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First Exploration Quarterly Field Camp – Arizona, USA – April 5–8, 2025 at the beautiful and private Aravaipa Canyon Ranch. Registration is open. Space will be limited. Enjoy camaraderie with a small group of fellow overlanders, explorers, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts Sunday dinner and drinks, with live music EQ writers and photographers panels (Q&A) Enjoy quality time with other explorers around campfires and cocktail hours; have fun with scheduled cook-offs and camp “home tours” View and test gear up-close with Sponsors Mini skills clinics every day: overlanding, field arts, victualling, equipment setup and use—the topics are nearly endless. Pricing begins at just $395 For details and pricing, view our events shop. View the full article

Growing up in southern Arizona, I learned very early on how vital water is in the desert. When my friend Bruce and I first began hiking up into the Catalina Mountains, neither of us yet eight years old, we carried ours in surplus metal GI canteens, which along with their canvas covers and three-inch-wide M36 belts probably weighed as much as the water inside. I remember distinctly the one time we miscalculated when trying a “short cut” summer climb over a ridge separating Sabino and Bear canyons. We sucked the last drops out of our canteens before we even reached the crest, and by the time we made it to the picnic area in Sabino and its taps we were pretty severely dehydrated. Never again did I hike anywhere, any time, without a generous supply of water. Until last fall. Roseann and I camped near the headwaters of the Little Colorado River, where I wanted to try to catch one of Arizona’s native fish, the Apache trout. This high up in its watershed the Little Colorado is small enough to jump across in places, but although its flow is year-round, drinking is not advisable due in part to the cattle grazing in the area—a possible source of Giardia. However, I had with me one of Lifestraw’s clever filtration straws, which removes 99.999 percent of parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, 99.9999 percent of bacteria, and also microplastics. So I left the Nalgenes at the truck for a full day of fishing, carrying only the 1.8-ounce, stainless-steel filter (3.1 with carrying case). Whenever I needed a drink I simply knelt down and sipped through the straw right from the stream. It was cool to rehydrate directly (well-almost) from the Little Colorado River itself, and saved at least six pounds in my rucksack. The filtration matrix is good for about 1,000 liters, which, assuming I would have carried three liters of water otherwise, corresponds to roughly 330 such outings. There’s nothing to using the straw except the need to use care to avoid cross-contamination. It takes a bit of effort to draw water through the filtration system, but less than I would have guessed. I finished the day a convert. I’ll carry this whenever I’m in an area with water sources that might be risky (which, according to the EPA, includes about half of all surface water in the country). And It will ride in my vehicle as a fail-safe, lightweight survival tool. Well-recommended—and, at $35, an absurd bargain. View the full article

People love drama. Even when it’s not real. Owners of vehicles made by manufacturers that compete with Toyota especially love drama if it involves reliability issues with Toyotas. I remember when some first-generation Tacomas developed issues with leaking head gaskets. The howls among Ford, Chevy, and, especially, Land Rover owners reached shrill octaves: “SEE? SEE?” Ironically, the fact that Toyota’s reputation for building dependable vehicles is based on rock-solid real-world evidence is what makes any hairline crack in its armor take on the appearance of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Recently the scenario has been playing out again with the news that some eight-speed Aisin transmissions in the new Tacoma have been failing—shifting poorly or becoming stuck in one gear, even suddenly shifting into neutral. Only now this drama has been amplified by several orders of magnitude thanks to the presence of numerous YouTube “experts” who know they’ll get a lot more clicks with a video shouting, “NEW TACOMA TRANSMISSION DISASTER!” or, “DON’T BUY A NEW TACOMA!” than they will with a more rational approach. Several friends contemplating purchase emailed me wondering if they should jump ship. The issue is a real one, caused, apparently, by a faulty pressure-control solenoid. On the vehicles affected (often indicated only by several particular fault codes when the engine warning light comes on), Toyota replaces the entire transmission. But what are the chances of getting a faulty unit? I did a bit of elementary statistical research, helped by the more level-headed YouTube authorities such as Tim Esterdahl. It turns out that, among the 192,000 2024 Tacomas sold, fewer than 1,000 have been affected by the TSB (Technical Service Bulletin). That’s about one half of one percent. (And we can assume a correction has been implemented in the production line.) Enough to spark glee among Ranger and Colorado owners, certainly, but enough to make me warn you against buying a new Tacoma? Not even close. View the full article