Respect and Responsibility: As off-roading and overlanding grow in popularity and machines like ATVs and UTVs are more prevalent on these trails, it’s important to remember how to tread lightly and why it’s important to stay on the trail, follow signs and leave these trails better than you found them.
Overuse, abuse and damage lead to trail closures. No matter what kind of outdoor activities you enjoy, there is the potential to impact the land and resources negatively. To help maintain access and keep public land healthy and beautiful, outdoor recreationists need to approach their favorite trails with a sense of respect and responsibility.
Respect for public land comes in many different forms. Not only should you take care of the resources you recreate on, but also be conscientious and courteous to those who are sharing the trail, might be at the campsite you’re using next and the land managers who maintain public land.
So what are some ways you can be respectful when riding and off-road vehicle? Firstly, leave the area better than you found it. Bring a trash bag on the trail to help pack out any trash you might find. Stay on designated trails and go over obstacles, not around, to avoid widening the trails.
Not only should you respect the land you’re on, but the people you may encounter. If crossing private property, always get permission from landowners and leave gates as you found them. Be conscientious of noise in populous areas like campsites and neighborhoods. Always yield to those passing you or going uphill and be courteous to other trail users and land managers.
We all have a shared stake and responsibility in taking care of our public land for current and future generations to use and enjoy. If every person who enjoys the outdoors commits to doing their part and giving back to the land they use, it could make a big difference.
There are many ways to be responsible when off-roading. Even campers, hikers and fishermen sometimes take a dirt trail on their vehicle to get to a trailhead or water shore. When on the trail, remember to travel responsibly and know what areas are open to your mode of transportation. Before you head out, check out the land management website or maps to know what trails are designated for your type of recreation.
Remember, motorized and mechanized vehicles aren’t allowed in designated Wilderness Areas. Please respect that. Other sensitive areas to be aware of are meadows, lake shores, wetlands and streams. By staying on the trail, you avoid negatively impacting these resources. Also be aware of historical, archaeological and paleontological sites and leave these areas undisturbed and as you found them.
Doing your part can be a small act of throwing away trash you found on the trail, supporting organizations that keep trails open and healthy or volunteering for a local trail restoration project. Help leave areas better than you found them by doing your part. This means packing out all trash you brought in and trash left by others, observing fire restrictions, avoiding the spread of invasive species and even repairing degraded areas.
If every trail user takes the time to learn how to show respect and be responsible, it can make a huge difference on our public land and trails. To learn more about responsible off-roading and how to minimize your impact, visit treadlightly.org.
To read more about Stewardship and Tread Lightly click HERE
A Multi-Day Overland Expedition makes memories that are for keeps! Having experienced living out of my Jeep for 10 days straight, on both the Colorado and Utah BDR trails, it’s not as easy as you might think. Don’t get me wrong, it was a life changing experience and TAP totally encourages everyone to look into the multi-day overlanding tours being put on by Four Points Adventures this coming October. Iconic backcountry locations, with a highly experienced tour guide. Sounds pretty awesome to us!
Icons of the West Expedition – Mono Lake, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon
Once you sign up for the expedition, the initial 3 days of Mono Lake then you can take it “one day at a time” and enjoy up to 10 days of an epic overland adventure. Only want to do 5 or 7 days, no problem because after Mono Lake you can “cut out” anytime you need to. You’ll experience some of the most iconic sites the American West has to offer! We’ll travel from the Tufas of Mono Lake all the way to the cliffsides of the Grand Canyon taking in the vastness of the high (and low) open deserts, drives through slot canyons, hikes to amazing views, and soak in some beautiful hot springs. The journey will include hotel stops in between locations to rejuvenate along the way. This is an epic overlanding adventure and training opportunity.
Description:
Meet in the town of Lee Vining, CA (next to Mono Lake) then spend 3 days exploring the area. After a little recoup in a hotel we’ll then move down to Death Valley for 4 days, passing through the Eureka Dunes, Steel Pass and the famous race track playa. We then head East over to the Grand Canyon for 3 days, exploring some of the heights and depths of this “greatest of canyons” and open high deserts of the area. This will be a cumulative overland training, we’ll start with the basics and finish with “all the toys out of the bag” including the winch lines!
This is a Guide Only Adventure:
We’ll provide professional 4×4 guidance, training, and safety while negotiating the “outback” of these locations. You provide your own tent, camping gear, and meals (we have camping equipment available for rent). In addition: we’ll provide strong morning coffee (via french press) and a warm campfire to gather around each evening.
