I hear you on the Topo. I got my Badlander the beginning of November. I've spent about 30 nights in it so far, over the course of 6-7 trips. It has rained a night or two on every trip. I bought it to have better shelter in adverse weather. It has been 100% worth it!
Some of my best trips have been when plans have failed or trails have been closed. It pushes you to explore longer and deeper. Such a beautiful campsite loved this adventure!
Hey Donald thanks for ride along your video is what this old broken up old needed this morning. Awesome as always what a great way to enjoy my coffee. Thanks Again Donald
Fresh feel to this one. I know you're not big on camping with others but I'm in Eugene too with a 4x4 and looking to get out a few times a month if you ever want to split a remote campsite. Enjoy your content man!
@@softroadingthewestAlso, at least it was a good joke. I could only imagine what would have happened if it was a bad one. Would you have gotten tongue warts?
It's not art, it's mercy for my audience. 😂 11:57 though, _ça, c'est de l'art pur._ Before I clicked on the timestamp of your comment, I assumed that's the clip you were referring to. 😄 But I guess we've already been down that road.
How are the bugs in a place like that Donald? Here in the U.P of Michigan they can be relentless. That stream made me want to wet a 🪱 worm. Thanks for the video. Hope to see you in the Yoop someday.
Another excellent video Don. Hoping at some point in the near future you'll give us a tour of all the improvements you've made to the Topo topper and the Frontier. Looks like you're getting it dialed in. As a Frontier owner, all I can say is: Most inspiring!
Yes, I'm still filming everything I do and will continue posting vlogs of the progress. Between this trip and Expo, I ended up with a glut of content I needed to juggle, but the camper stuff is coming, along with the bumper build video. Thanks for watching!
Hi Donald! Nice vid....great camp site! The Expo was HOT...and I know you don't like the hot weather but did you know this.... I just learned that heat is the deadliest type of weather killing on average twice as many people each year than hurricanes and tornados combined. Now you can hate the heat even more lol....
always love your videos but would really love to see you improve your audio quality. A simple Rode Wireless Go setup and pass through Adobe Audition would do wonders and make the videos even that much more enjoyable! cheers.
I don't mind campgrounds myself, but it's been my experience that, for the most part, people will pull up in two 5th wheels. Etc. And never explore the outdoors. How sad is that. I've always grabbed the first spot that appealed to me otherwise someone else ALWAYS gets it!
Great videos. What mapping system do you use? How do you track roads/trails? Do you use paper maps as well? A video of your system/setup would be cool. Thanks, keep up the good work.
Sorry I missed this question last week. I use Gaia GPS, which allows me to do pre-planning on my computer at home, plot routes, mark waypoints, etc., then all of this populates onto my mobile devices. I pre-download map data onto my iPad while it has internet access at home, then out in the field, the GPS receiver in the iPad is able to show me where I am on those maps. Gaia has many many different types of map layers you can stack, such as public lands overlay, cell signal reception, satellite imagery, historic maps, and much more, although these days I almost exclusively use Gaia's "overland" map which includes roads, forest service trail data, topo lines, and public land status. Gaia offers a free version so you can try it out, though it's 100% worth the $40 a year for the premium subscription.
Yes, I built it myself to fit my specific needs. I have two videos about it. One is just a walk-through showing all the details: ua-cam.com/video/tWJDXzIkP1M/v-deo.html and the other is a much longer sort of build vlog documenting the process: ua-cam.com/video/oLyVboLlFOoh/v-deo.htmlttps://ua-cam.com/video/oLyVboLlFOo/v-deo.html Thanks for watching! :-)
Had an occasion yet to use/need the 10 gall from your jerry cans? Even in SE Oregon, I somehow had enough to refuel but was nervous and planned an extra 5 gall.
