Sleeping bags come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve seen many overlanders happily spend $$$$ on gear for their rigs and then $ on their sleeping bags. In our experience, if you want to off-road camp the shoulder seasons or even in winter, this category is extremely important. A trip can be ruined by freezing your ass off all night. Here’s a fairly comprehensive selection of brands and prices and we really encourage you to do the research and don’t skimp on this category.
Today on Behind the Wheel we’re sitting down with Frank Cassidy, Founder of Funki Adventures a Southern Californian based Adventure Vehicle rental outfit. If you’re looking to try out Overlanding or Vehicle Supported Adventure, then this could be just what you’re looking for!
Frank, great to chat with you today. So, let’s jump in and let you tell our readers a little about yourself, your outfit and where you’re located.
Thanks Andy – I’ve been looking forward to chatting with you for a while, glad it’s finally happening! About me? I’m a pasty white guy who moved to Southern California from Ireland back in 2005. My friends all thought it was hilarious that someone with zero ability to withstand sunlight, would move to a desert climate.
What immediately struck me about SoCal (apart from the instant sunburn) was the amount of wide open space available, for anyone to use, any time. When most foreigners picture San Diego or Los Angeles, it’s images of beaches, surfing and sunkissed cities – but that’s only a fraction of what is available. In fact, the expanse of open land in the US is so huge, it is possible to drive from Canada to Mexico by driving 80% on dirt roads – something proven by @scoutoverland.
Photo: Connor Dever
So for someone arriving from Europe, where all the land is private, fenced off and mostly inaccessible to off-road driving – this place is like the Disneyland of Overlanding.
Funki Adventures stemmed from weekend exploration of Anza Borrego, Joshua Tree and Mojave in winter, to the Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur, Yosemite and Highway 395 in summer. I was regularly sending friends and relatives off in my Jeep with Roof Top Tent, armed with camping equipment, maps and directions to some of the really cool and lesser known spots all over California, Arizona and Nevada. Every single person who tried it came back, blown away by the incredible variety of landscapes, stunning views, wide open spaces and incredible night skies. That made my mind up – it was time to help any and all adventurers gain access to these places, without them having to go out and buy all the equipment, research for days or even buy a Jeep or invest in a Roof Top Tent.
Photo: Connor Dever
Now Funki Adventures is located in Del Mar, just north of San Diego. It’s ideal as we are only 25 minutes from the airport and pretty much only an hours drive to some great trails and secluded camping spots.
Photo: Nellie Morris
To follow up on this first question, what’s behind the name Funki Adventures?
It’s not exactly a name that Overlanding types might use like ‘Hard Ass Overlanding’ or ‘Tough as Nails Tours’ – though those would be great names! Our brand is about fun, for individuals who may not have any previous experience driving off-road, or exploring remote forest trails. The nature of Overlanding traditionally attracted the more rugged types – but we are making it accessible to pretty much anyone. Our focus is on fun, adventure without stress and having everything already included, laid out and ready to go.
For example, we’ve provided a few mom and kid-daughter trips, where they got to do some easy off-roading, camp in some very cool spots and see places that 99% of tourists never experience. All of it in safety, with Funki Adventures available on speed-dial or WhatsApp for instant support, if ever needed.
Photo: Eric Wey
Another aspect of the ‘Funki’ name is how we used to smell after a 5 day trip into the wilderness, without showering properly … But, as we now provide solar showers in our Jeeps with gas heated showers in the Adventure Van – there’s really no excuse to come back smelling any way ‘Funki’.
Tell us about the Funki Adventure rigs and why you built them the way you did?
We have two vehicle types: The Jeep Wrangler is the first and original. We’ve also evolved to recently introducing Ford Transit based Adventure Vans.
Photo: Funkie Adventures
Jeep knows a lot more than we do when it comes to building a reliable, tough and agile off-roader. So we do not mess with suspension or drive-train. The temptation is to add a few inches of lift, maybe squeeze some more power out of the engine, but in my years of working with many types of vehicle I’ve found that stock or standard manufacturer configurations are typically the optimal setup.
