Tag: bushcraft

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Adventure Downtime

As lock downs are lifting, I wanted to stop and reflect on some new hobbies I’ve been keeping busy with. The activities are overland-related and should improve your overall experience on your next trip.

Build a Tiny Truck R/C Crawler

This is not your childhood RadioShack R/C car. The kits today made by Traxxas, RC4WD, and Axial Racing will have you doing a double take. Don’t believe me? Check out @scalebuildersguild on Instagram. These are 1/10th scale 4wd vehicles complete with differentials, solid axles, and even lockers. Not unlike our overland vehicles, each platform offers different advantages and challenges.

The biggest factor in choosing a platform is which body style you find most appealing. Everything is available from classic Land Rovers, Blazers and Broncos to modern Jeeps with lots in between. Can’t find your exact rig? 3D printing has created a niche market for builders to create 5th Gen 4Runners, 3rd Gen Tacomas, and many others.

R/Cs come ready-to-run (“RTR”) or as kits, which are little more than a bag of parts. Limitless upgrades include metal bumpers and sliders, waterproof electronics, and scale accessories like Hi-Lift jacks, roof racks, and even remote controlled electric winches. The downside is these R/Cs aren’t cheap. Expect to shell out $500+ to get something special.

The manufacturers provide surprising customer support and there are loads of dedicated forums and YouTube channels to get you inspired. Wondering what kit I’m running? I went with the RC4WD Gelandre II, which is a solid body design.

What do you do after you build your R/C? Show it off, of course! There are driving skill and build competitions all over the US, including the RC4WD Tiny Truck Challenge Uwharrie hosted by BowHouse RC (bowhouserc.com) at the Big Creek trail system in North Carolina. Windrock Park in Tennessee (windrockpark.com) has a beautiful and technically challenging obstacle course that will inspire you to build one of your own in your backyard. A wheelbarrow of stones, sand, and firewood can build a great backyard course. Don’t forget to air down!

Learn to Play the Guitar

Image of a guitar laying on a blanket

Besides sipping on your favorite bourbon, nothing beats a good campfire guitar session to relax into the evening. I’ve always wanted to play and have at least a couple of half-baked failed attempts under my belt as a teenager.

Like all of my endeavors, I went in with both feet buying an electric followed by an acoustic guitar within a couple of months. While one isn’t a substitute for the other, the acoustic is best suited for life on the road. Look for a travel guitar that is 3/4 size for the best balance of compactness and tone. The Taylor GS Mini (taylorguitars.com) is the gold standard for travel guitars and is designed to fit in the overhead bin of an airplane, not that you’ll need to do that in our lifestyle.

These guitars aren’t toys, they range from about $500 to just under $1,000 depending on the tonewood. You can always buy a less expensive or used guitar if you’re not ready to drop that amount of cash. I went with a highly recommended teacher, Chris Holly (chrishollymusic.com), who was able to adapt his business to an online format as pandemic restrictions tightened.

Really want to impress people? Start out learning the blues; a simple shuffle, turn around, then a few pentatonic scales will go a long way to sounding like something your friends will tap their feet to. Trust me, I’ve learned a dozen sounds since January and unless you’re ready to sing (read: pat your head and rub your belly), few people are going to recognize the rhythm guitar sections from ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and ‘Every Rose has its Thorns’. But if you can belt out ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, ‘Come as You Are’, and ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’ it will take you a little further, but nothing (at least to me) will beat Eric Clapton’s ‘Before You Accuse Me’. Likely the least famous song I listed, but it will work the best when passing the guitar around the fire. Don’t forget to bring your picks, capo, and tuner!

Take up Bushcraft

Image of an ax and knife. Essential tools for bushcraft

I love to spend my couch time watching YouTube bushcraft videos. We load our overland rigs with everything minus the kitchen sink. Wait… Actually, some of us have a kitchen sink, ha! But, how much do we really need? Beefing up your bushcraft skills will teach you to do more with a whole lot less.

