Tex68w
Beach Bum
If that is in fact the case for his absence then I get it and I can relate. In my earlier life I was younger (20's), single, and made a crap ton more money than I currently do. I had the ability to build vehicles without worrying what it cost and taking 2-5 weeks to go wherever seemed cool at the moment was a rather easy task. We took my built JKU Rubicon to the Winter Olympics in 2010 from Austin, spent a week getting up there, spent another 10 days there in Vancouver/Whistler and then continued on further into BC and eventually covered the entire west coast on the way back. Nearly six weeks and tons of money spent later and it is still one of my favorite trips of all time. Road trips from Austin to Toronto and all over the western states were a common occurrence, but back then I had no idea what an "overlander" was and I was certainly not attempting to be something of the sort or keep up with others doing the same. I didn't even read blogs or follow travel write-ups on the forums back then. All I cared about was having a cool 4x4 vehicle that would take me where I wanted to go and get me back home again.
Now I look at the Overland Expo and other events like it and I see that the average vehicles on display there have well over $100K invested (some north of $1MIL or more) to essentially spend a weekend in a National Park while they take heavily edited photos, fly their drones for the perfect video clip and cook elaborate meals on their skottles for the gram. I'll admit that the whole movement/hobby has lost its appeal and I no longer care to build like I once did, now I just want my vehicles to fit my needs and still be daily livable and reliable. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a portable fridge, quality lift kits and auxiliary lights and even some of the habitat systems made for our vehicles. Reading build threads is somewhat therapeutic and entertaining at once and it is also why I tend to do them for my own vehicles as well. The skottle is one of my guiltiest pleasures that I hate to even admit to owning because of what it represents lol. The funny thing is that I might actually use it at home more than I do when on the road.
I blame the boom of social media and its easy access to products and others flaunting their materialistic lifestyles full of over priced goods and fake faces spewing love for those who pat their backs with promises of free products and travel as a reward for said lauding. We are all guilty of it to some degree and I myself am not immune. I think it's good to take a break from all of your interests and hobbies from time to time and that includes staying off of their related forums. I come and go in spurts and I intend to keep it that way, but I will continue to use this platform as a resource for my research into builds and products. The key is to not let it all consume you and become the focus of your desires and every move. Everything in moderation.
Now I look at the Overland Expo and other events like it and I see that the average vehicles on display there have well over $100K invested (some north of $1MIL or more) to essentially spend a weekend in a National Park while they take heavily edited photos, fly their drones for the perfect video clip and cook elaborate meals on their skottles for the gram. I'll admit that the whole movement/hobby has lost its appeal and I no longer care to build like I once did, now I just want my vehicles to fit my needs and still be daily livable and reliable. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a portable fridge, quality lift kits and auxiliary lights and even some of the habitat systems made for our vehicles. Reading build threads is somewhat therapeutic and entertaining at once and it is also why I tend to do them for my own vehicles as well. The skottle is one of my guiltiest pleasures that I hate to even admit to owning because of what it represents lol. The funny thing is that I might actually use it at home more than I do when on the road.
I blame the boom of social media and its easy access to products and others flaunting their materialistic lifestyles full of over priced goods and fake faces spewing love for those who pat their backs with promises of free products and travel as a reward for said lauding. We are all guilty of it to some degree and I myself am not immune. I think it's good to take a break from all of your interests and hobbies from time to time and that includes staying off of their related forums. I come and go in spurts and I intend to keep it that way, but I will continue to use this platform as a resource for my research into builds and products. The key is to not let it all consume you and become the focus of your desires and every move. Everything in moderation.
