As you can imagine we get a lot of press releases sent our way and every now and then something catches our eye. The Front Runner – Quick Release Awning Mount is one of those. For those of us who use our rig as DD and certainly everyone who lives in cold climes and can only camp half the year, this is a great idea.
With the success and positive feedback from users of the popular Quick Release Tent Mount, Front Runner aimed to create the same convenient and seamless experience for users with the Quick Release Awning Mount. Constructed of durable black powder coated 3CR12 stainless steel, this rattle-free awning mounting system is built to withstand the rigors of off-road travel and unrelenting conditions. The Quick Release Awning Mount is designed to be used with Front Runner Racks and works with all Front Runner Awnings, as well as other popular awning brands.
For added security and peace of mind, the Quick Release Awning Mount comes with two lockable latches with built-in safety catches. To remove, simply release the two latches and the awning can quickly be lifted and taken away giving users the option to easily remove the awning when not in use. Not only does the mount come with Front Runner’s proven durability and thoughtful design, the kit also includes wall mount brackets for efficiently storing an awning out of the way in a garage space.
With a record number of people turning to vehicle travel to access the outdoors and recreate, Front Runner’s products provide users with durable and functional solutions for carrying cargo, staying organized, and setting up the ultimate base camp. The Quick Release Awning Mount adds another layer of thoughtful integration to improve the user experience with their Front Runner rack system and provides a great solution for easily installing or removing an awning for different adventures.
An Overland Adventure: What happens when two very active people meet, fall in love, get married and make the choice to leave traditional home-based life behind to live overlanding on the road? They build an adventure rig that reflects their very active and dare I say it, ‘adventurous’ lifestyle. We purchased a 2018 Tundra (used), removed the bed and bolted a Norweld aluminum flatbed tray in its place as our solid foundation. The tray resembles a supersized swiss army knife. Next we added a 2.5-inch Dobinson’s lift and propped it up on 35’s, Firestone airbags and threw an ARB cow-catcher (think Mexico/Baja rock climbing/surf trips) on the front as our bumper.
What do you put on this badass platform that would be capable of withstanding all the off-road abuse we would be putting it through? Well, we looked long and hard and found only one choice:hands down it had to be a FourWheel Pop-UpCamper(FWC), flatbed Hawk model to be exact. With practical storage everywhere, (and I mean everywhere) we play Tetris with food, clothes, surfboards and climbing gear (let me tell you, that’s a lot right there). All living essentials packed neatly, most of the time, into their rightful homes.
Rango in the Avenue of Giants
Heading north:
An adventure from last year that stood out was from San Diego up to Humboldt and Oregon coastlines. We loaded up our FWC, affectionately called Rango and headed north in search of surf and rock climbing crags. One thing we agree on is to share the load on our drives. Alternating driving helps keep us fresh behind the wheel. After a long 14-hour drive however, things start to go a little sideways, but, just as you’re ready to call it quits the sun starts to rise and you enter the ‘Avenue of the Giants’ scenic highway and suddenly your spirit is lifted. It’s just breathtaking, lined with giant Redwoods on both sides of the road it forces you to slow down and really absorb all the green around you. Make sure to take this magical detour if you’re ever in the area as it will not disappoint. After the solid push to get to Humboldt and such little sleep the first night, finding a secluded spot to camp next to a river was ourtop priority. There truly is something magical about falling asleep to the sound of moving water whether it be a river or ocean.
