Living a creative life outdoors (and in a van) with dogs.
Wildheart. Lover of wild places & the more-than-human. Photographer, writer, dog trainer, backpacker, van dweller, aspiring filmmaker. My trail name is "Love Dogs," after my favorite poem by Rumi and my proclivity for canines.
After completing The Colorado Trail in 2023, after seven years of segment hiking it with my dogs, I re-committed to living life on my own terms, circling back to what's always been most important to me: wild places, creative expression, and dogs. I made a goal to buy an old van and hit the road with my dogs by the time I turn 50 (2026) and ended up reaching that goal sooner than anticipated (2024). The dogs and I now live full-time in a 1995 Dodge Ram B2500, and I'm embracing online platforms like RU-vid, Substack, and Patreon to travel, create, and share outdoor/wilderness experiences with others.
“There are love dogs no one knows the names of. Give your life to be one of them.” (Rumi)
Thanks for the comment! The Napier served the dogs and me really well, but I sold it when I got my van because I didn't think I'd need it. Six months later I've started wishing I'd kept it to try with the barn doors on the back or side of the van. I was incredibly happy with that tent. The Kelty is fine for added privacy but I found I didn't really use it as often as I thought I would, since it isn't secure for the dogs. Each of those tents serves a different purpose, I think, and does it well. The Kelty does now have a version that's DAC poles instead of fiberglass, I believe, which I think would be a definite worthwhile upgrade. I hated the fiberglass poles. :)
This is a very helpful video. I’m quite tired of buying leashes with hardware that fails and tired of shopping for truly high-quality ones bc there is so much stuff on the market for dogs to sift through. I recently learned about Ray Allen but wanted an independent review before purchasing. Thanks so much for your high-quality (sound and visuals), informative, and detailed review!
The tragic breakdown aside, this is so beautifully made video. The music selection is amplifying the feelings, emotions, and overall dramaturgy of unfolding events. Such serious malfunction felt even worse being preceded by peaceful time in beautiful places. Hope that the repair is possible for St. Guinevere - have to catch up on your blog.
Also, it took me awhile before I could actually put together a video about the van breaking down. Usually when I'm stressed, my artistic creativity is the first thing to go. I'm trying to lean into it more.
There’s not much chance of my getting any sleep knowing my vehicle was parked out on the highway. I like that poop container on the van. I need one of those to place on the wall of my truck bed instead of just tossing the bag in the bed.
I definitely didn't sleep well. The poop container is the Kurgo "Tailgate Dumpster." Would work great in the bed of a truck. I read somewhere that it's not intended to be left on (full) while driving, but I've been doing exactly that and it hasn't fallen off yet. *Edited to add: I do take it off when it's empty/not in use.
Do you have a quick 3mo review of fit/comfort after any longer trecks with loaded packs? Have you noticed any unusual wear/rub spots from the harness on your dogs? I just ordered two, a pro and light for my two Aussies after deciding nothing on the market, aside from the Saker, fit our needs and use case. With their longer hair, i'm assuming (based on previous experience) i'll still need to sleeve some buckles/connectors to keep their long hair from getting caught and ripped out. How have they been working for your pups?
Unfortunately, we weren't able to do any backpacking trips this season. Life just didn't allow it. I'm still planning to do a trip to hardcore test these, but I'm afraid I'm not much help to you right now.
I dig the shower. Nice that you got a replacement AC. I helped my cousin with ordering an Ecoflow Delta 2 some months ago. The AC unit looks interesting.
Absolutely. I've always found it interesting to listen to my dad tell stories about how his dad had to do things before modern machinery and satellite technology.
Thanks for the tag - love your improvement on the idea!! Great idea with the Velcro for easy change outs if needed, too. With the gorilla tape mine lasted about a year. The sun and heat this summer started loosening it. I took it off last month and took a new approach using the window side of the interior trim as a frame. I'll post a video soon 😊
Awesome! I subscribed to your channel, so I look forward to seeing the new approach. Right now the velcro is working really well, with the exception of the sticky side of the velcro that goes through the mesh on the window gets stuck to my rubber seal when I open the windows. I'm still trying to come up with something to put over the sticky side that will stay in place. It's sticky enough to stick to the rubber seal a bit, but not sticky enough that anything I put over it actually stays on. So not sure yet how to handle that, unless I just put something on there when I close the windows and remove it when they're open. Right now I'm just dealing with it. The positive side is that it's velcro, so all I have to do is stick it back together. But it is a tiny bit annoying. :) Thanks for watching and for the comment, and especially for the idea!
Not sure this answers your question, but this was actually two fields with end rows and fencing between. They took out the end rows first to get into each field.
@@raincoast9010 Gotcha. I had to rewatch a bit to see what you mean.I think what you're referring to is how he's gotten to the turn rows (around 0:22?)? I think he's trying to clear the turn rows first, but he's trying not to waste any corn so he's going into those rows that go the opposite direction a little bit first in order to get to that first turn row. Not sure I explained that very well, but that'd be my best guess.
I just bought one extended light with packs, thank you for the review, great review, thank you for side by side comparisons thats huge great info in this review
That might work well; thanks. Honestly, I haven't had any real issues with it the way it is, so long as I make sure I put the loop under the "nipple" of the pole when I set up the tent.
I've always heard it referred to as field corn around here, but I think that's what you meant. It can be used for livestock feed but it's also used as an ingredient in lots of foods that we humans consume, like corn oil, syrup, starch, cereals, etc. It can also be used in ethanol production. Lots of uses.
Thanks! My brother seems to enjoy it. Lotta carrying bags of salt and bottles of water up and down stairs, but I think he likes visiting with and getting to know the people he delivers to (and their dogs), and just being able to work independently.
@@mrwes100 I went in and added priority labels to a few things. Nothing that is absolutely necessary, of course. But hey, a “wish list” is a list of things we wish we had, right? :) Thank you for asking.
