Hello my friends and sorry for the long radio silence over here!

It’s been a crazy year and we’ve fallen behind on here. To kick things off I want to share the Q&A that we did over on Instagram. We’ve done this before, but we have a lot of new faces here and I’m sure that you all have some new questions! I broke the questions in categories so you can easily skip to what’s of interest to you! Enjoy!

Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links.

Travel

Q: Do you have plans for 2021? Is international travel still an option for you?

A: A lot depends on the state of the world. This was supposed to be our last year in the US for the foreseeable future. However, we didn’t make it to Alaska this year as planned. We’re thinking next year we’ll attempt Alaska again and then start to develop our international plans. We’re not ready to share our international travel plans yet because, like everything else, they’re liable to change. If our planned countries are open to US citizens by the end of next year we’re headed abroad! We’ve VERY ready to get out of our comfort zone again.

Q: What has being on the road taught you about each other? How has it made you a better couple?

A: Too many to list them all, but the one that we’re most proud of is how to quickly move past personality conflicts. They come up, especially in a small space. We’ve learned that if we deal with those things the moment they come up the less time for feelings get hurt. By doing this t allows us to recover from those conflicts quickly and go about our day. The more we’ve practiced this the less we disagree in the first place! So win/win!

Q: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

A: Happy. As long as we have that, I’m not worried about the details.

Q: I’m interested in your favorite clothing for a very limited wardrobe. Do you make any seasonal changes?

A: Our rule of thumb is everything needs to be multifunctional and able to pair with everything else. That makes a few pieces look like a far larger wardrobe than we actually have. We love the Patagonia Capilene line because they are great technical pieces that also work well as casual wear in just about every climate. Anything technical wool such as Branwyn*, Icebreaker are also going to be great multi-season pieces that are warm, technical, renewable, naturally wicking, and easy to care for. All things that we look for. Because we do so many crossover pieces we never need to make seasonal changes. Layering is key. I also love bandanas because they make me look (& feel) a lot more put together than I often feel ;)

*If you purchase something from Branwyn, use code BFN15 for 15% off your first order

MAK riding a bike on Cumberland Island, GA

Q: What resources did you use to decide this lifestyle was right for you and your family?

A: We tried it out for ourselves. I think that is the only way to know for sure! Do your research, then give it a try. You don’t have to have the basest rig, you don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to get out there and give it a solid go! You will know pretty quickly it’s going to be right for you.

Q:If you could go back in time 5 years and give yourself advice on how to be more successful than you already are, what advice would you give?

A: To not try to make the Vanagon work as long as we did. We poured far too much money into that van hoping that it was “the last” fix. Sadly, it never was. To give you a grim idea, we just financially recovered from our Vanagon this year, and we haven’t owned it for about two and a half years.

Q: Aside from Mother Nature, what is your favorite form of entertainment? Podcasts? Netflix? Spoon whittling?

A: We play a lot of card games, we do a good bit of reading (kindle to save weight) and drawing. We will also watch Netflix when we have service in the evenings.

Q: Where are the best places in the US to spend winter?

A: Depends on your preferred activities. We personally do not do any winter sports just because we didn’t grow up in snowy environments, so we tent to head to the Southwest and into Mexico when the state of the world allows for it.

Q: What’s your Favorite trail and why? And what’s Luna’s favorite trail and why!?

A: For us it’s the John Muir Trail. It was a pretty transformative experience hiking the JMT. It took us three years to get those permits and it was worth every minute of waiting. For Luna she likes anything with a lot of rocks to climb. She is impressively good at it too!

Q: Favorite gas station food?

A: We’re huge suckers for anything from Kettle Chips and Sour Patch Kids 🤤 We also call Sour Patch Kids “send candy”. They’re amazing for summiting!

Q: Why don’t you geotag your locations?

A: Geotagging over exposes areas that aren’t set up to handle high traffic volumes. One is a hike in Sedona. The first time we hiked it a few years ago it was a quiet footpath to beautiful views. In Feb. we did that same hike and found the trail had been widened to the width of a two-lane road from foot traffic. There was trash everywhere. The plants had been trampled and were dying. When we got to the destination there was a 2+ hr line to take a picture of the viewpoint. That can’t happen. The landscape can’t handle it, & no one is getting the experience they deserve. It sets unrealistic expectations for what our wild landscapes can handle. There are some great articles written by Nat Geo on the subject that I highly recommend reading to make yourself aware of the long term effects of geotagging.

