News Blog

This post will be updated as new information becomes available

Dear Customers,

I would like to quickly update you on how the CoronaVirus outbreak is affecting our operations. To this point, we are operating very much like we normally would with some adjustments to protect our customers and our team.

Current Availability

Our plan was to enter the camping season at full production. We have met that goal and are currently performing conversions and shipping campers out pretty much on our usual schedule with a full production team. Hopefully this will allow us to continue to supply you as needed despite the interruptions we anticipate.

Future Availability

I have been in contact with our suppliers to determine how we can mitigate any delays or shortages. To date, most of our suppliers are still operating as normal. The impact the Corona Virus has had on worldwide supply chains may impact future

The Drive recently featured a write up by Caleb Jacobs on Dan Grec's trip around Africa in his J30 equipped Jeep Wrangler.

Ford placed one of our Transit Connect campers at T-Mobile Field during this years Seattle Auto Show in the Ford Ride and Drive Booth.

Stuart Bourdon of Four Wheeler magazine traveled with one of our owners (JK-327) on the Rubicon Trail - a mix of rock crawling and overlanding that will put any 4x4 to the test! You can read the full article, with more photos and details about their Jeep build on the Four Wheeler website.

Well, we have to let potential customers know that for orders placed after Sept 1, our shipping charges have increased for our Portland location. This reflects a long summer of delays with our previous freight carrier that offered economical rates - but was taking longer and longer to pick up and deliver between our locations. We have switched to a different line to improve our scheduling accuracy going forward. We charge a shipping fee between locations to reflect the cost of moving the parts between our assembly shop in San Diego and our conversion/installation shop in Portland. The total price of campers delivered in either office remains similar, since California charges a sales tax.

Amid amazing planes ranging from WWII vintage military to the latest experimental craft, our Ford Transit Connect camper was a big hit at this year's airshow!

Ursa Minor brought out our Ford Transit Connect Camper to the 2019 Adventure Van Expo. We were the only small van company surrounded by Sprinters and Transits!

Ford placed our Transit Connect as part of their Adventure + Gear Show booth at the Snowbird, Utah ski resort. Great turnout and perfect weather at an amazing location

With prior trade war tariffs on Chinese imports, Ursa Minor absorbed some of these costs but eventually included them when our prices changed on May 1, 2019.   While we do not import directly from China anything of significance, many of our hardware and raw material suppliers do and have passed tariffs on to us.

There is a new round of uncertainty about a proposed escalating tariff on imports from Mexico that may start in June.  As a small operation, we can only roll with this change in the global trade system if it is implemented, and have no expectation of bail out or special exemptions from Washington. We hope that any planned change from the current NAFTA agreement is reviewed and implemented with consideration for all businesses impacted, since finding an alternate source is not quick or easy even if possible.

Our approach for the proposed tariff on Mexican goods will be the same as when California changes the sales tax rate.  If the State changes the sales tax rat

Ursa Minor brought out the Ford Transit Connect Camper to the 2019 Adventure Van Expo in Big Bear, California. Small town but a big crowd checking out all the campers and vanlife accessories.