Built Not Bought: Discovering Ourselves and Our Gear on the Road
The planning of this trip had been in the works for some time now. It was researched, files were made, plans established, places to be visited were compiled and edited, and time off was scheduled. It could not get here fast enough. Time was not flying and I did not like that part of life. The part of life I did like, though, was that, we did our thing, went about our business of everyday life and the time finally arrived. The day was here and it was time to leave.
We had never prepared for anything like we had prepared for this. We had picked out and packed clothes five days ago. We had food prepped and ready. I had worked tirelessly to outfit a kitchen and storage in the back of the newly purchased, and not yet kitted out, Subaru Forester. We were ready, actually over ready and couldn’t be happier that the time was here for us to depart and head north to escape the hot Arkansas summer.
We loaded the dog (PJ, the Frenchie. It is short for Petit Jean which is French and the place where my wife and I met. Perfect, huh?), finished loading the last of the items we would be taking, plugged in South Haven, Michigan to the Apple Maps, and pulled out of the driveway. We were off. My wife giggled with excitement. We had waited so many months for this extended vacation that she almost couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. I was giddy as well. For the next 5 weeks, we would be traveling from Arkansas to Michigan and spending a few days at the family house. After leaving PJ with my sister-in-law, we would venture up into the Upper Peninsula to backpack 44 miles along the North Country Trail at Pictured Rocks National Seashore. After finishing that up, we would head back to South Haven for a few days (taking much needed showers and recovering), then heading east to Niagara Falls through Canada, then on to Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania and then wherever else we wanted before heading back to pick up the pup and then home. It would be epic, shattering our previous record of the thirteen-state adventure last summer on our honeymoon.
So many miles in such a short time. What would we do? How would we pass the time? We listen to the radio occasionally. Music while traveling is not really our thing. We enjoy the quiet. Although we do like the comedy channels on XM Radio to breakup the monotony and get a laugh sometimes. We talk a lot. We like to get to know each other and learn more about the other and make future plans. That is really our thing. Coming up with questions, topics and interesting figments of our deep selves is pretty easy for the most part, but like most things, a little spur in the thinking never hurts. It is like a kick in the pants. An alarm clock to get you out of the comfort zone and send you into informational orbit.
We found what we needed…Radio Chatter.
We were on about mile 600 (ish…heck I can’t keep up) and she pulled out the Radio Chatter cards I had conveniently packed inside the passenger side door where she sits. She began asking me questions like “what is the one thing you wish you had brought on the trip?” and “what is the one thing you wish you had left home?” These questions were somewhat trivial at the time because of the nature of our trip. We would be encountering every season through the course of this trip. There were some things I had not needed yet and a few that I had packed in my backpack and carried 44 miles that I never used (you are never more regretful about bringing something with you than when you pack it, carry it on your back for over 40 miles, and never use it), and other things that were in the vehicle that we hadn’t had the opportunity to use due to the fact that the overlanding, picnicking, camping part of our trip hadn’t even begun yet.
We went on and drove hundreds more miles, stopped at Niagara Falls, endured countless miles of road construction through Toronto and skirted past Montreal on our way back to the border, heading to Maine. She had napped. We had talked about what we had accomplished already and the things we had seen on the trip so far in such a short time. The beauty of South Haven and the blessing of having a family summer home there to chill out and just relax in our home away from home. Backpacking 44 miles at Pictured Rocks National Seashore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Seeing one of the most amazing sights at Niagara Falls and how it totally blew our minds that the water never ran out.
We now had another 1200 miles to the east coast of Maine and had countless hours of talk time in. Again, she reached down and brought out the Radio Chatter Cards. “Ready for more getting to know you time?” “Yep, she countered.” She flipped open the deck and asked me the most intriguing question yet. This one was the one. This one hit home. This one made me sit up in the seat and let the words fly. It rang true within me like no other question since we left home 1800 miles ago…
“This one was the one. This one hit home.”
“What piece of gear has worked better than expected?”
Oh my goodness, did I ever have an answer to this. I started my lifestyle of Overlanding many years ago. Car camping has always been something I have done. Way before the term “Overlanding” landed in the United States and people were debating on social media Day after day, one trying to instill upon everyone else what they believe the proper definition to be, I was sleeping inside, outside and beside my vehicle. Whatever vehicle it was, I was there. I just loved camping and the outdoors. That was where my happy place was. What changed everything for me…the GEAR.
The gear that transplanted itself to the United States from South Africa and Australia brought a completely different twist to car camping or vehicle-based travel. Back in the day we had never heard of a rooftop tent, or even thought of putting a kitchen inside of a vehicle or anything that pulled out, opened up or packed away in a small space. It was designed to make life easier for those who chose to venture out for long periods of time.
