Remote Trails Radio

🎄 Merry Christmas from Remote Trails Radio!

In this holiday episode, Garrick and Melody kick things off with updates, mishaps, and the ongoing debate over car color—before diving into gear talk, trail stories, and a deep Moab travel breakdown.

We start with real-world vehicle issues, including a cargo-area heat problem in a 3rd-gen 4Runner and a physical muffler swap that had unexpected consequences. From there, the conversation shifts into air compressor systems—why you actually need one, how different setups compare, and what really matters when it comes to CFM, duty cycle, noise, and long-term reliabi...

Zack is back! Our favorite resident tinkerer (last heard on Episode 10) returns with a new-to-him 2023 Tacoma and a head full of ideas. We chat through how he specced it as a dual-sport hauler on a budget—why he went with the “park-service white” access cab, the first mods he’s already done (hello, plug-and-play bed lights and wheel chock), and what actually makes sense to upgrade when your priority is getting bikes to the trail, not building a SEMA truck.

From there we wander into all the good nerdy stuff: sleeping in the truck bed vs cots and tent...

Our Thanksgiving episode is here! 🦃 This week, Garrick and Melody dive into an unexpectedly eventful stretch of adventures, gear experiments, and one very fancy set of license plates.

We kick things off with updates from Episodes 26 and 28—including Garrick’s saga of trying (and failing, then succeeding) to build a DC5521 fridge cable, plus the surprising Instagram shoutout that has us basically famous now. Melody comes clean about a missing tire gauge, and BTech quietly drops a radio update that solves a big annoyance for dual-sport riders everywhere.

From there, we head into Melody’s deep dive...

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, bear-country camp hygiene, and how we actually find great camps (Gaia/OnX/Trailforks/Backroads Mapbooks + Overland Trail Guides)—including the backup-your-pins lesson we learned the hard way. Plus quick PNW ride notes from Roslyn to Grand Ridge (hello, cougar signs), and gear...

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 dives into ghostly folklore, Sasquatch legends, and firsthand stories that’ll make you think twice before camping alone in the woods. Plus, they share a few not-so-scary recommendations, from powe...

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

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

Along the way we meet Mark at the Holberg General Store, swap gear tips on Michelle’s modded 4Runner, and laugh through radio jokes while dodging tide lines and testing our rain gear in classic coas...

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

The crew also dives into backcountry connectivity, weighing the pros and cons of Zoleo and Starlink for staying in...

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

From there, Ann talks about how she first got into overlanding and what drew her into this community. We swap stories about legendary trails like Black Bear Pass and Moab, before moving north to the Alcan Highway — complete with Ann’s road-tested tips...

Remote Trails Radio - Episode 22

In this episode, Garrick kicks things off with a fun fact: Enumclaw, WA, is pronounced like “enumerate,” not like “enemy”—a little slip-up from last episode. After that, we dive into what we’ve been up to since the last episode. 

Melody shares her experience on a work camping trip, which turned out to be a great shakedown for the upcoming Vancouver Island trip she’s preparing for. Of course, no camping trip is complete without some margaritas to wind down. Meanwhile, Garrick has been busy brainstorming water pouch and bag i...

We're back! Our release schedule has slowed down a bit this summer as we are busy adventuring. The good news is that we'll have plenty to talk about. 

This week we start with some updates from our previous episodes before jumping into Melody's vacation in Australia and New Zealand. It sounds like an overlanding paradise over there, but the conditions can be perilous so always be prepared. We spend some learning the local lingo and gushing over the Aussie's access to the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series. 

Garrick enjoyed a couple of camping trips in local fa...

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! 

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This episode Garrick is getting ready for his Owyhee Canyonlands trip and Melody spent her weekend volunteering for a rally race by running sweep and recovery.

Garrick recalls his recent efforts to add a rally tower to his motorcycle in order to block wind, increase the headlight power, and install a garmin GPS headunit.

There's a relatively new gear option in the overlanding space, modular sleeping platforms. We cover a few of the most prominent options and discuss their pros and cons.

We close out with a new set of recommendations which happen...

This episode Garrick shares the details of how he broke his collarbone while cycling. Melody details a high stress recovery effort conducted on a busy road within city limits.

We cover the recent news of the combining of X Overland and Overland Journal/Portal into the Overland Collective and discuss the community reactions to a divisive statement made in the merger announcement.

We close out with some random recommendations for you!

Quick disclaimer on this episode. We had a technical difficulty where our studio software selected the wrong microphone on Garrick's computer. Garrick's audio is lower quality than our usual standard, but it does get corrected around the 35 minute mark. Thank you for your understanding!

We have a couple of interesting updates from previous shows to start this episode off. First Garrick shares his terrible customer support experience with GSI Outdoors, then Melody provides a glimpse at the community interaction iOverlander is having after disabling their original app.

What have we been up to lately? Melody...

This week we meet to discuss Garrick's "snow" camping experience and Melody shares some upcoming events in the PNW this May!

If you're an iPhone user, you might be able to satellite text message for free! We did some testing of this feature and were mostly impressed, but there are some limitations.

Prepare yourself for Garrick's ranting and raving about gear from a few well known companies in the overlanding and outdoor recreational industries. 

Have you had to deal with dirt affecting your zipper performance? We have as well! Garrick did some research i...

This week we are joined by Demetre, an avid Land Rover and overlanding enthusiast. We jump in to learn about Demetre's 2 Land Rover Discovery rigs and how Demetre discovered overlanding from his homeland of Georgia.

Demetre has explored quite a bit of the USA, so we discuss his favorites which include Wyoming, the Grand Circle, and Moab.

We share some of our overlanding goals like getting to the Arctic Ocean and Demetre's goal to discover (pun intended) the source of the Columbia River.

Demetre works for ARB, so of course we had 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 Canyonlands. We dig deep into many aspects of our research, planning, collaboration and communication.

We bring back gear focus this week by discussing our various footwear...

We're "sorry to say" it's just us this episode, lol. We have been surviving the PNW wet season, even with other drivers running their cars in stealth mode. Our winter hibernation has been filled with projects and planning our big trips for the summer.

We have some updates to share from previous episodes, then we jump into discussing National Forest trail closures due to the staffing cuts at the Federal level.

As always, we send you off with some of our random recommendations!