In the back of our minds we were thinking, “How would Rango’s pop-up canvas bode in rain, snow and cold climate?” Well, not knowing it at the time, but as we drove north we were heading into the exact location of a huge storm brewing off the coast of Northern California that promised record rainfall, hurricane winds and high surf. As it turned out, I believe the wind gusts reached 106 mph and there was a record wave height that hit off the coast at 75feet! So, let’s just say if we wanted to test out how well a FWC could handle the elements, I think we found our perfect storm! Mornings usually go like this: I (Charles) roll out of bed to make coffee because not much can happen until coffee’s made, typically with a great local roast. With the smell of coffee, Jess rises and usually makes a bomb breaky. We have yet to grow tired of goat cheese and pesto on sourdough topped with sunny-side up eggs and Sriracha, a camper staple! We have enjoyed discovering all the cool recipes you can make on just a two-burner stove and, even better yet, throwing a cast-iron pan on a fire. Don’t think for a minute that just because you’re “camping” you can’t make amazing meals. We’ve made everything from my secret chili recipe to a three-course Thanksgiving meal, all in our badass mobile home. Living in a camper on the road does not force you to give up amenities. It simply allows you an opportunity to be creative! After packing up and waving adios to our river front camp, we headed out to search for what our hearts were craving: waves and rocks. Patrick’s Point offers both with its incredible 360 panoramic views and switchback trails that lead you down rugged cliffs dotted with Redwoods and past banana slugs to some of the most pristine beaches where both surfing and climbing can be found.
Realizing surf was not going to happen due to a rising swell that resembled a very tumultuous and unwelcoming washing machine, we cruised over to a spot called Wedding Rock, where we heard there were traditional climbing routes we could plug gear into and work our way up. After several attempts to visualize routes from a series of chaotic cracks with minimal beta, we were beginning to think the day would be a bust, but low and behold not only did we run into another climber, but ‘the’ climber who wrote ‘the’ book on climbs in the area, some of which he set himself. Talk about an adventure score of 10!
He gave us all the info we needed to find spectacular routes n Humboldt right at the water’s edge. Imagine climbing a route where you’re exposed above crashing waves and your belayer is being sprayed (happily) with ocean mist. We are so lucky to have such an amazing playground right here in our backyard. All you have to do is go find it!
We drove up the road a little further the next day and found more quality climbing with no one around. After a few more days of rock climbing on magnificently steep ocean cliffs and camping nestled in tall Redwoods and thick ferns, the ocean began to rear its head with a massive swell pushing through and no surfable waves in sight. We decided to seek refuge from the incoming storm by exploring the mountains near the Rogue River in Oregon. The Rogue connects the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. It’s a perfect place to experiment with fly fishing, so we did just that. What an amazing vehicle supported adventure!
Unfortunately, we didn’t catch dinner, but we sure had a blast trying. We rolled Rango, our FWC, right onto the Rogue’s pebble-skipping riddled shoreline to set up camp for the night, insert campfire and whisky. A young man showed up in his own camper. He parked far enough away to respect our space and came over to invite us into his home-on-wheels for dinner. We live in an ever growing heavily populated world and when you run into others who have made the same effort you have to find seclusion, they usually turn out to be very like-minded and a welcome conversation about where you’ve been and where you’re headed manifests into a quality campfire conversation.
The fire turned into ambers and we turned into our respective campers for the night, falling asleep to the sound of the Rogue’s waters drifting toward the Pacific. After a wonderful night’s rest on the lower Rogue we fly fished again to no avail and read books in the camper to the sound of rain on the tin roof (best sound ever). That afternoon we set off for a mountain peak we had our sights set on. We were told by locals the pass should be open, but with the massive cyclone heading our way, we should be prepared for high winds, heavy rainfall and if in higher elevation snow. That’s all we needed to hear to fire us up for the day’s adventure. We pointed our FWC up a windy road that lead us to our mountain peak destination. After experiencing an extremely cold winter night at the top we couldn’t have been happier with how cozy our home felt. With the heater blowing and snow falling on the surrounding trees, we knew we made the right choice for our adventure rig.
We’ve been enjoying discovering all the many useful things about the new set up. With GoPower solar panels, propane, 40 gallons of water storage, a two-burner stove, large fridge, a sink, queen size bed, hot indoor and outdoor showers, and a toilet, we are living an incredibly comfortable nomad life. Not to mention this thing was built for overlanding. You can tell it was built with ‘resilience’ in mind. We’ve never regretted going with the FWC flatbed model or the Australian made Norweld aluminum tray that was custom built for FWC. Build something that is going to do everything you need it to do and then some.
