Outskirts Overland Podcast
Welcome to the Outskirts Overland Podcast, your go-to source for all things overlanding! Hosted by a seasoned adventurer with over 15 years of experience, this podcast offers a genuine and down-to-earth exploration of the overlanding lifestyle. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting out, join us as we delve into the essentials of gear and equipment, share captivating stories from the road, and provide practical tips for your next adventure. Tune in for insightful interviews, expert advice, and a community of like-minded explorers who share a passion for discovering the world beyond the beaten path. Get ready to fuel your wanderlust and embark on unforgettable journeys with the Outskirts Overland Podcast!
Outskirts Overland Podcast
Moore Expo Adventures: Connecting with First-Time Overlanders
Fresh off a whirlwind weekend at Moore Expo, this episode dives into the fascinating world of overlanding community-building and the stark contrast between experienced enthusiasts and wide-eyed newcomers. The newly re-geared truck performed beautifully as we represented both the podcast and Midwest Adventure Outfitters, creating the perfect conversation starter for countless interactions throughout the event.
The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly meeting six-year-old Bentley, whose boundless enthusiasm for overlanding proved contagious to everyone around him. This encounter sparked reflection on how passion for vehicles and outdoor adventure often begins at a young age and carries through generations—much like the host's own journey from childhood racing experiences with his father to his current overlanding lifestyle.
Between distributing nearly 200 stickers and fielding questions ranging from basic ("Why do you air down your tires?") to advanced technical inquiries, a clear pattern emerged: the overlanding community encompasses an incredible spectrum of experience levels. For beginners feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of specialized gear at events like More Expo, the advice remains refreshingly straightforward—start with mapping skills and basic camping equipment using whatever vehicle you currently own. The most valuable investment isn't in expensive modifications but in developing the knowledge to safely navigate and enjoy outdoor spaces.
The episode also explores the importance of making overlanding trips enjoyable for everyone involved, whether traveling solo, with a partner, or with children. The secret isn't having the most capable vehicle or revolutionary gear, but rather thoughtfully planning trips that incorporate diverse experiences that appeal to different interests—whether that's beautiful scenery, nearby shopping opportunities, or family-friendly activities.
Have you found yourself intimidated by the seemingly endless gear requirements when starting your overlanding journey? Share your experiences and connect with us online to join the conversation about building sustainable, enjoyable outdoor adventures that match your personal needs and interests.
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Speaker 1:It's Monday the 28th. 28th, yeah, almost May, may's this week. I think it's the 28th, I don't know. My watch is charging so I can't even tell. But man, it's been an insane week. I haven't been on since Tuesday, so it's been kind of crazy.
Speaker 1:The truck I'm in the truck today. You guys will hear that. You can hear all the noises of the truck, all the rattles and shakes and everything. Truck's not a this isn't a Bentley, guys, so it does make some noise. Truck's re-geared. I've already gone through the break-in period just from driving back and forth from Kansas City and back and forth from Springfield. So my break-in's done so I just need to change the fluid on it. Everything with it went well. Lockers are working well. I just wanted to give an update on that for those of you that that trucks, trucks, good trucks. Back, all is well there. Uh, got a few things to work on on it now that I obviously I can handle myself. So anyways, moving into more expo, got to more expo Friday morning about seven o'clock in the morning, got the truck all set up with all the more flight stuff. Uh, repping, repping, midwest adventure outfitters and more flight all weekend. So it was cool to have the truck on display.
Speaker 1:I met a bunch of you guys. I want to give a huge shout out to Bentley. Bentley is. Bentley came and met me. He's a real big fan of the podcast. Bentley is six and he pretty much brightened everybody's day. He's a real enthusiastic kid. He's very he's very interested in overlanding. He's very passionate and he was just a blast to be around. He came by and talked to us a couple of different times and everybody was getting a kick out of him, even the vendors next door. Everybody was really loving, loving having Bentley around. His energy is infectious. It was so fun, so positive. He's just such a great time. So I'm going to try and get Bentley on the podcast so you guys can all kind of get, so you guys can all hear a little bit from Bentley. He is freaking amazing. So I'd say he's probably the biggest fan of the podcast for sure I did to get to meet a lot of you guys.
Speaker 1:I did podcast live as well. There it's, it won't? Benji maybe recorded it? Um, video, recorded it on his phone, I don't know, but because of service and everything else, we did not. Because of service and everything else, we didn't get it up live.
