Black Series has become a force in the marketplace, as an off-road camper manufacturer. Environmentally minded design, these off-road campers have gained a significant foothold in Australian, United States and Europe markets. Proving that Black Series Camper customers appreciate high-quality construction and technical innovation.
The HQ19 is one of Black Series flagship travel trailers. Featuring one of the most luxurious designs of the series, the HQ19 is ready to tackle any trip without sacrificing build quality, class and most importantly, while on a budget.
The HQ19 was designed to provide couples with everything they may need for extended trips. The interior is truly fit for Hollywood stars. Featuring a full size fridge, stove top, oven, microwave, separate toilet and shower, and even a washing machine. The Five Star timber veneer and marine grade leather give the interior the atmosphere of elegance never seen before in a 19ft trailer.
The Pinnacle of the HQ model series is the HQ21 Caravan. Housing a perfect mixture of elegance, strength, comfort, build quality, durability, aerodynamic modern design and wrap around dining area. The HQ21 caravan is in a league of its own raising the bar in the camper industry.
Black Series has over 10 years of research & development experience in camper manufacturing. With real-world in-house product testing and a proud certified member of RVIA. We have produced over 30,000 Black Series campers that are now roaming the world. Our goal is to provide the world with a highly valued and intelligently designed off-road camper.
Black Series has worked tirelessly to develop the most robust independent suspension system available. Uniquely designed and engineered trailing arms allow each wheel to move independently, allowing for a smoother, more stable ride whether on the highway or on rough terrain. Our quad shock design spreads the load across four shocks instead of two, allowing for a smoother ride, safer handling, and longer shock life.
The independent suspension, robust all terrain tires, articulating tow hitch, off-grid capable solar powered system and low impact appliances, give our customers the confidence to take the road less traveled. Each and every one of the campers are built on a solid, hot dipped galvanized steel chassis, able to take the stresses of any terrain. When you arrive at your destination, the outdoor pullout kitchen found on all our campers makes the outdoor experience even better.
Black Series Campersare designed and engineered to be able to go anywhere your heart desires.
The new single serve pour over packs from Trail Rated Coffee with radically change the way you prepare coffee on the trail. Each box comes with either 10 or 15 single serve filters loaded with premium coffee. Simply remove a packet from the box, open the outer package, place the filter with coffee over your favorite mug or tumbler, add hot water, and in just a few minutes you have a premium grade coffee anywhere. These pour over packets are great for overlanders, hikers, mountain bikers and more.
Trail Rated Coffee Company is a family-owned Coffee Roasting Company located in Colorado. Their coffee is made from only premium grade arabica beans. Each roast has been carefully engineered to deliver the freshest, best tasting coffee possible. They offer whole bean, ground, and pour overs ensuring you will get a great cup of coffee no matter how you prepare it. Their products are available online and at overlanding stores across the U.S. The company is committed to trail conservation projects with a portion of each sale being donated to support local and national organizations as well as dedicating their personal time to trail clean up and restoration projects throughout the country.
The Toor Knives Camp Axe was born out of necessity for a strong and capable tool that can tackle any fire prep or shelter-building task, at the site or out on the trail. With an overall length of 12.0”, this axe takes up minimal space in your gear and is also a very comfortable mount.
It’s broad head (4.25”) provides plenty of edge surface area when striking, while the short and steep bevel naturally pries wood open, requiring less force for splitting. The Camp Axe constructed of American Made D2 steel and comes standard with a flat hammer on the rear, which is perfect for setting camp stakes and various other jobs requiring blunt striking. Its blade is coated with KG GunKote, for corrosion resistance and general protection against the elements.
The Camp Axe features a durable G10 handle, featuring Toor’s proprietary Dynamic Fluting™ texture, which provides smooth ergonomics in the hand, as well as extra grip when working in wet environments. Each groove on the handle flows perfectly with the hand’s natural positioning and forces proper hold mechanics while conquering the age-old challenge of offering both comfort AND grip.
Each one is made at the Toor Knives manufacturing facility in El Cajon, CA and every Camp Axe comes with a genuine Hermann Oak leather sheath.
23 ZERO ROOF TOP TENT WITH LIGHT SUPPRESSION TECHNOLOGY
The Walkabout™ series of roof top tents are year-round tents allowing you to live the roof top tent lifestyle any time of year, in any climate. Our RTT’s are built with a durable and waterproof polycotton material that comes equipped with our revolutionary Light Suppression Technology.
