Author Archives: Cade Sundstedt

epicroadtrip, bigsur, ca, california, camperconversion, 4runnercamperconversion, 4runnercamper, toyota, 4runner, thule, nacemiento

EPIC ROAD TRIP – WEEK 2

Continued from WEEK 1… Saying good-byes Monday morning was tough as always with our friends, but we were excited to see the place that we had been hearing amazing things about for so long, Big Sur.  Due to the recent landslides, only a small portion of the park was accessible and we would need to […]

pacific, ca, california, swingset, playground

Epic Road Trip – Week 1

How do you prepare for a three-week road trip with a two-and-a-half-year-old?  With the help of my dad, Molly and I built out our 4Runner into a 4WD camper, spent countless hours dehydrating food, researching routes, purchasing gear, and booking hotel rooms. After a year of thinking, planning, discussing, and anticipating the trip was finally […]

4-runner camping, car camping, SUV rv, arapaho national forest

4Runner Camper Conversion

**UPDATE** We easily retrofitted this platform for our 5th generation 4Runner and will try to get some pics/ dimensions posted!   **ORIGINAL POST** With a 10 day Colorado road trip looming and an early 2017 three-week epic family adventure in the planning stages, Molly and I thought it might be a cool idea to turn […]

Engineering student, college with a kid

2016 In Pictures

 

Gear Review – Alps Mountaineering Clearwater 20 Sleeping Bag

The old saying “you get what you pay for” sums up the Clearwater 20 bag perfectly.  It is heavier than most synthetic bags and is nowhere near comfortable at 20 degrees; however, it compresses fairly well, is warm enough for most excursions, and is relatively inexpensive. I have had this bag since 2010 and it […]

Snowmass Lake Maroon Bells, Maroon bells backpacking, buckskin pass

Gear Review – Arc’teryx Bora 80

Thank you REI garage sale!  I purchased this pack almost 10 years ago and it changed my perception of backpacking.  Previously, I had always used external frame or cheaper internal frame packs which lead to discomfort, fatigue, and general disdain for backpacking.  With this pack, I can throw 60 pounds of gear on my back […]

strawberry park hot springs, strawberry park cabin, steamboat springs, colorado hot springs

Steamboat Springs, CO

With a moniker suggesting a vast lake or river nearby but adjacent to neither, Steamboat Springs is an oddly named place.  A quick Google search will inform any amateur historian that the name comes from the sounds emitted from the area’s numerous hot springs which early settlers likened to a steamboat. History aside, our trip […]

Pictured Rocks National Shoreline backpacking, mosquito beach campsite

Gear Review – Kelty Ouray 2 Tent

While definitely not the lightest or most compactable tent on the market, this three season tent has been both bomb-proof and roomy for us.  With 35 square feet inside, plenty of head and leg room (I am 6 feet tall), and TWO 7 square foot vestibules the Ouray more than makes up for its extra […]

little green lake fishing, wisonsin bass fishing, 5 lb bass, father and son fishing

Little Green Lake, WI

Merry Christmas (in June)! Instead of traditional gifts, Molly’s parents decided to give the family an experience by way of a four day weekend at a lakehouse on Little Green Lake, Wisconsin. The house was set up perfectly for our large group including six adults and four kids. There was a nice dock on the […]

Flambeau Flowage, camping with a toddler, canoeing with a toddler, northern wisconsin, spring

Knowing When to Pull the Plug

This sucks!  What do you think?  Should we just call it?  Was the dialogue between Molly and me as our 17 month old son refused to nap, eat, be held, or really do anything other than play near the steep drop to the water or the thorn bushes on our tiny Turtle Flambeau Flowage island […]