The BMW M3 is a sporty BMW sedan made for fast driving. The “F80” refers to a specific generation of the M3. People talk about it because it’s designed to feel quick and engaging to drive.
Car
Ferrari
Ferrari is a famous Italian brand that makes high-performance sports cars. Maranello is closely tied to Ferrari’s manufacturing and history.
The BAC Mono is a very small, very light track car made in the UK. It’s designed to feel like a race car—simple, minimal, and fast—more than like a normal road car.
Bring a Trailer is a website where car enthusiasts buy and sell cars through auctions. It’s especially popular for unusual or collectible cars.
Concept
market is still too high
They’re saying the used-car prices for that model are still higher than they think is fair. In other words, it’s not a great deal yet.
Concept
2011 to 2015 cars
The speaker is comparing two model-year ranges, implying there were meaningful changes between the earlier 2011–2015 cars and the later 2016–2019 cars. In enthusiast terms, this often means updates to packaging, engineering, or reliability that make the newer range a better buy.
“Exposed carbon” means the carbon-fiber material is visible on the outside instead of being covered by paint. It’s common on higher-end performance cars and can help with weight.
“Carbon brakes” usually means carbon-ceramic brakes. They handle lots of heat better than normal brakes, which helps on track days, but they cost more and need to be used correctly.
Carbon wheels are wheels made from carbon-fiber material. They can be lighter than normal wheels, which can make the car feel sharper, especially when driving hard.
A trailer hitch is the part that lets you tow a trailer or attach gear to the back of a car. On special performance cars, it can be harder to fit because the rear design is very sensitive.
Bias ply tires are an older type of tire where the internal layers cross the tire at an angle. That design makes the tire flex more as a whole, so it’s not as good for modern handling, but it can be useful for certain jobs.
“Sidewall flexes” means how much the tire’s side part bends when you drive. Radial tires are designed so the sidewall and tread don’t move together as much, which helps with stability and comfort.
Radial tires are the modern tire design where the internal layers are arranged so the tread and sidewall behave more independently. That usually makes the tire feel smoother, handle more predictably, and last longer.
Steel belts are strong reinforcing layers under the tread. They help keep the tire’s tread flat and stable, which helps the tire grip and manage heat better.
Redmond, Oregon is where an event is held that the speaker wants to go to. They’re using it as an example of the Pacific Northwest scene they’ve been watching for years.
Overlanding means taking road trips that are more like expeditions—often to remote places—where you’re prepared to be self-sufficient for a long time. The speaker is saying the popularity and style of these builds is changing.
The Pacific Northwest is used as a regional label for how overlanding and RV builds are trending. The speaker claims it’s “dramatic” to see more RV centers bringing trailers there, implying a shift from small custom builders toward more established businesses.
Southern California is used here as a comparison region. The host is saying the overlanding crowd and build culture there looked different than what they’re seeing in the Pacific Northwest.
Flagstaff is a city in Arizona. The host brings it up to compare what kinds of RV builders and setups show up there compared with other parts of the country.
Slide outs are parts of an RV that move outward when you’re stopped, making the inside roomier. The host is saying some smaller builders are making rigs with slide outs that are practical to use.
The Ford Explorer is a family-sized SUV. “Tremor” is an off-road trim, and they’re talking about using it for a camping-style setup with a rooftop tent.
A rooftop tent is a tent that sits on the roof of a car. Instead of sleeping on the ground, you sleep up on top—though the hosts think the way it was presented wasn’t really practical.
Term
F 450s
“F-450” is a bigger, heavier-duty Ford pickup than the F-350. People choose it when they need to tow or haul more than a typical truck can handle.
Term
F 350s
“F-350” is a Ford pickup truck model. It’s built for heavier work—like towing and carrying more—so it’s a common choice for people who need a truck for real jobs.
“F-600” sounds like a very heavy-duty Ford truck class. The speaker is basically saying they saw something unusual and bigger than what they normally encounter.
EarthRomer is a brand that builds and brings overland/off-road rigs to shows. The host is using it to illustrate that some builders cater to buyers with bigger budgets.
Term
0 and a half dollar rigs
The host is talking about rigs that cost around $500,000. They’re making the point that only a very small number of people at the show could afford that kind of build.
A standard hitch is the normal connector that lets a vehicle tow a trailer. The host is saying some trailers are marketed as off-road, but the towing hardware is still basically the usual kind.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a large SUV designed for tough driving and long trips. It’s known for being dependable and capable off-road. The podcast mentions it as something someone might buy for that kind of use.
A Decked system is a storage setup for the back of a truck or van. It helps you organize gear with built-in drawers or compartments so everything stays put while you drive.
Concept
accessory guys
Here, “accessory guys” means the companies that sell add-ons for overlanding. Think gear that outfits your vehicle for camping and road trips.
Term
battery guys
“Battery guys” means sellers of extra power systems for vehicles. Off-road and camping setups often need more battery capacity than the stock setup provides.
“Northwest Overland” is mentioned as an example of a regional overland event. The host uses it to explain how smaller shows are popping up and helping people find the right gear.
Wolfbox is a company that makes car accessories. Here they’re mentioned for rear-view mirror products, and the host says they’ve also started making other gear like a compressor with fans.
A compressor here means an air pump. Off-road people use it to fill up tires (and sometimes other air tools), and the fans help keep it from overheating.
Heat management just means keeping things from getting too hot. With compressors, the heat can spread to the hose, which can make the system less effective. The speaker says the new design keeps that heat much lower than competing units.
Two fans means there’s more cooling airflow than usual. That helps the compressor run cooler, which can prevent the hose and nearby parts from getting hot. Cooler operation usually means the system works more consistently.
“Side by side” means comparing two products directly under similar conditions. The speaker says the company shows temperature/heat results next to other compressors to prove theirs runs cooler. It’s meant to make the difference easy to see.
“Hose heat” means the hose itself gets hot because the compressor is producing heat. If the hose gets too hot, the system can work worse or not last as long. The speaker says their setup keeps the hose much cooler than competing compressors.
A white label product is something made by one company, then sold by other brands that put their own name on it. The speaker is saying that earlier niche brands often weren’t making their own unique products. Now, more companies are competing more directly.
Smittybilt is a company that makes aftermarket gear for cars and off-roading. In this part of the episode, they’re mentioned as having sold a compressor that the speaker says was basically a rebranded, off-the-shelf product. The point is that it may not have been uniquely designed by them.
The “China market” means cars being made in China and sold more widely. The host is saying people used to think they were cheap and low quality, but now they’re improving and getting better.
The Kia Telluride is a larger family SUV from Kia. The host is saying it feels nicer—almost like a luxury brand—compared with how cheap Korean cars used to be.
Cadillac is General Motors’ luxury brand, often used as a benchmark for “premium” interiors and comfort. In this segment, the host uses Cadillac as a comparison point to argue that newer Korean cars (like the Telluride) can feel upscale.
An inverter is a device that changes electricity so it can power something the way it needs. The host is saying they used inverters so the car’s displays could stay on for the event.
A fuse panel is the car’s electrical safety box. If you remove certain fuses, you can turn off specific electrical features—like the host says they do so kids can’t operate things.
Brand
Matt's performance
Matt’s Performance is a company that makes aftermarket parts. The host is saying they focus on parts for certain Lamborghini models, which is why they’re relevant to this car setup.
The Lamborghini Huracan is a very expensive, high-performance sports car. The podcast mentions it because there are specialized parts and shops that work on this model. People talk about it because it’s a popular supercar to own and customize.
Term
Huracan parts
Huracán parts are parts made specifically for the Lamborghini Huracán. That’s important because supercars usually need parts that are designed to fit their exact body and systems.
It’s a wheel made from a solid chunk of metal, then pressed and shaped under pressure. That process usually makes the wheel tougher than cheaper cast wheels, so it’s less likely to crack.
Aftermarket parts are made by other companies, not the car maker. Here, they’re talking about aftermarket wheels as cheaper alternatives to the rare, expensive ones.
iCamper is a company that makes rooftop tents for vehicles. In this segment, they’re mentioned as one of the brands whose tents can look very similar to others.
A hard shell rooftop tent has a tough, rigid cover that protects the tent when it’s closed. When you’re ready to camp, it opens up (often like a clamshell) so you can sleep inside.
“Clam shell” describes the way the tent opens—two sides swing out from the middle. It’s a quick way to deploy, and it keeps the tent material protected when you’re driving.
A solar panel is a small set of cells that makes electricity from sunlight. On a rooftop tent, it can help power things like charging devices when you’re camping away from outlets.
This is a rooftop tent that opens up into a more enclosed “room” using solid panels. It’s usually sturdier and more weather-protected than the simple fabric-only rooftop tents.
