If you’ve ever looked in the back of one of ITA’s tool trailers, you’ve probably seen a jumble of pulaskis and crosscuts, boxes of cooking equipment and eating utensils, and bags of camping gear and ITA hardhats. No matter how hard our crew leaders and staff worked to keep things organized, quick turnarounds between projects and bouncing around on backcountry roads meant our gear was constantly in a state of disarray. That’s until the Trailer Wizards, ITA camp chef Fred Hebert and former boat-maker Mike O’Brien, worked their magic. These dedicated ITA volunteers built shelves, added cooking surfaces, and even installed interior lights in all four of ITA’s tool trailers. If the car makeover show Pimp My Ride had a trailer edition, this would be it!

When asked why he wanted to be a part of this project, Mike answered, “It sounded somewhat like fitting parts to the inside of a boat, which is fun to do.” Fred replied, “Seeing the need for organization of a trailers last summer led me to complete the project with Mike in hopes that future participants with ITA will have an easier experience transporting equipment.”

ITA’s Trail Projects Director Alex Cravener is grateful for the improvements. “Having organized trailers makes a huge difference on trail projects! We took a trailer out for it’s inaugural run in Hells Canyon a few weeks ago, and after a few hours down windy roads and over bumps, everything was still in it’s place when we got to camp, ready to go. Fred and Mike really thought through every detail! Having a safe reliable way to transport our tools and gear saves ITA volunteer crew leaders tons of time at the trailhead and will help make the transition between projects so much smoother.”

Thank you so much Fred and Mike for the many hours you dedicated to making our trailers more usable and protecting our gear from rough roads!

Want to see one of the improved trailers up close? We’ll have one on display at our Powerful Pints event at Lost Grove Brewing on Wednesday, April 13!