Outskirts Overland Podcast
📸 Join us as we dive deep into the thrilling world of overland travel, off-road exploration, and outdoor adventures! 🌄
🎧 Tune in to hear captivating stories, expert tips, and interviews with fellow travelers and industry professionals. Get inspired to embark on your own epic journeys! 🌍✨
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Outskirts Overland Podcast
Secrets to Perfect Camping Experiences
Picture this: you're miles away from civilization, the night is cold, and your tent is your only sanctuary. Have you ever wondered if a single diesel heater can keep you warm in a spacious Gazelle T4 Overland tent? On our latest escapade through the wild trails of Northwest Arkansas, we confronted muddy roads, gear dilemmas, and the eternal quest for camping comfort. Despite unexpected challenges like trail closures and the notorious Arkansas mud, our trusty rooftop tent and an innovative 16-foot hose extension kept things cozy. We also share exciting news about our upcoming recording for Newfound Overland and reflect on the encouraging feedback from our loyal listeners.
The adventure doesn't stop there. Privacy and comfort during camping trips can make or break the experience, especially when traveling with loved ones. We dive into the practicality of outdoor bathroom situations and how an awning or privacy room might just be the solution for those craving a bit more seclusion. We also explore the ingenious use of camping gear to enhance comfort, including our attempts at creating the ultimate portable cleaning solution for camp dishes. If you've ever been frustrated by dishwashing at a campsite, our experiment with baby wipes and Dawn Powerwash might just be the hack you've been looking for.
But what's an adventure without a few hiccups? From the unpredictability of gear performance to the joys of slow-paced exploration, we discuss our approach to tackling the challenges of overlanding. It's all about maintaining a positive attitude and learning through each mishap, whether it's food spoiling or running out of power. We delve into the critical process of gear selection, where finding the right duffel bag is just as important as ensuring every piece of equipment has its designated spot. Join us as we navigate the highs and lows of outdoor adventures, always striving for the perfect setup to make every journey unforgettable.
Welcome to the World of Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Episode 1 the Warcraft. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Outskirts Overland.
Speaker 1:I'm here for week two, week two it's week like 30, but week two in a row. Two um, week two it's week like 30, but week two in a row. So, um, I'm here just going to kind of kind of do as I do, keep it, keep it candid, keep it going. Um, I do have some. If you're watching it um, which again, I just really don't think that many of you do Um, the lighting sucks. I got to figure it out, but again, that's not where my money's going, because I mean not that many people watch. So, anyways, for all you guys that will listen to this tomorrow, I appreciate you guys got a lot of messages yesterday or yesterday, excuse me Got a lot of messages earlier in the. Uh, in the week after I put my last one out, a lot of people reached out and were really happy I was doing it again, so I figured I might want to try and get on something this week. Uh, just to get it in the in the middle here with uh in the front, excuse me, I will be on newfound overland. Um, I'm recording tomorrow. I don't know when that'll be available. It might be available Friday, it might be available some other time but I am recording on Newfound Overland tomorrow evening, in this today, this today. Tomorrow being Thursday the 6th, I will be recording with Newfound Overland. Today is the 5th of February, 5th of February. Anyways, just so you guys can go over there and kind of hear me and Benji go at it. If you want to, you could listen to our last one together, beyond Overland, on Newfound Overland is the segment and kind of get caught up at where we were that time, and then you'll be on episode two of that after that gets posted by Benji.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, I went camping this weekend. Um, a lot of people said they were really. The feedback I got is that people really liked my candid you know, honest opinions. So we're just going to keep on rolling that train. Um, I went camping this past weekend and it was going to be beautiful weather. We went down to Arkansas Northwest Arkansas and came upon a lot of things were closed. Like a lot of the trails that I normally go on were closed, and not permanently, but they were just gated off right now. I came to find out on Monday that they had the forest service had taken some, some bulldozers and things through the trails to kind of get the ruts out, and then it was pretty wet too, so they had them closed up. We did. We did end up finding a spot which was awesome and uh, it was still cold Saturday night, friday night, and Saturday night, sunday, as we were getting ready to well, as we woke up, it was super nice Sunday.
Speaker 1:Really wish I could have stayed out a little longer, but it was cool. It was cool. I enjoyed it. It was muddy mess. It was real muddy. There was a. There was a lot of red clay.
Speaker 1:My truck's still dirty. Since I have a daily, my truck just seems to get like just for lack of a better term like just abused from trip to trip. It's just like continues to collect, you know, filth because I'm not washing it. I need to probably go wash it. It's raining right now. Maybe it's loosened it up enough to where I can go wash it. It needs it needs cleaned out, um.
Speaker 1:So but on this trip I used my diesel heater. That worked awesome. I finally got a 16-foot diesel heater hose and still I've said it in podcasts before I had a 16-foot hose. I couldn't get one at the local hardware store so I got an 8. And I'd been using that. But the 16 is really the way to go because you can take the hose and put it in the tent and kind of use it as like radiant heat around the base of your tent. And it is a. It is because heat rises. Having that radiate, that radiating heat low, it just makes us such a more comfortable experience. When it comes to your rooftop tent, or I mean and and and.
