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
Unfiltered Overlanding: When Gear Breaks Down
"Thank you, hey guys, and welcome to Outskirts Overland!" Charlie begins this raw, unfiltered episode with an apology about previous audio issues before diving into the reality of overlanding gear durability.
Forget carefully sanitized gear reviews - Charlie delivers the unvarnished truth about equipment that's meant to be used, not babied. Drawing from years of hard experience with his own heavily-used overlanding setup, he shares the painful lessons learned after multiple failures, repairs, and replacements. The centerpiece discussion revolves around his Dirt Box 270 awning that recently ripped during heavy rain despite its $1,200 price tag, highlighting the gap between marketing promises and real-world performance.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is Charlie's contrarian perspective on gear pricing. He reveals how his budget-friendly Rough Country shocks have surprisingly outperformed more expensive alternatives, while also pointing to truly exceptional products worth their premium price - like Zargus roof boxes, Step 22 cases, Sherpa racks, and Cargo Kits rear seat deletes. The frustration with warranties that become void when products are used for their intended purpose (like mud tires used in mud) resonates with anyone who's had similar experiences.
Charlie's advice cuts through industry hype: either buy the highest quality option you can afford or go with the absolute cheapest solution until you can save for something truly durable. The middle ground often proves most disappointing. For overlanders who actually use their gear in challenging conditions rather than just displaying it on Instagram, this episode offers essential wisdom that could save thousands in mistaken purchases.
Follow Outskirts Overland on social media for more honest gear insights and join a community that values real-world performance over marketing claims. Have you had similar experiences with gear failures? Share your stories and learn from others who put their equipment through genuine testing.
Thank you, hey guys, and welcome to Outskirts. Overland. It's Charlie. Today is National, have a Cake Day, have a Cake Day, so that's not weird.
Speaker 1:Also, before I even get into anything else, I've told you guys like a lot of times I don't really edit this or anything, but I do go back and listen to it. The audio yesterday was so atrocious and it may even be atrocious today, but it was so bad I said that's enough is enough and I got some new mics that should like should be a pretty considerable upgrade, I hope, to where that doesn't happen ever again. That was so terrible and I do apologize anytime I listen back to it and I'm like, oh my gosh, come on, dude, like cause I try to listen to it with, like you know, third party ears, if that makes any sense at all and I was like dude, this is atrocious. Luckily, where it did cut out didn't necessarily affect my train of thought that I was going for, but man, it sucked. So I am extremely apologetic to you guys for that. I am so sorry. And I still have the same mics.
Speaker 1:Today I did order new mics. Might even have them as early as tomorrow for the morning. So today for tomorrow, I did order them yesterday pretty much at like 9am. I did order them yesterday pretty much at like 9 00 am, 10 am and uh, hopefully they're better. I will do some test runs with them, but I don't know how that's even gonna work like, I did test runs with these and they were great and they just aren't. I'm just not very happy with them. And just so you guys know, these are the rode wireless me mics and they're supposed to be a good like Bluetooth or wireless mic. But I'm gonna be real honest with you guys, they make a. They make a Rode Wireless Pro and I think it is probably and man, it's like $30 more. I just didn't know. When I looked at what streamers know use for like vlogs, kind of like what I do here and podcast, this one came really high recommended, so I got it. But now they've come out with the pro and the pro is, uh, the wireless pro is a better mic, but I didn't even get road brand, I got a totally different, supposedly reputable brand. I mean, this one was supposed to be too, not to dog the product, it just my experience with audio hasn't been good. I know you guys don't. You guys aren't on here to hear about tech stuff, so. But the Rode Wireless V has not done me well at all and I've had it on my hat, I've had it all kinds of places. It just doesn't. I'm just not happy with it. So I got something else Moving on.
Speaker 1:It rained a ton here in Missouri last night Kind of crazy really. I mowed my grass twice last week and then today it's just pouring again. Again it's pouring. But I plan to go camping tomorrow and so I'm excited for that and hopefully where I'm going isn't going to be soaked. But as I said before, I'll go somewhere else. It's not a big deal. Hey Lion, what's up? Um, I'm going, I'll go. I'll go somewhere else, so not a big deal at all, where there isn't rain. I'm not gonna like drive across the world, but so tomorrow I'm gonna go camping. I'm pretty excited about that. I took my. I had my tent open the other day.
