An Vancouver Island company is celebrating its role in designing the first campers to ever reach the North and South poles.
Total Composites of Esquimalt has played a pivotal role in several Arctic expeditions. Most recently, it designed the first-ever campers, or 鈥渉abitats,鈥� used by adventurers on the Transglobal Car Expedition, which began on Jan. 10, 2024. Exactly one year later, the team arrived at the geographical South Pole, bringing a piece of Esquimalt along with them.
鈥淕oing to these extremes, where you really have no access to, let鈥檚 say, BCAA, a tow truck, or a service centre, that was new to me,鈥� said Andreas Schwall, the founder of Total Composites. The novelty of the experience speaks volumes, considering Schwall has been designing expedition trucks for over two decades, starting during his time living in Germany.
Schwall has long held a passion for adventure and travel. At 20, he began exploring Northern Africa by motorbike. Since then, he鈥檚 had many more motorbike adventures, including five crossings of the Sahara Desert and a three-and-a-half-month journey to Senegal. The German-born, Esquimalt-based entrepreneur immigrated to Canada 23 years ago 鈥� on a bicycle. He eventually settled in Victoria, where he started Total Composites in 2015, distilling his love for expeditions into manufacturing and supplying parts for RVs and motorhomes throughout North America.
鈥淎s a Canadian company, we understand what it means to be out in those cold temperatures because people still go out camping in the wintertime. They go hunting, they go ice fishing, whatever they do,鈥� he said.
The opportunity to get involved in Arctic expeditions came about in 2023, when Schwall was approached by the owner of Arctic Trucks to design a camper for a support vehicle accompanying British adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey on their journey to the magnetic North Pole in an electric Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE.
鈥淸Arctic Trucks] got commissioned to support them with shelter and ground support because if you break down up there, you get eaten by the polar bears 鈥� or you just die,鈥� said Schwall.
鈥淚t did that first trip with flying colours, and they came back and said they loved it because, in the past, they had always been sleeping in tents.鈥� Before Total Composites, Schwall says there were essentially no options for people to take campers out in such cold temperatures, especially not to the Arctic.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with that. That鈥檚 what polar expedition people do. They sleep in tents,鈥� said Schwall.
鈥淭his was just a game-changer. They said, 鈥榃e can hang out inside. We can make meals inside... We want to do this again'.鈥� Schwall鈥檚 camper was then used on two journeys to the magnetic North Pole. After that, the company was commissioned to send the habitats on the Transglobal Car Expedition, a circumnavigation of the globe entirely by car, except for some sections involving ships.
Despite his love for expeditions, Schwall was skeptical at the initial opportunity to design the habitats, especially since this fun part of the business isn鈥檛 what pays the bills.
鈥淚 was a bit hesitant. I didn鈥檛 want to have that responsibility on my shoulders, not knowing how the adhesives we are using or the plastics we are using would behave in the cold, right?鈥� he said.
鈥淚 talked with our suppliers in Germany, and I said, 鈥楬ey, can you tell me if the adhesive we are using to assemble everything is good to minus 50 or 60?鈥� And they said, 鈥榃ell, we tested it to minus 35, but that鈥檚 all we can tell you'.鈥�
Now, with a few successful expeditions completed, Schwall says the thing that surprised him the most was just how well everything held up. Even though they used the best materials available, the magnitude of the journey is, suffice to say difficult to prepare for.
The Transglobal Car Expedition concluded on Jan. 10. While the explorers have headed home, sadly, the habitats will not.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e going to stay there. The vehicles will stay at the South Pole now forever.鈥�
