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

[Matt P]

Thanks for sharing the details. I am really sorry for this and no amount of thinking about the past will help. Looking forward is all you can do and I really am looking forward to hearing about what you are doing now to move forward …. Patriot campers being in Mongolia is certainly interesting.

Patriot being in Mongolia is interesting as that was always part of our original plan, go to Mongolia this Summer.

 

[Matt P]

I just sent email to PAtriot asking them if they are following and if they can help. MAybe we all should do that.

Worth a shot.

Thanks so much for this! We're in touch with Patriot, and they told us they've received quite a bit of incoming regarding this event, even though the fire had nothing to do with them. We really appreciate people like yourself being so supportive . They've been really good to be fair, especially as there's no obligation on their side. We pitched this journey to them before we set off and have kept in touch ever since.

 

[Matt P]

Everything you need to know about snow leopards can be found in the classic scene from “the secret life of Walter Mitty”.

You're not the first to say this!

 

[Matt P]

I believe the Armadillo bags are from a US company. It might be time to talk to a US based attorney. You have real losses from the failure of their product. They might not claim that it is for the transportation of fuel but their advertising says differently.

I’m a guy who hates litigation and always try and avoid it but in your case I would definitely explore the option. Unfortunately, my profession is as a corporate turnaround specialist in the construction industry. Most of the companies that I get hired had have ongoing litigation. It is the nature of construction trades here in the states. As a result, I have had to manage my fair share of legal problems.

We've had several conversations...I also hate litigation but it's now morally important that this product is removed from the market or the risk explained to all so they can make an informed decision.

 

[Matt P]

For anyone new to the conversation, or if you haven't watched the video. This is what we're discussing:

The video with a little more info here:

 

[Zimm]

We didn't mistreat the bag. It was all in accordance with their instructions.

I didn’t say you did. I was pointing out their advertising and culpability in pretty much every situation due to it.

 

[TWExplor]

Matt, thank you for all the great information you have provided throughout your incredible journey. This is a tragic story but one that needs to be told. I had seriously considered these fuel bladders for our build but now will go a different route. Hoping nothing but the best for you and your family. Your adventure is truly epic and inspirational.

 

[Matt P]

Matt, thank you for all the great information you have provided throughout your incredible journey. This is a tragic story but one that needs to be told. I had seriously considered these fuel bladders for our build but now will go a different route. Hoping nothing but the best for you and your family. Your adventure is truly epic and inspirational.

Thanks for your kind words. More coming soon.

 

[Matt P]

Hi all! Quick update. Thank you for being so supportive and generous with your heartfelt condolences after the last video. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. It’s great to know there’s such a good community of people here. We never imagined this happening and obviously would rather it hadn’t, but we are where we are. If you’d like to support us, here’s a link http://tinyurl.com/PWEstorytelling to help us get our home up and running again. We’re a fair way behind online and so this has been a significant hit to the overall trip.

We initially set this up after being asked by a few people how they could contribute to our journey (before the fire). It’s not something we’ve pushed at all. We’ve found it’s been the easiest way to allow people to support if they’d like to. So far, this has been specifically focused on the storytelling side of things. There are obviously a few significant additional costs to the original list that we’re now having to absorb, as you can imagine with a situation like this.

The major costs being:

• Replacing essential items we lost in the fire
• Finding suitable accommodation for our family while this plays out
• We’re also having to eat out a lot more as opposed to camping and catering for ourselves, which we’ve been doing so far…

We have had some positive news though! Patriot Campers have been legends and have offered to help us out by providing us with the parts to repair the trailer in Mongolia, despite the fire being nothing to do with them. This has obviously provided us with a much-needed lifeline. What we need to cover is the labour and import taxes in Mongolia to get the job done!

A few of you asked about specific help. If anyone feels they could assist with the legal side of things, please feel free to reach out directly on here or via our website. https://projectwildearth.com/contact-us Our priority here is to get the product removed from the market or at least inform people of the potential risk they’re taking by using them.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

The next video is up for some more background on what happened and what the plan is now:

 

[LeeroyJ]

I just commented on YouTube, so will be lazy and just repost here: “Man, you guys made my crusty grumpy self tear up… I’m so very glad you and the kids are ok. I’m also super proud of you to still have the spirit to keep the journey alive. I also respect the crap out of Patriot Trailers for offering to help. I saw them at Overland Expo West a few weeks ago and thought about asking them if they knew about this, but decided against it. I regret not giving them a high-five now. They are definitely on my list now when our current trailer needs replacement. I look forward to the rest of the story and thanks for letting us share it with you. I wish I could do more to help!”