Photo: Adam McCain
We have added the iKamper roof top tent to the Wranglers, mounted on a Rhino Rack backbone roof rack. The iKamper is a well made RTT which comfortably sleeps 2 adults and 2 kids. The hard shell is a huge advantage for renters, over a soft shell equivalent – there’s no learning curve to setting up or tearing down. It’s also so much faster than a soft shell – we don’t want our customers wasting precious adventuring time on something as mundane as packing away a soft-shell tent.
Inside the Wranglers we provide a full camp kitchen as well as safety items like a fire extinguisher, emergency GPS locator, first aid kit and recovery boards. For those looking for a little extra luxury fridges and 110v power packs are available – we can even provide sleeping bags for any guests who don’t want to carry that stuff on a plane or in a suitcase, for example.
Photo: Jill Martin
The Adventure Van is aimed at helping families or small groups to get out and explore. As we live in the perfect climate, the van has been designed for the outdoors, in contrast to typical RVs or camper vans which have a heavy focus on doing everything inside the RV like cooking, washing, socializing.
Photo: Gail Vogt
There is a full slide out kitchen for cooking outside the Adventure Van (food just tastes better when cooked outside), interior bike rack for those who have expensive bikes and don’t want them exposed on an exterior rack. The 25 gallon water tank is plenty for a few days cooking and washing and there is a heavy duty house battery providing both 12v and 110v power. The Adventure Van party piece is that it has 2 bedrooms: a proper sprung queen sized mattress inside, with a separate ‘bedroom’ in the large Roof Top Tent above. Not only is the Roof Top Tent a ‘penthouse’, it also has a small patio outside, perfect for catching unobstructed sunset views.
With 2 bedrooms, the Adventure Van can host families, groups of friends or even just 2 couples who might prefer to have completely separate sleeping quarters.
Any new rigs or different platforms coming for 2021/2022?
We are hoping the Adventure Van opens up a whole new market for 2021/2022 and would like to add a few of these to the fleet once we gauge the demand.
On the Jeep side, we’d like to add some Gladiators over the coming months. With a higher load capacity and the ability to mount the roof top tent over the truck bed, we think the Gladiator will be the way to go over the next year.
What comes standard in a rental and what add ons can you provide?
What comes as standard? Well, pretty much everything! We want our guests to show up, take a brief orientation of the vehicle and equipment and head off into the wilderness with absolutely everything they need.
Photo: Connor Dever
The list of standard equipment includes roof top tent, cutlery, plates, cups, bowls, stove, frying pan, pot, sharp knives, egg container, cutting board, cheese grater, sponge, paper towels, lanterns, cooler, lighter, trash can, camping chairs, camping table, collapsible sink, emergency GPS locator, fire extinguisher, mini compressor, jump starter battery pack, recovery boards … you get the idea.
As the Adventure Van is bigger, it comes with even more as standard, including an outdoor oven, 25 gallon fresh water tank, interior bike rack, elevating bed (to increase or decrease the storage space underneath), upstairs patio and of course the Adventure Van also has a large roof top tent.
Photo: Gail Vogt
The optional extras include fridge, 12v/110v power pack (instead of a generator), solar shower, sleeping bags, hammock, ground tent, inflatable paddle boards (Adventure Van only), hitch mounted bike rack, star gazing package (telescope/binoculars) and pretty much anything else anyone might ask for – we will cater to special requests. If a guest wants it and we can get it, when they arrive the requested item is either in or on the vehicle.
Do you provide information on POI’s and Trails, camps sites people can take or do most people prefer to curate their own adventure?
Yes! In fact, the core of our business is in the creation of customized trip plans. We work with customers to find out what type of trip they want, how much off road driving is preferable, if they want to hike, climb, bike, fish, kayak or even just relax. Each customer is asked to fill out a questionnaire, which is then used by our professional tour guides to build a tailored plan.