Speaker 1:I guess I'll talk about this. So I have a dirt box and this is no shade on any of these companies Like I'll. I'll address this before I even get into this specifically. I guess I have a dirt box 270 awning. It's my second one. I had one. It had a couple of defects defects, actual defects, actual defects. Um, as soon as I got it, they sent me another one and I've already broken this one too.
Speaker 1:Um, I don't think and I was talking about this and I don't want this to sound, it's just gonna sound how it is, guys like there is a very real like segue to good gear and I was bringing this up to my girlfriend and I explained it to her like this so I got a 270 awning. I've had it a year probably and it's my first. This is my not my first awning ever, but it's my first mounted awning 270 mounted awning. Okay, so it has hinges, hinges and stuff and the fabric's tight when you pull it and et cetera. Now she's like I can't believe. So this awning was like it was over a thousand dollars. I paid for it. Um, again, I don't have any sponsorships, but anyways, this, this dirt box 270 awning was 1100, $1,200, something like that.
Speaker 1:It is my second one. It's the updated one because I think they were aware which I appreciate that they were aware there was maybe some problems with the first iteration and they seemingly sent a lot of new ones out because of that. Now, the thing that I broke on mine probably could have broke on any of them. So it's no shade to dirt box. But if you guys have a 180 or 270 awning, you're aware that whenever it rains it tends to pool in the awning and you gotta like push it up and it all comes down. Well, I guess I have my awning up in rain that was too heavy and it ripped the awning like on the corner, so I fixed it. I mean it ain't pretty but it's definitely fixed. So what I did is I took gorilla tape and, like I wait, I got it to like where it was loose and I gorilla tape this seam and then took gorilla waterproof, like, uh, sealant, like caulk, and I caulked over the gorilla tape so that it's waterproof, to make it uh, to make it a little better.
Speaker 1:But I was, and what I'm getting to is that happened to my dirt box, which is a expensive awning and I've had it a year, you know. But you got to figure with things like this. They're meant to fold up and fold out and you're going to have what's up Alden. You're going to have instances where, like you got to think, for every time you put it out, it's gotten out and in twice, so it's like went out and in for each time. So this awning's probably with dry outs and everything else, it's probably been in, like folded out and in to my truck 500 times. So that's hard on the fabrics and stuff too. Then you know, I camp all year so you get a bunch of rain and it like again, if you guys don't understand, I'll try and get, I'll put a, I'll put like a little video up from somebody else about like how it pools, because it's everybody's awning.
Speaker 1:But I was telling her I was like you know, you get into this gear and there's like with awnings, I just use awnings, for example. I was like I was like how many times this I just use awnings, for example? I was like I was like how many times this is what I was talking to her about? I was like how many times have you camped in your life before dating me? Like seriously, like how many times in your life have you camped? And she was like I don't 2025, okay, we've already camped 30 something times. I was like so when you're looking at gear, it's hard to buy gear and I'm here for you guys for like what lasts, what you know, like every single one of them, anybody that knows me, it work.
Speaker 1:Just personally, anything literally, I'm so hard on stuff and not I'm not hard on it Like I'm not hard on it, like I abuse stuff. But if I buy something, essentially like I look at my tent, that's a tool. I look at my awning, that's a tool. Like if I buy a socket, I'm going to use it to take off bolts. Okay, so if I get an awning and it's raining, guess what? That's what it's for to keep the rain off of me, to keep the sun off me, to keep the snow off of me. So I'm going to use it to its purpose.
Speaker 1:I feel a lot of people spend this money and maybe don't use stuff to its potential or at all. You know, and these companies, you know, for every one of me, there's probably who knows how many people that just don't use this stuff, you know, to its, to its capacity, to its capability. So I was telling her, I was like, you know, I just am at a point where, rather than buying two or three or continuing to get like I'm going to get blacklisted somewhere for, like, having too many warranty claims. I've had rooftop tents break and I've had new ones sent to me. This is my second awning. I've had two deck systems, like I don't feel like I'm abusing anything. But they make these companies make these claims like this is the, this thing is durable, strong, all this stuff. Well, I can tell you, I test that out, which is why I can come back.
