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
What Even Is Normal Weather Anymore?
Extreme weather is reshaping our outdoor experiences in unprecedented ways. Witness firsthand how torrential downpours—three inches in just 90 minutes—have transformed familiar trails into unrecognizable crevices, making weekend adventures both challenging and unpredictably beautiful.
Strangely, despite the popularity of overlanding on social media, the trails were remarkably empty throughout the entire weekend. Only three other off-road vehicles appeared across two states and multiple camping locations. This disconnect between perception and reality raises interesting questions about where everyone is going and what's happening in the outdoor community right now.
What truly defines an overlander? Is it the destinations they reach, the vehicle they drive, or something else entirely? Perhaps it's simpler than we make it—just camping out of a vehicle you've modified to suit your needs. The essence of the experience isn't found in fancy equipment or specific locations but in the fundamental connection with nature and the satisfaction of self-reliance.
The weekend embraced simplicity: sandwich supplies for meals, cooling off in the river, and evenings around a campfire talking into the early hours. This minimalist approach created space for deeper enjoyment without the distractions of complex setups or itineraries. Even a brief side trip to Eureka Springs offered historical perspective on how people have been seeking healing and connection in these same landscapes for generations.
Looking ahead to practical modifications, vinyl-wrapping a dark rooftop tent white could significantly reduce interior temperatures—testing shows differences of 20-35 degrees. These simple adaptations may become increasingly important as weather patterns continue to intensify.
Check out the exciting partnership with 23Zero, featuring shared content on their Instagram page. Follow along as we navigate this changing outdoor landscape together, finding new ways to adapt while honoring the fundamental spirit of adventure.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Outskirts. Overland Took a couple of days off podcast. Monday I was camping, still still camping Drove back and then yesterday I I mean I had kids and everything and just didn't just didn't podcast. Here we are today, on Wednesday the 9th Don't forget, guys, it is Prime Day Still not that anybody needs to go spending more money than we already all spend, but it is Prime Day. So something to think about.
Speaker 1:If you had something you were looking for Maybe it's on Amazon, maybe it's not, maybe you should find out. But man, let's just for a quick second. I know it's like everybody's hot topic right now. What in the heck is going on with the weather? It is insane right now. Like actually, actually nuts. The weather's actually nuts. I don't know what that's all about, but man, it's crazy.
Speaker 1:And I was down, so I went camping and did some I actually did some a little bit of wheeling and everything flooded so hard. It's like beyond, beyond, washed out washed out, not even the word like it's not even recognizable. The trails are just so jacked right now. And then I went down to the river, the buffalo river, and it was like it's flowing, but I don't know where that stuff's going or coming from particularly. I should probably look into that, but it was not. It was not flooded. So it's like all the runoff from all the higher elevated places on those trails.
Speaker 1:I guess just the path of least resistance is the trail, and they were. They were crazy washed out and just there's downfall and you know, even old downfall has slid down onto the trail from up higher. It was a mess, it was just a mess. I seemingly made it out okay. I've got a couple bangs on my front and rear bumper Seemingly made it out. Okay. I've got a couple bangs on my front and rear bumper. They're steel so it's just paint really, but they're pretty beat up a little bit Just because there's some big drop-offs and big rutted areas. The trail's like two foot into the ground from the for lack of a better term, the side of the trail, from the for lack of a better term, the side of the trail. You know you're like really down in this crevice. That is the trail and it just needs some. Trail maintenance is needed.
Speaker 1:I talk about trail cleanup and stuff. This would fall within that category in my opinion, but it needs equipment. It's pretty bad. I went on. Excuse me guys, I went on a couple you know gravel roads and they're dusty. So it's just a crazy.
Speaker 1:It is a crazy time right now where it's like stuff's flooding, we're getting inches of rain in hours, like we got like three inches of rain at my house in like 90 minutes the other day. That's unprecedented, that's like that is. That's some never in my life type stuff. I don't know what in the world is going on. It is wild, and then it's 90 degrees and then it's 70 degrees, then it's raining, it's super windy, then it's hot again, like this is all raining, it's super windy, then it's hot again, like this is all one day. I don't even know what to do with it. It's crazy. I just this and moving on.
