5 Year Trip in a Grenadier Across the World towing a Patriot X3 Which We Live In.

[Matt P]

On tyres @Matt P you were discussing an upgrade/change over a little while ago to possibly muds - how did you get on with that and any feedback?

Still deciding. We’ll circle back when we’ve made a decision. There’s still some tread left on our original KO2s for now.

 

[JKAlpine]

Still deciding. We’ll circle back when we’ve made a decision. There’s still some tread left on our original KO2s for now.

How many miles do you have on them so far?

 

[Matt P]

How many miles do you have on them so far?

Approaching 50000km, about 70-80% off-road. So not doing too badly!

 

[JKAlpine]

Approaching 50000km, about 70-80% off-road. So not doing too badly!

That's not bad at all!

 

[Tr182md]

I am so happy I found your channel. This is an amazing trip and I am so jealous and I also know that I could never do something like this. I am glad you are doing it. Watching the “Long Way Round” series many years ago was also inspiring and gave me a feel for how many obstacles you can face.

I have been telling everyone I know and posting your channel where it seems right. I wonder if you were able to get any sponsorship from Ineos or Patriot? Ineos should be helping you since this is a huge 5 year commercial for their truck. After long way round KTM had refused to help so they went with BMW bikes and after that they became the most popular motorcycle in the world. I am sue having Elon Mcgreggor as the rider helped but the inspiration to the industry was amazing. You have the opportunity to do something similar for overlanding.

Both of these brands I have been researching for a long time and they are both amazing. I went with a teardrop due to concerns about wind but I think that the Patriot is probably much more rugged and suitable for this rugged terrain …. Although I do see that wind has been a factor.

Fo me a blog or something about the obstacles you have faced, or the issues with the vehicles would be extremely useful. I can’t think of a more rigorous test of what these vehicles are intended for. Most would take them out for a week or two at a time but to be out for 5 years. There will be issues and how you overcome them is probably one of the most interesting things. I recall on the Long way round trip they broke the frame of the motorcycle in Mongolia and found some random dude to weld it. That type of thing is extremely interesting. I would not wish these things on anyone but your experience helps us all.

Thank you for doing this for all of us who can’t get away.

 

[GrenADV]

Your drone shots are simply amazing. Also, I have to say that you and your wife are absolute legends for raising 2 little kids on the road - I have no clue how you manage to do this...our 2yo toddler gets fussy after only an hour of being in the car seat with smooth highway driving HA!

Keep posting great content!

 

[LeeroyJ]

I have no idea how I missed this thread. I subscribed to your Youtube channel on June 11, 2023. I've been enjoying every episode since. I'm supremely jealous of your adventure! The videos are absolutely top notch and so is the storytelling. I also get a great smile out of your kids since they look remarkably like mine did at that age.

Stay safe and enjoy!

 

[Snipewench]

Matt, you watched and commented on Ronny Dahl's latest video comparing the 76 to the Gren. You should put something up on the comments section about reliability, as that's a big stick that many people use to bag the Grenadier. You can't get much further away from a dealer/repair centre than where you are at the moment, and where you've been these past few months. I made some comments on there, which seem to have stuck and caused some angst.

Am loving your trip so far. I get so nervous for your safety when you decide to go into a new country and explore. But the scenery is stunning, and the Gren's just been lapping it up.

 

[Matt P]

That's not bad at all!

Nope, doing pretty well, all things considered!

 

[Matt P]

I am so happy I found your channel. This is an amazing trip and I am so jealous and I also know that I could never do something like this. I am glad you are doing it. Watching the “Long Way Round” series many years ago was also inspiring and gave me a feel for how many obstacles you can face.

I have been telling everyone I know and posting your channel where it seems right. I wonder if you were able to get any sponsorship from Ineos or Patriot? Ineos should be helping you since this is a huge 5 year commercial for their truck. After long way round KTM had refused to help so they went with BMW bikes and after that they became the most popular motorcycle in the world. I am sue having Elon Mcgreggor as the rider helped but the inspiration to the industry was amazing. You have the opportunity to do something similar for overlanding.