Q: Are you dispersed camping most of the time? How do you find spots?

A: We are. Specifically, how we find camp spots is something we tend to keep close to the vest and I’ll tell you why. But just know we spend a lot of time studying maps. We take a lot of time and care in finding the places we camp. It’s a skill that has taken us a long time to perfect. This process has made us appreciate the places we stay because we work so hard to find them. We believe that others should take the time to learn how to do the same. It’s not uncommon to arrive at camp to find it TRASHED! People stay, then leave behind unbelievable amounts of trash and that's why we really struggle with the idea of putting spots on blast like that. We’ve witnessed countless beautiful places be shut down to public access due to the mistreatment of the land. I know this won’t be a popular answer but it’s important to us that these places stay open so we can all enjoy them. In order for that to happen, it’s all of our responsibility to take care of our wild spaces. If you find trash, take out what you can so you can leave it cleaner than you found it. People are less likely to leave an area trashed if it isn’t already littered. Thanks for understanding our discretion, it’s something that is very important to us.

Roxanne driving in the backcountry of Death Valley, CA

Vehichle

Q: Why did you settle on a truck based system? Why not a van?

A: It all came down to capability and size. Yes there are very capable 4x4 vans out there, but we are not fans of how tall they are. When we made the decision to move over to this rig we were coming from the Sunrader which we felt was top-heavy. We were trying to steer as far from that as humanly possible. With the Four Wheel Camper we got the capability we wanted, with a low center of gravity, and still got the living space we wanted. Now that we’ve had this rig for two years, there isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t thankful for our decision!

Q: What was the biggest game changer when it comes to day to day live-ability in the tundra/Four Wheel Camper vs previous rigs?

A: Capability and workability. Capability, this is the most capable vehicle that we’ve ever had. It’s opened up a whole new world to us that previously wasn’t accessible to us. And workability, it’s the most comfortable for Owen and I to work from. We carry a heavy workload for most of the year and for the first time we have the power and the space to take it fully off grid.

Q: How did you decide on a suspension for your rig? Do you carry spares? Do you have a rear locker?

A: The knowledgeable team over Main Line Overland built our truck. When we sat down to talk through our build we said we didn’t care what they did, it just needed to be stable! We chose to build with them because of their deep knowledge of Four Wheel Camper and how to build out a suspension for such a load. They picked our Dobinsons suspension which we LOVE to this day! We do carry a full spare and have a rear locker!

Q: Do you wish you had a higher payload rig? Like a 1ton chassis? Why or why not?

A: No. Mainline did such a good job with our suspension that Roxanne barely knows the weight is back there. She handles like a dream both on pavement and offroad. We love the Tundra and have never regretted this truck for a second!

Q: What is your average MPG?

A: 12mpg

Q: How much would a rig like your FWC/Tundra run?

A: If you already have a truck $30-$45k (depending on upgrades). If you don’t have the truck, $100k+

Q: How does your setup handle cold temperatures? Do the soft sides provide insulation? Any tips on dealing w/ condensation in colder weather?

A: It does really well! We feel like the teens is when the heater starts to need to run more to keep up with the cold. But the good thing is that two people and cooking meals in there help warm it up and then the heater takes the edge off through the night. Crack a window to help with the condensation. It’s counter-intuitive but it works like a dream! (we recommend it for any rig)

Q: What was your favorite and least favorite thing about your Vanagon?

A: Favorite: The westy layout is our favorite anywhere. Such an amazing and comfortable living space. Least favorite: it ate engines for breakfast.

Q: What was one thing you were glad you had when you traveled in the Tacoma, and one thing you wish you had?

A: Glad we had a Rumpl Blanket and two additional wool blankets. We ended up nearly in the arctic circle when winter set in and the bedding was the only way we survived nights up in Labrador. The additional wool blankets were nice for evening tailgate hangs. We can’t think of anything we wished we had in that set up. As crazy as this sounds, that setup was exactly what we needed at the time. The lack of frills gave us the space to focus only on each other and our travels.

Q: What could you have put into your previous builds that the tundra has that would have stopped you from swapping arrangements?

A: All of our rigs served specific purposes in our lives when we had them. They all provided lessons that have helped us evolve to where we are today. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Q: In the event of a breakdown or repair, what do y’all do while it's in the shop? Just hang out at a hotel room or drive around in a rental?

