diff --git a/docs/src/ComponentsPage.js b/docs/src/ComponentsPage.js
index 65bd2e50b5..3c37d256b8 100644
--- a/docs/src/ComponentsPage.js
+++ b/docs/src/ComponentsPage.js
@@ -788,8 +788,24 @@ const ComponentsPage = React.createClass({
                   <PropTable component='InputBase'/>
                 </div>
 
+                {/* Utilities */}
+                <div className='bs-docs-section'>
+                  <h1 id='utilities' className='page-header'>Utilities <small>Portal</small></h1>
+
+                  <h2 id='utilities-Portal'>Portal</h2>
+                  <p>
+                    A Component that renders its children into a new React "subtree" or <code>container</code>. The Portal component kind of like the React
+                    equivillent to jQuery's <code>.appendTo()</code>, which is helpful for components that need to be appended to a DOM node other than
+                    the component's direct parent. The Modal, and Overlay components use the Portal component internally.
+                  </p>
+                  <h3 id='utilities-props'>Props</h3>
+
+                  <PropTable component='Portal'/>
+                </div>
               </div>
 
+
+
               <div className='col-md-3'>
                 <Affix
                   className='bs-docs-sidebar hidden-print'
@@ -829,6 +845,7 @@ const ComponentsPage = React.createClass({
                     <NavItem href='#glyphicons' key={24}>Glyphicons</NavItem>
                     <NavItem href='#tables' key={25}>Tables</NavItem>
                     <NavItem href='#input' key={26}>Input</NavItem>
+                    <NavItem href='#utilities' key={26}>Input</NavItem>
                   </Nav>
                   <a className='back-to-top' href='#top'>
                   Back to top
diff --git a/src/OverlayMixin.js b/src/OverlayMixin.js
index 76524ed61c..ff9f312e03 100644
--- a/src/OverlayMixin.js
+++ b/src/OverlayMixin.js
@@ -1,33 +1,42 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import CustomPropTypes from './utils/CustomPropTypes';
 import domUtils from './utils/domUtils';
+import deprecationWarning from './utils/deprecationWarning';
 
-export default {
+export const OverlayMixin = {
   propTypes: {
+
     container: CustomPropTypes.mountable
   },
 
-  componentWillUnmount() {
-    this._unrenderOverlay();
-    if (this._overlayTarget) {
-      this.getContainerDOMNode()
-        .removeChild(this._overlayTarget);
-      this._overlayTarget = null;
-    }
+
+  componentDidMount() {
+    this._renderOverlay();
   },
 
   componentDidUpdate() {
     this._renderOverlay();
   },
 
-  componentDidMount() {
-    this._renderOverlay();
+  componentWillUnmount() {
+    this._unrenderOverlay();
+    this._mountOverlayTarget();
   },
 
   _mountOverlayTarget() {
-    this._overlayTarget = document.createElement('div');
-    this.getContainerDOMNode()
-      .appendChild(this._overlayTarget);
+    if (!this._overlayTarget) {
+      this._overlayTarget = document.createElement('div');
+      this.getContainerDOMNode()
+        .appendChild(this._overlayTarget);
+    }
+  },
+
+  _unmountOverlayTarget() {
+    if (this._overlayTarget) {
+      this.getContainerDOMNode()
+        .removeChild(this._overlayTarget);
+      this._overlayTarget = null;
+    }
   },
 
   _renderOverlay() {
@@ -39,10 +48,12 @@ export default {
 
     // Save reference to help testing
     if (overlay !== null) {
+      this._mountOverlayTarget();
       this._overlayInstance = React.render(overlay, this._overlayTarget);
     } else {
       // Unrender if the component is null for transitions to null
       this._unrenderOverlay();
+      this._unmountOverlayTarget();
     }
   },
 
