Tag: wanderlust

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Project Tundra

I’m watching an epic Arizona sunset from the bed of a truck parked on a volcano, and I can’t help but grin from ear to ear.  Stretched out before me is an endless expanse of Northern Arizona painted in the kinds of colors you find on Instagram when someone first discovers the saturation slider—but this isn’t an enhanced image.  This sunset, viewed from my current vantage point is the reason why we get outside: because outside is awesome.  The truck that got me here happens to be pretty awesome too, it’s a brand new 2017 Toyota Tundra.  And in it’s factory-stock form it happens to be a really capable vehicle, as evidenced by the fact that I’m not parked at the bottom of the volcano.

This Tundra is the platform that over the course of the next few months, with the help of some great companies, I’ll be building into a quiver-of-one adventure vehicle that will help me and my family do what we love: spend time outside.  To get an idea of where we’re going with this project Tundra, I need to give you an idea of what I’ve been doing with my current first-gen Tacoma.

Over the last ten years, I’ve taken my Tacoma all over the Western United States seeking out the ends of countless dirt roads, and dozens of awesome destinations.  I’ve cut first tracks and driven to the top of the San Juan Mountains only to pull out skis and venture further on when a snowbank blocks the road.  I’ve driven to the Eastern Rim of the Grand Canyon to learn from the locals about the many threats that face one of our Nation’s most iconic National Parks.  I’ve carried bikes, dirtbikes, skis, and all kinds of other gear on all kinds of adventures to explore our world.  While the Tundra will almost certainly never get to pass through a certain gate at the top of a certain iconic waterfall, it will be built to do everything that the Tacoma does, and more.  There are big plans in store for this project, but I’ve also been really enjoying my time with the stock truck.

Without changing a single part on the Tundra, I’ve had some great experiences with it.  I’ve gotten to spend time in the woods and on the Mogollon rim with my family, and everywhere else I’ve gone with the truck has helped me refine my plans of what attributes I want to enhance on the Tundra.  The objective is to build something where all of the changes and additions complement each other to bring the baseline performance of the truck up.  Rather than buy all of the things, we’re going to be adding and changing the things that make an impact and help us have a better experience outside.  With this approach in mind, the goals for the Tundra are:

  • Tackle terrain wherever I may roam. From the deserts of Utah to the high passes of the Rockies, the Tundra needs to inspire confidence in any terrain.
  • Carry gear for other sports: bikes, skis, SUPs, tow/haul dirtbikes, and other adventure gear.
  • Be a basecamp/support vehicle for adventure projects and remote, off-grid film projects (day job).
  • Carry the gear needed to safely travel into remote places and stay there for an extended period of time.
  • Be a reliable tool for my family and friends to explore and experience the world with.

The Tundra will wear many hats and fulfill many roles in the coming years.  It’s certainly a larger vehicle than my Tacoma, but that increase in size makes for some really exciting potential.  With two more doors and a backseat that someone bigger than a five year-old is stoked to sit in, the adventure and the experience can be shared with more people.  The 6.5 foot truck bed adds a few more inches of space that will allow the Tundra to swallow up bikes, skis, and other large pieces of gear with ease.  It’s also more than long enough for a couple of adults to sleep while fully stretched out, which is a great option when you’re going fast and light.  The power and towing increase over my Tacoma means that towing a trailer that’s ideally laden with motos or snowbikes or some other form of awesome is now a realistic idea.  The potential for the Tundra is great, and we’re just getting started.

Kicking off a build project is an exciting time—it’s really easy to get caught up in daydreaming about adventures to come and all of the great places to be explored.  Yet, I think that it’s also important to enjoy the moment and that simple fact that a stock vehicle can take you to some staggeringly-awesome places.  By getting the Tundra in the dirt from day one, I’ve now got a comprehensive understanding of where the baseline is for the truck, which means that I’ll be able to understand (and fully appreciate) how adding parts and making changes improves what can be done with the Tundra.  We will be documenting the process in a number of articles that you can find right here on American Adventurist, and I’ll be maintaining a build thread in the forums that will go into greater detail.  Here’s to new roads and new experience outdoors doing what we love.  Welcome to Project Tundra.

