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Kevin, Sarah, and their daughter Caroline smile at the camera

Shift Gears Today with Lifestyle Overland on the Out and Back Podcast, Episode 5

by Mary Cochenour July 8, 2020

written by Mary Cochenour

Take a ride with Lifestyle Overland’s Kevin and Sarah McCuiston today in Out and Back podcast’s episode 5. Known for their full-time overlanding adventures, the McCuistons casually stepped into the sport when they were “looking for something to do” in rural New Mexico. Surrounded by public lands and sprawling open space, the couple quickly became obsessed with the freedom they felt on the backroads. They loved overlanding so much that they ditched the traditional 9-to-5 grind and took up residence on America’s lesser known trails, almost instantly becoming famous for their travels to wild places in their Toyota 4Runner “Silver.”

Lifestyle Overland's silver Toyota 4Runner and trailer parked in front of the Arctic Ocean sign.

You won’t want to miss this episode as Kevin and Sarah discuss their transition from conventional life to full-time overlanding, taking up a nomadic life with their young daughter Caroline in tow. They talk about the nearly 800-mile Enchanted Rockies Trail they created in the beginning of their overlanding career and their northern trip through Canada, Alaska, and beyond the Arctic Circle. Of course, like any good overlander, the McCuistons dive into the details of their rig, explaining why they chose a Toyota 4Runner instead of the vehicle they thought they wanted. Sarah gives her tips for traveling long distance with a toddler and Kevin talks about their favorite meal out on the road. Together, they explain how to break into the sport of overlanding by seeking out trips on local trails and using the 4WD vehicle you already own.

Learn more about Lifestyle Overland in episode 5 of the Out and Back podcast. Follow the McCuistons on their Lifestyle Overland Instagram page, YouTube channel, and listen to their brand new podcast Campfire Confessions. You can also join Lifestyle Overland on Patreon to get exclusive content.

A silver 4Runner and a roof-top tent camped in a valley overlooking the toe of a glacier, mountains in background

Episode 5 Highlights: Lifestyle Overland Tours the West

02:50 – Introduction to Kevin and Sarah
4:32: Regular life before becoming Lifestyle Overland
8: 25: Kevin and Sarah describe the difference between overlanding, wheeling, and crawling.
11:10 – Getting their first rig, and why they’re not traveling in it right now
14:00 – Why they decided to purchase a Toyota 4Runner instead of the vehicle they thought they wanted
16:40 — How their rig “Silver” came to be.
17:40 – Making the transition to FULL-TIME overlanding
19:00 – How their YouTube channel “Lifestyle Overland” unintentionally became a hit
23:10 – Taking it next level to full-time overlanding
29:15 – Advice for basic vehicle maintenance/modification understanding prior to getting into overlanding
31:10 – Who drives the 4Runner most of the time? It’s not Kevin!
33:05 – Vehicle care and maintenance
36:12 – How they use Gaia GPS to plan their adventures
36:52 – How the McCuistons keep their young daughter Caroline entertained on the road without screens
40:50 – What Lifestyle Overland is doing during COVID-19 restrictions
44:50 – The Enchanted Rockies Trail, Lifestyle Overland’s perfect long-distance route for beginners
49:08 – The North Country Loop — from the Grand Canyon to as far north as you can drive in Alaska
51:00 – Favorite places to travel
54:00 – Advice for people wanting to get into overlanding
55:40 – The basic gear you need to start overlanding.
58:10 – Favorite camp food
58:55 – Craziest scenario they’ve ever been in
1:00:10 – If they could anywhere right now, where would it be?
1:00:45 – Where to find the best cinnamon rolls in the world!

Next Episode: Adventure Alan Dixon Ditches the Gear Spreadsheet and Explores the Deeper Meaning of Hiking

Adventure Alan Dixon wearing a backpack and holding trekking poles and smiling at the camera

Episode 6 of the Out and Back podcast brings a deep conversation with Adventure Alan Dixon, who inspires all of us to put “two feet on the trail” and get out there.

A trailblazer of ultralight backpacking and author of one of the most popular and comprehensive backpacking websites, Dixon is widely known for his spec-heavy, detail-oriented backpacking gear reviews and expert advice on all things backcountry. But in this interview, Dixon leaves behind his engineer background and the spreadsheets of grams and ounces to show us a more vulnerable side.

