What Backcountry Containers does

Backcountry Containers is a family-owned US manufacturer that converts 20ft and 40ft 'one tripper' shipping containers into residential homes, commercial buildings, and industrial structures. Founded in 2016 by former aeronautical engineer Jon Meier and headquartered in Spooner, Wisconsin, the company operates dual production facilities in Wisconsin and Texas, supporting nationwide delivery. Its catalog spans nine standard residential models (priced $43,000-$210,000, from the 20ft Rockne office to the multi-container Huntington home), a custom build service, DIY Rough-In units, and a growing commercial and specialty line that includes workforce housing, construction offices, food and beverage venues, energy infrastructure enclosures, container pools, and the SaunaPlunge product. An in-house team of metal fabricators, certified electricians and plumbers, designers, and carpenters performs the structural and finish work; 80+ customization options and a 2D website configurator support self-serve selection alongside project-manager-led custom sales.

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer and project-based sales model: customers configure or request quotes online, by phone (888-508-6556), or via in-house project managers, with payment terms of 50% on signing, 40% at production start, and 10% before shipping for homes. Shorter-rental SKUs (construction offices at $475/month, container bars at $150/day) add a small recurring component, while financing through Wisetack and LoanGlide supports buyer affordability. Marketing leans heavily on TV visibility from the DIY Network show 'Containables' and HGTV's 'Tiny House Big Living', supplemented by the website configurator and project gallery. The company serves a broad customer mix spanning residential homeowners, hospitality and food and beverage SMBs, construction and real estate developers, energy and industrial buyers, and government entities, with state-level modular manufacturing licensing and third-party inspection partnerships enabling code-compliant delivery across multiple US states.

Name

Backcountry Containers

Legal name

Backcountry Containers

Website

https://backcountrycontainers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backcountry Containers is a family-owned US builder that converts 20ft and 40ft shipping containers into residential homes, commercial buildings, pools, saunas, and industrial enclosures, serving homeowners, SMBs, developers, and energy and government customers nationwide from facilities in Wisconsin and Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Modular Container Construction

NAICS

Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing (3324)

SIC

Truck & Bus Bodies (3713)

akta.pro primary industry

Pallets, Bins, Totes & Returnable Transport Packaging (RTP) (IMAHABAG)

Keywords

• Container homes
• Shipping container conversion
• Modular construction
• Commercial container buildings
• Container pools saunas

Headquarters

HQ city

Spooner, Wisconsin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Container Home Sales: One-time purchase of standard or custom container homes ranging from $43,000 to $210,000+ depending on model, size, and customization level. Payment terms: 50% upon signing, 40% at production start, 10% before shipping.
2. Container Office Rental and Sales: 20ft construction offices available for rent at $475/month or purchase at $35,000. Provides recurring rental revenue with option to purchase.
3. Container Bar Rental: 20ft container bars available for rent at $150/day or purchase at $42,000. Event-focused rental model for pop-ups and seasonal use.
4. Commercial Container Building Sales: Custom commercial builds including workforce housing, offices, amenity centers, tasting rooms, coffee shops starting at $78,500 to $380,000+.
5. Pool and Sauna Sales: 20ft SaunaPlunge at $49,500, 20ft container pool starting at $38,900, 40ft container pool starting at $56,900, and custom pool/sauna projects quoted per project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Backcountry Containers designs, fabricates, and delivers structures built from repurposed 20ft and 40ft high cube "one tripper" shipping containers. The company produces residential container homes (single and multi-unit configurations), commercial buildings (workforce housing, offices, food and beverage venues), specialty products (container pools and saunas), and custom steel enclosures for energy and industrial projects.

Product overview

Backcountry Containers is a family-owned shipping container builder offering a portfolio of standard container home models, multi-unit container configurations, commercial/industrial container structures, and pool/sauna products. The core offering consists of residential container homes (single 20ft/40ft models and multi-container configurations), commercial buildings (offices, workforce housing, food/beverage spaces), and specialty products (pools, saunas, energy infrastructure enclosures). All products are built using 20ft and 40ft shipping containers modified with insulation, electrical, plumbing, and custom finishes. The company also offers fully custom container builds and DIY rough-in options for customer completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SaunaPlunge: A container-based sauna and plunge pool product line that offers cost-effective and fast outdoor space transformation with user-friendly equipment including pool heater, pump, filter, skimmer, and main drain.