Naturally, we woke to a winter wonderland to play in! After a full day of snow play, plenty of snowball fights, a few holes punched in some empty beer cans and exploring a forest of freshly dumped snowfall, there was still one thing we had yet to accomplish on our trip: Catching waves. So, off we headed back to the coastline in hopes that the swell had calmed enough for us to surf. Well, what we found was not ideal. If you’re a surfer, then you know the ocean, well, she’s a fickle one. The waves that were pushing in excess of 14+ feet a few days ago were now a scrappy 2-3 feet in size. Did we suit up in our 5/4s, booties, and gloves to bear the cold and headout? You better believe it! As surfers you can watch all the reports and predictions you want, but sometimes you just have to paddle out. Sure, you can miss the perfect swell by a day or two if not an hour or two, but sometimes just getting in the water no matter what the conditions are is what you really need.
We didn’t drive all this way to not get wet, so off came the boards from the roof rack and on went the hot water heater! After spending hours bobbing around in super chilly waters, we really look forward to a hot shower. It’s funny because we both will be floating out there on our boards waiting for the next set and even though we know for a fact we turned the water heater on, we’ll still question each other, “Did you turn the heater on?!”
Ultimately, at the end of the day when we crawl into our comfy adventure camper, we remind each other of how grateful we are that we made the choice to leave the house/apartment life behind now and not wait for “someday.” I can’t tell you how many times we are approached by people asking us about our rig and say, “You guys are living the dream.” I ask them, “What’s stopping you from doing the very same thing?” We tend to overthink life and over complicate it. We live in a time where so much information is available on the web and social platforms that it can leave us with so many options we are unable to make the “right” decision and it can stop us from pulling the trigger. We are so fortunate that today more than ever there are newer and more amazing rig build designs and products that can fit anyone’s budget; anyone who still has that desire to not conform to the house with the picket fence and perfectly manicured lawn. Not that I look down on anyone who has that as their goal and vision in life, but if you’re still reading this article and you found your way to The Adventure Portal, there’s a reason. It’s in you and all I’m saying is don’t sit and wait for that perfect rig or perfect time…get out there and live life as an adventure now.
Prior to meeting, Charles Rollins and Jessica O’Bryan were individually adventure dirtbags that loved surfing and rock climbing more than double IPAs (that says a lot). It was only a matter of time before their two paths crossed and when they did it was a match made in dirt/sand. They travel from one spontaneous excursion to the next in their 2018 Toyota Tundra, Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper, Norweld aluminum tray, GoPower solar powered rig. Jess fuels her fun by threat hunting (she nerds out hunting hackers) while Charles is a licensed electrical contractor (he likes to check people’s shorts). They are prepping for a two year trip from California to the tip of South America. Follow their shenanigans on https://www.instagram.com/surf.climb.travel/?hl=e
Ride On Designated Roads, Trails and Areas is a national campaign created by Tread Lightly! to promote responsible offroading and overlanding to keep the trails we love open, healthy and accessible. As more people are getting outside and exploring our trails, it’s imperative to have the tools and knowledge to protect public land.
Being responsible doesn’t mean being boring. Start by approaching any type of outdoor recreation you love with the T.R.E.A.D. principles:
Time for a little short-but-sweet tough love. Four-wheeling involves near constant decision making. Numerous challenges face you along the trail. Whether you successfully navigate around or through those obstacles falls entirely on your shoulders.
Sorry, my friend, but you can’t blame anyone else. Not your spotter. Not your mechanic. Not the fellow camper who messed up breakfast that morning.
Some 99% of all mistakes are caused by the driver. (The remaining 1% can be blamed on “testosterone poisoning.” But I’ll leave that for another article.)
It all boils down to:
Your assessment: How well you evaluated the obstacle.
Your decision (“go” or “no go”): Most obstacles can be overcome. But sometimes you need to back away.
Your execution: How well you implement the driving techniques required to successfully negotiate around or through that obstacle.
