Gear and Skills

Long Term Review: Maxtrax Xtreme

MAXTRAX has a great product in their MAXTRAX Mark II vehicle recovery board.  They’ve been proven the world over, and everyone from special forces units to families out on afternoon adventures rely on MAXTRAX Mark II’s to solve vehicle recovery problems and so much more. In the professional guiding world, MAXTRAX are the only vehicle recovery boards on the market to be endorsed by the International 4 Wheel Drive Trainer’s Association (I4WDTA) Product Recommendation Program …
Gear and Skills

TESTED: Baja Designs XL Lasers

Baja Designs (BD) calls themselves The Scientists Of Lighting.  While that title may strike you as the brilliant work of someone in the marketing department, ask anyone who has used their products and I’d be willing to bet that they’ll tell you their lights are the gold standard.   A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to check out a BD prototype light that used a laser to create light instead of the LEDs …
Public Lands

Public Land Use: Closure Isn’t The Answer

Sadly, as covered in my previous article, Locked Gates Ahead, we continue to lose access to our public lands across America. This is in part because of an ongoing drum beat by well funded special interest groups who seek to control access to public lands. Our ancestors fought for these lands and our rights, and today those rights are in jeopardy. Once public access is denied it seldom returns. Real Talk Clearly, our rights come …
Gear and Skills

TESTED: Offgrid Trek 215w Solar Blanket Bug Out Kit

I’ve been going back and forth trying to decide between adding a dual battery setup to the Jeep, or finding a better solar option for “unlimited power” when stationary.  Like most of you, I need peace of mind running the fridge in camp and easy access to power for charging USB devices. At Overland Expo East 2019 I ran across a veteran owned Canadian company that makes serious expeditionary grade kits that are ready for …
Gear and Skills

TESTED: Dometic PLB 40

Editor’s Note:  This article was updated on 2/10/2020 to include cold weather testing, as requested by our members.  Find it below.  -Chad Dometic’s PLB 40 is a truly plug and play portable battery solution that allows anyone to have a dual battery system in any vehicle.  That’s right – no custom wiring or additional purchases required.  As long as you have a 12V outlet in your rig that can supply 100W, you can plug in …
Gear and Skills

TESTED: Ruggedized Deadman Earth Anchor

Hi internet:  My name is Chad, and for the last couple of months, I’ve been burying dead things. That last sentence could make for some interesting search engine optimization, but it’s the truth.  You see, I’ve been testing out the new ruggedized Deadman Earth Anchor, which is as you might have guessed, is a beefed-up version of the original Deadman.  The original Deadman wears many hats, all of which expand the functionality of your winch …
American Adventures

Project Tundra: The Latest

Vehicle builds like Project Tundra never really end. Over time our needs change, and new products appear that sometimes fill needs we didn’t know we had. So just when you think you’ve planned out the perfect build – something is going to come along that’s going to change those plans. And that’s exactly what makes vehicle builds so fun; some new source of inspiration out there or a new adventure to prepare for. Since the last …