A: Most of the time we’re at shops that understand that we live out of our vehicle. They’re often kind enough to let us live out of our vehicle still while repairs are happening. We get out of their hair during the day, then come back and stay in the rig at night. We have, on a few occasions, stayed in a hotel due to the nature of the work.

Work

Q: I’m starting college this year. What do you think is a degree/major that would be beneficial in working from the road full time?

A: I don’t think enough people build their life around how they want to live vs. careers and work. Good on you for asking what I believe to be a very good question! Here are *some* degrees that can set you up for a remote career: Designer, engineer, photographer, anything consulting, programming, cyber security, web design, coding, sales or brand rep, translation, writing. Honestly, the list goes on. If anyone reads this and has more ideas toss them in the comments!

Q: What is your source of income?

A: First and foremost we’re designers. We do graphic design, motion graphics (animation), and illustration between the two of us. We also do freelance photo and video work and I (MAK) do some social media management work for other companies. The social media stuff (as “influencers”) has only recently become a part of our income. Neither Owen or I see ourselves as being designers long term unfortunately. We love that our job titles have become more fluid over the last year or two to allow us to explore future careers. I have always wanted to be a travel show host. Still not giving up on that dream.

Q: What do you use for wifi/cell service on the days you need to work since coffee shops and libraries aren't as readily available during covid?

A: This year we’ve drastically changed the way we work for this reason. We used to utilize both libraries and coffee shops a lot for work on days where we need a lot of internet and power. Until about a month and a half ago we weren’t getting alternator charging on our house batteries and were 100% running on solar. Now that we don’t have workdays out of the truck we went to Mule Outfitters and got a fresh Redarc Manager 30 and ironed out our charging issues. Now we should be all set on power. For internet we hotspot off of our Verizon phones and hotspot. Between the three we tend to be fine on internet. If not most libraries are letting people work from their vehicles and use the wifi. Which we do on occasion.

Q: How did you build enough connections to go freelance?

A: This takes years. Unless your Owen. Owen made this transition really fast. Being a motion graphics designer, it seems that everyone needs animations. Owen comes from the broadcast world and worked with a ton of big names in broadcast (Turner Broadcasting, Coke, Weather Channel, HGTV) all of which gave him the important connections he needed to feed him a supply of work when he decided to leave his studio position. I, on the other hand, took two-ish years to go freelance. I was working in a far smaller industry and thus had fewer connections to help me get my name out there as a designer. I attended a lot of professional networking events which helped me pick up freelance gigs here and there. Over time I hooked into a permalance client that gave me a full workload and the ability to go freelance.

Q: How do you balance work days and travel days?

A: We do our best to plan ahead. Being that we don’t work 9-5s we can really get the work done whenever is best for us. Often we work all weekend and then take our “weekend” during the week. This is to enjoy busy areas in a time when they may be quieter. Errand days always manage to take all GD day, so we try to take that into consideration for planning. When relocating, I can work on the road but Owen can’t. I often will use long drives to take care of clerical work and enjoy the view. Like everything this balance ebbs and flows!

Q: How do you deal with clients that have specific design ideas that won’t work with your creative style? What do you do when you're in a rut?

A: We always try to pass potential clients onto the right person for the job. That isn’t always us, and that’s totally fine. We try to keep a deep rolodex of other designers in our back pocket to pass work off to if it’s better suited for them. That way the client gets what they need, we’re not taking on a project that we’re not the right fit for, and we’re getting to help pass work onto other designers we care about! For creative blocks we both like either exercising or picking each other's brain to hash out concepts.

Pets

Q: How do you handle having Luna on the road when you go to the store, on a long hike or overnight camping trip?

A: Luna knows this truck is her home. So anytime Luna is left in either the cab or camper, just know she is comfortable because it’s her space. When we go into the store for quick stuff Luna likes to laze about in the cab. If it’s even remotely hot or a longer shop such as groceries we move her to the camper where it is cooler and she has more space to move about and use the litter box. On day hikes Luna is always in the camper. Depending on the conditions the camper can be 20+ degrees cooler when the top is down, curtains are pulled, and the vents are moving air through the space. Luna is also fine when left in the camper overnight without us. We only ever do this if we’re 100% sure the conditions will allow for her to be comfortable overnight. Anything longer than that we’ll arrange for a place for her to stay. Those are rare occasions and has only happened 2-3 times in the last two years.