“Rooftop apartment” is a descriptive term for ultra-luxury rooftop tent systems that open into something closer to a small living space than a basic sleeping tent. The idea is more about comfort and amenities (space, enclosure, and sometimes built-in features) than just a place to sleep.
Term
heater ports
Heater ports are openings that let warm air or heat lines connect to a heater. They’re meant to get heat into the tent area instead of leaving you cold.
Concept
being light
They’re basically saying “lighter is better.” If your setup weighs less, it’s easier to move around and it puts less stress on the vehicle and the ride.
The Ford F-150 is a popular full-size pickup truck used for work and everyday driving. In the podcast, it’s referenced in the context of how much a smaller vehicle has to “deal with,” implying that the F-150’s size and capability can make certain tasks easier. It’s often discussed because it’s versatile and commonly used rather than just owned for show.
An air mattress is a soft sleeping pad that you inflate. If it doesn’t sit right on the platform, it can end up pressing into your back and feel uncomfortable.
A pre-filter is like a “first layer” of filtration for your Jeep’s air intake. It catches bigger dust and dirt first, so the main filter doesn’t get clogged as fast—handy for off-road trails.
A custom air intake is an aftermarket setup that changes how air gets into the engine. It can be tuned for better airflow and, in off-road use, it’s also about keeping dirt out of the engine’s breathing system.
An open air intake pulls air from a more exposed spot. Off-road, that can mean more dust and grit get sucked in, so you often need extra filtering (like a pre-filter) to protect the engine.
An air box is a housing that helps manage the air going into the engine. Keeping the filter inside a box can help it avoid some dust and harsh conditions.
A dry charger is a product you use to treat a reusable air filter so it traps more dust. It’s meant to help the filter catch dirt better before it reaches the engine.
Foam wrap means the air filter uses foam material to catch dust. Foam filters are often used where there’s a lot of dirt, and they can usually be cleaned and reused.
Open air filters are air filters that aren’t fully sealed inside an airbox. They can work well, but they may pull in more dust if you don’t use the right pre-filter and maintenance.
Off-road application just means the car is used in dusty or dirty conditions. Those conditions can clog the air filter faster, so better filtration helps protect the engine.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car designed to be fast and fun to drive. The Z06 is a more performance-focused version of the Corvette. The podcast mentions it in terms of how it behaves when you press the gas.
“Throttle” just means the gas pedal. When you change how much gas you’re giving (or lift off), the car can behave differently—sometimes it grips less or shifts its balance.
An “adrenaline rush” here means the intense excitement you feel when you’re driving a car hard. The speaker is saying the car feels thrilling because it still has more power and grip available than you’re using.
“Space Wagon” sounds like a nickname for a wagon-style car that someone has customized. The podcast uses it to describe a fun, standout vehicle. It’s mentioned more for its personality than for being a standard factory model.
Concept
Off-Road, the Bond Off-Road community
They’re talking about a group of off-road enthusiasts who share the same hobby. It’s basically the community where people know “Kenny” from his off-roading.
The Ford Ranger Raptor is a tougher, off-road-ready pickup version of the Ranger. They’re saying he drives it a lot and keeps the tires at about 30 psi, which helps the tires grip better when you’re on dirt or rough ground.
The Ford F-150 is a large pickup truck. People use it for things like hauling and towing, not just for commuting. The podcast brings it up as part of a set of vehicles that get used regularly.
The Ford Maverick is a smaller pickup truck that’s often used for everyday driving. In this story, they’re using it for commuting instead of off-roading.
“30 pounds” means the tire pressure is about 30 psi. Lowering tire pressure for off-roading helps the tire spread out a bit, so it grips better on dirt and rough trails.
Hell’s Revenge is a famous off-road trail in Moab, Utah. People drive it to test how good their off-road vehicles are on steep, rocky obstacles.
Term
steeper
Here, “steeper” means the trail is more uphill than it looks. Steeper sections are harder because your tires have less grip and it’s easier to lose traction.
Topic
Hell's Game
Hell’s Game is another off-road trail in the same Moab area. It’s the kind of route people do as part of a longer off-road outing.
LIVE
Welcome to the Avant's Podcast. I'm Dan.
I'm Nick.
So exciting.
We just came out of like a very adult conversation, like nothing.
Right.
It's just adult industry conversation.
We're all sitting here talking like, okay, would you spend your money on taxes and this
shit?
God.
I come here to get away.
Yeah.
Yeah.
A couple of things before we start.
Special shout out to Michael Smith.
Today is his birthday.
The day of recording this, which is what the hell is the date today.
I don't even know what day it is.
It's the first.
Yeah.
First.
Yeah.
It's July 1st.
So happy birthday to, we call him St. Michael.
Through which all trails are possible.
Because we're all Michael's kids.
That's where all Michael's kids.
Why have we not gotten him a sticker that says that?
I know.
We need to make that.
Through him all trails are possible.
What all trails lead to Michael?
Yes.
St. Michael.
All through St. Michael.
All trails are possible.
All trails are possible.
Yeah.
But of course, Michael being a huge part of Avant's, hosting a lot of the Avant's off-road
stuff.
Like everybody in the off-road scene knows Michael.
He does a ton of search and rescue work.
He's just a great guy.
He's a great dad.
He's a great friend.
And have a big shout out, a big happy birthday to him.
Next up, July 12th.
That's coming up.
That is Avant's classics on the green.
Obviously, that is a big hit every year.
All the presale tickets are gone.
It's sold out.
Not the show is not sold out, but the presale tickets are.
You can still get tickets.
And we're going to have some great cars this year as we do every year.
Todd and the Thugs.
Todd and Clark, the Thugs are manning, kind of setting up the parking and all that.
So we've got very qualified people as always.
It's going to be a beautiful show.
I think Ferrari Seattle is the headline sponsor this year.
Very cool.
Yeah.
They brought a lot of great cars last year.
Yeah.
And they're not going to have a luchae.
So you'll still want to go.
I will forever spread hate on that vehicle like it deserves.
All 88 of them sold out in China though.
Yay.
I sent you that Instagram post of that guy that responded back to his Ferrari dealer.
Yeah.
Like it's gone viral.
And I was like, oh, wow.
There's every zombie apocalypse.
Enzo Ferrari is going to come back and start murdering people right at the factory.
It's interesting because I mean, not to get off on that topic, but I'm noticing a lot of Ferrari collectors are speaking up of that.
Because usually people just sort of shut their mouth because they want the next car.
And I knew they were going to do this where it's like, you need to buy this car if you want the next, next.
And I'm seeing a ton of that.
The one that with viral is minor compared to some of the other things.
Yeah.
Yeah.
A lot of those owners are, how do I say this, wealthy enough to not give an F.
Well, I mean, a lot of them had to give an F because they wanted to get their SP3s.
They wanted to get their F80s and things like that.
But I think this is, and it's interesting because if you, if you've looked, if you've seen any of the modern videos of Maranello and all that,
they, Ferrari built a whole new like factory to build these and.
Yeah. If only they had any indicators how well that was going to go.
Yeah. Well, it looks like an iPhone. It will always look like an iPhone.
I would actually really be interested to hear from somebody who wants one, like who actually it's appealing to them.
Yeah.
I don't think they exist.
What happened to them as a child?
They come in here writing their unicorn.
So yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. But that's anyway, class on the green.
If you want to see actually really amazing cars, that's always the place to go.
So be there on the 12th.
And thank you to the 11 of you. Yes.
11 of you that reached out and told me there was a BAC mono for sale on bring a trailer.
It was a 2015.
It sold for 165,000, which is not bad.
The market is still too high on that car.
2016 to 2019 is the car I want for everybody listening.
The reason is, is it's wider, has a better engine as in more reliable.
I don't really care about the power.
It's 280 versus 305, but it's a wider car.
It fits a little, fits Americans a little larger.
And I'm not a very large American now.
I've finally hit my goal.
Wait and pretty happy about that.
So I can actually fit in that car, but it's, um, it's a quite a bit of an upgrade over
the, the first 2011 to 2015 cars.
And most importantly, I know this is sound silly to some people because you're like,
why would you ever hit that the fire suppression system switch was moved and it's much harder
to accidentally hit.
Um, I'm not worried about that for myself.
God, I want to hear those stories.
Yeah.
But that has happened, but I'm not worried about that for myself.
But one of the things about owning a car like that, and we've talked about this on the show
is being able to share that.
And I want, I will never be the owner that is like, don't touch my car.
It's too nice.
Like, no, no, no, I want the kids to sit in it.
I want people to be in my car.
I want people to enjoy it because that's something you just don't see every day.
You almost punched a kid once for standing on the side of your,
that was intentionally hurting my car.
