Kurt Williams of Cruiser Outfitters

An overlanding pioneer? A lover of Land Cruisers? An overland-vehicle business owner?  A fun-loving individual ready for adventure? The one recommendation for all these people is to consult with one person: Kurt Williams. The proprietor of Cruiser Outfitters, Kurt is an overlanding pioneer and personality. You can find him globetrotting the world with Expeditions7 or Expedition Overland or answering phone calls and helping customers from his Land Cruiser shop in Salt Lake City. Yes, you can say that he is busy. He stays busy while enjoying his life and his work.

I have known Kurt for over a decade and was privileged enough to work with him on my OutdoorX4 Land Cruiser 200 build (Issues 25-28) this past year. He was kind enough to sit and talk with me about himself, business, and life.

Kurt, tell me a little about yourself.

I am an entrepreneur and small business owner of Cruiser Outfitters, located in Salt Lake City. I am also a lover of Land Cruisers and adventure. Over the past few years, I have been lucky enough to participate in Expeditions7 and Expedition Overland as a team member. Those experiences have led me to places like Australia, Russia, and South America. One of my other passions is learning Western history, especially mining history. I earned an Engineering Degree from the University of Utah. My wife, Candace, who is awesome and extremely patient, and I have two dogs that entertain us. In my “free time,” I co-founded and manage the ExpeditionUtah.com website and participate and help with Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City

What’s your business, Cruiser Outfitters, all about? Tell us about your customer base.

Cruiser Outfitters has been operating since 1992; but in 2002, the original owner left for a career opportunity, and I took over full time operation. Today, I work with five employees. We specialize in driveline and suspension components as well as accessories for any make or model of Land Cruiser. We share our passion for Land Cruisers! Each of us own one model or more. We take pride in helping our customers to make informed decisions about their build and future options for their vehicle.

What’s your number one vehicle modification you suggest? 

One of the first things I recommend to someone who ventures off pavement is to purchase recovery gear and to learn to use it. Next, I recommend a suspension upgrade. With the extra weight with gear in the vehicle and the ability to gain height and improve the overall ride quality, a suspension system is a worthwhile expenditure.

You have a three-day weekend, where are you going and what are you doing?

The West Desert and the San Rafael Swell of Utah are my go-to places for a long weekend. In the summer, you might find me traveling up American Fork Canyon.  

What do you see for the future of vehicle-based travel, and do you think it’ll sustain its growth?

The buzzword today is overlanding. As such, the definition of overlanding is as broad as the number of people who claim to overland. It could mean a three-hour trip near home, a week-long trip, or a month-long trip passing through multiple countries. My style of travel has often had me overlanding even when we didn’t call it that years ago. I have seen the ups and downs of overlanding market. Right now, low fuel costs and a good economy make it viable for people to buy vehicles and outfit them accordingly. Also, over the last few years, I have seen a growth in trail rig builds.  Many people have tried overlanding. Some realize that they like staying home at night and would rather drive to a more challenging trail during the day. That is totally cool too. Ironically, if overlanding continues to grow, it might defeat the purpose of getting away from home and civilization. If you start seeing more and more people at your favorite spot or trail, the serenity of why many of us do this might diminish.

You are knowledgeable working on vehicles, any areas that you are “scared” of to touch?

 At Cruiser Outfitters, we readily admit when we don’t know or aren’t comfortable with things. We don’t do transmission or engine work. We pride ourselves in high-end builds and start-to-finish builds. We are not a paint and body shop. Cruiser Outfitters is designed for the customer to drop off their 40, 60, 70, 80,100, or 200 series leaving it for us to do suspension lifts, bumpers, winch, lights, gears, lockers, etc. We work on many things; and if need be, we find the right business partner to accomplish the other things that we don’t have the bandwidth to perform.

What is it about Land Cruisers that makes them your vehicle of choice?

I love Land Cruisers and think they are one the best available vehicle platforms. Land Cruisers take me to cool places with neat people and, best yet, take me back home!

What are some other vehicles that interest you in today’s world?

The new Ford Ranger that I have seen in many foreign markets intrigues me. The Chevy Colorado is a cool truck and option.  I have a lot of Jeep friends, and it’s nice to see what is happening in Jeep World.

Tell me about your biggest off-road vehicle breakdown?

I was on a run with the Wasatch Cruisers Club on the Rubicon Trail. We carried many axle shafts, but we just didn’t have great luck. We got beat up on that trip. Guys were breaking front driveline axles, and I broke my rear axle. We ran out of spares and drove all night to get more in Reno and then drove back to the middle of Rubicon Trail. Steering boxes and axles were the name of the game of the day!

During a Baja Race 1000, in the middle of nowhere, we broke an upper control arm. It was cold! We built a fire to keep us warm and waited for our support vehicle to arrive.

What are things every overlander or backcountry adventurer needs to know before he/she leaves pavement and ventures offload?

Basic navigation and/or first aid skills. Just knowing that you will find yourself away from people, places, and help, it’s important that you can be self-reliant.

What’s next? Where can people find you?

I always enjoy meeting new people and reconnecting with friends. I will be busy this fall with the Relic Run, Cruiserfest, Northwest Overland Rally, SEMA, Baja1000, and Freeze Your Tail Off Trail Run. One of my favorite events coming up shortly is our annual customer appreciation BBQ in Salt Lake City.

Final Thought

The overlanding world today is comprised of many people, companies, and products. If you get the opportunity, I hope you get to meet and work with Kurt Williams—maybe on the trail, at an event, or in his shop. You’ll walk away better for the encounter.

Editor Note: The Around the Campfire series is brought to you in collaboration with our friends from 67 Designs, proprietors of the finest mounting solutions for your mobile devices whether in the backcountry, around town, and at home. Learn more about 67 Designs by visiting www.67d.com.

* OutdoorX4 Magazine – Promoting responsible 4×4 adventure travel and outdoor recreation