LEITNER AMBASSADOR LACEY WHITEHOUSE

Look at any one of the incredible photos shot by Leitner Designs’ ambassador Lacey Whitehouse. You wouldn’t be misguided to think that she spent years in school studying photography under the tutelage of some of the great outdoors photographers. In reality, however, Lacey is entirely self-taught.

In fact, Lacey went to college for forestry, not photography or art. Growing up in Michigan, Lacey had a camera in her hand — she mastered photography through years of practice, which makes her mastery even more impressive.

Lacey grew up on 80 acres south of Traverse City, Michigan. She was always outside hunting, fishing, and riding dirt bikes. She didn’t start camping until moving out west.

After graduating from college, Lacey moved to North Fork, Idaho, working for the Forest Service working in Timber Sale Prep. It was in Idaho that Lacey landed a job with Black Rifle Coffee Company where she worked for eight years.

During her time there, through the lens of her Nikon, Lacey defined the look and feel of how an outdoor brand should present itself and its product, creating now-iconic imagery for the legendary brand — all from out of her 2012 Toyota Tundra.

Lacey joined the Leitner Designs family about two and a half years ago. Her Tundra sports the eight-foot bed, so she has a lot of bed real estate to play with. Honestly, the eight-foot Active Cargo System (ACS) Forged is a rare setup and it leaves a lot of room for Leitner accessories, which Lacey has made good use of.

On the driver side alone, Lacey has a GearPOD XL and a GearPOD with two Universal Mounting Plates sandwiched in between — as much as some customers have on their entire truck let alone just one side.

On the passenger side of her Tundra, Lacey bolted a GearPOD DUAL, another GearPOD, another Universal Mounting Plate, and a HydroPOD. She has a veritable king’s ransom Leitner accessories on that rig [this author is very envious].

“The ACS Forged and all the Leitner accessories maximizes storage without filling up the better your truck or the cab of the truck,” Lacey said. “With everything right there in the GearPODs, I never have to look for it — it’s all right there, ready to go.”

With so much storage space to play with, Lacey keeps a ton of gear in her GearPODs year round, including a sleeping bag, tent, and boots just in case she needs to head out on a last-minute camping trip.

“The Leitner slogan, ‘Carry Your World’ is so true,” Lacey added. “Everything is there. It’s so easy.”

As a freelance outdoor-adventure photographer, Lacey is always looking for new clients. If you’re interested in hiring her or just want to keep up on her adventures, follow her on Instagram @mountainginger.adv.