What Is Light Suppression Technology (LST)?
The 280GSM Ripstop Poly cotton Canvas with Light Suppression Technology® blocks over 90% of sunlight so you can enjoy a great night’s sleep and wake when you decide – not as soon as the sun rises. The material also keeps the tent up to 20% cooler, providing you with a cool oasis for midday relaxation on a hot afternoon.
Features
High quality 280GSM Ripstop polycotton canvas
Four sizes available 56”(double bed) , 62” (queen bed), 78” (Cal king bed) & 87” (super huge)
3” Thick Sleep Comfort Rebound Mattress with a cotton top and waterproof base to provide maximum sleeping comfort, insulate the tent from the cold and eliminate the need for a condensation mat
Skyview panels allowing you to control the light that comes in and stargaze at night
Built for quick and easy set up and pack down
All metal moving parts delivers strength and durability while keeping weight down
Annex and Accessories shown are optional extras and not included with tent
Pale Blue Earth has brought lithium-ion power and on-board battery management systems to conventional battery sizes. With a BMS and USB port on every battery you can charge fast anywhere you have a USB port. If you are tired of single use batteries or the voltage and power output decay from alkaline and NiMh batteries, check out Pale Blue’s products. Rated for 1000 charges means you will get a great ROI on these and you won’t be caught needing to head to town to stock up on batteries.
Features:
Lithium Ion power
Rated for 1,000 Recharges
Constant 1.5V output = higher power output than alkaline or NiMH
Lighter weight
Quick charge times
4×1 USB charge cable included (C,D, 9V include 2×1 cable)
At Helinox, we believe that furniture is meant to travel, so we’ve designed ours to be portable, durable and beautiful as well as comfortable. That means you can relax when you’re backpacking deep in the woods, sitting on an urban rooftop, lounging at the beach, car camping, or simply hanging out in the backyard. So lightweight and compact, you’ll want to bring your own chair to any adventure or gathering.
The Chair Zero is our go-to chair for backpacking, bike tours, multi-day kayaking trips and really any activity where shaving weight and minimizing volume are critical. Imagine a comfortable, supportive backpacking chair that is featherlight, and ultra-compact. The Chair Zero is built with performance fabric, a seriously strong polyester ripstop that provides comfort and support while resisting damage from sun and weather. The frame is built with ultra-lightweight and exceptionally strong DAC aluminum alloy poles. Gone are the days where backpacking meant roughing it when you can bring along a Chair Zero on your next adventure.
MegaMat is EXPED’s original luxury sleeping mat that has been delivering an at-home sleep experience for thousands of car campers and overland enthusiasts everywhere since its introduction in 2011.
Available in multiple sizes, including duo (two-person), MegaMat has at its core 10 cm (4”) of just-the-right density, Oeko-Tex 100 certified, open-cell polyurethane foam for support and warmth. Horizontal air channels in the foam help reduce weight and packed volume without sacrificing comfort. To enhance the cradling effect, like a high-end home-based bed, the mat’s surface features a brushed, stretch tricot polyester that relieves pressure points (hips and shoulders) while evenly supporting the body across all surfaces, head to foot.
MegaMat is self-inflating. When the inflate valve is opened, the foam expands and draws air into the mat. An EXPED Mini Pump is included to top-off the inflation and achieve the preferred firmness. Inflate and deflate valves are large, high flow-rate FlatValves™ – an EXPED “firstovation” (first-ever innovation). The inflate valve is equipped with a one-way flapper, allowing air to easily be purged during the night with the touch of a fingertip if the mat is too firm.
Vertical 3-dimensional sidewalls allow the top surface to extend all the way out to the edge of the mat without tapering, maximizing the usable sleeping surface – just like a bed at home!
Sea to Summit’s award-winning collapsible cookware and dinnerware (dubbed the X-Series) has become a staple for every camp kitchen due to its ability to collapse and nest neatly together into a disc that can packed down and stowed away. Leave bulky cook and tableware behind and say hello to a packable, durable, easy-to-clean kitchen set-up.