Speaker 1:Guys, I got a gazelle tent. Now too, I have a gazelle T4 Overland for um, you know, sometimes I'm going to want to go in the Subaru and I'll, I'll bring that, um, I haven't camped in it yet, so I can't tell you guys literally anything about how that whole. I mean, I put it up and take it down, put it in the bag and get it on the roof rack, whatever, but I have not taken it out to see. I am concerned if a diesel heater will warm up a Gazelle tent, because the T4 is a bigger one, I don't know. I might need two diesel heaters, you know, or something I don't know, but I will. For those of you that are gazelle people, I will have that information at some point. I plan to take that tent out sometime where a diesel heater in a in a season and time where a diesel heater will still be necessary. But I, I I am a little concerned about it.
Speaker 1:Um, but the 16, nonetheless 16, got it on Amazon, actually bought two because they're like PVC covered, kinda, and I noticed that when they get hot, if they like, if you scrunch them up while they're hot and then they cool, like some of that comes off. And uh, I don't know. Those of you that know what I'm talking about know what I'm talking about. But so I have a whole, I have two with me at all times now because the 16 foot is just that much better and I have a and I just have the normal end to it that you could spin or direct the stuff any which way. So I, that was great.
Speaker 1:I still I had done, I don't know, 10 nights with the diesel heater, with the eight foot hose and just with the air blowing in and not the radiant from the hose down below, and it sucked, it was like, just not as comfortable. And if you're going to have a diesel heater, I mean the whole point is comfort, so you may as well find a way to make it the most comfortable, in my opinion. And just having the extra length of hose is beyond amazing. But this weekend I came up to you know it was muddy and it was nasty, and I took my girlfriend this is the second time, third time, second or third time she's went with me and we're talking about it.
Speaker 1:And one thing that I just I am not the rest of the world in this scenario, but when it comes to essentially bathroom situation, um, or even just changing situation, I mean I have no problem getting naked in the woods and changing. That's not a problem for me. I have no problem, you know, going to the bathroom in the woods in any way, shape or form. I will shower with my portable shower, just in the open air. I think you guys can, can, can, understand where I'm headed with this, but we're talking about it and I've been thinking, you know, if she wanted to go on longer trips with me.
Speaker 1:I'm a very big proponent and you guys can listen to some of my past podcasts but I'm a huge proponent of if people are going with you, you don't want to set them up for failure, you want them to enjoy it. So you got to find some non-negotiables and I'm not saying this is a non-negotiable for her at all, but it is something that you just you could tell there is a little bit less comfort with the, with the situation of changing bathroom things like that for privacy reasons, not like it's because it's outside. So I have been throwing around the idea of getting like a one of those little fold out awning things that makes a room like a privacy room or whatever I'll see. I don't even know what they cost, I don't know anything about it, but I'll let you guys know because I know that is a hot topic with you know, sometimes, kids, if you have teenage girls or teenage boys or anybody like the, the idea that they could, you know, use, use it as a bathroom, use it to change, use it to shower with some privacy, is something that I think relates to a lot of people. I think it relates to a ton of people Me by myself it doesn't relate to, it's not like, oh he's, you know he's hardcore or whatever.
Speaker 1:No, I just I just don't care, you know, I just don't care. To be honest, like it just doesn't. I don't have, uh, I don't have that self-conscious, like uncomfortable bone in me, like I just I just go to the bathroom in the woods and get naked in the woods and change, and I'm not doing it fast, I'm not like in a hurry, I don't care, like I don't care. You know everybody can close their eyes or turn their head and like I mean I'm not out in the middle of nowhere doing it, but like if you catch it, you catch it. I don't care, like I don't care, you know everybody can close their eyes or turn their head and like I mean I'm not out in the middle of nowhere doing it, but like if you catch it, you catch it, I don't, I just don't care, it doesn't matter to me. Um, and that's definitely not the majority.
Speaker 1:So, been looking at, thinking, been thinking about looking at one of those. I don't want to get a freestanding one, because I'm big on like the. The square footage I have to put stuff down is limited and I've done. You know I'm patting myself on the back. I've done a great job of using that space economically and it works really good for me. I don't want to have to fit another thing Like. I've got it really well set up. So the awning one makes the most sense for me, as I have one side of my rig that has no awning on it and that would just make sense. I have track in my side of my tent and, again, that just makes sense.
Speaker 1:So I would want one that's attached Myself, which I'm sure is. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I haven't looked at them. So if anybody listens to this or watches this and you guys have one, there's about a bajillion brands I mean, a good review goes a long way with me from somebody that's a real person, not on YouTube or promoted you know, promoted reviews on Google or Yelp or whatever, like somebody that didn't get paid or isn't getting paid, to tell me what they think of something. Let me know, cause I would. You know, I'd love to do that, but again I will.
