Owen, which VanCompass package did you go with? Did the installers help with the decision as to the best option? Definitely adding one to our newly acquired Coachmen 24q, it’s a big ($$) decision between the VanCompass or RIP Agile kit. Thanks for the videos & info.
We got the VanCompass Topo 2.0. We did the research but I’m sure most installers would help with the decision. It did help that the installer we chose had an EKKO and that is what he had on his.
After watching you all since your Sprinter and after living in our Sprinter maxed our with 35” tires for a year and going way off road…..does the Ekko really give you all that much more living space at the cost of getting off road? Thanks a bunch. Love the channel 😊
I would not take the Ekko “way” off road, but with the lift we do feel more confident in going most places. With everything there is a compromise, we really liked the size of the sprinter for driving but we love all the space the Ekko provides with living and storage. So we may not go as far as we would with the sprinter but we still can go on dirt roads and find some awesome spots.
You’ve reassured us we are making the right decision in setting up our appt with Grant’s team. Thanks for making the video and posting you’re experience. We had already contacted them weeks ago; awaiting our call back for an appt. Super excited for where we can go and our trip to Alaska next summer! Question, with your bigger tires, did they need to put spacers between your duallies or extend the studs?
Freedomvango was great, I think you will like working with these guys. They did put spacers on the duallies, but that’s probably because of the new tires we had them put on.
Not that we can tell... but I bet it does a little, just due to the bigger tires. It already just got about 12 light poles to a gallon anyway so we don't check that often because it just makes us go geez!
I’m so glad you both made it home. Glad the lift works going down the rough roads. And boy that was a beautiful view. Pretty as a picture and a post card. I know Maggie is happy to be home. Hope Owen had a great Fathers Day! That was a great song to Ali g with the you riding in the dirt. Owen has great talent. Love you both and Maggie too! Have a great week and see you next week.
She’s a beast! We just went from a Mercedes chassis 4x4 to a Dodge Ram chassis. I would love to get a lift kit put on it. It’s amazing how much more clearance a few extra inches gives you. Also, thanks for mentioning how the lift will be affected by what you’re carrying. Great video. Enjoy your summer. ☀️🏖️🏝️
I definitely think it’s worth it. Rv’s sit so low and the clearance is nice. The whole reason I got my E450 in 4wd was the 4” Quigley lift. I can easily crawl under my Rv now. The clearance under the rear overhang is nice. Now you can back in and hang over the grass and not have the front end out in the road. Now you are not going rock crawling in Utah but it gives you some extra height to get a little further out then a stock vehicle will go. That’s what I like about mine too. 👍🏼 I like it
So y’all got that kit because it makes dirt roads smoother?lol damn we Americans are spoiled!lol For that kind of money you should be able to adjust everything from your seat I’m sure y’all get this a lot but I’m sure Maggie would be happier with me
I think a great journey for you two would be taking your rig to Alaska! Now that you made some suspension and tire upgrades and maybe a few other bullet proofing investments it would be a grand adventure and maybe a great business impact for your channel as well.
Hey Friends! Cool addition! I thought you were going to scrape the front, but you made it. Thanks for sharing the process and results! Looking forward to seeing even more cool adventures. Have a great week! Much love from SC.❤🙏🏻
Did you only get different tires? Can you say what the brand model and sizes were for front and rear? I have a 2020 Transit 350 HD dually. My wheels are not painted and I'm wondering if your coach has the same wheels as I have only painted black.
Great video!! I’ve spent many happy days hiking, biking and camping in the Gorge. It’s truly a beautiful place!! We’ve been on the road now for almost two years those views in your video brought back great memories. Thank you!!!
Looking goooooood. Definitely on my list to Santa, assuming I get Mrs. Clause to approve. What size tires did you use and did they add spacers between on the rear? Also, is this the lift where they cut off those ridiculous rear shock mounts and weld on new higher mounts? Thanks for sharing the joy.
That would be a good thing to get from Santa 😁. We installed Falken Wildpeak 245/75R16 and they did add spacers on the rear tires. This is not the lift that cut off the rear shocks. Thanks for watching.
