BONUS - Overland EXPO West 2026, Flagstaff

[00:00:10] Yeah, I mean, what a great experience for people to come out to. So, you know, in future if people didn't get to come to this one, go check out these Overland EXPO's. I just think they're for Subaru people, the enthusiasts that Subaru has a great setup at all of these. You can come and ask questions. You can be part of the crowd. You can immerse yourself in the camp and everything like that. And I just think it's incredible.

[00:00:31] Welcome to another edition. Wait, no, this is, hold on. I got to start that over. Welcome to another bonus episode of the Subie & You podcast. This one was put together at Overland EXPO West 2026 in Flagstaff, Arizona. I had some conversations with Damon who goes by Offroad CTW. He's got a Wilderness Crosstrek. And then I also talked to Josh who goes by Subiraptor. And then I talked to a guy named Quinn who does not own a Subaru.

[00:00:59] But you will hear why I had him on the podcast episode, on this bonus episode, because I actually ended up meeting him at the hotel bar. I was washing some clothes and I was getting a snack. And I was sitting there with my Slow Subies hat on. And then I had another hat or I had a shirt on from, from, it was one of the events that Subies of the Corn did. And so I had, you know, Subaru on the front or I think I had Subies of the Corn. So the guy saw, you know, Subie stuff.

[00:01:29] And then he asked me a question. He asked me what the first Subaru was ever. And I was like, oh my gosh, I don't remember. I drew a blank. So I had to look it up. But then we ended up talking about Subarus. And then his sister came up and they started talking. And turns out she works for Overland Expo. So she was like one of the key people in putting together the whole event.

[00:01:52] So that was really cool to get to meet her. But then I ended up seeing him and his sister in the Subaru booth the next day, which was, I believe it was Saturday. I think. I can't remember exactly. But, I mean, it was a long weekend. I had a lot of fun, a lot of conversations. But so I had a conversation with Quinn. And I mean, I know it was a long intro for that guy, but he doesn't have any social media account, which I kind of admire that.

[00:02:17] I think that was kind of cool that he doesn't, that he's just disconnected from everything. So I don't even know if he'll get to hear this, but I might be able to see if I can find a way to get somebody that knows his sister from Overland Expo and get him a copy of this episode. But if you do end up hearing this, thank you so much, Quinn, for stopping by and being a guest. It was really cool talking to you.

[00:02:38] So we're going to get into the conversations. Of course, there's not going to be any other intros and stuff in here as usual, except go check out SubaruGear.com. Use the code SUBNU2026 at checkout to get 20% off your purchase. If your total is over $50 after the 20% discount, you'll automatically get free shipping, which is really, really cool. And of course, the 20% is not just good for one item. It's good for your entire cart. So go fill it up, get 20% off.

[00:03:07] And again, if it's over $50 after the 20% discount, free shipping, super cool. Thank you so much, SubaruGear, for sponsoring the SUBNU podcast and bringing this great offer to the listeners. But we're going to go ahead and get into the conversations. And as per usual, I'm not going to make any introductions in between the conversations. I'm just going to let them roll through. But I will also say I included the I'm including the conversation I had with Rihanna Gelsamino here.

[00:03:36] So it's just going to be four conversations. And I was not recording as much audio content this time because I recorded more long form YouTube video content, which I'm still working on putting together. It's my first time putting together content like that. And I'm not really exactly sure how I'm going to like edit it all together, but I'm still working on it. So please be patient. But I will get that out.

[00:04:04] My goal is to definitely get it out before I go to Overland Expo Mountain or Overland Expo P&W, which is coming up this month. That's kind of crazy that it's coming up pretty soon. If you have never been to Overland Expo, I highly recommend going. It's such a fun event. There's so many vendors there, so much to see. And of course, Subaru is there. But if you're already going to Overland Expo P&W, please come by the booth and say hi.

[00:04:30] Hi. If I'm not there, just let somebody know you stopped by because sometimes I'm going around the event just because I want to go see stuff. I want to go check out other vendors that I know that I've had on the podcast or maybe meet new vendors. So I'm definitely excited to go back to P&W. It was so fun last year. I really, really love the space that they had set up. And if they have the same space, it was really, really nice.