It was amazing. I was glued to the screen of my laptop each day researching, pondering and sketching out schematics of what I thought I could fit and include into my now “overlanding rig.” Since my rig was a Toyota FJ Cruiser, I had to be creative. Two people and a dog along with fitting everything I wanted into such a small space would take creative genius. I wanted to buy it all but there were two problems: space and money. Very little space to work with and the high cost of gear that became insanely popular overnight. Although I am decent with my hands, I am not by any means a fabricator, wood worker or mechanic. This meant I had to go slow, methodically taking my time, and measuring not twice, but three times. I had to plan, mapping out where each piece would go, how it would work and how it would all tie together. I had to think hard, to the point of headaches, figuring out how different items could be used with more than one purpose, and only the things that were necessary to live. The others would not fit. I had to make room.
I responded to her question with a resounding, confident answer… “anything that I have made myself. Those are the pieces of gear that I am the most surprised that worked better than expected!” We both laughed. I was serious. When COVID-19 hit in 2020 I had a week off work to do whatever I needed to do around the house. I had some extra plywood laying around and so I started what I had wanted to do for years – create more usable room and storage space in the rear of the FJ Cruiser by removing the rear seats, doing a rear seat delete, and building a platform. On top of the platform, gear could be stacked neatly and organized. Beneath the platform would be storage. I worked for 4 days straight, cutting, forming, shaping and painting. It all came together into a platform and storage space I still use today. Inside the storage space I added an eight-gallon water tank. It has proven to be one of the things, when done, I said to myself, “this is so much better than I ever thought it would be!”
In 2022, after a fifteen-day trip to NM, CO and WY, I took out a drawer in the rear and created a three stage pull out drawer complete with stove (where I could also store the stove), and sink with on demand running water. It took me several days and tearing the drawer apart at least five times. When I finished, I jumped up and down, did a video, and told everyone about my creation claiming, “you are not going to believe this! It actually is perfect!”
My wife looked at me and stated, “I am shocked about the fridge slide you re-created for the Subaru!” I had worked so hard in making a kitchen for this trip. I had found some parts and had ordered them. It was a pre-made cheap kitchen from Amazon. I had measured and knew it would fit. I had also ordered a fridge slide to go with our tiny IceCo fridge we had purchase to install on top of the kitchen unit in order to maximize space. When I received the fridge slide it was 4-5 inches too long to fit in the space provided (between the rear hatch and the back seat). I had not allowed for the lean of the seat. I debated about what to do. I looked on Amazon and found drawer slides exactly like what was on the unit but 5 inches shorter. I ordered them and they arrived in a few days. I then took apart the fridge slide unit (which also has another slide for a cutting board), and cut it down to the size that would fit. I then drilled the holes and installed the shorter drawer slides onto the unit, put it all back together and bolted it down to the kitchen unit. It was perfect!
Thinking on these things and a few others, including how I was able to create a platform on the rear floor of the back of the Soobie for everything to bolt to without having to drill through the floor (drilling through the floor of a brand-new vehicle kind of made me sick to my stomach), put a smile on my face. It was a sense of pride and joy that gave me a sense of accomplishment. It instilled in me a confidence that if I think long and hard, take my time, ask for advice among friends, and put my mind to something, I can do it. No, I am not an engineer, fabricator or wood worker, but I can figure things out and make them work.
“We are hitting the road again, babe. Go ahead, pull out those cards. I’m ready for the next question!”
“Built not bought” is a common term among Overlanders. It is a pride thing, but it is also where people can say, “I can come up with this on my own without having to pay extravagant prices for some things.” I have many things on my rig that are bought. My rooftop tent, rack, fridge, awning, communications, and so many more are bought. I had to invest and I wanted to invest in good quality gear. Not having to worry about some things makes you sleep better at night. Then there are some things that I have built. I have made with my own two hands. I have come up with the idea. I have spent the time and invested in my rig. That makes it my own. That makes it a small picture of me. That makes it so much more special.
“What piece(s) of gear has worked better than expected?” That started the smiles and the smiles continued the rest of the day and onward into the next. We have many more states and miles on this trip to cover. We have many more trips planned in the future. I have no idea how it will go in the end, or how everything will work out. I do know this, right now it is all perfect, and the smile on my face and the joy I have from knowing what I have done to make this trip easier and more enjoyable was worth every penny and every minute.
We are hitting the road again, babe. Go ahead, pull out those cards. I’m ready for the next question!