Speaker 1:I will say this again I do not want a freestanding one. So if that is what you have and you love it, I am happy for you, but that is not going to work for me, just because I don't want to move. If you take four inches of space in my rig, I don't have that. Like all my stuff is fit in a way that like it's fit, like my it's fit, and it took lots and lots and lots of measuring to make it fit that well. So I am in no way shape or form of interest in if I'm adding that Because that's something I don't have. I don't need anything else from what I do have. But again, for comfort purposes my kids, my girlfriend, you know things of that nature it might be a good thing to have. So I'll look into it and kind of assess from there. Um, having one I was looking today and and because I'll take the kids in the Subaru having one that uh attaches to like a normal thule rack would be cool and they make them. So I may even have two. I don't know. I mean, it's just, it's just more of making it comfortable. Uh, so that was, that was really cool.
Speaker 1:We camped by a waterfall. I try to a lot. I try to a lot, a lot, a lot, find new places and uh, you know, I, I know that a lot of people in this, in this hobby I'll say hobby in this that that live this outdoor camping lifestyle. They go to at least an overlanding. I don't think there's camping events, you know, without trucks and stuff. You know, I don't think there's like people that like hike out and camp together. I might be completely wrong, I don't know, I have no idea, but like there's a lot of overlanding events and I see people that go to those extremely regularly and I find myself questioning.
Speaker 1:And I go to them because in my to me, okay, in the movie Tombstone, you know, they ask Wyatt Earp why he's sick and why he's going to help somebody, you know, and he's like, he's like cause he's my friend, and he says, well, I got a lot of friends. And then Wyatt Earp says, well, I don't, and that's kind of me. So I go to some of these events. I have friends that have businesses and friends that sponsor events and I'm just being supportive. So that's why I'm going to those things, um, to just to support them, you know, and be there for them, because they got to be there, because it's part of their business or their fundraiser or their, and so I go, but I am seeing.
Speaker 1:But by doing that I'm seeing people that go to those a lot and no, no shade thrown there. But I wonder what keeps them from going out alone and exploring and finding new places. I wonder if it's the navigation piece, if it's the confidence piece. If it's not, maybe it's like comfortable with recovery slash, not having recovery gear. I don't know, but I know that I have such a damn good time going and exploring, you know, by myself or with my girlfriend or one other person. You know, like another rig. You know not big convoys, not big groups, not not people. I don't know. You know people that you know how comfortable they are doing what we're doing and brainstorming.
Speaker 1:And you come up to places, like I already explained earlier, where stuff's closed. Stuff that wasn't closed a month ago is closed today. You know, for who knows what reason? Flooding down trees washed out road, they just bulldozed. You know for who knows what reason? Flooding downed trees, washed out road, they just bulldozed. You know, like who knows why, specifically, that might be closed down, but it is and you got to be.
Speaker 1:It does take a level of aptitude and confidence to just stop where it's closed and find a new place to go. You know we go here, here, here, here, there, you know, and just looking at it, like Google satelliting it it's and that's not for everybody. And I'm be real honest with you guys. When I first started going with electronic maps and stuff, I hated it. So I I'm with you guys, like when I first started using Gaia. Now I use Onyx now and I'm much more familiar with Onyx, gaia. Gaia just didn't, gaia didn't serve me a whole hell of a lot better than a regular old, like a, my, like a, like a map, you know, and yeah, so that's just me. I know a lot of people like Gaia. I'm an Onyyx person. I love Onyx. That's where I'm at.
Speaker 1:Sorry for the yawn, it's not that late, but that's where I'm at. And again, this is me, not you, if that's you. But is it just the group? Is it? That's somewhat place already scouted? You just got to go to it? Is it that, like, I keep finding myself and I might be completely and totally wrong? Um, yeah, and it's just, it's just hard. You know, it's hard for me to think it's not navigation. And I want to say for sure, brian, thank you very much for the happy one year. I appreciate that. And then, uh, and then, um, johnny said Onyx helped us find a way, a new way to go, but Johnny goes with me. Okay, like, like, I have other friends in this hobby but Johnny is with me.
Speaker 1:Johnny completely and totally understands that, like, everything's tentative because you never know what's going to be closed. You can even look at the MVUM map and it says it's open. And you show up and it ain't open. So I think it's it's it's some self, it's a self confidence. But if that's something that people are looking to, um, to learn about, maybe I am not. I mean, this is on YouTube and you might be watching on YouTube. I'm not like a YouTube video person, but I would. I would try my hardest to show some of you guys how I, you know, plan and I have air quotes going plan because it's all only tentative, because you never know if it's open, closed, flooded, doesn't exist anymore, has been shut down forever. Um, you just don't know.
Speaker 1:So you have to be okay with, like, finding a new spot. Or if you're not even confident enough to find a new spot, if that spot didn't work, you got to have enough gumption to just park on the side of a road or a trail and just camp there. I have camped in the middle of a trail before, like I don't want to drive anymore, I'm done, it's 11. We, camping here, like literally on the track Period, camp camping here, like literally on the track Period, camped there, and you know, I think that takes a level of confidence and a little bit Like, if you're an anxious person, that could probably bother you all night, like somebody's going to come up on us and you know what, cross that bridge when you get to it. I've crossed a ton of bridges, guys, but sometimes you just got and that's how you learn. That is how you learn and it's extremely important If you're somebody that's listening to this and you're like I'm going to take this on before I make a video about anything.