The space-saving capabilities are only limited by your imagination with a collection of nesting X-pots, X-kettles, X-bowls, X-mugs, X-pans, and even our X-shot (espresso or vodka anyone?)! X-Series products are available individually or in cook sets, for those traveling with a crew. Innovative features include a base that doubles as a cutting board on the X-Bowl and X-Plate, hard anodized aluminum bases on the X-Pots and X-Kettles, and measurements imprinted on the insides of most X-Series products. The BPA-free, food-grade heat resistant silicone sides are durable and cut down on noisy, rattling pots and pans on the backroads.
Tried and tested in the Australian outback, our lightweight ultra-portable camp kitchen gear is unrivaled and great for overlanding, backpacking, bicycle/motorcycle touring and more.
Midland’s MXT275 15-Watt GMRS two-way radio is the new standard in off-road communication, ready to help you take on your next adventure. Fit with a fully integrated control microphone, the compact radio base won’t crowd your dashboard and can be hidden away. The MXT275 features a powerful USB-C charging port, giving you the fastest charge time for your devices like cell phones and handheld radios. The MXT275 features 15 high powered channels with 142 privacy codes. Go further with eight repeater channels with split tone capability. Stay ahead of severe weather with NOAA Weather Scan + Alert.
Because of GMRS’ increased range and sound quality over CB, Jeep Jamboree USA made the switch to GMRS this year. Midland is proud to partner with Jeep Jamboree USA as the 2021 Official Communication Sponsor. Jeep Jamboree participants love the plug and play ability of the radio as there is no programming of the radio or tuning of the antenna required.
As with all of Midland’s MicroMobiles, the MXT275 is compatible with all Midland FRS/GMRS handheld walkie talkies. Get yours and Drive the Wave.
67 Designs released the Garmin® Dashcam Connector, designed to work with the Garmin dashcam models that have a small ball socket including the Mini, Mini 2, 47, Tandem, 57, 66W and 67W.
Designed and made in the USA, these simple connectors are finely machined and finished from aircraft grade aluminum. At one end is a 20mm ball and at the other a connection sized just for the socket in the body of the dashcam.
“We developed this in response to a growing list of clients telling us they are augmenting their GoPro with a Garmin dashcam video footage. Many have also found a dashcam invaluable on the street in traffic incidents. We see a rise in the use of dashcams generally and it made sense to design and release this product” stated Pedro of 67 Designs.
The Garmin Dashcam Connector works with the Carbon Fiber SeriesTM arms that can receive the 20mm diameter ball and is available now.
About 67 Designs:
Established in 2012, 67 Designs has been particularly involved in the Jeep® and overlanding community for the past several years as the preeminent mounting solution. Per the request of customers, 67 Designs now offers products suitable for Jeep®, Ford F-Series, Land Rover Defenders, Toyotas, vans and more. 67 Designs currently sells online, and their products are used across the globe and help enable the best adventures.
Powering your off-road travels doesn’t need to be complicated. The Goal Zero Yeti 1000X Power Station equips you with versatile, reliable power for your overland adventures. Complete with a variety of ports (USB-C Power Delivery, 12V, 6mm, 120V AC), the Yeti 1000X will power all your essentials including fridges, communications, gps, music, cameras, lighting, and more. Pair with a Goal Zero solar panelto take advantage of every moment of your trip by collecting and storing power throughout the whole journey.
Meet the DMOS Delta Pro Shovel. THE premiere automotive recovery shovel that turns heads as easily as it digs dirt. Portable, rackable, stashable AND full-sized. Brute strength to dig you out of anything and the toughness to survive. Designed in aluminum that won’t break your payload and is forever rust-free to be worthy of your rig.
Before the groundbreaking Delta Pro Shovel, you had two bad choices – a contractor’s shovel that was awkward to mount or stow or a short-shafted e-tool that lacked earth moving power. That all changed with the Delta Pro – it’s a revolutionary tool that melds the sharp-pointed, big dig strength of a full-length shovel with stashable, rackable ride-along, ready-for-action utility.
The Delta Pro combines state-of-the-art American engineering with heritage-quality American manufacturing. Tested to survive 1,000 pounds of leveraging force, being dropped from a 5-story parking garage, and being driven over, the high-strength Delta Pro multi-tool features a t-grip handle that extends to 51 inches and our patented, foldable locking 3-in-1 blade for power plus precision whether breaking rock-hard ground, digging wet, heavy mud or trenching soft sand. Available in aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum, the Delta pro is your go-to tool for your overlanding life.
