ISSUE ONE
PROVENSTAFF OVERLAND Michael Stolz
Erik Olsen
Founder / Publisher
Director of Business Development
ABOUT Proven Overland is a quarterly online magazine that is passionate about vehicle based adventures. We are striving to bring something unique to the world of 4WD and off-road magazines; a more clean and simple format. We are keeping the gear reviews and ads to a minimum, because isn’t the best part of overlanding the stories behind it all? Proven will highlight the raw tales of real people exploring our world and getting out there- featuring the victories and challenges along the way.
ADVERTISE If you are interested in getting on board by advertising or partnering with Proven, you can chat with us or ask us questions here: provenoverland@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTE We are always on the lookout for new and awesome content. If you have a story or an overland rig you would like to share with us drop us a line at: provenoverland@gmail.com
FEATURES
Adventure Story How Your Overland Vehicle Determines Your Trip @ThisMustBeThePace - Mirla Klijn Interview Overland The Americas Ernesto and Taisa @OverlandTheAmericas Adventure Story OX Overland: Oregon Trail Xpedition @ox_overland Project Highlight iamRoamR Tony & Troy @iamRoamR Featured Overland Rig 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road @RockCreekOverland Project Highlight ThatVanAgain @thatvanagain Adventure Story Downunderlust Matt Hawke @overlandexposure Adventure Story West to East Adam Smith @roadlyfe Adventure Story Baja Con Littles @poseidonsbeard
tales of adventure travel in
appalachia
watch episo d es at
ountain state overland
mountainstateoverland.com
ADVENTURE STORY
How Your Overland Vehicle Determines Your Trip
B
efore I start off here, there is something you might need to take into consideration. My husband and I are Dutch. In the Netherlands folks generally don’t care an awful lot about their vehicles. At least not compared to Americans or Canadians. That is until you start planning an overland trip. Overlanders will very carefully, not to say almost obsessively, select their vehicle before leaving. So did we and so the search for the ‘perfect’ overland vehicle began.
Evenings of endless reading on blogs about which vehicle performs best on which roads followed. What engine? Which tires? How about the mileage? What about weight? Do we need 4x4 and diff locks? The classic Volkswagen surf van or the more agile Landrover Defender? Maybe we can combine the two. A Syncro perhaps? Nowadays everything is so geared towards performance and perfection, to such an extent that upon leaving you really believe that the most important aspect of your whole overland journey is the engineering of your vehicle. And of course it is important to be comfortable in your van, knowing it can handle driving up that steep dirt road or that it is able to cross a river. But there is something else that really shapes your trip, something we found out only when we were well on our way. After all considerations we ended our quest at a German engineered, mostly mechanical and very sturdy 4x4 vehicle; a Mercedes Vario 814DA from the year 2000. It is large enough to fit a fixed bed, kitchen, shower and seating area and tall enough to stand upright. Big enough to bring a couple of surfboards and have enough storage but also still possible to drive it up little forest roads and the odd tiny alley in Antigua, Guatemala. The mileage for this heavyweight was pretty good too. So this actually might be the perfect overland vehicle then? Almost. To say we fell in love with it from the beginning? Not really. Maybe due to the fact that it was standing in a puddle of mud on a grey winter day when we first saw it. The van was filthy and filled with rusty old rims and a heavy-duty workbench. The dashboard and upholstery full of stains of dirty workers fingers. From the outside it was dark blue. The kind of blue that absorbs every tiny ray of light. So one of the first priorities on our list was to paint it a lighter color, since we would travel through some very hot countries and there was no air conditioning. When it was done, I wasn’t sure whether I liked it. Custard might be the best word for its new coat. ‘Who on earth paints his vehicle custard?’, I thought. Of course sand, beige, white or green are the overland vehicle colors to go with. But green, or white was out of the question since we were afraid that would potentially turn it into an aggressive looking army truck or just a stupid white panel van. And beige is just, well, beh. This custard icing could go two ways we thought, either people love it, or they don’t like desserts. We topped it off with some Tibetan prayer flags, baptized him as ‘Balthasar the 1st’ and hoped for the best. Also, we were shipping it in two weeks, so there was no time for second thoughts anyways. And as long as we liked it, who cares? After all, it is more about how it performs. This is what we thought. But thinking is overrated.
After we picked it up in the port of Halifax in Canada, it was all smiles onwards. Smiles and thumbs and winks and many more expressions of different forms of arousal. Bro’s grunting at traffic lights: ‘LOVE YOUR RIG MAN!’, whilst pumping their fists in the air. A photographer in a Jeep Wrangler following us on the highway to creep up upon our next lunch stop, only to ask what kind of vehicle it is. Some serious offers on parking lots in Venice Beach. Lunch break photo sessions with fans. Now and then it felt like we were driving a pink elephant into the gas station. ‘Avoid eye contact’, I would urge Olaf, ‘otherwise we are here for the next two and a half hours again.’ Some girl in her car waiting for a traffic light saw us driving by and went completely mental, smashing her fists on her steering wheel, screaming with all the emotions people normally have…when getting a panic attack. We now know how it must feel to date a celebrity. Never did we expect that Ballie would become such a head turner.
Inevitable encounters with annoying car freaks also took place. Before even properly introducing themselves, they would just yell bluntly in your face: ‘What’s your mileage?’ Or ‘How much did it cost’! I often wondered if it was a question or an assault and would give them the benefit of just lifting an eyebrow. Those types will react to anything that looks like a properly engineered 4x4 truck. They don’t care about who you are or where you’re going. This is also where I’m getting exactly to my point.