Dixon recounts one of the most harrowing mishaps of his outdoor career, bringing him to hallucinations and the brink of death. He talks about the “controlled chaos” of his upbringing that made him love high adventure in the outdoors. Although an early adopter of the most extreme versions of ultralight backpacking, Dixon tells us that you don’t need to wait until you have the perfect gear or are in better shape or get moving on the trail. He says there is no better time than now to get on the trail and start hiking.

Tune in to episode 6 to learn more about Adventure Alan’s backpacking philosophy, including the one thing you need to leave behind in order to lighten the load in your pack. Check out his website at www.adventurealan.com and follow him on his Facebook or Instagram accounts to tap into his gear reviews, backpacking trip reports, and expert backpacking tips.

Last Episode: the Blackalachian, Daniel White Talks about How Adversity Fuels His Fire to Keep Moving

the Blackalachian Daniel White giving the peace sign and smiling at the camera, wearing a backpack with green hills in background

It’s not too late to go back and check out the last episode of the Out and Back podcast with Blue Ridge Outdoors 2020 Hiker of the Year Daniel White. Known as the Blackalachian in the outdoor community, White tackled his first thru-hike in 2017 when he turned to the Appalachian Trail to get away from a bad break up and burn out at his job.

The AT left White craving a more culturally significant experience and he turned his focus to the Underground Railroad Trail. After teaching himself how to bikepack, the Blackalachian set off on a powerful experience that took him from Alabama to Canada, retracing the secret routes that slaves took in 19th century to seek freedom in the north. After that epic adventure, White jumped the Atlantic to hike across Scotland and complete the Camino del Norte, a pilgrimage journey along the northern coast of Spain.

White takes us through his unique trips and tells us what its like being only one of two Black thru-hikers he saw on the trail during his AT hike. He also describes instances of racism on the trail and gives insight into why the outdoors can feel like an unwelcoming place to Black people. Tap into the Blackalachian’s YouTube channel to learn more about his trips. Get exclusive content from the Blackalachian on Patreon. Follow the Blackalachian on Instagram and Facebook.

Meet the Host: Andrew “Shanty” Baldwin

the host of the podcast Andrew Baldwin wearing an orange hat and blue jacket with a frosty beard, smiling

In 2019, host Andrew Baldwin completed a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. After five months on the trail, Baldwin returned home to pursue a career in voice acting. A friend of the Gaia GPS company, Baldwin was a natural choice for hosting the Out and Back podcast.

In each Out and Back episode, Shanty strives to bring you conversations with people who spend an extraordinary amount of time outdoors. Listen in as Shanty taps into each backcountry expert’s superpower so that you can take their knowledge and experience with you on your next adventure.

July 8, 2020

Gaia GPS New Features

Find Your Saved Items on the Map with a New Sidebar

by Julien Friedland April 8, 2020

written by Julien Friedland

A new tool on gaiagps.com allows you to jump to any of your saved items on the map. Similar to the Gaia GPS mobile apps, all of your saved tracks, routes, waypoints, and areas now live in an organized sidebar. Additionally, you can now hide any saved item on your map and find it in the sidebar as well.

Search, Filter, and Sort Saved Items

Now you can skip zooming and scrolling across the map to find a route or waypoint. Click the “folder” icon located along the left edge of the screen, find your item in the sidebar, and click to jump right to the item’s location. There are a few ways you can find your item by using the search, filter, and sort tools.

The search bar allows you to type in keywords to pull up a saved item instantly.

If you’d rather browse a list of saved items, use the filter and sort tools.

The filter tool allows you to control what items are shown in the sidebar by type (route, track, waypoint, or area) and visibility (shown or hidden on the map). Only want to see your tracks in the sidebar? Simply hide all other items by unchecking their boxes in the dropdown list.

Computer screen displaying saved items toolbar with filter tool open

Change the order of your items using the sort tool. This allows you to reorder your list of saved items based on time created, time updated, or title in either ascending or descending order.

Computer screen displaying saved items toolbar with sort tool open

Hide Waypoints, Tracks, and Routes on the Map

With the new saved items folder, you can also hide items on the map for cleaner map viewing. Preparing for an upcoming trip, printing a map, or have a plethora of waypoints dotting your screen? Use this to declutter your map or organize your data however you like.

