Today we’d like to introduce you to Brent Baker.
Hi Brent , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My passion for exploration started long before Oregon Adventure Trucks existed. A lot of my early travel experience came from riding dual sport motorcycles across remote backroads and backcountry terrain throughout the United States. Those trips taught me to appreciate freedom, self-reliance, and the clarity that comes from getting far away from crowded cities and busy schedules. Traveling by motorcycle forced me to keep things simple and focus more on the experience itself rather than the destination.
Later in my career, I had the opportunity to travel extensively around the world through a corporate job. Experiencing different cultures, landscapes, and ways of life expanded my perspective and reinforced how important travel can be for reconnecting with yourself and decompressing from everyday life. While I was fortunate to see many incredible places, I ultimately fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. The combination of mountains, forests, high desert, and endless public land made it feel like the perfect place to build both a lifestyle and a business centered around adventure.
Before starting Oregon Adventure Trucks, I worked for an expedition vehicle manufacturing company where I saw firsthand how impactful overland travel could be for people looking to experience remote places in a deeper way. At the same time, I noticed a major gap in the industry. Many of the vehicles being built were incredible machines, but they often cost half a million dollars or more. While those expedition trucks were impressive, they simply were not realistic for most people who wanted to get outside and explore.
That realization became one of the biggest driving forces behind Oregon Adventure Trucks. I wanted to create a more approachable path into overland travel by helping people build capable, reliable adventure vehicles that they could realistically own and use. For me, it has never been about luxury for the sake of luxury — it has always been about enabling experiences. Whether it’s a weekend escape into the mountains or an extended off-grid journey, my goal has always been to help more people access the wide open places that inspired me from the very beginning.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a business from the ground up came with a lot of challenges that I don’t think you can fully understand until you live through it yourself. In the early days of Oregon Adventure Trucks, I wore every hat imaginable — sales, marketing, installs, customer service, accounting, and everything in between. There were long hours, constant uncertainty, and plenty of moments where I questioned whether the risk was worth it. Building a business in a niche industry takes patience, and there were many times where growth felt slower than I had hoped.
One of the biggest ongoing challenges has always been figuring out how to continue growing while staying true to the original vision of the company. The overland and outdoor industry changes constantly, and I’ve had to adapt by expanding services, building relationships, and finding new ways to connect with customers. A lot of growth has come from simply listening to people — understanding what they actually need to travel more comfortably and confidently, rather than chasing trends or building products that feel out of reach.
Like many small businesses, the years following the pandemic brought a new set of obstacles. During the height of COVID, the outdoor industry experienced massive demand as people looked for ways to travel and spend time outside. But after that surge slowed down, the market shifted dramatically. Recovering from slower sales forced me to become even more focused on efficiency, customer relationships, and long-term sustainability. It was a reminder that building a successful business is never a straight path. There are highs and lows, and a big part of entrepreneurship is learning how to stay resilient through both.
Through all of those challenges, the mission behind Oregon Adventure Trucks has stayed the same. Even during difficult periods, I’ve continued to believe in the importance of helping people get outside, explore remote places, and create experiences that pull them away from the stress of everyday life. That purpose is what continues to motivate me to keep building and growing the business today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Oregon Adventure Trucks exists to help people travel farther, more comfortably, and with greater confidence. At its core, the company is focused on helping customers choose the right equipment for the type of adventures they want to pursue. There is no one-size-fits-all solution in overland travel, and a big part of what we do is guide people through the process of building a vehicle that matches their goals, budget, and travel style. Whether someone is preparing for weekend camping trips or extended off-grid travel, we work to make sure they are investing in gear that is reliable, functional, and truly useful in the real world.
In addition to selling products through our retail store and online platforms, Oregon Adventure Trucks specializes in advanced vehicle outfitting and technical installations. Modern adventure vehicles have become increasingly complex, with integrated electrical systems, solar charging, battery management, communications equipment, suspension upgrades, air systems, refrigeration, and more. Our team takes pride in delivering high-quality installations that are clean, dependable, and engineered to perform in demanding environments. Technical expertise has become one of the defining parts of the company, especially when it comes to troubleshooting, system integration, and building vehicles that customers can trust far from civilization.
Another major part of the business is education and training. We believe that confidence is just as important as equipment when it comes to remote travel. Through hands-on training, guided trips, and customer support, we help people develop the skills needed to safely explore remote areas. That includes everything from recovery techniques and vehicle setup to trip planning, communications, and understanding how to travel responsibly in backcountry environments. The goal is not only to sell products, but to empower people to actually use them and feel comfortable getting out into unfamiliar places.
Innovation and product development also play a large role in the company’s growth. Many of the products and solutions we create come directly from our own experiences traveling and living out of vehicles. We are constantly looking for ways to improve comfort, organization, efficiency, and usability while on the road. Whether it’s custom storage systems, power solutions, mounting options, or entirely new product concepts, the focus is always on building practical tools that make adventure travel easier and more enjoyable. Everything we develop is driven by real-world use and a desire to create products that genuinely improve the travel experience.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is seeing other people experience the outdoors in a meaningful way. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching someone disconnect from the stress, noise, and pressure of everyday life and reconnect with themselves, their family, or simply the environment around them. Whether it’s someone seeing a remote mountain range for the first time, sitting quietly around a campfire, or realizing they are capable of traveling farther than they thought possible, those moments are what motivate me. For me, Oregon Adventure Trucks has always been about creating opportunities for people to slow down, decompress, and experience the kind of freedom and perspective that only comes from spending time in wide open places.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oregonat.com
- Instagram: oregon_at
- Facebook: oregonadventuretrucks
- Youtube: @oregonadventuretrucks
