The Story Behind RTRI Offroad

In 2018, I underwent major spinal surgery, fusing my L5 to S1 vertebrae. It turned my world upside down, and during recovery, I spent a lot of time just trying to stay sane. One way I did that was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace... nonstop.

That’s when I found them: two International Scout Travelers in Trail, Oregon.

Scouts had always been a dream of mine, but the timing had never been right. Even though they were a few hundred miles away, I was all in. A couple of months later, still recovering, my wife and I made the trip from Salt Lake City to bring home the first: Baby Blue Debra Rowe, a 1976 Scout Traveler.

We had no idea how much that one vehicle would change everything.

A few months later, we went back for the second Traveler. On that trip, I spotted a third. It wasn’t for sale at the time, but about a year later, I got the call... and made a third trip to bring it home.

As I began restoring the first Scout, I decided to go all-in on the second, turning it into a full resto-mod. It got a brand-new GM crate engine and transmission, TeraFlex axles, custom suspension with Fox coilovers and air bumps, RockJock sway bars—everything needed to build the kind of vehicle I had always envisioned.

But something was missing.

Before Scouts, I had already spent over 20 years building and restoring vehicles—everything from classic 4x4s to muscle cars. My background includes metal fabrication, mechanical work, wiring, and full paint. From a 1978 Jeep CJ5 rock crawler to a fully custom Pro-Touring 1967 Dodge Coronet 500, I had built a wide range of vehicles, but with the Scouts, I wanted something specific.

And I couldn’t find it.

So I built it.

When the parts I needed didn’t exist—bumpers, roll cages, key components—I designed and fabricated them myself. What started as a personal project quickly turned into something bigger.

That’s how RTRI Offroad began.

While Scouts are where it all started, RTRI Offroad has grown into much more. Today, we take on select custom builds across a wide range of vehicles—from classic restorations to fully custom one-off projects. Current builds include a fully custom 1998 Dodge Ram and a 1996 Land Rover Defender 130.

No matter the platform, the goal is always the same: Build it right.

That means no shortcuts, no compromises—just high-quality, purpose-built vehicles that bring together performance, durability, and craftsmanship.

RTRI Offroad was built from passion, but it’s driven by doing things the right way.

If you’re ready to build something that stands out, let’s get to work.