To hide an item, first select it on the map and click the “more” button, and click “hide item”. Then, use the filter tool to show all of your “Hidden” items in the saved items sidebar or search for a specific hidden item by name.

You can also control item visibility from the sidebar using the eye icon. Hover over an item in the saved items sidebar and click the eye icon to toggle visibility.

Access the Saved Items Sidebar

Access the Saved Items sidebar by visiting the main map on gaiagps.com and selecting the “folder” icon on the left side of the screen. From here you can use all of the features mentioned in this article to search, filter, sort and hide your saved items.

April 8, 2020

Android App Updates Gaia GPS Hunting iOS New Maps

Easy to Read, Tiny to Download: The All New Gaia Topo

by Julien Friedland January 28, 2020

written by Julien Friedland

Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of one of our biggest projects yet. A combination of under-the-hood tech and visual design work, the all-new Gaia Topo combines world-class cartography with industry-leading download speeds and sizes.

Click here for instructions to access this map on iOS, the web, or in Android via the public beta.

World-Class Cartography

This project was driven by map-maker Lee France, who joined the Gaia GPS team this spring as the company’s first full-time cartographer. He brings over a decade of mapping experience to the new Gaia Topo, and early in his career, worked on some of the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Maps you can also access in Gaia GPS. You can read more about Lee’s background on the Gaia GPS team page.

The new Gaia Topo features a cleaner look and smarter labeling. That means it’s both easier to use and more beautiful to look at than ever before. We’ve tuned the map to the needs of many stripes of the outdoor adventurer. A new visual hierarchy system causes national and state parks, peaks, and campgrounds to appear first as you zoom in. We’ve also curated features and polished up the labeling system to improve information density. The result is a map that’s both more aesthetically pleasing and more efficient: It shows you exactly what you need at each zoom level without cluttering up your screen.

Water labels and contour line styling (before)

Road networks and main trails are now easier to find on the map. You’ll also find better hill-shading and toned-down landcover colors that don’t inhibit visibility.

Finally, we’ve improved contour line styling worldwide. Contour lines also appear sooner, making it easier to picture the terrain during large-scale route planning at low zoom levels. We also corrected a number of user-reported issues with the contour lines in various locations around the world.

Faster Downloads, Beautiful Rendering

With the new Gaia Topo, map downloads are faster and take up far less storage space, even though the new map has better data and styling.

To achieve that difference, we combed through all the data contained in Gaia Topo and eliminated redundant information, and did a neat trick to optimize how we packed each little map tile to be stored for offline use. This sort of optimization is something that defines R&D at Gaia GPS, and it’s what keeps our maps on the cutting edge of quality and download speed.

	Download size		Download speed
Area	Before update	After update	Before update	After update
Yellowstone National Park	63.8 MB	28.8 MB	1 min, 33 s	33 s
Washington State	1.34 GB	470.8 MB	28 min, 20 s	9 min, 21 s
Great Smoky Mountains National Park	42.2MB	22.8 MB	33 s	24 s
Adirondack Park	112.8 MB	45.2 MB	3 min, 19 s	1 min, 8 s
Texas	1.28 GB	538.2 MB	1 hr, 2 min	20 min, 14 s

Comprehensive Geographic Information

The new Gaia Topo is more thorough and information-rich than ever before, thanks to an expanded roster of data sources. Gaia Topo pulls official government records, crowd-sourced OpenStreetMap information, and existing Gaia GPS data into a living map that constantly updates as new information becomes available.

In addition to comprehensive hiking and camping information, the new Gaia Topo highlights features specific to cyclists, thru-hikers, skiers, anglers, and other more niche categories of adventurer. You’ll find new icons for bicycle parking, ferry routes, beaches, dog parks, hot springs, forest service gates, fishing access points, and backcountry ski huts, to name a few. You can see all new icons in the Gaia Topo map legend.

We’ve also added more ski runs and cross country ski trails, styled to indicate trail difficulty. One-way trails are now marked with small arrow icons.

POI interest icons before the update(left) and after the update (right) ; Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

How to Get the New Gaia Topo

Gaia Topo is the main map source in Gaia GPS, available to all Gaia GPS users—with or without a paid membership.