Speaker 1:So didn't see, only saw one, two, three, three other like off-road vehicles all weekend and I camped at two separate spots um, one spot in missouri and one spot in arkansas, and still only saw three rigs this whole time. Uh, two jeeps that were together and then a jeep xj that was by itself. That was it. So I don't know if I am the, if I go to like the least popular spots or I mean I'm not complaining, I'm more than happy to have Not been crowded. By all means I don't want to be where. It's like freaking, you know Overcrowded or anything, but it just still is weird overcrowded or anything, but it just still it's weird. It's just weird to me that I just don't see trucks Like everybody's, like I see trucks. I see trucks all the time and I'm like what, that grocery store, like where? And I say everybody, I hear not everybody. I hear people say that they're like. Every time you turn around you see a built rig. And I'm like People say that they're like. Every time you turn around you see a built rig. And I'm like in town, like cause, even the rigs I saw they weren't built Like.
Speaker 1:I saw a group, it was probably like five ladies, three ladies in one Jeep and two in another Jeep, and their Jeeps are pretty muddy, like they had went and trailed a little bit. You could tell that's it. You know they were JKs, they weren't brand new jeeps, they weren't built out. Um, they're modified slightly, but I would say, yes, pretty, I mean slightly, probably a little lift maybe, if any at all, and some wheels and tires was about it, and a bunch of stickers, like you know, like naming their jeep stickers, type stickers. And then the xj I saw was, uh, definitely a man and a woman, a couple, and it was just, uh, you could tell they were just out having fun. They maybe are new to it or new to the jeep. They didn't do their vehicle but they were, know they were getting out and shooting some video with their phone and stuff, so they were just having a good time.
Speaker 1:Nothing, nothing like nothing, wild. No, no rooftop tents Did I see? No, I mean I say no rooftop tents, no tents at all. I didn't see any tents. Um, I went past a couple like really popular swimming spots and I saw people there, but they're conservation swimming spots. They weren't like by any means off grid. They're known spots to do that, with like state park type status and they're right off the road. I saw, you know, I wouldn't even say a bunch some people there. I saw a lot of swimmers. I didn't see many people fishing. I used to see a lot of fishing around those areas.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it's because it's hot. A lot of people don't like to camp when it's hot. I still, I don't know. I still think that spring's the worst time to camp, just because the weather's unpredictable you might get snow, you might get monsoon, you might get tornado, high wind might be 90. You just don't know. Spring's the worst for me, just because it's the hardest to plan around. But I don't mind summer or fall. Fall's pretty, winter doesn't bother me. It is hot, but that's why I make an effort to get near water so that I can cool off in the water at least. But yeah, it was good, slept both nights really well. The weather got down into the low 70s, high 60s both nights. So that was beautiful.
Speaker 1:And because the holiday was friday, I camped saturday and sunday night. I took the day off Monday Because those of you that know I just really hate going for one night. I have to drive quite a ways to get to good land you know to camp at and stuff, and I just don't want to drive six hours you know four and a half to six hours plus for an evening and then drive back. It's just a lot. That's a lot. We did Sunday go to Eureka Springs. I've never been to Eureka Springs. That was a good time. We walked around down there and I'd never been, so got a little bit of my tourist itch scratched there. It's definitely touristy Big time, but it's fun. I mean it's cool. They got a couple signs down there. I didn't know.
Speaker 1:Eureka Springs was like a big World War II healing center or Civil War healing center Maybe I'm wrong with that or Civil War Healing Center, maybe I'm wrong with that. Anyway, some type of war soldiers just go there to heal heal themselves and get medical care. Civil War makes more sense. I just don't even remember what I read. It's been two days since then. Civil War makes more sense, but it was pretty cool and I'd say that was about the gist of it. There was a lot of like like lots of crystal stores, you know, like healing. You got a lot of like healing vibe from the place. There were some cool little boutiques and stuff and my girlfriend enjoyed those and we walked around. It was good. It was hot, but it's good, it was fun.
Speaker 1:I enjoyed that. I don't do much of that, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I was like, yeah, let's go check that out and then we'll go from there, you know. So that was cool. Uh, yeah, it was pretty chill. Pretty, it was really chill. I mean it was really chill. Uh, I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed it a lot.