The most trail worthy lifts and 4x4 conversions I’ve seen, are from UJoint, in the southern US. They’re work on everything from F-series vans, to Ford based motorhomes looks solid and well thought out. Enjoy your adventures in the rig. 🌲🤙
Hi Owen and Lynn! Glad you got the Ford transit lift sone but so dirty your one tire had to be fixed from the tire monitor reader that that wasn’t working but glad they sent you to a Ford dealership to fix it and that that they’d pay for it when you sent them the bill. Love your fog lights. Very nice! Now you can see good at night!
Great video…….with all that bouncing around, how often do you have to check that all things are still secure on the inside (ie cabinets, any attachments, loose screws)? Basically anything that would come loose will all the rocking and rolling?
You have to open all the cabinets very carefully after a ride like that. We weren’t fully packed so that does make things worse sometimes. It can be hard on a vehicle.
Wow what a view! I wonder if my ol Park Avenue would make it lol! That’s really cool that y’all put the lift kit on there, I see lots of adventures ahead!
We’ve enjoyed traveling with you for several years. What caught my attention back when was one of your stays in Anastasia. St Augustine is my hometown and growing up our house is only a mile from the park. I seen many changes in the area but the park is a great addition. I’m thrilled it’s one of your favorites.
Love the stance that it gave you. My wife and I are getting ready to move to Charlotte this Fall and Old NC 105 is on my bucket list. Thanks for another great video.
Hello again. As I noted below, we took delivery of our EKKO on June 1. We visited Freedom VanGo on July 27 for the 2-inch lift, suspension upgrade, and Falken 225s, then the next day an alignment at Big Chief. We now have the same problem you experienced: one of the tire pressure monitors doesn't work, even after Freedom VanGo replaced it with a new Ford sensor. Question: was your Ford dealer able to resolve that issue? Thanks much for your input.
Glad it worked out for y'all. We just couldn't put our Ekko into my shop here on the property with four more inches of altitude. Already modified the trusses and install a new door. They just ain't no more room in the shop! Are all y'all home? Let's do lunch at the new Fast Lane in Wilkesboro
Larger diameter tires revolve/spin slower versus smaller diameter tires at a given velocity (speed). If your speedometer (factory spec tires) indicates 60 mph, most non-certified speedometers report speeds at about a 5-8% "exaggeration"...chances are you're really going probably 57 mph. If you're actually moving at at measured speed of 60 mph, your speedometer would indicate 62 or 63 mph. So, if you tire diameter increases by 15%, I'd say that your speedometer indicates 60 mph and you're probably going maybe 61 or perhaps 62 mph. Some mapping apps (such as Waze) report your GPS-estimated speed, and these are generally more accurate versus your non-certified speedometer. (Police vehicles often are equipped with certified speedometers, and if the police vehicle has factory-spec tires of the correct factory spec diameter, the speedometer will report the speed correctly.)
Short answer... Yes, it's now off... as is the MPG calculation. We show less miles traveled per rotation of the tire than we actually travel and the speed shown is 6-8% lower than we're actually going. Fixing it is easy for us. We usually drive 5 above speed limit when rolling on long trips so now we just set it on the speed limit. We also added a rear camera that is attached to the rear mirror and it constantly shows GPS speed so we also have an accurate speed if we need it.
We took delivery of our 2023 EKKO on June 1 and have a late-July appointment with Freedom VanGo for the lift/suspension and fog light upgrade. For the tires, did you go with 225s or 245s? If 245s, did you add spacers for the duallies? Any rubbing/clearance issues? And was an advance appointment necessary for the alignment? We're subscribers and greatly enjoy your interesting and informative videos... Thanks!
Hey! Congrats! We put the 245s on so we could get the additional 2" of lift from them. We did add the spaces and there's been zero clearance or rubbing. I did check to see if we picked up any straggler rocks between the back two tires after the dirt road adventure and that was all good too. But, if I were you I'd check that after dirt roads too. That can cause some serious issues with tire rub. Thanks for being with us. Let us know how your Ekko journey goes!