I made a little donation, I hope it helps - but more importantly I hope to see you guys happy and unstressed again, whether that means continuing the trip or just making your peace with it concluding.

 

[Clark Kent]

Hi @Matt P. Thanks for the update.

Great news about Patriot's contribution. They're also adventurers at heart so I have no doubt your situation hit them right in the feels.

I have put my money where my mouth is. Hopefully you can knock your adventure back into shape and set off again soon.

 

[parb]

Im happy to hear that patriot is helping you out. I'm definitely going to add a preference to spend some money with patriot if I get into the business of getting an overland trailer. Well done patriot.
I've also put my wallet to good use, hopefully my minor contribution will help you get part of the taxes covered.

For those looking for the url: https://gofund.me/4ab4ec21

 

[Clark Kent]

62 donations in the past 24 hours since @Matt P posted on YT and here. Fair to say this is resonating with a few folks. That's awesome. Truth is it could be any of us in Matt and Leah's situation. Well, maybe not in the wilds of Kyrgyzstan but my point stands!

 

[Matt P]

I just commented on YouTube, so will be lazy and just repost here: “Man, you guys made my crusty grumpy self tear up… I’m so very glad you and the kids are ok. I’m also super proud of you to still have the spirit to keep the journey alive. I also respect the crap out of Patriot Trailers for offering to help. I saw them at Overland Expo West a few weeks ago and thought about asking them if they knew about this, but decided against it. I regret not giving them a high-five now. They are definitely on my list now when our current trailer needs replacement. I look forward to the rest of the story and thanks for letting us share it with you. I wish I could do more to help!”

I made a little donation, I hope it helps - but more importantly I hope to see you guys happy and unstressed again, whether that means continuing the trip or just making your peace with it concluding.

Hi Leeroy! I replied but I can reply again. The main thing out of all of this is that we're ok. We appreciate your kind words of support, Patriot have been brilliant, this had nothing to do with them and they still stepped in to help. It says a lot about Justin and his team. Next time, definitely go and give them that high-five and say hi from us! Well worth looking into their range, you can even rent one in Australia, maybe the US too, a great way to see if they're a good fit.

As for continuing on, a plan is now in place, no doubt they'll be a few speed bumps along the way but there's light at the end of the tunnel. You and so many other people in the overland community have done more than enough to help, we appreciate it greatly!

 

[Matt P]

Hi @Matt P. Thanks for the update.

Great news about Patriot's contribution. They're also adventurers at heart so I have no doubt your situation hit them right in the feels.

I have put my money where my mouth is. Hopefully you can knock your adventure back into shape and set off again soon.

No problem at all, it's the least I can do with all the support this community has given. Indeed it is great to hear about Patriot! They've been legends, straight from the heart. Thank you so much for your donation, we'll put it towards getting us back on the road. We really appreciate it.

 

[Matt P]

62 donations in the past 24 hours since @Matt P posted on YT and here. Fair to say this is resonating with a few folks. That's awesome. Truth is it could be any of us in Matt and Leah's situation. Well, maybe not in the wilds of Kyrgyzstan but my point stands!

It's been a little overwhelming to be honest! Incredible that there are so many people out there that care and have donated. It's been a rough ride but this has been a ray of sunshine, the biggest thing we were discussing today is that even though the sense of community in a lot of the world appears to be fragmented these days, it's still very strong and that's put a big smile on our face.

 

[Matt P]

This also only applies to US only apparently. Yet they still advertise as if it's an overland product, designed to be used for the most obvious case... Check their Instagram.

This is pretty much our exact case. I'm not sure what else you would be pouring into the fuel tank? What's beyond insensitive is that they posted this AFTER knowing about what happened to us.

Here are more examples (click the links) of their advertising for this product. One , Two , Three , Four , Five , Six (this one is a video) There's a good chance these links will be taken down soon but I have videos and screenshots of them all.