@@ -67,3 +78,14 @@ export default {
     return React.findDOMNode(this.props.container) || domUtils.ownerDocument(this).body;
   }
 };
+
+export default {
+
+  ...OverlayMixin,
+
+  componentWillMount() {
+    deprecationWarning(
+        'Overlay mixin', 'the `<Portal/>` Component'
+      , 'http://react-bootstrap.github.io/components.html#modals-custom');
+  }
+};
diff --git a/src/Portal.js b/src/Portal.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cc8f350701
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Portal.js
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import CustomPropTypes from './utils/CustomPropTypes';
+import { OverlayMixin } from './OverlayMixin';
+
+let Portal = React.createClass({
+
+  displayName: 'Portal',
+
+  propTypes: {
+    /**
+     * The DOM Node that the Component will render it's children into
+     */
+    container: CustomPropTypes.mountable
+  },
+
+  // we use the mixin for now, to avoid duplicating a bunch of code.
+  // when the deprecation is removed we need to move the logic here from OverlayMixin
+  mixins: [ OverlayMixin ],
+
+  renderOverlay() {
+    if (!this.props.children) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    return React.Children.only(this.props.children);
+  },
+
+  render() {
+    return null;
+  }
+});
+
+
+export default Portal;
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 7d2d8e8e85..437008dabb 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ import utils from './utils';
 import Well from './Well';
 import styleMaps from './styleMaps';
 
+import Portal from './Portal';
+
 export default {
   Accordion,
   Affix,
@@ -98,6 +100,7 @@ export default {
   Pager,
   Pagination,
   Popover,
+  Portal,
   ProgressBar,
   Row,
   SplitButton,
diff --git a/test/PortalSpec.js b/test/PortalSpec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..66a1b49fc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/PortalSpec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import ReactTestUtils from 'react/lib/ReactTestUtils';
+import Portal from '../src/Portal';
+
+describe('Portal', function () {
+  let instance;
+
+  let Overlay = React.createClass({
+    render() {
+      return (
+        <div>
+          <Portal ref='p' {...this.props}>{this.props.overlay}</Portal>
+        </div>
+      );
+    },
+    getOverlayDOMNode(){
+      return this.refs.p.getOverlayDOMNode();
+    }
+  });
+
+  afterEach(function() {
+    if (instance && ReactTestUtils.isCompositeComponent(instance) && instance.isMounted()) {
+      React.unmountComponentAtNode(React.findDOMNode(instance));
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('Should render overlay into container (DOMNode)', function() {
+    let container = document.createElement('div');
+
+    instance = ReactTestUtils.renderIntoDocument(
+      <Overlay container={container} overlay={<div id="test1" />} />
+    );
+
+    assert.equal(container.querySelectorAll('#test1').length, 1);
+  });
+
+  it('Should render overlay into container (ReactComponent)', function() {
+    let Container = React.createClass({
+      render() {
+        return <Overlay container={this} overlay={<div id="test1" />} />;
+      }
+    });
+
+    instance = ReactTestUtils.renderIntoDocument(
+      <Container />
+    );
+
+    assert.equal(React.findDOMNode(instance).querySelectorAll('#test1').length, 1);
+  });
+
+  it('Should not render a null overlay', function() {
+    let Container = React.createClass({
+      render() {
+        return <Overlay ref='overlay' container={this} overlay={null} />;
+      }
+    });
+
+    instance = ReactTestUtils.renderIntoDocument(
+      <Container />
+    );
+
+    assert.equal(instance.refs.overlay.getOverlayDOMNode(), null);
+  });
+
+  it('Should render only an overlay', function() {
+    let OnlyOverlay = React.createClass({
+      render() {
+        return <Portal ref='p' {...this.props}>{this.props.overlay}</Portal>;
+      }
+    });
+
+    let overlayInstance = ReactTestUtils.renderIntoDocument(
+      <OnlyOverlay overlay={<div id="test1" />} />
+    );
+
+    assert.equal(overlayInstance.refs.p.getOverlayDOMNode().nodeName, 'DIV');
+  });
+});