Off-Road Adventures: Exploring Vancouver Island Trail with 4Runner

Welcome back to AUXITO's brand new column---off-road special column!

After experiencing the off-roading sharing in the previous article you must be more than satisfied! Today, we invited Dustin Bakker, an adventurer with extensive off-road experience in Canada, to share his unique experience! 🥰

Since 2019, Dustin has been driving a 4runner to explore various small roads in Canada alone. Through long-term off-road activities, Dustin began to create a new life, discover more new things, and open up the most difficult-to-reach beautiful scenery. Off-road exploration is not only his hobby, but has become an indispensable part of his life.

Now, let's welcome and follow Dustin to his off-road story on Vancouver Island!

AUXITO: Hello Dustin! Could you please introduce yourself and the reason why you choose off-road exploration at the beginning ? 🧐

Dustin: My name is Dustin Bakker, in 2019 I made a great change in my life. I decide to sell all of my things and travel to Canada in my 4Runner. Since then I have spent my time traveling as many backroads as possible. I decided to create a new life that my loved. There are still a few provinces and a lot more things around Canada to explore. Canada is my hometown, so I want to explore as much of Canada as possible before venturing into other countries.

AUXITO: Awesome! Can you tell us how you got into off-roading, and why you insist on off-road activities for so long time?

Dustin: Since I have a certain need for speed, but there are many restrictions on the normal road driving, I started looking for activities that would give me the same feeling of extreme speed.
I purchased Stacey “my 4Runner” and found being alone in the wilderness was just as exhilarating. I found that learning to slow down and enjoy my surroundings. This led me to explore most of the best places that are the hardest to access. Having a capable vehicle has allowed me the freedom and ability to travel where the average vehicle cannot access.

AUXITO: Do you do off-road activities every day? Even in the grand Christmas or New Years? 🤔

Dustin: Certainly! I go on daily adventures.

AUXITO: You are a fearless adventurer! Do you have a favorite trail from your Canada off-road life?

Dustin: I do have a favorite trail. It’s on Vancouver island. It leads to a beach where I am happy to be the only human. The location was a gift to me and I have to do my part to keep the west wild.

AUXITO: So special! When is the best time to go off-roading on Vancouver Island? 🏝

Dustin: I think any time you want to go is the best time to see the unique scenery. And I think this route is well worth going!

AUXITO: For beginners, do you recommend this trail on Vancouver island? What are the preparation for them?

Dustin: For beginners, I don’t recommend traveling alone. You'd better plan the route and let someone know your route and the expected timeline with a check-in time. Always being prepared to leave the vehicle is extremely important. Proper layers depending on the weather and prepare an easy-to-grab bag with supplies.
Most importantly, never head out into the trails with any mechanical issues or maintenance concerns with the off road vehicles as that will be the first thing that goes wrong and what leads to something worse.

AUXITO: What's the most shocking thing that happened to you cross-country on Vancouver Island in winter? 😆

Dustin: There is indeed an extraordinary event that is still fresh in my memory! When I woke up to having over 2 inches of snowfall overnight. This is an extremely unusual encounter.

AUXITO: In your opinion, what is the most important thing to pay attention to when doing off-road activities in a snowy environment? Is there a particular accessory that is a must-have？

Dustin: On the day of all that snow, we didn’t make it very far and just made the best of things at camp. The most important thing to pay attention to is momentum, being aware of the speed, and predicting what might happen next.
What has helped simplify my solo travels have been traction boards and a shovel. Patience is the key, especially when the going gets tough, patience is the glue that holds the tools together. Fortunately, with our persistence, the snow finally melted.

AUXITO: That's really lucky! In off-road, emergency measures and emergency equipment are indispensable. And lasting lighting is especially important at night, no one wants poor quality lighting to suddenly go out at night and fall into the dark and dangerous.

Dustin: Absolutely. I’ve been using AUXITO lights for the last 3 years and they have been amazing! 🤩 Comfort in nighttime driving from the amazing white light looks almost like daylight. Great warranty and a great community for light support and advice. And good quality lighting gives me peace of mind when driving at night and not worrying about the LED bulbs dimming like halogen lights.

AUXITO: What type of our lights plays the most important role in your snow trails?

Dustin: I would say it’s definitely headlights. With the right headlights, you don't need to any auxiliary lights anymore. Besides, the interior lights really help with my off-roading as well.
When choosing it’s really trial and error to see what works best. I would definitely recommend AUXITO before spending money on light bars or enclosed setups.

AUXITO: Many thanks for your support of Auxito! In the future, AUXITO may launch new off-road lighting, what kind of products do you expect mostly?

Dustin: These would be the ideas that come to mind:
A raptor light with simple installation set up for the grill; Affordable light bars; A recharging magnetic light strip that can be attached to the interior of a rooftop tent (would need magnets that come with it to attach to the interior); Bright waterproof work light with 12v powered.

The following is the detailed Trail Info provided by Dustin. If you are interested in giving it a try, please refer to it! 🔥

Name of the trail: Vancouver island trail

Location: Cnanda Vancouver island

Best time of year to go: Any time

Key Features: Wonderful beach

The number of local help: 18884943888

Fees: 0

Grid Coordinates: 49°30′N, 125°30′W

Tire Pressure Advice: Standard tire pressure

Rig requirements: 4x4 standard

Other consideration: Be sure to plan the route before departure, and pay attention to the local weather changes in advance, and ensure that the off road vehicles before departure are free from any failures.

Thanks again for Dustin’s wonderful snowy day off-road trail sharing! Interested in Dustin's off-road sharing? 👉 Give Dustin a follow on his Instagram (@f.o.realiving), Youtube (@f.o.realiving) and Website (@F.O.ReaLiving) to get more info on off-road travel!

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