And I almost punched his parents too.
And I still would.
I love the look on Nick's face while you were saying that it was just a look of,
well, I still have the meme on my computer that comes up.
It's a picture of Dan holding a wine glass and says, I will punch a child.
He means it in a good way.
That was negligence on the parents part.
This I want, you know, this is the kind of car like no matter where you go,
you drive certain cars and you're like, okay, it's going to get a lot of attention.
That's not why I'm buying it.
I don't want it for that at all.
I just want to go drive the ultimate driver's car.
And to me that is, but I also fully expect to have that kind of attention.
And I want to be the person that says, yeah, go ahead and have a seat.
See what it's like, you know, because you're probably never going to have that opportunity again.
And most people wouldn't.
And so that is oddly important to me.
I think some people wouldn't care, but to me it's like,
I always want to share those experiences when I can't.
So that's the perfect car.
I probably, it's probably going to be 180, 190 when I find one, which is a terrible market to sell any stocks.
And I also have like a retirement to plan for.
So if maybe it needs a kidney, the market is good on those, but I got two good ones.
You use your retirement.
You therefore can't afford to eat.
Therefore you fit better in the car.
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
It's a win-win.
Lighter weight will make it faster.
Right.
It'll be, I'll be lighter weight.
It'll be faster.
I can put better lap times.
Yeah.
I'm lighter.
I'm faster.
Oh, we know.
Yeah.
Yeah, but thank you.
Actually, but seriously, thank you to those of you who reached out and were excited for me and hoping I would bid on it.
That wasn't quite the right car, but I do appreciate the enthusiasm from the community of hoping I get my dream car.
That actually means a lot.
So thank you.
There was another one that popped up yesterday, actually, but it was the 23 mono R.
Oh, yes.
So that'll probably be on the low end.
That will probably go for 300 to 320.
What did that so far new?
Like 400.
It's a, it's like a massively optioned R too.
Oh yeah.
It's like full side pod and all that.
Fully exposed carbon car, like custom colors, custom everything, carbon wheels, carbon brakes, like it's a fully optioned mono.
I think they need to put a section and bring a trailer that were, were you just honest and you're like, this is why I'm selling this car.
Cause that's the first question pops in my head.
Like, why do you own a car like that for two years and you take the loss and then sell it?
I think there's, I mean, most people, I think almost everybody in the market of buying that car is not like me.
They have a ton of expendable income and they're like, I just want to track toy for a while.
And they're like, okay, I don't go to the track as much as I want.
Or my, you know, I decided to give it my spot at thermal in my private apartment there.
So I'm going to let the car go too.
And there, right?
So yeah.
And then there's me who's like, I'm going to road trip at 20,000 miles a year, which is not the difficult mono owner.
I just want to see a trailer hitch on there.
Yeah.
Right.
I'm literally, I literally looked at like, hmm, how do I strap like a, you know, a saddle bag onto this thing in the rear?
So it's like not affecting the arrow so much because everything in that car isn't a good point.
Yeah.
But I think about like a motorcycle roof box, roof box, a milk crate.
Pretty much.
I mean, if they can put them on our eights, we can, we can find a way to put it on a mono.
It's fine.
Yeah.
It does have a little glove box that'll fit like, you know, maybe a pair of pants and one shirt, like one change of clothes.
If they're not jeans.
Why would you wear jeans in that car?
Right?
Well, it gets cold.
There's no heater.
That is, that's okay.
My blood will be pumping.
It's fine.
Yeah.
Also, if I ever get anywhere, I'm probably not going to get out of it 365 days a year.
Yeah, it's true.
Yeah.
I was born showing off my legs.
You'd think they'd be Tanner, but they're not.
Yeah.
I will 100% install a heated seatment though.
I figure.
If for any time of road tripping, you got to have some source of heat.
I mean, I'll carry a long underwear and stuff, but yeah.
Cool story then.
Yeah.
Sweet.
And so for the Carter automotive trip.
Yeah.
On to that as we move on.
That's been the week so far.
It hasn't been a pad week.
I wanted to just talk about bias ply versus radial tires.
We probably heard the term a lot, but they're, they're totally different construction.
That's basically all that's to it.
So bias ply tire, old school tire, plies run diagonally across the tire, like 30 and 45 degree angles, multiple layers.
They just kind of sandwich over each other in sort of an X pattern.
And the sidewall and tread are a single structure.
So bead to bead is you have a single structure of the tire.
So the tire flexes, the sidewall flexes all at once.
It's not very, it's, I should say it's overly giving.
Radial tire, plies run straight across just 90, 90 degree.
And then there's steel belts added under the tread directly on the, you know, just, just the tread, not the sidewall.
And there are some on the sidewall as well, but they flex independently.
You have different compounds across the tire, different sidewall flex, which gives you a much higher performance tire also typically wears better.
So a radial tire is smoother, much better, much more stable, a lot better heat management, much longer tread life, better fuel economy, much less rigid.
Here's where we still have bias ply tires for carrying really heavy loads at low speed.
That's where that's where you're going to see a lot of bias ply tires still in the market.
And then off-road abuse bias ply tires are naturally more sidewall strong.
So that's really the only time you'll ever see them.
But for pretty much every car, I don't think there's any car that comes with bias plys from the factory anymore.
I'm trying to think of any car.
Listeners, if you know of any vehicle in the market at all that comes with bias ply tires, I'd love to know.
Outside of like a commercial specialized application.
Are your tires bias?
Yeah.
Yeah. So for all of us radial tires, but that's the difference that you're quick.
Because they're round.
You're welcome.
We have a couple of guests with us today, but you know them both.
This is why you need a Kate on your property.
I know. They just sneak in.
Oh yeah.
They came to steal my shirts.
Did they?
I came to give them away and made sure they took them with them.
Oh, fair enough.
Well, Brian's back.
Brian Dallas, that is. Not Brian Elich.
He was there. He's got some stuff to tell us.
And then Megan, stop by who we haven't done the show for a while.
Megan's a lead. Welcome back.
Hey, hey, thanks.
I just, I just, just Megan.
We just say Megan and that's Megan.
Yeah.
She's just Megan.
One of one. Yeah.
She only has one name.
That follows you around.
Fair old.
Did she say the only one of the feral one?
The feral one.
Either way, it's true.
Yeah.
Exactly.
How are you guys?
Good.
Good?
Yeah, we're good.
Did you eat your hash browns?
No, you.
There's a hash brown.
So, last, did you talk, did you cut, see, I haven't listened to the last big show.
Did you cover the show?
Did you cover the,
He did not know about dehydrated hash browns and we were at the Overland Festival in Washington
and they were giving them out and he was like, that's so cool.
So I went and I bought them and I dropped them on his porch.
By the way, your neighbors are creepy.
Says the guy dropping off dehydrated potatoes.
Yeah.
No, I was.
So Kate and I are dropping off the hash browns on his porch as a lovely gift and I out of
nowhere, there's like just this kid stand on the corner.
He goes, do you want to have some lemonade?
No.
Oh, no, I forgot to tell you this.
Yeah.
No, I didn't know what to have some lemonade doesn't move like the shiny.
He's like not his lips are really moving.
Do you want to have some lemonade?
And I was like, um, and Kate's in the car laughing and he's like, we have a lemonade stand and
all I can come up with is, uh, I don't like lemons and I got back in the truck and drove
away.
I don't know who kid.
I mean, I'm sure he had the best intentions, but he came out of nowhere.
So I got you.
Wow.
I got you them and then you didn't eat them.
I haven't eaten them yet.
There's quite a few of them.
Did you try them though?
I did.
Oh, okay.
That's important.
They are part of my ensemble.
Okay.
Yes.
We were sitting there at this.
They were doing this giveaway and they were giving away hash browns and he was like,
what are those?
And I was like, Oh, okay.
There, you know, it's funny.
They come in that little milk carton, you know, and I'm like, what the hell?
Why are they giving out milk?
Like it doesn't, like why?
You're not the only one.
I was that with Brian, uh, Brian, other Brian and his wife works at Costco and he's like,
what are you talking about?
I was like, you don't know about dehydrated.
So I didn't know about them.
I'm sharing the world with dehydrated, uh, I mean, they're great.
They're a great addition to my, uh, to that dry goods box.
Yeah.
For sure.
So I have a little break.
Were you able to break down your tent?
I was able to break down my tent and there's a story behind the tent after last weekend
and in Bend also.
So that was not, not, not a great experience.
Um, so this is overland expo we're referring to where you guys were hanging out with the,
we were hanging out at Northwest to overland.
There was an overland.
Yeah.
So we had a good time up there.
We, we, uh, we shared a lot of stories and we had a lot of fun.
