Every day, while scrolling through social media, I see where someone has just purchased new gear and they are so excited they just cannot help but share with the world. I just saw where a lady purchased a new Quick Pitch Rooftop Tent from Okie Overland. It was so much better than what she had; their post was sharing to show the look on her face when she first experienced her new home on the top of her 4Runner. It was such a neat moment to watch.

In the old days, before internet, we had to get on the phone (called a landline phone that had a cord attached to the wall), call all of our friends, and tell them whatever we just picked up or opened for Christmas. There was no facetime, email, or even texting pictures. All we had to go on was the description given to us in words. Even though times have changed, and ways of communicating have changed, things have not changed much when it comes to “This is incredible! This is life changing! I have to tell somebody!”

The excitement can be all we can take sometimes. If we keep it in, we will explode. It is like the day a beautiful lady is asked for her hand in marriage. It is like the day the announcement is made that baby is on the way and again the day the gender is discovered. As a child, you cannot wait to tell everyone what Santa left you under the tree or how much the tooth fairy left under your pillow. It is natural for us to want to share with others the good, the life changing, epic times in our life when good things happen! We love it! We want to be happy; we want to share our joy with others, and truthfully most of our friends will (and should) be as happy as we are.

This is a breath of fresh air when, in today’s society, we are bombarded with bad news. News channels, every day, speak of a murder here, robbery there, death, family issues and government changes with inflation or higher gas prices. Each night we are taken aback with news of who passed away, someone being abducted, a natural disaster or other horrible tragedies. It is to this news where most people are drawn. Even on social media, our attention, without knowing it, is glued to the Fail Army, watching one person after another incur broken bones or injuries while attempting stunts or just living daily life. It is entertaining and funny, but it is not wholesome and definitely not good for those it is happening to.

We juggle life handling and dealing with the good and the bad. We find ourselves saying, “If it can happen, it will happen.” We experience the real life of trying to thread the nut on the bolt but dropping it into the center of nowhere never to be seen again. It is the never-ending pounding of driving a round peg in a square hole. We have lived life where that tie rod has snapped or the tire went flat. We have broken things and bent things. We have arrived late and missed the party. No one is exempt and we just move on claiming, “It is what it is.” Then we move on to the next day. We go to bed hoping that today’s trouble only stays in today and does not carry over until tomorrow.

But not all days are this way. We can choose to be gloom and doom focusing on all the bad. We know it is coming. We know it will happen. We have come to the realist conclusion that we understand there will be down days, tragedy, bad news and all that is included in that realm of life. But that is real life. We can choose to channel all of our focus on that, or we can choose to see the good. We can choose to not major on the minors. We can choose joy every single day because there are good days and there is some kind of joy in each and every day. We might have to look for it. Some days you will have to look hard to find it, but it is there!

Yes, rough days may come often and good days may come for others more often than they do for us, but we do not care. We want to shout from the mountaintops and let the whole world know that today is our day! Whether we have just “built not bought” our rear seat delete or just spent the last week building our drawer system from scratch. Whether we have just graduated from that Wal-Mart tent to the latest and greatest tents from South Africa or Australia. We have stepped up our game. We just bought a Skottle and now we are REAL Overlanders! We came home to find that our new stove arrived, our new diesel heater, our new rack for the Tacoma or we just bought an actual new Tacoma! Our new rig! Out with the old and in with the new. It is an UPGRADE! It is our day! This is our day!

It is a feeling like no other. It is a day that we mark down. This is the beginning of the new me. This is the day. We made it. Our life will be so much easier and better now. I cannot believe we actually did it. We pulled the plug; we hit the button and made the order. For whatever reason, we will enjoy life that much better in the wild. Whether it is easier with a faster setup, or whether it is the top-of-the-line upgrade, we are moving into a whole different tax bracket. We are living now among the white collars. We are “movin on up” with the Jefferson’s.

No, we do not need everything under the sun. There is a ton of awesome gear out there. Most of it I realize I do not need. I have to talk some sense into myself every now and then. The “cool factor” on some Overlanding gear is through the roof. But after much thought and research, I realize it is not for everyone. it is nice and I am sure that it will be nice for someone, just not for me. There is a fine hard line between need and want.

There are many different factors that I think about when this new piece of gear pops up on my phone or laptop screen.

• Space — There is the factor of space. Will it fit?
• Size/Shape — Certain things have to fit in certain spaces. What shape is it and will it go where I want it to go?
• Weight — How much does it weigh? Will it impact how heavy my vehicle or trailer is? Will it kill my fuel mileage?
• Facts over Feelings — my good friend Joe (Castaway Overlander) says this all the time. I know what I am feeling. I want this thing. But the fact is I don’t need it. That comes up a LOT. We want to have the coolest rigs when we have get togethers with our friends at Meet and Greets or Rigs and Coffee. We love the feeling of everyone when the Ooooh and Aaaah over our rig. But is it practical and will we ever use it or will it be like hauling around a giant boat anchor?

We have to sit down and have a “come to reality” meeting with ourselves. Sometimes we have to thoroughly convince ourselves that there is an expanse of space that divides need and want. We need to sit in that space and decide which direction we will lean towards. Do we want our rig to be the most impressive, or do we want our rig to be the most comfortable for us so that we can get the most out of our outdoor experience? Run your purchases through that filter. When you find that happy spot, you will look at things differently. The cool factor never goes away but there will be the mindset of “this will make life much more enjoyable and easier when we are camping.” Those items exist. It is out there. It will find us. We will know it and hit that “buy it now” button so hard it may break our phone screen. It’s arrival will be an epic day we will want to share with everyone we know and many of those we don’t!

Here we go!