Speaker 1:I don't believe so and also I apologize to you guys, I'm driving to work and this is a little different route than I normally take when I podcast, so if I am dropping in and out, I'm sorry. So, and hey, stefan, how are you doing? So? I did get a chance to meet a lot of you guys.
Speaker 1:But just a recap of More Expo man, it was a blast, it was very busy. I've been to More Expo before, not as an influencer, not as a business, so I was there kind of as both this weekend helping out Midwest adventure outfitters as well, as you know, representing the podcast. It was busy. I mean going as a consumer. You can't just walk around. You're ambiguous, you know nobody, nobody makes much of it, nobody pays much attention. You know, um, um, you're just there. I did a lot of networking. I got to see a couple different brands that I was very interested in seeing um that I'd never heard of, so I was very excited to go see them, get a few products, get to chit chat with them. So that was great. Um, it was just a lot of fun. It was hectic, though it was definitely hectic, very busy. I've got a little bit of a, I've got a little bit of an idea now what that looks like on that end it is. It's not chaos by any means, but it's busy, very, very busy.
Speaker 1:Got to see my friends. My friends came by Corey and Seth and Johnny and Zion. They all came by. It was good to see them. I didn't get to chat with them very long, but I think they were probably. You know, they all got their own YouTube channels and stuff too, so they're networking as well. So they're networking, they're getting around, but I am happy that they took the time to come see me. So I'm very, very happy about that. I appreciate them for taking the time to come see me for a minute. It was nice to see them. But yeah, I'm at.
Speaker 1:It's crazy man. Almost all my friends now that I've been going with it's like everybody's doing something. A couple like. I think Seth is Dirt Road Discoveries His YouTube channel. Go check it out. His youtube channel is, uh, is taking off, so that's super, that's awesome. My friend zion and johnny are with zach outdoors and it looks like they're doing a lot. Cory, my friend cory, he's blind spot adventures. His youtube channel's getting there too and just it's.
Speaker 1:I mean it's crazy, we all I mean I started going with these guys before the podcast, before they had all this stuff going on, really, you know, and it's like they're all doing it now. So we're all kind of influencers in our own right and it is it's wild to see. I mean we're all really busy, for sure we're really busy. I I think johnny's kind of I mean at least he alluded to being busy with onyx. He, he's a trail guy with onyx and his trucks, all his forerunners all lettered with onyx stuff and I do think I do think they're keeping him pretty busy. So that's good. You know, it's like it's like we're all busy, but it's not, it's all good busy. You know, like we're not all busy and hating our life, we're all busy and enjoying it. So that's really good, that's, that's, that's nice, um, but yeah, I got to meet a bunch of people.
Speaker 1:I gave out a literal ton of stickers. I think I gave out almost 200 stickers this weekend to different people and kids. Of course, you know I like whether you guys know this or not, I mean I am, if you listen you know I have three kids myself, but I like kids. Kids are a lot of fun for me, so when anybody that came by with kids, I was definitely trying to load them up with as much free stuff as I could, because that's what makes it fun. I always talk about making stuff enjoyable for the family, and an expo like that could be something. That's not a lot of fun for your spouse or your girlfriend or your kids, you know, but you're there to see what's out for your hobby and potentially your family's hobby, so I try to do my best, anytime I'm around a situation like that, to make it enjoyable for those that maybe it will be less enjoyable for otherwise. So I do, I do make an effort to do that, and there's only so much you could do, but definitely a couple of things I will do. Next time, though, is I'll probably bring like Hot Wheels with me Bunch of Hot Wheels to give out and dog treats, two things that I think would be great for kids and dogs. A lot of people brought dogs and dog treats isn't something I thought to bring, but it's something I will think to bring again. You know, while I'm talking with people and they've got their dogs with them, some dog treats would probably make that a little bit nicer for them. So I'll probably bring hot Wheels for the kids and potentially, well, I'll bring Hot Wheels for the kids and then I'll bring dog treats for the dogs. You know if that's okay with their parents, you know. But yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:I got to see a lot of people in different stages of overlanding At the Moore Expo. It's a lot of new people. So that's a market that I want to touch. And I say market like I'm selling something. I'm not, but that's the type of person I want, listening to my podcast as I educate about gear and methods and different practical things in reference to camping and overlanding. So I'm very interested to get to meet those folks. And although my truck was on display and I did hear, well, I'm just starting and I'm not there yet. That's good. I mean, that's good. Hopefully you can, hopefully you could find folks that are like-minded to myself to get you know, get started with good information versus marketing. You know, and again, more expo, a hundred percent more expo is consumer-based, that everybody is a salesperson at more expo, for for the most part, you know, I'm not and that's not a knock on anybody.