Only twice ever have I needed to use my extra fuel, and on two other occasions, I've used my extra fuel to gas someone else up. For the most part, with careful planning, you can usually make it to gas. But there have been plenty of times that I've rolled into the gas station on fumes, and all it would have taken was one washed out road or other some other issue forcing backtracking, and suddenly there would not be enough gas. Fuel is probably the detail I fret over the most, and having extra on board helps me relax and enjoy my expeditions. 😄
Donald , how do you like your mountaineer stove ? When your camera panned past it in the video at first I thought it was the Partner stove but looking closer at it I saw it was the Everest mountaineer. I’m looking at that exact stove , of course I’d rather have the more expensive partner. How do you like it and if you had it to do over would you buy that stove or go for a different one? Thanks
It's a wonderful wonderful stove. It works extremely well, super powerful burners that can also be finessed to the slightest simmer MUCH better than any other camp stove I've ever used. There's room for two good sized pans, and it's so solidly built that I feel like I would never need to buy another camp stove again for the rest of my life. Despite years of use & abuse, even the starter still works, which seems to be a rarity in camp stoves. The one big disadvantage is the size. It's a beast and is not easy to integrate into a compact, efficient overland setup in a small rig. As much as I love it, I'm actually going to move in a different direction for my cooking setup as I build out the camper. I'm still carrying it with me because it's what I have but what you see here is a temporary, interim "kitchen" that will be changing as I complete the build.
@@softroadingthewest well I go and pick up my Hiker trailer in a few weeks and as you know the overland trailers are not big at all . The size of items you bring camping is a big deal , weight too . When a Jeep is involved in pulling something like that weight is a big factor. I will use an old camp stove , it’s a China no name until I figure out which one is for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing how you build out the back of the frontier. Thanks for the feedback
I haven't put that video together yet. It was a long, complicated project and it's going to be a long, complicated video to edit, and I've just been a little too busy to devote the time needed to it and still get it done within a week. It IS coming one day though! 😄
I couldn’t help but notice the exaggerated wear on the inside of your passenger front tire. Is that because the all dogs off-road lift that you got and it’s hard to maintain alignment with those eccentric alignment bolts? Can you please tell me what your alignment status is I’m thinking of taking my Nissan to all dogs off-road for a 2 1/2 inch lift. Thank you.
I'm not sure what you saw (do you have a time stamp I can refer to?) but it's probably simply an artifact of the camera video capture/render. None of my tires have uneven wear. My tire shop has been rotating them every 5,000 miles and see no issues. I just went out to look again with my own eyes and there is no perceptible difference in wear across the front passenger or any other tire. I haven't had it into the alignment shop since the initial alignment after the lift install a year and half ago, but haven't felt any compelling need to do so as the tire shop has not sounded any alarms, so I can't speak to the exact status of my alignment at this very moment, but currently no apparent cause for concern.
@@softroadingthewest 2:13( inside shoulder of the passenger front tire is completely bald and rounded. It may be the camera lighting. I’m certainly not trying to disparage your rig cause unnecessary concern or talk any kind of shit about anything you’re doing I know that lift kits require continuous alignment, and balancing because it is altered from factory that’s all I might be completely wrong about all of this. I enjoy your videos.
@@michaelscott761 No worries. 😄 I assure you, it’s not bald in the least. Unfortunately I can’t post a photo in the comments to show you. What you’re seeing is simply an artifact of the GoPro compression plus UA-cam’s compression smearing the fine details. If you follow me on Instagram, let me know and I’ll post a story showing a close, detailed photo of that tire for you. 🙂
That's troubling. :-( Do you have the bell clicked in addition to Subscribe? The other thing I do (to keep up with my own subscriptions) is regularly click on the Subscriptions button/link, it brings up a feed solely of content released by channels I've subscribed to without the clutter of UA-cam's "suggested" videos. In any case, thank you for watching! :-)
It depends on the conditions and what I'm trying to accomplish with the air down. I generally run 44 psi on pavement. I usually air down to around 25 psi just to cushion the ride for comfort on unpaved roads. If traction is or may become a concern, I'll usually start at 18 psi and see how it goes. In deep soft sand, I usually start at 12 psi and see how it goes.
I've occasionally seen the tiniest trickle come down from the seam in the front window weatherstripping in heavy rain, though not enough to even spill down to the floor...the few times it's happened, a single paper towel cleans it up. The camper assembly itself, tent, etc., no issues. And I've camped through some significant storms buffeted by wind & rain. Also, while not an actual leak per se, the rear hatch is clearly not designed with rain in mind. When I open the rear hatch, any water on the exterior of the hatch drips a little ways into the bed of the truck, and if I leave the rear hatch open while it's raining, it continues to drip water into the very rear of the truck bed. Up here in the PNW, I'm going to need to make a modification of some sort to prevent this as camping in the rain is a regular occurrence for me. :-)
@@softroadingthewest Yes I live in Western WA on the I-5 Corridor as well and have the same concern. I like some of the features of the Super Pacific but it's about $5k more and for what really? Side window pop out air vents that help when it's raining. I think the back tent window of the Mesa should have some kind of pop out awning that can shed rain. I also like the Harker Outdoors EDC but again it's a lot more than a Topo Topper.
