ROVA Nineteen: June/July 2020

What a strange time it is to be producing a magazine about travel. With many campgrounds and national parks closed, the current crisis has been particularly difficult for some members of our community who live full-time on the road, as well as those whose long-planned road trips have been taken off the table. At ROVA, our fingers are firmly crossed that science and community solidarity will get us past the these trying times as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we’re hoping that the stories in this edition keep you dreaming of adventure, and looking towards a time when we can fully enjoy the great outdoors again. In this spirit, this edition of ROVA brings you stories of perseverance, from Leanne Hoffman’s musings on learning to live with loneliness, to Chris Simon’s…

Winner of the Helinox Table One Hard Top Camp Table I sat in the bathtub sobbing as I read “On the spectrum and on the road” [by Karly Mareka, ROVA Adventure Seventeen]. For the first time in my life, I felt completely understood and entirely seen. It’s as if the author was reading my journals. It gave me the courage to do the thing I had only dared daydream about for years, and the insight to know it was achievable. My husband and I have set into motion a two-year plan to sell the house, revamp an Airstream and live on the road with our dogs. Thank you, ROVA, for publishing such a tremendous, raw and honest piece. Candace R While I thoroughly enjoy getting my subscription in the mail, I have…

You’re virtually there If travel restrictions are getting you down, try visiting some amazing destinations through the interweb. Virtual Yosemite is an impressive site that allows you to access panoramic views of a huge range of sites throughout the park, complete with sound effects like birdsong, rushing river water and the chatter of hikers. It’s not as good as being there, but it’s pretty close! virtualyosemite.org The environment online Every year, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital offers up a huge range of environmental films, screened at venues throughout the Washington, D.C. area. This year, the festival has made the majority of its films available to stream online—including films from previous years’ festivals. Featuring stunning documentaries on topics from rock climbing to ocean conservation and technology, this festival is packed with…

The heat is on (it’s on the roof) You don’t put chocolate in your rooftop cargo box. Wanna know why? The sun beats down on it all day, and you’ll end up with jerry cans covered in gooey deliciousness. This leads us to our point: those sunrays could be put to better use—namely, solar power. Yakima’s new CBX SOLAR cargo box is revolutionary, allowing road-trippers to store a load of bulky gear on the roof while also harvesting power for devices. It’s one of those strokes of genius that leaves us scratching our heads, wondering why nobody did it earlier. yakima.com, $1,299, available in August 2020 Park your butt There’s a huge range of camp chairs out there, but not many of them look as classy as the Kermit Chair. Made from oak…

Jason and Koda I grew up in the Philippines, where camping and fishing are some of my fondest, most vivid memories. After moving to the States, I fell in love with the outdoor lifestyle all over again around the time that Koda (my dog) came into my life. I love spending time with Koda, so one day we took my little truck out to the desert to camp for a night, and it brought me back to my childhood and reminded me how much I loved camping. It was a rush of emotions, and I haven’t stopped since. Koda and I go just about everywhere we can in our truck, and we don’t plan on ever stopping. Instagram: @kodastacoma Kendal and Collin I don’t want to look back on my life and wish that…

Although it may lack the full-time livability and Insta-glam chic of #vanlife, there is another type of mobile lifestyle option for those of us who can’t afford a souped-up motorhome. Much smaller and infinitely cheaper than a loaded Sprinter or restored Airstream, the venerable old-school truck cap is for getting back to basics. Known by many names, the basic cap is easy to find (both new and used), simple to install, extremely drivable, and very low maintenance—no appliances to fail, no tires/brakes/axles to keep in order, no separate registration or insurance, and no storage fees to deal with when not in use. They’ve been around since the ’50s, with DIY jobs and small regional manufacturers giving way to a handful of mainstream titans (Leer, ARE and Snugtop, to name a few)…