Truma Cooler products are made for America and German-engineered for the rugged Australian Outback, so you can trust the durability of these made-for-the-road coolers. Wherever you are, crack open your Truma cooler and feel the cold air brush your skin as you pick up your favorite chilled drink. That’s the comfort that comes with Truma’s refrigeration system product line. For over 70 years, Truma has served the outdoor market with products that last.
A modern improvement on classic coolers, the Truma Portable Fridge/Freezer is available in 8 sizes ranging from a convenient 30L (8-gallon) cooler to a 105L (28-gallon) party size cooler including two dual-zone models.
Virtually indestructible, Truma’s Portable Fridge/Freezer is designed for versatility. There’s a size for every car, RV and camper, overland 4×4, backyard kitchen and every lifestyle. Thanks to its dual-purpose design, the Truma Portable Fridge/Freezer gives you the power to keep your food and drink chilled, ice cold, or frozen — all day.
Thanks to the provided USB port, you can charge your portable electronic devices, and a Bluetooth App allows you to control the unit from your phone. An interior LED light provides optimum visibility inside the cooler in the dark and handles that fold down into the cooler maximize space.
So, go ahead and spend hours in your backyard kitchen, at the tailgate party, the beach, or driving into the wilderness miles from the nearest ice supply. When you’re ready for a drink, you’ll have a cold one waiting for you.
Andy Palmer – Owner and President of The Adventure Portal
Why did you choose your rig platform and how long have you had it?
I purchased this JKU in 2018 used with 66k road miles on the clock. At the time I was driving a 2010 Tacoma and was simply getting the itch for something different. My Wife had a similar AEV JKU and there were times she would easily handle technical terrain, when I would struggle a little, so it made sense to join her in the Jeep club.
What mods have you done to it and why?
It came as a well built AEV rig, although I have still added quite a lot. My first overland focused mods were interior focused where I added a Goose Gear 60% seat delete, Tembo Tusk fridge slide and wiring to the main battery. I also added an Outback Adventure Trailgator. On the dash, I installed a Vector full width bar with two 67 designs carbon fiber arms mounts for my phone and GPS.
The exterior off-road focused mods have been significant, with higher capacity springs, Dynatrac ball joints, heavy duty Steer Smarts tie rods, draglinks, track bar and steering damper mount. The rig came with BF Goodrich AT KO2’s that I have replaced with 35” Falken Wildpeak AT3’s.
The only other significant purchase was a Autohome Maggiolina RTT.
What would you do differently if you could start from scratch?
With the Goose Gear build out I should have gone with a full rear seat delete, as I’ve never used the remaining seat. If money was no object, I’d also replace the RTT with an URSA Minor shell as I’d like to lower the center of gravity a little and this would achieve it without losing sleeping comfort. A Hemi engine would also be nice!
What’s the one thing that makes your rig awesome for you?
The technical ability of the JKU off-Road is exceptional and I really enjoy the confidence off road it gives me to tackle difficult trails. It’s taken me to some pretty amazing locations.
What’s not so great? What characteristics would you change if you could?
The gas mileage sucks at an average of 13.9mpg. Now it’s over $4 that’s beginning to hurt. The engine is definitely under powered for road use. When I put the pedal down, I hear a lot of engine noise but not much happens. Finally, the Jeep interior is small and fills up fast. With all my camera gear and camping needs, I’m full.
Final thoughts and words of wisdom when choosing an overlanding adventure rig?
There is no perfect rig, so stop trying to identify it. Make a list of your top 10 things you’re looking for and get the rig that fulfills the most of them. I doub’t you’ll find anything that is a 10 out of 10. Secondly, don’t add crap for the sake of it. I know it all looks awesome, but really think it through. Do you really need all that expensive and heavy body armor if you’re simply going to be on dirt roads? Be honest with yourself.
As a quick introduction, we are David and Kelly, 30-somethings from Portland, Oregon who have the good fortune of spending the summer in Alaska in our van, the Gnar Wagon. We’ve had our van, a 2019 Winnebago Revel, for about three years and spent fifteen months traveling around the United States and Canada in 2019/2020. We intended to end our original trip in Alaska, but with COVID ended up returning to Portland for a bit and delaying our Alaska travel. We love hiking, nature photography, boondocking, breweries, art, and planning trips as we go. We couldn’t ask for a better place to spend the summer or a better rig to do it in. We picked our van for its toughness (4×4, short wheel base, expedition front bumper) but we love the comforts it provides (induction stove, toilet and shower, furnace, lithium batteries, twenty-one gallons of fresh water storage). We never miss an opportunity to leave the pavement and get away from civilization, which we recently accomplished with a trip to Kennicott and McCarthy.
