If you want a lame camper for some reason, stay far away from the folks at Duckworth Overland. Their newest camper mixes the toughness of the Land Rover Defender with the classy timelessness of an Airstream camper. This amazing mashup is so good-looking, it barely even matters if it’s actually any good. All hail the “Aerover” mini-RV; the coolest camper we have ever seen, period. 

This Land Rover Defender x Airstream mashup is the coolest camper on Earth

The custom overland camper market may feel saturated at the moment. Hell, maybe it actually is saturated, but when teams like Duckworth Overland keep upping the anty on innovative and truly inspired campers, the market seems to open up a bit once more. 

Thomas Duckworth is the man at the helm of Duckworth Overland. As noted by New Atlas, while putting the finishing touches and traveling in the “Lorry Life” – a shed-based tiny home secured atop a retired Bedford MJ army truck – Duckworth became hooked on the experience of actualizing his ideas into real-life off-grid adventure machines. From the looks of his follow-up project, it seems he also has a love for building rugged, military-grade machines with some civilian comforts and luxury. 

Unlike most overlanders, the Aerover – sometimes called the “Air Lander” – seems to be equal parts form and function. I mean, just look at this Land Rover x Airstream mashup. Have you ever seen anything like it? It is beautiful; unapologetic, bold, unique, badass, classy, stylish, and beautiful. 

So what exactly went into this Land Rover camper build? 

Unlike the Lorry Life build, the Aerover is a mix of overlanding camper build and vintage truck restoration all in one. Although Duckworth has his name behind the project, he found an avid partner in CAD designer and all-around outdoorsman Michael Gerrard. 

They started by stripping the Land Rover Defender TD5 130 down to its nuts and bolts and even bought a new frame. New Atlas says that the ambitious team also reconditioned the diesel five-cylinder and gearbox, added a self-leveling air suspension with multiple ride heights, rebuilt the axles and differentials, added new disc brakes, swapped in a newer, reconditioned power steering box, and repaired and repainted the body, among numerous other replacements and restorations.

So where did the Airstream camper part come into play? 

While the shiny “Habitation Pod” may look like an Airstream zapped out of the 60s, Duckworth and co, built a wooden frame and hand shaped the aluminum themselves, essentially making an Airstream camper from scratch. 

Unlike the real Airstream campers, the Aerover’s interior is straight out of a B25 bomber. The rivets are all exposed and the cabin is finished in raw aluminum and bracing, giving very WWII vibes, at least for now. Plans show a fully-finished interior but honestly, the exposed bomber look is working. 

But seeing as how this beautiful Land Rover Defender and Airstream camper is meant to be functional it can’t stay bare. It is slatted to get all the modern amenities that you’d expect from a camper. Keep your eyes peeled. Something tells me this camper is going to be making noise around the overlanding camper world. I’m not sure if there is a “coolest camper” award, but if there is, the Aerover should win it.