@@ronhall9517 Yes. The window where, if you were IN the camper, you would look forward into the cab of the truck and eventually out through the windshield. It is set into the aluminum wall with a rubber seal that surrounds it. The seal is basically one long strip that wraps around the window and loops around to meet itself. The two ends of the seal meet in the middle at the bottom of the window. At that spot, if it's raining pretty good, I'll get a tiny bit of water incursion...I mean, it's like a single teardrop occasionally rolling down the cheek of a guy watching a heartwarming movie and trying not to cry, LOL. I could probably improve the seal but it's such a small amount that I haven't felt compelled to mess with it.
I see you use Spot. We use to use it when it was really the only GPS tracker quite a few years ago, and were really happy with it. Today the reviews are not great. I'd love to return to Spot, but thinking of Zoleo now. Thoughts?
I had the Garmin InReach Mini before, and lost it. It worked fine but I didn't like the interface at all, and was worried about being able to compose a custom message under duress if for whatever reason I couldn't pair it with my phone, so this time around I wanted the keyboard integrated right into the unit, and it's also $100 less than the Garmin...I don't have an infinite stack of hundred dollar bills to throw at these things, LOL. I've only been using the Spot for a month or two so I don't have a huge amount of experience with it, but it has worked to send messages home so I can't complain so far. :-)
Wondering. With all your travels do you have any cryptid stories? or just weird experiences that have happened out in the wild? or just some good camp stories
Great video, Donald. Thank you! Am I mistaken or have we not seen a build video for the rear bumper swingout?? Looking forward to that..if I missed it, please direct me!
You are correct, I have not edited/released that video yet. The bumper was a long, complicated project spanning months of weekends and putting the video together is going to be long & complicated also, LOL, but it is coming one of these days. :-)
HI DONALD 👋 L.O.L. MAYBE GO TO THE AREAS THAT HAVEN'T HAD RAIN IN A WHILE ! THE PLANTS & WILDLIFE WOULD LOVE YOU FOR IT ! NOW YOU KNOW BY NOW SHE DOESN'T LEAK & BE NICE & COZY ❤ GORGEOUS CAMPSITE & BEAUTIFUL SHOT OF THE FISH IN THE STREAM . BET THE WATER FELT SO GOOD 👍 IT'S FUNNY THE FOREST SERVICE DON'T BLOCK THE BACK ROADS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE THEM ! BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! HAVE FUN ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS ON YOUR ADVENTURES 🙏 THANK YOU 🙏 I LIKE THE BACK RACK MOUNTED ON THE BUMPER . DID YOU MAKE A VIDEO 📹 OF IT BEING DONE ? STILL DEBATING ON HOW OR WHERE TO PUT MY NEW SPARE TIRE BECAUSE IT'S TO BIG TO PUT UNDER THE TRUCK LIKE THE ORIGINAL ONE 🤔 NICE SETUP JUST HAVE TO WIPE DOWN FOR A PREP TABLE & LOOKS LIKE THE RIGHT HEIGHT FOR YOU TOO DEPENDING UPON WHERE YOU'RE PARKED .
Hi David, I have not yet edited the video about the rear bumper/swing-out.It was a long, complicated project spanning months of weekends and the video is going to be complicated & time-consuming to edit, so I keep setting it aside. :-) That video WILL be coming one day!
HI DONALD 👋 THAT'S COOL 😎 JUST BE SAFE! HOPE FAMILY & FRIENDS ARE DOING GOOD ! WOKE UP TO A LOT OF NOISE OUTSIDE THE HOUSE 🏠 JUST ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM PASSING THROUGH . HOPEFULLY EVERYONE GETS SOME OUT THERE WAY 🙏 I KNOW THE PLANTS & WILDLIFE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY 😊 PLUS ALL OUR FARMERS TOO ! THANK YOU FOR GETTING BACK TO ME 🙏 SAFE TRAVELS & PROJECTS !