Yeah.
It was good.
It was good to reconnect.
I told Dan, I've reached out to a lady next to us with the red Jeep.
And we're going to get around the patty.
Yeah.
I saw Patty multiple times as a matter of fact, just to, just a circle back and you guys may
or may not know this story because so we have, I have a pop up privy.
Okay.
So one of those spring loaded pop up privies, you know, you could just put in the back,
right?
So, um, it came time to break down said privy and two grown men spent more than a half an
hour each trying to break this thing down with an audience.
Oh boy.
It looked like, it looked like a Benny Hill thing.
It was totally a Benny Hill because we were getting more and more angry and yeah, and
there's not directions and you understand, you have to like twist it down and it goes
into it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
So yeah.
So it's the point where I got really pissed off and then I just handed it to Nick, go
here, you do it.
And then he would get pissed off and he would hand it to me and then I turned around and
he goes, I did it.
And I go, I turned around and I said, okay, now undo it so I can see how you did it.
No.
Yeah.
So I cut to last, to Sunday where I had to break said privy down again and I'm, there's
no one around.
It's early in the morning.
I'm breaking down early just so I can, you know,
And to our listeners, a privy is like, it's like a little one person tent that you can
dress or you can use for a shower or whatever.
Next, when you're old, yeah.
So you have some sort of privacy and I'm breaking it down and I'm trying to, and I found the
instruction sheet.
So I'm like following the instruction sheet, you know, like a nerd and Patty,
She walks up and stands behind me and is laughing at me as she goes, you know, just when you
get to the point where you don't think you need to fold it anymore.
That's when you fold it more.
And I was like, okay.
And then she wandered off and I got it.
So I found it so accomplished.
I was like, I don't have to do anything the rest of the day.
I just literally made it happen.
As long as this happens, I'm good.
I'm good.
I'm good.
I'm going to buy my lottery ticket today and it was good.
So yeah, that was the privy.
The privy story was, was quite epic.
I really want to go to that next year.
I've been wanting to go to the Redmond, Oregon one for years, but you had made a statement
to Dan and I in our text conversation that you think overlanding is changing a little
bit.
There's some change in the wind.
So specifically at Pacific Northwest since I've gone to, you know, a couple dozen of
these shows and watch the trends kind of come and go.
And at Southern California, it was, there was a lot of core and then at West in Flagstaff,
there was a lot of core people, meaning there was small builders building stuff, you know,
like, you know, nice slide outs and, you know, and that kind of stuff that's usable, you
know, so that people can just modify their rigs.
But at Pacific Northwest, it was dramatic to see so many RV centers bringing their trailers.
Mercedes of Bend also brought sprinters like, you know, just there.
Ford had their little booth and normally they have, you know, Bronco experience where they
bring Broncos and stuff, which is a little more applicable.
They had tremor explorers and they had, you know, stuff that's not really, and they threw
a rooftop tent on it.
So they were like, Hey, look, you know, it's a cherry on top, you know, or lipstick on a
bowl.
It's like, it doesn't, it doesn't really work, right?
It's just because you did that doesn't, doesn't mean how it's supposed to be.
So I just felt like the shift was massive because there were so many trailers.
They were everywhere.
Yeah.
I know a storyteller had a big booth there and I know that Subaru had a huge presence
there.
They were able to, huge areas.
They were able to camp inside the Subaru area because yeah, so they ran and was there.
Yeah, they started to do that last year where they have like this owners group kind of camp
area, which is kind of segregated away from everything else, but still kind of part of
the show.
And so that was in one part and then Subaru had their experience, which they, they travel
around and been doing too.
So they've, they had a big presence there.
Ford was there.
Toyota was there.
Obviously Mercedes was there in some respect.
Interesting.
But the core kind of guys, the builders, the little guys that make things, you know, for
us to implement on our rigs, they weren't there.
Huh.
This is disappointing.
Do you think they're priced out?
No, I think that they're cherry picking on where, where their audiences are going to
be or where their shows are going to be.
So West is a big show that brings a lot of people in from all over Arizona and, you know,
in Nevada and Colorado and Utah and whatnot.
But Pacific Northwest brings kind of that corridor of Oregon, you know, because it's
right smack in the middle of Oregon.
And there was a lot of campers.
I mean, tons and of campers bigger than I've ever seen that before.
But the core of everything was just not there.
The big trucks were there too.
You know, F 350s, F 450s.
There was an F 600 there.
I've never even seen that before or heard of that before.
And so, you know, EarthRomer was there, all that kind of stuff.
But that's typical.
EarthRomer does come to these shows and they bring, you know, a 0 and a half
dollar rigs in there that one out of 2,000 people are going to be able to afford to buy.
So I felt like there was a really big shift right there.
And Mountain West, which will be in August, will be kind of the telltale sign because
And where's that at?
That's in Colorado.
That's just north of Denver.
And that is a good hotbed because it's the last real West Coasty or Western U.S.
Overland show because the next one is at East in October, which is a dumb time of year to
have a show.
Yeah.
But we'll see how that one turns out.
Completely redesigned venue and so forth.
So a little cool, guys.
Go ahead.
Oh, do you feel like the businesses that showed up at this one where you're saying it's a
little different, do you feel like that does reflect the attendees' desires that were at
this one?
Or do you think it's more they're just trying to take a shot in the dark and align themselves?
I don't think it's in alignment with attendees.
I think that the RV centers that bring trailers that they just slap a tire on these trailers
that make them look more off-road, you know, and they still have a standard hitch on them.
You know, that's not really a good representation.
But I think that the clinics, the seminars and stuff that they put on there were very
well attended because there were a lot of new people coming in.
But these are people that have, you know, maybe they've just bought a new Land Rover
or maybe they've just bought a new Land Cruiser or maybe they've just bought a Grenadier.
Who knows, you know?
So but there's a lot of people that are trying to get into it.
But if I walked into it and I was totally green, I would have a hard time figuring out,
okay, what rooftop tent would I look at?
Or, you know, what would be my awning?
Or what would be, you know, am I going to get a decked system?
Am I going to get something else?
Like, you know what I mean?
It's like all those guys were very piecemeal, moved around.
I mean, there was even some jewelers there that were just doing jewelry there, too.
So it was, I was getting this feeling.
You have to look good while overlanding.
Right.
So I was getting the feeling that it was turning like toward some of the sportsman shows that
I go to, since I go to so many different things that the shift away from the core guys
that have established themselves or maybe they got bought out because there's a lot of this.
Yeah, a lot of that's happening.
You know, Emerald X who owns the Overland space, they just got bought out by, and I
know I'm going to get this wrong.
So somebody please correct me on it.
A firm that has just been buying up things all over the place.
So, and they do a ton of shows a year, not just the Overland shows, they do all kinds
of stuff.
But the Overland shows are the ones that are most profitable.
So basically, if you're wanting to get an Overlanding and they had gone there, it's a
great place to buy your initial vehicle, but the accessory guys just weren't there.
Yeah.
Of what you would outfit, which doesn't make sense to me because I figure that's what
the show is for.
Like even when we went up in plain, a lot of that was, it was the battery guys, it was
the lights, it was the winches and stuff like that.
So what I see happening is that there's a lot of these little teeny, I shouldn't say
little teeny, I should say smaller shows like Northwest Overland that are popping up.
There's one next weekend in Montana.
And they're just kind of popping up here and there.
And those are the core guys.
Those are the ones that have, that are pulling these regional companies in that will help
you get set up properly.
Interesting.
So, I see these bigger shows just becoming, they're ballooning out too much.
Even though the Pacific Northwest was the least attended, as far as number of vendors
and as well as number of attendees, it still doesn't, it's a shift in the whole landscape.
I've noticed that a lot of products that used to be spoke or like really niche products
have started to go away.
And this, I should say that incorrectly, they're not going away.
They are no longer niche.
Like the, like Wolfbox is a perfect example.
Wolfbox is a great example.
Where like they have, you know, they have their rear view mirrors, which are great actually,
they're a fantastic product.
But now they have a compressor that has fans on it.
Like they're starting these, these bigger companies, Wolfbox is a large company in the
, in relative to a lot of the other companies out there.
They make a ton of different stuff, but they, they did a big ad push today where they're
releasing their new compressor and it's got two fans on it for better heat management.
And so basically one of the biggest things we fight with their compressors is that they
generate a ton of heat to the hose and everything.
And what they're doing is like, they literally are looking at thermal, you know, they're
showing it side by side with competitors compressors and they're like ours is not even close as
much heat.
So the hose heat is way down.
So you can feel faster.
I'm like, oh, that's a really ingenious idea.
So these relatively large corporations are taking over spaces that were normally niche.