Photo: Funkie Adventures
These tailored plans are highly detailed and come accompanied by a custom Google map which outlines the physical route. Not only do we build the plan, but we check to ensure roads are open, campsites are accepting guests and additionally adjust the plans depending on time of year or anticipated weather conditions.
These plans are an optional item, but allow guests who might not be familiar with California and the nearby states, to literally hit the road running – no guessing, no weeks of researching – just arrive, pick up a vehicle and head directly out on the best possible route. We even provide camping options varying from serviced sites, to good dispersed spots.
Photo: Hidden California
The trip plan service is open to everyone – there is no need to rent a vehicle from us. Let us know what you will be driving, in addition to the other information and we will work on a route that meets your needs and is accessible for your specific vehicle.
Are your customers generally new to Vehicle Supported Adventure or people who are experienced, but live outside of the region?
The vast majority of customers are new to Vehicle Supported Adventure – they are really our primary focus. With our focus on safety, we are sending customers on relatively easy, non-technical routes. This doesn’t mean they are any less enjoyable than the ‘hard-core’ trails – they are equally as scenic and remote. However, our customers are generally hoping to cover a reasonable distance each day in order to see more variety. They can be at the beach in the morning, mountains in the afternoon and desert by evening. So they are looking for a little more general variety than an experienced Overlander might seek.
Photo: Adam McCain
Before Covid, most of our clientele were from abroad, so even getting onto a dirt trail on a mountain, or in a National Park was something very different to what they experienced at home.
Photo: Jill Martin
How has Covid affected your business and what steps have you taken to mitigate the risk?
Yes. Covid really hit us hard in March of last year. We had to refund thousands and thousands of dollars in deposits, which hurt. We had teamed up with a similar business in Canada to offer customers Canadian experiences as well as trips out of San Diego and that partnership was working well. Unfortunately that partner went out of business due to the lockdown, so we lost a lot of business as a result of that too.
Still, out of struggle comes growth. We had to cut back the fleet significantly in order to survive, but that enabled the experiment of making the Adventure Van available, to try and broaden our appeal.
Our clientele has shifted from mainly foreign visitors to 100% locals, who want to get out of the house, especially with so many people working from home, kids doing school from home and all the stress that goes with it. We are partnering with other local businesses, to help each other out, make good quality recommendations to our customers and provide a wider range of services.
Photo: Adam McCain
Our newer, local customers are looking to try something different. The traditional road trip just won’t cut it and with the recent surge in camping, getting a site at campgrounds anywhere in California has become a difficult task if you don’t book early enough. So Overlanding is opening up a world of new experiences for Southern Californians. Everything from sleeping in a Roof Top Tent, to discovering amazing places in their own back yards is a huge eye opener for them. Pretty much every local customer has returned from a trip and commented “We had no idea we could do that! So glad your service exists … can we book again for another trip to experience another cool region?”
Vehicle Supported Adventure has obviously exponentially grown in the past 24 months. For any small company this can create challenges in itself as competitors join each category. Any particular brand and marketing strategies that have worked for you?
When I was younger and less experienced, I viewed competition as a problem, something to stress about. Now, after years in various industries, I’ve grown to learn that competition actually helps us. If competitors of Funki Adventures are out there promoting Overlanding in SoCal and the surrounding states, everyone in the industry benefits. Even my chatting with TAP is helping to raise awareness of all the providers out here.
Photo: Katie Iredale
We see competitors come and go every few months. Our difference is we are an adventure business first and foremost, vehicle rental is just a small aspect of what we do. The tools we use just happen to be Overland vehicles. Our focus is 100% on customer service and this applies to any successful business, in any industry. Our priority is on making everything convenient and safe, with full support. Customers can call me pretty much any time before, during or after a trip. They have my direct cell phone number, not some call center or a junior sales assistant – they can talk to me any time.
So we rely on repeat business and referrals, both of which are earned rather than bought. Some businesses spend a fortune on advertising, promotion and sponsorship – then fail to properly take care of their customers. In contrast, we do it the other way around. We are taking the family business approach of really pampering our customers or guests – the experience from the initial booking, to the vehicle handover and all the way to the experience during the return of the vehicle is all very important, all designed to enhance the trip itself.