Both of these brands I have been researching for a long time and they are both amazing. I went with a teardrop due to concerns about wind but I think that the Patriot is probably much more rugged and suitable for this rugged terrain …. Although I do see that wind has been a factor.

Fo me a blog or something about the obstacles you have faced, or the issues with the vehicles would be extremely useful. I can’t think of a more rigorous test of what these vehicles are intended for. Most would take them out for a week or two at a time but to be out for 5 years. There will be issues and how you overcome them is probably one of the most interesting things. I recall on the Long way round trip they broke the frame of the motorcycle in Mongolia and found some random dude to weld it. That type of thing is extremely interesting. I would not wish these things on anyone but your experience helps us all.

Thank you for doing this for all of us who can’t get away.

We're happy you found us! Thank you so much for supporting and helping to spread the word, we really appreciate it! As for knowing you could never do it, you never know until you try...

I also remember watching the Long Way Round series! Loved it! I'm very aware of the sponsorship deal with BMW, the fact that KTM declined and the end result - which you literally see all over the world. It had a HUGE impact. Another is Mercedes buying Gunther's G Wagon at the end of his trip. They tried to sponsor him as they understood the value, but he declined as he wanted "no strings attached" to his journey but after the trip, he agreed to the purchase. They showcased it all over the world with the imagery of his journey, and what a surprise, they sold a lot, built a great reputation and brand off the back of it. There's many stories and examples like this out there and so it clearly works. People like to see the vehicles being used by real people, on real trips, in real environments. It answers a LOT of questions.

We approached both INEOS and Patriot a long time before our departure and followed up nearer to our departure date, but both declined, unfortunately which made us put our money where our mouth was. We've kept in touch during the journey but no joy as of yet. I think it's obvious what the upside is for them but there's only so much we can do. "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" as they say. Being Ewan McGregor would help things along I'm sure... Not much I can do on that front!

We'll do a video or I'll write a summary post on here soon, which will include everything you've mentioned. If we manage to break the chassis on the Grenadier, we've done something very silly! It's very well put together! As for bringing you along for the ride, no worries at all it's a very supportive community! Leah's always been interested in YouTube and we thought this would be a good way to see what it's all about. It provides us with great memories and helps us learn new skills and so everyone wins! I love all the drone stuff! It's a ton of work but hopefully worth it in the end!

 

[Matt P]

Your drone shots are simply amazing. Also, I have to say that you and your wife are absolute legends for raising 2 little kids on the road - I have no clue how you manage to do this...our 2yo toddler gets fussy after only an hour of being in the car seat with smooth highway driving HA!

Keep posting great content!

Thanks so much! I was a total beginner at the start of this trip. I love it. Going to such epic places obviously helps!

Thanks for your kind words re the kids. It’s a real challenge, but over time, we’ve found ways to make it work.

 

[Matt P]

I have no idea how I missed this thread. I subscribed to your Youtube channel on June 11, 2023. I've been enjoying every episode since. I'm supremely jealous of your adventure! The videos are absolutely top notch and so is the storytelling. I also get a great smile out of your kids since they look remarkably like mine did at that age.

Stay safe and enjoy!

You’ve seen some of our trials and tribulations then including deleting all the launch footage from the pub right at the start!

Glad you’ve enjoyed the journey so far! Thanks for your kind words, we put a lot of effort in and hope to improve on each one and so it’s good to hear that people enjoying them. The kids are changing all the time, it’s insane, even when you’re with them 24/7! Maybe we’re brothers from another mother…

 

[Tazzieman]

The latest episode; as always stunning I knew nothing about snow leopards ; as far removed from my environment as quolls are to the people of Kyrgyzstan!

View: https://youtu.be/ayP8iNaQefk?feature=shared

 

[bigleonski]

The latest episode; as always stunning I knew nothing about snow leopards ; as far removed from my environment as quolls are to the people of Kyrgyzstan!

View: https://youtu.be/ayP8iNaQefk?feature=shared

Watched it last night, waited until both I and my bride could watch it together.
Spectacular scenery, and looking forward to the next episode, and hopefully finding out you found a snow leopard.

Matt, this trip is a blessing.