You had, I mean, when we first started out, it was like, you have a Viara and Airbnb.
Yeah.
If you had anything else, you had some weird one off brand kind of thing.
Smittybilt kind of had theirs, but it was always just a white label product.
And then, and of course you've got more flight doing their own thing.
But now it's like all the knockoffs of that, all the knockoffs of that.
And so I forget the guys that are the red and black ones that basically completely rip
off more flight every chance they get.
It's identical.
Thor's something.
It feels like it's out of the same factory.
Yeah.
Yeah, well it is different stuff, but it's literally the same factories building the
same parts to different specs, like different cylinder materials, but it's all the same
casting stuff like that.
Anyway, and now it's like, yeah, I'm seeing all these little products that were, you
know, only, like you had only one company doing it because it was such a niche thing.
And now they're like, it's so fast for China to manufacture stuff.
They're just like, they see one design, buy one, chip it to the factory, tear it down
like a few days later.
Yeah.
It's not even like weeks or months of R&D.
It's like two days later, here's your product.
Boom.
Yeah.
You see that a lot in the Lego space.
Yeah.
Right.
It's actually, I was going to say, actually you do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's aftermarket legacy.
It is.
Yeah.
I've noticed that a lot at SEMA in the last couple of years too, where, yeah, you'll walk
in and you're like, okay, lockers, who am I going to?
One of three names that I know.
And now it's like, oh, they built an entire hall just for all of these other companies.
Portals.
It's crazy.
A super niche product.
And now you've got Chinese manufacturers making portals.
Like you have 74 weld, of course, being the, you know, the king of portals, but I figured,
oh man, I can't read the company now.
But there's a new company out of China who's making a very high quality portal.
And it's half the cost.
They're torture testing those portals too.
Like they've, it's not how it used to be.
And I was talking about this when we were talking about, I forget the name of the Chinese
company who's doing motorcycles now, who won a super bike podium.
Oh, yeah.
C-up Moto.
Thank you.
Yeah.
But it's like that branding, that whole market has caught up.
People who think otherwise at this point, this is the exact same thing that we are,
Nick and I are barely old enough to remember the Japanese cars.
When they first came in, like in the early 80s, when they came into the 70s, but in
the early 80s, they started to really take off.
But when they first got here, it was like,
He remembers all of them.
He's old.
Yeah.
Brian remembers all this.
But it was like, you know, oh, you're buying American steel.
You're not going to buy any of those, you know, Japanese cars.
Somebody's going to take those serious.
Those are just little Econobox junk.
And then it was the Korean cars and now suddenly like they're everywhere.
And now it's the China market is coming to real quickly with production.
It's not throwaway junk.
It's actually pretty nice stuff now and people know it.
Yeah.
Like when we were, when we wanted cars in the 90s and things like that, you get like
the Hyundai's and Kia's were like, you could get a brand new Kia for like $10,000.
Less than that.
It's like six.
Yeah.
And it was, you know, and the interior was great, but it worked.
But now you look at like, I was looking at like some Telluride or something.
I was like, this is nice as a Cadillac.
It is 90 grand.
And it's 90 grand.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
And like, yeah, the Chinese market stuff is not, it's not junk anymore.
Like the people that are building stuff know it.
It really isn't.
Cause so a couple of weeks ago, I don't know if you guys saw or not, but I had to go down
to the stadium down to the Luma and I was doing some stuff for Kia, setting up some
of their display cars, you know, disabling this and stuff so that they could have them
run all the time, you know, with dedicated, with inverters.
And I got into this Telluride and I, I fired it up and it's like, I thought our trucks
had a lot of shit in them, but this is like, you know, like I'm looking at screens, I'm
looking at screens on top of screens, screens.
Yeah.
And then I look at this fuse panel that I have to pull, you know, 20 fuses out of just
to disable all this stuff so that, you know, kids don't flip the windows open and, you
know, stuff.
And I'm just like, damn soccer fans.
Hey, whoa, where is that diagram again?
Yeah.
Get me my readers.
Yeah.
Damn Kia's.
Yeah.
There's a company out of, I think I actually want to say Poland and they make specialized
RA parts.
It's called Matt's performance.
Anyway, they're a European company.
I think it's a very American name for.
Well, is it Matt's?
It's Matt's performance and they specialize in RA and Huracan parts like they, and they
match the carbon like perfectly to the car.
It's really expensive stuff actually, but what they've started doing is offering wheels
and they're very, I give them credit for being 100% upfront on what they're doing.
They're like, give us the wheel design you like.
We will send it to our manufacturer in China and we will build you a billet wheel, like
billet forged wheel.
Like it'll come back and it'll test and everybody's doing this.
There is a difference.
Trust me.
Like there is a difference on those, but they've gotten so much better now.
Like if you look at the, the reason I brought this up is the already RA GT wheels, very
exclusive wheel, very hard to get.
It's literally like $30,000 for a set of four if you can get them.
Those aftermarket ones are forged just in probably not quite as perfect, but they're
also like six grand a set.
And so like, yeah, stuff like that.
When you can undercut that much people are like, yeah, I can buy four sets of wheel or
you know, before as long as they're testing them before they, yeah, they are.
Yeah.
That's the important thing.
I don't know why my wheel broke in half.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's impressive stuff though.
It's good in sense and you know, competition is what it is and competition is usually good
for the consumer, especially when things like, you know, portals that price every other marketer
now have the price.
You got a lot of people going, hmm, yeah, I can do that.
Tracks.
Tracks, Stephen.
Yeah.
Tracks are a big deal.
Yeah.
Tents are a big deal too.
Because you'll walk along a row of rooftop tents and you'll be like, you know, that design
looks the same, although they all have different names on them.
They're all getting them out of the same factory.
Yeah.
So some of the nature nest stuff looks the same as some of the iCamper stuff, like exactly.
You know, I mean, it's that hard shell style, clam shell kind of thing.
Exactly the same.
So it's all coming out of the same stuff, the same area.
Yeah.
Well, also there's only so many designs you can do with the rooftop tent.
There is that too.
Either goes to the left, it goes to the right, it goes back.
Well, I'm really hoping to see.
Do you want a solar panel?
So I'm not really into the rooftop tent thing just because I don't camp enough to just,
I think it's a great idea.
There's something I would use and I, I don't know.
It's a lot of money for me.
I'm like, for how little I do it, I'm just going to go buy the Costco pop up and call
it a day.
Yeah.
But there's, I forget the name of the brand.
Maybe you'll know Brian, the ones with the hard side pop up tents.
They actually turn into a full hard top, like the sides fold out and they're like $25,000.
Oh, I know who you're talking about.
Yeah, I don't remember the name of the name.
Yeah, they're crazy nice.
For a rooftop tent?
Yep.
Anything that has the word tent in it?
It's more like a 5 grand.
Yeah, exactly.
Rooftop house.
Yeah, it's basically what it is.
The rooftop apartment that pops up.
These things are like butler.
Yeah, these super luxury markets.
You can have the elevator built in.
Yeah.
And it's, they're super lightweight and they're really cool.
And once you see it when you're like, oh damn, that's really nice.
That looks really nice.
Yeah.
They have heater ports and everything.
These things are like built built.
You know, now that the refinement, this is like any trend, right?
Everything that's been built ever, it's always started off weighing as much as a house and
now it's, you know, now it's all about being light, especially for me.
I mean, we've talked about this.
I'm trying to lose weight asshole.
I know, but that's why you don't ride in my truck.
I can't go down the road like this.
Is that everything is, I mean, especially for me, it's all about being light.
Like I went from a 200 pound tent to an 80 pound tent.
So it's like the less that your smaller vehicle has to deal with, the better it is, right?
If I owned an F 150 like Dan, we wouldn't give two shirts about the way I just want
to clarify something as his friend, a really good friend.
He went from a 200 pound tent to an 80 pound tent.
And then the next morning I heard him bitch about how much his back hurts because there's
not a lot of padding.
Yeah, because my air mattress, you see this, he's like the ribs of my, my bed, my bed rack
pushing into my back.
I'm like, that's not supposed to happen.
I got a lightweight tent.
There is an update for that, but I can't, I can't say that.
Okay.
So I'm going to have to.
Exped mega mat duo, by the way.
Yeah.
Um, other way, I love your tent.
That was an air mattress failure.
And then, um, the winds that we had that night pretty much detonated my tent completely.
So that's definitely a three.
I couldn't hear him in my van.
Three seats.
The air conditioner was too loud.
Yeah, it was like the air conditioning.
I had this wind blowing.
Oh yeah.
Sorry.
Did you, what did you have wind outside?
I also mean, for those of you watching the video version of this podcast, I am giving
Nick for the, he is number one.