As a passionate overlander, what’s been your favorite trip you’ve personally taken?
Believe it or not, my favorite trip is to go to Anza Borrego and visit places like the Wind Caves, or Font’s Point at sunrise.
Photo: Alec Basanec
I know my answer should be about some epic, weeks long safari into the depths of an undiscovered volcano … but to be honest, the shorter trips to local spots are absolutely the best. Every time we head out, we find something new and different. Even the time of year changes the colors of the desert – it’s far from the monotone sandy landscape portrayed by the movies.
Photo: Connor Denver
Outside of getting offroad, I also love going to Yosemite National Park, there’s something special about it. From San Diego it’s easy to take different routes to and from Yosemite. Sometimes we go up the coast, camp at the most incredible campsite with the best views on the West Coast, then head (via the occasional winery) inland to the Park. Heading home can be via Highway 395, which has so much amazing stuff to see and do along the way. Or we sometimes return via Sequoia National Park. It really isn’t just about the destination, it’s about the trip there and back.
Any funny/crazy rental stories?
My favorite isn’t a rental story, but from an inquiry. A person called me with questions about Overlanding, where to go, asked if we could build them a custom trip plan and get them a trip that encompassed some regular serviced camping, as well as a night or two of dispersed camping.
Towards the end of the call, I asked if there were any more questions. “Oh, just one more question”, he said. “How fast can you drive with the Roof Top Tent on the Jeep?” So I let him know the manufacturer recommends keeping speeds below 70mph. His response: “I don’t think I’ll drive that fast … it wouldn’t be very comfortable inside for my wife. Anyway, I’d be afraid she might fall out onto the freeway”.
It’s a little awkward when I now have to explain to people they cannot have the tent up and open when driving, especially not with their spouses inside……
Thanks for spending the time with us today Frank. Good luck in 2021 and we hope to see you on the trails!
Sea to Summit, the globally recognized adventure equipment brand headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, is pleased to announce the company’s entry into technical backcountry tents. Following more than three years of rigorous research and design, Sea to Summit will be releasing two lightweight tent models, the Alto and the Telos, along with an expansive line of accessories for Spring 2021.
With 30-years of rich history in product innovation and engineering, Sea to Summit is excited to, once again, introduce genre-shifting technology with the release of the Alto and Telos tents. In partnership with Jake Lah, Founder and Head of Design at DAC, the world’s foremost tent pole manufacturer, the tents will feature revolutionary Tension RidgeTM pole construction, alleviating two common pain points of modern tents: liveable space and ventilation. The Tension RidgeTM architecture allows for an inverted pole design that angles up to achieve unrivaled internal height, ceiling ventilation, high vertical walls to accommodate modern, thicker sleeping mats and pillows, and a more accessible dry entry/exit. The result is a roomy experience with a superior space-to-weight ratio that outperforms any other tent in its class.
“While the solution was simple, engineering the Tension RidgeTM presented significant challenges,” explained Jake Lah, an expert of modern tent architecture. “By inverting the angle of the brow pole, we achieve best-in-class interior space and ventilation, without adding weight or bulk to the tent.”
Sea to Summit Tent Technical Specifications:
Telos TR2 & 3 (mesh inner w sil-PeU fly) starting at $499
People: 2 or 3
Season: 3 or 3+ season
Doors: 2
Vestibules: 2
Freestanding + Hangout Mode – adaptability with the Telos rainfly
Tension RidgeTM – allowing more internal living space, higher doors, and best in class ventilation
Apex and Baseline VentTM – Allowing cross-ventilation and climate adaptability.
LightBarTM + FairShare System – modular stuff sacks for tent distribution and organization
Super Pacific USA has been on our radar since their launch in mid 2020, so we were stoked to sit down and chat with the owners and get the skinny on their background, their design ideas and what makes their Switchback X1 Lightweight overland worthy Camper so special. Made in the USA!