Speaker 1:Offline maps, okay, make sure you get offline maps. Offline maps meaning you can download certain sections of area on gaia or onyx so you have them offline. Because if you rely on service, I can assure you I'm only looking for places that don't have that, so those maps will be useless to you if you don't download offline maps. Um, so make sure, offline maps is huge. Like I'm not going to get too into that subject anymore, but like, remember offline maps Big time If you have a tablet like an iPad or a Android tablet, galaxy tablet, even an old phone that you could download offline maps on.
Speaker 1:Having something separate from your physical phone to navigate with is great. If you go to use your uh screen in your vehicle, depending on the vehicle, it's not as user that on x or gaia neither is user-friendly on your infotainment on your car. So I do recommend having a separate device. Uh, if that's doable. I did forever without one. It just is a. It just kind of is a pain.
Speaker 1:And if you were somebody that was apprehensive about it to begin with, I I try to find as many points of points of contention, points of I'm looking for a word like, like friction. I would try to get rid of those. I try to get rid of all the kind of the choke points for you. Make it as easy as you can so you don't, so you don't just get overwhelmed. You know that can happen.
Speaker 1:I can see this hobby being, you know, real overwhelming. You get to an obstacle you're not comfortable doing Well, you can't turn around. You get to a place that's closed. You don't know how to navigate away. I think you know there's a lot. You get stuck and you don't know how to do anything with that. You know, and maybe that's what brings people to the events, like there's people around like myself and others that are are within you know, some amount of close proximity to go get you out or help you out. Maybe that's why, but at some point I am of the opinion you have to go and learn it yourself, and no matter how much somebody else teaches you air quotes again, teaches you it will not be as good of a teacher as failure and that is why I am competent at all is just failure, and they're not huge failures Like it's still a good day where your food went bad in your fridge or, you know, your power station ran out of juice or you got stuck.
Speaker 1:It's still a good day camping. It's still a good day out Um, it's just. And now you just got a new skill with it too. So it's, it's, it, don't.
Speaker 1:I say the number one thing and I probably said this on 50 million trillion of these podcasts, ones that are mine and not mine the number one thing you have to do to go out and travel alone or travel just in single, single vehicle, is a good attitude. A good attitude is all you need, you know, just a good attitude. A good attitude is all you need. You know, just a positive attitude. Like I wrecked the ever loving hell out of my truck and I could tell you right now Johnny came and met me and I was just like, yeah, that happened and I just carried on with my day Like it was nothing. Because you know what's what what's a bad attitude gonna do. It's gonna ruin what should be a relaxing time. And yeah, my truck got jacked up and that sucked. But like, also, it's not gonna get fixed in the woods and that's where I'm at, so let's enjoy that right now. You know shit happens, move on, pivot. So a good attitude.
Speaker 1:I'm not always, you know I'm not perfect, but a good attitude is the number one. Always. You know I'm not perfect, but a good attitude is the number one thing. The number one piece of equipment you need is positive thinking, good attitude. You know that's the number one piece of gear you need to have a good time overlanding and camping, like, cause stuff is going to go wrong. Stuff you don't expect to go wrong is going to go wrong. Stuff you do't expect to go wrong is going to go wrong. Stuff you do expect to go wrong also goes wrong. So weather, weather's the ultimate equalizer. You never know what that thing, you never know what weather's going to do. You can try your best with your apps and your thing but, like it, it a lot of times does something different than what, than what you would ever think is coming.
Speaker 1:So I, you know that's how I learned to always have rain gear in my truck. My truck has 24 seven rain gear in it. I hate being cold and wet Hell, I hate just being wet. So, like extra socks, underwear and rain gear, they don't get put in my truck. I have, like they live there. And if I use them camping, they get put back in there after I wash them. Not rain gear, cause that'll ruin it, but I put it back in there Like those things live in there. I pretty much everything that I camp with lives in my truck. If I take it out to like wash it or clean it, who even knows, may not ever make it back in there. And then there's a failure, there's another one. I have no solution for that unless you just buy new stuff every time, and that is not good advice. I don't really know.
Speaker 1:Going on from like September, I am going to find a way to take baby wipes and combine them with Dawn dishwashing soap to make some type of dish cleaning wipe, cause I tell you that's the thing I mess up the most. I'll find a solution to that because it doesn't exist. And you could say, oh, use baby wipes. Well, dawn cuts grease and stuff different than like your baby wipes. So I want something with Dawn in it or some type of dish soap to cut grease and stuff and just bringing them in the house when I'm done and put them in the dishwasher. Man, that's the thing I forget more than anything is the damn silverware and bowls and plates, because I brought them in to wash them. I need to find a way to clean them at camp and put them away. You know, cleaned.
Speaker 1:And I was thinking, man, maybe I'm going to get some baby wipes. You know they make baby wipes that say like 99% water. I'm a dad of three, so like this might you might not even know this, but they make baby wipes that aren't quite like normal baby wipes. And uh, I've been thinking about putting like Dawn, dawn power wash into those baby wipes and like shaking around seeing if it works. Yeah, johnny said he's still. He knows me, so he knows I was thinking about it and talking about it one night. He said I'm waiting for you to make it. He's like it's a good idea. And it is a good idea. I'll be real honest with you guys. I don't know if I even told Johnny.