[00:04:55] And I'm hoping to see some people again this year that I got to see there last year. People that I met for the first time. So that was really, really cool. But we will go ahead and get into these conversations from Overland Expo West 2026 in Flagstaff, Arizona. And again, thank you so much for tuning in to the Sue B&U podcast. Thank you so much for continuing to listen.

[00:05:19] Please look out for the YouTube videos I will post in my stories or I'll make a reel about it or something when all of the videos are available so that you can go check them out. So thank you again. Listen to these conversations. Hope you enjoy. See you at the end. All right. Well, here we go.

[00:05:48] Round two for me of Overland Expo West 2026. How's it going, man? Good. It's a really great event. This is like our third time coming. Nice. Nice. Well, go ahead and introduce yourself so people can know who I'm talking to. My name is Damon Duran on Instagram. I'm offroad underscore CTW. All right. Cross Trek Wilderness. Yeah. What year is it? 24. Okay. Yeah. So, I mean, just the third gen cross trek in general is growing on me.

[00:06:17] Probably because my daughter has one. And so I see it more often. But because I really like I have a second gen and I always really liked it. And then when they came out with the third gen and they changed things, I was like, I mean, I liked it. It still looks like a cross trek. But then like the wilderness is even much cooler. Yeah. My brother-in-law has a 2016. We kind of liked his. And so I was like, okay, let's look at one when we were going to replace one of our cars.

[00:06:47] And then we held off for about a year or so because I wanted to really get the wilderness one. Yeah. Yeah. The wilderness has got a really nice package, you know, as far as everything that offers with it. So is this your first Subaru? This is our first Subaru. Yes. Okay. Nice. Nice. So. So you said this is your third year at Overland Expo, right? Is this. Have you only. Not consecutive. Oh, not consecutive. Okay. So this is our second consecutive year. I think it was in 2022 we came. Okay.

[00:07:19] So back then we had another vehicle, a Jeep. So we're kind of on that scene. Yeah. So. So what made you switch from a Jeep to a Subaru? Actually, it was the Subaru was going to be our second vehicle. Oh, okay. So something happened with the Jeep and so we don't have the Jeep anymore. But it was going to be kind of our still off-road vehicle, but maybe not as extreme as the Jeep.

[00:07:46] We could still go out on dirt roads and stuff. And I mean, it was still stock before I put a spacer lift from ADF. But last year I took it up maybe about up to the, I think they call it the merry-go-round or whatever on Schnubbly Hill, which is a Jeep rated, a Jeep badge trail. So we made it like 75% of the way up. That's good. That's impressive. It took us a while. We were getting, you know, looks from the pink Jeep tours and all that. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:08:14] You know, slow but surely we got up that hill. Yeah. I mean, you can do it, you know? Yeah. So as far as like the Subaru space here, you know, you said you were here last year, right? So what do you think of this space this year? And have you had a chance to walk around the space yet? We've walked around the Subaru space and we've walked around most of the expo. I know this space because another vendor that I know really well, Casey Highlights used to be here. Oh, okay. This used to be there space for years. Oh, okay. And so they're in a different space now.

[00:08:44] So I know Camp Subaru, this is a podcast. You're not going to see me pointing, but over towards the left is where Subaru used to be. Yeah. And this is a whole lot, you know, bigger square footage. So you're not, you have some room to breathe here. Yeah. Yeah. I like it too because this year they have the accessories, the area that they have for high country humane is like a little bit bigger.

[00:09:09] Because like, I think the last times they've just brought up more of like a, like a pop-up thing that was a little bit smaller and this gives them more space. So that's really nice. A lot more space. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then you've got, they've got like this little wall up here behind your wife with the, you can put like your little icon up there, like where you want, like kind of like what represents you for the national park. Yeah. It's like what's your favorite, you know. I know we've been to a few of them.

[00:09:38] I put it on White Sands just because it's a really nice area. I've been there a couple times. I can't remember if we were in the Subaru or not. I think we did, but. Oh, okay. Nice. Or maybe not. Anyway, but we've been to White Sands, which is a really cool area. I'm in aviation, so there's an Air Force base near there. So that's another. Very nice. Area why I like it. So. Yeah. Yeah. And the caverns are cool out there too, the Carlsbad Caverns. I haven't been there, but I would like to go at some point.

