Las Vegas, baby.
Back in November, we found ourselves at the Las Vegas Convention Center, surrounded by the biggest names in the automotive world. SEMA isn’t just a trade show. It’s the trade show. A place where seven-figure builds, floor-polished concept trucks, and legacy brands go to flex their latest and greatest. It’s the top of the industry. And somehow, there we were. Cache. A brand that started with a crude cut-and-sew tailgate pad, a Kickstarter, and a sketch of the Basecamp System on the back of a napkin.
^^ The Said Drawing ^^
To be there, in that lineup of brands we’ve looked up to for years, was something special. It wasn’t handed to us. We worked for it.
We had never built a trade show booth before. No blueprint. No playbook. Just a rough idea of what we wanted it to feel like and a garage full of tools. So we started cutting, sanding, sketching, and second-guessing, figuring it out as we went. The layout changed. The graphics got reworked. The whole thing came together late, imperfect, and fully ours.
It wasn’t polished. It was real. And somehow, it worked well enough that people started asking who we hired to design our booth. That was the best part. No agency. No contractors. Just us, doing what we’ve always done. Learning as we go and building something we’re proud to stand behind.
We weren’t alone in that booth, either. A few of Cache’s early investors joined us at the show to help run the booth, answer questions, and share the story behind the brand. These are folks who backed the vision early, and instead of watching from the sidelines, they jumped in with us. Boots on the floor, talking with customers and helping bring Cache to life on the show floor.
We pieced the truck together at the last minute. No fancy build schedule. No pre-show photoshoots. Just a tight deadline and a bunch of parts showing up right before we hit the road.
We didn’t build it to win awards. We built it to work. To show up with something that felt like us. A third-gen Tacoma that could actually haul gear, hit the trail, and pull double duty as our mobile basecamp. It wasn’t over-the-top or overly polished. It was functional, clean, and dialed just enough.
With the help of some rad partners, we got it there in time. And somehow, in the middle of all the chaos, it came together better than we expected.
Here’s what we had bolted up by the time the show opened:
Rotopax Rototrax
Alpharex headlights and tail lights
Diode Dynamics lighting
Nomad Wheels wrapped in 33” BFG’s
Plus the full Basecamp System locked in on the tailgate
A few days into the show, something unexpected happened.
The crew from GearJunkie, one of the most respected names in the outdoor space, stopped by the booth. They spent time with the Basecamp System, asked the right questions, and actually understood why we built it the way we did.
Then, a few days later, the news dropped. Cache was named one of GearJunkie’s “Best in Show” Top Products at SEMA.
Not best tailgate pad.
Best in show.
Dillion might’ve gotten a little too excited about it (Vegas will do that to you), but honestly? We all did. For a small crew like ours to get that kind of recognition, surrounded by companies with hundred-person teams and million-dollar budgets, it meant everything. It validated the long days, the late nights, and all the times we said, “what if we tried this?”
We’re still wrapping our heads around it. But it’s a reminder that people are paying attention, and that building something better is always worth it.
People didn’t expect to see a tailgate pad company at SEMA. But when they saw the system, the security, the details, they got it. We heard it over and over: “Finally. Someone actually did it right.”
That’s why we came to Vegas. Not just to stand out, but to show up with something real. Something built for the dirt, the road, the ride, and the stories that start at the back of the truck.
We left SEMA with more than tired legs and a few empty coffee cups. We left with new ideas, new momentum, and a deeper fire to keep building products that make a difference.
To everyone who supported us, stopped by, shared feedback, or just came to see what this little brand from Utah was doing there. Thank you.
We’ll be back. Bigger booth. Bigger plans. Same soul.
Lars and the Cache Team