Speaker 1:I was there with a, I was there with Midwest adventure outfitters and I'm there's going to be other companies like that too that are just trying to show you what they have and if it's good for you, it's good for you. You know they obviously stand behind it because they have it. But trying to be, you know, kind of the trying to be the sunshine in the clouds here, just, you know, not being literally I'm not attached to anybody, and I think even working with Midwest Adventure Outfitters and Benji, like that's the same thing he's trying to do, like he's trying to cultivate. You know, let's just we just want to help people the way they want to be helped. Like, not, we're not pushing anything, um at all, like it's just let's be helpful and genuine, so that that aligns with me very well as as well. So, but yeah, just trying to give people information, show them different stuff I mean, I even took a number of different people. They're like what do you think about this versus that. And I went over to different booths with them and tried to explain even other companies' products to them as a third party and show them. Here's what I think, and I do that on the podcast as well. But it was nice for some of you guys to come by and say, hey, you know, like I listened to this, what do you think about this or that, I'm thinking about this versus that. And that made me really happy, that that you guys listen enough to understand that I'm not pushing you in a direction for any other reason than what I think is the it would be the better direction. You know, and I even talked about that on the pot on the live podcast.
Speaker 1:Everybody's like what do you think is the most important thing? And I was like reading a map you can go in any car. Like you don't need a, you don't need this truck, you don't need a fancy car, you don't need all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Necessarily. If you can map appropriately, you can get out there in a Camry, and now that's not going to be nearly as cool, but you can do it okay. Like it's not being able to do it and wanting to do it, and that are two different things. So I was like mapping is seriously mapping, cooking, cooler water, like that's what you need Pretty much any car. As long as you keep up the maintenance and it's not, you know, the car's roadworthy, you can get it out to go camping, even if it's just county roads, you know, out in public land you can make that happen If you want to get started and I do recommend doing that, you know, with just what you have.
Speaker 1:So then you kind of know what to look for. You might, you might realize you don't need something as hardcore as you thought or you don't need something, as you know, expensive as you thought. Like you, you may, like you know, you may go a bunch and be like you know, this works out just fine. I want a Subaru Outback or a RAV4. I don't need, you know, a lifted truck with real four-wheel drive for the type of travel I want to do.
Speaker 1:You know, overlanding is a broad term but there's, you know, some people call it off-roading, rock landing, soft roading, like there's all kinds of different ways to travel and I do think it's important that you guys get out there in your own way first, you know, get the basic things you need, and I even brought it up on the podcast. You know, I don't think buy once, cry once applies to this hobby, because the reference I used is like you can buy the best of something, but if it's the wrong something all together it doesn't matter. So what I'm what I said is like there was all all guys, there was all guys live podcast and was like you guys could go buy the nicest high heels that are out there, but if you don't want to wear high heels it doesn't matter. So like you want to make sure that buy once, cry once is not something that I think matters here. I think getting the cheapest thing you could find for what you think you need. So you're not out a bunch of money and if it works great, you keep it, and if it doesn't, you upgrade from there, but use that thing and find all the issues you have with it before you spend a bunch of money, because you could spend a bunch of money and still be just as unhappy with the expensive thing as you are with the cheap thing.
Speaker 1:That is my experience in this altogether, and when I started there wasn't there, just wasn't the stuff there is now. So I really learned to like make stuff that wasn't made for this work, for this, like not even camping stuff, like just other stuff altogether. Like there was a lot of outside the box thinking going on when I started doing this and that's how everybody was, you know, and some stuff was bulkier and some stuff, you know, you used piano hinges, you made it foldable and but now there's, you know, from all those folks like myself, those products are developed now but that doesn't mean you need them. You know there's, there's, there's a lot of ways, you know there's a lot of ways to peel back this banana. Like there's a lot and what I'm doing might not work for you. There's many things that I have that I don't think anybody either, anybody else has or wants and that's totally cool, like I'm only my setup's, not the setup I think everybody needs or everybody wants. I mean, my truck is cool, I think universally you can look at it and be like it's pretty cool, but that doesn't mean it's what you, you want or need or whatever. You know, some people just have different levels of comfort they want.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, it was really cool to meet a bunch of people and get my get faces to names. Um, I exchanged stickers with a lot of other content creators and individuals. I got to chit, chat and sit down and hang out and it was just, it was uh, it was, it was busy. I mean I'm wore out, it was busy, but it was also fulfilling. You know, when you see somebody like bentley come up super duper excited, like bentley was so excited to meet me, I took pictures with him and stuff, and it's so, so awesome, that's just awesome. And he, he, I mean to be six years old and be into this, I know that's and to be his dad, like to be his dad, like my dad was like that.