@@cegray5 Not a definite answer yet. It looks like it may be as much is half a mile per gallon but that may just have been where we were driving and how fast I was driving too.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Thanks for the quick reply ! Forgot to ask..Which rims did you go with and where did you get them? I was watching the video to see but couldn't tell. Thanks again !
My wife and I are really sooo glad we found your channel; it showed us that in “retirement” what we really needed was not to travel but finally be able to “afford” jobs we liked verses having to do things needed to raise our three kids. We did get a Jeep and we go out every few months but what we really find ourselves enjoying is work we find meaningful vs. merely profitable now that our Pensions & SSN provide us with a base income. We could be retired but not able to have a nice house, an RV “AND” the extra money for travel. Your lifestyle is obviously earned and your enjoying it; but we see many of our couple friends, who are not as financially secure, trying to emulate your lifestyle or continuing to work at high stress & paying jobs in one last attempt to achieve your lifestyle. But nobody seems to take the tack we did which was “downshift” at 62 to less stressful careers which allowed us to postpone SSN past claw back such that, while we’re still working, with the kids launch and moved away, we get to have time together at our home. That was six years ago so hilariously we’re both vested in 2nd Pensions. Keep up the great videos; we like riding along on our “stationary” bikes while looking forward to work tomorrow!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I commend you on what you are doing durning your retirement. We retired early from our corporate jobs so we could chase our dreams… for Owen it was his music. It’s funny where your journey takes you, Owen’s music lead us to be very involved with the homeless, mostly in the Myrtle Beach area and beyond. But the physical strain of playing everyday for many years took it toll and we had to slow down and he eventually stopped. That being said, we didn’t start out where we are today, it’s just a small part of our journey. We retired from our corporate jobs of 35+ years, worked another 10 years and believe it or not it’s a lot of work running a UA-cam channel, which provides us a means to travel. We feel very blessed for the things we get to do and see and for as long as we love what we are doing we will continue to share it. I’m not sure why I felt the need to share more of our story… maybe to justify why we do what we do, or maybe to say we didn’t set out to be doing what we are doing now, it’s be a growing experience and I’m sure we will keep growing and our lives will hopefully keep changing.
Please be assured that my wife & I think how you're spending your retirement is wonderful. Six years ago at age 62 we both thought that's what we'd be doing too. After all what could be better than traveling? But now at 68 I see that was FOMO whispering in our ears. We really liked 42 to 62, our home & our weekends. Especially once the three kids flew off to WA, VT & NC from here in NM. The only problem was we were burning out at our jobs. Then at 62 I stumbled on Greenskeeping and my wife found she could be our town's Librarian Assistant. Not only did these new jobs make us happy but combined with early Pensions we could delay SSN and actually still have more income than when we were working at our old careers. Not a cool retirement but a win/win. And now that we're drawing SSN beyond full-retirement age with no claw back ... well hilariously we're making way more money than our friends who stayed in our old careers "AND" we are way better off than those of our friends who took SSN early combined with their early Pensions. The added benefit to having some of our highest earning years now is that we are doing it while enjoying what essentially have become "new careers"; careers by the way which will allow us between 62 to 82? to replicate the life we loved between 42 and 62 but this time without financial pressure. And for us that was the key. The financial pressure of trying to have fun, while on a fixed income negates the joy of being retired for us. Better to continue working and maybe at 82 take some cool trips. Yes, yes you only live once. But trying to have fun while pinching pennies as you're worried about money is horrible. IMHO better to just re-do 42 to 62; which we already know we'll enjoy between 62 to 82 than attempt something new. And as you mentioned your UA-cam Channel is a ton of work. We don't see folks taking our path. They are either you, trying to be you or wishing they were you. I'd rather us be us; watching you be you. LOL!
Does putting on larger tires mess up the speedometer?
It does affect the speedometer. When it shows we're going 60 we're really going around 64 and it says we're going 70 we're really going around 76.
Do you have any ground level pictures from front and rear before and after? That would help understand just how much clearance you gained.
We do have pictures but since the van does have to same items/weight in the van we felt showing that would be a incorrect prospective.
