Remote Trails Radio

Chilly temps, big mods, and bigger trip tips. Garrick installs a DC-DC alternator charger (Bluetti Charger 1) to turbo-charge his EcoFlow River 2 Pro and talks solar (220W), safer fridge power connectors (DC5521 + Anderson swap-ends), and why cigarette lighter plugs keep letting overlanders down. Melody breaks down our Vancouver Island playbook—ferries (Black Ball vs. BC Ferries), border/dog docs,...

Join Garrick and Melody for a spine-tingling Halloween edition of Remote Trails Radio , featuring returning guest Scott as they swap eerie tales from the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. From raccoons that seem just a little too smart, to cougar cries that sound like human babies, to the chilling darkness of lava tubes and an overland camp that may be cursed — this episode has it all. The trio dive...

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

Load up the rigs and join us for a week of rain-soaked trails, hidden coves, and endless lake views on Vancouver Island North . Starting with a Black Ball Ferry ride from Port Angeles to Victoria, we snake our way up the island—camping at Georgie Lake, chasing fossils near Holberg, and paddling mirror-calm waters from Secret Bay to beautiful lakes. Along the way we meet Mark at the Holberg General...

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

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

Remote Trails Radio - Episode 22 In this episode, Garrick kicks things off with a fun fact: Enumclaw, WA, is pronounced like “enumerate,” not like “enemy”—a little slip-up from last episode. After that, we dive into what we’ve been up to since the last episode.  Melody shares her experience on a work camping trip, which turned out to be a great shakedown for the upcoming Vancouver Island trip she’...

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

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

This episode Garrick is getting ready for his Owyhee Canyonlands trip and Melody spent her weekend volunteering for a rally race by running sweep and recovery. Garrick recalls his recent efforts to add a rally tower to his motorcycle in order to block wind, increase the headlight power, and install a garmin GPS headunit. There's a relatively new gear option in the overlanding space, modular s...

This episode Garrick shares the details of how he broke his collarbone while cycling. Melody details a high stress recovery effort conducted on a busy road within city limits. We cover the recent news of the combining of X Overland and Overland Journal/Portal into the Overland Collective and discuss the community reactions to a divisive statement made in the merger announcement. We close out with...

Quick disclaimer on this episode. We had a technical difficulty where our studio software selected the wrong microphone on Garrick's computer. Garrick's audio is lower quality than our usual standard, but it does get corrected around the 35 minute mark. Thank you for your understanding! We have a couple of interesting updates from previous shows to start this episode off. First Garrick s...

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

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

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

We're "sorry to say" it's just us this episode, lol. We have been surviving the PNW wet season, even with other drivers running their cars in stealth mode. Our winter hibernation has been filled with projects and planning our big trips for the summer. We have some updates to share from previous episodes, then we jump into discussing National Forest trail closures due to the sta...

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

This week we share what we have been up to including the challenges of snow wheeling, debeading tires, inaccessible public land, and riding in the winter. For our news topic, we gush over an overlanding themed game that will be releasing later in the year, but wish we could see more. At last, we finally formally introduce our dogs, Boba and Ryder, and detail our experiences overlanding with them....

This week we are joined by Zack, aka The Motorcycle Librarian . Zack is a teacher by day and motorcycle wrencher by night.  All three of us recently camped together at Grayland Beach State Park on the Washington coast and share our highlights of the trip including yurts and driving on the beach. The main focus of this episode is discussing the concept of Right to Repair and how it affects 4x4 over...

This week we start off with a recap of our holiday travels and then jump into our Overland Trails Essentials list. We were inspired by the wilderness ten essentials to come up with a list of essentials for overlanding. In this episode we cover the existing ten essentials list and adapt them to overlanding as well as providing additional categories of our own. National Park Service's 10 Essent...

Our first podcast in 2025! Do you know the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne? This is commonly known as the "New Years Eve" song in America. If not, then check out our links to learn more.  In this episode, Garrick and Melody meet up to discuss their preparations for their respective holiday road trips and share some tips along the way.  In the main segment we cover Edmund's list of the best...

****SENSITIVITY WARNING**** Mentions of death and suicide in the context of Search and Rescue missions to recover human remains. The content may be distressing or upsetting for some listeners. Please take care when deciding whether to listen to this episode. If you feel that the subject matter may be triggering or uncomfortable, we encourage to skip this episode or proceed with caution. This week...

The Moab episode! In this episode Garrick starts off with describing his road trip down to Moab, Utah from Seattle. Melody is preparing her rig for winter. Both Melody and Garrick made cable improvements to their portable power stations and Garrick did the same for his 12V fridge. Melody also received the fix for her Warn winch controller, but it's complicated! Garrick then jumps in to detail...

We our joined this week by our friend Beth who drives a 2021 SR5 4Runner that's taken on a scratch or two since she first bought it. We discuss some of the mods that Beth has added to her rig and how she chose them. Garrick enjoyed his first bikepacking trip. It involved a couple ferry rides from Seattle to the Kitsap Peninsula, questionable sushi choices, and a run in with the law. Beth is l...

After a long break, we are back! We have some updates from our previous episodes to share along with some new segments to introduce in this episode. Melody enjoyed a Jeep expedition in Vietnam which involved a new trail condition she hasn't experienced before. Garrick enjoyed fun on two wheels and managed to stay toasty while camping. Our first new segment is discussing gear and why its neede...