Ep 28: Power Mods, Island Playbook & PNW Trail Days Remote Trails Radio podcast

Ep 28: Power Mods, Island Playbook & PNW Trail Days

4d ago 54:43

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Chilly temps, big mods, and bigger trip tips. Garrick installs a DC-DC alternator charger (Bluetti Charger 1) to turbo-charge his EcoFlow River 2 Pro and talks solar (220W), safer fridge power connectors (DC5521 + Anderson swap-ends), and why cigarette lighter plugs keep letting overlanders down. Melody breaks down our Vancouver Island playbook—ferries (Black Ball vs. BC Ferries), border/dog docs, bear-country camp hygiene, and how we actually find great camps (Gaia/OnX/Trailforks/Backroads Mapbooks + Overland Trail Guides)—including the backup-your-pins lesson we learned the hard way. Plus quick PNW ride notes from Roslyn to Grand Ridge (hello, cougar signs), and gear fails & fixes (air compressor, tire gauges, and the case for a compact propane fire can).

In this episode:

DC-DC charging 101: stepping up voltage for real alternator watts
Solar realities, fridge “eco mode,” and solid DC5521 outputs
Vancouver Island logistics, reservations, and camp-scouting workflow
PNW ride recaps: gravel loops & weeknight singletrack
Bear-country habits that actually help
Gear talk: redundancy that matters (power, gauges, fire)

Random Recs:

Dessert hack: dates stuffed with almond butter
Thrift smarter: the Depop app for graphic tees & trail-town fits

Relevant Links:

Remote Trails Radio on YouTube
Remote Trails Radio on Instagram
Ecoflow 220W Solar Panel
Bluetti Charger 1
Timber Bell
Jasonoid’s guide on creating a better 12V power cable

Say hi on Instagram @RemoteTrailsRadio and catch episode uploads on YouTube—like & subscribe to support the show. Questions or trip tips? [email protected]

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Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Need More Power (00:03:01)

3. Tip 1: Charging When Not Driving (00:05:58)

4. Tip 2: Increasing Charging Rate While Driving (00:07:16)

5. Alternative for the fridge cigarette lighter connector (00:16:25)

6. Roslyn Gravel Riding (00:21:39)

7. Mountain Biking Grand Ridge Issaquah (00:23:02)

8. Gear Focus (00:24:50)

9. Vancouver Island North Tips (00:26:47)

10. Random Recommendations (00:48:58)

28 episodes