“The Overland Adventurer Series,” TAP’s monthly feature on individuals who genuinely embody the Overland Life. Today we’re sitting down with Todd Rogers, lifelong adventurer and Owner of Four Points Adventures.
Let’s dive right in.
Thanks for sitting down with us Todd. Tell us about your background and your business, Four Points Adventures.
Then after getting laid-off from the newspaper about 12 years ago I started thinking it would be great to take folks out on “expeditions” into remote places that I enjoy and maybe try to make a business of it. I had been volunteering with the local sheriff’s department doing Mountain Search and Rescue for a few years by this point and was starting to be a leader on the team and training our new recruits and I realized that I enjoyed it quite a bit! The trick to starting the business was figuring out how to find clients as I had no real marketing skills. At this time rooftop tents were starting to get known here in the USA and I wanted one! As it turned out, one of the biggest companies in the field, Tepui Tents, was only an hour or so away from me. So, I drove to Santa Cruz where Tepui Tents had a small warehouse and while buying my rooftop tent (from Evan, the original owner, Thule bought them out a few years ago) I asked if they needed someone to help get folks out and using their tents. That turned out to be a great relationship and so Tepui Adventures was started (the original name for my company), as a separate company from Tepui but with backing and marketing from Tepui. Eventually, in 2016, I decided to separate my company from Tepui (we’re still friends;) and call it Four Points Adventures.
Over the years I’ve taken folks out from novice to expert, I’ve had folks who’ve never camped before up to very experienced folks like Yosemite Forest Rangers and the founders of Mountain Hardware on my tours. One of my favorite quotes from a client on his first tour with me and after a couple of days in Death Valley said “this has changed my life, I’ve never slept better”, he has since included his family on his tours with me and we’re planning a Grand Canyon trip with them in the Fall.
Four Points Adventures has grown quite a bit over the years, I now have 3 trucks, 2 trailers, a bunch of Shiftpod tents, and a nice list of excellent chefs) and I now have commercial permits in 5 major locations that include, Death Valley, The Grand Canyon/Parashant, The Black Rock Desert, the Inyo National Forest, the Mojave National Preserve, and now working on a 6th near Reno where my company is based.
With an upbringing in the world of boats, why Overlanding and do you see similarities? Would you ever live full time on a boat again?
That’s funny, my Dad, who has been on many land-based exploratory trips with me asks the same question. I think the answer is that in some form it’s similar for me in that I spend a lot of time still exploring like we did as a kid, but to be honest, I really like a hamburger and milkshake occasionally and my memory of that as a kid while sailing in Tonga was two slices of bread with ham and a icy milky strawberry flavored drink, it’s just not the same.
Would I live full-time on a boat again? No, but I do have a 32’ sailboat that has sailed from British Columbia around to the Eastern Mediterranean and back sitting in a barn in Montana just waiting for me to have time for it again.
Tell us about the Four Points Adventures rigs you’re currently using and why you chose them?
I currently have 5 vehicles, it’s crazy but they all have a purpose, honest. My main 3 rigs are a 1993 Land Cruiser 80 Series, with front, center and rear lockers, a mild lift, good tires, a big fridge and all of the other gear needed for expedition style overlanding and which is a “beast” offroad. Then I have a 1998 Toyota 4Runner Limited, with only a rear locker but is otherwise similarly outfitted and that I have used to scout all my locations over the years. It continues to see use as my “sweep” vehicle on tours, making sure that I don’t lose anyone in the back of the caravan. The truck that sees the most use these days is my 2012 FJ Cruiser, rear locker, and again similarly outfitted as the other two. However, it being so much newer is quite comfortable and better on the highway than the other two.
Each of these 3 trucks have a strong point that sets them apart from the others. The 4Runner is great for scouting because it’s small, nimble, and gets decent gas mileage. The Land Cruiser is, as I mentioned, a BEAST offroad. If I want to go somewhere that I don’t know and that may be challenging, then I want to be in the Land Cruiser 80. It currently resides in Washington with me because I am scouting locations up here that have just about every type of challenge that I can imagine. Finally the FJ Cruiser is a very comfortable rig, though not very great visibility out of it, I do know it well enough to do some scouting in it. And again, to be honest, just getting to the locations and back is so much nicer, I must be getting soft.
Overlanding has seen massive growth in the past few years. What do you see that impresses you and maybe what could change or be done better?
Overlanding has grown dramatically over the years since I started in this business. Especially during the Covid years. I’m happy to say that, I think, because of the abuse that so many locations saw during covid, from graffiti and environmental damage to just plain over-use, that lately I have seen a real up-tick in the amount of people and companies who are really trying to educate the public about keeping these places as pristine as possible so that we can continue to enjoy them from the seats of our trucks instead of the soles of our shoes. I’m not adverse to backpacking but boy, do I love pulling an ice-cold beer out of the fridge in my truck at the end of a day on the trail.
Things to do better? Well, obviously, we are still seeing abuse of the precious places so more education would be great, not just for the people already with 4×4 vehicles, but for those who are looking into buying 4×4 vehicles to get out to these places. The education has to start early.
There’s so many rig platforms and gear to choose from, so any sage advice for folks who are looking at taking up the lifestyle?
Some advice for folks looking for vehicles to get into overlanding with? Well, from my time in 3rd world countries, and seeing how people get around in the most “unsuitable” overland vehicles, I would first investigate getting your outdoor and driving skills upgraded before you do anything. I have seen a good driver in a two-wheel drive vehicle get places that people with 4×4 had a hard time with. Aside from that, I would say, don’t go too big for your first 4×4, start with something that you can easily parallel park and that will set you up for success when you get into the real “outback” or the restaurant parking lot too.
So, what does 2024 look like for you? Any major trips or projects planned?
2024 looks like could be a great year for me! I’ve already had two tours, one was with Ford Motors and some of their Bronco enthusiasts and we’re now working on more. Otherwise, I just got back from working on a shoot produced by Motortrend for the new Lexus GX 550, which was a lot of fun. And as I mentioned earlier, I am working on new tour and training locations both in Washington and near my place near Reno, Nevada. And as always, I’m keeping my eyes open for those “out of the box” trips, that really get my explorers blood flowing.
Finally, any fun trail stories to share?
Fun trail stories? Well, there was the time that I literally had my Land Cruiser 80 (with a trailer) bobbing across the Mojave River when it was deeper than normal (you can see the video in the highlights on my IG page)
And there was the time that I thought a great beast (bear, cougar, or maybe Sasquatch?) was entering my camp around midnight while I was out shooting some astrophotography in the Black Rock and it turned out to be a very large, black, wild stallion that I had “faced off” with earlier in my solo scouting expedition.
Or, there was the time I found myself in a pile of snakes, right out of an Indiana Jones movie, but you’ll need to join me on a tour to hear that one;)
Thanks for your time today, Todd and I look forward to sharing a beer around the firepit soon. Stay healthy and safe and see you in the backcountry!
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