This year the whole family attended the BC Overland Rally at it’s new venue in stunning Whistler, BC. Check out our event report for all the photos from the weekend as we share our experiences from the rally.
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2019 Group Events!
This year will be somewhat different when it comes to our multi-day open-invite group trips, such as the larger Roam Wild event usually held once per year. Last year we had six trucks, nine people and one dog come along for a week of exploring various stunning locations. It was so much fun that everyone in attendance claimed a spot for the 2019 trip, before it was even planned! Unfortunately, this meant that there would be no open-invite this time around as the group size was already quite large.
Recently, we attended the BC Overland Rally in Whistler, there we managed to pick up four other adventure vehicles to tag along on a two day trip after the event. We had a Jeep, Nissan, Toyota and even a dual-sport motorcycle join us! The two days were spent hanging around the campfire along a rushing glacial creek, and driving an old mining road leading above tree line into the alpine! Even though this was a last-minute plan, we had a blast and made new friends.
We hate to have to turn extra people away from this year’s Roam Wild (we’ve had quite a few requests), so we may just be planning a second group trip for November/December – a cold-weather event where we’ll put out an online invite for anyone willing to brave the snow with us! There’s also a new addition to the XPED family, coming later this summer, which means we’ll be taking time off to enjoy some days at home with the new little one!
Follow along with us on our Facebook page @ExpeditionBC for updates for group events as well of new trip reports, of course! Happy trails!
2018 Roam Wild: Part Two
The largely anticipated Part Two of our big 2018 open-invite Roam Wild group trip is finally complete and published! If you’re seeing this for the first time, you’ll want to first read Part One to complete the story. The 2018 Roam Wild trip was a giant success and a highlight of the year for us. Thanks to all that came out, we’ll see some of you next year.
Check out Part Two in the drop down menu above, or click HERE.
XPED BC & Backroader Magazine
Are you a member of the 4WDABC? (4WD Association of British Columbia). If you are, then you’ve likely received the latest issue of the Backroader magazine in your mailbox. This is a great thing because Expedition BC had a short article published about travelling solo! The article was actually written at the campfire one night during a week-long solo trip here in BC. The 4WDABC is a registered non-profit and is the 4WD enthusiast’s voice for keeping open access to trails for our enjoyment, and all paid members receive copies of Backroader magazine among other benefits. Check it out!
-JC
Roam Wild 2018 – Part One!
We’ve published Part 1 of the 2018 Expedition BC Roam Wild group trip. This was an open invite from our Facebook page and it was the highlight of our adventures this year!
Check out Part One on our Trip Reports Menu, or click HERE!
Cooper STT Pro Tire Review Complete!
Our 10,000 km test period for the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tire is complete. We’ve written a full review of our experiences using these tires on multiple off road trips, as well as for daily use. Check out the write up HERE!
The Blizzard.
Recently I was out for a walk with my toddler on the trail at the back of our property. We have a lot of space here and tend to help out family/friends with parking or storage in the barn etc. My brother has his old Toyota parked out back while he has been moving around.
Now I’ve been past this truck dozens of times. It’s covered in grime, cobwebs and leaves – and I didn’t even know if it runs.
On this particular day while out on the trail, I glanced over and looked at it just as I had many times before, although for some reason it looked different. Maybe with fall here and the recent rain, it was just so much dirtier and more gross than before.
Even being under all the leaves and sludge, I realized…. THIS THING IS AWESOME! It’s just so rad. 1985 styling, 37” mud terrains, turbo diesel, right hand drive! Why must it just sit here?
So I called up my brother to propose keeping this thing, called a Blizzard, alive!
Out came the jumper cables, extension cord, hoses and pressure washer. After a 30 min battery charge, the 2.4L (“2L” motor) roared to life and idled happily. The slight exhaust burble of a 4cylinder diesel didn’t exactly instil thoughts of big power, but it was a steady, comfortable and quietly confident sound that was somehow reassuring. It was almost as if the Blizzard had a soul and was just overjoyed with the recent attention.
Unfortunately, neither my brother or I have the time or space to keep this and see it to it’s greatest potential. It deserves the glory of cruising the rough back roads and rocky trails of the West Coast.
Therefore, sadly it is up for sale. It runs and drives, but will need some work to be a comfortable daily, or reliable back country bush pig. Either way, it’s been neat rescuing it from the forest and spending some time getting to know its intracacies.
See the Expedition BC facebook page, or Vancouver Craigslist for details. We’ll finish off this memory with some photos we’ll hang onto for years to come.
2018 Expedition BC Open Invite
This year’s group trip is happening Oct 22-27th, 2018 in the wilds of British Columbia. We have an open-invite on our facebook page (see header for our link to facebook) and would be glad to have some of you join us for the trip.
We have four trucks going already and a limit of six or seven total due to logistics. There are some requirements described on the event page so please have a look or contact us if you are interested in tagging along!
Softroading the Washington Cascades
Follow along as we spend a week softroading around the Cascades, reaching mountain summits and exploring fire tower lookouts.
See our write up and photos in the 2018 Trip Reports menu above, or click HERE!
Cooper STT Pro UPDATE:
Awhile back we announced a partnership with OutHEREadventure.com & Cooper Tire regarding a long-term test of the STT Pro off-road tire. We are well on our way into the testing, having run them for several thousand km’s already. Thousands of those km’s have included several long-distance trips – off-pavement on gravel, rocks, shale, mud, dirt etc., and while towing trailers at various tire pressures.
So far they still look and feel new! Comparing to our previous Goodyear Duratracs of the same size (which we liked) we are enjoying the extra traction without any noticeable increases in road noise. Something unexpected was the awesome on-road traction, which gave us confidence on the twisty canyon roads while towing a 3500lb trailer, AND with the Sequoia’s front swaybar disconnected. We did not expect this performance from such an aggressive off-road tire. Rad.
Although not specifically designed for compact snow and ice, we are looking to seeing how they hold up as we head into our fall and winter trip season – including the Expedition BC group trip to the mountains in October!