 

 

 

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Good To-Go Backcountry Meals

“Oh wow! That looks like real food.” Adam exclaimed as I poured the contents of a package labeled Classic Marinara with Penne into a bowl.  We both leaned in for a closer look.  What we saw looked just like pasta and sauce you would eat at your dinner table—and it also smelled excellent.  Spoons were quickly employed and seconds later we were staring at an empty bowl, contemplating what we had just eaten.  It turns out the folks at Good To-Go weren’t kidding.  Their dehydrated backcountry meals are awesome, and completely redefine what a meal in a bag can be.

If you’ve done any sort of backcountry adventuring, you’ve no doubt had an experience with freeze-dried food.  Most folks tend to pack freeze-dried food on their backcountry outings because it’s light weight, easy to pack, and easy to cook.  But if we’re being honest, we all know that freeze-dried food isn’t the most enjoyable culinary experience out there, which is why you’ll see folks crush a whole meal on day one and struggle to finish a third of a meal several days in.  What gets me is the sodium overload that results from eating an entirely freeze-dried diet.  Sure, you can pack other, bulkier, less durable, heavier foods, but that can quickly turn a fast and light trip in to an expedition loaded for bear.  Planning your meals is an art and a science, because if you fall into a calorie and/or nutrient deficit on your adventure, your enjoyment of the adventure can really take a beating.  Thankfully, Good To-Go has figured out how dehydrate backcountry meals that you’re actually going to look forward to eating every single meal of your trip, meals that will keep your belly full and your body well fueled.

Good To-Go is dehydrating flavorful, chef-created meals, and that makes all the difference in the end product when compared to a freeze-dried meal.  In other words, Good To-Go is recreating dishes from all over the world and packaging them in a way that the dishes’ original awesomeness is just minutes away from a reunion with some moisture.  You’ll notice the difference the second you crack the seal on a Good To-Go package—your nose is hit with tempting aromas.  When you’re done salivating over the smells, look in the package where you’ll find recognizable ingredients instead of assorted colors of cubed something.  Heat up some water and pour it in.  While you’re waiting for your meal to rehydrate, take a gander at the ingredients on the back of the package.  Here you’ll find words you recognize and a nutrition label that adds up to better for you than other backcountry meal options.  Try this: Pay attention to what’s in your first few bites.  You’ll be blown away by the taste and texture.  Each ingredient tastes like the real thing, and you won’t spend your time wondering what cubes you’re eating.

Dehydrated meals will take a longer to cook than freeze-dried meals, and if you’re in a cold or windy environment, you’ll need to take some extra steps while cooking or you’ll be eating a cold meal.  Start with using water that is at a full boil.  Give the meal a quick stir and then insulate the package in a hat or a pannier box, something that keeps it out of the wind and cold and you’ll be in good shape.  Dehydration also doesn’t produce quite as light of a meal as freeze-drying, but this token weight penalty is more than worth it for far superior food.  Once you’re waiting on the clock for your meal to cook, make sure you follow the part of the instructions that tell you to hang out and think about how big the universe is—enjoy where you are and that you are outside.

Good To-Go meals taste great, and the simple experience of eating food that has the texture and the other properties of real food is will completely reset your expectations of what backcountry food can be.  All of the meals are made with natural ingredients that have real nutritional value, so you won’t be eating pounds of sodium and countless mystery cubes over the course of a multi-day trip.  Better fuel for your body also translates into better performance on your adventure and keeps the group’s morale up.  Take a second to insulate your meal to keep it piping hot, and then take a few minutes to take in where you are.  Hopefully, you’re in an awesome spot outdoors and you’re about to eat a meal that you’re actually going to enjoy.   Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for a Good To-Go package when you need an easy meal at home—they’re that good.

 

You can learn all about Good To-Go by checking out their website.  You can order Good To-Go’s excellent meals directly from their website, or drop into your local outdoor gear shop.