“So when you are considering a certain type of vehicle, also think of what you would want to communicate. Who do you want to attract to your journey.” We are now more convinced than ever that custard is the perfect coating for an overland vehicle. That Tibetan prayer flags or funny charms go a long way when outfitting your ‘rig’. And that a little personal detail can trigger a new conversation, much more than driving an untouchable custom outfitted Unimog with separate high cabin and tinted windows. So when you are considering a certain type of vehicle, also think of what you would want to communicate. Who do you want to attract to your journey. Just like clothes, shoes and homes, your house on wheels can tell an awful lot about who you are, or what you want. And you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
After nine months on the road, we now have lost count of the amount of people that started a conversation with us, just because they liked the appearance of Balthasar. Quite a few of them invited us to park in front of their house. Like Ron & Doreen from Canada, who still send us lovely emails asking ‘if the camper is working well on our travels.’ Or Meghan from Telluride, Colorado who walked up to our table in a café to check if ‘that badass truck’ belonged to us, after which she offered us hot showers and warmed us with a few bags of her home blended tea. Or the two Canadian brothers who’s only task was to fix our tire but who kept on giving small extra parts we might need on the way, and even some fresh trout which they’d caught just that morning. So our lesson is to go for something personal instead of something that ticks all the boxes. Especially since the perfect overland vehicle doesn’t exist anyway. And because there are many ways to reach your destination. We have seen people driving the same roads in a Duro (a Swiss army vehicle), classic Volkswagens and even doing the Pan-Am in a tuk-tuk. You don’t always need a 4x4 to get to places. And you certainly don’t need all terrain tires to meet beautiful people. If this vehicle is going to be your home in the world for the coming years and takes you wherever you want to go, make sure your home is welcoming the world into it as well. Because we all know, charm goes a long way. Alongside proper German engineering of course. Instagram: @ThisMustBeThePace Wesbite: ThisMustBeThePace.com
INTERVIEW
Overland The Americas
Do you ever sit there just scrolling through instagram and hoping you’ll run into a new post by your favorite instagrammers? Well we do, and we are always stoked when @overlandtheamericas posts something new for us to drool over. Ernesto and Taisa have been one of the most inspirational overlanding couples we follow, well you know they’re tied with @DeskToGlory. But that’s a story for another time. Ernesto and Taisa left Seattle in their trusty Toyota 4runner in mid-2015 to explore all 23 countries in the Americas. We were able to catch up with Ernesto and Taisa via email and ask them some questions about their inspiring trip ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you guys introduce yourselves to our readers and tell us a little bit about how you two met? [Ernesto] Hey Michael and Proven Overland readers! I’m Ernesto, driver, photographer and designer of our travel project, Overland The Americas. I was born and raised in Venezuela and moved to Seattle to attend college about 15 years ago. During my years as a student I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and its wilderness. Only after a few hikes and camping trips in Washington state I felt I was in the place I wanted to call home. Right after college I landed a corporate job which felt amazing at the time. Like most people, I worked the daily grind for years hopping from corporate job to corporate job while romanticizing about the idea of a year long road trip to Patagonia. [Taisa] I’m Taisa, navigator, chef and researcher for Overland The Americas. I am from New Jersey where I grew up in a tight-knit Ukrainian American community. This included Ukrainian school, folk dancing and tons of scouting camps which inspired my love for the outdoors. I went on to study geography, Spanish and international environmental policy. After a bunch of schooling I was happy to apply my skilIs in the garbage and recycling world for the Washington State Department of Ecology. After seven years of dedicated public service, I was pretty excited to take a break and play! How did we meet?... It’s kind of a long story. We’ll try to summarize it. We met in Merida, Venezuela in the kind of place where all good lasting relationships start, at a bar! ;) – At the time, Taisa was doing a semester abroad as part of an exchange program between Penn State University and La Universidad de Los Andes. I was living in the city where I was selling my condo prior to moving to the United States. Taisa went back to finish her undergrad program at Penn State. I had my mind set on Seattle but we met back up in Pennsylvania for Taisa’s last semester. After her graduation I bought a 1991 Aerostar for $1000 auctioned by PennState and drove it from New Jersey, Taisa’s home, to Seattle where I would attend college. Three months later Taisa joined me and we have been together ever since.
Where did you guys get the idea for this trip and how long did it take to plan it? [Ernesto] I think the seed got planted in my head about 8 years ago when a cousin mentioned he wanted to travel around South America by bicycle. I thought, it would be amazing to join him it but it wasn't something I could do at the time. I had just graduated from college, had student loans to pay and had just gotten a job. Nevertheless, the idea was planted in my head and I often thought about it. In 2008, one day while talking to my co-worker friend Leti, from Chile, I loosely mentioned that I'd like to tour the Americas but that I didn't really have a plan for it yet. Her reply was the trigger that got me to seriously start planning our trip. Leti and her family (mom, dad and two siblings) had travelled the PanAm Highway from Seattle to Chile in the 80's in Volkswagen beetle when she was a kid – WHAT?!!! I had a hard time believing it at first but as she was telling me her recollections of the trip I realized that that was exactly what I wanted to do. It took me over two years of talking my friend's and family ears off about this dream road trip. It also took some time to convince Taisa to get on board. It took another 3 years of actual saving and outfitting our truck. The last 3 years of planning were really amazing though. That's really when the trip started. We were very lucky to meet new friends and overlanders who gave us tons of helpful advice and fueled our excitement while we were planning our trip. [Taisa] It was Ernesto's dream for a long time. The looong road trip part wasn't initially my thing, but after some time, I realized that it would allow us a lot more flexibility and freedom to explore the remote and the beautiful spots. I was also excited about improving my Spanish and immersing myself in the warm Latino cultures again. As Ernesto mentioned, we talked about the trip for a long time (ask our patient family and friends :) and took about three years to pay off debt, to buy the car, gear and to save.
