Just as they do on land in the Five Boroughs, the FDNY is there, safeguarding all of New York City’s waterways, ready to answer the call from their station in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard. Aiding them in their work is an impressive fleet of patrol and emergency response vehicles, tools, and even Mustang Survival Classic Flotation Bomber Jackets.  

Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to spend a rainy winter day with them on Marine 6 patrolling the New York Harbor, and to get to know the ships, gear, and great people who keep NYC’s waterways free from harm for all of us. Thank you to the FDNY for having us and for all that you do to help ensure we can continue our urban explorations safely.

The post Exploring New York’s Waterways with New York’s Bravest appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

For this installment, the crew and I set off to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to hike the wildly popular Pemigewasset Loop, known simply as the “Pemi Loop.”

This 30+ mile trail is famous for its rollercoaster ride ups and downs and the ability to conquer about 15 peaks, 8 of which are over 4,000 feet in elevation, with two of those (Mt Lafayette and Lincoln) clocking over 5,000 ft, for a total elevation gain of ~10,000 ft. All of which is doable within a couple of days of intense but rewarding hiking. Some of the locals and trail runners manage this feat in just one day!

For your struggles you are redeemed with ever shifting landscapes, and views of the of the Whites, including Mt Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast.

Perhaps more infamous than its views and elevation gains, however, is the quickly changing weather conditions in this region, which we both prepared for and experienced first hand.

We planned our trip over four days.

Day One was simply the drive. From NYC it is a bit of a trek, but there is a parking lot at the base of the trail and it is a short three mile hike to a campsite where you can stay for the night before starting in earnest the next day.

Day Two: Hoping to avoid crowds on trail and at the shelters, we opted to hike the Loop counterclockwise as opposed to the more popular clockwise route. This lead to a fairly grueling ascent up Mt Bond on the first day and a stacked day of miles before reaching our planned campsite for the evening. The day was certainly a challenge. It was hot and our legs were not yet warmed up and accustomed to the constant ups and downs, but it also gave us some of the most incredible vistas I’ve seen in the Northeast. Mt Bond in particular felt like a place that should only exist somewhere out West, and not a seven hour drive from New York City.

Day Three had promised rain and it delivered. We awoke early to a downpour with intense winds and hastily packed up camp, eating a wet breakfast before resigning ourselves to what would be a damp, grey hike across the most famous part of the trail: The Franconia Ridge Traverse. The traverse resides above the tree line and hits four of the 4,000 ft peaks: Mt Flume (4,328), Mt Liberty (4,459 ft), Mt Lincoln (5,089 ft), and Mt Lafayette (5,260 ft). Due to the exposure, wind gusts can easily exceed 60mph, with severe temperature drops and a high risk of lightning strikes during thunderstorms. Needless to say it’s not a place to be stuck in in-climate weather.

With no signs of the rain slowing, and fear of being exposed to thunder and lightning, we resigned to hike the nine mile traverse as quickly as possibly with no stops.

Due to the fog and rain, our path was hidden from us most of the trek. Visibility was about 100 feet if that, requiring us to stay close to each other, and also obscuring the seemingly endless onslaught of peaks from view until they were immediately before us. While this meant we missed out on the famous views on this part of the trail, it made for a unique and exhilarating experience all the same, if not also exhausting.

Eventually we made it to our next campsite, and were thankfully greeted by the sun and a chance relax and more importantly to dry out before our hike out the next day.

Day Four was much of the same. Less rain but just as much fog. Mountains became shadows in the clouds and the wind ripped through the peaks and valleys as we continued up and down with a final steep descent to the valley below. Thankfully, by this point most of the trip was behind us and we had a shorter hike out followed a refreshing dip in the Pemigewasset River before heading back to the city.

Some notes on the shelters: You will see this on any site about the Pemi Loop, but the camping shelters here are platforms: raised decks made of wood and built into the steep mountainside. Some of my ultralight companions struggled to pitch their pole-less tents on the structures. Even with my freestanding Big Agnes, I had to great creative with the rain fly and fight for space next to my fellow campers. Additionally, those accustomed to other Northeastern camping, and the mostly isolated lean-tos found in the Adirondacks and Greens might be surprised to find care takers at each shelter. A small fee is required to camp and each site is set up with an outhouse, bear box, and separate cooking area. Bring some cash, and don’t expect to have any fires once you’ve crossed the tree line. Lastly, there are sections of the Appalachian Trail that merge with the Pemi Loop and you can opt to stay at one of their sites as well. These must be reserved in advance, but offer bunks, cooked meals, and a great place to just stop and resupply while on trail.

The post Vanish To: The White Mountains – via the Pemi Loop appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

These rigs are the pinnacle of design/build in the vanlife world, and the brand is now into full overland rigs built on F350 Ford Superduty chasis — ultra reliable, powerful, and fun/easy to drive. They even feature a Millenium Falcon style rear entry that blows people’s minds as you travel the Blue Highways and boondock your way across the American landscape. Study the specs and features and make sure it meets your needs. But we assure you you will be blown away by the functionality, layout and attention to detail of these rigs.