Gnar Wagon: David and Kelly
Kennicott is located on the southern side of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. It’s the largest national park in the United States, covering 13.2 million acres! Most of Wrangell-St. Elias isn’t accessible by road and there are few established trails in the park. Kennecott was developed in the early 1900s after prospectors discovered rich copper veins in the mountains and was quickly built up as a company town. A second town, McCarthy, was built just five miles away to support the vices of the miners, as drinking wasn’t allowed in the company town. Kennicott and McCarthy are located about ninety miles east of one of Alaska’s primary highways (Richardson Highway), and reaching them by vehicle requires driving over forty miles of unpaved roadway. When researching how to spend our summer in Alaska, we were immediately attracted to Kennicott and McCarthy by the history and hiking, in addition to the exciting route to get there!
While some of the businesses in Kennicott and McCarthy have running water and electricity, there aren’t any dump stations or hose hook-ups for RVs. Therefore, we were sure to start our journey with a full water tank, empty gray tank, empty cassette toilet, stocked fridge, and full tank of diesel. The sixty-mile largely unpaved road to McCarthy starts in Chitina, a small railroad town that sprung up when the railroad to Kennicott was completed in the early 1910s. The road largely follows the old railroad route, which was abandoned in 1938 when the mine closed down. Just after leaving Chitina you pass through the narrow “railroad cut,” which was originally a tunnel for the railroad. Other signs of the railroad are evident along the way, including the Gilahina Trestle, which was built in eight days in the winter of 2011. Although most of the railroad track was removed for scrap metal, we still saw pieces of track occasionally and were warned to watch for railroad spikes on the road.
Gilahina Tresle
We aired down to about half of our typical tire pressure after the pavement ended just east of Chitina. We’ll usually reduce our tire pressure if we expect to be on dirt and gravel for more than a few miles, as this helps soften the ride and makes washboard a little more tolerable. We were pleasantly surprised by the road condition and for the most part maintained a speed of about twenty miles per hour. We stopped every so often for pictures and once to do a short hike before deciding to camp for the night. We found a large pull off and checked our mapping app to make sure we were on public land, as there is lots of private land along McCarthy Road.
McCarthy Road Camp Spot
The next morning we completed our drive to McCarthy, or at least as close as we could get. Visitors aren’t actually allowed to drive into the town but must park at the end of a footbridge about a mile away. There are two campgrounds at the end of the road, which are really just dispersed camping on private land. The campground we stayed at cost $25/night and didn’t have any formal sites or amenities, beyond a single pit toilet. There isn’t any free camping within a few miles of McCarthy, so we opted for the convenience of the campground. After spending too long trying to find the best site, we left our van for the day and walked to McCarthy to look around. There are only a couple dozen people who live in McCarthy year round, although the population swells a bit in the summer to support the tourists. There are a couple of restaurants, a small museum, a few pit toilets, and a some guide companies in McCarthy. There are also a lot of very friendly dogs roaming around, raspberry bushes, and a small number of tourists. Most of the activities we planned to do are in Kennicott, which is about five miles up a dusty, bumpy road. One of the biggest challenges during our trip was getting between McCarthy and Kennicott. After walking the road our first time up to Kennicott, we opted to rely on local shuttles for future trips. There are two rival shuttle companies in town. We quickly warmed to the short white bus driven by Dan, a long-time local. Dan is a chatty character, full of stories and well known among McCarthy’s residents. We learned about the property he inherited in town from a longtime friend as well as the work he is doing for kids in the area. After just a few rides with Dan, we felt like regulars on the bus.
