The Best Camping Setup | Stoke-Ness
It’s -40 in the MidWest and everyone is hunkered down for the winter.
If you can make it work, you are on a vacation or traveling far south. My family and I are in California and headed to Arizona to find snowless trails and sunshine. If you can’t travel then I hope this month’s newsletter gives you a little bit of escape from the cold.
In this issue, I’ll share an article written about my current camping setup, a video that puts you in Alaska in the spring and professional photographer Tyson Wheatley shares his tips for shooting better sunsets.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Places
Greigg - French Grove, Humbolt Redwoods
I think most people have been to the Redwoods and everyone knows how beautiful they are, but the Griegg-French Grove is the best of all.
What makes this group of giant trees amazing isn’t actually the trees themselves but the sorel plants that carpet the forest floor. The clover like plant makes the whole place feel like it’s been landscaped like a giants garden. Red trails weave between 300 foot tall trees and over downed logs thicker than subway trains. The girls and I spent half a day just following each trail in random directions until we would circle back on a familiar loop.
If you only visit one part of the Redwoods, this is the best one.
See it on Google Maps Here
Gear
Road Trip Setup
In December my friends at Huckberry asked me about my road trip set up. Since I’ve been sleeping in my camper for almost the last month, I thought I’d share that interview with you.
The following is an excerpt from Huckberry’s Favorite Adventurers Spill Their Road Trip Knowledge
The best 4x4s, most epic road trips, and the essential gear to pack
Huckberry Ambassador Isaac Johnston is a fourth-generation Montana native who makes his living as a photographer and outdoor personality. He grew up working for outfitters in the Great Bear Wilderness, driving loaded stock trucks at 13 and hiking miles in the backcountry as trail crew, and has never gotten over his excitement for having fun outside. A former CEO at a hospitality company, he left that career to create and share stories of the outdoors and spread the enthusiasm he feels every time he steps outside. A well-seasoned road tripper, Isaac’s most often accompanied by his wife and two daughters—his three favorite on-the-road companions.
Make, model, and year of your vehicle?
2000 Ford F-250 V10
How’d you acquire it?
My wife and I have always owned a Landcruiser (or two). I’ve owned 11 of them over the years, actually. When I changed careers and started traveling while taking photos and videos, we needed something easier to live out of in cold weather. Sleeping in the rooftop tent or setting up camp outside in the snow wore us down, especially while traveling with our young girls. We tried a camp trailer (hard to tow in tight spots) and a Toyota Sunrader RV (too low, slow, and not 4x4). After talking about converting an old military truck into a camper, we settled on trying a pickup and camper combo. First, we found our camper (for free) on Craigslist and then we found our truck. This is the setup that works best for us.
Best place it’s taken you?
My wife and I did a 20-day trip down the Oregon and California coast then back up through the deserts following hot springs with our two little girls—best family trip to date.
Craziest road trip story?
Years ago I went on a road trip from Montana to Baja with four friends in a Toyota Camry. We crammed in there like sardines and strapped five surfboards on top—and of course, we drove all day and through the night straight there. In the middle of the night at the Idaho-Montana border, I had my friend grab the wheel while I polished off a bag of popcorn. He was looking at me and I was looking at him and when I finished the bag we realized that no one was looking at the road. We proceeded to fight each other for the wheel at 80 mph, eventually spinning off into the ditch and popping a tire. Pretty damn scary. Everyone was pretty shaken up and happy to be alive. We went to change the tire and discovered we didn’t have a spare and didn’t have cell service. Next thing we know we’re hitchhiking to the nearest town at 3 a.m. to bring back a tow truck to get us on our way.
I still think about how I was barefoot with both feet on the floor of the car because the cruise control was on—I never even had time to touch the brakes. Makes me smile to think of us fighting each other while I was barefoot eating popcorn at 80mph.
Road trip advice?
Use whatever car you can afford. Spend your money on the trip, not the gear. A beat down Toyota Camry can go 80% of the places a Land Rover Defender can, and it’s more reliable than your buddy’s VW camper van. Fall in love with doing trips, then optimize them later. A truck and truck camper are the best bang for your buck in car camping right now. I have less than $8k in mine and it works just as good as $100k sprinter van conversion.
Who I'm loving on Instagram
I met Joel during his time as my friend Alex Strohl’s intern. I can honestly say Joel is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and it’s not just ‘cause he is Canadian. His photos have a honest quality to them that captures my attention and imagination. His take on travel feel like a process instead of a hit list, like he immerses himself in the country and culture he visits instead of hunting “bangers”.
Give him a follow Here
Music I'm Diggin'
Nana by Polo & Pan
If your music has been flat lately then this track will change that. It’s the kind of music that you whistle while you stand in line and don’t even know you are doing it. The beat and hopeful feel will have you playing it in rotation for at least the next year. Who knows, this may even be the song of the year for you.
Give it a spin on Spotify here.
Videos, Movies, and TV
Alaska by Tim Kellner
Tim is a YouTuber that bucks the trend of making over hyped videos with no care about the quality or feel. Every detail of his videos is intentional even down to recording the natural noise of his scenes on an external recorder and then adding it back into the video. He writes all the music for each video which makes it a perfect fit, just like a score for a movie.
I think the word “cinematic” is so overused that it means nothing at this point, but I will say that Tim’s movies create a complete world that makes me want to see more. I binged watched his whole channel.
With the movie “Alaska” he shows us his perspective without distraction. You feel like you are there, tense as bears run past you and your helicopter lifts off from river banks.
10/10 would recommend.
Watch it here
Reads
Papillion by Henri Cherrier
I haven’t been this enthralled by a book in years.
It’s the true story of a man who gets sentenced to life in labor camps in South America and his journey to escape. It will have you riveted and on an emotional roller coaster on every page. You end up rooting for him and being heartbroken with him.
13/10 would recommend (one of my top 3 books ever)
If you decide you want to read it you can support me by buying the book at this link HERE
Or Listen for Free with your Library card HERE
Photo/Video Technique
Professional Photographer Tyson Wheatley shares his techniques.
This months photo tip comes from friend & photographer Tyson Wheatley @twheat
Q: Tyson, you have years of experience as a photographer. What do you see most beginner photographers get wrong when they go out to shoot.
Tyson - The most obvious tips I can give are about shooting sunsets.
Shoot What the Sun is Shining On: Your natural tendency will be to shoot towards the sun and the light. When you take a moment to look at what the sun is actually shining on it’s usually a better photo.
Stick Around: Everyone knows about “Golden Hour”, but “Blue Hour” about 30 minutes after the sun goes down is my favorite. Wait for the light to fade and you will get better photos.
Plan with Sun Tracking Apps: Download a tracking app like Sunseeker to see the path of the sun through the day. This will help you plan where to be and what the sun will be shining on at what time. Very helpful to make sure the location you have in mind will be the best spot for your shoot.
You can see more of Tyson’s work on Instagram @twheat and on his website Here. He also hosts a podcast where he talks with creatives about their process. Give it a listen Here
My Family and I are still on the road with our truck and camper. The truck needed all new springs and my brother and I changed them out in his driveway with the wrong tools. The truck is all fixed, but I wouldn’t wish that kind of job on anyone lol. I think I’m still covered in dirt and sweat three days later.
I’ll be headed to Arizona and southern Utah next to ride mountain bikes and explore. If you are around lets meet up and go for a ride.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