What's the story behind choosing Sooty as your vehicle and home for the trip? [Ernesto] Actually, the first option we considered was a VW van. We have a crush on those machines! We started looking at Westys, Synchros and Eurovans in good condition but the ones we found for a reasonable price also needed a considerable amount of work. These vans in top shape can be as expensive as a new(er) truck. I'm not very mechanically inclined and the thought of traveling in 20-30+ year-old van I would have to potentially fix more often than we would have liked, was a bit discouraging for us. As we talked about the kinds of places we would like to drive to on our trip, it became clearer that we wanted a.) An offroad capable vehicle b.) from a manufacturer with presence in the countries we were traveling through. And c.) A newer truck I could import and nationalize in Venezuela to be able to sell it there after we completed our trip. We read dozens of Expedition Portal threads, asked other overlanders about their vehicles and checked with mechanics about their experiences with working on different 4x4 vehicles. We did a fair share of research on our own and narrowed down our option to a Toyota truck. LandCruisers, Tacomas and 4Runners were in for our consideration. It was important that the car met the legal requirements to be imported permanently to Venezuela. Unfortunately older LandCruisers don’t meet the age requirement and we were not interested in the newer fancier more expensive LC models available in the US.
Tacomas were great but we really wanted the full cabin so we reached the decision that that our overlanding vehicle was going to be a 4Runner. We almost went with a pristine 4th generation Limited Edition but after looking at the features of the 5th generation Trail Edition, (higher trim, rear lockers, A-Trac, Crawl Control, KDSS) plus the resale value in Venezuela, we decided it was worth getting a brand new 5th gen 4Runner TE. A little bit of background info. In Venezuela vehicles actually increase in value rather than depreciating. This is due to the high devaluation of the country's currency and the low availability of new vehicles. We can actually sell our truck in Venezuela for double the amount we paid originally when new even after completing our long trip. The problem is that we would be paid in Venezuelan currency which later we'd have to exchange into foreign currency. This sounds easier than it actually is. I know you may be scratching your head thinking that that's not possible... It's quite bizarre and complex so we won't get into more details. Can you tell us what the hardest part of the trip has been for you guys? [Ernesto + Taisa] Actually leaving was definitely one of the hardest decisions. I guess subconsciously there were worries and doubts. We had worked really hard to get to where we were very "comfortable". We had good jobs, a good home, great friends and family, and we loved our city. "Quitting" all these things was not an easy decision. At the same time we had been
dreaming about this overland trip for years and we were both definitely really tired of the daily grind.
United States • Zion National Park, UT • Glacier Nacional Park, MT
Having friends and family go through losses and difficult times without us being there for them has been really hard.
Mexico • Popo and Izta National Park, Mexico • Pico de Orizaba National Park, Mexico
Also, as we are passing through communities we see children and elderly doing back breaking work instead of playing, going to school or resting. This is a very difficult reality.
Belize • Pine Ridge Forest, Belize
We'd love to hear your four favorite places that you have been so far. [Ernesto + Taisa] We've been to gorgeous beaches, charming towns, exhilarating cities but we're always drawn to the mountains. There's something about being at elevation. The crisp air, the hospitality of mountain people, the views, the foggy cool forests, the tranquility. It's really difficult to narrow it down to our four favorite places, so instead, here are our “top” picks in each country so far. We've chosen these places based on the stunning landscapes, backroad opportunities and outdoor activities. This is the list of 'favorite' places in each country so far. There are SO many other places though. Canada • Mt. Robson, Provincial Park, BC • Banff National Park, AB
Guatemala • Volcanoes Acatenango and Fuego • Sierra de Las Minas National Park El Salvador • Los Volcanes National Park Have you guys run into or made friends with other overlanders along the way? Yes, definitely! We’ve been so lucky to have met many overlanders at national parks, campsites, grocery store parking lots, Toyota mechanics or just on the road. Ernesto has a natural radar for spotting overlanding rigs :) and he's not shy about introducing himself in person, online or by leaving our sticker on their windshield. We like to keep track of how many overlanders we meet along the way. So far we've met 47 overlanding teams and we've traveled with 12 vehicles in total. The tribe of friends we have made along the way from all over the world truly enriches our experience. They become family quickly :)
Would you recommend this trip to our readers? [Ernesto] Yes, definitely! We can say, without any doubts, that our overland trip IS the best thing we've done in our lives. This trip represents for us the quintessential definition of freedom. Somehow the world becomes a lot bigger as we realize how little we know about it. But at the same time it also becomes a lot easier to get out there and discover it. Anyone who dreams about hitting the road to do an overland trip can do it. Go for it! [Taisa] Absolutely! People have shown us so much warmth and generosity. So far, the food has been delicious, the nature diverse and the celebrations big and colorful. We believe that a lot of the magical and humbling stuff happens when you make this kind of life change. Go see the world! What's one piece of advice you guys would give to someone who is planning a similar trip? [Ernesto] There're a million ways to travel overland. Some people do it on bicycles, others in motorcycles, vans of all sizes, 4x4s, sedans, unimogs, school buses, etc. There's no such thing as the perfect overland vehicle. Make sure you envision the trip the way you want to do it, doing the things that you like to do. This will help you make the right decisions while outfitting your rig and purchasing your gear. If possible do not constrain yourself with itineraries. We’ve learned that planning as we go is the best way to travel, for us at least.