How and why did you start Super Pacific?
Peter:
I was looking for a similar product (a lightweight camper) because I had a 3 year old kid and getting outside was a big priority in our family, and suddenly it had gotten a lot harder with having a family, and a dog, and a busy career. I started looking at the over land camper options out there, but the lead times we’re really long. My good friend Spencer and I started talking it over and with our combined skillset we decided we should just make one ourselves as a fun summer project.
So then over beers in the backyard, Spencer and I started brainstorming ideas about how we would build it and we really dug into how other people were doing it. After educating ourselves on the design we sort of stumbled into the realization that there was a lot of demand for these kinds of campers and it looked like the market was undersupplied. At that point we shifted gears and began thinking about how we could design it as a product for manufacturing and actually build a company around it.
Spencer
And I think it came down to the fact that when we started researching what was available, we just couldn’t find a product that was exactly what we wanted to put on our own vehicles. As designers we were excited to try to build something better, something that we could get excited about making for ourselves.
What’s your background?
Spencer:
I’ve been involved in manufacturing and design pretty much my entire career. It started back when I was 20, as a welder on the shop floor and then I progressed into being a machinist. I went to school for Industrial Design. Then I started my own machine shop and Ducati motorcycle parts company called Speedy Moto. Later I went into management at an aerospace manufacturing firm. Overall, I’ve just always been a curious guy who likes to build stuff.
Peter:
I had a first career as a carpenter, which is where I learned that I was interested in making things. I gravitated towards high end residential remodels, where the problems were a more complex and I really enjoyed that level of work. From there I decided I wanted to work my way into product design, and I started to work for a company called Mystery Ranch, that trained me to cut and sew on their production floor.
I used that experience to find opportunities to design and sew bags for some smaller local Portland brands. I built a little bit of a resume and then got a job at an industrial design studio (Terrazign) in Portland, which is where Spencer and I met. From there I got hired into the Space Kitchen at Nike where I worked on Product Innovation for almost 5 years, working on some pretty cool projects. It was while I was working at Nike that Spencer and I started to conceive of some of the ideas that would later become Super Pacific.
Our passion for trucks and the outdoors.
Spencer:
I’ve always had an interest in motor sports my entire life. From as long as I can remember, it’s always been about driving trucks, cars, motorcycles, four wheeling. I grew up on a farm in Upstate New York doing lots of stupid sh*t with trucks, and tractors, and cars, and I’ve got a healthy dose of good ol’ boy that still lives very close to my heart. But I’ve always loved the outdoors as well. I remember in 7th grade you were supposed to pick out what your future job would be someday and go do some research on this really rudimentary computer in the library. My research lead me into wanting to become a Forest Ranger. And at the time that’s what I wanted my career to be. Then when I was 19, I wanted to figure out how I could just ski for the rest of my life, so now I look at Super Pacific as a combination of all these things are close to my heart. I just love motor sports and I love the outdoors and starting this company is a dream mashup of the two for me.
Peter:
I grew up in North Carolina where we definitely liked putting big tires on your truck and driving in the mud was part of what we did in high school. I’ve never really gravitated towards motorsports, but there’s always been a part of me that loved getting my vehicle setup all dialed in so I could get up in the mountains and go backcountry skiing or climbing or whatever it is that was taking me outside.
I grew up on the ocean and my family lived on a sailboat for several years, so I really came to love tight, efficient spaces. In my late teens and through my 20s I had really built my entire life around outdoor recreation, working seasonally as a raft guide and ski instructor and just spent a ton of time outside. As I got on into my 30’s I got more career focused, but now that I have a kid, making sure that he grows up with a strong relationship to the outdoors is really important to me.
What have been some of the challenges to starting Super Pacific ?
