Category Travel

Feb 4 2026

My 2025-2026 Recap:

I’m Exhausted, You’re Jealous, and My Laundry is Never Getting Done

I’d love to tell you I’ve been “reflecting” or “practicing mindfulness” lately, but the truth is I’ve just been a vagabond with a passport and a death wish for my bank account. My 2025 was less of a “calendar year” and more of a high-speed chase across three continents.

I am officially so far behind on my travel blogging that 2025 is practically vintage history at this point. Because my brain is as scrambled as an airport breakfast, I’ll be tackling these posts in reverse chronological order. We’re starting with the fresh 2026 Japan powder-fest and working our way back to the beginning of my 2025 mid-life-crisis-on-wheels.

Here is the “highlight” reel of the chaos I’m currently sorting through:

  • Nagano
  • Cross Country near Cypress Mountain
  • Cross Country Sun Peaks
  • Greg Skiing Revelstoke
  • TMB-La Fouly
  • TMB-Trient
  • Zermatt-Matterhorn
  • St. Moritz-Corvatsch
  • Greg meeting friends while biking in Lusanne
  • Biking around Lake Geneva
  • Biking down Canal du Midi
  • After Camping on the CDA Rails to Trails
  • Lake Chelan Biking
  • Archaia Messini in Greece
  • Mycenae-Greece
  • Togakushi Criss Country Skiing through Ancient Cedars and Shrines
  • Myoko- Lottee Aria Resort

1. Japan Alps (The 2026 Kick-off)

Three weeks of “Japow.” I’ll be honest: North America has some explaining to do. After experiencing the culinary majesty and the space-age, heated-seat glory of Japanese bathrooms, returning to a standard Western stall felt like moving back into a cave. I’m not sure if I’m here for the skiing or the bidets anymore.

2. The “Chasing Snow” Odyssey

A frantic blur through Revelstoke, Sun Peaks, Cypress, Snoqualmie, Crystal, Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo, Rossland, Lake Louise, and Banff. I’ll be reviewing both downhill and cross-country options, plus where to eat. Fair warning: After Japan, my “food suggestions” for the PNW and Canada mostly consist of me crying into a $22 lukewarm burger and mourning the lack of quality ramen. USA and Canada have a lot of work to do to meet the Japan Alps standard of “civilized living.”

3. Greece: Ruins and Olive Oil

A full month of touring. I’ll give you the rundown on the best ruins and the most charmingly run-down villages. I’ve realized I am now 85% olive oil by volume. If you need a review of which ancient rock is the best rock, I’ve got you covered.

4. Tour de Mont Blanc (The “Knee-Capper”)

We didn’t bike this one; we hiked it. Or rather, we subjected our patellas to a specialized form of torture. Highlight? Experiencing rain, snow, sleet, and hail all in a single 24-hour window. If you enjoy downhill knee pain and existential dread, this post is for you.

5. European Waterways: The Swiss “Flat” Lie

  • Lake Geneva: You’d think a lake perimeter would be, you know, level. The Swiss disagree. They love taking you off-track and straight up ridges and “mini” mountains just to ensure your legs never stop screaming.
  • Canal du Midi: A lovely ride, provided you can actually find the trail. Stay tuned for the mystery of the “Disappearing Path.”

6. Stateside Scenery: Smoke and Soaked Tents

  • Lake Chelan & The Cascades Bike Club: This club is not for the faint of heart. They take great pleasure in routing you up steep canyons while forest fires actively try to smoke you out like a stubborn ham.
  • Coeur d’Alene Rails to Trails: Our foray into bike camping! It was supposed to be majestic. Instead, we spent our first night huddled in the pouring rain, questioning every life choice that led us to sleeping on the ground in a deluge. Turns out, “adventure” is just a fancy word for “being wet and miserable in a scenic location.”

Why am I back here?

I’ll admit, I got lazy and pivoted to the “instant gratification” of Instagram and Facebook Reels. But then a few of my devoted fans (bless your hearts) pointed out that social media is where good content goes to die—buried by an algorithm or lost in a feed within 24 hours. They said it was a shame that my “unique perspective” (read: snarky complaining) would disappear into the digital void.

So, I’m back to blogging. Because you deserve more than a 15-second clip of me falling in the snow—you deserve the full, long-form story of how I got there.

Stay tuned while I sift through several thousand photos. Or don’t. I’ll probably be halfway to the next trailhead by the time I hit “publish” anyway. You will want to hear all about my food reviews in Japan-so stay tuned….

Oct 6 2025

🚐🔥 Amazon Prime Deal Days: Van Life Edition!

It’s that magical time of year again—Amazon Prime Deal Days are here! 🎉 Starting tomorrow, October 7th and 8th, the deals are rolling in hot, and we’ve rounded up our favorite van and bike camping essentials that are tried, tested, and totally loved. Whether you’re gearing up for winter camping or getting a jump on Christmas gifts (yes, it’s already that time), we’ve got you covered.