Speaker 1:I emailed Dawn Dawn soap and was like you guys know, those tub of wipes for scrubbing hands that have the little bit of grit. I said man, it'd be a really cool thing If you guys made a kid of like two that was like the scrubbable wipes with Dawn and then like washing wipes, you know, like do the Dawn and then wash it off with this way. That didn't not go anywhere. I mean, that went, that was. There's an email chain, but I don't know, I don't, I don't know, I, I don't. Even if that ever comes to be, you guys will know, right now I'm the guy that brought that to them. I'm that guy.
Speaker 1:Uh, but I got to make some because that drives me absolutely insane when I forget my bowls or plates or I hate that, I hate it and it is the bane of my existence currently. I've had many banes of my existence but cleaning dishes at camp Clean, you know I got water and everybody's to say, oh, rinse it off. Yeah, cool, that's not clean, though, like I want them to be clean so I can eat on them repetitively. For those of you that know I go camping a lot Like this isn't. This isn't like they're going to get cleaned once or twice. They're going to get cleaned like 10 to 15 times a month, maybe more, maybe 30, depending on how many meals I eat. Like it's a thing for me. Um, so I I definitely am like, like man, we need this thing. So we'll see if it comes out.
Speaker 1:And johnny said dawn's about to release the best kitchen camping tool ever. And you know what. They might not, but I might just be able to teach you guys how to make them. Uh, and you know, I might just be able to teach you guys how to make them. Maybe I'll make them and they work good. I mean, I'll make many things of them. I don't know. Do I take all the baby wipes out, put them in a Ziploc and do it, or do I keep them in the baby wipe thing? Who even knows? They make reusable baby wipe things. I think for, like, for, like toilet wipes, like flushable wipes. That's probably the direction. I should look Something reusable.
Speaker 1:Anyways, my brain's just working with you guys right now. I'll figure this out. I was talking about it again this weekend, so for, like it's December, jesus, it's February 5th. I've been talking about this since the middle of September. So I got to say actually saying that out loud, I am kind of surprised. I haven't figured this out for myself yet, I haven't even tried, but I will, because that sucks.
Speaker 1:If any of you guys have a solution that works for you outside of like the normal thought of solutions. You know, pressurized water, hot water, you know those are great. I want to clean them, though Rinsing them off is not the hard part. Cleaning them is getting the crap off of them. It's something that has some juice to get some and I mean juice by like power to get some stuff off. I'll figure it out, I will figure it out. You guys will have I'll be like chemistry at camp with like three different iterations of this and I'll be having people try it. I'll be figuring it out, or Don or Donald figured out before me which I'd really kind of was hoping for, but that email, that chain is there and the communication exists, but that that communication has not existed. So I'm sure there's a lot of corporate business that goes on with that. But whatever, anyhow I got way off track there.
Speaker 1:Cleaning my dishes is a big thing, but we I mean just taking her she she likes to go and look at stuff and I travel real slow and I'm not going to say everybody I go with travels real slow and I don't complain too much about how they do travel if they're with me, but when I'm alone I go real slow. So we get to see all kinds of stuff. You know different camp spots and cliffs and old homesteads and just all kinds of stuff going just super slow. And I mean slow, slow, like five, five miles an hour, like we are not bombing down trails, like just going super slow to see stuff. You know that's what I like to do.
Speaker 1:I like to take pictures, I like to see cool things. If I see water running down you know a ditch I am going up that hill or through that area to try and attempt to see where that water's coming down, cause usually when the water's coming down to drain into the ditch, that's usually pretty, like that's pretty. So it's a cool thing to see because it usually is a aesthetically pleasing site where that water's running down off the hill or the bluff or whatever. So I like to. I like to do that, I like to see views, I like to stop and pull over and look at views. I like to do all of those things.
Speaker 1:Um, so I traveled pretty slow and I think she appreciates that, because I'm not. I think she really appreciates that and that's just happenstance, because I don't travel fast in general. Like I'm totally cool to stop wherever for anything, um, or whether that's on the way down or while we're in outside or whatever I'm down to stop. Like I just got to be home by eight the next, you know, on Sunday. I just gotta be home by eight on Monday to go to work. And you know what, if we're screwing around till midnight and I get home at four in the morning, like that's again positive attitude, that's like a good day. Like I didn't get home early, that means when I was doing something worth doing. Um, maybe that'll skew some of your guys' mentality, but yeah, I don't mind. I don't mind any of that.
Speaker 1:Like I, I am very fulfilled with the travel, with the exploration, with all of it, the camping, the experience. You know that I I don't see getting home late as a problem. I see that as quite the opposite. Like that's a great, that's a good thing. Like I was doing cool stuff that I, you know, is more important than getting home and getting back to life and doing laundry and bills. That stuff sucks. I don't like that stuff.
Speaker 1:Um, uh and yeah, hopefully this podcast lasts till a time where I I live full time, not in a house. That would be so ideal for me. The ideal thought, like an ideal dream of mine. I split it pretty well right now, probably like maybe 40, 60, sometimes 50, 50 out and in. But I think that's more work than just being out all the time. I think it's a lot more work, which is why I want Dawn wipes so I just can eliminate that one step of bringing crap inside and washing it and taking it back out and putting it away. You know those things get fatiguing, all those steps, you know, because your clothes got to get washed, got to do that.