Since we launched Super Pacific last summer, the response has surpassed anything we could have hoped for, so things have moved very quickly to try to scale up our production capacity must faster than we ever anticipated. In just a few months we went from treating this as a cool little side business to having 10 people on staff and trying to really ramp up our operation, all the while trying to get the our manufacturing processes dialed in. Not to mention just the normal challenges of running a business like keeping up with inventory and getting employees set up with healthcare insurance. It’s been a bit like building the airplane as we’re hurtling down the runway, which has been exciting but also completely nerve wracking. Every day we get a little better, get a little bit faster, a little more efficient, making improvements both to the product and just to how Super Pacific runs.
Tell us about the Lightweight Camper.
The Switchback X1 is our flagship product: a lightweight, wedge style camper for trucks. It combines a 4-season rooftop tent, a commercial-grade riveted aluminum canopy & a gear mounting system that’s designed to integrate with any camping setup. Every element of the Switchback X1 has been designed with the experience of the end user in mind. We’ve packed it full of functional features while keeping it as light as possible.
Features / What makes us different
In the design process we tried to be really thoughtful about which features would add functionality across the widest variety of use cases. Everyone has a different gear setup that’s suited to their unique objectives, so we designed it in a way that would make it easy for folks to dial their set ups in to their liking. We focused on building a really quality core product so that the end user can build off of our foundation.
The Canopy:
Drawing on Spencer’s background in aerospace manufacturing the Switchback X1’s fuselage is made of laser-cut and formed sheet aluminum and joined with solid aircraft rivets. It’s built like an airplane. A very lightweight, yet extremely strong & durable foundation for our canopy.
The gear mounting system:
The interior of the canopy is lined with M6 threaded bosses that we spaced evenly throughout the interior of the frame for attaching accessories: molle plates, tools, racks, storage nets, you name it. The possibilities are really endless.
The fuselage frame also features hollow wire chases so you can easily route electrical, air, or water lines, with removeable mounting faceplates in each corner pillar, to quickly mount switches, gauges, or power outlets.
We loaded our extrusion with t-slots to set you up for nearly any scenario. Tracks on the roof easily catch a variety of roof racks, the exterior perimeter has 3 tracks for mounting awnings or lightbars (2 on the base, and 1 on the lid), and the interior of the tent is framed by a track as well. We use universal t-nut dimensions, so no proprietary mounting hardware is needed.
The Canopy Doors:
We didn’t want to lose access to our truck bed on a daily basis, so we made full-width canopy door openings for easy access to the truck bed through the side doors, with no cross beams to get in the way. The canopy doors are bomber by design and seal tight to the camper. They offer two separate layers of weather protection, with a valence that routes water away when the doors are open. Each door uses a single locking handle, that opens from inside as well as outside. The door hinges are custom-made and dead simple.
The Tent:
We designed our 4-season tent using a 450 denier polyester textile that is treated with an acrylic coating for resilience against the elements. Our tent has a unique adjustable venting system that makes it easy to control the interior air flow. You can completely open the vents to keep things cool and reduce condensation, or you can seal them to trap heat in cold weather. The tent has 3 large screened doors that allow access from the exterior via a ladder (not included). Alternatively, you can remove one or both of the small modular floor panels so you can easily climb from inside the truck bed to the tent without disrupting your sleep set up.
The Sleeping Platform:
We built our tent around the Exped Megamat Duo because it is extremely comfortable, lightweight, and can be compressed to make room for bedding. We extended the sleeping platform 20” beyond the end of the mattress, which means more space to stretch out and stash your stuff while you sleep. You can remove the two end floor panels to create a clear pass through to your truck bed (without disturbing the bed) or remove all the panels to create full standing height in your truck bed.
All our hardware is custom designed: anodized billet aluminum hinges and latches for the hard shell lid. The hard shell roof is made of a polypropylene honeycomb panel, super strong yet very lightweight.
Build Quality: Our build quality is second to none in the industry, and that seems to be backed up by how frequently people decide to buy our product after they’ve seen it in person. Our fuselage is built using riveted & formed aluminum sheet, a tried & true technique from the aerospace industries. Our tent is made of marine-grade polyester canvas, designed for maritime use. All our hardware is designed in house and sourced regionally. The camper is manufactured and assembled entirely in the USA.