I did kind of, I got up and I was like, kind of the great night's sleep.
And you're like, winds were blowing.
Yeah.
The only thing that saved me was my haste, um, uh, memory foam.
Oh yeah.
That was, that thing was.
He was literally going to the booth next door and buying pillows.
Oh nice.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It was nice.
And at no point you were like, Hey, I've got extra room.
No.
I don't.
Although let me hold on now.
Let's go back for a second.
I knew there was a little bit of complaining going on by there by you were finally figured
out that you didn't have to run the air conditioner and that you had the air con on and then, and
then the fan was going to get out of bed.
The other part of it to reach the buttons across the way.
I was like, what?
I actually passed that on to the CEO of storyteller.
I was like, you know, you thought about putting a panel back there and it's like, we could
do that.
I was like, I know you could do that for like at a price.
And I said, but you were thinking about making it stock.
So yeah.
Boozy.
Boozy.
Boozy.
Absolutely.
Hey, somebody's going to loan me a van.
I'll use it.
I'm surprised you even talked to us from up here.
Is there a Bluetooth?
I know.
Sorry.
That's true.
Is there not Bluetooth for your AC?
Like a controller?
No.
Oh, there probably is, but he just, you could probably get that and then you can just control
it on your phone.
We're working through some, some challenges.
Brian knows we're working through some challenges.
So like I said, I had a meeting with the CEO of storyteller.
We really need him on the show.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's happening.
I just got to figure out how to do it.
So I actually ordered a new fridge.
Did you?
I bought a new ice.
Have you seen their new one?
Yep.
The one that opens from the front.
Yep.
Yep.
Yeah.
That is a slick for you.
They had their Kickstarter and I saw it pop up and I was like, I need that.
And so they were showing it off last weekend.
Yeah.
the
the
the
the
the
If you're into camping or even just road trips,
a fridge is amazing to have.
Like especially if you have the room for it,
there's a reason like everybody's buying them
and their factory options from Toyota
and everybody else now, they are fantastic.
So there's people over here.
If you have the means, I highly suggest.
Exactly.
Even if you just have a truck or an SUV
and you do a lot of grocery store runs,
this means you don't go straight home afterwards.
You just leave it in there.
The one I ordered has the battery attached
and it'll run like a day just on the battery.
But in really dusty conditions
like we're always in for our vehicles,
it's really nice to have to roll the bag cover up,
things like that, or when it's covered in snow or whatever.
Anyway, the point being.
He has it next to his Easy Bake oven.
I do.
Yeah, you know what, that's all right.
Bulbs get hot.
I have it.
I was like, it's selling machine, Easy Bake.
I got the Pro Power, man.
I got 2,000 watts in the back of the truck.
I can throw a microwave back there.
I'm good.
No, it's Easy Bake.
It's Barbie's Easy Bake.
It's still light bulb.
I wouldn't know about that.
What does that look like?
Yeah, you can make brownies in it.
Can you?
Yeah, you have one of those?
I do.
Six hours later, you'll have brownies.
He doesn't know how to run it though,
because the button's on the other side.
I know how to run it.
I don't know how to turn on the inverter.
I have to get out of bed to make my home plug in.
Oh, there we go.
That's it.
Actually, I don't.
The microwave is right next to the bed.
I really could.
I didn't think about that.
Is it convection?
I don't know how to use it yet.
I was going to say, because that's an air fire,
if you have a convection.
So I'm going to be honest with you.
It came with a van.
It's not my favorite thing.
The idea of cooking something in a microwave
in an enclosed van means that smell's going to go with you.
Well, don't cook fish in broccoli.
Well, don't cook fish.
You don't eat fish anyway.
No, I have a convection pan.
Convection.
Yeah.
Nice.
Yeah.
Anyway, I'm excited to get the new fridge though.
Once I saw that in that design, I was like, oh, I got to have it.
It totally makes sense.
And I can't even believe that anybody hasn't even
thought of that yet.
I'm sure Dometic is probably flipping over themselves right
now.
I think IceCo.
So IceCo seems like, if you're not familiar with them,
they're a huge brand.
But more importantly, they're a white label brand.
Their compressors are really heavy duty.
And they, I think, are in almost every fridge you've got.
And it comes directly from IceCo.
They actually are the company that manufactures the compressors.
And they're really heavy duty stuff.
And mine has been in the shop running since the day I got it
or in the truck running.
I don't think it's ever been off for more than a day.
And it works awesome.
Huge fan of their stuff because I've tested it.
I'm like, oh, this thing actually really works.
And it's got great app control.
Like you can change it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Anyway, highly recommend it.
Megan, how are you?
Yeah, how are things?
Megan?
You've spent your life on two wheels, as usual.
Yeah, how's the bike?
Yeah, the bike.
And the Jeep.
Jeep.
I've got a lot of toys right now on the driveway.
One last.
We ran into your previous owner at.
Oh, yeah?
He has some stuff for you.
More parts?
Parts and books are coming your way.
He's going to give them to Michael.
And did you order your pre-filter yet?
No, I haven't.
Order your pre-filter, Megan.
Yeah, I will.
I haven't driven it.
OK.
You measure it for me.
I will order it for you.
I know you.
Perfect.
So there's show up at your house.
I say yes, forget.
Yeah, exactly.
Or just don't.
You've got a lot going on.
And you just tell me the sizes.
I will get the right.
We're talking about a pre-filter.
The Jeep has a custom air intake on it.
And if you run an off-road vehicle with an open air intake,
even if it's in a technically enclosed air box,
get the pre-filter.
Yeah, the last filter that came off was, oh my gosh,
it was so mud-caked.
So when you said that, I was like, oh my gosh, yeah,
I absolutely have to do it.
You talk about all those things that goes over the car?
Yeah, just like we use on the monkeys.
Yeah, you can also, in her case, you might even actually
want to get the foam one and the dry charger.
It's called a dry charger from K&N.
But they offer two.
You can get the foam wrap.
You actually see these a lot of all things lawnmowers.
Almost every lawnmower has an air filter with a foam wrap
around it because of the high dust.
They have the same thing for open air filters on cars,
at least K&N does.
I'm sure other people do too.
But under an off-road application,
yeah, you're going to lose a little bit of airflow,
but it's totally worth it.
If you're not racing this thing,
you don't have the money for a new engine when you're done.
Yeah, put on a dry charger and a pre-filter,
a foam pre-filter.
Don't tempt me with a good time.
I'm angry.
I also put this out there.
There's word on the internet that you're
going to get rid of the monkey.
I'm dabbling with the idea.
Are you?
Yeah, I just grabbed it just now.
Because you get rid of the monkey doesn't mean
we're not going to bitch at you that you need suspension.
Yeah, I know.
Yeah, this is so clear.
You will never live that down.
No, you will not.
Well, don't worry, all the bike shoe borrowers will come with it.
Yeah, pretty much.
Show me better off.
No, I'm thinking about swapping out the monkey for a grom.
I think it'll fit what I like to do more.
OK, yeah, it makes sense.
Yeah, just a little more of my style.
Yeah.
We can cut this out.
Can we talk about the text message from your son,
the tetanus one?
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
So we have a group chat.
And Megan sends us this screenshot from her son.
Who is, how old is he now?
How old are you? 12 next month.
12.
And this is classic boy.
It goes, do I have a tetanus?
Do I have a tetanus shot?
This is like 9 PM on a Saturday.
And I know he's with his friend that he rides with.
So he's really into dirt bikes.
That's such a guy thing.
Like, do I have a tetanus shot?
Yeah.
Like, no preference.
No, mom.
Yeah.
No reply.
Do I have a tetanus shot?
Yeah.
Hey, what's going on, bud?
I'm a good mom.
And that's what, yeah, I'm going to need more.
Yeah.
Yeah, I said, I think I said, like, are you OK?
Yes, you have one.
He's like, yeah, I'm good.
It hurt like two out of 10.
Two out of 10.
That's all he said.
And I was like, whoa.
OK.
OK, what happened?
And then I get a picture and I was like, whoa, there's no way
that was only a two out of 10.
You look like you need stitches.
Yeah.
The kid had, he was going through the woods
and didn't know there was barbed wire there
and got wrapped around his leg and sliced it open.
Yeah.
So lucky.
That kid is tough as nails, too.
And so when he was like, no, it's a two out of 10.
And then I was doing the stary strips
to kind of close the wound.
And I was like, is it still a two out of 10?
How's it feeling?
And he's like, no, it's like a zero out of 10.
I could ride like this.
I was like, I'm so proud.
I showed her my mom.
She goes, you did that to me as a kid.
She's like, you're a tetanus shot.
She goes, but you came to me and that you wouldn't tell me
what you'd done.