[00:10:05] My brother's been there, but we have natural bridge caverns out in Texas near San Antonio. And so those are pretty cool. But I think those might be the only caverns I've ever been to, but it's really cool seeing them either way. I think there's, well, it's not a cavern, but there's at least one lava tube in the general area around here, I believe, as well in Flagstaff. Yes. Yeah. Because we came up here to visit some friends like maybe 10 years ago.

[00:10:35] And we were considering doing the lava tubes, but we didn't end up doing that. But we did a lot of stuff while we were up here just for a week. But that was one of the considerations. Yeah. We love the area. I think we've been coming to, initially it was Sedona since I think like 2015 or so. And we've tried to come every year since. And now that we're starting to do the expos, we come at a different time.

[00:11:01] But yeah, like we're coming here today and Friday, tomorrow, Saturday, and then Sunday we're going to go meet up with a friend in Cottonwood and explore Flagstaff, Cottonwood and Sedona. Yeah. Cool. I love Sedona. We went there last time when I was here and then we did some exploring yesterday with the Camp Subaru group. So, uh, it's nice. I saw you guys were up at the Mesa Grill and all that. Yeah. Yeah. And then we went to Edge of the World, which is so beautiful up there.

[00:11:30] How was that drive? Um, it was rocky. It was rocky? Yeah. It wasn't too bad, but it was just some, some parts you can go a little bit faster. Some parts you have to go kind of slow because it does get kind of rocky, but it wasn't bad. Yeah. That's the one place I keep hearing about it, but we've never been there. You gotta go. So it's, it's, it's kind of a long drive depending on which way, cause we went in a way that I think is really long, but we also stopped a few times. Um, and then when we came out, we came out a different way that was a lot smoother.

[00:11:59] And the way that we came out is the way that I believe that we went in whenever I was with my friends. And I don't know him because I haven't actually driven it myself, but yeah, Edge of the World is really nice. Yeah. Cause I know there's access off of 89A, I think is one point. You can kind of make your way that way. I don't know which way you guys. Yeah. Yeah. I don't remember. If you went through the Canyon, then that's probably the way. Yeah. We may have, uh, I just, I was a passenger. I was taking video and stuff.

[00:12:29] So, uh, I get to drive out. So that was fun. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. Cause I was with Roman who goes by Go Subi Adventures. Cause I, so I have a, I have a cross track that I rented through Turo, but they don't allow you to take it off road. So I'm like, well, I got to find somebody to ride with, but it actually worked out. Excuse me. It actually worked out well because then Roman had somebody to ride with, you know, and I had somebody to ride with. Otherwise we would have been driving by ourselves. So it worked out well. Yeah.

[00:12:57] So is a, uh, a forest road considered off road? I mean, well, when we went to, I mean, it was really rocky. Like, yeah, there were some spots we were having to go really slow and there was, there was a stock cross track that made it. There was a stock outback. Like I had total confidence in myself to make it, but I mean, it's more than just a forest road because like I said, there was some spots where it was pretty rocky and there's

[00:13:24] some, you know, terrain changes where you could have maybe done some three wheeling, but it could have scraped, you know, if you're not careful. So if it was just been gravel roads, that would have been different. But even then, I don't think they would want us to do that. Yeah. Yeah. It's like better not risk it, you know? Exactly. So insurance. Yeah. Yeah. But I really wish I could have driven Pearl out here. Cause it's, I know there's a guy that drove out from San Antonio. Uh, there's some, there's other people that drove out pretty far, but my cross track is at

[00:13:54] 144,000 miles on the original clutch. And so like, I don't want to risk, you know, it going out either on the way here, on the way home. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But yeah, so it's, uh, it's been a good event so far, you know, it's hot like it was last year, but there is a nice breeze and, um, thankfully it's not as windy and like dusty as it was last year because where we were at last year, there was so much wind and dust

[00:14:23] blowing all like everything was covered in dust. I remember that. Yeah. I literally, I think in that area over there, it's, I think the dust is, I mean, the dirt's a lot more finer, but that's the thing. Me and my wife were saying it's not over the next one unless we have a little wind storm. I know the first time, the first year we came, which I think is 2022, they had to cancel the, uh, the movie night, which we weren't going to, but they canceled it cause they said it was too windy. Wow. Yeah. So yeah.