As a consumer, how do I buy from you? How can I see a Super Pacific product?
For a product overview, tech specs, FAQ and the most current lead times visit: SuperPacificUSA.com
For a regular dose of pictures and updates, follow us on Instagram: @superpacific_usa
You can also email us directly at info@superpacificusa.com to get questions answered or to place an order.
For folks in the Portland, Oregon area we offer in-person viewings by appointment.
What’s your customer care and warranty?
We’re constantly making improvements to the product, testing out new methods and relentlessly refining them to make them as adventure-proof as they can possibly be. It’s not in our DNA to cut corners on materials or processes because we want people to have the right kind of adventure: out chasing your passions, spending time with your friends & family, not stressing out about broken gear. If something does go wrong, we stand behind our products with a 2-year warranty on all our campers. All our products are proudly manufactured here in the USA, by an awesome team of talented people.
Any specific plans for 2021?
2021 looks to be a big year for us. By the end of the year we’ll have fitments for most truck models, which will be really cool. We’ve got our sights set on developing a line of accessories that tap into the customizable nature of the camper and are designed to help people to get the most out of their experience. We’re excited to really figure out solutions for the different challenges that people run into in the outdoors: camping with your kids, camping with your dog, camping in bad weather. Coming up with novel solutions to incorporate all your gear for biking, climbing, surfing, skiing, fishing – for wherever your sense of adventure takes you.
A Summer Adrift: Life on the road hasn’t been immune to the challenges of this past year.
At the beginning of 2020, I would have told you that we’re fiercely independent travelers who hardly rely on anything but ourselves. In March, at the onset of COVID-19 in the US, we quickly realized how vulnerable our life on the road really is. It was a matter of days before we lost access to water, reliable groceries, and other basic necessities. The loss of those resources gave us no option other than to find a way to get off the road so we could go into quarantine.
When things warmed up around the country in the spring and travel restrictions started to lift, we felt that it was time for us to get back on the road. Instead of going solo, we decided to travel in a small group of our friends as we all simultaneously left our respective quarantines. The idea was that it would make life easier if we combined our resources so we could go more remote for longer. We all had plans to head up to either Canada or Alaska as soon as the borders opened, so we saw traveling together as a good way to kill time while we waited and enjoying our friends’ company.
As the summer went on it became clear that the borders weren’t going to open, but we started to realize that in these tough times, it was better to focus on what we can do rather than what we couldn’t. That realization made the dark cloud over the year start to dissipate. Yes, 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year, but we still made something wonderful of it. Having our friends Karissa and Linhbergh (known as @gondirtin on the internet), Peter and Shruthi (@holidayatsee), and Chase and Aimee (@tightloopsfly) along for the ride kept our thirst for adventure alive.
A Summer Adrift is a sixteen-episode video series on YouTube that documents our summer together from leaving Quarantine until we parted ways in September. The series captures what it’s been like to live on the road during a challenging year while remaining focused on staying happy and healthy.
A Summer Adrift goes live on YouTube every Sunday at 5 PM PST.
A Summer Adrift is ad-free and presented by our wonderful sponsors:
The Bugout Knife family, after its inception four years ago, achieved unmatched dominance as the premier ultralight EDC pocket knife. Now, the Bugout Knife is receiving an elite upgrade in the form of the all-new 535-3 model. This new variant is spec’d out with a milled carbon-fiber handle, premium S90V super steel, and signature blue anodized hardware. The gorgeous drop point blade shape, ambidextrous AXIS lock mechanism and lightweight mini deep carry clip are all carried over to this model AND it maintains the oh-so-satisfying ‘pop’ when you flick it open.
The 535-3 Bugout retains the lightweight nature the Bugout family is known for, while pushing performance and design aesthetics to the next level. Still ready for any adventure, but with a designed appearance and materials that are not strictly for the backcountry. And of course, all the notable aspects that set Benchmade apart apply to this model as well… made in Oregon, hand assembled, and a lifetime warranty.