McCarthy Campground
We spent our first afternoon touring the mining operation in Kennicott. The town of Kennicott is named for the Kennicott Glacier, but the mining company is the Kennecott Copper Corporation (supposedly the spelling difference is due to a clerical error). When the mine shut down in 1938 much of the equipment and buildings were abandoned, leaving a ghost town for decades until some people saw an opportunity to reinvigorate the area as a tourist destination. The National Park Service has rehabilitated many of the original buildings, some of which you can only enter with a tour guide. We spent the majority of our tour in the fourteen-story concentration mill, where ore arrived by tramway to be crushed, sorted, bagged, and placed in rail cars for transportation to the coast. The building has been refurbished just enough to be safe for entry, but feels abandoned with random artifacts scattered around, including old tools and equipment. The setting for the mill and town is incredible, with views of glaciers and some of the highest mountains in the United States, including Mt. Blackburn.
Kennecott Mill with Mt. Blackburn, the fifth-highest peak in the US at 16,390 feet
Several hikes leave from Kennicott, most leading to original mining areas and the Root Glacier. We hiked to Bonanza Mine our second day and ended our visit to Kennecott hiking on Root Glacier. Weather in Alaska in the summer is unpredictable and often grey, but we lucked out with partial sunshine and enough visibility to see some of the surrounding mountains. Bonanza Mine is about four miles from Kennicott and the trail gains almost 4,000 feet in elevation. Miners would live in a bunkhouse at the mine and only occasionally make the trip to Kennicott, sometimes by riding on the tram cars that moved ore from the mine to the concentration mill! There are old tools and appliances scattered around the mine and hillside, which we learned the National Park Service considers “historic refuse.” We loved exploring around the mine and guessing at how the various equipment worked.
Bonanza Mine
Root Glacier is only a couple miles from Kennicott and the most accessible way to walk on some of the over 5,000 square miles of glacial ice in Wrangell-St. Elias. Much of the glacier is covered by dirt and rocks, but the Root Glacier trail leads you to an area that is largely ice. We only had one pair of yak traks between the two of us and the glacier is quite slippery, so we didn’t venture too far. While we’ve skied on the Palmer Glacier on Mt. Hood at home, this was our first time walking on a glacier in Alaska. While a local told us, “Once you’ve seen one glacier you’ve seen them all,” our fascination with glaciers likely won’t end anytime soon.
Root Glacier
After hiking on Root Glacier, we returned to our van and left the campground in the early afternoon, deciding to camp one night on McCarthy Road on our way back. At this point, it had been five nights since our last dump station/water fill-up and our fresh water was running very low, along with our supply of produce and refrigerated food. We’ve found about five days is the maximum time we can go between water fill-ups, which is our limiting factor when off the grid. By this time we are usually craving some fresh food, a restaurant meal, or a real shower. We spent our last night in an informal campsite that we scouted using aerial imagery from Google Maps. We usually rely on iOverlander, a great app for finding camp spots on public land, but it didn’t have much to offer in this area. The next day we finished the drive to Chitina, aired the tires back up, and returned to pavement for the rest of our drive back to Anchorage to prepare for our next adventure.
Designed for comfort and advanced freedom of movement on day hikes and trekking trips, the MILFORD JACKET is made of a stretchy fleece fabric with a smooth exterior and a soft reverse side. The fabric looks great and has superb, kind-to-skin feel.
The jacket is extra light and super breathable – ideal attributes for active outdoor use. Items you might want to keep handy, like your folder or phone, can be stowed in the two hand pockets or the sleeve pocket.
TAP Thoughts: I’ve used this well designed/made fleece jacket while hiking throughout the last few months and its breathable fabric has definitely performed great on the trail. It’s also water resistant and the stretchy fabric is lightweight and comfortable. It has an athletic fit and aesthetically has a European flavor, with its bright ascent colors. I’m 190lbs/5’10” and wear an XL.
Steep mountain paths can be tough going, but the views are definitely worth it. And the ACTIVATE LIGHT ZIP OFF trousers make every step a pleasure. These versatile softshell trousers – part of our ACTIVATE series – are super light, very breathable and extremely flexible.
The FLEX SHIELD X-LITE fabric has multidirectional stretch properties and is purpose-made for demanding trails and agile, dynamic movement. It keeps you dry in light showers and on hard, sweaty ascents and protects you from the sun.
The ACTIVATE LIGHT ZIP OFF convert to shorts in an instant – simply zip the legs off and enjoy the extra freedom! With a total of five pockets, there’s plenty of room for your smartphone, GPS and other little essentials.