Hi Donald, beautiful video. What have you changed in your audio kit or process though? The audio is…not great. Lots of wind and background noise. I would suggest a fuzzy wind block if using a shotgun style mic, or a lavelier mic even better. Keep it up though. Love your stories.
Same mic as usual with, yes, dead cat fuzzy wind cover. It usually does okay, but I got a little unlucky with the wind direction here or something. I've got some audio equipment upgrades on my radar though, hopefully soon.
Whenever I start encountering locked gates and closed roads I can't help but wonder what happened to make the Forest Service and BLM start arbitrarily closing public lands to the public whenever they feel like doing it. It never used to be this way. And it all started about the same time that rangers and BLM employees started carrying weapons and acting like owners instead of caretakers.
It's because people can't take care of themselves. Land gets destroyed by irresponsible people and garbage gets dumped everywhere. Budget cuts mean fewer employees to cleanbup after the few that can't cleanup after themselves. So problematic areas get closed rather than left to get completely turned into landfills. Some areas do get closed due to damaged/washed-out roads and forest fires since those areas pose a safety risk.
Would be helpful if the name of the forest your are exploring is sub-titled at the bottom of the screen. I know you mentioned the name, but dang if I could understand it😢. Thanks!
Laughed at the blurred out skinny dipping scene. Classic! Thanks again for taking us along on explorations.
For the record, I was actually in swim trunks. But even shirtless needs to be blurred, LOL.
The swing out tailgate looks good. Glad I got to say high briefly at expo PNW
The fakeout was on point!😆
Haha, although I felt like the title and thumbnail of the video was kind of a spoiler on that. 😄
I hear you on the Topo. I got my Badlander the beginning of November. I've spent about 30 nights in it so far, over the course of 6-7 trips. It has rained a night or two on every trip. I bought it to have better shelter in adverse weather. It has been 100% worth it!
My soul needed this today. Thank you for the sharing that absolutlely gorgeous spot!
Ah man in the world of fancy arb mounted compressors it’s nice to see someone else running the viar
Some of my best trips have been when plans have failed or trails have been closed. It pushes you to explore longer and deeper. Such a beautiful campsite loved this adventure!
For sure! Thanks Jared!
What a charming meadow you found. Brings back the innocence of youth in me, daydreaming of a Bambi animation scene.
Thank you for sharing.
Love that spot, I used to hunt and camp out there as a kid
The drone choreography was enchanting.
Hey Donald thanks for ride along your video is what this old broken up old needed this morning. Awesome as always what a great way to enjoy my coffee. Thanks Again Donald
Wouldn't be an adventure w/o weather... Thanks for your video!
Good morning from Godley Texas, another great Saturday morning adventure. Super nice shots of the wildlife in the water. Stay safe and happy travels 😎
Fresh feel to this one. I know you're not big on camping with others but I'm in Eugene too with a 4x4 and looking to get out a few times a month if you ever want to split a remote campsite. Enjoy your content man!
I know exactly where these photo's were taken... All of them..... Wow!
Brother, I do enjoy your videos. I started watching you when you had your Forester. I bought one because of that.
I'm constantly frustrated by closed public forest service roads that were previously open. Closure isn't management.
Well done, please more like this. What a great escape while I sit on my couch in quiet and enjoy my coffee.
glad to see there is no service light on the dash!
Great episode. Best one in a long while.
Donald, you are an artist and these videos are your masterpieces.
Another great vid Donald!
Thanks for the content Donald! Being from FL (with a 2022 frontier) it's nice to escape to the mountains Everytime you post a video!
Glad you're on the road again! I loved the frog shot and you found a great campsite. Take care and be safe.
Thanks Frank!
What a beautiful area, and that campsite... 😍 Wonderful video!
Beautiful work Donald! Your shots are great, beautiful drone work, I enjoyed the contemplative music; thank you for sharing!
Quiet and peaceful 🙂🙏
Great video. I appreciate seeing a variety of the Oregon country side. Keep up the good work.
Looks like a great time! See you on the trails! George.
That frog looked like he was smiling. 🐸
I had just told him a pretty good joke.
@@softroadingthewest 😂😂😂
@@softroadingthewestAlso, at least it was a good joke. I could only imagine what would have happened if it was a bad one. Would you have gotten tongue warts?