Speaker 1:I camped with the company on Saturday night, which is very, very rare. So I camped with another person so there's two rigs, which is always a little bit of fun. Had a fire, you know, talk till geez, I don't even know. Late, early, whatever. One, two in the morning, uh till the fire went out and went to sleep. Woke up next day and they went, uh, I mean, they went on with their weekend and we went on with ours in our separate ways. But that was enjoyable. I always like to do that, um, you know, once in a while. So it was nice to get a little bit of uh, just another rig before I end up at these, before I'm into the event season here for me and it's gonna be just a lot, that's a lot of folks.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, nothing, nothing too big to talk about outside this, just the weather man, the weather's nuts, it's nuts, it's 78 right now. It'll be like 100 today. Two days ago it like was it was 90, then it's. Then it freaking, just got real cloudy and rained like again for like 90 minutes. So much rain, like tons of rain. Um, then sun comes out back to 90, like I don't even, and that happens. I mean I'm not saying that's like oh my god, it rained. Like that's so crazy. It's crazy that it's doing it like this. It's crazy we've had so many tornadoes. It's just the weather is weather. You know, like what's that?
Speaker 1:Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where he's like weather outside is weather. You know, like that's. You know, if you guys know that movie, that's a funny part, like Paul Rudd's teaching him to surf and he's like do less, no, do less, no, do less, no, do less. And then he just like lays there and he's like too little. You know, like it's just a funny part. It's kind of a funny. It's just a funny thing in my head.
Speaker 1:Forgetting Sarah Marshall if you haven't seen it, watch it. Oh yeah, but nothing. I got nothing, guys. I watched. I watched a little bit of YouTube checking it out. I didn't buy anything on Amazon. I got nothing high up on my list.
Speaker 1:Can crusher I want a can crusher put on my rack, but how you can't makes it. I know what it is, I know where it's at. I'm just sick of stomping cans. To be honest with you guys, I'd like a Can Crusher, so that's about it. But that's kind of a ridiculous thing to even want Put on my thing and whatever Kind of just where it's at, but it's a good weekend. Kind of just where it's at, but it's a good weekend. I mean this good weekend pretty just real low-key. I didn't cook anything, we just brought sandwich stuff, ate sandwiches and snacks, laid in the river and had a fire. I mean it was nothing. It was very, very, very, very low-key, which I very. A fire, I mean it was nothing. It was very, very, very, very low key, which I very much appreciate. Actually, sometimes it's a real busy.
Speaker 1:And a couple of things he touched on that I thought I never thought of, I guess One was he mentioned. He's from Indiana. Evidently I've never met him so I don't know, I just listen to other podcasts and he was talking about how people kind of define overlanding by where people go. He's like I've never been to the Ozarks, I've never been to, um, alaska, you know, like these places. So he's like maybe I'm not or people classify me as I just don't want to misspeak if he listens to this but something along the lines of you know, to some people, that makes me not an overlander and I'm like man who cares you some people, that makes me not an overlander and I'm like man who cares you know? Um, not, not him, obviously he doesn't. That's what he. That was his point too like.
Speaker 1:But I mean, I go to the ozarks all the time but if it was too far away I'd go none. I don't know that I'd go way, way out of my way to go. It's within four and a half, six hours for me me, so I go pretty regularly but that's a drivable distance in my opinion. If it's 10, 12 hours from me, I wouldn't be going. It's not a thing in my. I'm not driving the whole weekend just to go someplace to say, oh, I've done this thing, unless it's like a trip, trip, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't think the rig makes you, classifies you. I don't think that the place is classified. I mean I think it's a. I do just really think it's camping. But in my opinion, what I do is just camping out of a truck that I have built with quote-uning stuff, I guess. I mean it's not even overlaying stuff like awnings, aren't? Awnings have been on campers forever? Rooftop tents, a tent, you know it's a style, but it's still just a tent. Um, yeah, it's so weird. It's weird. It's weird how people classify it different things. But I just thought that was an interesting take on it.
Speaker 1:Just heard him talking about it and again he has a Facebook group. I guess I'll plug his group just because it exists. As Newbie Overlanders he talks about it all the time on his podcast. I guess on Facebook I am not a member but maybe it's a place for you. Yeah, I don't know, I don't have a Facebook group of my own. I am not. I guess I'm available to the community here on the podcast but I'm not really. I guess I don't make myself available like regularly. Like I'm in a bunch of groups like as a member, but I'm not a active. I'm not like real active on Facebook.
Speaker 1:I mean, it really takes a lot of my time just to go. You know, like I've said a million times, I have kids and a job and you know I don't want to take too much time. No offense to anybody else, I do this. Hopefully this helps folks out, but I just don't have a lot of time to be super active in a face really kind of busy. Heck.