Speaker 1:Let me let me come back to a different subject here, which is I'm gonna come back to my freaking rough country shocks. Okay, I had toy tech shocks before coilovers and I don't think Toy Tech's like God's gift to suspension, but I broke it. I broke a shock, broke it Like it broke the shock. So Rough Country sent me these M1s and guys I don't give a crap what their reputation was or even still is that shock doesn't fade, it's held up, it's not bent, the bushings are good, like. I've had zero issues with this shock and literally have broken other stuff. And that's why I'm here, literally that's why I'm here, because there's gonna be stuff that I use. And again, rough Country sent me those shocks. I have nothing to do with Rough Country, they're like, try them out. And again, rough Country sent me those shocks. I have nothing to do with Rough Country, they're like, try them out, they are great. But you guys got to know, if you listen to me and they weren't great, you're going to also know Like I'm not calling the brand out like to be negative. I'm just telling you guys the truth, my experience. I'm here to tell you my experience with stuff, not tell you what I'm supposed to say or have to say. And that's probably why Rough Country sent them to me, because they probably know they've outfunded their coverage with that specific. It's a budget shock.
Speaker 1:I have three-inch lift coilovers and extended rear shocks. I have had zero issues. Not only that, my rear shocks so I previously had maybe I had foxes on the back, but anyways, when I changed them out all of them out, cause they sent me fronts and rears the freaking, one of the back shocks was leaking. I've had the shocks, these rough country shocks, on longer than I had that set of stuff on and I broke one and the other was leaking. Two different brands. I got these rough countries man, they're fine like they. And again I get it Icon like totally fine, like totally fine. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with those better brands, I'm just saying I can tell you for a fact this truck's been in a lot of mud, dirt, sand, rocks. This truck's been in a lot of mud, dirt, sand, rocks I mean it's heavy, like from bumper, like they've been fine.
Speaker 1:I haven't noticed shock fade. I haven't had any issue with these shocks or the springs or the bushings for that matter. I've had shocks where bushings were an issue. So anyways, I'll go back. I only bring that up because, man, man, the amount of comments I get, oh you got rough country, man, I again. They sent them to me, who's not gonna do that? But also, like they for real have not sucked, like they've been fine, I don't know that I'll ever be able to be like, oh, that suspension changed my life.
Speaker 1:For anything I could have kings and I'd probably be able to be like, oh, that suspension changed my life, um, for anything I could have Kings and I'd probably be like they're fine. You know, like I don't think I'm going to notice that big of a difference because I'm not going fast over whoops or anything, but I have done a lot of corrugated stuff and they seem that they're good. Like they. I have had zero shock fade at all. My biggest problem with my truck at the moment is probably the brakes, which I'd love to upgrade, but it's a fortune, kind of like re-gearing.
Speaker 1:So anyways, back to what I was getting to is I'm at a point where, like these Rough Country shocks are an outlier, where they're affordable and good, right, but, like with awnings, I got to start finding stuff and paying more attention to, like paying the extra money to get like sewn canvas, you know, for tents, blackout materials, like there's just little stuff now to where if you use it a lot, you'll find that they're cons. And I'm just learning over time. So and and again. There was time. There was a time, even just a few years ago, where product you didn't have the options. You have to have the stuff now. But like I have a dirt box awning and it's been good, it's definitely better now Doesn't look great.
Speaker 1:I don't know that they're going to be happy with what it looks like, but I fixed it and that's really what I care. Um, but there's other awnings that are just of a you know and I, maybe they know this. I mean I don't imagine some of these companies think their stuff is top of the line. I mean it's, it's what they can make profit and is good enough for your, the normal consumer. I mean they're companies, you know, I don't know, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, I have no idea, but nonetheless like and I don't expect it to be perfect either, but I mean it ripped from too heavy a water, but at the same token it's like, watch it for this, watch it for that, but like it's a fricking on it, like it's like that's like.
Speaker 1:What I hate too is like with tires. And again, I get it. I do get it, but I'm not going to tell you guys I don't hate it. You get a mud tire, you get a mud tire. You get a mud tire. You get a mud tire, you go off road, use it in the mud, it gets a bunch of chunks and they're like oh, you took it off road.
Speaker 1:The hazard warranty or whatever is inapplicable. And I'm like, well then, don't call it the mud terrain, call it the might not warranty terrain. Like what is that crap? That drives me freaking insane. And I haven't had that issue myself. But I have a friend currently with that issue and I said the same thing to him.
