How two entrepreneurs built a 4×4 business from a shared passion for adventure
Considering that Southern Africa has an abundance of natural beauty and vast open spaces, it’s no surprise that overlanding and camping are common pastimes. Dirt roads and mountain passes are also plentiful, leaving a lot of territory to be explored for the more adventurous.
Local brand TrailPod brand reflects this spirit of thrill seekers, weekend roadtrippers, and overlanding enthusiasts – from handcrafted teardrop caravans to off-road gear and 4×4 vehicle customisation.
Beginning as a personal project during lockdown by Danie Rossouw – an engineer with a corporate background – he has since joined forces with Grant McPherson, entrepreneur and marketing specialist to grow the brand further.
Their signature offering is a handcrafted teardrop caravan called ‘TrailPods’, which come in different sizes, colours and customisation. This outdoor lifestyle brand now has two workshops in the Western Cape, an online shop, and a growing digital following for the adventure content they share.
“Danie and I have a shared passion for the road less traveled,” explains McPherson. “We’re helping people discover wild new corners of the country, and maybe a bit of themselves along the way.”
From Garage to Gravel
The story began when Rossouw, who was an avid off-road motorbiker, felt the cabin fever of lockdown in 2020. Inspired by his lifelong fascination with vintage teardrop caravans, he built the first prototype in his garage.
“I was fixated with teardrop caravans since the first time I saw them,” Rossouw recalls. “I wanted to build something vintage and realistic, similar to the original 1940s teardrops made from old jeep wheels and aircraft aluminium.”
Every TrailPod prototype that followed was rigorously tested on South Africa’s roughest tracks – Rossouw and his friends taking them on wild camping trips to test them. “You can build something strong, but the trick is to keep it light.”
After building several improved models, Rossouw packed up his life in Gauteng and moved to Cape Town, opening a small factory in Parow.
A Jimny, a Journey, and a Chance Meeting
In 2023, Grant McPherson, a Cape Town-based marketing specialist with an entrepreneurial background and a passion for cars, stumbled across TrailPod while preparing for the Guinness World Record-breaking Jimny Gathering in Clarens. What started as a road trip with strangers and a borrowed caravan quickly turned into something much bigger.
“We’d just bought a bright kinetic yellow Jimny for my wife,” McPherson laughs. “But the more I drove it, the more I wanted to drive it. Suddenly I was taking detours down dirt roads I’d usually avoid.”
The Jimny unlocked a whole new world of local adventure, and so did the TrailPod caravan he hitched to it. After 3,397+ km of back roads, laughter, and campfire camaraderie, McPherson returned home sold – not just on the product, but the people and the potential behind it.
“When we got back from Clarens, I told Danie I wanted my own TrailPod. Being a natural brand ambassador, I eventually got involved with marketing and growing the business as well. Danie’s caravan designs are incredible and like nothing else on the market – and I saw so much potential.”
With a background in sales and community building, McPherson brought new energy into the business. While Rossouw focused on design and production, McPherson spearheaded the expansion into e-commerce, digital content, and key industry partnerships. His ongoing outreach efforts has seen the TrailPod business affiliated with respected brands like Suzuki Gump, Jeep, Cape Route Rally, Chef Matt Manning, Go!/Weg! magazine, and Dieter Pey.
“The best kind of business is one that aligns with your personal passion,” says McPherson. “This doesn’t feel like work to me! For me, off-roading and nature is the best way to decompress from city life.”
The Adventure Ahead
Today, the TrailPod brand offers handcrafted teardrop caravans, tailored for rugged South African terrain and smaller 4×4 vehicles; an online store with curated camping and overlanding gear including well-known brands like AluCab and Frontrunner; and two workshops for custom builds and fitments. In addition, they produce ongoing digital content that showcases adventures their team goes on and host community meet-ups with other 4×4 enthusiasts.
Despite their growing product offering, the co-founders agree: it’s being part of a growing community of adventurers that inspires them most.
“We’ve met incredible people,” says McPherson. “Offroaders are such an eclectic, welcoming community. You’ve got families, creatives, off-road fanatics, all coming together because they love this way of life.”
For Rossouw, that’s what continues to drive the brand forward. “TrailPod is always about adventure. Being out on the trail and getting lost in nature. Trusting your gear to get you there – and back.”
And as the brand continues to innovate and expand – with new caravan models on the way, including a wild-camping-ready variant inspired by the duo’s trip to Namibia and one with a sliding fridge – McPherson and Rossouw are driven by their shared values: connection, creativity, and a deep love for South Africa’s outdoors.