Vehicle options:
Drive your own 4×4 vehicle with 10 inches of minimum ground clearance, a low range transfer case, and a minimum of 31inch “All Terrain” or “Mud Terrain” tires are required.
Like all events last year, The Adventure Van Expo Series was put on hold. However, now with the US opening up again, we’re stoked to see Expo’s all around the country open their doors. Here we catch up with Neil Morse the creator of the Adventure Van Expo Series and talk to him about the van market and the excitement he’s seeing.
Adventure Van Expo Series 2021:
Hood River Fairgrounds: June 19-20
Cache County Logan, Utah: July 31st -8/1
Dillon, CO: August 21-22
Bend, Oregon: September 4-5
Lake Tahoe, CA: September 18-19
Chattanooga, TN: Oct 2-3
Big Bear Lake, CA: Oct 16-17
What’s your background Neil and what made you start The Adventure Van Expo Series?
I’ve had two VW vans, one was a Westfalia that I drove across the country in from NH to California a long time ago. When the Sprinters started coming out I started to watch them and got the itch for a van again. I bought a Ford Transit in 2018, built it out a bit and thought about having the van show. I come from a music promotion background, so it just all came together in 2018.
With Covid restrictions now easing, are you seeing sudden interest in attendance this year?
Yes, huge both from vendors and consumers. People have so much pent up energy and desire to get away and camp. It’s very exciting!
What Covid precautions should attendees still expect to see at the shows?
We’re not personally placing restrictions as we’re an outdoor event, but of course if people want to wear a mask we’re not discouraging it.
Are the shows focusing purely on Adventure Vans or are you widening your focus to Vehicle Supported Adventure and Overlanding in general?
We will always have a focus on vans. But we’re open to all kinds of gear and vehicles. Four wheel camper has come to every show we’ve ever had. They do well as its an alternative to a van and purchasing another vehicle. The wedge campers, teardrops, crazy off-road trailers are all welcome to join in the fun.
The Adventure Van category has exploded in the past couple years. With so many upfitters having entered the space, do you believe it’s sustainable or should we expect to see a natural right sizing?
It’s so hard to see the scope in that light, as the van category is now coming into the main stream. Demand still isn’t being kept up with and I don’t see it slowing down any time soon.
What’s the biggest trends you’ve seen with Adventure Vans in the past couple of years?
I’m seeing killer stuff with external components, racks, tire carriers, lights. The internal power systems are leaping ahead in their abilities to do things like run ac all night off battery power.
With so many new people entering the category for the first time, is training and education being offered at the Expos?
We are going to do talks on power, DIY builds, DIY kits, some of it is still in the works. We are going to do a geocache hunt hosted by Onx.
Any funny show stories you can tell us about?
We had a group of people who thought they’d do some brand awareness at one of shows last year. About 8 people showed up in matching pink overalls and t-shirts. They were unannounced and playing around and juggling and things. We didn’t know what to think. A few were obviously feeling pretty good. They were trying to promote a drivewayspace rental site. I talked to the organizer and he was alright and we had a good laugh.
Every Overland Adventurer needs a good everyday carry tool. Check out the latest offering from Gerber: The Armbar Slim Drive.
The Armbar Slim Drive takes a minimalist approach while giving you the tools to help you with what you do the most: cutting, driving, and opening a beer. What more could you need in an ultra thin profile? A 2-1/2” long driver with two-sided ¼” bit has the reach to tighten that fastener without busting your knuckles. Don’t get caught unprepared, with this robust tool in your pocket or on your key chain to get out of any jam.
For the last 5 years my husband Owen and I have been living on the road full time. In that time we’ve had the pleasure of living and working from a number of vehicles. In order, we’ve traveled in a 2004 Honda Element with a hand-me down tent, a 1985 VW Vanagon Westfalia, a 1985 4×4 Toyota Sunrader, a 2008 4×4 Toyota Tacoma with a simple bed cap and homemade bed platform, and for the last two years we’ve been living in 2019 4×4 Toyota Tundra with a Flatbed Four Wheel Camper.
Those five vehicles have covered the full spectrum, from incredibly minimal to comfortable and spacious. Each one of those vehicle supported adventure rigs has served us well for where we were in our life and travels. All of our overland rigs have given us an appreciation for all types of vehicles for living on the road.
Back in 2019 when we were starting the process of buying our current FWC rig we thought long and hard about whether we could make a slide in camper work for us. Ultimately, we decided that the flat bed was better for accommodating our life, but also our work. However, we were always left wondering…
Towards the end of 2020 our friends over at FWC asked if we’d be interested in taking out a slide-in camper and the new Project Mfor a little road trip. Not ones to turn down such a fun offer, we called up our friends Chase and Aimee @tightloopsfly, who live in a VW Vanagon, and asked if they wanted to come along for the ride. It took less than 30 seconds to convince them to jump into our little caravan!