Speaker 1:Last night I washed my truck for it was bad, it was gross, man. I washed it for probably three freaking hours. I was underneath it on a creeper, spraying underneath it and just trying to. You know I'm trying to keep it from rusting out. I don't want to leave stuff stuck to it for too long. Again, it had been on there since Monday, so Tuesday night still a little bit, but I try to keep it washed off. I've talked about that in a previous podcast. I just see that as a different style of maintenance. That's necessary. It's just keeping it off of there. If I keep the fender wells full of mud and moisture, that's how you get rust. That's something I really, really, really don't want.
Speaker 1:I've got to put some more paint on the front and rear bumpers where I've jacked some paint off of those, but nothing crazy, nothing crazy at all. May or may not have been a tie rod end I, I don't know. I'll take it to get the alignment checked and if it's bent and it's, the alignment's good and then we'll just it's fine, it's fine. Uh, again, it's not my only vehicle, it's not what I drive my kids around in, just just disclaimer. Um, so yeah, I'm, yeah, that's what's going on.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty good, pretty, really good weekend. It's nice too because I got two four-day weekends or four-day weeks out of it and a four-day weekend because, naturally, fourth of july was off work and, I think, monday off work. So last week was a four-day week. This week will be a four-day week for me. I like doing that when it's available, um, so that's. I like doing that when it's available, so that's sweet.
Speaker 1:But yeah, nothing real big going on in my world right now. I got a lot of friends that are trying to get stuff together. You know, my friend Benji's trying to get his Utah trip together for the beginning of September, utah trip together for the beginning of September. I have a lot of friends and acquaintances that are getting their own stuff going events and different things. So that's going on. Yeah, oh, I mean I don't even know that I need to say it but I got 23-0 tent guys. Okay, Like that's nothing new to anybody. Okay, like that's if you look at my social media, you'll see that Uh, so uh, 23-0 has accepted me as a uh, I don't know ambassador sponsored individual.
Speaker 1:I don't really know, and really I don't really even know what that means. Guys Like I don't do ambassador sponsored individual. I don't really know, and really I don't really even know what that means. Guys Like I don't do that kind of thing much. So I already have the tent, I already have chairs. I already have a table. I don't.
Speaker 1:None of that was well, the tent. The tent was, but it had nothing to do with the podcast. So I have that stuff. I bought it Like not. Nothing to do with the podcast. Um, so I have that stuff. I bought it like not. They didn't give it to me, so I don't really even know what that means. Maybe I'll end up with a discount code or something.
Speaker 1:You guys may be able to find it on my Instagram. I don't even know what that all means, but they, they, uh, they have partnered with me, so you'll see some of my stuff. If you go over to 23Zero's Instagram page, you'll see content of mine on their site. It'll be stuff that me and them have collaborated on. They're pretty good about it. It's not like advertisements, so that's good. It's just content I put out and they're sharing it too, you know, and it's on on their page. It's not their story, it's on their page. So you guys go over there and at least give that a like. That'd be cool.
Speaker 1:Um, I like 23.0. I've always liked 23.0, so that's when I talk about working with companies. You know I try to work with ones that I like that. I already have stuff from you know, like, not not like I just got x brands thing and now they sponsor me. I do have one of those out there still, but that's because I it's too rich for my wallet love that to work out. But you know, just selfishly. But other than that, everything that I have going is stuff I already have. So I don't even know how that really works, um, because they're not sending me anything, because I already have it. I don't really know. I don't really know how that works, but anyways.
Speaker 1:Anyways, my stuff's on 23Zero's Instagram and site and stuff. That's cool, I guess you know it's cool. It's cool, by the way of like it's a brand that I believe in and like and already have, so kind of like Nick Wax, like it's cool to work with Nick Wax, just because it's stuff I already use. You know it's good stuff, you know. But so I'm cool with that. But still, no like save x amount on anything, nothing like that. I don't really know what any of it means. I am not that guy.
Speaker 1:Uh, I should probably really reach out to 23 zero and see really what their expectation is from me. Or, you know I, they know, my expectation from them is just, you know, genuine. We gotta be genuine matters a lot to me and they I think they do a good job of that. They don't have a bunch of gimmicky stuff, so I appreciate them. All my gear I've got from them has been top notch. My tent has I mean my tent's been through it, my tent's. I probably need a new tent in another year. My tent's really been through it, but it's still there. It's still good. Probably in the near future, my tent has a big American flag on it now and 23 zeros logo like on it, like a finaled on it. But I think here in the near future um, I guess this subject I talk about I'm going to final wrap the top white. Um, I don't know how much they're going to love that, but it's black and white kind of sort of go, go, check out my Instagram or my Facebook page and you'll see what I'm talking about. But I think I'm going to vinyl wrap it white and put a solar panel up there. What I'm talking about, but I think I'm going to vinyl wrap it white and put a solar panel up there.