Speaker 1:I'm like it's a freaking mud terrain. What good is a mud terrain on the road at all? So what's the warranty? Like it's got a mileage warranty, like why it should have a time warranty or something. So if you're a tire company, like get it together, dude. Like give these things a six month warranty or a one year warranty, don't give them 40,000 miles. And then somebody off roads a bunch, they go to crap, and in 15,000 miles. And you're like go to crap, and in 15,000 miles, and you're like you took them off road, I took the off-road tire off-road. Come on guys, come on Yokohama, you know so. Anyways, I'm not here to bash stuff, but like that was. That's an instance where you think you're getting the best thing and they still won't even take care of you.
Speaker 1:Dirtbox has done me well. I don't think there's anything wrong with the product, I think I'm just not the end user. So I've started to look at stuff that's just customer service matters and I've said this on a previous con, I've said this on a previous podcast like customer service does matter, but I'd rather not know if your customer service is good or not, cause the product didn't need me to talk to customer service. If that, you know. Like I'd rather not have to talk to customer service, I'd rather be able to use the gear as it's intended for a long period of time without any issues, which comes down to product testing would be my guess and there's just instances where you know something's a little better but something else is at the top of your budget and Facebook Marketplace doesn't support finding that really good thing used and you just got to save the money.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to say I'm impatient because I waited years to get my truck re-geared. I waited. I mean, I've saved some money to do stuff to my truck and you have to, but I can tell you that as far as like tents and awnings and racks and fridges, like you got to do your research. Power stations Like these are expensive things where you could get something that's not quite made for as much as you might use it or isn't quite made for something you're going to use it for power station with a diesel heater, power station with waterproofness if you've got it outside or inside or how many times you can recharge it or who knows what. You know there's just a lot and I'm the more and more I go about it.
Speaker 1:I fix a lot of my stuff but you're not going to get to my truck and it's clean and I can shine it up and it looks good, but like, quite frankly again, if you guys have been listening, the whole side of the whole damn trucks we can re clear-coated kind of recently from me tearing up, tearing it up so bad. But you can look at my tires. I got chunks out of them. Well, not really, I mean, they've actually done me really well too. My actually done pretty well. I didn't mean to say tire, my wheels have some chunks out of them, but I mean you slide any wheel against the rock it's gonna get scratched or chunked or whatever. So it's nothing against the wheels. I have good quality wheels. They're nice, they're forged like, but they still do scratch and stuff. But I I've thought they've done great. My tires have done great.
Speaker 1:I've Kenda Cleaver RTs. They are, I mean, they're not crazy expensive, they're not a mud terrain, they're a rugged terrain. They've done me great, I mean, on all kinds of stuff water, ice, snow, mud. I mean I've actually had the truck kind of somewhat buried. This is pre-locker and I just gave it the beans man and they cleared out and got me out. So I was really happy with their mud clearing capabilities.
Speaker 1:To be completely honest with you guys, for being an RT and not an MT, I was like that's pretty sick. I mean I could literally, like you know you, hang your head out the window, you can see them clearing, which will get you through some, some stuff, especially out here with clay. If you just get a tire, that'll clear, good, that'll get you somewhere and that's like clear. Ability is a thing I like to think about, like is this tire gonna pack or is it gonna clear, clear the mud when you? And really the only way to get that to happen is RPMs. But again, if you guys are off-roading at any frequency, you learn. You learn that pretty quick on your own.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so this awning gave me some problems. But now I'm like see, this is the difference. You get this awning and it's like uh, whatever fabric, some type of, some type of like tent, like fabric on this awning, which is a quality fabric that it's only ripped at the the, at the corner, you know it comes out like a bat wing in the middle bat wing is where it ripped from too much water on each pole, but none of the metals bent. It packs up good, like there's no real like structural issue. The fabric gave to the weight, um, but there's other stuff that's made out of like legit canvas and that's gonna be way harder to rip, but you're gonna pay another few hundred bucks for it and the canvas is heavier, so the awning is heavier, but just just stuff like that, you know, like it's not always and that's why I brought up the shocks, because it's it's not always like the more expensive thing, sometimes it's just the makeup of the thing makes a big difference, like is it? What's it made out of?
Speaker 1:So when I got this dirt box it's actually the big key to the dirt box to me and this is not with the higher quality fabric ones the dirt box has the most covered space. It's like the largest 270 you could get right now. So where, like where it covers in the back, in the back, largest back, some of them go forward and backward, um, so it goes up over your front door and then back around the back. So I would truck naturally. So I wanted one that went further around the back to cover, like when I'm back at the tailgate and it's straight back there, it's not at an angle like a lot of them. So huge benefit to the dirt box. I mean a lot of.