Vehicle flop
Follow the fundamentals of four-wheeling:
Four-wheeling offers unique circumstances every moment. Sure, city driving has its hazards – screaming police vehicles, major road construction, zombie cab drivers, an occasional pile up. But you get used to those. Off road, it’s a different story. You have to learn to expect the unexpected. And act accordingly.
Because every situation is unique, there are no “cookbooks” to guide you. Adhering to sound principles and executing properly will ensure a successful 4WD adventure.
All driving involves getting from Point A to Point B. Four-wheeling sets itself apart by constantly challenging drivers. For simplicity, I use the word obstacles to refer to all challenges. Understand that doesn’t mean just a large boulder. It could be a blind curve on a hillside. Or a narrow passageway through a brush-shrouded canyon.
You first must recognize the obstacle. That involves doing the recon. Four-wheeler’s don’t reconnoiter enough. My mantra is, “recon, recon, recon.”
Always recon what lies ahead
Often that involves getting out of the vehicle and checking out the scene. Sometimes you can’t see well enough through the windshield. Get out and walk up to the top of the hill or down to bottom of slope. Whatever the situation calls for.
Next, decide on your path. That is, pick the line. Every obstacle off road has to be analyzed. Determine the best route to take; there could be more than one. You’re looking for the one best suited to your vehicle.
How to pick the best line:
As you analyze the situation, consider these four factors.
All four wheels must remain on the ground. If on a slope or mountainside, the vehicle could pitch slightly. Minimize the pitching or sideways sliding so all four wheels are available to you.
Verify clearance on all sides. Any rock outcroppings, branches, brush, or ruts that could hang up or damage your vehicle? Don’t look in just one direction. Consider all angles: overhead, underneath and from either side.
Maintain traction. If driving on soft surfaces, adjust accordingly. You may have to air down, for example. Like point #1 above, you want to keep all four wheels working for you.
Use appropriate throttle. Don’t go too fast or too slow. A good rule of thumb is: Go as slow as possible but as fast as necessary. Maintain that momentum.
Don’t travel alone
Four-wheeling involves diligence on the driver’s part. From assessing the situation to making the decision to executing. It’s all about using the fundamentals properly. You as the driver are responsible for the successful execution of the trip. Keep driving, and over time you will develop the necessary skills.
As those skills develop, you will routinely make sound assessments and prudent decisions, and successfully execute those decisions.
P.S. While we’re on the subject of decision making: For god’s sake, never try to help retrieve stuck vehicles by hanging or climbing on them. It is very hazardous to your health. We have safer ways to free them.
The Rimrocker Trail is a newly minted 160-mile dirt 4×4 trail that leaves from Montrose, Colorado and goes to Moab, Utah. The trail is named after the miners called “Rimrockers”, who used to work the many mines in Montrose County. The trail was designed to bring tourism to this otherwise seldom visited part of Colorado and was officially opened to the public in 2016.
Montrose – Nucla
The Rimrocker Trail officially starts in the town of Montrose, Colorado. We arrived in the late afternoon and not wanting to miss anything we went a quick 20 overland miles before pulling into the Iron Spring Campground for the night.
The next morning we woke up and headed out early to make the most of our day. With the Uncompahgre Plateau nearby we decided that could be a good place to stop and make breakfast with a view. The off-road drive was beautiful through the remaining fall colors and we passed many operational logging roads and slack jaw cows as we made our way to the plateau.
After, we descended into the sleepy, little town of Nucla. We stopped to take a look around before heading to the equally small town of Naturita, which was just a quick detour away from the official trail. Either town has a few small places to eat if you are in search of a pitstop.
Please Note: There is no cell service in either town and it’s also the last chance for gas until Utah if you plan on following the Rimrocker past HWY 141. It’s also wise to have your maps saved offline before venturing past this point!
Nucla – HWY 141
Just after Nucla, we went through some of the most technical, but still pretty mild, sections of trail yet. We eventually came to the rim of the San Miguel River Valley and the official start of the Uravan Mineral belt which is home to over 200 mines. This area is rich in carnotite ore, which contains radium, vanadium, and uranium. The rest of our drive to camp was dotted with mines named Joe, Sandy, Fox, Dolores, Club Sandwich, Last Chance, Big Dick, and Little Dick to name a few.