There are lots of amazing places that are not mentioned in travel books and that ended up being hidden gems for us. You're about to embark on a life changing experience. As our friends of Life Remotely taught us – make sure you ease into it. Test your gear, go out on weekend trips as often as you can. Start traveling slow so you can adjust to this new lifestyle so you don't get burnt out. Ok, I guess that was more than one piece of advice. ;) [Taisa] Pack a lot of underwear and keep granola bars up front to stave away hangriness. Haha, I learned these key tips from our wise friends from Desk To Glory! Find the beauty, learn about the history and culture, step out of your comfort zone and mingle with the locals. Those are the moments that have deepened our experience and understanding. Recognize that the trip starts before the trip. Your friends and family go along with you in spirit. I try to thank them often for their support and patience. Be kind to yourself and stay focused on your departure. Leaving was the hardest part for us. Get excited about your freedom, once you are on the road, you can make every day Saturday! Ernesto and Taisa OverlandTheAmericas.com Instagram - @overlandtheamericas
overlandempire.com
Adventure Story
OX Overland: Oreg
gon Trail Xpedition
W
hat begun as a simple idea to document a once in a lifetime expedition backtracking the Oregon Trail became a staple in the timeline of our personal lives. We began almost by accident, A few simple guys, a passion for overland exploration, and the desire to live a life full of adventure. We are OX Overland, and this is our story. It was the morning of July 16th, and the years of planning and outfitting our wagons were finally over. With glowing faces we fired up the engines of our Land Cruiser and Ford Ranger and slowly watched the dust swell in our rearview mirrors as we laid our first tracks in the soil of the legendary Oregon Trail. Without warning emotions of every kind quickly flooded each one of our minds. The sense of freedom and fear that our forefathers must have felt when embarking on their journey was welcomed and embraced. It’s crazy to think about, but I imagine those pioneers had no idea that the path they were walking would have such a huge impact on the lives of 5 good friends over 100 years later. From the heights of Oregon’s tallest mountains to the depths of Idaho and Wyoming’s vast deserts, we forged our way through every obstacle that Mother Nature threw at us. Each day presented a new series of challenges. From rough terrain to personal disagreements, we were forced to lay our differences aside if we were going to complete this adventure. It’s been said that you never truly know someone until you live with them, and this was no different. We very rarely used our AC which added yet another struggle to the daily events. This was all part of the game.
When you mess with a bull you’re likely to get the horns and in hindsight those were the days we seemed to work together the best. The challenges of river crossings, off camber trails, and mechanical malfunctions seemed to be the very fire that ignited our ability to collectively accomplish whatever task was underway. It’s hard to understand why it was easier for us to be unified when it mattered most, but when it came to our evening routine we seemed to be at each others throats. As the old proverb say’s “let not the sun go down on your wrath” we adopted this mindset to prevent any form of lingering frustration. Unfortunately that’s easier said than done and just when we thought we had it all together we realized the second half of our trip had only just begun. With three states now behind us we flew through the 23rd day down the dusty trail. We had successfully completed over 2500 miles and were 4 days ahead of schedule. Excited and fatigued we decided to take a few days off and head to Northern Colorado for some much needed down time and truck maintenance. Home was a heavy topic those few days, but we were too far along to turn back now. With another 2000 miles on the horizon we said goodbye to the comforts of civilization and made our way back to the Wyoming boarder. As the crow flies Nebraska was the longest state we would cover. With the Rocky Mountains behind it was smooth sailing for the trucks and rough waters for our minds. Having done our homework we knew the plain states would be easier in comparison to our first trek, however what we didn’t anticipate was the change in morale.
One could argue that it would have been harder for the pioneers to cross the more difficult states at the end of their journey, and to be honest I wouldn’t debate it. For us, the challenge was no longer rough terrain. Our greatest challenge became overcoming mental obstacles. It felt like we had gone through a time capsule. Heat we were used too, but humidity was a whole different game. Imagine going on your dream vacation only to stay locked up in your hotel. You could see the beach, but couldn’t swim in it. You could smell the authentic food, but couldn’t taste it. That is kind of how we felt. The best was behind us and now we were cooped up in our trucks with out the thrill of what the western states delivered. Endless miles of farmlands and the smell of manure around every corner led us into a state of discontentment and frustration. Simply pathetic in retrospect I know. I mean there we were doing something that hadn’t been done in over 100 years, but we were discontent none the less. Everything we had worked so hard for was literally being fulfilled by the minute, and yet the joy we had began with seemed to be depleting. Through Nebraska and Kansas we became the same slaves we had been in the confines of our “normal life”. Never satisfied and always looking ahead we were failing to live for the moment. Improvisation became our new best friend. We started filling the void by discussing highlights, telling jokes, and pulling crazy pranks. Sometimes they would pan out for a good collective laugh, but other times it would just aggravate who ever was the recipient. Those last days on the trail were by far a lesson well learned.
We laid the final tracks on the Oregon Trail way ahead of Schedule. Our wives weren’t due to fly into Missouri for another 8 days so we had two options; hang out and relax, or live life in true pioneer fashion and go out with a bang! It was 9:00 pm on August 11th. We Fueled up our trucks and headed south towards Northern Arkansas. Excitement once again flooded our minds as we regained the spark that had been missing the past couple weeks. This is what adventure was truly about, and despite how childish our attitudes had become we shed the skin of frustration and decided to go above and beyond what we set out to do. The seven hour drive provided little sleep and the humid weather made it hard to relax. This was our last chance to come together as a team and make this adventure count. The Ozark National Forest was a force to be reckoned with. Similar to our native state of Oregon, this beautiful chunk of land was an off-road paradise. We were surrounded by countless technical trails around every corner, and multiple different river crossings with amazing waterfalls and swimming holes. Our frustrations disappeared as we dove head first into this amazing oasis. We barely even noticed the fact that we were in the middle of an unrelenting storm, but at this point it didn’t matter one way or the other. Like a child on Christmas morning we were ecstatic! Exploring the heights and depths of this amazing rain forest we conquered as much as we possibly could in our final week abroad. We were finally free. Free from worry, free from expectation, and free from every stipulation and selfish expectation of how we envisioned this to pan out. The minutes turned to hours, the hours turned to days, and before we knew it our time was up.
We started realizing that this journey was misguided in and of itself. Not that what we were doing as a whole was wrong, but on the individual level of fulfilling our own personal goals. We all had our own agendas and ideas about this trip, which hindered us from living each moment to the fullest. Had this been a battle, we would have lost, but lucky for us the war has just begun. Time, perseverance, and the ability to adapt for the sake of the man next to you is what we now know to be the most important key to the success of any extensive journey. What started as a simple idea to document a once in a lifetime overland expedition became a staple in the timeline of 5 regular guys. We came, we conquered, and we will continue to expose the past on our Country’s historic trails until the day we join those who paved the way before us.