In late March we came rolling into the FWC headquarters ready to swap out our rigs for two new FWC’s unlike anything either of us have. Chase and Aimee hopped into the Granby Slide-in, and Owen and I took up residence in the Hawk, Project M.
Heading towards Death Valley:
As soon as all our gear was loaded, we pointed ourselves east towards Death Valley National Park. Not fifteen minutes down the road our radio came to life with Aimee’s voice. “This truck is essentially a spaceship compared to our van” Pause…….
“YOU GUYS! The steering wheel is heated?!” Needless to say we were in for the trip of a lifetime.
Fatigued from a full day of driving, we came over the pass near Mammoth Lakes, CA in a driving snowstorm. Visibility was awful and camp couldn’t come soon enough. We finally rolled into camp well after dark with a takeout pizza in hand.
The following day we spent outside of Bishop, climbing some local rocks called the Happy Boulders. Thankfully our overland camp was nearby and we were able to walk from the FWC rigs to the climbing area. Being able to return to camp, exhausted from a day of pebble wrestling, and have it already set up was quite a treat!
Eureka Dunes:
The morning came early as we packed up to spend the next week off-roading in Death Valley National Park. Our first stop, Eureka Dunes, are the tallest (wind dependent) sand dunes in California. The road to the dunes is notorious for being heavily washboarded, and it was, but the rigs made traveling the distressed roads painless.
Owen and I, being that we live out of a rig that has cabinets, had to toss all of our gear into the FWC Project M without much of an organization or storage system in place. When we arrived after the miles of washboards, opened the back and found our stuff scattered all over the truck bed. Note to self: If traveling in a project M… Bring bins to store gear in!
Once we arrived and settled into camp we set out into the dunes in hopes of being on top for sunset. Atop the highest peak we had a jaw dropping vantage point of the valley below. From our perch we enjoyed the view until the sun retreated behind the opposing hills. Under the cover of stars we made our way back to our waiting camp.
As the sun crept high into the sky, we wished we could stay for longer. However, the time had come for us to venture further into Death Valley. Our sights were set on another remote section of the park in the Funeral Mountain Range. Being that Chase and Aimee’s van is two wheel drive, we wanted to be sure we found a trail for them to try they’re hand at driving the camper up a 4×4 road.
Chloride City Mine:
Once we made it across the park to the base of the Funeral Range, we took a discreet road up the Chloride City Trail. Chloride City was an old mining operation that is no longer active and very little of the actual mining site is left, however as we climbed we realized that the view was very much still intact.
The road featured tight hairpin turns and a few rock step sections but once again, the rigs didn’t bat an eye at anything we threw at them.
Once we made it to the top and the site of old Chloride City, we found ourselves a spot perched on the edge of the mountain overlooking Death Valley and the dunes down below just in time for sunset.
Shortly after we settled into camp and cracked open a bottle of wine, it was like someone flipped a switch. What was once a calm evening, a new and hellatous wind came out of nowhere. Not wanting our snacks to get sandy we moved our little party inside and began to ride out a windstorm, that we later learned pushed 60+ MPH sustained winds for nearly two days.
The valley below looked to have fog rolling in, but we eventually realized it was actually sand being swept away by the wind over the Mesquite Dunes. It was one of the most unique views of a natural occurrence we’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.
That night, on the cliff edge, we were completely exposed to the wind. The loud gusts rocked the trucks making it hard to sleep a wink. We were all impressed that we remained upright and that the canvases were unscathed from the beating they took.
At first light we relocated to a small gully down below our peak and finally got the respite we were all desperate for.
After a quiet morning we went out on foot to explore the area and network of old mining roads that meander through the mountain range. Some of the roads could be driven, others have long since deteriorated past the point of drivability but provided trail access to our hearts content.
The following day, the winds finally receded and we plotted our move towards the racetrack.
Once we made it back down into the valley, we stopped at one of the park’s public bathrooms and found them filled with mini sand dunes. From the looks of things, no one was safe from the wind storm.
The Racetrack:
The road into The Racetrack is another road infamous for it’s relentless washboards. After just a few miles we were passed by a road grader headed in the opposite direction. We took that as a sign that the road had just received a manicuring, and low and behold! It was in the best condition we’ve ever seen it in!
After spending some time wandering around the playa we made our way to the Dry Camp behind the racetrack where we settled in and immediately started making dinner on the tailgate.