Nice views and lovely camp site
That campsite was awesome! A total gem. You even had your own little beach.
Hard to beat that creekside spot! Nice video!
Excellent adventure.
Great video, Mahalo for sharing.
what a vibrant, lush, beautiful valley you found to camp in!
Very beautiful video and awesome content and the music 👍🏽 awesome job don! Throughly enjoyed this vid
Heck yeah buddy!
What an absolutely beautiful spot! As always, amazing video Donald. Thank you for sharing!
I would have opted for the creekside spot as well.
Beautiful Donald, awesome spot, you have a great voice for narration, lov the channel 😀 ❤️
Thank you Donald for the wonderful video. Keep up the great work.😎👍
That's a beautiful part of the state. I love it out there. Cheers!
Nice videos, Donald. I’d be interested in seeing your post-trip breakdown and stowaway routine.
11:23, very artistic.
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
It's not art, it's mercy for my audience. 😂
11:57 though, _ça, c'est de l'art pur._ Before I clicked on the timestamp of your comment, I assumed that's the clip you were referring to. 😄 But I guess we've already been down that road.
@@softroadingthewest La ribbit.
How are the bugs in a place like that Donald? Here in the U.P of Michigan they can be relentless. That stream made me want to wet a 🪱 worm. Thanks for the video.
Hope to see you in the Yoop someday.
Drone footage adds a lot!
Another great video, that area is a great spot to explore I always see something new over there
Great video, love the public land system ye got in place. Stunning.
Another excellent video Don. Hoping at some point in the near future you'll give us a tour of all the improvements you've made to the Topo topper and the Frontier. Looks like you're getting it dialed in. As a Frontier owner, all I can say is: Most inspiring!
Yes, I'm still filming everything I do and will continue posting vlogs of the progress. Between this trip and Expo, I ended up with a glut of content I needed to juggle, but the camper stuff is coming, along with the bumper build video. Thanks for watching!
Love your videos,keep exploring for me,thanks!
Looks beautiful!
I'd love to go camping with you in my Xterra. such similar vehicles, but quite different as well!
Great video! Love the scenery and editing.
Love your videography, keep up the amazing work 🎉
Your acting is getting better. I definitely thought someone had taken that campsite haha, you got me.
Would love to find that spot! Awesome content. Keep it coming !
Nice one!
Hi Donald! Nice vid....great camp site! The Expo was HOT...and I know you don't like the hot weather but did you know this.... I just learned that heat is the deadliest type of weather killing on average twice as many people each year than hurricanes and tornados combined. Now you can hate the heat even more lol....
Lone dude, desert, music, i am getting mandalorian vibes.
Next time I'll bring my mandolin for some mandalorian mandolin vibes.
@@softroadingthewest Just get a baby Yoda for the dash😆
always love your videos but would really love to see you improve your audio quality. A simple Rode Wireless Go setup and pass through Adobe Audition would do wonders and make the videos even that much more enjoyable! cheers.
Agreed. It's on the shopping list. Hoping to be able to make that upgrade at some point this year.
Some of those roads were blocked off to prevent supporters from bringing in supplies during the siege a few years ago. Crazy story.
I don't mind campgrounds myself, but it's been my experience that, for the most part, people will pull up in two 5th wheels. Etc. And never explore the outdoors.
How sad is that.
I've always grabbed the first spot that appealed to me otherwise someone else ALWAYS gets it!
Great videos. What mapping system do you use? How do you track roads/trails? Do you use paper maps as well? A video of your system/setup would be cool. Thanks, keep up the good work.
Gaia is a great one. You download areas before you get out to where you're exploring. I believe it's only $40 per year too.
Sorry I missed this question last week. I use Gaia GPS, which allows me to do pre-planning on my computer at home, plot routes, mark waypoints, etc., then all of this populates onto my mobile devices. I pre-download map data onto my iPad while it has internet access at home, then out in the field, the GPS receiver in the iPad is able to show me where I am on those maps. Gaia has many many different types of map layers you can stack, such as public lands overlay, cell signal reception, satellite imagery, historic maps, and much more, although these days I almost exclusively use Gaia's "overland" map which includes roads, forest service trail data, topo lines, and public land status. Gaia offers a free version so you can try it out, though it's 100% worth the $40 a year for the premium subscription.