Check out their YouTube Series OutlawXpeditions.com Instagram - @ox_overland
1mile . 1tree. MOUNTAINSTATEOVERLAND.COM
SEASON THREE. NEW ENGLAND. NOW PLAYING
PHOTO BY JONATHAN RUTHERFORD
Project Highlight
RoamR
Roamr: [ rohm • r ] verb 1.to walk, go or travel the earth seeking adventure with or without a purpose; ramble; wander; rove.
Where one door closes, temporarily anyway (as they nudge each other while the wives aren’t looking), another opens. It just so happened that the opening door, was the beginnings of RoamR and their overlanding What is RoamR. Quite simply, it is a move- adventures. ment. It’s your personal answer to this one great question, “How do you like to roam?”. RoamR came to be out of the desire to not There is no wrong answer. YOU get to de- only chase new adventures, but to use those cide. This is the context in which RoamR experiences to show their kids the great big began and what they are all about. world beyond their backyards. They wanted to discover and seek out their own journeys, As a product of similar passions, Tony one trip at a time, so the kids can see all that and Troy’s lives first intersected at a Jeep the outdoors has to offer. meet and greet 6 years ago. Fast forward to present day, each with a growing fami- RoamR has many facets, and seems to proply, they found their previous rock crawling agate even further by the week. Every time I adventures to be less than ideal for their speak with this duo new ideas are coming to young families. Not a conscious decision life perpetuating RoamR further along it’s as it were, but like many of us, this is just a journey. It’s as plain to see as the grins on new season of life. their faces that this movement has legs and
frankly, they are a little excited about it. At present, they focus on three main areas: First, they build awesome adventure rigs that are comfortably at home and dialed in for a SEMA booth just as they are taxiing the family thru the bush. And if the two rigs you see here float your boat at all, just wait to see what is already in the works for later this year! Secondly, using their own words, the next component is best defined in their mission, “To provide a socially responsible and community based environment, for the shared discovery of industry leading brands, cutting edge products, quality experiences, and visually stunning content while promoting an outdoor lifestyle in any way you choose to roam”. And Thirdly, they have expanded some of their build partnerships into being brand ambassadors for the likes
of Warn Industries, Free Spirit Recreation, Wilco Offroad, Cascadia Vehicle Tents, and Grizzly Coolers to name a few, while also providing content and marketing materials for their partners. The secret sauce that ties it all together are careers in Logistics/Production and Photography/Branding that allow them to mix pleasure with business. And it seems it’s in this middle zone in which they have created, the ultimate balance between work and life, where these two thrive. We all have our ways to roam and there is no wrong or right to do it. Whether in an old beater or a fancy new rig, the pursuit of adventure, the outdoors, and community is what all of us reading this have in common. It is what makes us ALL RoamRs I reckon. iamroamr.com
Here are a few words straight from the co-founders themselves. RoamR is a benchmark for me. I never grew up camping, just wasn’t something we did, which was fine, because we did a lot of other stuff. Much of which I never reflected on much while in the moment, but more so later in life. Looking back on those family trips we took as a kid, I realized now, that they will forever be a part of me. Some I am luckily able to revisit, others lost to time and will live only in my fond memories. For me the driving force in starting RoamR was having kids and the idea that in the palm of our hands, we have the opportunity to decide (at least for now) what those reflections of family adventures will look like 10, 20, or even 30 years down the road. The molding of memories. Talk about a brain melt moment. What a feeling. Almost a rebirth, or the gift of being granted a do over. The possibilities, endless. Not too long ago I took my kids on their first camping trip. Me, with only a few more trips under my belt (Vermont, North Carolina, California and Mexico to name a few) than they, it was an amazing start to the influence I will have on their lives. Time will tell, for the road ahead, smooth or bumpy, for sure calls. Let the adventures begin. Co Founder Tony (a.k.a. Tango D) RoamR is special to me as it is the culmination of this creative idea (RoamR) coming to life and the start of my intentional legacy I am leaving with my sons. I get the
privilege of taking my whole family, when RVing, and my oldest two out with me when adventure camping, as my youngest son is less than a year old currently. Quality time messing around basecamp, whittling spears, playing pokemon & starwars, watching iPad movies, making fire, eating LOTS of food and sleeping in the “Free Spirit Fort” as they call it (roof top tent) are just a few of the things we do. As they grow older (currently 6, 3 and 11 months) This will evolve. The adventures will get more intense. But that is the beauty of this. There is no definition of what adventure is until we define it. I grew up camping out of a trailer and some of my fondest memories are sleeping in the upper bunk of that trailer. Now we have the class C RV and it too has an over cab upper bunk that all three boys can sleep in (talk about a flood of memories). When we want more of an overland adventure, which happens quite a bit, my Jeep Wagoneer with the RTT is great to get us where we can’t go otherwise. It allows us to cover all our bases and find adventure where the road less traveled ends. The ability to usher my sons into manhood equipped for challenges, ready to adventure and taught the gem of survival skills is a mind blowing and humbling season of life. I don’t count myself as lucky but as blessed. I try to more often than not to take advantage of the moment and stay present. Never give up on your dreams and keep pressing forward to make your future what you want it to be. Co Founder Troy (a.k.a. RoamR One)
Vehicle stats: 2016 Toyota Tundra • Fabrication by Castle Fabrication • Method Wheels • 34in Toyo Tires • Icon suspension lift • Leitner Designs Active Cargo System • CVT RTT • Decked bed drawers • WARN winch • WARN bumper • Maxtrax • Alivewraps vehicle wrap • Spyder Automotive headlights • Ram Mount accessories • Switch Pros for switches • Rhino-Rack • Rotopax
1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer • Fabrication by Castle Fabrication • Custom 8in coilover suspension featuring Fox and Metalcloak • Rugged Ridge sidesteps and Spartacus bumpers of a JK • JW Speaker Headlights and bumper lights • WARN Platinum winch • Artec Industries steering • Reid knuckles
• • • • • • • • • • •
35in Toyo Tires GRID Offroad rims Wilco Sologate tire carrier Free Spirit Recreation Adventure Series Auto RTT Alivewraps vehicle wrap Tom Woods drive shafts Teraflex Speedbumps Factor 55 Ultrahook Switch Pros for switches Ram Mount center console and accessories Rotopax
FEATURED OVERLAND RIG
2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road