Speaker 1:I'm also in the market for a new duffel bag. Random thing Doesn't have much to do with just my truck, but I'm in the market for a new duffel bag. Speaking of that, if Johnny's still watching, I looked at Peak Designs bags. Johnny's a big fan of Peak Designs. I looked at Peak Designs bags, eagle Creek bags and Cotopaxi bags, duffel bags Cause I am, and that I'll just dive into it. We're at 30 minutes, we'll just dive into it.
Speaker 1:I am a very big gear research person because I bought a lot of fancy, expensive, fancy, very, very, very loosely labeled fancy. I have bought a lot of expensive gear that is quote unquote name brand that I tore up Like, not like, and I'm not saying like the rain gear didn't repel rain but the stitching didn't last, like. So I'm super duper research heavy on stuff I buy and if I can't find something I like, I divert to the cheapest thing at Walmart. That will suffice until I can research enough to find the really good thing to buy, and that is a. I am big on that across the board. I've had good luck with some brands that you wouldn't expect and I've had bad luck with some brands you certainly wouldn't expect. Some brands you certainly wouldn't expect Just tearing stuff up, I mean I use my stuff.
Speaker 1:There's no, I mean that's just what it is. And when you see stuff wearing but not breaking, that's a good sign. You know, because a lot of my stuff fails before it even really has a lot of wear on it, whether that's boots, shoes, socks, pants, shirts, gear in my truck. You know, like some of it some of it's not meant to be used as much as I'm using it. Step 22, I did not see that they make one.
Speaker 1:Johnny just said Osprey's got a sick travel bag. Osprey does have a sick travel bag and while my budget is relatively large, it is not large enough for the Osprey travel bag. For that piece of gear I'm not going to spend that much money. I got a budget in my mind and it is awesome. There's also Osprey also makes one that's like a duffel bag, two wheel roll duffel bag. That's got like a little bit. It is super sick too, but it's like a lot of money.
Speaker 1:Um, but he says he has an Osprey one last him seven years and he's not been nice to it and that's exactly that's the stuff I want. I want like gonna last forever stuff and that and and I've heard it so many times from people I've talked about this subject and they're not familiar with, like how I use things or what I even like there. They know, you know my truck's built to camp and off-road and stuff. But they don't understand, like, how hard this hobby can be.
Speaker 1:On outerwear, like like your duffel bags, towels even I have like nomadics towels best towels you can get for camping, don't care what anybody says, and I've had a bunch stupid thing to have a bunch of. But when you got them unraveling at the ends and they, some of them smell moldy after a certain amount of time, like nomadics doesn't happen. I got like three of them. I don't even know what they cost and it doesn't matter. I have three in the last forever and I've had all. Like nomadics doesn't happen. I got like three of them. I don't even know what they cost and it doesn't matter. I have three in the last forever and I've had all of my nomadics towels for five plus years.
Speaker 1:Great product. They almost make such a good product. I don't know that they'll stay in business forever because you don't need another one anyways. But when it comes to certain things it's your heart on it. This hobby is not. You know, there's not a hotel, there's not a travel trailer Like your rain gear.
Speaker 1:If it's raining, you're going to be out in the rain. If it's muddy, you're going to be in the mud. Like if it's sandy, you're going to be in the sand. If you've got to be crawling under a rig and contorting like seams in pants, like I have had some really high level stuff and that that's just what I was getting to.
Speaker 1:Is people are like buy once, cry once. And I found myself crying buying another expensive thing again because the first expensive thing sucked. And I'm not going to go down on brands because I've had pieces of equipment from brands that sucked and that same brand has a different piece of equipment that I've had forever. So you really got to pay attention to specifics. Certain brands are good at certain things but by far and large they're not good at everything. So if you know somebody's good at this, just stick to that. I don't have a lot of like matchy matchy because of that, because some things just aren't as good. So that's just. I'll just put that out there.
Speaker 1:I mean I just watched a freaking I don't know if you can call it a documentary, but like a video on just gore-tex. Like did not, not, not camping, just just Gore-Tex and DuPont and Teflon and Gore-Tex and blah, blah, like cause I'm like dude, I'm sick of buying stuff, like I I have bought so much stuff. I have like purchase fatigue, like I want to have stuff that just works, I'm confident in it working, it's not going to let me down and I can just use it forever, like I don't want to keep buying and shopping. So that's where I'm at. Duffel bag is where I'm at anyways, and I've been looking at different ones and different characteristics of like different models and I, you know, I'm leaning Osprey is always going to be good in the bag game for sure, but I am leaning toward. I even looked at what is it? Eberstock, eberolstock, I don't know. I looked at a bunch of brands that you know Rourke, r-o-a-k. Rourke it's another brand, but like there's specific characteristics I want. And the Cotopaxi one ironically not a brand I have anything else. I don't have any Cotopaxi stuff because it's like very flamboyantly colored. But I have not had a duffel bag for like a good one for ever, like never, never have had a good one. So it's just time. My Bass Pro one is bright yellow and it works and it's just it was like $19 and it's just not doing it, no more. So that's where I'm at Duffel bag shopping Really like the Cotopaxi one. It's got all the things I want and then. So I think that's. That's more or less what I may go with.