TAP Thoughts: We were also sent these light weight soft shell hiking pants from Jackwolfskin. Again, they are designed for high activity and are made of a soft stretchy material. Although light rain resistant, I’ve really only used them in hot dry conditions, where I found them breathable and cool. I also particularly like the versatility of having zippered legs that makes them into shorts.
My partner Chris and I, along with our friends Kari and Chase, headed out on a 10 day mountain bike road trip through the Pacific Northwest. Our very first adventure in our new Project M Four Wheel Camper! The grand plan you might ask?…starting in Salt Lake, then making our way to Bend, and then through Hood River, Sandy Ridge, Portland, Bellingham, Leavenworth, Boise, and back home. Cruising our way from one rad mountain biking town to the next in our camper and we couldn’t be more stoked. We got the off-road camper installed about a month and a half ago, so with this being our first big trip in it, I must say it did not disappoint!!
Out first stop, Bend, Oregon. Our friend sent us coordinates of a cool campsite right by the river, and when we drove up we were stoked to say the least! It was so nice being right on the river so that we could take morning and evening dips(even though it was freezing cold)… so more of a polar plunge or an ice bath you could say. It was the perfect little spot for us though, we cooked up some yummy veggie tacos on the grill and set up camp. Before we dive deep into this adventure, I first need to explain to y’all how nice it was having the Project M on this trip because it was a GAME CHANGER to say the least. It made traveling through the Pacific Northwest so comfortable and easy. The pop up tent itself was a breeze, it sets up in a matter of seconds, no joke. We also loved the locking back door so that we could put our gear in the bed of the truck and not have to stress about it. And of course, can’t forget about the queen size bed because it was a dream and we got the best nights sleep!!
After enjoying a night at camp and taking a morning dip in the river we headed over to Phil’s Trailhead to ride Upper + Lower Whoops. It felt so nice to get the legs moving and get a sweat on especially after sitting in a car for eleven hours driving the day before. It’s always fun switching it up and riding in a different place rather than your trails at home that you’re really familiar with. Upper + Lower Whoops was a good first ride of the trip, nothing too crazy but a really fun ride. For our second ride we sent it out on Tiddlywinks trail which unfortunately didn’t last long because a little over the bars action happened and we had to send it back into town to get a new brake lever. Which thank goodness we were able to find one or else that would have made the trip a loooonnggg one without it!! We were so grateful for helpful, willing people that stayed after hours to fix the bike!! Hallelujah and shoutout to Pine Mountain Sports. We were bummed that we didn’t get to ride as much as we would have liked to in Bend, but you know, sometimes that’s just the way it goes, and life happens. We knew we had a lot of biking ahead of us since we were only at the beginning of our trip. So we counted it and moved on to our next stop.
We headed north to Hood River. The drive from Bend to Hood River was insane with huge pine trees and windy roads and you can see Mount Hood while you’re driving so it’s beautiful. As far as mountain biking in Hood River, we rode in Post Canyon and man oh man it was such a good time!! To get up to the trailheads you wind through multiple neighborhoods and orchards which apparently, Hood River is known for their orchards. A local told us that 80% of pears in America come from Hood River, kind of crazy! We rode the trails Bad Motor Scooter to Grand Prix. Both are flowy jump trails and such a blast. Step ups, doubles, berms, you name it, these trails had it!
We tried to fit in as much biking as possible this trip, so we were only in each place for a couple nights sometimes only one night. After staying in Hood River one night we made a pit stop at Sandy Ridge on our way to Portland. Sandy Ridge is a mountain bike specific pit stop. The mountain biking there was unique in that you take the service road up as your climbing trail, and then you can lap things multiple times. The first trail we did was Flow Motion which was a proper flow trail with some tech. I LOVED this trail! I wish we had done it again because I honestly had the time of my life! Then we rode back up the service road all the way to the top to get a longer ride in. We dropped in at the top and did Rockdrop which honestly wasn’t our favorite. It’s a small loop that kind of takes you around and then back to the top and it’s not really worth it in my opinion. We then dropped into Upper Hide & Seek and oh my goodness….SO much fun!!! It’s traversy tech riding which keeps you on your toes and you always have to be choosing a line and staying engaged with the trail. When you get in the flow on one of these trails, it feels so damn good!! From Upper Hide & Seek we went into Lower Hide & Seek which was a blue flow trail – pretty mellow and fun! We finished off with TNT and Little Monkey – both are jump trails. TNT is a big jump trail that is only for advanced/experts and Little Monkey is a smaller jump trail which Kari and I took and it was a blast.