Awesome, Thank you for the info.@@softroadingthewest
Also, what creek or river were you driving along with the rimrock?
Any idea why so many of the roads were blocked off?
do you have a video on the swing out rack? pretty cool looks like its secured t othe bumper and is not a hitch version..is it homemade? ty!
Yes, I built it myself to fit my specific needs. I have two videos about it. One is just a walk-through showing all the details:
ua-cam.com/video/tWJDXzIkP1M/v-deo.html
and the other is a much longer sort of build vlog documenting the process:
ua-cam.com/video/oLyVboLlFOoh/v-deo.htmlttps://ua-cam.com/video/oLyVboLlFOo/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching! :-)
@@softroadingthewest cool thank you!
I have a friend in OR. She said if you won't do stuff in the rain, you won't do stuff, lol.
Haha, absolutely. 😄
Had an occasion yet to use/need the 10 gall from your jerry cans? Even in SE Oregon, I somehow had enough to refuel but was nervous and planned an extra 5 gall.
Only twice ever have I needed to use my extra fuel, and on two other occasions, I've used my extra fuel to gas someone else up. For the most part, with careful planning, you can usually make it to gas. But there have been plenty of times that I've rolled into the gas station on fumes, and all it would have taken was one washed out road or other some other issue forcing backtracking, and suddenly there would not be enough gas. Fuel is probably the detail I fret over the most, and having extra on board helps me relax and enjoy my expeditions. 😄
Nice video. What was the name of the lake and campground you showed.
Donald , how do you like your mountaineer stove ? When your camera panned past it in the video at first I thought it was the Partner stove but looking closer at it I saw it was the Everest mountaineer. I’m looking at that exact stove , of course I’d rather have the more expensive partner. How do you like it and if you had it to do over would you buy that stove or go for a different one? Thanks
It's a wonderful wonderful stove. It works extremely well, super powerful burners that can also be finessed to the slightest simmer MUCH better than any other camp stove I've ever used. There's room for two good sized pans, and it's so solidly built that I feel like I would never need to buy another camp stove again for the rest of my life. Despite years of use & abuse, even the starter still works, which seems to be a rarity in camp stoves.
The one big disadvantage is the size. It's a beast and is not easy to integrate into a compact, efficient overland setup in a small rig. As much as I love it, I'm actually going to move in a different direction for my cooking setup as I build out the camper. I'm still carrying it with me because it's what I have but what you see here is a temporary, interim "kitchen" that will be changing as I complete the build.
@@softroadingthewest well I go and pick up my Hiker trailer in a few weeks and as you know the overland trailers are not big at all . The size of items you bring camping is a big deal , weight too . When a Jeep is involved in pulling something like that weight is a big factor. I will use an old camp stove , it’s a China no name until I figure out which one is for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing how you build out the back of the frontier. Thanks for the feedback
Great video Donald! I love the music. Did you have a video of the bumper completion? Did I miss it somehow?
I haven't put that video together yet. It was a long, complicated project and it's going to be a long, complicated video to edit, and I've just been a little too busy to devote the time needed to it and still get it done within a week. It IS coming one day though! 😄
I couldn’t help but notice the exaggerated wear on the inside of your passenger front tire. Is that because the all dogs off-road lift that you got and it’s hard to maintain alignment with those eccentric alignment bolts? Can you please tell me what your alignment status is I’m thinking of taking my Nissan to all dogs off-road for a 2 1/2 inch lift. Thank you.
I'm not sure what you saw (do you have a time stamp I can refer to?) but it's probably simply an artifact of the camera video capture/render. None of my tires have uneven wear. My tire shop has been rotating them every 5,000 miles and see no issues. I just went out to look again with my own eyes and there is no perceptible difference in wear across the front passenger or any other tire. I haven't had it into the alignment shop since the initial alignment after the lift install a year and half ago, but haven't felt any compelling need to do so as the tire shop has not sounded any alarms, so I can't speak to the exact status of my alignment at this very moment, but currently no apparent cause for concern.
@@softroadingthewest 2:13( inside shoulder of the passenger front tire is completely bald and rounded. It may be the camera lighting. I’m certainly not trying to disparage your rig cause unnecessary concern or talk any kind of shit about anything you’re doing I know that lift kits require continuous alignment, and balancing because it is altered from factory that’s all I might be completely wrong about all of this. I enjoy your videos.