We’ve been following Rock Creek Overland (@rockcreekoverland) for a good minute now on instagram and we get left shamelessly drooling on our iphone screen everytime these guys make a post. They mix perfectly built overland rig with amazing print worthy photography. We were lucky enough to catch up with them and ask them some questions about their 2016 Toyota Tacoma also known as Pongo. Check it out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is your vehicle make and model and what inspired you to buy it? We have a 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road, named Pongo. Our inspiration for purchasing and building the truck was our family’s love of the backcountry and the desire to get away from civilization during vacation. We have traveled all over the United States in our 1st Gen 4runner (otherwise known as Smurf), and have experienced the pros and cons of long distance travel in an older rig (including the joys of changing a cylinder head in a parking lot a couple thousand miles from home, while in Colorado). We wanted to invest in a vehicle that was both capable and reliable, with sufficient room for storage to meet the needs of our family, including those of our adventure dog, Otis. Pongo is an awesome name, can you tell us a bit more about how the name came to be? Our family has a tradition of naming all of our vehicles. When we purchased the Tacoma, it was going to be no different. We brainstormed several names, some associated with the color orange, and settled on Pongo, which is the scientific name for orangutan. We could not think a more fitting name for a big orange, forest-dwelling primate. What direction did you take when deciding your vehicle build and why? The truck performs well both on and off the road. It has exceptional road manners, yet off road can make a novice driver look impressive thanks to its e-locker rear locking differential, and a-trac front traction control. However, it is lacking in the power of the 3.5L below 3k rpm. This deficiency is only magnified by the added weight and increased tire height, and has made me want lower gears on more than one occasion.
Do you have a specific moment on a trip where your vehicle performed exceptionally well? One particularly proud moment was riding in the passenger seat piloting our drone while my wife (who at the time, had never wheeled) drove us over some particularly large and gnarly rocks. She just pointed the truck towards the line she picked, engaged the e-locker and a-trac and throttled through. The truck carried us through without fuss or hesitation. What are some of your favorite modifications and are there any you have planned for the future? One of our favorite modifications is my CBI Off Road rear bumper. It’s extremely functional and the design is exceptional. We find ourselves using the built-in, fold-down table often and the aesthetics complement the truck well; it makes me grin every time I look at it! Another one of our favorite mods is our recently installed VTX Terra wheels, and they have dramatically altered the personality of the truck. Our next planned modification is gearing. We are looking to add 4.88 gears before our next major trip out west this summer. The truck should respond well to changing the effective gear ratio closer to stock.
Is there anything you would have done differently on your vehicle if you could start over? The only thing we would consider changing is the transmission. We’ve wheeled for years with manual transmissions and love the compression braking and the sport of driving a stick shift. What is your most heroic recovery story, whether you being recovered or you recovering a friend? One of the more interesting recoveries we experienced was wheeling with a fellow who owned a nice Jeep Rubicon. We were crossing a creek that had washed out and dropping down over a large, metal culvert. In doing so, the factory open recovery hook on the rear of the Jeep punctured the culvert and left the Jeep sitting on the frame with the rear tires fully drooped. The recovery for this meant that it could not be pulled forward or back, but instead, had to be treated like when removing a hook from a fish’s mouth. We had to do some fancy work with a Hi-Lift jack and pry bars to move the vehicle once the weight was off the hook. You can check out more from Rock Creek Overland at these links: Instagram - @RockCreekOverland Website - www.rockcreekoverland. com
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
#thatvanagain
Found in that sweet spot of craved independence and desired community with like-minded dreamers, is the cozy home of classic VW van owning surfers. Since the days of redwood surfboards, surf vehicles have always been important in the surfing community and VW surf vans have withstood the test of time without losing any charm. No one who has a van doesn’t have an amazing story about their van which they will undoubtedly share with you with little prodding. Frankly put, VW van owners are more interesting than the rest of us. With a vested interest in telling stories that ring as true as the adventure of tossing a bag into an old un)trusty van and hitting the open road to stumble into whatever comes next has been the motivation of this project. Tony, Scott, Brett and Cody have collectively focused their lives around surfing and storytelling and finally combined these two passions for the #thatvanagain project. The #thatvanagain project is a surf film disguised as a documentary. The project tells the stories of VW surf vans and the craftsmen, creators, artists and wanderers who seek the freedom to chart unique paths through life. Their goal is to document surf culture through the lens of VW van life, capturing authentic moments that inspire others to seek adventure in nature. In the last couple years they’ve released a couple short films and are looking for more stories all the time‌ follow along at thatvanagain.com
Website : thatvanagain.com
Instagram: @thatvanagain
ADVENTURE STORY
DOWNUNDERLUST
E
verything happens for a reason they say. There’s always a silver lining. Our silver lining happens to have a low range gearbox underneath and a tent on top. One summer afternoon in Sydney, these two city slickers sat wondering what to do next, as an employer had just handed us a redundancy letter and things were about to get tight. By dinnertime we’d made the decision to stop worrying about how we were going to pay the rent, instead scratching together a plan to hit the road and take a job on the other side of the continent living rent-free in our rooftop tent. It was all my girlfriend Kim’s idea and what a damn fine idea it was. There’s always a catch however, which was that after all the equipment preparation and downsizing our belongings we would only have 11 days to cover some 6,500km of forgotten backroads and dusty outback tracks. Suffice to say, we certainly didn’t ease gently into life on the road, but boy was it exciting! Clearing out our cosy suburban home, closing the doors to our local business and rehoming our two plump chickens, Kim and I quickly worked at repurposing our daily driver – the FJ Cruiser, into a well-equipped overland rig built for getting us places most only dream of going. It would be just big enough to call home for two, but not for three. Sorry chickens, no free rides.