Owen, which VanCompass package did you go with? Did the installers help with the decision as to the best option? Definitely adding one to our newly acquired Coachmen 24q, it’s a big ($$) decision between the VanCompass or RIP Agile kit. Thanks for the videos & info.
We got the VanCompass Topo 2.0. We did the research but I’m sure most installers would help with the decision. It did help that the installer we chose had an EKKO and that is what he had on his.
After watching you all since your Sprinter and after living in our Sprinter maxed our with 35” tires for a year and going way off road…..does the Ekko really give you all that much more living space at the cost of getting off road?
Thanks a bunch. Love the channel 😊
I would not take the Ekko “way” off road, but with the lift we do feel more confident in going most places. With everything there is a compromise, we really liked the size of the sprinter for driving but we love all the space the Ekko provides with living and storage. So we may not go as far as we would with the sprinter but we still can go on dirt roads and find some awesome spots.
Did the tire change effect the speedometers accuracy?
Yes, it did only by about out 5%. Not sure about the warranty.
Congratulations on the new lift kit! The mountains are so beautiful!!!
Did/would this void your Winnebago/Ford warranty if you still have one?
I don’t think it would void the warranty.
Thanks, was a great video, and loved the editing. My question is will the lift affect the warranty on anything?
We didn't even check about that. Maybe we should have. Some say it does cancel the warranty for some parts of the suspension.
You’ve reassured us we are making the right decision in setting up our appt with Grant’s team. Thanks for making the video and posting you’re experience. We had already contacted them weeks ago; awaiting our call back for an appt. Super excited for where we can go and our trip to Alaska next summer! Question, with your bigger tires, did they need to put spacers between your duallies or extend the studs?
Freedomvango was great, I think you will like working with these guys. They did put spacers on the duallies, but that’s probably because of the new tires we had them put on.
Did it effect your gas mileage?
Not that we can tell... but I bet it does a little, just due to the bigger tires. It already just got about 12 light poles to a gallon anyway so we don't check that often because it just makes us go geez!
So happy you’re all home safely! Enjoy your family and summer! See you here in Florida this next season. Love and blessings from central Florida! 🥰💕🙏😎
I’m so glad you both made it home. Glad the lift works going down the rough roads. And boy that was a beautiful view. Pretty as a picture and a post card. I know Maggie is happy to be home. Hope Owen had a great Fathers Day! That was a great song to Ali g with the you riding in the dirt. Owen has great talent. Love you both and Maggie too! Have a great week and see you next week.
She’s a beast! We just went from a Mercedes chassis 4x4 to a Dodge Ram chassis. I would love to get a lift kit put on it. It’s amazing how much more clearance a few extra inches gives you. Also, thanks for mentioning how the lift will be affected by what you’re carrying. Great video. Enjoy your summer. ☀️🏖️🏝️
We agree those few extra inches make a difference and gives us a little more confidence it going off road. Thanks for watching.
I definitely think it’s worth it. Rv’s sit so low and the clearance is nice. The whole reason I got my E450 in 4wd was the 4” Quigley lift. I can easily crawl under my Rv now. The clearance under the rear overhang is nice. Now you can back in and hang over the grass and not have the front end out in the road. Now you are not going rock crawling in Utah but it gives you some extra height to get a little further out then a stock vehicle will go. That’s what I like about mine too. 👍🏼 I like it
All great points. Thanks for sharing.
So y’all got that kit because it makes dirt roads smoother?lol damn we Americans are spoiled!lol
For that kind of money you should be able to adjust everything from your seat
I’m sure y’all get this a lot but I’m sure Maggie would be happier with me
I think a great journey for you two would be taking your rig to Alaska! Now that you made some suspension and tire upgrades and maybe a few other bullet proofing investments it would be a grand adventure and maybe a great business impact for your channel as well.
We may try to go next year. Thanks for the suggestion.
Can’t wait to lift our new van! Once we get it of course.
Another great video and very informative!! This is a channel that I enjoy !! As always BS & BK & BC !!
Happy Father's Day. I don't have an Ekko, but if I did, I know I would want that lift. What a great video .