My kit is down to about ten essentials not including a great bucket style pack complete with axe sleeve. My pack acts as my bugout bag and I keep it in my truck at all times. Everything goes in the bag, minus your bush knife, which should always be on your belt.

Bushcraft doesn’t mean using a bow drill or flint and steel to start every fire, but it doesn’t hurt to learn. Personally, I keep a film canister with 3-4 cotton balls dipped in Vaseline along with a ferro rod to get my fires going quickly. You’ll need a fix blade bush knife with a square spine (90 degree edge) to create the best spark with your ferro rod. Bushcraft Outfitters (bushcraftoutfitters.com) sells everything you need.

My pack is from the Hidden Woodsman (thehiddenwoodsmen.com). Out of the three hobbies I’ve discussed so far, this has the lowest cost of entry and will immediately improve your outdoor experience. You’ll be making your own chairs and sleeping with just a wool blanket in no time.

Get your Ham Radio License

The faceplate of a HAM radio

I got my technicians license a few years back, but it’s a great time for you to study up. Yes, there is an exam, but trust me, it’s not impossible. It’s just challenging enough to provide you with a nice sense of accomplishment. The exam is administered by volunteers who want you to pass and it’s a very low pressure multiple choice exam.

Studying the answers may get you across the line, but won’t necessarily make you a good Ham. I had success with Michael Burnette’s audios books (fasttrackham.com) which are perfect for long hours on the hardpack. Michael teaches in a way that will help you understand the theory, practice, and nuanced etiquette to make you a great ham radio operator.

Amateur radio has every advantage over CB, FRS, and GMRS. The radios are much more powerful (read: you talk further) and the reception is crystal clear with a much smaller antenna. I realize this isn’t the first choice for every trail ride, but as you start to take longer and more remote (even international) expeditions, you’ll find ham radio is your best (if not only) option.

Ham radio isn’t limited to trail comms. Portable low power HF rigs have jaw dropping international range with the right antenna. Are you an extreme adventurer? Check out Summit on the Air (sota.org.uk). It would be unforgettable to transmit from on top of the San Juan Mountains.

Close

I want to hear how you’ve been spending your time in 2020 when not out on the trails. Comment with what you’ve been focused on. I’m always looking for another hobby!

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Overland Expo West 2017

 

Editor’s Note:  Enjoy the ride as we look back at last year’s event and remember what an incredible time everyone had at this great big “family reunion” in Arizona~ 2018 is shaping up to be even bigger so please stop by and say hi at the American Adventurist booth at site PS1.  We’ll have a cold beer ready for you courtesy of Historic Brewing in Flagstaff, bring your cup!

I’m talking to a couple of the driving instructors from Land Rover about the driving course for this year’s Overland Expo West, and I’m starting to get the impression that this year’s event is going to be different – in a good way.  You can hear it in their voices, and the way they talk about the classes that they’ll be teaching for the next few days.  It’s like someone just handed them the keys to a McLaren P1 and said “have fun.”  They’ve built driving and skills courses that are, thanks to the new venue, “the best yet.”  Consider me excited.

The sun seemed to be excited as well, considering that it decided to bless us with plenty of sunburn inducing radiation over the three days of Overland Expo West.  There’s so much that happens at this event that there is no way you can attend all of the classes, from world renown instructors, on topics ranging from bushcraft to battery-powered stick welding.  Likewise, you would be hard pressed to even make an appearance at all of the social events where you’ll find tons of free adult beverages, and in the case of a certain End of the World Party, tons of free gear.  All of these events are attended by some great folks, and the small talk in the beer line typically turns into a great conversation with good people.

Walk the vendor areas and you’ll find awesome products from some very big brands just down the aisle from a brand that’s launching on Kickstarter, working to get their first product to market.  A quick walk through the woods leads you to the moto village, where all kinds of gear and demo bikes from KTM, BMW, and Ural await.  Big budget is parked right next to big dreams, and everyone just seems stoked to be outside in sunny (and windy) Flagstaff.

