Remote Trails Radio

Melody and Garrick circle back on a summer of experiments—what gear actually worked, what flopped, and what they’re upgrading next. From window-vent rain solutions and Bluetooth headsets that finally transmit clearly, to $28 camp showers, engine-bay steam cleans, and a close call that becomes a hard-earned route-planning lesson, this one’s packed. Plus: the gloriously flowy Olympic Adventure Trail, a jaw-dropping day around Windy Ridge on Mount St. Helens, Burley Mountain Lookout views for da...

Load up the rigs and join us for a week of rain-soaked trails, hidden coves, and endless lake views on Vancouver Island North. Starting with a Black Ball Ferry ride from Port Angeles to Victoria, we snake our way up the island—camping at Georgie Lake, chasing fossils near Holberg, and paddling mirror-calm waters from Secret Bay to beautiful lakes. Along the way we meet Mark at the Holberg General Store, swap gear tips on Michelle’s modded 4Runner, and laugh through radio jokes while dodging t...

In this episode of Remote Trails Radio, Garrick and Melody welcome back returning guest Shannon for a recap of their recent VIN shakedown weekend—a test run to dial in gear and routines before the big Vancouver Island trip. The conversation meanders through highlights and lessons learned: camp gadgets and cooking setups (from Skoti and Skottle grills to the never-ending search for the right pot size), campsite scouting around Hamma Hamma, and unexpected encounters with forest fires and bees. ...

Buckle up for a fun ride! In this episode of RTR, Ann joins us to share her adventures, mishaps, and wisdom from years of overlanding. We kick things off with her 5th Gen 4Runner mods (split into two parts for good reason!) and the unforgettable story of when she rammed into Garrick’s parked rig. From there, Ann talks about how she first got into overlanding and what drew her into this community. We swap stories about legendary trails like Black Bear Pass and Moab, before moving north to the ...

Remote Trails Radio - Episode 22 In this episode, Garrick kicks things off with a fun fact: Enumclaw, WA, is pronounced like “enumerate,” not like “enemy”—a little slip-up from last episode. After that, we dive into what we’ve been up to since the last episode. Melody shares her experience on a work camping trip, which turned out to be a great shakedown for the upcoming Vancouver Island trip she’s preparing for. Of course, no camping trip is complete without some margaritas to wind down...

We're back! Our release schedule has slowed down a bit this summer as we are busy adventuring. The good news is that we'll have plenty to talk about. This week we start with some updates from our previous episodes before jumping into Melody's vacation in Australia and New Zealand. It sounds like an overlanding paradise over there, but the conditions can be perilous so always be prepared. We spend some learning the local lingo and gushing over the Aussie's access to the Toyota Land Cruis...

This week Garrick recounts his recent trip to the Owyhee Canyonlands. This was a redo of a trip we attempted a couple of years ago, but unfortunately had to abandon due to the weather and trail conditions. Thankfully this time around the weather cooperated and we were able to complete the route! Prado Traveler walking RPG Single Serving Sweetened Condensed Milk Send us a text Support the show

This episode Garrick is getting ready for his Owyhee Canyonlands trip and Melody spent her weekend volunteering for a rally race by running sweep and recovery. Garrick recalls his recent efforts to add a rally tower to his motorcycle in order to block wind, increase the headlight power, and install a garmin GPS headunit. There's a relatively new gear option in the overlanding space, modular sleeping platforms. We cover a few of the most prominent options and discuss their pros and cons. We cl...

This episode Garrick shares the details of how he broke his collarbone while cycling. Melody details a high stress recovery effort conducted on a busy road within city limits. We cover the recent news of the combining of X Overland and Overland Journal/Portal into the Overland Collective and discuss the community reactions to a divisive statement made in the merger announcement. We close out with some random recommendations for you! Recovery Point: Shackle Hitch Receiver for metal partsNews S...

Quick disclaimer on this episode. We had a technical difficulty where our studio software selected the wrong microphone on Garrick's computer. Garrick's audio is lower quality than our usual standard, but it does get corrected around the 35 minute mark. Thank you for your understanding! We have a couple of interesting updates from previous shows to start this episode off. First Garrick shares his terrible customer support experience with GSI Outdoors, then Melody provides a glimpse at the com...

This week we meet to discuss Garrick's "snow" camping experience and Melody shares some upcoming events in the PNW this May! If you're an iPhone user, you might be able to satellite text message for free! We did some testing of this feature and were mostly impressed, but there are some limitations. Prepare yourself for Garrick's ranting and raving about gear from a few well known companies in the overlanding and outdoor recreational industries. Have you had to deal with dirt affecting y...

This week we are joined by Demetre, an avid Land Rover and overlanding enthusiast. We jump in to learn about Demetre's 2 Land Rover Discovery rigs and how Demetre discovered overlanding from his homeland of Georgia. Demetre has explored quite a bit of the USA, so we discuss his favorites which include Wyoming, the Grand Circle, and Moab. We share some of our overlanding goals like getting to the Arctic Ocean and Demetre's goal to discover (pun intended) the source of the Columbia River. Demet...

We begin this episode by remembering Garrick's Uncle Les, who passed away recently, with a couple funny stories from over the years. Garrick provides some updates on his ongoing saga of radio issues. The primary topic of this episode is sharing how we plan for our longform overland trips. Melody is hosting a trip to North Vancouver Island and Garrick is hosting a trip to the Owyhee Canyonlands. We dig deep into many aspects of our research, planning, collaboration and communication. We bring ...

We're "sorry to say" it's just us this episode, lol. We have been surviving the PNW wet season, even with other drivers running their cars in stealth mode. Our winter hibernation has been filled with projects and planning our big trips for the summer. We have some updates to share from previous episodes, then we jump into discussing National Forest trail closures due to the staffing cuts at the Federal level. As always, we send you off with some of our random recommendations! Jeep Badge of Ho...

This episode we are joined by new parents Chelsea and Jesse as well as their baby, Lucas! We jumpstart this episode with a new segment, Turbo Trivia! Can you beat our scores? We learn how the couple found overlanding, define the distinction between overlanding and off-road wheeling, discover how the Houston Overland group evolved from local meetups to a tightknit community, and how they grew Washington Overland to include over 10,000 adventure-seeking members. The episode features memorable t...