Jobless, homeless and with Kim overseas for a family wedding for the last few weeks before our departure, I was couch-surfing with family and working on finishing the overland rig. Soon every waking hour was spent sourcing, designing and installing kit and devising methods for water storage and lighting, for weatherproofing and equipping our living and sleeping space for use day in and day out. We had downsized our family-home worth of belongings down to what keepsakes could fit into an old box trailer. We would stash that trailer on a friend’s farm upstate before steering west towards the inland desert regions, ready for what new adventures which might lay ahead. Space in the FJ is tight at the best of times, so the choice of equipment and how it was packed was decided based on its degree of usefulness. At least that is how I justified building a wine-rack into the base of the wardrobe cabinet. Now c’mon, a wine-rack is a necessity in remote areas where you may not be able to resupply for a while‌ right? We sure had to be pragmatic and imaginative and I must say it is a superbly rewarding process stripping your life down to the bare essentials. Ideally, every item would have a dual purpose and if seldom used it would be jettisoned along the way. We were packing for searing hot days and cold winter nights, for the dryness of the outback and the unforgiving humidity of the tropics. Who knew how long we might be on the road? After all we had no intentions of returning to the big smoke any time, so we treated this as a sort of ongoing mobile relocation. Life, on the road.
Departure day arrived, we said our goodbyes and rolled out of town simply buzzing with energy. Our route took us north on Highway 1 past the sparkling blue waters of the east coast of NSW. We stopped awhile amongst the sweet smelling sugarcane fields of southern QLD before steering west onto smaller back roads, traffic thinning as we wound our way past small dots on the map. A mob of quaint little places seemingly content to be from a page right out of another time, country Australia hit us like a breath of fresh air with its hospitality not only recharging but downright enchanting. Fast stretches of blacktop skirted by eucalypt forest soon gave way to tired and potholed b-roads. There were mountain passes and the seemingly endless plains of wheat fields, the agricultural heartland broken up by the occasional stop at a local pub for the obligatory beer and meat pie in a blur of one, two, and three horse towns. We spent kicked back afternoons free camping along mighty rivers and on huge outback cattle stations, cooking food over a coal fire and marvelling at the amount of stars in the night sky outside of the cities. The fitout of the vehicle was already proving to be sweet and apart from some running modifications to the 12V system to keep the fridge powered while off grid, we were living like kings with our own little slice of freedom. Long days were spent flying down long straight roads with the iPod getting a thorough workout from country to hip-hop and everything in between. Far from bored, we were wide eyed with wonder at all of the new scenery we were absorbing, meeting new folks each day most of whom thought we were mad for undertaking such a long drive just to take a job in the middle of nowhere.
Dirt roads became badly maintained outback tracks. Tyre punctures weren’t uncommon along corrugated roads where graders had left sharp stone shards along the way and we had to think carefully about our fuel range on some stretches with up to 1050km between fuel stations. We figured our range to be about 1100km, so when the fuel light finally came on in the back of beyond, it sure did produce some top notch sphincter palpitations. Mostly travelling on cattle station land and through indigenous communities both of which were abundant along our crossing between Birdsville QLD and Halls Creek WA, we met some beautiful folks out there and quickly learnt about life in outback communities. Mindful of our deadline, we skirted around the dunes of the Simpson Desert and pushed onward into the endless flat of the Tanami Desert via the red centre. Starved wild dogs skulked menacingly along the roadside as we wound our way up towards the wild Kimberley region of Western Australia. Dusty colourless sands became a vivid red ochre colour as we pushed towards the Gibb River Road and the weather-beaten bush which dotted it gave the impression that you might well be on the moon. Snakes crossed our path as we camped our way through National Parks and wilderness areas, while huge birds of prey hunted overhead. It was humbling to be so small and fleeting, in such a huge and timeless place.
The outback we had always imagined in our heads - the romanticised outback of Hollywood movies, had nothing on the real thing. It was dry, it was rugged, the heat and the flies and rough roads were nothing short of inhospitable but it excited us completely and it would be our new home turf, for the next while at least. After burning through some 1500 litres of unleaded since departing Sydney, we rolled in off the mighty Gibb River Road and introduced ourselves to our new colleagues at the Mount Barnett Roadhouse. We’d gone bush. Everything was new and we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into the experience. The ‘Downunderlust’ adventure was just beginning. For more information, please visit https://downunderlust.wordpress. com/timeline/
Instagram: @overlandexposure
ADVENTURE STORY
WEST TO EAST
T
wo thousand sixteen was a wild year. It was in February of that year that I traded in my VW Eurovan that I had been living in for a custom 4x4 Toyota Chinook. The Chinook belonged to my good friend Troy Moth, a photographer from British Columbia. Before my current incarnation, I had owned a small warehouse art gallery in a Lawrence, Kansas. Troy had come to show at my space and had driven this perfect piece of machinery down from BC for the show. Five years later I was taking a train up to Canada to buy that very same truck. After importing the little beast back to the states, I set her up as my new luxury 48 square foot living space and christened her Shadowfax. Last year reminds me of one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs, “I’ve Been Everywhere”. I explored Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. My plan was to see as much as possible and cover as much new terrain as I could, but also, I wanted to stay out of the heat.
I started on the West Coast (my favorite) and wandered east, with the intention of exploring northern Idaho. This trip takes me east out of Portland through the Columbia River Gorge and into the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The Moraine Lake in Joseph is crystal clear. The grass valleys that skirt the Snake river are tall and lush. Working my way up and over the Wallowa Mountain Range proved a worthy endeavor. The labyrinth of Forest Service roads gave me many options to explore. After making my way through the thick warren of dirt east of Joseph, OR, I started my descent. The valley that houses the Imnaha river is like nowhere I've ever seen before. The sparse Douglas firs sprinkled through the tall green grass along the flat banks of the river made for a picturesque hike. I tried my hand at fishing along the banks (something I'm still getting used to). I lost myself for a little while in the roar of the river. When I finally turned away from the river there was a deer standing within arm's reach. He looked right in my eyes and let out a distinctly human sounding cough before wandering off.