@@michaelscott761 No worries. 😄 I assure you, it’s not bald in the least. Unfortunately I can’t post a photo in the comments to show you. What you’re seeing is simply an artifact of the GoPro compression plus UA-cam’s compression smearing the fine details. If you follow me on Instagram, let me know and I’ll post a story showing a close, detailed photo of that tire for you. 🙂
👌
Can you give coordinates for where you camped? I know you were out near Delintment Lake.
YT is not alerting me when new videos are published like they are supposed to, it seems, at least for me.
That's troubling. :-( Do you have the bell clicked in addition to Subscribe? The other thing I do (to keep up with my own subscriptions) is regularly click on the Subscriptions button/link, it brings up a feed solely of content released by channels I've subscribed to without the clutter of UA-cam's "suggested" videos. In any case, thank you for watching! :-)
Yes I have the ALL selected. This happens with several channels lately.
Donald, what PSI do you air down to?
It depends on the conditions and what I'm trying to accomplish with the air down. I generally run 44 psi on pavement. I usually air down to around 25 psi just to cushion the ride for comfort on unpaved roads. If traction is or may become a concern, I'll usually start at 18 psi and see how it goes. In deep soft sand, I usually start at 12 psi and see how it goes.
Donald any issues or concerns with your topper? Leaks anywhere? Thank you for sharing your adventures.
I've occasionally seen the tiniest trickle come down from the seam in the front window weatherstripping in heavy rain, though not enough to even spill down to the floor...the few times it's happened, a single paper towel cleans it up. The camper assembly itself, tent, etc., no issues. And I've camped through some significant storms buffeted by wind & rain.
Also, while not an actual leak per se, the rear hatch is clearly not designed with rain in mind. When I open the rear hatch, any water on the exterior of the hatch drips a little ways into the bed of the truck, and if I leave the rear hatch open while it's raining, it continues to drip water into the very rear of the truck bed. Up here in the PNW, I'm going to need to make a modification of some sort to prevent this as camping in the rain is a regular occurrence for me. :-)
@@softroadingthewest Thank you I am ordering a Mesa for my Ram in Feb pick up in April
@@softroadingthewest Yes I live in Western WA on the I-5 Corridor as well and have the same concern. I like some of the features of the Super Pacific but it's about $5k more and for what really? Side window pop out air vents that help when it's raining. I think the back tent window of the Mesa should have some kind of pop out awning that can shed rain. I also like the Harker Outdoors EDC but again it's a lot more than a Topo Topper.
Donald when you say front window do you mean the cab side window - rear view mirror window?
@@ronhall9517 Yes. The window where, if you were IN the camper, you would look forward into the cab of the truck and eventually out through the windshield. It is set into the aluminum wall with a rubber seal that surrounds it. The seal is basically one long strip that wraps around the window and loops around to meet itself. The two ends of the seal meet in the middle at the bottom of the window. At that spot, if it's raining pretty good, I'll get a tiny bit of water incursion...I mean, it's like a single teardrop occasionally rolling down the cheek of a guy watching a heartwarming movie and trying not to cry, LOL. I could probably improve the seal but it's such a small amount that I haven't felt compelled to mess with it.
I see you use Spot. We use to use it when it was really the only GPS tracker quite a few years ago, and were really happy with it. Today the reviews are not great. I'd love to return to Spot, but thinking of Zoleo now.
Thoughts?
I had the Garmin InReach Mini before, and lost it. It worked fine but I didn't like the interface at all, and was worried about being able to compose a custom message under duress if for whatever reason I couldn't pair it with my phone, so this time around I wanted the keyboard integrated right into the unit, and it's also $100 less than the Garmin...I don't have an infinite stack of hundred dollar bills to throw at these things, LOL.
I've only been using the Spot for a month or two so I don't have a huge amount of experience with it, but it has worked to send messages home so I can't complain so far. :-)
Wondering. With all your travels do you have any cryptid stories? or just weird experiences that have happened out in the wild? or just some good camp stories
Great video, Donald. Thank you! Am I mistaken or have we not seen a build video for the rear bumper swingout?? Looking forward to that..if I missed it, please direct me!