It seems it started out as a Fuel Bladder so I can only assume something happened in the US and they changed the name of it. They clearly know they have a product that could potentially harm people, yet they continue to sell it...

We actually really liked the product initially and were talking to them about helping to spread the word as it was easier to use than jerry cans and folded away. We were very clear about what we'd be doing with them and what conditions we'd be taking them in and they were all for it. I would never normally do this but I feel we now have a moral obligation to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else. We couldn't live with ourselves. It's a real shame as I'm all for innovative products but when we're talking about the transport of fuel and people's lives, you can't cut corners.

One more update re Giant Loop. We found this today. Posted 8 months ago. I'm not sure how they can say what they say in this promo video "Designed to carry fuel or diesel" and push it at Overland Expos, in the US, and then have everything they do on their website, I'll never know. This was at Overland Expo West.

One of these bags will eventually cause serious harm to someone, we were very lucky, all things considered. I really would like to do my best to get word out that people should be aware of the risk they're taking by using this product, based on our experience. We looked after ours, emptied them as soon as we could, filled them a few litres below the max to allow for expansion, didn't make the straps too tight that held them on, regularly depressurised, checked for chafing each night, stored them inside the vehicle when they were not being used so they didn't suffer any unnecessary wear and tear, and they were literally a few months old. We're not sure what else we could've done apart from the obvious - remove it from the top of the trailer while we were cooking, even though it was a fair distance away, which in hindsight would've been sensible. If most people are honest with themselves, I don't think they would remove the fuel from the vehicle each time they cooked or made a brew, certainly not anyone we've met along our journeys but that obviously would've helped prevent this from happening. Cooking away from the vehicle is the other thing we could've done. I'm just being brutally honest here. If I don't say it, someone else will. I just hope people can learn from this, we never want to see it happen to anyone again.

 

[Tom D]

Did you buy them direct or through a UK / EU supplier. There'll be a EU / UK standard covering fuel transportation, do they meet that standard?

 

[Jeremy996]

Did you buy them direct or through a UK / EU supplier. There'll be a EU / UK standard covering fuel transportation, do they meet that standard?

I'd be astonished if they did; UK petrol rules are 20l in an approved metal can and 10l in an approved plastic can. No more than 2 containers, no more than 30l, not in the passenger compartment and not in the engine bay.
There is a huge list of enforcement bodies too, from HSE to DVLA and the Petroleum Enforcement Authority, (PEA).

 

[LeeroyJ]

One more update re Giant Loop. We found this today. Posted 8 months ago. I'm not sure how they can say what they say in this promo video "Designed to carry fuel or diesel" and push it at Overland Expos, in the US, and then have everything they do on their website, I'll never know. This was at Overland Expo West.

One of these bags will eventually cause serious harm to someone, we were very lucky, all things considered. I really would like to do my best to get word out that people should be aware of the risk they're taking by using this product, based on our experience. We looked after ours, emptied them as soon as we could, filled them a few litres below the max to allow for expansion, didn't make the straps too tight that held them on, regularly depressurised, checked for chafing each night, stored them inside the vehicle when they were not being used so they didn't suffer any unnecessary wear and tear, and they were literally a few months old. We're not sure what else we could've done apart from the obvious - remove it from the top of the trailer while we were cooking, even though it was a fair distance away, which in hindsight would've been sensible. If most people are honest with themselves, I don't think they would remove the fuel from the vehicle each time they cooked or made a brew, certainly not anyone we've met along our journeys but that obviously would've helped prevent this from happening. Cooking away from the vehicle is the other thing we could've done. I'm just being brutally honest here. If I don't say it, someone else will. I just hope people can learn from this, we never want to see it happen to anyone again.

I've posted this before in a thread about jerry cans in general -- but I'll repeat it again here since its relevant. When we were in Saudi Arabia, a friend had jerry cans of petrol on the roof rack of his Defender 110. At some point one of the cans developed a slow leak and no-one noticed. Driving through the dunes of the Rub Al Khali, something caused the leak to ignite and within seconds the vehicle was fully engulfed. Even though they weren't traveling fast, by the time they stopped and got out of the Defender (it was him, his wife, and their teenage daughter), they had received serious burns. The Defender was a total loss.

As a result, I'm very cautious about jerry cans (part of the reason I am so happy to have a Long Ranger tank on my IG).