We REALLY miss having a tailgate. With a flatbed that was one of the things that we had to give up for our camper. When we lived out of our Tacoma, meal prep and tailgate hangs were among our favorite pastimes. Spending a few weeks living out of the Project M gave us a much needed taste of life with a tailgate again!
TeaKettle Junction:
Not wanting to see a new stretch of road we took the scenic route out of the racetrack using Hunter Mountain Road via Teakettle Junction.
If you’re not familiar, Teakettle Junction is the famous intersection of Hunter Mountain Road and Racetrack Valley Road. The sign that marks the intersection is decorated by tea kettles that are decorated and left behind by travelers that come from all over the world. Owen and I have been to the junction before but were unable to find a kettle before we made our way out to the Playa.
This time we made sure we came prepared.
We stopped at the junction to ceremoniously tie our kettle in with the many others that were making a sweet clanging sound as they swung in the gentle breeze. Now, months later as I write this, I love knowing that a little piece of us resides there. Teakettle Junction is a special place that carries a lot of meaning for us. To have visited without dear friends, Chase and Aimee, and to have left a little momento fills me with a whole lotta joy.
With our kettle neatly placed into its new home. We set off down Hunter Mountain Road towards an obstacle that we always look forward to.
The moon dust pit.
That is just the name we use to refer to a section of the road that is home to some of the deepest moon dust we’ve ever come across in our five years of traveling. With our heavy vehicles, the dust isn’t much of a challenge, but it does put on a show when you drive through it!
Not long after the grand moon dust crossing, we found our way to camp and settled in for the night because wanting to wake up and catch the sunrise before we headed out of Death Valley.
Back to the Sierra:
Slowly we made our way out to Lone Pine, CA where we found a quiet spot away from the crowds. After nearly a week of hiking, driving, and exploring we were all in need for a little down time. It’s amazing how exhausting so much fun can be. In the shadow of Mount Whitney we made a fire and watched the light from a full moon sweep across the valley.
Feeling refreshed from the night in Lone Pine we headed to the Mammoth Lake area for one last stop before heading back to Sacramento.
Chase and Aimee are avid fly fishers and have since gotten Owen and I into fishing. After seeing how beautiful the mountains were on our way out a week earlier, we knew that we wanted to spend a day on the water soaking in the views and hopefully catching a fish or two.
When we arrived the mountains were just as incredible as they had been but the wind, once again, put a damper on our plans. The conditions made fishing a challenge but we were able to get a few casts in before the sun set. Sadly, no fish were caught, but with a view like this, none of us felt let down by the way we chose to spend our last day in our FWC’s.
Thank you so much to Four Wheel Campers for giving us the opportunity to take out and test drive two different models. As owners of a FWC, it was a wonderful experience to try out something new and make some incredible memories along the way. While we were out we made a tour & review video of each rig that you can check out below.
Shortly, we’ll be releasing a mini series documenting our travels in the Four Wheel Campers over on our YouTube channel. Subscribe so you can keep your eyes peeled for it!
Flipper Opening, Rustproof, Non-Magnetic, Edge Holding Pocket Knife for All Terrains
Just in time for Summer 2021, Terrain 365™ releases the Otter Flip-AT. A flipper version of their popular Otter Slipjoint, featuring their dendritic cobalt Terravantium™ alloy and a fast opening flipper tab. This compact folder is quick, light, and engineered for use in any environment on land and even under water, without ever rusting, pitting or staining.
The Otter Flip-AT is made with advanced and state of the art materials, which are all 100% non-ferrous, non-magnetic, and rustproof. Terrain 365’s “AT” (A.ll T.errain) designated folders are required meet the trifecta of apex folding knife performance criteria; rustproof, non-magnetic and edge holding, and do so with their Terravantium™ alloy blades. It is available in a full titanium billet framelock handle or in OD Green G10 scales with titanium liners and liner locking.
Creative Director and Co-Founder Patrick Ma of Terrain 365 states,
“The Otter Slipjoint is one of our bestselling models in a classic Barlow form. We had a number of requests that followed asking for a one-handed opening version, include a pocket clip and…the Otter Flip-AT was born. This folder is light weight, compact, easy and smooth to open with the flipper tab and ceramic bearings, and well suited for backpacking, fishing, packrafting, and any outdoor activities on and off the trail, and in or around water. The Otter Flip-AT slips easily into your pocket, or even wear it IWB with board shorts”.
”The Otter Flip-AT will be available for $329 (Ti) and $311 (G10) on their website at 11:00pm Pacific, June 22rd, 2021.