Speaker 1:I went to races and different stuff and I was so excited and that's that's what really molded. You know that was my interest. You know I had that interest independently and it's not that my dad didn't enjoy it too, but I was really passionate about it at a very young age and to this day, racing and vehicles are still a very, very big part of my life. It's very rare that I'm not working on something my car, you know, my sister's car, helping my dad with any of his cars I mean, he's a mechanic too Like that's what he did for a career for a long, long long time and it which helped me be more you know what's the word Experienced, get good education. But I mean that's where it all started for me, probably five, six years old. So when I see anything like that man, that gets me super excited because that's, that's the next. You know that that that carries on. You know, like that came from my dad to me to you know, like Bentley you know that's another generation and his dad, matt, like that's super cool and they're getting into it now and I think I just think that's awesome. You know, and it's a slow start at first, especially when it's not something like that.
Speaker 1:You were really like for my dad I started to get into. My dad was really into racing but like midgets he did like midgets and dirt track cars and stuff and I liked that stuff a lot. But then I took a really big liking to four-wheelers, atvs and atv racing and um hair scrambles and stuff like that and I took a big liking to that and that's that's not a world he was real familiar with. So we got I mean, he got familiar with this. I had four-wheelers, he had four-wheelers, we went all over the place. Then it turned into. As I got older it turned into drag racing and I got into that and I was really into that, you know, kind of synonymous with this hobby for a long time, outside of just this podcast.
Speaker 1:Know, like I'm kind of a guy that's always had two cars. I always kind of have had a fun car where now you guys know, I have the truck which is my fun car and my Subaru's my daily. But usually the truck like this truck would have been my normal car and I had like a most recently I had a 5.0, a 2012 California Special Mustang that I had tons of stuff done to and that was my fun car, six-speed and you know lots of stuff done to it. If you guys dig deep enough in any of my socials you'll find that car. That was my most recent fun car and then from there I had before that I had my Subaru, which was just a race car. I mean, that's all it was. It was nuts, very, very, very, very built 600-some horsepower to the wheels and just nuts. And for a Subaru you guys will know like all-wheel horsepower on a dyno is like is a ton of power. It was nuts, it was crazy. It wasn't really drivable on the street. So much, I mean, unless you were really speeding so.
Speaker 1:But I've been into it for a long time and I think it starts I do, I think it starts at that young age and making sure that you're you make time for the kids and you make time to talk to their parents, and because that's that's where it starts. I mean that's where it starts and that's awesome. I think getting kids involved is awesome. I think getting your spouses or your girlfriends involved and making it making it all worth it for them. You know, I even talked to a couple people about places to go and I was talking about Gatlinburg and I was like the Smoky Mountains are really awesome for your family. If you've got daughters or your wife and they're on the fence about if they're into it or not, well, you can go to Gatlinburg and Nashville's not far. There's shopping, there's tourist stuff, but there's still camping. So you're not turning it into just off-roading and camping. I talk about that in earlier podcasts too.
Speaker 1:Like just making the consideration to like they want to shop or see cool places or coffee shops. You know everybody's got a you know stick. You know like they want to see something and I, I like this is the form of like travel for me, like even if it's this, that or the next thing, like I want to, just I don't want to have paying for hotels um ever, and I don't want to pay for flights and I don't want to do that and that's why I have this. But this is just a huge, expensive thing if I'm not using it for that. So I try to make sure I incorporate it the best, in the best way that I can for everybody involved, whether it's whoever.
Speaker 1:I mean travel by myself and with my girlfriend and with my kids. That's three separate ways of going. To be completely honest with you, those are not the same thing. When I go with my kids, I don't off-road super crazy because I don't want them jostling all over the freaking place or getting really scared with the off-angle stuff. When I'm with my girlfriend, I try to make sure I just at least consider what she might want, like I try to go by any of the cool lookouts or restaurants or you know, it's not all just off-road and camp. I try to find spots that are pretty, not just off-road, until I'm tired, and find a spot. So stuff like that I think does go a long way in the lot, like in keeping with the hobby, and I did talk and I'm just talking about stuff I talked about with people all weekend, so that was all really good I.