We would love to take out one of their Sprinters some time as well (and they are also now doing Airstream trailers and opening an Airstream RV resort outside of Austin), but we took the new Baja on a week-long bike tour and loved it.

Rossmönster Vans started as a group of woodworkers, engineers and electricians with a passion for the outdoors who now build custom vans out of their shop in Longmont, Colorado. Their builds are driven by a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and custom solutions for each client. In an effort to more broadly share their products with the world, Rossmönster Vans launched Rossmönster Rentals in 2019, which also runs out of their shop in Longmont. Now, Rossmonster Overland is out with the brand’s first truck camper model, The Baja.

On the back: The new Ventum GS-1 gravel race machine

The post Rossmonster Vans: One of the Top Van and Overland Builds, Now Available As Rentals appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

Our team at Vanish has noted that the individuals who thrive in tough times are bold hearted and passion-filled. The type of people always looking for a new outlet to sink their restless energy in. They carry with them the last vestiges of that great pioneering spirit, which defined generations of iron-willed American trailblazers, mountaineers, and adventurers of every stripe. Salomon’s  trail running shoes are built for that type of people.

Lose yourself among the elements

Rain or shine, it’s go time. The Alpine 2’s are water repellent and built for every terrain. No matter what the season, this shoe is ready for whatever mother nature has to throw at it. The iconic zipper cuff effectively seals the top of the shoe around your ankle, preventing water, snow, rocks and sand from ruining your run.

Take your adventure above the treeline

Charge across loose shale. Glide through thick marshes. Scale-up winding mountainsides like the Rocky Mountain goat.

The Alpine 2 uses to allow for maximum grip on loose, soft, rugged, and uneven surfaces. Contagrip features deep, sharp lugs made from a compound that balances durability and adhesion, allowing you to move seamlessly from one terrain to another. 

Maximum comfort made for you

combines foams with two different densities to provide superior cushioning, stability, and motion control.

Invest in a shoe made for your foot, not someone else’s. The Alpine 2 makes use of Salomon’s revolutionary SensiFit technology to provide a product with a secure and comfortable fit. Similar to memory foam, SensiFit adjusts to the unique contours of your foot, allowing for maximum comfort in all conditions.

Treat yourself 

Unwind from a stressful year, and give yourself the gift of adventure this holiday season. Check out to see even more epic , plus there hundreds of other outdoor products, including best-in-class , , casual wear, and . You deserve it.

The post Solomon Raises Bar with New S/LAB XA Alpine 2 Trail Runners appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

The post MOUNT UP – Hitchfire Grills appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

What was your vehicle born as? Year, make, model? How long have you had it? Ryan Lovelace: It’s a 1948 Chevy bus. We lived in it for about 3 years once we finished making it liveable.

Can you tell us about your favorite mods or features? Ryan Lovelace: Yeesh, over the years it’s hard to list it all out. Floors, walls, and the ceiling. I framed all that out and put in the redwood, then we built out a mini kitchen and closet/desk zone in the back. The roof was all rusted out and had about 20 coats of various paints on it. We spent a week with grinders and sanded it all back to metal and repainted it, then cut a huge hole in the back and went up!

We knew we wanted a nice little nook to sleep in and I wanted to maximize space. It obviously already broke a few rules, so I figured we’d just keep up on that and I cut that big hole in the roof back there. I learned to weld well enough to make the frame for the wood to be built on, then my friend Lando helped me frame and build out the box. It fits a queen-sized mattress flawlessly and is about the most amazing little nook to spend a night in listening to waves and feeling a warm summer breeze roll through when the windows are all open.

Old Pal: The Cosmic Collider wouldn’t be the same without Gabriel Güereña, the Ojai-based mechanic who helped power our rusty roller through an epic high-desert road trip. And while he’s known as the gearhead that revived our beautiful hunk of junk, he’s also a rad pal who spreads good vibes with dirt in his teeth and oil on his hands. Also, our friends at Homemade Modern more than refurbished the interior; they brought it “up to date” with their woodworking wizardry. Artist, Joe Swec tied it all together with hand-painted Old Pal slogans and signage on the exterior.

What’s been your favorite trip with the Collider so far?
Old Pal: Originally, the Cosmic Collider didn’t travel too far and was more of a rolling home at rest. Old Pal made it more road worthy and it traveled around the desert as part of its maiden voyage during Coachella 2019. Since then, it’s meandered around Ojai and up and down the California coast getting thumbs up and honks wherever it roams.

Where to next? What’s your dream expedition?
Old Pal: We keep her pretty close to home in Venice, CA. But as summer winds down, we can’t wait to cruise up and down the coast as the winds turn off shore and those Fall south swells remind us why we call California home. Her slow-going style keeps everyone on board very present. She’s pretty hard to miss so keep an eye out for her crawling along the slow lane near you.

Big thanks to Ryan and Old Pal for the download. If you see the Cosmic Collider around, don’t forget to tag @oldpal! And definitely be sure to check out the Old Pal online shop for low key apparel, accessories, and their collection of exclusive artwork.