Speaker 1:The reason I got the dirt box was that. But you know there's there's not a perfect one. I could tell you that there's no perfect. Two 70 awning. There's no wax canvas, dirt box. Two 70 period. So like it's not, like I got a high quality, like I went for the one that had more space, not the one with the more quality. Potentially stuff works great. I mean, I've had no issues with it other than that from the rain and it maybe even was the ice, I don't know, I've had it in both.
Speaker 1:But again I'm going to reiterate to you guys I am not here to BS you. I have gear, I use the gear, all of my gear. You're not going to get under my truck and be like, oh, this isn't scratched, this isn't this. I'm not trying to not pivot on my rock sliders. That's why I have rock sliders. I'm not like I don't know where other people live with this stuff, but if I have it for something and the opportunity is there to use this thing I bought for that thing, I'm going to use it Like it's the right tool for the job, right? I don't get this deal where everybody's like, well, it broke because you were banging it off rocks, they're rock sliders, they're rock sliders.
Speaker 1:Rock sliders, frame sliders To slide on what Rocks. Like I could go all day with stuff on my truck, Like well, you had a box on your roof rack. What the heck do? I got a roof rack for To put a box on. You know what I mean. Anyways, I could go all freaking day. Well, you left it out in the weather. That's what it's for. It has seals. They have failed. It's leaking Like I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't work for a company. Like I said, I don't have sponsors. There's a couple of companies that I would love to work with because I think they do make like overbuilt stuff and, just to be quite frank, I can't afford to replace some of the stuff I would with their stuff because I already bought it once. But like, there is stuff out there that's freaking fantastic, so good, so good, and some of it I would recommend. But and it's extremely expensive, but I could tell you right now it's not as expensive for you if you just get what I told you was good now, instead of being like me and buying four or five things till you found the damn thing. That's worth a crap, you know, because you've broken all these other ones and everything else, so it's just a pain, man, that's something I really wish, and it's marketing and it's sales and it's all these other things. But like, I really, really, really wish there was a better way to like, know what's really good.
Speaker 1:But I don't know. I just don't know of a lot of people that are using their gear Like again, we all watch content but so many of these content creators have so much new gear all the time due to sponsors you never really get to see, like the longevity of some things and I'm sure they have contracts with the company they use, so you're never going to like maybe they contractually aren't able to show you that it did break like potentially. Well, guys, I'm here to tell you I bought the stuff like I'm nobody I mean no shocks the shop but like I didn't get given a bunch of this stuff like I bought it so like, and I can't afford to have new stuff is every five minutes, so it does get used and reused and reused, and reused and reused and yeah, it's gonna like. But I have stuff that's good, like really good, like, like, for instance, such a dumb thing that I have. That's fantastic.
Speaker 1:I have step 22 cases in my deck system. Step 22 is like a case brand. They're like zipper packable case things. It's freaking sick. They work great, smartest thing ever. They're like rubber on the bottom. So even if my deck system gets a little wet, because deck systems aren't waterproof, they're not supposed to be, they're water resistant but stuff can get in there so it'll get to the bottom. They're rubber on the bottom so it doesn't soak through the damn thing and you take them out, they dry super fast. The zippers are really good. 722 is sick, super sick, and that's such a weird thing.
Speaker 1:I have a Zargus box on the top of my roof. Zargus, that Zargus box is amazing. Mine's dented, it's waterproof. Zargus, that Zargus box is amazing, mine's dented, it's like all kinds of dented, still waterproof, like still good, like still doing. I mean it's dented but it's fine. That's what I have, the products I'm looking for. I have a Rome case, like 128 liter case, rome case in the back. It's also been fantastic.
Speaker 1:Now, you know, and those things get used. I feel like they're made to be more rugged, honestly. But I've had Plano cases not Plano, not Plano Pelican cases on the top of my truck. They warped, they leaked, they faded, they like again, middle of the road stuff. But again, if you're going to pay middle of the road price, you might just be better off. I don't know, man, I read a lot of reviews and the reviews are always like this is awesome. And it's like yeah, it's awesome, you just took it out of the box. Like nobody is testing gear. Like I, quite frankly, I don't think anybody's testing gear, so here I am just using it. I'm not meaning to test it, cause I assume that's already occurred, but I'm using it and it's just, uh, some of it's failing, fails regularly.