Speaker 1:But there was a lot of newbies, like the truck was hooked up with all kinds of more flesh stuff and people are like why, why do you air up and air down? Like what's that what? Like not knowing what that's for or why you do that or anything about it. So it was like a unique time where I had like experienced people, people listen to podcasts, brand freaking, new. Like lots of people I talk to don't know who I am, don't know anything about me, don't know anything about the shop and don't have a four wheel drive vehicle, off-road vehicle, anything. They're like just just thinking about starting. So I'm sure that's over.
Speaker 1:What more expo is probably like beyond overwhelming for those folks, cause that's a ton of stuff you don't even know, like you're like whoa information product overload. So for those folks, if you ever do come by to listen, like take a deep breath, pick a subject and start learning about that first, whether that's your vehicle or power or whatever it might be. Because more expo is a unique place where, like, there's a lot of really advanced gear and not really. And those of you that go, if you're an advanced person and you went, like I'm not knocking you, but I worked 20-something hours at this expo and talked to thousands, thousands of people and there's a lot of people that most of those products were way over their head. Like they that way over their head, like why would I even need that? What is that what? Like what in the world? So like it's a.
Speaker 1:It's really cool that there's a lot of products and innovation at that expo but, like a lot of people that were there aren't even ready for that. So they were just there picking brains and looking at stuff to research later to see if that's something they even want. I saw a lot of that and I think that's great. And I think the more expo existing is a good thing to see because, like in the parking lot, there's a lot of cars in the campground, there's a lot of stuff to look at in the expo, there's a lot of stuff to look at in different vehicles and stuff, and it's just a good place to like, try and take it in, but almost you got to be ready, because if you're brand new, try and take it in, but almost you got to be ready, cause if you're brand new, you I mean, man, it's a lot, it's a lot going on, so and it's sales. So you're going to be told I don't know, it's not not how we rolled, but like I'm.
Speaker 1:Everybody's going to be like, yeah, this is the best thing ever, you know. So I mean, yeah, I just don't know. I don't know I don't have everything. So I don't know Some stuff's worth the money and some stuff I don't have it. Just, you know some stuff I'd like to have and it's probably worth the money, but I just don't have that much money. So that's also a thing too. But yeah, it was a great time. I liked meeting everybody, getting to talk to everybody. It was it was a great time. I liked meeting everybody, getting to talk to everybody. It was a crazy weekend. It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:I got the truck back in time. So really, really big shout out to Gray Industries Cruisers for getting it done. He's like a three-month't pushing him Like I. I appreciate him. If I wouldn't have the truck back for more, it wouldn't have. It would not have been the end of the world. I mean, we could have hooked the Subaru up to the Morphlade too, like it's all the same, um it just yeah, I, I like having it back, you know, and I think he could understand that, I think all of us can understand that, but he really just got it done and he took some time, away from his family even to get it done for me on Wednesday, cause that was really the only day I could.
Speaker 1:That was really the only day I could pick it up for a couple of weeks. Honestly, not even because of more, just in general those of you don't know like there's other circumstances within my family that make it hard for me to get a ride that far out and stuff. So some people moved some things around for me to be able to get it Wednesday. And I explained that to him too, like nothing not pushing anybody, just like really honestly, like I can get it today or the middle of May. And he understood. But I do greatly appreciate him taking some time away. I mean Tuesday night I'm sure he was there pretty late even to get it to a place where it'd be ready Wednesday. So I really appreciate him a lot, like and those of you that don't know like it's a pretty big job and when you're three months back to fit something that's a four day job in. That's hard. So I do. I do understand that.
Speaker 1:So big shout out to gray industry screwsers. They're on facebook. Go give them like, just give them a good rating because, like, I can't express enough how awesome they were to me and if you even care anything about me, support them. They, they're freaking. That was awesome of them to get that done for me like that, and I appreciated them greatly. So that's about what I got for Monday. I I'm still kind of sifting through like my own thoughts on on what, even what happened this weekend, and I'll get into more of it later, but for today we'll go ahead and end it here and I want to just say thank you to everybody that came by. I really appreciated you, your energy and just all the kind words you all had, really really appreciate it, and I'll see you guys tomorrow Later.