Products and services

• The Kennedy - 40ft Container Home A 40ft container home featuring 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living space, and kitchen for individual homeowners seeking an affordable, customizable residence. Starting at $90,000.
• The Ezra - 20ft Container Home A 20ft container home with bathroom, kitchen, and combined living/bedroom area for individuals or couples seeking a small footprint residence. Starting at $60,000.
• The Augustine - 40ft Hunting Container Cabin A 40ft hunting cabin with kitchen, bathroom, living/bedroom space, and a 12-foot garage for ATV storage. Starting at $87,500.
• The Jack - 20ft Hunting Container Cabin A 20ft off-the-grid hunting cabin with kitchen area and open sleeping/hangout space for remote locations. Starting at $50,000.
• The Rockne - 20ft Container Office A 20ft open-concept container office suitable for home office, construction sites, gyms, music studios, or workspaces. Starting at $43,000.
• The Luke - 1x40ft + 1x20ft Multi-Container Home A multi-container home combining 1x40ft and 1x20ft containers with 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, and expanded open living/kitchen/dining space. Starting at $135,000.
• The Fulton - 1x40ft + 1x20ft Multi-Container Home A multi-container home combining 1x40ft and 1x20ft containers with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and expanded living/kitchen space. Starting at $140,000.
• The Clark - 2x40ft Multi-Container Home A multi-container home using 2 staggered 40ft containers with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and open living/kitchen/dining space. Starting at $165,000.
• The Huntington - 2x40ft + 1x20ft Multi-Container Home The largest standard model with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a master suite accommodating a king bed, and secondary queen bedroom. Starting at $210,000.
• Rough-In (DIY) Container Homes DIY container homes built to inspection and shipped to site for customer completion; buyers choose which portions Backcountry Containers completes versus self-finish.
• 20ft Construction Office A 20ft commercial container office (160 sqft) with insulation, HVAC, and electrical for construction sites; available for rent at $475/month or purchase at $35,000.
• Container Workforce Housing Workforce housing using single-occupancy 20ft units and 40ft units with two private bedrooms for oil field, mountain, and disaster response deployments.
• Container Residential Development Welcome Center A welcome center built from 5x40ft containers with open-concept entry, kitchenette, 2 restrooms, conference room, and 3 office spaces, ADA compliant. Starting at $380,000.
• 20ft Container Bar A 20ft container bar (160 sqft) with 3 serving openings, walk-in cooler area, and stainless steel countertops; available for rent at $150/day or purchase at $42,000.
• Container Wine Tasting Room A tasting room built from 2x40ft high cube containers with ActivWall doors, pine ceilings, ADA bathroom, and open kitchen/bar. Starting at $172,000.
• Container Ice Cream Shop A commercial ice cream shop built from 1x40ft and 1x20ft containers with open concept kitchen, ice cream bar, ADA-compliant bathroom, and lobby.
• Container Coffee Shop A coffee shop built from 2x20ft containers with efficient workflow design, commercial-grade kitchen equipment, and open customer area. Starting at $120,000.
• 40ft Container Concession Stand A 40ft container concession stand for high-traffic events with ordering and pickup windows, roll-up doors, and adaptable layout. Starting at $78,500.
• Container Energy Infrastructure Solutions Custom steel enclosures, control rooms, equipment shelters, and off-grid support units for energy, utility, and industrial projects including battery storage, substations, and power generation.
• SaunaPlunge Container A 20ft combined sauna and plunge pool unit with user-friendly equipment (pool heater, pump, filter, skimmer, main drain) in a plug-n-play configuration. $49,500.
• 20ft Container Pool A pool built inside a 20ft shipping container with reinforced steel substructure and premium materials for minimal maintenance. Starting at $38,900.
• 40ft Container Pool A pool built inside a 40ft shipping container with reinforced steel substructure for minimal maintenance. Starting at $56,900.
• Container Construction Site Amenity Center A commercial amenity building using 2x40ft containers with breakroom, laundry, full kitchen, and 2 bathrooms for construction workforce. Starting at $150,500.
• Custom Container Home Builds Fully custom container home builds using stacked or adjoined 20ft and 40ft containers, incorporating decks, porches, multiple bedrooms, offices, workshops, and bespoke features.
• Custom Pool/Sauna Projects Custom container pool and sauna projects built to customer specifications, including large-scale specialty builds such as 6,000-gallon container aquariums.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6-16 weeks from signed agreement to delivery for standard models
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DIY NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHome of the 'Containables' TV show featuring Backcountry Containers' custom builds. The show profiles container home construction projects and serves as primary brand awareness channel.
• HGTVcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured on 'Tiny House Big Living' show where builds inspired standard models. The Kennedy model was inspired by an HGTV featured home.
• Amazon Prime VideominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of 'Containables' Season 1, making show available to streaming subscribers.
• Apple TVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of 'Containables' Season 1 through Apple TV+ platform.
• Preferred Vendors and ContractorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of regional general contractors recommended for site preparation, installation, deck options, foundation packages, electrical, water, and plumbing services. Contractors also assist with permitting guidance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Honomobo: Honomobo designs and manufactures container-based modular homes and commercial buildings using shipping containers, directly competing with Backcountry in the container home/ADU category with similar price points and configurability.
• Falcon Structures: Falcon Structures converts shipping containers into commercial and industrial buildings (offices, storage, workforce housing), sharing Backcountry's core fabrication business model and customer overlap in commercial/industrial verticals.
• Custom Container Living: Custom Container Living builds custom container homes and commercial structures from modified shipping containers, directly overlapping with Backcountry's residential and custom-build offerings.
• Connect Homes: Connect Homes produces modular steel-frame prefab homes targeting the same design-forward, faster-construction residential buyer that Backcountry addresses with container homes.
• Method Homes: Method Homes designs and manufactures precision prefab and modular homes, overlapping with Backcountry's premium, customizable, factory-built residential positioning.
• Plant Prefab: Plant Prefab is a sustainable prefab/modular home builder offering custom and standard factory-built homes, competing with Backcountry in the faster-than-traditional-construction residential market with deeper VC backing.
• Coverly (Cover): Coverly (formerly Cover) manufactures prefab backyard ADUs and container-based modular structures, competing with Backcountry's ADU/residential container home models in a similar consumer-facing motion.

Emerging players

• Boxabl: Boxabl builds factory-made folding prefab homes targeting the same affordable-housing and ADU thesis as Backcountry, though using a proprietary folding panel system rather than repurposed shipping containers; emerging high-capital competitor in adjacent prefab category.

Broad incumbents

• Champion Home Builders: Champion Homes (Skyline Champion) is a large publicly traded modular and manufactured-home incumbent with national manufacturing footprint; relevant peer for broader prefab/modular housing market dynamics and competitive intensity.
• Cavco Industries: Cavco Industries is a publicly traded broad incumbent in factory-built and modular housing, offering scale, distribution, and regulatory expertise that dwarfs Backcountry's but with less specialization in container construction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backcountry-containers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Backcountry Containers