Like all good stories, the story of Slayer Off-Road starts on a dark back road in the Texas Hill Country with two guys, some beer, and a little bit of napkin math.

Slayer Off-Road: Origins

The founders wanted their company name to signify the conquering of anything that might stand in their way. Basically, total domination.

Today, these Texas boys literally brainstorm and design their Slayer Off-Road mods in a barn in Burnet, Texas. It doesn’t get more authentic than this.

Now before y’all go thinking that this company is just a couple of back road country boys, read on.

The skill of their designs will have you wanting to learn more about these two Texans who are already starting to make waves in the Jeep aftermarket world.

So we’ll start with a photo, since a picture is worth a thousand words:

When first meeting co-founder Ben in March of 2017, my favorite part of our conversation was when I asked him if his products were built in the U.S.A.

He responded, “No.” Then he paused, smiled, and said, “They are built in Texas.”

Nailed it.

Slayer Off-Road: The Men Behind the Brand

When I asked the founders of Slayer Off-Road to send me a photo of the two of them (of which they have many), this one to the left is the one they chose.

This decision on their part should tell you a little about who they are at their core.

They aren’t afraid to look you in the eye or get their hands dirty. Ultimately, they are just like the rest of us.

This isn’t some big conglomerate; these are simply two Texans ready to make their mark in the Jeep aftermarket world.

Ben Rountree, Founder, Slayer Off-Road

Ben Rountree’s official title is Chief of Operations for Slayer Off-Road. He’s a graduate of Tarleton State University and he’s also an avid Jeeper. Ben spends a lot of time out on the trails. As a result, he tends to guide the direction of what Slayer Off-Road is going to design next. His main role is to make sure that the mass production shop (located in Fort Worth, TX) is on time and building their designs to spec. He’s also responsible for overall customer service and satisfaction.

Ben has been known to personally bring Slayer Off-Road products to customers and install them himself on site. He considers his customers friends and is happy to answer any questions about Slayer Off-Road’s products and processes.

I have to say that Ben is quite a character. When asked to show his products to potential buyers in person, typically he simply says, “Just take a good look at it.” Then he stands back and lets his products do the talking.

Ben has a swagger that isn’t pretentious, but is solidly based on the confidence of what Slayer Off-Road designs and builds.

Mason Ballard, Founder, Slayer Off-Road

Mason Ballard’s official title is Chief Designer for Slayer Off-Road. He is a professional design engineer by trade. His impressive resume shows that he has led some rather large projects with MacPro, Samsung, and a couple of Nike factories internationally.

At his core, however, Mason longs to be at home in Texas, focusing solely on Slayer Off-Road.

Mason grew up working on a ranch in a tiny little town of 452 souls called Gustine, TX. It was here where he initially learned design. Because on a ranch, if it is broke, you need to fix it. Mason was not only the kind of person to fix things, but he always wanted to improve them.

Now with Slayer Off-Road taking off, Mason has a ton of work on his design plate. Ben keeps throwing ideas his way, and Mason keeps executing excellence.

Slayer Off-Road: Behind the Scenes

Although Slayer Off-Road’s initial portfolio focuses only on JK front and rear bumpers, along with a couple of tire racks, Mason shared with me that they are working on much more behind the scenes. He said that what you see right now on their website barely scratches the surface of what they have in the pipeline.

He added that they’ve recently brought on another designer who is working on items such as rock sliders, LED brackets, top racks, and more.

When I asked him what, “and more” meant, he was careful with his response.

Ultimately, he said that Slayer Off-Road is working on products for some of the older Jeep models. He also hinted at the fact that they will be busting into the truck market very soon. And in Mason’s own words, “We might even be working on some things that don’t necessarily get mounted to a vehicle, but instead will be pulled by them.”

These guys are on fire right now. Expect really good things.

Slayer Off-Road: The Vision and Philosophy of the Brand

Having spoken with both Mason and Ben, I’ve learned a few things about their vision and philosophy when it comes to their company.

First of all, they are all about the customer. They want Slayer Off-Road to be more of a lifestyle brand than a Jeep mod shop. It is all about personal interaction for them.

If you are in Central Texas, they’ll literally come out and personally help you install your Slayer Off-Road mods. They’ll probably even bring beer.

If you see them at an event, they’ll want to share a beer with you under their display tent, and hear your wheeling stories.

And if you’re just going wheeling, they’ll want an invite. No joke. This is who they are.

Secondly, they are all about quality. Sure, everyone says this about their products, but I’ve seen the quality first-hand. These are extremely well-designed and solidly built products, with attention given to every detail.

Finally, they are dreaming big.

Ben and Mason hope to centralize all of their efforts into one “campus” that not only designs and builds vehicle accessories, but also does complete vehicle builds. This campus would have enough offices to house everyone on their growing team, and a showroom that displays all of the world-class products their team is designing.

Slayer Off-Road has a huge vision, and these guys are the ones who can do it. They are Texas strong.

But if you want to get to know them personally, my advice is to do it now.

I have a feeling that it won’t be long before they simply can’t travel to customers one-on-one, though I know they’ll try.

Slayer Off-Road: The Products

The stated goal of Slayer Off-Road is: To build the best looking, most durable products on the market, and sell them at a price that is affordable for the people who want to use them. 

One thing that you will not know just by looking at these products is that, along with the deep welds, their bumpers are cut out of a single piece of 3/16” steel. Also, to increase integrity, instead of cutting every surface out independently and then welding it to the assembly, they dash cut the steel at the bend lines, bend the faces into place, and then weld over the dashes and bends with a solid seam. It is all about the details.