The new Gaia Topo is now available on iOS, the web, and in the latest beta test version of Gaia GPS for Android. To access it:

iOS: download the latest version of the Gaia GPS app for iOS
Android: download the latest version of the Gaia GPS app on Google Play
gaiagps.com – visit gaiagps.com/map.

If you had previously downloaded maps, you’ll see a notification offering to let you update your downloads.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

January 28, 2020

Gaia GPS New Features

Use Coordinates to Save Waypoints on gaiagps.com

by Julien Friedland September 16, 2019

written by Julien Friedland

Search and save coordinates as waypoints on gaiagps.com. If you need to paste in coordinates from another website or type in coordinates from one of your paper maps, gaiagps.com now has you covered.

This feature is useful for all sorts of Gaia GPS users, from casual hikers to search & rescue personnel.

Now, if you paste or type in coordinates in the search box, that will both center the map, and let you save the location as a waypoint if you wish. Coordinates are recognized in many formats allowing you to easily plug in your desired locations.

The mobile app (for iOS/Android) has always allowed you to both tap the map and manually enter coordinates, and now you can do the same on the website.

Here’s an example of how to save a waypoint using UTM coordinates.

Using coordinates to make waypoints was one of the most requested features on our forums. After launching an improved version of the main map, building this feature was the next update we wanted to make. Thank you for helping us improve Gaia GPS with your feedback.

Test out the new feature and overall map page and let us know what you think.

Try it Now

For more detailed instructions and the most up-to-date information on using coordinates to save waypoints with Gaia GPS, read this help article.

September 16, 2019

App Updates Gaia GPS

How to Edit Waypoints on gaiagps.com

by Ashli Baldwin November 8, 2016

written by Ashli Baldwin

You can now reposition your existing waypoints on gaiagps.com. Easily edit the waypoint name, too — choose from an automatically generated list of names, or give it a custom one.

From the waypoint details page, click “edit waypoint”
Click and drag to reposition the point
Edit the waypoint name in the left hand menu, or click the dropdown for a list of choices
Select ‘save’ to finish editing

After editing the waypoint, open Gaia GPS on your iPhone or Android and changes will automatically sync over. If you don’t have automatic sync enabled, you can trigger the sync or enable automatic syncing from the Settings menu.

Email support@gaiagps.com with any questions or comments.

November 8, 2016

A hybrid route from Curecanti Creek to Blue Mesa Reservoir, Gunnison County, CO.

App Updates Gaia GPS How-To New Features

Create a Route Anywhere with Hybrid Routing

by Kate Dougherty November 3, 2016

written by Kate Dougherty

A hybrid route from Curecanti Creek to Blue Mesa Reservoir, Gunnison County, CO.

You can now plan a “hybrid” trip that mixes snap-to-trail and straight-line segments on gaiagps.com. While you could create each of these route types separately before, you couldn’t combine them.

With this improvement, if trails don’t exist for a section of your route, the planner generates a straight-line path instead. After completing the route, you’ll see an elevation profile and stats for the trip, just as you would for any other route.

Check out this video to see hybrid routing in action.

The combination of snap-to-trail and straight-line routing makes it easier to plan routes on any terrain.

Let us know what you think by posting your thoughts to the Gaia GPS Community Forum. As always, email us at support@gaiagps.com if you have any questions.

November 3, 2016

Featured Gaia GPS How-To New Features

Post Your Tracks on OpenStreetMap from gaiagps.com

by Kate Dougherty October 18, 2016

written by Kate Dougherty

We’ve made it easier than ever to use your Gaia GPS tracks to update OpenStreetMap (OSM). Sending missing trails to OSM previously involved multiple steps. Now, you can push a track from gaiagps.com to OpenStreetMap.org by clicking on a menu option that appears on the details page for tracks and routes.

Go to gaiagps.com, click on your username, and select a track.
Under the Data menu, click the Upload to OpenStreetMap link.The browser will open a new window and direct you to the OSM login page (signing up is easy and free!). Note that you’ll need to allow pop-ups.
Grant OSM access to your Gaia GPS tracks.

Once you’ve pushed the track to OSM, it will appear in the Public GPS traces list. You or another OSM contributor can then use the data to edit new trails, roads and places into the map.