Whatever floats your boat - or - your EKKO lol. If you're happy, that's all that counts. Happy Father's Day Owen. Hope you're all well.
Hello, very imformative video, am still going to wait until after the warranty.
That makes sense. We think it was a good choice for us.
Hey Friends! Cool addition! I thought you were going to scrape the front, but you made it. Thanks for sharing the process and results! Looking forward to seeing even more cool adventures. Have a great week! Much love from SC.❤🙏🏻
I thought he was going to scarp the front too. I will say we were both really impressed. Thanks so much for watching.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle ♥️
That's an expensive view! But I do like the not being rocked by passing trucks on the interstate.
Did you only get different tires? Can you say what the brand model and sizes were for front and rear? I have a 2020 Transit 350 HD dually. My wheels are not painted and I'm wondering if your coach has the same wheels as I have only painted black.
We installed Falken Wildpeak 245/75R16, we have 7 of them… all the way around and one spare. The wheels are what came with the van.
Watching on the 4th ! and yes breathtaking view
Great video!! I’ve spent many happy days hiking, biking and camping in the Gorge. It’s truly a beautiful place!! We’ve been on the road now for almost two years those views in your video brought back great memories. Thank you!!!
Thank you, we love hiking in the Gorge too. Glad to bring back some good memories.
Well if it was worth it to you two then that's all that matters. Be sure to update us on the TPM system. Thanks!!
Will do. I hope Ford can fix the TPM.
Looking goooooood. Definitely on my list to Santa, assuming I get Mrs. Clause to approve. What size tires did you use and did they add spacers between on the rear? Also, is this the lift where they cut off those ridiculous rear shock mounts and weld on new higher mounts? Thanks for sharing the joy.
That would be a good thing to get from Santa 😁. We installed Falken Wildpeak 245/75R16 and they did add spacers on the rear tires. This is not the lift that cut off the rear shocks. Thanks for watching.
The most trail worthy lifts and 4x4 conversions I’ve seen, are from UJoint, in the southern US. They’re work on everything from F-series vans, to Ford based motorhomes looks solid and well thought out. Enjoy your adventures in the rig. 🌲🤙
Thanks, we hope to have many off road adventures.
Hi Owen and Lynn! Glad you got the Ford transit lift sone but so dirty your one tire had to be fixed from the tire monitor reader that that wasn’t working but glad they sent you to a Ford dealership to fix it and that that they’d pay for it when you sent them the bill. Love your fog lights. Very nice! Now you can see good at night!
I think we are going to love the lift and the places it will take us, without me (Lynn) being so worried… and yes Freedomvango was awesome.
Great video! We have been looking to downsize from our large RV to perhaps an Ekko. We are still doing our research and this video definitely helped.
Good luck making that decision. It’s a big one.
Another great video! Great idea to get the lift!
Great video…….with all that bouncing around, how often do you have to check that all things are still secure on the inside (ie cabinets, any attachments, loose screws)? Basically anything that would come loose will all the rocking and rolling?
You have to open all the cabinets very carefully after a ride like that. We weren’t fully packed so that does make things worse sometimes. It can be hard on a vehicle.
Wow what a view! I wonder if my ol Park Avenue would make it lol! That’s really cool that y’all put the lift kit on there, I see lots of adventures ahead!
There will be many more adventures for sure. Thanks for watching.
We’ve enjoyed traveling with you for several years. What caught my attention back when was one of your stays in Anastasia. St Augustine is my hometown and growing up our house is only a mile from the park. I seen many changes in the area but the park is a great addition. I’m thrilled it’s one of your favorites.
Anastasia will always be one of our favorites. Thanks so much for following along.
Great video and what a view on that mountain!! 🥰💕🙏
Looks cool...Happy Trails 🐕
Van Compass is a solid product line for our Winnebago Revel as well. Best in the market.
That is good to hear. Thanks for sharing.
Happy Father’s Day, Owen!!!!!!
Love the stance that it gave you. My wife and I are getting ready to move to Charlotte this Fall and Old NC 105 is on my bucket list. Thanks for another great video.
You will love old NC 105, check out Linville while you are there.
Beautiful Mountain Views!