Speaker 1:I'd say at this point, if you guys go on my socials outskirts, overland, see my truck build list, somebody was like how much money have you spent on that? Like one of my friends. And I told him I'm not going to disclose it here but I was like but that's not even close to what I've spent on it. Because like and he knows this too Like I'm like dude, some of this is the third of the same thing that I bought. Like this isn't my first set of rock sliders or steps. Or like it's my third um, it's not my first.
Speaker 1:Like I had a camper shell on a princy rack. I have a sherpa rack now. I had a princy roof rack. I got sherpa. Now I had the pelican cases. I got zargus. Now I had dude. I don't even know what did I have in the back before I? I don't remember but it's a Rome now I had I had. This is my third fridge. I don't even remember what my first one was. I had a 37 liter, then I went to the 75 liter Dometic and now I have a 65 liter Buge RV, like stainless steel one. I've had Blue Eddie power stations. I have anchor power stations. Now, like all, just all just stuff breaking, like it's not like.
Speaker 1:I got these opportunities and this is cooler than that Like it's that broke, so I went a different direction. That's what it is. I mean I have a wedge tent now. I had a clamshell like fold out before and it was so cold the lid on it broke and the company sent me a brand new tent, like a whole new tent, which is fine. But I don't think the issue there was the quality control. I think it's that the fiberglass or composite tops not meant to handle, not meant to handle the, the cold temps. So now I have a wedge style tent with that's aluminum, you know, because the cold temps aren't going to break aluminum, and I don't think that's a problem like, like I don't.
Speaker 1:I didn't think about it when I bought that specific tent previously, but I don't see that as a defect. Like that's well known. Like plastics, composites and fiberglass are a little weaker in in in extreme cold temps, like they don't flex as much, so they crack and stuff. And that's what happened. It wasn't like the mattress or or the rain fly or like the fabrics or anything that that the lid when you go to fold it down, when I clamped it, it cracked. I mean it was cold, it was negative 11 and the tent had been open all night like so it was cold, it just happened. I mean that happens. I don't think I I would. I wouldn't say anything negative about that specific like that's to be expected of a composite. So that was an instance.
Speaker 1:Rise bought the wrong thing, that not made for that specifically. But now I have aluminum and it's good, like like all as well. So you know it's just stuff. I've made these mistakes. But I also like where are the guys that are going, your product review guys, and these guys saw like even a six month review. Where's the unboxing? Six month, one year, 18 month, 200 night, like I don't even know how you figure it out. But like when I find a company that's doing that, like when I find a company that's getting behind a creator or a creator that's getting behind a company that's giving that type of feedback like here's what this looks like after two years and 200 nights or a hundred nights. It's been on the whole time. I'm not taking it off and storing it in the garage.
Speaker 1:This isn't my 16th rooftop tent in the last two years that I've reviewed Like. It's the same one I've had for a long time. You can tell it's weathered. You see where it's weathering, what's going on. You know racks are the same. Like I can tell you guys for a fact, my Sherpa rack is probably highest quality. The bed rack, the roof rack it actually is superior to how it mounts to the Prinsu, in my opinion, having had both just based on the like plastic gasketry, it's a little bit higher quality. But again, my Prinsu racks a year old, my or, excuse me, my Sherpa racks a year old. My Prinsu rack was three, four years old, so Prinsu may have upgraded that since, but from my last one to the one I have now, well, my sherpa bed rack is another level of awesome.
Speaker 1:That's a piece of gear that I'm pretty, that I'm extremely confident in. I think sherpa like this is great, it's built great, it's built well, like it's real sturdy, it's nice, like it's really nice. I mean, out of everything I've got a few things that I'd be like that's really nice, super nice. My rear seat delete from cargo kits you guys probably haven't even heard of cargo kits because everybody's on goose gear, ssw. But that's like my cargo kits rear seat delete is easily like.
Speaker 1:That's one where I just all I paid attention to was materials like what's this thing made out of? And that thing is a is a bad, is a bad piece of gear like in a good way, you know. Like my cargo kits receipt delete is sick, super high quality, fit really well. Like great, great pieces of material. Like so good, so freaking good. I wouldn't even think about goose gear. I think that's like coated plywood, like this one I have is extruded aluminum, and like cutting board plastic, like cutting board composite and I mean it's scratched up, like I don't have stuff that looks nice, like are not nice, but new, like it is used, so it looks like it. I mean some stuff's just overpriced. My cargo kit's rear seat delete I think it was. It maybe even was more expensive than goose gear. I don't even it maybe is and it's a full seat delete. But, dude, just based on what it's made out of and how it's made versus the other ones I looked at Because a lot of people make them for cheap out of wood, but I just never know Like.