The post Overlander Spotlight: The Cosmic Collider appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

The race brought together the 12 best Onewheel riders in the world, but only one managed to capture the win.  This year’s victor was Brenden Schurmeier (a.k.a. Floaty McFly) and highlights from his epic win can be seen here on their YouTube channel.

We’re big fans of the fun-factor packed into Onewheels, particularly their XR model ($1,799) with a range of 18 miles and a top speed of 19 mph. It’s one of those products that when you see a skilled rider lighting it up, it squarely puts us somewhere in the future of our youth.

Follow Onewheel on Instagram for the latest info around their products and races.

The post 2020 Onewheel World Championship appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

The post Overlander Spotlight: Luis Nieto and his 2019 Subaru Crosstrek appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

NATURE
Tell us a bit about yourself, your company, and how your product brings people closer to nature…
I’m Stefan Ytterborn, Founder and CEO of CAKE. I have always been an entrepreneur. Right out of school I was struck by 16th century design and I began to absorb everything I could. I was infected by the idea of understanding everything and the whys. While my interest eventually turned toward the contemporary, this journey through the history of the built environment and interior design has informed a career of striving to create purpose-driven products and establish classics with long and durable lifecycles. I combined these principles with my interest for outdoor sports such as: skiing, surfing, mountain, biking and road cycling. In 2005, I established POC, which was a merger of purpose, innovation, and relevancy with better, more accurate protection for outdoor sports. And now with CAKE, we have a product that’s changing the industry. It doesn’t pollute, it’s not noisy or disturbing. And there’s an ease of driving — without gears or a clutch — that opens up nature to everyone.

CULTURE
How do you use culture to fuel your perspective?
Culture is everything. It’s the reason behind everything. I am very interested in what’s going on in contemporary space, including all the social, political, and intellectual aspects. And, while I spend a lot of time digesting information, my career has been like a funnel. In the beginning, it was really wide. Now I focus on one thing at a time and go deep. With POC, for instance, I knew everything about the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, the teams, exactly who was riding, and so forth. But if you asked me today who was likely to win next year’s Tour de France, I wouldn’t be able to give you an answer because I’m all about electric motorbikes at this time. So having a broad perspective on culture and society is the fuel that I use to point toward one project at a time.

FUTURE
What traits are you banking on your future audience having that are informing your decision making now?
I have high expectations on the market that we’re addressing. So from a wide perspective, it’s all about their search for products that are respectful, honest, and true — objects that support the general idea of sustainability — and then being able to combine that with an active lifestyle.

To succeed there’s an obligation not to cheat. We need to establish mutual respect between us and our customers. So we promote the idea of premium, as opposed to luxury. I define premium as something that has purpose, innovation, quality, performance, and deliberate design. Luxury is the opposite of premium. Luxury doesn’t need to have a purpose or innovation, while premium really supports the obligations we have to planet earth these days. Inspire the market towards that… responsibility with excitement.

Follow CAKE on Instagram or learn more about their product lineup here.

The post Wild Ingenuity™ with Stefan Ytterborn of Cake appeared first on VANISH TODAY.

Who are you and what do you do by day?
I’m Matt Hein.  I do a lot of different things with my time. First and foremost, I’m a husband and father with four awe-inspiring little girls. I pay the bills by developing and creating custom products to help my clients grow their brands and reward their fans. I also just launched an exciting outdoor accessory brand, Cantonment with my two best, lifelong friends. Our flagship product is the Kerchief, an EDC tool cloth that is a vastly improved take on the common neckerkerchief. Lastly, I spend a lot of time making things from wood, leather, or whatever else. I love to show off what I do on Instagram and on my personal site.

Tell us a bit about your rig.
We found a very clean 2014 Land Rover LR4 about 14 months ago. It had, and still has, this beefy BajaRack roof rack, but it was paired with the most horrific, ginormous rims and low profile tires. It was honestly terrible and confusing. I guess the big rack was there to hold all the shopping bags after an adventure to the outlets.

Can you tell us about your favorite mods or features?
We have a long way to go, but so far my favorite mods have been the Johnson Rods lift and the 18” Compomotive wheels we had to order straight from England. LR4’s can’t go lower than 19” wheels unless they are specially made, just for this truck. We fitted them with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A® KO2’s and I couldn’t be happier with the look and performance. We have a long way to go with armor but so far we’ve added the Tactical 4×4 rear bumper with the tire holder and one jerry can. Next is the T44 front bumper, rock sliders and skid plates. I’m dying for that for the peace of mind.

What’s been your favorite trip so far?
Well…it’s COVID time so we haven’t been able to really go far. We live right by American Fork Canyon in Utah and we drag our four daughters up there and explore every weekend. We basically go until it gets too sketchy for my skills. I can’t tell you exactly where it was, but bouldering up a dried river bed has been my favorite trip.

Where to next?
More Moab. Duh.

Follow Cantonment on Instagram or purchase their Kerchiefs on Huckberry.

The post Overlander Spotlight: Matt Hein of Cantonment and his LR4 appeared first on VANISH TODAY.