We spotted a little road that branched off the Rimrocker Trail and decided to see if we could find a camp spot for the night. Sure enough, we found a beautiful spot on the edge of the cliff line overlooking the San Miguel River and the surrounding valley. We also could see four mines that were in direct proximity to our home for the night.
The next morning, we went on foot to explore the nearby mines. Just a quarter of a mile from our camp was where an old miner dwelling perched on the same ridge. We found the old refrigerator, oven, countless tin can meals, and even pieces of old dinner plates among the wreckage. This area is so dry that we even came across a pile of eggshells that have been out there since the days of the mine operation. We spotted some rails disappearing over the cliff and decided to check them out. The rails went all the way down into the mine… Ask me how I know!
After finding signs warning that the mines are still radioactive, we quickly made our way back to camp where we packed up and continued down the Rimrocker Trail towards Highway 141.
HWY 141
When the Rimrocker Trail intersects the pavement of Highway 141 there’s a ton of detour potential that all lie just a few miles off the Rimrocker.
The first stop was to the roadside coke oven. Constructed in the late 1800s the oven was used to convert green coal into coke coal, which burns much hotter and produces virtually no smoke.
Continuing south on Highway 141, the hills are spotted with more mines on the eastern side of the valley. We stopped at an overlook to see the remains of the Dolores River Hanging Flume. The flume was completed in 1891 and was an architectural achievement that was celebrated around the world. The flume carried water from the Dolores River, upstream more than five miles to the Lone Tree Placer Gold Mine. Sadly, the mine was less successful than the flume and was shut down shortly thereafter. The wood used to construct the flume was sourced from Pine Flat and Carpenter Ridge near Buckeye Reservoir, which we’d drive through later that day.
Just another mile down the highway we pulled down an unmarked dirt road where we parked and walked to an overlook of the confluence of the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers. Being that the two rivers are different colors, it was interesting to see the two converge and swirl together as they travel downstream as one.
Going just a bit further south on Highway 141, we reached our furthest point of interest, the former town of Uravan. Uravan was a company town established by the Vanadium Corporation in 1936. The entire town of 800 people supported a mill whose sole objective was to process the carnotite ore into uranium oxide, aka yellowcake. The yellowcake was sent elsewhere to be enriched into pure uranium, some of which was used in the atomic bombs that ended World War II. Insane right? The mill remained open until December 1986, but was then closed after the US stopped purchasing uranium, causing the entire uranium industry to go belly up. After the mill was closed for business, a Superfund cleanup began to do its best to remove the radioactive town and mill. Now all that can be seen in the town of Uravan, which is still listed on any map, is fenced off fields warning that the area is radioactive. It’s an incredibly eerie sight to see and left us wondering what became of the miners that worked in a mill that was so radioactive that they’re still cleaning it up today. Nearby there was a sign (provided by the still present Vanadium Corporation down the street) stating their pride in the cleanup efforts to return “the canyon almost as it was before mining operations began”… Minus the many radioactive signs.
Side note: We HIGHLY recommend spending some extra time to explore down HWY 141. It’s an interesting and seldom told part of our history that is worth knowing about, and the San Miguel River Valley is unspeakably beautiful in its own right!
Headed back towards the Rimrocker Trail, we crossed the Dolores River on a bridge and followed Y11 Road alongside the Dolores to get a closer look at the hanging flume. Just a few miles down we came to our destination, a fully reconstructed section of the Hanging Flume. We thought it would be interesting to see the flume in its original state to get a better idea of how it worked. There was a little pull-off at the site where we made and enjoyed our lunch on the banks of the Dolores River.
After spending the vast majority of the day wandering the San Miguel River Valley we surmised that we could spend several days exploring this area and still not see everything we’d like! Despite that, we made our way north and back to the Rimrocker.