Please shout out when you get to Australia. It would be great to meet you all.

 

[Clark Kent]

The latest episode; as always stunning I knew nothing about snow leopards ; as far removed from my environment as quolls are to the people of Kyrgyzstan!

View: https://youtu.be/ayP8iNaQefk?feature=shared

Three things really stood out to me in Part Two:
1. The drone work has (somehow) stepped up another notch. Stunning cinematic capture of the enormous Kyrgyzstan landscape.
2. Further swing from a travelogue with great visuals and story telling, to a fascinating documentary on the region and the local people, and of course the Snow Leopard conservation efforts. Eye and brain candy.
3. Leah really does love filming (apparently )

Inspirational work @Matt P. Thank you.

 

[LeeroyJ]

Great episode! Well done on the trailer license plate repair! I regret not making the time to see Kyrgyzstan when I was in the area (Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan).

 

[Matt P]

The latest episode; as always stunning I knew nothing about snow leopards ; as far removed from my environment as quolls are to the people of Kyrgyzstan!

View: https://youtu.be/ayP8iNaQefk?feature=shared

It's a bit of a gamble doing what we're doing, dropping these projects intertwined with our journey, but it's great you're taking it as intended. It's supposed to be very light, just planting a few seeds and shining a light on a few projects we think are interesting and contributing to the protection of our planet as a whole. More to come!

 

[Matt P]

Watched it last night, waited until both I and my bride could watch it together.
Spectacular scenery, and looking forward to the next episode, and hopefully finding out you found a snow leopard.

Matt, this trip is a blessing.

Please shout out when you get to Australia. It would be great to meet you all.

So cool to hear you guys held out until you could both sit down and watch it together. Glad you enjoyed this one!

As for Australia, I'd love to meet everyone down under too! Unfortunately, as much as we would have loved to come, we're not going to make it to Australia on this occasion. We had kind of hoped INEOS may have expressed an interest in our trip by now, which may have changed that, but unfortunately, that's not materialised. So we have a limited budget and time for this journey and have decided to spend a fair amount of our remaining time in Africa. (Two years is the plan) Even though our planned trip is a long one, we can only really scratch the surface of our planet. There's so much more we'd love to do including a lap of Aus at some point. I've travelled a fair bit there, but not really from a proper overland perspective. I'm very keen to check it out when the time is right.

 

[terdrocket]

So cool to hear you guys held out until you could both sit down and watch it together. Glad you enjoyed this one!

As for Australia, I'd love to meet everyone down under too! Unfortunately, as much as we would have loved to come, we're not going to make it to Australia on this occasion. We had kind of hoped INEOS may have expressed an interest in our trip by now, which may have changed that, but unfortunately, that's not materialised. So we have a limited budget and time for this journey and have decided to spend a fair amount of our remaining time in Africa. (Two years is the plan) Even though our planned trip is a long one, we can only really scratch the surface of our planet. There's so much more we'd love to do including a lap of Aus at some point. I've travelled a fair bit there, but not really from a proper overland perspective. I'm very keen to check it out when the time is right.

Make sure you have time to explore Ethiopia. Such an amazing place. I spend a lot of time there.

 

[Matt P]

Three things really stood out to me in Part Two:
1. The drone work has (somehow) stepped up another notch. Stunning cinematic capture of the enormous Kyrgyzstan landscape.
2. Further swing from a travelogue with great visuals and story telling, to a fascinating documentary on the region and the local people, and of course the Snow Leopard conservation efforts. Eye and brain candy.
3. Leah really does love filming (apparently )

Inspirational work @Matt P. Thank you.

Thanks for this!

1. I'm always trying to improve on the drone front! It's meant a few close calls but worth it in the end! There's always more I'd like to do but we have to balance things with the kids. We're very run and gun!
2. Great that you're seeing improvement over time. We don't get chance to go back and watch really and so just focus on the future. Glad you enjoyed the documentary and Snow Leopard side of things. We know it's not everyone's cup of tea but it's important to us and so every 3 or 4 videos will be like this.
3. That cracked me up every time we went over it. You just have no idea what the little ones are going to say! Keeps life interesting!