We watch all of Kraig Adams' videos and are pretty excited that he announced he will be filming his venture into trailrunning. The camerawork is outstanding, but these are not typical travel videos as there is minimal dialog until the end where he usually goes into gear talk. More like meditation pieces. https://www.youtube.com/user/KadamsMedia
HighwayWiz Provost Park Pass (Theme Park stuff;Chris, Amanda and son Miles, Salt Lake City, Utah based, are all great hams )
VENTURE4WD An unassuming middle aged man who lives out of his Jeep and chronicles his travels all over the backcountry of the U.S. and Canada. I know it doesn't exactly jump off the page when you put it that way, but I love it. No annoying public domain background music, no crazy drone shots, no six figure vehicle...just a guy enjoying (and sometimes lamenting) the beauty and solitude of nature. This is his 2020 recap.
Adventure Archives Three (sometimes 4) guys in their mid 20s to early 30s from the Midwest who take three day backpacking trips to parks in the US. They're not going for distance or difficulty, they just like to get outside to achieve balance with the rest of their lives. Of note, they write and perform all their own music and one of them is an amateur botanist who points out dozens of plants and mushrooms each episode. Of special note, they've taken trips to Japan and China and documented those as well. The Japan trips really capture the feel of everyday life in and around Tokyo. I felt like I was back there. Much like VENTURE4WD above, it doesn't sound all that appealing on paper, but I enjoy it.
I'm an avid hiker and I've watched their videos before. Shot really well. I was pretty jealous watching all their amazing footage.
I'm an avid hiker too, but day hikes only. I have no real desire to backpack like they do. It's reassuring to watch people get out of breath going uphill and complain about it, but revel in the view at the top...it's not just me.
Loving this guy, thanks. I even gained some cred with my kids because PewDiePie says this is his favorite You Tube channel.
I've watched almost all of the Bald and Bankrupt videos at this point, still need to dig in to the India series. I'm fascinated by him and his exploits. While some have raised questions about his background (military?) and his motives (propaganda?) I think you can enjoy his work on the surface assumption that you should not judge a country by its government, but by its people. The less one has the more generous (and sometimes) happy they seem to be. If you're a fan of Henry Rollins, I imagine this is what his travel videos would be like, minus the language fluency. Get away from the tourist spots and cites and into the towns where the real people live and talk to them. I knew things were bad in some of the former Soviet republics, but he really sheds light on the specifics. While watching last night I wondered if this is what might happen to the American South if they in fact managed to secede from the Union. How would they get along without Federal funds and just how well would their local politicians serve them when left to their own devices.
Really does shine a light on the the poor republics of Russia. He doesn’t seem to worry too much about covid which is kinda uncool but whatever I’m watching his 2020 videos. If he did a trip to rural Appalachia I wonder if it would go well or he’d get shot.
There's a scene where he walks down a wall plastered with campaign posters and points to each one saying, "THIEF, LIAR, SCOUNDREL, MURDERER" and wonders how they sleep at night. He DID get Covid and had double pneumonia. After that he posted a video saying he was going to take it more seriously and was out of breath just talking. In a radio interview from Prague he said that the only place he's ever been scared is the US. He cited Atlanta and Nashville (I believe). Henry Rollins often says the same thing. He feels safer in Beirut than he does in America. I don't know that he has any plans to come to the US. His goal seems to be visiting all 16 of the former Soviet Republics and then North Korea.
I like the Rare Earth channel. Like a lot of good travel channels, he goes a little off the beaten path. He tells good stories too; it's not just about the travel.
I started watching these guys (married couple with 3 teenagers and a dog) a while ago, but the background music was so bad I had to stop. Yesterday I went back and watched their most recent uploads and the music was much better. They drive a small camper (though they have plans to sell it) that tows a Jeep and have a second Jeep. They do more on road driving than off and have been all over the US, Canada and taken a trip to New Zealand. They are currently on Vancouver Island.
The Overlanding obsession continues. Tim and Kelsey (Dirt Sunrise) are certified off road and extraction instructors, Tim actually does off road training for the military. They sold everything and took their truck on a two year journey through Mexico, Central and South America. As with most overlanders, they prefer to find hidden gems and stay far away from the tourist sites. Here they find refuge in the red rock canyons of Argentina.
I haven't been able to watch these yet but my dad and I are building an Overland setup on my Tacoma truck.
Nice, maybe you could start your own channel. My wife and I dream about hitting the road in some kind of van after the kids are grown. I don't see us rock crawling into a canyon, but I'd love to get onto some dirt.
Finally found a new channel I like as much as Bald and Bankrupt (who hasn't posted a video in a while)
Thanks, I'll check it out. I wonder what Mr. Bald is up to these days... As much as I like the overlanding trips across continents, this guy is more my speed when it comes to transportation. He's based in Southern Idaho and travels mostly around the deserts of the South West in is Rav 4, sleeping in the back. He'll do dirt roads, but bails on anything too rough. That said, he thinks nothing of bushwhacking up a mountain or down into a canyon for 15 miles. Sometimes he takes his wife and dog, but is usually solo. Trips last anywhere from a weekend to a month. He's a bit dry, but I like his nerdy history obsession.
My favorite is a bit less edgy than other the other adventurers mentioned so far: Traveling Robert. I enjoy being along for the ride on his travels around the USA, it's nice to see his reaction to places that I've been to. His videos don't have the click-bait drama and angst that seem to feature in a lot of RV travel channels. Sunday morning coffee and the latest Traveling Robert episode is a tradition at my house.