I stepped on a nail.
So it's different.
See, our parents, at least my parents,
would be like, it just rubbed some dirt on it.
You're fine.
That was my parents.
I broke my leg and they waited until the next day
to go to the hospital.
They're like, you probably just pulled a muscle.
My leg was the size of a freaking soccer ball the next morning.
Is this when you hit it when you were on your mini bike?
Yeah, I broke my tibia and my fibia in half.
Yeah.
Oh my god.
Those mini bikes will get you.
They do.
They really do.
They'll ride you down the rocks.
My elbows still aches from breaking it on a monkey.
That's because we're old.
Yeah.
You actually did break your elbow, didn't you?
I did.
Did they do anything for it?
No.
There's nothing you can do for that.
I just don't.
Yeah.
Well, they said stop riding for a while.
Is that a scar from Moab?
Yeah.
Oh, that's some places.
No, that's from the van.
That's different.
OK.
We do a lot of damage on our small machines.
There's a few from Moab, but I can't show them in public.
That's for after the podcast.
Those are the ones that got me in trouble when I got home.
The after-all is podcast.
When I woke up in the morning, it bruises everywhere,
and she's like, we should talk.
I'm like, oh, boy, I knew I should have woken up first.
Did you see a dominatrix we were on?
Yep.
Miss Rock.
Yes.
You know what?
That's a better story than what happened.
Yes, ma'am.
It's true.
It is true.
It is true.
So how many miles are on the Suzuki now?
Oh my gosh.
Oh, that's right.
1,600.
Wow.
OK.
So really not that much for me.
Like a normal 12 months of riding is 3,000 to 6,000 miles
generally on two wheels.
But then I broke my elbow a week after buying this bike.
So I missed a good amount of riding season last year.
And then so my last bike was the MTO7 with Michelin Road
6s, which was great for the Jixxer.
I've got the Battleaxe.
And just being more of a supersport,
it's not as good for commuting year round.
It's more of a fair weather pavement princess.
So yeah, putting a lot less miles on it than I wish I was.
Is it going to stick around?
I think so.
It's kind of, I think about selling it often only
because of traffic density in King County.
So it's actually been a battle for me the last kind of two
or three months is I absolutely love riding.
It's my freedom and my happy place
where I can just kind of unleash and let go.
But it's twofold.
I'm an adrenaline junkie.
And all you have to do is twist the throttle.
And in first year, going almost 100.
So I have to be able to self-police and keep myself
within reasonable boundaries.
And if I feel like I'm exceeding that too often,
I'm somebody's mother.
Then I'm thinking I need to sell it.
Yeah, like I have to make it home when people depend on me.
And it wouldn't be worth it to say.
I don't know.
He could find two out of 10.
Yeah, right?
Now he knows how to do hydroponics.
Absolutely.
I mean, he's a lesson learned.
Yeah.
I've always enjoyed that most.
That's I've said the same thing with my cars.
Like that's why I loved my Z06 because I
had to have a lot more restraint.
The Turbo S, it was point and shoot.
And it just kind of went and worked.
And the Z06 is, even though C6, it was like, oh,
if you don't have throttle, you're
going to be thrown into this wall,
or it's going to kill you.
And my bike's for the same thing.
Actually, I've always enjoyed that knowing
that it had more to give than I wanted to.
There's a different respect for your machine.
It's a different kind of adrenaline rush.
I get that when I'm driving Kate's new forest or hybrid.
Right?
Happens all the time.
Thanks, Carter.
Come on, go.
What, you feel like going to the grocery store all the time?
Is that what you really like?
I know you live there.
Yeah, oh, sorry.
And that they so eliminate.
I got to go to the farmers market.
Bye.
Bye.
Yeah, no.
You recently said something about 0 to 60s.
And I was like, oh, that would be fun.
I got to go try that on the Jixxer.
And so I did.
Oh my god, it is so hard to stay on that seat.
Yeah.
When you, yeah.
Yeah, it's halls.
So yeah, anyways, so self-policing plus, yeah,
just traffic density.
So we got the F-150 that has gone over 100,000 miles.
Awesome truck.
We got the Jeep.
We got the monkey, which is going
to be turning into a grom.
We got the Jixxer right now.
And a boat.
And a boat.
And a boat.
Toy hauler.
And then I've got the C20.
So I've got my square body.
Oh, that's right.
I've got a square body, the beautiful square body.
Penny Lane.
What are you doing down Starbucks, by the way?
Did I see some photo?
Photoshoot.
Oh, yeah.
OK, so this is a great one to talk about on CAS2.
So after I got the square body,
someone, a friend of a friend through a vaunt,
needed a square body for a photo shoot for Cal Raleigh,
one of the mariners.
And so they hit me up like, wait,
you have this beautiful new square body fully restored.
Like, can we borrow it?
And so I went and did this Cal Raleigh photo shoot in Seattle.
And then afterwards, it was like, what, one in Rome.
So I went and did some pictures and videos at the Space Needle.
And then down in the industrial district.
Oh, I thought you were just down there.
I thought I just saw a photo.
Yeah, see, that's the trick of social media.
Yeah, no.
Another woman lying on the internet.
Right?
Shocking.
You figured us out.
I've got it.
I'm on it.
I'm on to them.
Remember boys, if you can only see your face.
Yep.
Next.
Oh, you're going to get his cancer.
Heck, whatever.
That just means she's lying.
Yep.
Yeah, and sold the fiat, finally.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, nice work.
So that's somebody else's problem.
The guy that bought it actually texted me this week.
And he's like, got it running.
Would love to bring it over and show you.
No, thank you.
I was like, this is a one way street.
Yeah.
It doesn't come back.
I do not ever want to see that thing again.
You don't bring that evil back here.
Didn't you have somebody that was like, I'm buying it?
Then got there and was like, no.
Oh, boy.
OK, so I had it listed originally for like 2,500.
And I kept lowering it because I just wanted it gone.
And so he got there.
And he's like, I don't know if I want this much of a project.
And I was like, either did she?
I get it.
That's why she's selling it.
900 bucks.
Take it today.
And he's like, oh, I don't think it's worth that.
And I was like, me neither, buddy.
500 bucks.
Take it today.
She kept lowering it.
I was like, I got tires.
I got parts.
You need an extra Weber carb.
What else can I throw?
I'll load it for you.
I got carburetors.
There's a plimme.
Yeah, OK.
Yeah.
Yeah, and so it eventually went down the road.
I'm glad to hear that.
Apparently it runs.
Who knew?
Not my problem.
Yeah.
Well, yeah.
I can go run over there.
That's good.
Yeah, and then picked up another dirt bike.
No, I'm good.
You picked up what?
A dirt bike for the boy.
Oh, right.
Yeah.
Remember that.
So the garage is pretty stuffed right now.
That's awesome.
That sounds like they should be.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So garages are four.
Storing cars, yeah.
Bill with toys.
Yeah.
Not your stuff that you need to sell.
Talking to myself right now.
Yeah, that's why I brought this.
That's why we just come over.
I put a new rack in the garage this week.
That's why the old ones are in the truck going to Brian's
tonight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I do think I need to start looking at a new truck,
though, because now all three of my vehicles
have six figures on their chassis.
So.
OK.
The most reliable thing I have is the jigsaw,
which is not a place you want to be.
Well, that F-150 is good for another 100,000 miles.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Truck.
Yeah, because that's your tow master, right?
That's what you're towing the boat in the trailer with.
It is, yeah.
And I just DIYed the 100,000 mile tune up.
I'd never done any of those services myself,
even changing spark plugs.
So that was a fun one to YouTube and get it.
OK.
Yeah.
You can do it.
University.
Yeah.
Oh, there goes the warranty.
Yeah.
Oh, that was gone long time ago.
I have a sticker over there on the cabinet
that says YouTube certified.
Yeah.
Yeah, there you go.
Exactly.
That's pretty much.
Yeah.
What else?
What's next for either of you guys?
What's coming up for stuff to do?
I mean, what are you guys doing?
I've been taking the Jeep out a ton,
so continuing to work on that.
You and I must have missed the invite.
You get invites?
I don't get invites.
I don't get invites.
It's in the group chat.
We don't get invites.
We don't get invites.
You got to wait for the group chat.
I'm not even in the group chat.
I've been playing.
You don't want to be in the group chat.
Yeah.
You told me that.
I've been playing nurse.
I don't know.
I don't know what's going on.
Which I'm happy to do.
Yeah.
But there will be a time I get to go play.
It's just not right now.
Fair enough.
Yeah, but no, figuring out electrical issues on a...
You've got to get it sewn.
Jeep has seen some stuff.
Yeah, Michael.
He's seen some days.
Michael.
