Crankshaft Culture Gear Garage: Lumio’s Lito mini

June 28, 2021 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Andy and I have reviewed dozens of products over the years. Some types of gear are utilitarian. Others are brought to market as “design first, function last.” It’s rare that your eyes notice something truly unique and functional and you know with a strong degree of certainty it’ll become a classic. One such product that…

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Crankshaft Culture Gear Garage: Sea to Summit’s 6L Watercell ST

June 27, 2021 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 2 Comments

Next to air, water is the next most precious thing. Without it, especially when traveling remotely, bad things happen. We’ve tested the Sea to Summit 6L Watercell ST to see how it stacks up against its hard-sided water-carrying cousins. Over the years we’ve reviewed a variety of hard-sided water containers. However, they’re bulky and take…

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Crankshaft Culture Gear Garage: On-the-Go Camp Essentials

May 5, 2021 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

We’re all at that breaking point. We’ve been cooped up for over a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, political unrest is clawing its way throughout the globe, and job insecurities have us nervous. However, the new norm for taking your mind off of daily challenges may have transitioned from what was into enjoying the…

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Crankshaft Culture Gear Garage: 5.11 Tactical Load Ready Utility Large Tote

April 29, 2021 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Everyone needs a great tote bag. No joke. No matter if you’re lugging around heavy vehicle recovery gear or oddball-sized items, owning a durable go-to carrying case is important. Enter 5.11 Tactical’s 39-liter Load Ready Utility Large tote. In our opinion, it’s all that and more.

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You Know You’re on the Alcan When …

January 17, 2021 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost one year since Andy and I competed in the 2020 winter Alcan 5000 Rally. Who would have thought an old 1991 Japanese Domestic Market right-hand-drive diesel Pajero would be competing in temps that reached -40, much less finish strong in a rally that lasted 10 days and over…

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Coastal Offroad Delica Space Gear Bumpers: Installed and In Action

November 23, 2020 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 1 Comment

We have the Coastal Offroad high-clearance front and rear bumpers (with skid plate and swing-away tire/jerry can carrier) finalized! We thought we’d do a walk-around video showing the Coastal Offroad Delica bumpers’ advantages for off-road driving, camping, and carrying extra gear.

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Coastal Offroad Delica Space Gear Bumpers: The Build Process

November 21, 2020 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 7 Comments

*Updated 12/10/20 Canadian-based Coastal Offroad makes a variety of front and rear weld-together bumper kits for Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear vans. Coastal Offroad, or CO, produces kits for both series 1 and 2 Delica L400s. Our 1994 Space Gear, known as the TBD Tractor, is a series 1 model. The facelifted series 2 Delica Space…

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Our After Alcan 5000 via Dirt Sports World

April 17, 2020 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

It’s hard to believe it’s been just over a month since we finished the 2020 Alcan 5000 Winter Rally. It was an incredibly challenging and rewarding adventure! We’ve returned from driving the Pajero over 5,400 winter Arctic miles. There’s so much to talk about, so much to share. So, here’s our first feature story via…

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Trading Places: Swapping Spots at Rebelle Rally

December 21, 2019 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Dust, dirt, and dreadfully long days can’t keep Kathy and me away from the Rebelle Rally. That’s why Kathy and I both drove it as competitors, as well as covered the event as media. These words actually accelerate our excitement about the event. Why wouldn’t you want to take your Toyota and dash over hard-packed…

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A Grand Adventure to Yosemite National Park

October 30, 2019 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 3 Comments

When someone thinks of “out west,” they typically think of massive mountains, tall trees, grand valleys, and staggering scenery. They think of the wild, wild west. Gone are miles and miles of plains or crops as far as the eye can see. Cows and corn, soybeans and sows aren’t thought of, either. Next to the…

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