HWY 141 – 2 Mile Road
The steep road climbed up the side of the San Miguel River Valley past biscuit rock. We drove past even more mines (which we believe to be radium mines because they were named Radium King and Radium Queen) until we reached Pine Flat. The flat was some of the most forested sections of the trail thus far and is the home to the wood sourced for the Hanging Flume. For a while, the road was made up of deep sand before we turned onto the side of the flat to get sweeping views of the valley below.
Paradox Valley was strikingly beautiful and got its name from the Dolores River which “paradoxically” runs across the valley instead of with it. Fascinatingly, the valley was created from water flowing beneath an ancient salt dome. The flow of water eventually dissolved a subterranean layer of salt causing the weak sandstone above to collapse forming a valley where there was previously a dome. Nature is impressive, is it not?!
From there we continued towards camp. As we traced the cliff line of the Paradox Valley the road had some technical features and a sharp drop off on the left-hand side. A short while later we came to Buckeye Reservoir and Recreation area where we planned to camp for the night. Since it was late fall, there was only one other family camped in the entire area and made for a nice quiet night. To that point, we’d only seen a single person on the Rimrocker Trail since leaving Nucla!
From our camp spot, we had a vault toilet to ourselves and uninterrupted views of the La Sal Mountains off to the west.
The next morning we woke up for our last day on the Rimrocker. After coming around the far side of the reservoir we came to the Colorado and Utah border, which marked our last stretch of road before we would be exiting the trail at Two Mile Road.
The vast majority of the driving was on easy roads that took us through many different ranch lands. The La Sals got a fresh blanket of snow the night before making for a very picturesque drive through the last of the yellowing aspens. Before we knew it, our exit off of Two Mile road arrived and we hit pavement for our last stretch towards Moab.
The Rimrocker Trail does continue all the way to Moab but we read that the last bit is “an overly rough cobblestone street” and gets really narrow. We read this from people who were traveling in Jeeps, which are much narrower than we are. We opted to exit to save the paint on our Four Wheel Camper and truck.
We really loved the Rimrocker Trail. We felt that it was a great “first time trail” that also features tons of history and interesting waypoints to get you out of the car along the way! I know that after reading this a lot of you will be curious if your vehicle could successfully do the trail. There is one river crossing after Nucla and before HWY 141 that gets deep during the spring run off. At times it can be totally impassible. By going in the fall, the creek was entirely dried up. We could have easily done the entire road in 2WD if we wanted to, but in areas of sand and uneven rocks 4WD is really nice for peace of mind and control. There are just a few spots of technical driving that are easy to navigate. Overall any stock 4WD vehicle should be fine on this trail. Even a capable 2WD would probably do just fine. If you’re concerned about the capability of your vehicle or unsure of your skill level driving, we highly recommend that you do the trail with a partner vehicle. Otherwise, this is a great entry-level trail and we highly recommend it!
We’re Owen Chikazawa and Mary Ashley Krogh (MAK), a husband/wife team, that’s been living and working from the road since April 2016 with our cat Luna. We currently live and travel in a 2019 Toyota Tundra with a flatbed Four Wheel Camper. Between the two of us, we’re designers, illustrators, animators, photographers, videographers, and writers. We fill our time seeking new experiences through rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, swimming, surfing, and documenting the journey.
With any creative endeavor there are many styles and applications and this is certainly true when capturing Vehicle Supported Adventure. Much of TAP’s work captures the environment we find ourselves in and when featuring a rig or person, we feel they should fit naturally into the landscape, as oppose to dominating the shot. For us, our rigs are simply fun tools, that allow us to get deep into inaccessible and remote areas and our cameras are there to record the adventure. Check out www.theadventureportal-photo-film.com for examples of our work.
What’s in our bag?
At TAP we take capturing Vehicle Supported Adventure seriously and a common question we get asked is “What gear do you guys use?”. That said, here’s a comprehensive breakdown of what’s in our camera bag(s), what the item is primarily used for and why we chose it. Please feel free to post comments if you’d like any further details.