Looks great. I believe it’s gonna work out great for y’all the places you’ll go and what I really like about it not too high the stance of the echo
Thanks, we appreciate your comment.
Hello again. As I noted below, we took delivery of our EKKO on June 1. We visited Freedom VanGo on July 27 for the 2-inch lift, suspension upgrade, and Falken 225s, then the next day an alignment at Big Chief. We now have the same problem you experienced: one of the tire pressure monitors doesn't work, even after Freedom VanGo replaced it with a new Ford sensor. Question: was your Ford dealer able to resolve that issue? Thanks much for your input.
Wow! Just like our van. Yes Ford was able to replace it and then reset all sensors and it started working.
They told us the faulty one was actually cracked.
Great video! We had the same experience with the lift to our van. So happy we did it!
That is good to hear. So far it’s been a great experience for us too.
Great video.
Are off to some more wild remote camp spots?
Soon our lucky Earth Roamer friends. Heading to Newfoundland in a few weeks. This is a precaution to make sure we can get off road there. 👍❤️
Lift it
Love your down home vlogs...good work!
Thanks, we appreciate you watching.
I love the view of the mountain..
It’s one of favorite places… but we love the mountains.
Do that include the Bilstein’s in the front?
No, we did not.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle if you want someone to do that…my guy in Vegas has done it for several of us now.
I see more dirty roads in the future😂😂
That is for sure. Owen has dirt in his blood.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle 😂😂
Congrats on the new mods..
I’ve texted Freedom Van go several times and haven’t heard anything. I guess they are slammed…
Call and ask to speak to Chris. Tell him we told you to call.
Hint: Sumo shocks will help with the load. We added back and front on our camper van and it helps with the weight. Happy travels
Thanks for sharing.
Glad it worked out for y'all. We just couldn't put our Ekko into my shop here on the property with four more inches of altitude. Already modified the trusses and install a new door. They just ain't no more room in the shop!
Are all y'all home? Let's do lunch at the new Fast Lane in Wilkesboro
You bet. We are home for another few weeks.
Difference in MPG?
Negligible difference as far as we can tell.
With the change in tire diameter is your speedometer off now? Have you found a way to fix it if it is?
Larger diameter tires revolve/spin slower versus smaller diameter tires at a given velocity (speed). If your speedometer (factory spec tires) indicates 60 mph, most non-certified speedometers report speeds at about a 5-8% "exaggeration"...chances are you're really going probably 57 mph. If you're actually moving at at measured speed of 60 mph, your speedometer would indicate 62 or 63 mph. So, if you tire diameter increases by 15%, I'd say that your speedometer indicates 60 mph and you're probably going maybe 61 or perhaps 62 mph. Some mapping apps (such as Waze) report your GPS-estimated speed, and these are generally more accurate versus your non-certified speedometer. (Police vehicles often are equipped with certified speedometers, and if the police vehicle has factory-spec tires of the correct factory spec diameter, the speedometer will report the speed correctly.)
What Robert said! That's an awesome technical answer that neither of us could have provided.
Short answer... Yes, it's now off... as is the MPG calculation. We show less miles traveled per rotation of the tire than we actually travel and the speed shown is 6-8% lower than we're actually going. Fixing it is easy for us. We usually drive 5 above speed limit when rolling on long trips so now we just set it on the speed limit. We also added a rear camera that is attached to the rear mirror and it constantly shows GPS speed so we also have an accurate speed if we need it.
We took delivery of our 2023 EKKO on June 1 and have a late-July appointment with Freedom VanGo for the lift/suspension and fog light upgrade. For the tires, did you go with 225s or 245s? If 245s, did you add spacers for the duallies? Any rubbing/clearance issues? And was an advance appointment necessary for the alignment?
We're subscribers and greatly enjoy your interesting and informative videos... Thanks!
Hey! Congrats! We put the 245s on so we could get the additional 2" of lift from them. We did add the spaces and there's been zero clearance or rubbing. I did check to see if we picked up any straggler rocks between the back two tires after the dirt road adventure and that was all good too. But, if I were you I'd check that after dirt roads too. That can cause some serious issues with tire rub. Thanks for being with us. Let us know how your Ekko journey goes!