Winding up the serpentine highway towards the Hell's Canyon lookout, the landscape begins to transform. The lush thick fir trees started to thin, while the green grass faded to a creamy yellow. As I started my descent into Snake River Canyon the forest faded into a desert-scape, the valley’s steep slopes riddled with yellow and pink Prickly Pear blossoms. I followed the Kleinschmidt Grade up from the valley floor straight up into the mountains on the Idaho side. This little road (hardly more than a goat trail) was only as wide as my truck with only a few medium sized rocks lining the edge in most places. The road was the product of a miner who had hoped to ship ore on the Snake River. The sheer thousand foot drop-off on the driver's side kept me focused and white-knuckled for a long afternoon. I didn’t realize at the time that I was climbing out of America's deepest river canyon. The emerald views of the Wallowa Mountains from the east side of the canyon brilliantly contrasted the earthen hues of the desert surroundings.
I wandered the dirt roads of Western Idaho seeing if I could find my way towards the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. I camped in the Payette National Forest that night and was lulled to sleep by the roaring snow-melt driven river that I happened upon shortly after the sun went down. I will be back to explore the dusty expanse of the Payette, but this journey was to head southeast to Frank Church. Heading south from McCall I ran the Forest roads between Cascade lake and the Western Mountain Range, crossing too many creeks and small rivers to count. There were dozens of little spots that seemed perfect to tuck my truck away in the National Forest along the banks of the lake. I found my spot in a thicket of pine trees close to the shore and watched as the colors of the of the sunset danced across the lake’s surface. After breakfast and a pot of coffee, I finished skirting the lake and headed due east on Warm Lake road into the River of No Return Wilderness. The foothills of the Pioneer mountain range were freckled with dilapidated cabins, remnants from a long gone era. With every mile, the warm feeling of true isolation grew in my stomach. When I’m truly alone in a place, I find it much easier to connect to my surroundings. The sound of the rivers and birds replace cell phones and distractions. I feel at one with myself and my surroundings. It’s taken me years of travel to grasp the vast depths of this country, I’m not sure people realize how immense the American West is. Pushing deeper into the rich grassy forests of the Boise National Forest, a sun faded elk skeleton acted as a quick reminder that I was in bear country.
Emerging from the forest onto highway seventy-five, I was given my first glimpse of the Salmon River. This river tells a tale of prospecting, complete with the ruins of long forgotten mines dotting the river banks. Wild, green, and furious the Salmon river falls further than the tallest peak in the Appalachian Mountains over its four-hundred twenty-five-mile course through northwestern Idaho. Heading in the general direction of Wyoming, but still lost in the adventure of Idaho, I ran the course of the Salmon River. I camped on its steep banks and watched the firelight dance off the trees. The next morning I stopped though Challis to resupply and started north on highway 93 descending into the narrow, rocky gorge that the river had cut into the granite walls of the Lemhi Range. I felt alone in place and time in the depths of that gorge, it was only nature and me. I imagined what life would be like for the nomadic Lemhi Shoshone tribe that called this gorge and the surrounding mountains home. Before the Columbia and Snake rivers were dammed it was said you could almost cross the river on the backs of the now endangered spawning salmon. After about twenty miles, the deep gorge began to open up as the Lemhi and Eastern Salmon Mountains begin to part ways. Spending a week in this part of the state confirmed everything I had ever heard, that this is one of the wildest places that America has to offer. Website: roadlyfe.com Instagram: @roadlyfe
ADVENTURE STORY
BAJA CON LITTLES
T
welve years ago with my then future wife Christina, I sat in the driver seat of our Toyota Tacoma with a pop top camper looking up at the sea of brake lights and waiting to cross into Mexico for our first time ever. Trying to look utterly relaxed for my high school sweetheart and the lady I would surely travel the world with even though we'd only been together for just over a year. Truth be told though I was scared to death. I had to constantly lift my hands placed at 10 and 2 to assure myself that the sweat pouring off of them wasn't turning into a small circular creek flowing around the steering wheel. We inched along, feigning confidence, as every horrifying, death inducing outcome flashed through my mind like news headlines. There were two things we knew about Baja with certainty. Every bad ending that ever happened had taken place there and that it was loaded with flawless waves. Our first lesson was quickly learned, don't enter Mexico in the late afternoon on your first go, or ever. Equipped with "The Surfers Guide to Baja" we held the knowledge that we only needed to make it 38 km south to find a good nights sleep. Bringing our high hopes of good waves and a quiet night we rolled up to the cliffside only to find a place loaded with people just like us, except they were loud and obnoxious and came to partake in the very party we'd hoped to avoid.
Our friends we are heading down with get waved right on through the border crossing, but we are stopped. As the officer steps inside our camper van unannounced and starts to pull things down, opening bags and proceeds to drop each thing he inspects onto the floor. The same old feelings of that first border crossing start to well up inside. After several minutes of this he tells us we can go on as he waded through the small pile of our belongings that he left on the floor and exits our slider door. No worries. As we enter this land of people that we feel more connected to each time we make the trip South, our worries start to fade in the rearview mirror. Stopping in towns to devour tacos while pushing through to our destination to have person after person, mostly old women, lavish the children with praises of their beauty more in one week than the folks back home can muster in a lifetime. I firmly believe that the key to frustration is unmet expectation. So if you decide on making the trip down with kids just be sure to check your preconceived notion's at the border, take a deep breath, and maybe just maybe all those "bad hombres" will let you be. Instagram: @PoseidonsBeard
Website: PoseidonsBeard.com
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