Speaker 1:I was watching a video and it's an old video but a guy had a regular rooftop tent, you know, like wedge style pop up, like mine is, and I was thinking, man, I'm going to vinyl wrap mine white. I think it would make a difference because when I drive these long distances to go camp the top of the tent's in the sun the whole time. Well, I pop the tent up and you can feel that radiant heat from the top, like it's captured that heat in that tent that whole day you're driving. And, uh, I was like I wonder if white vinyl will make it better. Well, there's some videos old video like four years old, I think, four or five years old. There's some videos and old videos like four years old, I think four or five years old. There's some videos and I was looking at them and there were people that were like doing thermometers in the tent and stuff you know, upon initial open and different things, and the fluctuation was like 20, 30, 35 degrees difference from just putting vinyl white wrap on it versus black.
Speaker 1:And now, guys, this is nothing new, we all know that white's cooler than black in the sun. Duh, right, but I think just, you know, I think I'm gonna, I think I might, I might be a prime candidate for that, so I think I'm gonna do that and put a flexible solar panel up there to trickle, charge my new dual battery and, uh, just you know, for my setup. So I think that'll be, I think that'll be good, I think that'll help. I'll let you guys know if it does or doesn't help. Uh, if I do or don't do it. You know, I don't know what's. Uh, I don't really know what's going on with that or what I'm doing or what I think yet. So I will fill you guys in, but that's where I'm at with it. I think that wrapping it white I'll also let you guys know what that costs.
Speaker 1:There's a few wrap places around by me, um, that do like car wraps but then also do like business wraps and signs and different stuff. I just want it's a, it's a rectangle, it's a flat rectangle that I just want wrapped white. I for sure am going to pay somebody to do it, though I am five foot eight guys. So again, if you guys have never met me, I am short and I'm heavy. Like I'm not a, I'm a pretty thick dude. Like I don't want to be crawling on my rooftop tent myself and I don't have any way to get that high to be like above it. So I'm going to pay somebody to do it or not do it at all, ok. So like I'm going to pay somebody if it's reasonable or it's just not going to happen if it's unreasonably priced.
Speaker 1:But I can't imagine for a rap shop that does all these complex things, any of them that a freaking flat rectangle wrapped in white I don't care what, really, what quality of white, because it's going to get scratched up and tore up anyways. I mean white vinyl that'll cost a fortune. I maybe I'm crazy. I don't freaking know. I don't know. I don't know what stuff costs like that, like that I know. I mean obviously I go to the store but I don't know what something like that costs. But I'm interested to find out and see what that's about. So that'll be cool. Yeah, that's what's going on with me. That's what I did this weekend. That's how it went.
Speaker 1:Nothing Again, like for the seventh time, nothing revolutionary. There's road construction. Freaking everywhere is annoying me. But yeah, I'm ready to get back out again.
Speaker 1:It was a little more sad this time than usual to leave. I felt like it was just that. I just really felt like I wanted to stay. So it was hard. It was hard to leave. I really could probably still be in that same spot.
Speaker 1:I was Sunday night Not really could be. I would. I mean, I absolutely could be today, but it was good. I'm ready to, I'm really ready to get some longer trips in me. I am I don't know if I'm, I don't know, I don't know if I'm burnt out at everything else or not, or I'm just ready to get some longer time under me, six, seven, eight, 10, 15, 20 days. That's so hard to do, though, with life, and you know I'm not retired or anything. So, man, it'd be nice. It would be nice.
Speaker 1:Anyways, guys, I will catch you guys tomorrow. Um, just from the side of like, let me go check out 23 zeros instagram page, like, not just I don't ask much guys, but I put out some stuff that they posted. I put out a little fourth of July thing. I put it out a thing about like adventure therapy yesterday that they uh, that they put up, and I I mean go check, just go look at it. I mean I think it's cool. Um, you know my own cool for me, I think it's cool for anybody really, if it was anybody else. I just think it's cool when, uh, something like that comes together. So that's. That's awesome. If nothing else, this is just more exposure for me, which I appreciate them for that. So hopefully that's been, that's mutual. So anyways, guys, I'll catch you tomorrow. Have a good day, get outside, make sure you're drinking lots of water. It is hot, make sure you're checking the weather, it's nuts. All right, guys, I'll catch you later and have a good Wednesday.