[00:14:51] When we were at edge of the world yesterday, it got, when I first got there, it was pretty windy and then it died down and then it got really windy again. And like, they were gonna, there was, they were going to do something. Oh, this guy had a drone and he was like, he was going to take a picture of all of us at the edge with his drone. But it hit, that was right when the wind picked up and he was like, I'm not risking it. I mean, it was like really blowing really hard. So, but it was, uh, it was a lot of fun. Yeah.

[00:15:20] Usually drones, I have a drone and I think it's maximum is maybe 20, 21 miles an hour, but I probably would not fly it either. Yeah. Yeah. Especially like, but if it like swoops it over the edge, you know, and then it's gone. So you don't want to risk that, but yeah. So, uh, any, um, other Subarus in your future or are you just going to stick with the... At least for now we're sticking with this. We're fixing it up.

[00:15:46] Uh, got a roof rack from a guy, Daniel, rigid armor. Oh yeah. He does really good stuff. He also does swing out arms and other stuff. And, uh, got an ADF, uh, one and a half inch lift kit in the front, one in seven eights in the back. Nice. And I got his overload springs. That's good. And we're at like 50,000 and change. So I know we're going to start looking at tires. Yeah. And, uh, I was actually talking to the tech guy here, John. Yeah. Yeah. And was asking him, you know, like, what do you think?

[00:16:16] 225, 65, 235, 65, you know, how's that going to react with the vehicle? And he's like, well, you could go to either one. So I'm like, can the CVT handle it? Yeah, the CVT can handle it. So I'm like, okay. Are you going to go with OEMs again? Or are you going to go with an aftermarket tire? I guess an aftermarket or another, not Yokohamas. I'm not sure. Okay. Um, I actually have a little spreadsheet that I was looking at, you know, tire sizes, tire weights. Yeah. You know, some tires are real heavy.

[00:16:46] I don't want to add a lot more weight. Obviously if I go up, it's going to add weight, but you know, I want to try to keep it as light as I can. And, you know, are there any tires that you've been looking at specifically? We've had, when we had the Jeep, we've had Toyos, we've had Neato's. We've, uh, the last few sets we've had Falcons and they've all been great. Yeah. Um, so I'm looking at those brands. Neato has the Grappler 3s. I want something a little more aggressive.

[00:17:14] I know they say, well, it's going to create road noise, but I'm like, that's kind of the, kind of goes with it. I want something a little more aggressive than the Yokohamas. But John was saying, you know, so he lives in the Colorado area, how great there was snow. But I'm like, we're from LA. Yeah. We, we've been to Colorado once and that's probably the most snow I've driven in, which was just a coating. Yeah. Yeah. And unless you're going to be driving through it consistently. Yeah. I'm not living up there. Yeah. You don't need to worry about it. But he says the Yokohamas are great for snow. So, okay.

[00:17:44] I had the Toyos. I had two sets of Toyos, the, um, AT3s and I really liked those. And then I was going to go with Toyos again, but they were more expensive. So I ended up going with the, uh, Milestar Patagonias, which is what like Milton and Kerry have been running and a bunch of other people. And it's, it's an aggressive looking tire and it, I don't really get that much road noise from it. Like not really any more than the Toyos that I had.

[00:18:12] But I've looked at the Milestars and unfortunately they don't make, I don't think they make a 225-65 or a 235-65. So I, you see it as a positive or a negative. The, the, the wilderness has the bigger brakes. So I can't do 15 inch wheels like I think you have. Yeah. So, which is nice because it's a lot more profile. You can air down. You have a lot more cushioning. So. It's getting harder from what I've heard.

[00:18:42] It's getting harder to find 15 inch wheels. There's not a, cause like Rika is who I have and they still make 15 inch wheels in the earlier designs that they had. But like, as they're coming out with new designs, they're not making 15 inch wheels anymore. And I think that some of the other wheel manufacturers may also be going that way as well.