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle How much change in your fuel mileage with the 245s?
@@cegray5 Not a definite answer yet. It looks like it may be as much is half a mile per gallon but that may just have been where we were driving and how fast I was driving too.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Thanks for the quick reply ! Forgot to ask..Which rims did you go with and where did you get them? I was watching the video to see but couldn't tell. Thanks again !
@@cegray5 stock rims
$6,000 view
First of many so it gets less expensive with every view 👍
My wife and I are really sooo glad we found your channel; it showed us that in “retirement” what we really needed was not to travel but finally be able to “afford” jobs we liked verses having to do things needed to raise our three kids. We did get a Jeep and we go out every few months but what we really find ourselves enjoying is work we find meaningful vs. merely profitable now that our Pensions & SSN provide us with a base income. We could be retired but not able to have a nice house, an RV “AND” the extra money for travel. Your lifestyle is obviously earned and your enjoying it; but we see many of our couple friends, who are not as financially secure, trying to emulate your lifestyle or continuing to work at high stress & paying jobs in one last attempt to achieve your lifestyle. But nobody seems to take the tack we did which was “downshift” at 62 to less stressful careers which allowed us to postpone SSN past claw back such that, while we’re still working, with the kids launch and moved away, we get to have time together at our home. That was six years ago so hilariously we’re both vested in 2nd Pensions. Keep up the great videos; we like riding along on our “stationary” bikes while looking forward to work tomorrow!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I commend you on what you are doing durning your retirement. We retired early from our corporate jobs so we could chase our dreams… for Owen it was his music. It’s funny where your journey takes you, Owen’s music lead us to be very involved with the homeless, mostly in the Myrtle Beach area and beyond. But the physical strain of playing everyday for many years took it toll and we had to slow down and he eventually stopped. That being said, we didn’t start out where we are today, it’s just a small part of our journey. We retired from our corporate jobs of 35+ years, worked another 10 years and believe it or not it’s a lot of work running a UA-cam channel, which provides us a means to travel. We feel very blessed for the things we get to do and see and for as long as we love what we are doing we will continue to share it. I’m not sure why I felt the need to share more of our story… maybe to justify why we do what we do, or maybe to say we didn’t set out to be doing what we are doing now, it’s be a growing experience and I’m sure we will keep growing and our lives will hopefully keep changing.
Please be assured that my wife & I think how you're spending your retirement is wonderful. Six years ago at age 62 we both thought that's what we'd be doing too. After all what could be better than traveling? But now at 68 I see that was FOMO whispering in our ears. We really liked 42 to 62, our home & our weekends. Especially once the three kids flew off to WA, VT & NC from here in NM. The only problem was we were burning out at our jobs. Then at 62 I stumbled on Greenskeeping and my wife found she could be our town's Librarian Assistant. Not only did these new jobs make us happy but combined with early Pensions we could delay SSN and actually still have more income than when we were working at our old careers. Not a cool retirement but a win/win. And now that we're drawing SSN beyond full-retirement age with no claw back ... well hilariously we're making way more money than our friends who stayed in our old careers "AND" we are way better off than those of our friends who took SSN early combined with their early Pensions. The added benefit to having some of our highest earning years now is that we are doing it while enjoying what essentially have become "new careers"; careers by the way which will allow us between 62 to 82? to replicate the life we loved between 42 and 62 but this time without financial pressure. And for us that was the key. The financial pressure of trying to have fun, while on a fixed income negates the joy of being retired for us. Better to continue working and maybe at 82 take some cool trips. Yes, yes you only live once. But trying to have fun while pinching pennies as you're worried about money is horrible. IMHO better to just re-do 42 to 62; which we already know we'll enjoy between 62 to 82 than attempt something new. And as you mentioned your UA-cam Channel is a ton of work. We don't see folks taking our path. They are either you, trying to be you or wishing they were you. I'd rather us be us; watching you be you. LOL!
The Van Compass lift looks great and I’m looking at a van with one already installed. Thanks for the review.
The lift is really coming in handy on this Canada trip.