Speaker 1:I am big Eagle Creek fan If you guys have never heard of Eagle Creek or or, but dang it. Peak designs, eagle creek and peak designs are kind of niche in like the backpack community more so, but really good gear. I have like some eagle creek, uh, little bags when I pack my duffels and stuff. I like to have stuff in like organizational bags so they're not nothing's like loose, like t-shirts are in a bag, pants are in a bag, underwear's in a bag, so I can just label the bag and every time I pack those things it goes in that little, that little packing cube thing and I can just pull it out too and I'm not like digging my shirts out and losing a sock here, and I'm big into that too. That's just again. You, you do this so much and you'll start looking for solutions and that's what you'll find, and you can get those at Walmart Like those. They're packing cubes. I have some Eagle Creek ones. They were a gift and I'm sure they were way too much money. Awesome gift for me, though, but I'm sure they were way too much money. I have a toiletry bag too, and I bet it was, who even knows but like it looks brand new, still as two and a half three years old. So that matters to me.
Speaker 1:Mountain hardware makes amazing stuff. I have multiple pieces of mountain hardware gear. Um and two. But anyways, I'm getting down a rabbit hole with you guys and sometimes I think you guys like that and sometimes I think you don't. Um, but yeah, so I'm looking at duffel bag. Now that's where I'm at in my, in my kit. Duffel bag Cause again I talked about earlier, like square footage is is I mean, stuff has a spot in my truck.
Speaker 1:So even when it comes to a duffel bag, you know this brand makes a 50 liter, this brand makes a 55 liter and this brand makes a 60 liter, this brand makes a 70. I gotta look like I'm looking not only at what I like about the construction. It's like tape measure city in my life. Like if I fill this thing, can I still also have an extra pair of boots and my like? I have camp slipper things. Can I have my will? All my diesel heater equipment, hoses and stuff fit back there. I have a power station back there. I got my ladder back there. I got my dry food has a spot in the back like I can't have a bag. That's too big. So that matters too.
Speaker 1:And I'm not I'm not trying to make this more complicated or over make anybody like, oh my God, there's so much that goes into it Like my rig is quote, unquote dialed and that is to a specific, you know, schematic, um, as far as storage, I think you could build your truck as off-road capable as you want, but I think the hobby of overlanding in lies in organization, storage and organization, because there's nothing worse than like going for something and it's in a different place every time. It just that takes away from the experience as well. So I think organization is like huge, huge, huge. And it is to me Um, so the bag fitting and my seat delete in the back, where I want it to fit when it's full and still leaving room in front of my bag is all my air up, air down stuff is my baby wipes is an extra pair of boots. When it's full and still leaving room in front of my bag is all my air up, air down stuff is my baby wipes is an extra pair of boots, like it's got to have that room still, if it doesn't have that room, I don't care how cool it is, it's getting sent back.
Speaker 1:So I'm always measuring. You know, how big is the footprint? How big is it this way? How tall is it? Will it still fit my stuff on top of it? Is there any room between my pack out that my power station in the back is in and that bag so I could put? You know what can I put in there? Like it all matters to me and it is very important that it fits and it fits well. Um, so yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:But maybe that gives you guys kind of some insight into how I do everything. Like I have a box on my roof rack, it fits. I have a box in the bed of my truck fits perfect. I have, like I have multiple things. If you guys were to ever look at my truck, you'll be like, oh yeah, but if you really thought about it you'd be like, damn, this dude. These are some. There's some measurements involved here. Like I rebuilt my diesel heater into a Plano box because I was able to move my fuel tank high enough to get over my fridge slide, you know, like stuff like that. So it slides in perfectly, like slides in, and it slides in perfectly and holds itself there, I don't have to have straps somewhere, and like it stays. Like that stuff matters to me a ton. Is there room for it? Does it fit? Is it secure? How? How does that work? Does it allow for me to have space to get to other things? Like you don't want just a huge ball of like dirty laundry back there of crap, coats, and like, yeah, just stuff has a place and it goes there and I love that, but it does.
Speaker 1:Now I'm getting down to the wire of things I want to buy and it's much more complicated than it probably should be. Like just if you were going on a trip to Cancun like you just need a freaking duffel bag. Right, I need a duffel bag that's like you know less than 24 inches long and you know 14 inches wide, or something like that mean, that's not accurate, but like it matters. Like so I'm like, oh, I like this bag and I look, scroll down to the specs. I'm like that one's out like just based on the size of it. Um, so that stuff all matters to me, and how it opens matters because I will have stuff on top of it. So that matters to you. You, you know a lot of them fold out long ways.
Speaker 1:Anyways, I'm just going on and on and on about duffel bags and you guys probably don't care, but yeah, so just just picking gear is huge for me to just get stuff. It's not even buy once, cry once. It's buy what you want, slash, need, once you know and do your research. Don't just buy the most expensive or the you know the thing with the best reviews, like in my case. I've found it very beneficial to find what I need for me.