You are correct, I have not edited/released that video yet. The bumper was a long, complicated project spanning months of weekends and putting the video together is going to be long & complicated also, LOL, but it is coming one of these days. :-)
😊👍🏼
HI DONALD 👋
L.O.L.
MAYBE GO TO THE AREAS THAT HAVEN'T HAD RAIN IN A WHILE ! THE PLANTS & WILDLIFE WOULD LOVE YOU FOR IT !
NOW YOU KNOW BY NOW SHE DOESN'T LEAK & BE NICE & COZY ❤ GORGEOUS CAMPSITE & BEAUTIFUL SHOT OF THE FISH IN THE STREAM . BET THE WATER FELT SO GOOD 👍 IT'S FUNNY THE FOREST SERVICE DON'T BLOCK THE BACK ROADS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE THEM ! BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! HAVE FUN ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS ON YOUR ADVENTURES 🙏 THANK YOU 🙏
I LIKE THE BACK RACK MOUNTED ON THE BUMPER . DID YOU MAKE A VIDEO 📹 OF IT BEING DONE ? STILL DEBATING ON HOW OR WHERE TO PUT MY NEW SPARE TIRE BECAUSE IT'S TO BIG TO PUT UNDER THE TRUCK LIKE THE ORIGINAL ONE 🤔 NICE SETUP JUST HAVE TO WIPE DOWN FOR A PREP TABLE & LOOKS LIKE THE RIGHT HEIGHT FOR YOU TOO DEPENDING UPON WHERE YOU'RE PARKED .
Hi David, I have not yet edited the video about the rear bumper/swing-out.It was a long, complicated project spanning months of weekends and the video is going to be complicated & time-consuming to edit, so I keep setting it aside. :-) That video WILL be coming one day!
HI DONALD 👋
THAT'S COOL 😎 JUST BE SAFE! HOPE FAMILY & FRIENDS ARE DOING GOOD ! WOKE UP TO A LOT OF NOISE OUTSIDE THE HOUSE 🏠 JUST ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM PASSING THROUGH . HOPEFULLY EVERYONE GETS SOME OUT THERE WAY 🙏 I KNOW THE PLANTS & WILDLIFE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY 😊 PLUS ALL OUR FARMERS TOO ! THANK YOU FOR GETTING BACK TO ME 🙏 SAFE TRAVELS & PROJECTS !
Hi Donald, beautiful video. What have you changed in your audio kit or process though? The audio is…not great. Lots of wind and background noise. I would suggest a fuzzy wind block if using a shotgun style mic, or a lavelier mic even better. Keep it up though. Love your stories.
Same mic as usual with, yes, dead cat fuzzy wind cover. It usually does okay, but I got a little unlucky with the wind direction here or something. I've got some audio equipment upgrades on my radar though, hopefully soon.
@@softroadingthewest That is wild. Keep up with the amazing stories. I can just hope to follow down the trail behind you…video-making wise.
You might want to consider using NVIDIA Broadcast to remove some of the background noise from your videos.
Gotta wonder why the forest service is blocking taxpayer's roads. 😡
probably to protect those areas for some reason. sometimes the taxpayers overuse certain areas and they need time to recover.
Maybe to keep people from dumping their garbage on public land.
unsafe to proceed down. Depending on where may have been a burned area. alot of reasons actually
Whenever I start encountering locked gates and closed roads I can't help but wonder what happened to make the Forest Service and BLM start arbitrarily closing public lands to the public whenever they feel like doing it. It never used to be this way. And it all started about the same time that rangers and BLM employees started carrying weapons and acting like owners instead of caretakers.
Perhaps because the public treated the areas with such disregard?
It's because people can't take care of themselves. Land gets destroyed by irresponsible people and garbage gets dumped everywhere. Budget cuts mean fewer employees to cleanbup after the few that can't cleanup after themselves. So problematic areas get closed rather than left to get completely turned into landfills. Some areas do get closed due to damaged/washed-out roads and forest fires since those areas pose a safety risk.
Would be helpful if the name of the forest your are exploring is sub-titled at the bottom of the screen. I know you mentioned the name, but dang if I could understand it😢. Thanks!
Malheur 🙂
Thanks!
yeah, its a beautiful area, isn't it?
You're lucky to be living is such beautiful back country land! Do you carry a chainsaw with you? Nice trip! Gracias
I carry a chainsaw, yes, and it has proven itself useful countless times. :-)