Lost Lake Trail now appears in OSM’s list of pending tracks. Contributors use this list to add data to the map. You can also click the edit link to trace over the track and add it yourself.

Finally, those edits will percolate to many maps that use OpenStreetMap data, such as our very own Gaia Topo. Your edits will improve both the detail of maps, and the data routing engines use to generate trail and driving directions.

If you’ve recently hiked a trail missing from the map, we encourage you to try it out. We’d love to know what you think. Post your thoughts to the Gaia GPS Community Forum, or email support@gaiagps.com if you have any questions.

October 18, 2016

App Updates Company News Gaia GPS How-To

Web Updates – Better Routing, Enhanced Details Page

by Kate Dougherty October 14, 2016

written by Kate Dougherty

September brought a number of improvements to gaiagps.com. You can see the full release notes for September on the updates website, and you can also pop over to updates.gaiagps.com anytime to view updates for Gaia GPS on iOS, Android, and the web overall.

Routemaker Improvements

Last month, we redesigned the route-making controls on gaiagps.com to improve the spacing of elements, added a “driving” mode for routing, and added icons for distance and elevation. The route-maker also now remembers the original mode of transportation (hiking, biking, driving, or straight line) when editing your routes later.

You’ll also see a new warning when trying to make snap-to-trail routes with non-OpenStreetMap (OSM) sources. While snap-to-trail may work with non-OSM sources, you’ll have the best experience with OSM-based layers, because the routemaker is based on OpenStreetMap data.

Details Page – Show on Map

On the details page, you can use the new Show on Main Map button to add your tracks, maps, routes, and waypoints to the main map.

Track pages also show which platform and device you recorded them on.

New Thumbnails on List Pages and Elsewhere

We’ve also added thumbnails to make working with gaiagps.com more intuitive:

Lists of your tracks, routes, and folders show thumbnails in the table
A unique thumbnail now appears for each item in the Overlays menu on gaiagps.com/map
The Create Layer menu displays unique icons for waypoints and routes on gaiagps.com/map too

More Updates

Finally, we’ve made some changes to help you manage and protect your data. Before you delete anything, a new warning message displays to let you know that it will disappear from the app too.

You can also update your credit card information online, for users that subscribed to GaiaPro via the website.

Comments/Questions?

We’ve been working hard to add features, functionality, and design enhancements to gaiagps.com.

Let us know what you think by posting to the Gaia GPS Community Forum, the Gaia GPS sub-Reddit, or email support@gaiagps.com with questions.

October 14, 2016

Gaia GPS Hunting New Maps

New GaiaPro Map Layer—MapBox Satellite with No Labels

by Ruthie Irvin October 4, 2016

written by Ruthie Irvin

Now available to GaiaPro subscribers, MapBox Satellite Imagery with no labels offers a cleaner map view than the version with labels—perfect if you plan to layer the source with other maps in the app (iOS/Android), layer maps on gaiagps.com, or print your tracks on gaiagps.com.

MapBox Aerial with no Labels

MapBox Aerial with Labels

Add the source from the More Layers menu under the GaiaPro Base Maps category. For detailed instructions, check out the Add Map Sources articles (iOS/Android/Web).

MapBox Aerial with no Labels beautifully displayed with topo layers

Try MapBox Aerial with No Labels, Free

Unsure if you’d benefit from a GaiaPro subscription? Read about the perks of GaiaPro here, and sign up for a free 1-month trial today: https://www.gaiagps.com/user/freetrial.

October 4, 2016

Gaia GPS New Features

Add Map Sources on gaiagps.com Main Map

by Ruthie Irvin September 14, 2016

written by Ruthie Irvin

You can now customize your map sources on the main map of gaiagps.com, and these changes sync seamlessly with the app.

In the past, using non-default map sources on gaiagps.com required adding them from within the Gaia GPS app, then syncing the changes back to the website. So instead, you can now add all available layers directly on gaiagps.com.

Adding a map source on gaiagps.com/map works similarly to the Gaia GPS app. Access the Add Map Sources option from the Layers menu, then choose a source from within one of the available categories, and add/remove with the + and – symbols.

Click on any source listing to view details about the map

For detailed instructions about adding map sources on gaiagps.com, follow the step-by-step instructions with pictures in this Help Center article.

September 14, 2016

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