Speaker 1:You know what's important to me. How do I use this? Is it waterproof? Is it, you know? Is it? Does it have more layers for being on the ground? Does it have, you know, is anything about it, waterproof characteristics? Does it water log? Is this stuff nylon? Is it going to deteriorate? Like stuff like that matters on all my gear, and because there is some gear that just standard procedure is X, y and Z, you know, and you want to still find the better quality of that thing you know like, like fridge slides, I think almost every fridge slide is going to be pretty much like my fridge slide, but I got one that has replaceable, packable bearings because, again, I don't want a fridge slide that craps out on me, and now I'm just out, so mine, I can repair mine, like I can take it apart and fix it. Um, there's nothing on it I can't fix, so I spent some money on it. But that matters. Serviceability of it matters to me.
Speaker 1:Again, to me, you know, if you're just getting into it and you just can't afford good stuff, I would say again a great method is the cheapest thing at Walmart, like, get the really really cheap stuff. If you don't feel like taking the time to do the research or don't have the funds to get the thing you want, just get the absolute, positively cheapest thing you can find. That will work. Because I see people buy low-level gear, then low-level gear, then mid-level gear, then high-level gear. Well, you've spent way too much now, like you. Just you've, you've over killed your budget, you know, and that's with tents, that's with racks, that's with. You know, don't buy the, don't buy the stuff you're really not into buying just to have something that's not crap. I am a huge proponent of buy the crappiest stuff you can get until you can afford the stuff you want, and anything in between that you're settling with is probably more money than you want to spend for the quality that it is Just get the stuff that's cheap and make it work, and then you'll kind of learn a little from that on what you want or need down the road. And I think that is, uh, that is a rule of thumb. I would tell anyone uh, actually, just anyone. Don't spend money on stuff you think is great, you know, try and do it even without that, like so.
Speaker 1:For instance, my truck has a bed rack on it and I had a camper shell previously. But like I did, you know, honestly, I camped a lot without a rack, a like rack tonneau cover in my previous truck. It didn't have that. I made a rack out of I got given free my first rack on my Titan, which was the first rack I ever had. I made out of free metal pallets. I cut them all up with a grinder. I cleaned every single bar up and I took them all and made, uh, you know, made a design and welded it up and that was my rack. It was free. It cost me some oh, 35, you know, mig wire, whatever, and maybe two grinding wheels, like cool. It didn't cost a lot. So what is those things? Probably, I don't know. I probably had 20 bucks in it and some paint that was left over, so like.
Speaker 1:But I camped a lot without a rack until I was like, yeah, I want a rooftop tent, I'm sick of the doing the ground tent, I want a rooftop tent, I need a rack. I'm not buying a rack because they're extremely expensive. I don't know what I'm looking for, what I want, and the rack I built wasn't what I want. But it led me to what I want, you know. It led me to okay, well, I want some. It was a half rack, I want a taller rack, you know, then you get the get into the taller racks. Is it roof level rack or is it higher? You know, does it match your other rack in the front, if you have one? If you don't have one, like, then you'll start looking at that stuff. But it was because I made a $25 one that I was okay, continuing to look and find what I actually wanted If I'd have bought a thousand dollar one to begin with. Now I'm looking at how to how to cope with that. You know, I'm not getting another one. This is the one I got. I got to figure it out.
Speaker 1:I don't like that mentality very much. You know, there's so much stuff out there. Just take, take in as much as you could take in search. Look, you know, again, like I have some brands of stuff that you probably never heard of and they maybe don't even have great reviews, but I'll just look at the product and I have no.
Speaker 1:Another thing. Guys is too, there is some type of return. People are scared of returning stuff. I've gotten stuff brand new that I bought thinking it was going to be one way. I got it and it wasn't Not damaged, shipping or anything, and I just sent it back and got my money back.
Speaker 1:Because we don't live in a time where you can go to a store and touch everything and and maybe that's not feasible for you guys Like maybe you can't have money out in the wind like that Um, some of the bigger things, for sure, for for real sure. But that's where I would say go to the more expo, go to big iron overland rally, go to rendezvous in those arcs. Look at other people's gear, touch their gear, look at it, get it, get a, get an idea like how big that actually is or small it is or how good it looks, or is it rusting, is it cracking, like you will see those things on other people's rigs and they spent their money on it. So you don't have to spend yours to see how it happens. You know, you can come look at my Sherpa rack and be like that's how that thing wears, you know, and you could be happy with it or not. I mean, I don't, I'm happy with it, but that doesn't mean you have to be or want to be or should be.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, very rambly, very, you know, just talking about whatever I have topics to talk about. But I'm saving those with for benji tomorrow night. So you guys will hear me talk about actual topics, not just rambling and kind of going off my own ramble tomorrow, tomorrow night. I don't think we'll do it live. We may do live, I don't know, newfound overland. I'll be on that. Um, it might come out friday or saturday or next week, I don't know, but I'll be on that. Um, we are covering out Friday or Saturday or next week, I don't know, but I'll be on that. We are covering topics, though there's some things we're going to talk about. So hopefully you guys can get over there and check that out and until then just get outside and I'll see you guys later. Bye.