After fully transitioning from our trusty truck camper to our beloved Storyteller Mode LT Transit van—aka Goldilocks—we’ve spent a full year chasing seasons and soaking up the van life. Spoiler alert: she’s just right. We’ll gush about her in another blog, but today, let’s talk gear.

🧺 Van Life = Organized Life

When you’re living in a tiny space for months at a time, organization isn’t just helpful—it’s survival. We’ve tested everything from clunky plastic bins to heavy metal cabinets, and finally found our groove with these soft trunk organizers. They’re lightweight, easy to move, and roomy enough for everything from packaged food to our Berkey water filter.

These felt containers are our go-to for sundries, first aid, cooking gear, and snacks. They keep everything snug and rattle-free in the cabinets. And don’t get us started on these cabinet hooks—they’re the unsung heroes of van organization.

This paper towel rack is a van essential. Pro tip: add a clothespin to the end so your roll doesn’t unravel while driving. Trust us, it works.

We tag our bikes, bags, and anything we can’t afford to lose with Apple Airtags. Peace of mind, always. And when winter rolls in, this compact space heater keeps us cozy without overworking the van’s heating system.  The first one we saw that has many great reviews and wish we got, the second we have its trusty, dependable and pretty inexpensive. 

If you are like us and just not ready to pay for Starlink, we find our t-mobile with the Weboost we get reception in almost everywhere. A also nice for winter camping is this Southwest sherpa blanket it brightens up the space and is a nice snuggle for your bed. So you’re not fighting over it we like the 60×80 size and have twin Pendleton blankets with duvets on them.

🚲 Bike Touring Must-Haves

We’ve been pedaling through some epic bike tours lately, and these storage organizers are a game-changer. They fit perfectly in panniers and your van cabinets, keeping clothes and gear neat and accessible.  These are our favorite panniers waterproof, durable and on sale! Navigate trails and snap pics on the go with this sturdy bike phone holder. It’s a small upgrade that makes a big difference.  If bike camping or in the van, that late night relief you need to see, these rechargeables are great head lamps.

We’ve included some shots of us using these items in action—because nothing beats gear that’s been road-tested by real vanlifers. Hope these picks help you save a few bucks and make your adventures smoother, warmer, and more organized.  Happy Deal Days and even happier trails! We will be back for Christmas must haves soon. 🏕️🚴‍♂️🎁

  • Panniers
  • Hooks, Towel Rack
  • storage containers
  • Trunk Organizer
  • camp towels for drying dishes, hands and body.
  • We boost
  • inside organizer
Apr 27 2024

Overland Explorer Camp M Review

After an incredible 2.5 years of traveling to National Parks, Monuments, and boondocking sites across the nation, we’re excited to share our experiences with the OVE Camp-M (now known as the Backcountry) lightweight overlanding truck camper. Let’s dive into what makes this camper great and where there’s room for improvement.

The Journey Begins

Our adventure started when we picked up our Camp-M camper from Big Sky RV (Bozeman, MT) in June 2021. As early adopters of the new version with an over-the-cab bed, we were eager to hit the road and explore.

Why We Chose the Camp-M and Toyota Tacoma Combo

Having previously traveled in the Winnebago Boldt for 1.5 years (and dealing with 13 rounds of fixes), we knew we wanted something simpler, smaller, and more durable. Enter the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck paired with the Camp-M camper. Here’s why we love this combination:

  1. Durability: The Tacoma Off Road variant is a rugged companion, built for off-road adventures. Its narrow body allows us to explore even the most challenging terrain. The Camp-M is made from extruded aluminum, the interior is clean and tough.
  2. Comfort: The Tacoma’s interior is surprisingly comfortable, making long drives enjoyable. Plus, the quiet cabin ensures a peaceful journey. The Camp-M
  3. Off-Grid Capabilities: The Camp-M is designed for off-grid living. With its composite construction (extruded in one piece to prevent leaks), we can confidently camp in remote locations.
  4. Winter Camping: Thanks to the Camp-M’s insulation and thoughtful design, winter camping is a breeze. No more shivering nights!

If you’ve never heard of OEV, they’re a branch of LITE Industries Inc., from Alberta, Canada, with a knack for turning any old pickup truck into a mobile home suitable for off-grid travels and life. The campers they produce are completed from composites, extruded in one piece to ensure no leaks and tailored to fit mid-size beds from 5 feet (1.53 meters) to 6 feet (1.83 meters) in length.

We got the Toyota Tacoma TRD Dual Cab with a 6-foot bed. When driving the camper closed with dimensions 122″Lx77″Wx61″H closed and a nice 83″H when open for camping. The interior dimensions when open while camping is 118″L x 72.75″Wx81″H making it comfortable for those as tall as 6’6″. The dry weight is only 925 pounds! The 2021 OEV Camp-M has 20-gallons of freshwater capacity, and no grey tank just empties out the side we just put a collapsible bucket and use Dr. Bronner’s soap when doing dishes and washing hands so it is okay for the environment if boondocking, if at a campground you just can pour out at the kitchen waste disposal. As you all know, we would much rather boondock and go off the beaten path than go to a campground, so we wanted something that could handle a week off the grid.

