and creating something totally new - a state-of-the-art tent/camper hybrid that offers the nimble freedom of a rooftop tent with the security and comforts of a larger camper. To achieve this, we knew our version of a rooftop camper needed to be hard-sided, something that did not yet exist. We wanted it to be lightweight, bright and airy, stylish, and packed with cutting edge features. There were many challenges to overcome but our manufacturing and design background gave us the skillset to create exactly what we wanted. Redtail Overland was formed and the first hard-sided rooftop camper was created - the Redtail Rooftop Camper (RTC).

We took everything that is great about rooftop camping and enhanced it - adding heat, power, lighting, security and next level comfort. We simplified the setup and breakdown process making it easier to blaze more trail, and packaged everything in an elegant design we're proud to keep on our vehicle year-round.

We are excited to offer something completely new in the overland industry. We welcome you to the Redtail community and look forward to being a part of your next adventure. Thank you for your support.

- Ty & Annie Tatro