Q: Luna seems to spend a lot of time off-leash. How does Luna do at camp outside the camper? Does she ask/beg/sneak to go out? Ever have a scare not immediately finding her?

A: Luna loves exploring around our camp spots. She likes to be out early in the morning and the late afternoon. She will sit patiently at the door waiting for someone to open it, then she jumps out on her own but we are always walking with her. She's never left alone, is out of our site, or even more than a few feet away. She likes to walk with us, climb rocks, and balance on downed trees. It took us a long time to build up to trust her off-leash. We’ve learned Luna doesn’t like to be too far from us and comes when we call her. We have had one moment of concern that was over a year ago. She was out, Owen was watching her but needed to do something in the cab. When he turned back around she was gone. I walked a little ways from the truck and called her name which Owen claimed “wouldn’t work” and guess who came running out from under the truck?! Moral of the story, Luna doesn’t venture far and she knows the truck is her safe space.

Q: What kind of litter do you use? Does it make the camper smell?

A: Luna uses Worlds Best Cat Litter and we LOVE IT! It’s biodegradable, lasts forever, and it does a great job of containing any sort of smell. We recently had a friend stay in our camper with us for two days and he said that if he didn’t see the litter box he wouldn’t have ever known it was there!

Luna hangin’ out a little too close to the cactus in California

Q: Have you guys ever thought about getting a dog?

A: YES. EVERY DAY. Don’t tell Luna. However, we do so much in national parks where dogs aren’t always allowed. We’ll get a lil pup someday. But in the meantime, I’m just the girl who loses her sh*t over everyone else’s dog.

Q: What setup would you build to full time with three Great Danes?

A: That is a whole lot of animal! Gosh, it’s hard to say because it all depends on your price range. If money were no object and you still want something super capable and well built I would have to suggest an Earth Cruiser They are real dreamy on the inside and intelligently designed machines! I feel that they would be a good amount of space for your pack of stone-cold cuties!

Q: Are you going to add a Luna step so she can get in without assistance?

A: We’d love to and are doing some research on good options that would work for her.

Misc

Q: Will you be releasing videos on YouTube anytime soon?

A: YES! In November we’ll be releasing a trailer for our new series called A Summer Adrift. It will be about 16 episodes covering our entire summer from leaving quarantine all the way through the end of August. Thanks to our presenting sponsors who are working with us on the series, it’ll be completely ad-free! We couldn’t be more excited about how A Summer Adrift is taking shape, and we look forward to sharing it with you all!

The trailer will be live over on YouTube, November 22nd at 5pm PST. The season premiere will be December 6th at 5pm PST!

A Summer Adrift Trailer

Q: How do you get insurance on the road?

A: Obamacare. Health care is one of the most frustrating aspects of being self-employed. I won’t lie to you, it’s a confusing process and we have to hunt for a new plan because they change every year. We buy our plans out of pocket and not through our business.

Q: How do you get mail?

A: We have all of our mail go to our business manager (who is my Mom). We sometimes are paid via check so it’s good to have someone who has access to our business accounts receiving our mail so they can be deposited when they arrive. When there is a pile of mail that we need in person my mom sends it to us general delivery via USPS. General delivery is great on the road because we can send packages to a post office on our path of travel! Visit the USPS website for info on how to address general delivery mail. For those who don’t have a person to send their mail to, we’ve heard that there are services out there that can manage it for you. Side note: I want to publicly thank my mom for being the best business manager.

Q: What do you guys use for photo storage?

A: We carry a good number of hard drives to cover the storage of our photos, videos, and archived client work. We have a few Lacie rudder hard drives but have fallen in love with Sandisk Extreme Portable SSDs. They’re tiny, fast, & tough! Everything we like in a hard drive. We have redundant hard drives that we carry with us as well as back everything up onto a Drobo that we keep in a fire safe at my parent’s place. Sadly, we only get to do that master back up once a year when we’re home for the holidays.

Well that covers it! Thank you to everyone who sent a question our way. It means so much to us that you all trust us as a source of information! If you ever have any questions never hesitate to reach out, we love helping people fill in the blanks so you can find a life that makes you happy!

All the best!

MAK

Q&A Week - Fall 2020