Yeah, Michael seems to know how to fix it.
Michael.
Yeah.
He lives close, so.
He does.
Yeah, I know.
I need to hit him up.
I've asked him some questions about it,
and he sent me a picture of a Haines manual,
and he's like, oh, I got this for you.
He's like, noted.
He's the keyster.
Stop asking me questions.
Here's the book.
Yeah.
I think that might be what he was trying to give you.
Yeah.
Probably.
Yeah.
What's next for you?
I was going to say, for those of you leveraging AI heavily,
just ask it to provide references
if you ask it for car advice.
Oh, nice.
That will stop it from quote unquote hallucinating answers.
If you say, show me a reference to where you pulled this
information from as you make your prompts,
that's a very important step.
A lot of people are just kind of.
Wait, AI will lie to me?
Oh, yeah.
It will do its best effort guessing,
and the sources, it's only as good as its sources.
So if you say provide the sources,
and or you ask it to corroborate with multiple sources
that verify the information it will,
it's actually getting much better.
Yeah, you just say, what would Matt Armstrong do?
Yeah.
Right?
He's obsessed by Matt Armstrong.
I have a little bit of a man crush on that.
Yeah, that's fair.
A little bit.
It may be running in my house all the time.
Now that I finally bought YouTube premium,
and I'm like screw you on the ads,
like it just runs all day long.
It's the one service I'll always pay for.
I love it.
100%.
We're canceling all of it.
It's just, we watch 90% of our stuff as all YouTube.
You can get that in the storyteller, so.
Oh yeah.
Do you know how to turn that on,
or does it not, is the button too far away for you?
It's on the other side of the microwave.
He doesn't go that far.
Oh, that's true.
Next on my family plan, he has my YouTube premium.
Oh, he does.
I have a family plan.
I guess I'm number one.
Wow, yeah.
He turned it up really loud.
And I am extremely grateful for that.
I'm sure you are.
Both of them.
Yeah.
For me, next is EAA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
the biggest air show in the world.
Oh, cool.
That would be awesome.
You driving there?
No, no.
We go there every year.
This is my eighth year.
Oh, cool.
It's a seven day show.
Takes place in Oshkosh,
which there's not a whole lot going on in Oshkosh.
No, big gosh.
But everybody, Gums, there's hundreds of thousands of people there.
If there's pilots fly their planes in there,
and they all camp underneath them.
I'll send some pictures out to everybody,
so you can see what it looks like.
But it's massive.
Massive Boeing has a humongous,
whatever.
Garmin has a big thing there.
Grumman, everybody.
Spot or nothing.
And then they'll be in the evenings,
they do F-22, F-35 stuff, A-10s.
Yeah, all kinds of military.
Oh, A-10 Warthogs.
Yeah.
I'll have to see that.
That's so cool.
Yeah.
Lots and lots of...
Cool.
Lots and lots of helicopters, too.
So that's a lot of fun.
I ever stumble across a bunch of money.
That's one thing I will spend it on frivolously.
Is this a white hot?
No, ride-alongs in those planes.
Absolutely.
Sitting the backseat of an A-10
or just like look out the window of an A-130 gunship.
I was like, we'll go with Megan.
And we just buy one.
Yeah.
You can drive your BAC mono over to the airfield.
It's no different working on a Warthog
than in a 100,000 mile forge.
You can do it.
Right?
I'll change your spark plugs.
You have your air-framing fire plant.
She's good on spark plugs.
Exactly.
I've got a pre-filter coming.
Absolutely.
I know what I'm doing.
After Dan orders it for you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
Okay.
That sounds fun.
That sounds really fun.
Love it.
But I did want to give a shout out to Kenny,
who is a massive fan of the podcast.
Like, he does this to it all the time.
He's great.
He's been great.
And I got a chance to hang out with him a little bit in May
when I was down for Overline West.
And that boy, he's living the life.
He's our Raptor Daddy.
Yeah.
He's the reason we have Raptors.
Yeah.
He is definitely the reason why we have Raptors.
Yeah.
Freedom chariot.
That's Kenny for those of you who are not familiar.
The Off-Road, the Bond Off-Road community,
I'm sure is familiar with Kenny.
Yep.
Great guy.
He uses his vehicles.
Absolutely uses his Ranger Raptor to the point to where
he has a Maverick that he uses for commuting.
And then he, the Ranger Raptor sits at 30 pounds on his
tires all the time and he just goes off behind his house.
And he's got tons and of mileage back there.
He just goes ripping it all the time.
One of my favorite, well, it's not a story,
but photos with Kenny is when he had the F-150
with the American flag on the Ford.
And we were just about to do the monkey thing
and we were out at Dirtfish.
Oh, yeah.
We took that photo.
And he's like right behind us.
Yeah.
I love that photo.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
That's because you ride monkeys.
You don't have them ride you.
Yeah.
That's the way it goes.
See, you should have told me that first.
He doesn't have any room to talk.
He's, he's rode him first.
Hey, hey,
you're on my side.
Monkeys be monkey do.
They cut a monkey on his back.
Monkeys be monkey do, monkey shrew.
Monkey hunts back.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I made, I made noises no man should make while riding a monkey.
You made that noise when you turtled yourself too.
That was different.
That was different.
Yeah.
Given the situation, that noise seems kind of appropriate.
It was.
It was sliding down a rock with a motorcycle on your back.
Yeah.
True.
Yeah.
True.
Good times, good times.
Yeah.
It's funny, every time I see a YouTuber that's like about to do Hell's Revenge
and they're going up, I'm looking at the one coming down thinking,
that's deeper than you think.
Just getting over there was the steeper.
Right?
Yeah.
So.
I saw a video of it recently, people going up and I was like,
oh, that's where Nick crashed.
Okay.
Now it all comes together.
I'm so glad we all had that experience.
Are we refraction?
No.
We were actually going through Hell's Revenge
because we talk about it all the time.
Yeah.
Megan and I did half of Hell's Game
before she freaked out and got out of the truck.
I'm walking.
Yep.
Oh, my bad.
It was a bonding moment.
Yeah.
We were bonded.
She couldn't get out of the truck fast.
Was trapped.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So.
Well, hey, look at that.
I should probably let Brian in.
No.
Did you lock the door?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, for this episode of the Abundance Podcast,
I'm Nick.
You did it backwards.
I'm the one that's, you're throwing me off.
Have you done this before?
No.
Brian did it.
For the, for the, for the.
I'm Megan.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm Brian.
I'm Nick.
This is Dan and Nick.
Don't just get there.
Enjoy the drive.
Just enjoy the drive.
Perfect.
You guys got it.
Yeah.
If you, oh, before we go, if you guys want to come check out the show,
we've been, we've been having fun.
People just come over and hang out.
Give us a text, 425-298-7873 or a voicemail anytime.
It's a you can call it two in the morning.
I won't hear it.
I'd get random text sometimes.
We'll wake up different shifts.
We'll work a night shift.
They'll just be like, Oh, Texas show.
I love that.
Please do that more often.
We love hearing from you.
We love having you around.
If you're in the area and just want to come hang out, it's fun.
Have a good time with us.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Bye.
Bye.
About this episode
Dan and Nick kick things off with off-topic banter, then pivot to Avants events and the enthusiast market. They shout out Michael Smith for his birthday and highlight Avants Classics on the Green (presale sold out; Ferrari Seattle as a sponsor). The conversation turns to niche supercars: a BAC Mono listing on Bring a Trailer, why 2016–2019 models are the sweet spot, and what a fully optioned Mono R could fetch. They also debate sharing cars with others. The episode closes with a clear explainer on bias-ply vs radial tires and where each still makes sense.
This week, Brian Dallas and Megan Zalud join us in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about how fast the automotive and overland world is changing. Products that used to be reserved for hardcore enthusiasts are suddenly everywhere—and in a lot of cases, they're actually getting better.
We talk about the shift happening across the industry as companies like Wolfbox, Viofo, and others push out surprisingly high-quality gear at prices that would've seemed impossible just a few years ago. From air compressors and vehicle tech to rooftop tents, portable fridges, portal axles, and track conversions, many of the niche products we used to obsess over are now becoming mainstream and more accessible than ever.
Along the way, we discuss what's happening in the overland event scene, why some of the smaller specialty builders seem to be disappearing from major shows, and whether today's wave of affordable manufacturing is creating more competition—or simply changing the rules entirely.
Of course, it wouldn't be an Avants Podcast episode without a few detours. We also swap stories about rooftop tent failures, camping gear, fridges, motorcycles, Jeeps, broken bones, old trucks, and the projects currently taking over our garages.
Is this the golden age of affordable adventure gear? We dive into that and a whole lot more on this week's episode.
The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle!