[00:19:02] But, cause like I was, um, I was here last year talking to the people at, um, uh, Nokian tires and asking them about tires. And cause they have a, uh, an APT, which is like an all-terrain tire, but it's not as aggressive as some of the other ones. And they, and then they have a more aggressive tire, but neither one of those are made to fit a 15 inch wheel. Oh. Wow.

[00:19:30] And so like, I couldn't get any of those, but, but I like my 15 inch wheels. Yeah. It's, it's nice having the, uh, more sidewall. I like the way they look too. Yeah. You see a lot of the, uh, older cross tracks with the 15 inch wheels and they look pretty sweet. Yeah. Cause like you said, with the brakes and everything, you were able to do that with go with the 15 inch. And I don't know. I just like, when I first bought my car, that's what I was hearing. Like so many people doing, Oh, 15 inch wheels, 15 inch wheels. So that's what I did. And I'm like, I like them.

[00:19:59] I think there is a brake mod. You can put, I think so too. Smaller brakes, but it's like, yeah, I'm not going to spend $6,000 to put smaller brakes that may or may not be better than what I have just for wheels. So yeah. Yeah. I ended up, um, buying a fifth stock, uh, cross track wilderness wheel. So I have a fifth one ready to go. Uh, eventually I want to get a swing out arm. Yeah. Through rigid armor.

[00:20:26] So where do you have the, that's fifth now? In my garage. Oh, that doesn't do you any good. You get a flat. Yeah, I know. I still have the donut. And I know like my brother-in-law for his cross track, he ended up building a little platform, basically replaced the stock cover and then added some little wood to pop it up, whatever. Yeah. Two or three inches so he could fit his full size tire back there. Yeah. So.

[00:20:53] Yeah, it'd be nice if they made them bigger so that you could, you know, put a bigger tire in there eventually, you know, because I think you could make, potentially make the space bigger and then have the donut tire in there with just extra space around it. Yeah. And then be able to put like a bigger tire in there. But yeah, I've got mine on my roof, on my roof rack. Yeah, we have a cargo case and I got a jerry can up there.

[00:21:19] So there's not, I tried to fit it up there and it just doesn't, you know, it doesn't work. Yeah, it's tough when you've got other things up there. And I thought about it and it would probably look funny if I put it, I guess, vertically. Oh, yeah. Like you see in the back of some of the pickup trucks and stuff. I'm like, the jerry can already pops up that wall laying on its back, but. Yeah. Yeah. Probably best to just wait until you get the fold out. Yeah. Yeah. So. Well, cool. Thanks for hopping on the mic with me for a little bit. Nice to see. Glad to finally meet you in person. Yeah, yeah. I know.

[00:21:49] It's cool to, when you can finally meet people in person. That's like one of my favorite things about this. Yeah. And it's fun for me to get to travel to these different expos and get a chance to meet people in person. Yeah, you're lucky to see like, you know, we went to the SoCal one this year and we went to it last year. And it's kind of nice to have it in Southern California, although it's not the same as the OG one here. Yeah. Yeah. I know it's smaller too, right? It's smaller. It's at the OC Fairgrounds, which are nice.

[00:22:19] But, you know, it's in the suburbs. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Here you got like, you just look around, you see the pine trees. Yeah, it's nice here. People are camping out there that, you know, Camp Subaru is somewhere out there or Base Camp Subaru is somewhere out there. So. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good setup. And Flagstaff's a nice area. Oh, yeah. I love, so I'm flying out on Monday and we're done with the expo at three on Sunday.

[00:22:45] And so I think I'm going to go explore some while I'm here and just go check. I mean, I've been here before, but like last year I flew out on Sunday and so I didn't get a chance to like go do anything. And I'm here all day, you know, at the expo Friday and Saturday. So, yeah, I love Flagstaff. I want to go drive around and just check it out. Yeah. And hopefully you get to walk around some. I haven't seen any Subarus yet, but a friend of mine, Alex, he changed his Instagram name.