Cameras:
Firstly, the best camera is the one you have or the one you can afford. Expensive cameras are of course awesome, but they don’t make you a better photographer. Time, a lot of practice and many mistakes, eventually result in good photography. Another important point is to understand your photographic goals, as different set ups are suitable for different applications. If you simply want to take social media ready pics of your rig or camp set up, then honestly a recent gen i-phone will likely be all you need. If you want to specialize in astro or complicated time-lapse projects, then that’s a different story.
Sony A7sii– After spending a couple of years with a Canon 70D, I decided I wanted to get serious with astro projects, so the Sony A7Sii was the natural upgrade choice. It’s a full frame camera, incredibly light and has an amazing low light sensor. When it came out in Oct 2015, it was revolutionary and became the industries astro camera of choice. It also shoots amazing in camera 4k video. (It was used on Planet Earth 2and by Chris Burkhard Under an Arctic Sky, so what more can I say!) It has stood the test of time, however Sony has recently announced a new generation and we’re all waiting anxiously to see what changes they make to keep ahead of their competition.
Pros: Full frame, low light sensor is just phenomenal, size and weight, fantastic internal 4K video recording.
Cons: Poor battery life, non intuitive menu, low mega pixels, so printing a problem.
Sony A7SII with Zeiss Batis 18mm and Small Rig cage
Sony A7Riii – With the A7Sii being our astro specialist, I decided to add the A7Riii for all round use, while capturing Vehicle Supported Adventure. It’s identical in looks and size to the A7Sii, but with a larger battery, two SD card ports and massively increased 42 MP capacity. Picture quality is simply fantastic and frankly for a landscape photographer, this camera is one of the best on the market.
Pros: Full frame, stunning picture quality for printing, 42 mega pixels and awesome IS0 100-6400 capability.
Cons: Non intuitive menu (that is annoyingly different than the A7Sii). Frankly, hard to find much wrong with this camera!
Lenses:
Sony FE 2 / 28mm(Super light and compact and a solid general purpose prime lens)
F-Stop Anja 40l bag. My go to if I have to carry a lot and hike in somewhere.
Lowe pro Hatchback 25l backpack. Great small bag for day hiking or general carry. Cons: doesn’t have straps to carry tripod. Side pockets carry a water bottle or our Job mini tripod.
F-Stop Anja 40l camera bag and Vanguard Alta Pro 284 CT tripod
SLIK 504 QF11 – I use this for time-lapse and video work as it’s heavy and sturdy
Joby Gorilla Grip (Super light to hike with and flexible legs allow custom locations)
Misc:
SanDisk Extreme Pro 95Mb’s (3) 64 – 128 GB’s (We have multiple cards always stashed in both camera bags and also in our rigs. So easy to forget a card and yes, we’ve learnt by experience!)
Syrp Mini Genie 2: My go to, for all 2 axis (pan and tilt) projects. Light/compact for throwing in a backpack and very easy to use through their App. Highly recommended for Time-Lapse. As you can see from the photo below, I use 2 of them in a combo attached to a Syrp Pan Tilt bracket
Syrp Mini Genie combo and bracket
Kessler Crane Stealth Slider and Kessler Crane Second Shooter Plus (Robust and definitely not a light weight setup, used for more complicated 3 axis projects (pan, tilt and slide) where I can carry the equipment in the rig and not have to hike anywhere.
Kessler Crane Stealth Slider and Second Shooter Plus
Zhiyum Crane Gimbal– Used for run and gun hand held video footage. Not going to lie, I have found it difficult to stabilize the gimbal in the field.
5″ Atmos Shinobi4k photo and video monitor. I wished I’d upgraded to a model that can store the footage shot. This is just a monitor.
Small Rig cage and various accessories – Primarily used for video work in doors
Drones:
DJI Mavic Pro– I have a love hate relationship with drones. On a positive note, they can create some beautiful cinematic results in your video production. On a negative, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t crashed theirs and it’s honestly hard to get good at using them, due to the over regulation of their usage. Rather than simply banning them in all National and State parks, a better system would be to license the operators, so serious users can maintain standards and use them appropriately. ****Pro Tip: Buy the extra batteries – You’ll need them. I use the daisy chain charging system with 4 batteries.