We then stayed in Portland that night with some family. We ate at this insanely yummy restaurant called The Bye and Bye which I would highly recommend if you’re in the area! The food was amazing and the drinks were so good!! We only stayed in Portland for a night and then went up to Port Townsend to take a ferry over to Whidbey Island. It was a little switch up from the biking which was nice to take a day off and experience taking our Four Wheel Camper on this massive ferry! I love that the Project M is big enough for our needs and feels spacious, but yet it’s not this HUGE camper that we’re towing or anything like that. With seeing so many different setups and campers on the road and on the ferry, it was a good realization for us that the Project M Four Wheel Camper was the way to go and that it’s the perfect size for what we need/want out of a camping setup. It’s minimal in a good way and doesn’t have all the extra froufrou… you know what I mean? We just wanted a comfortable space for camping and a place where we can put our gear, and the Project M does just that!
Onto Bellingham which was by far our favorite spot! The Pacific Northwest just brings such a different vibe than Salt Lake City. To start…it rains which sadly is few and far between for Summer’s in Salt Lake. And the mountain biking trails hold that rain so you get hero dirt which is just unreal to ride in! When we arrived in Bellingham it was misty and the clouds were low, your typical Pacific Northwest vibe you know!? We stayed in Bellingham for three days and rode our little hearts out. There was lots of hootin’ and hollerin’ to be had because the trails were just SO GOOD!!! There were a bunch of different trails in the Galbraith trail system, so I’m going to list them out so it’s easier for y’all to follow. Evolution – This trail had some really fun wood features, jumps, and doubles. It was by far one of our favorites and we did this one multiple times.Unemployment Line(or as we found out, as the locals like to call it…U line) – Big berms, jumps, good dirt! What more could you ask for!! We lapped this one multiple times as well. Mohawk – This is a big jump trail for advanced/experts! There are some big doubles so just make sure you scope before sending! Radical Dragon – Tech rocky rollers and some doubles Atomic Dog – A techy blue trail and Wonderland – Chill blue warmup trail.
The first day in Galbraith was just misty and then the second and third day it was full on raining and it was honestly pure bliss!! The stoke was HIGH! It was nice to be able to come back to the trailhead and hang our wet clothes in our Four Wheel Camper so that we weren’t just sopping wet. The Project M comes stock with one window, but we had the other window put in which was nice to open up and get some air flow. Especially while we were drying our clothes in the back it helped make it no so musty back there. Galbraith Trails and Bellingham were a dream and I can’t wait to get back there! But sadly, our time there came to an end and we headed to Leavenworth.
Leavenworth is a themed town which made it so fun. We were not expecting that, but it’s a full on Bavarian village. We stopped through here for a night making our way back to Salt Lake. We rode Rosie Boa which was some ridge line riding – a little bit of flow, a little bit of tech.
It was nice to be able to stop wherever and pop up the Project M if we needed to and the fact that we could still off road into some campsites and not be worried about it was really clutch. I can’t say enough good things about it!
Our last stop before heading home was Bogus Basin Bike Park in Boise, Idaho. We actually ended up just camping in the parking lot and popping up the camper and then waking up and riding for a few hours before heading back. This was my first time at Bogus Basin and it was so much fun. They have a good variety of trails there – tech, flow, advanced, beginner! Whatever you’re looking for, they’ve got it! G19 is their black tech trail to definitely hit up when you’re there.
All in all our trip was so memorable and amazing! I wish we had more time in each spot, but that just makes for a great excuse to get back to those places, right? We feel lucky to have been able to do it with our Project M because it made our camping seamless. Like I said, we’ve only had it for a month or so, so we haven’t had time to build out any portion of it yet, but we’re excited to make it our own as time goes on. We would love to create some sort of shelving system under the benches and maybe a folding table of sorts, but nothing too fancy, we like the minimalist vibe. We still did all of our cooking and camp chilling outside, we would just sleep inside which made it so that we could get a good nights rest. And we all know how much a good nights rest is needed while you’re biking that much!
Until next time folks! Sending all the good vibes and nature love:)
Check out more travels from Kait and Chris @Kaitvanhoff