Overland Expo has grown to be an event that’s hard to capture in a single article—there’s just that much going on.  If I had to try and wrap it up in a few dozen carefully crafted chosen words and images, I would say this:  It’s an outstanding event where you can meet real people who all share a common love of the outdoors and adventure travel.  It’s an event where you can learn so much, be it driving skills or what the options are for expanding the capabilities of your rig.  And it’s the place where the person in front of you in line could have just ridden around the world and have some awesome stories to share.

I know that what you’re really here for is the photos, so feel free to just work that scroll wheel.  If you’ve read this far, you’ve earned it.  What was your favorite part of Overland Expo West?  What did you think of the new venue?  Let us know in the comments!

A serious THANK YOU goes out to Expedition Overland and Equipt Expedition Outfitters for letting American Adventurist join in on the End of the World Party.  We also want to thanks all of the great brands that contributed gear to our raffle!

Though unobtanium for most of us, we couldn’t help but stop and drool over the flush rivets, branded leather, and all the little details on AeroContinental’s aluminum prototype. Follow @aerocontinental on Instagram for more gratuitous fabrication porn.

Treeline Outdoors made their US debut with their impressive Gen3 Roof Top Tent line. At a glance it may look like the same tried-and-true format with bold colors and a unique window awning added, but look deeper and you’ll find an innovative aluminum honeycomb deck, solar-friendly features, and a long list of little details that set these units apart from the sea of newcomers flooding the RTT market. Look for a detailed review in coming months.

Even more aluminum roof top tents entering the market, including these wedge-style tents from Alu-Cab. 

Adventure Tool Company sold completely out of their durable lineup of tool organization products (they even sold the 4-year-old demo model). If you missed out, track them down at http://adventuretoolcompany.com/

Warn Industries had a ton of cool new things to share at Expo.  Stay tuned for some content on new Warn goodies in the future.

Available in two sizes, the Fold-A-Flame firepit grills are clearly draw inspiration from the old Foldin’ Cooker your grandpa might have used. It’s great to see more practical and packable options on the market for wood-fired cooking.

The Kariba Ranger 4×4 is a compact hot shower system that doubles as a dual-burner cook top. New to the US market, they’ll be available soon from Equipt. 

Nissan was on site with their Cummins-powered (yep, a Diesel Nissan on US shores) Project Basecamp, what looks to be a solid entry into the severely option-lacking US overland market. We’ll report back in greater detail after we do  a more hands-on evaluation.

Off The Grid brought their good looking (and feeling) prototype adventure pants. They’re still working on a few details so we can’t share much just yet, but we’ll report back with a full review as soon as we get our hands on the production model.

It was great catching up with the folks at Jackcovers—I mean Step 22—and checking out their newly expanded line of durable, fairly priced bags and accessories. 

Oftentimes simple is best. The Tail Gater attaches to your vehicle’s tire, providing sturdy table or counter space while in camp. It straps to the spare tire for transport, though I suspect it might slip into or behind the ubiquitous Trash-a-roo as well. 

Thanks to the crew at  Tembo Tusk for hosting us during the Sunday breakfast.  We cooked a pig worth of bacon, more than 20-dozen eggs and a bunch of awesome South African food!

Spotted Tembo Tusk’s moto-friendly Adventure Skottle prototype, designed to run off the compact MSR multi-fuel stove. Rumor has it we’re going to see an even lighter production model very soon…

Tepui’s new Baja Series answers a problem that’s been around since the invention of the tent: dealing with multiple climates. With interchangeable canopies, you can go from screened summer tent to an aluminized harsh-weather tent by simply zipping-in the appropriate canopy. 

Two new models were on display from Turtleback: a large flatbed hybrid design, and a small crossover-friendly model. Both units are impressive, but we’re most excited about the low profile yet high ground clearance smaller unit.

Have some awesome photos from Overland Expo West 2017?  Post them in the comments!