[00:23:15] I don't know what it is offhand, but he's at one of the, he's going to kill me for this. He's at one of the tire manufacturers. Oh, okay. He's got a really nice setup of his Outback, Roof Rack and all that. Okay. Yeah. I know that I think I asked Melee Design Firm if they were going to be here. And I don't think, I don't remember if they said they're going to, they have one of their cars either here or P&W maybe. I can't remember.

[00:23:44] I have to message Mitch and ask him. But, yeah, it's always cool to see other Subarus around at somebody else's booth. Yeah. He was at SoCal and I met him at the LA Auto Show because the past couple of years OVR Magazine has set up, they've had an Overland section for the past couple of years. I think try to get another market. Yeah. At the LA area. So, it's been kind of nice that they've had that. So. Good. Awesome. Well, thanks for stopping by.

[00:24:14] Appreciate it. Yeah, you're welcome. Welcome. I'm here doing another interview. I've got Josh Subiraptor here. How's it going, man? Hi, it's going good. Just another beautiful day here in Flagstaff, Arizona. Yeah. So, where do you live? Because you live not too far from here, right? Yeah, I live in Cottonwood, kind of over by Sedona, just down the mountain here, about 45 minutes away. So, I can really kind of experience this kind of environment whenever I want, even though I don't get up here as much as I want to. Yeah.

[00:24:44] And I notice you're wearing a Subaru Motorsports USA hat and a Rebel Rally shirt. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. I like to definitely support what I drive with Subaru. You know, they're great vehicles and things that they're capable of doing. And then, yeah, I've been a part of the Rebel Rally all 10 years of its existence, being a course official as well as a mechanic on the rally. Nice. That's super cool. Yeah. So, why don't you let everybody know what you drive?

[00:25:13] Because, you know, Subiraptor, it doesn't exactly tell exactly what it is, but it's a cool name. Yeah. So, it's an 05 Subaru Forester, just a base model that I picked up, had a bad engine in it, picked the car up for 500 bucks. Oh, nice. Put a built engine in. It's got an STI block. It's got some camshafts. So, I mean, it's nothing. It's not. It's naturally aspirated, but it's got a little more pep to it. Is it a manual?

[00:25:43] Yes, it's a manual transmission. Oh, yeah. Even better. Even better. That's so cool. So, yeah. It's a lot of fun. I enjoy it. It's been on the rally, the Rebel Rally, the past five years, which those are about 10 days that I'm out. And I put about 2,000 to 2,300 miles in those 10 days. So, are you going out with it to, like, help people as a mechanic when they're having issues?

[00:26:09] Or what is your reasoning for, like, taking it out on the Rebel Rally? Or is somebody driving it for you? Yeah. So, I take it out. I'm on course every day, being a course official. So, what we'll do is we'll go and we'll set up the checkpoints early in the morning. And then I'll kind of just be based out of a checkpoint for most of the day. And then we'll run sweep to kind of just wrangle everyone in at the end of the course.

[00:26:38] And then if there is mechanical assistance needed, I'm also out there as well. But then also when I get back into base camp, sometimes at 8 or 9 o'clock at night, sometimes where I jump on with the base camp mechanics crew. And we're sometimes wrenching on cars until sometimes 2 to 3 o'clock in the morning. It just depends on what's needed. Got to get them ready and get them to go. So, like, with the Rebel Rally, you said the last 10 years, and they just celebrated their 10th anniversary.

[00:27:08] So, you've been there the whole time. Yes. How did you get involved with that? I actually just kind of luck. I worked at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealer in Cottonwood. I have an import background from when I transferred over there. And then a lady, Nina Barlow, who owns a Jeep rental place in Sedona, she kind of heard about this rally. She was going to compete in it.

[00:27:37] And they were looking for mechanics. And since I kind of have a background in, you know, mostly everything that they'd have out there, she thought it would be a good fit. Oh, nice. Yeah. And I've kind of started going, and they've kind of just been stuck with me ever since. No, that's good. That's a good thing to be involved with. So, I'm sure, you know, you've had a chance to, like, see Carrie out there in action and maybe interact with her some. And that's, yeah, that's super cool. Yeah, so I've been hanging out with them, you know, most of this morning.