Speaker 1:I sometimes put muddy stuff back there and it's wet. Moisture kills wood pretty good. I drop stuff on it, you break wood. I mean it's kind of effed. This has like multiple panels. I could just replace a panel. I don't think I could break a panel. Be honest with you, I probably stone cold stun or somebody on this thing and it'd be fine. Not that I have room for that in the back seat, where the back seat was, but I could, though I could probably drop a bottle jack on it and it wouldn't crack. Um, like trying to break it.
Speaker 1:So stuff like that like it's just tough man, but anyways, not not necessarily like a good topic to talk about, because it's something I'm dealing with currently, like because I am repairing stuff with you know sealants and like like industrial sealants like these are construction sealants out of a caulk gun that I'm taking with a paintbrush and fixing seams and stuff doesn't look great, but I don't care what it looks like, it needs to work and I just don't think there's a lot out there that any of us can get to outside of me. Not that I'm like tooting my own horn, but everybody else is bought and so, like they have skin in the game somewhere, whether it's their business, their social media, this, that. The next thing, like I'm just not, I'm not bought anywhere. So I'm just here to tell you guys, like I'm gonna probably tell you guys about repairing stuff as much as stuff I wouldn't want to buy. That's what I'm here for. But I bought a bunch of stuff. I'll tell you that.
Speaker 1:So when I talk to people and I'm like at more expo, I talked to somebody they're talking about boxes for their roof and I was like I really wouldn't recommend getting anything unless it's a, a roam box or a zargus box, like they're just really high quality made stuff, you know, and they were like, well, those are expensive. And I'm like, well, I mean, what do you have a box on the roof for? I mean it's gonna. I've had pelican boxes like they warp. I've had two different kinds. I've had like the air one and the vault one, and it's nothing against those products if you're using those as a gun case, as something that stays in your house most of the time, and you take it out with your gun or use or lock it to ship it or ship it um, travel with it like an airline and stuff. I think they're great for that.
Speaker 1:You put them on top of a vehicle and they're in the elements all the time. They just aren't good enough for it, just aren't built for it, just not what they're built for. I mean, they're good for a little bit year, but in reality I almost spent four hundred dollars on a box every year because it's now it's warped and it's getting taken in water and it doesn't seal the same. And now my stuff is wet, maybe even getting mold or something in there because of the temperature fluctuations. Like sometimes you just like sometimes I even tell people I'm like don't get anything.
Speaker 1:Then like figures like, put it in two trash bags and strap it to the roof until you can afford a good bag like or a good box like it's really not worth your money. If you're going to use it, it's it. Does that use a tarp from Harbor Freight? Then I always tell people get the cheapest thing you could possibly get if you need it and you got your eye on something higher quality. Don't spend decent money on something that you think is going to make it. More times than not, in my experience, it doesn't. But again, there's stuff that is less expensive. That is great. You just got to be looking or ask me. You can always ask me.
Speaker 1:I mean, I know so much. I was at More Expo and I was just talking to somebody else about this but, dude, I know so much about gear that, like, even when I was at More Expo, I was talking to, like, reps and people that were there and I knew more about their gear than the people they had at the expo. And I'm not, again, that's not toot my own horn, that's just trying to be a educated consumer. So I do know a lot about a lot of stuff. That stuff that I don't have too, because some stuff I don't have based on knowing a lot about the other product, you know some stuff I have because it was cheaper than this other thing and they're pretty similar, like very similar. So sometimes it's not even that I think that's a bad product, but I didn't get it because here's this other product that's actually just as good and less expensive, you know, and sometimes you just got pay. That's sometimes you just do have to pay.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately, unfortunate, very unfortunately. So anyways, guys, that's just something that was on my mind to rattle off today. Again, super apologetic about the audio. Yesterday I'm hoping this one's way better I got new mics. I'm sorry, guys, that was that was unacceptable to me. So I I I'm sorry, I do apologize, I don't mean to be doing that too much at all, ever. Really, if it's scratchy or background noise I'm okay with because I'm driving, but it was cutting out a lot. I didn't like that. So, anyways, I'll catch you guys tomorrow. Have a good one, have a cake. Talk to you later.