The Camp-M is great off the grid and has features to make your off the grid experience more comfortable including (this is a mix of what is included and options we selected for exact list visit their OVE Camp M website): a Truma Vario w/thermostat and AquaGo instant water heater, multi-speed MAXXfan roof vent, 20-gallon (91-liter) freshwater tank, and interior propane connection for a portable cooktop. A beefed-up electrical system is also in place and features everything from dual USB ports, a 12-volt auxiliary connection, a Redarc charger, lithium battery and 200 W solar panels. The screen door is a wonderful feature to keep the bugs out but get better cross ventilation and fresh air on those hot summer days and nights! It has a 10-pound propane tank for your heater and cooking needs. We loved the outside instant hot water shower and found standing on your tailgate to shower made it easy and kept your feet clean! Compared to many campers the electrical and plumbing are clean and organized and easy to follow. The extruded aluminum construction makes it very durable, lightweight and long lasting with no wood to fail. The composite panels have the same automotive gel coat finish as a fiberglass boat or Corvette.  The aluminum extrusions are powder-coated white. If you are in a good sunny spot and near a stream for additional water, we were able to boondock a week when we were in Red Lodge, MT.

As you know we like to do a lot of winter camping as we go searching for the powder skiing. The soft walls are rated R-4, made from a coated nylon on the exterior, a thermal fill for insulation, and a fire-rated canvas on the interior.  The nylon they chose has the highest UV rating on any exterior-purposed nylon product on the market.  The exterior nylon is dark grey for the highest UV block.  The interior canvas is light cream to brighten up the interior. The sidewalls are designed to breathe.  That prevents the sidewalls from retaining moisture. With the heater going all night and you breathing we found there was a lot of condensation, we crack the side window to help with that.

Inside the Camp M, sitting above the cab, you’ll find the bedroom with a 4″ memory foam queen mattress with an extender and additional memory foam to make it a King bedding suitable for two guests plus a four-legged friend or small child. (The new version has storage under the bed). A dinette sits at the foot of the bed. This dinette can also be converted into a sleeping area ideal for another smaller occupant and has storage under the seats. The cushions are made from marine grade fabric that is 4” medium-density foam. At the entrance of Camp M, you’ll find the kitchenette with a countertop, sink, faucet, gas connector for your stove, more storage and the tray for your cooler style refrigerator. We purchased the dependable, efficient Truma C63. The vinyl flooring is pretty indestructible, easy to clean and functional. The dimmable LED lights are one of our favorite features, especially as you wake up in the morning and don’t want to get blasted with a bright light right off the bat.

On the outside you have plenty of lights on the back and side, MOLLE racks to add additional Rotopax water we store 2, 2 gallons. They use a Sigiva (Bullfinch) outside shower connection.  It’s a single-point hot-cold port (the Aquago is an on-demand water heater system).  Storage for your outside shower hose, hose to fill water, we store our Jetboil cooking system, shovel, ax, soap, etc. It has a beefy rack for you to hang an awning of your choice, we got the Alu-Cab shadow 270 coming from Australia it is fantastic and bomber! It can handle rainstorms and the wind. It comes with (4) Manual Rieco Titan Camper Jack and we can say these are tough! As we were building out our property, we lived in the Camp M for 6 months and had no issues living in it on four blocks with these Jacks. It is pretty easy to put on and off the truck bed. It also has (4) Torklift Anchor Guard Derringer Tie-downs, that are very strong.

Improvements:

  1. Cooking- If the Four Wheel Camper Fleet can fit a two-burner propane stove why can’t OVE fit at least a one burner? They give you a low-pressure propane connector, but all camp stoves are high pressure, we could not find a connector to work. We tried 5 different camp stoves, and nothing worked. We did find one at Camp Chef but it was too big and too high powered that it would set off the carbon monoxide detector. In the end we gave up on cooking in the inside and just bought the JetBoil System with its own propane tank and it fits perfectly in the outside storage compartment and works fabulously.
  2. Talking about the carbon monoxide detector, we highly recommend you installing a quick release (thanks to the guys at Techniquevo in Bend, OR)! Because the area inside is so small, the carbon monoxide detector is very touchy and the carbon monoxide from your breathing can set it off if you don’t crack a window or the vent in the winter with your heat going. Three times we had it go off at 2AM and were those campers in a campground you do not want to be. Having to pack-up and drive off in the middle of the night and try to figure out how to stop your alarm is not fun. (We fixed this issue in our camper.)
  3. The lock on the front door is plastic and wears out easily, with everything being bomb proof you would think they would install a stainless-steel door lock and handle. Again, thanks to the guys at Techniquevo in Bend, OR for installing a great stainless steel door handle and lock alternative for us!

As you can see, these are very minor issues and issues we resolved with our friends in Bend (highly recommend Max and team at TechniqueOVE). If you want a great overlanding camper that fits on a Tacoma, so you can go anywhere –consider the Camp M or as it is called now BackCountry 5.85. We’ll see you in the wild.