[00:28:05] And Carrie and Milton, great people, very knowledgeable, will help anyone with anything. Yeah, they're always ready to help out. Which I've kind of noticed, you know, most of the Subaru people, you know, have just been very welcoming. Yeah. And it's been really cool seeing everybody. Yeah. Have you been to Overland Expo before, or is this your first year? I've really, I've been once.

[00:28:29] I brought the wife and kids up probably for about five, six years ago. Okay. And then it always just ends up being when I'm either coaching a youth sport or something and just not able to get up here. So, I was glad I was able to break free and come up here because it's a really cool experience, especially with, you know, now being part of the Subaru community and being part of this kind of area that they have.

[00:28:58] So, what do you think of the whole Subaru space here? Because, I mean, this is your first time seeing it. Because, like, it's definitely different than last year. But what are your impressions of it? No, it's awesome. I mean, you don't really see a whole lot of, you know, manufacturers, you know, as much support is modifying and using their vehicles for the things that we do. And, you know, this community likes doing. So, it's really cool.

[00:29:25] They're here to, you know, kind of hear people's thoughts and opinions on whether it be accessories they'd like to see or what they want to do with their vehicles. And even a little lounge over there. You show that you have a Subaru key and you get water and snacks. And it's just really cool. Yeah. And they've got the pet adoption over here, which is really nice.

[00:29:45] And so, this is different than last year because last year it wasn't as – so, like, last year all the Overland Expos that I went to, they had kind of like a temporary setup. But this year they have, like, this permanent structure for the whole event, which I think is really nice. Because then it just makes it easier to bring the dogs in here and have people look at them to, you know, see if they can adopt them. And then just having the factory vehicles, you know, all wilderness additions. And then the owner vehicles. It's just super cool.

[00:30:13] And then, of course, the stage where people are doing presentations and everything. Yeah. A lot of knowledge coming out from a lot of different people. You know, you can definitely tell Subaru put in the work. And really, I'm like, man, like, I can't believe they brought in, like, this whole stage and this whole thing. It's really incredible. Yeah. I know. It is really nice. I mean, they had the stage last year at all the events. But just, you know, the whole experience here for people that are either owners or are considering a Subaru.

[00:30:41] It's really showcasing, like, what Subarus, you know, like being able to see them, talk to people that are knowledgeable about it, get some information, you know, from people up on stage doing presentations. So it's all around. It's really cool. Yeah. It's definitely, I mean, cool with, you know, I've worked for, you know, many different car manufacturers. And it's cool that, you know, Subaru is offering stuff available for doing this aftermarket stuff.

[00:31:08] I mean, you can definitely tell that that's, you know, evolved from them. Because, like, back in the day with my 05 Forester, like, there's not really too much available. That's why most of the stuff on my car is, you know, fabricated by me to lift it and make it the way it is now. Yeah. But it's just awesome, like, the wife's, I just got the wife of 2019 Ascent. Oh, nice. Nice. You know, there's a lot more stuff available and a lot more stuff coming available for them.

[00:31:34] Which is really cool because, you know, they've obviously, you know, noticed their base of people that are purchasing the vehicles and have kind of catered to them. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you so much for hopping on the mic and chatting. Yeah, no problem. It was awesome. I really wanted to meet you and it was cool that you said you were going to make the trek out here to Overland Expo over by me because I definitely have a hard time getting outside of Arizona for sure. Yeah. No, and it's cool.

[00:32:03] It's always meeting or fun meeting people in person. Yeah, definitely. All right. Thanks a lot. You're welcome. So I'm standing here with Quinn at the Subaru Space here at Overland Expo in Arizona, 2026. Man, how's it going? It's been wonderful. It's been a great experience seeing all these different Subaru cars. I love seeing the Rebel car, all the history with that. This event's been phenomenal. Good, good. I'm glad you like it. So what do you think of like the overall space that Subaru has here?

[00:32:32] I really enjoy that it feels like a campsite. Like it invites people in. They can come and hang out. It doesn't push people away. It invites them in. I really enjoy it. Yeah, and that was the whole purpose of it. And like this year, it's actually bigger than it was last year because last year it was like more cramped. And so now we have more space. We've got like the Subaru Loves Pets adoption area, which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you because you don't own a Subaru currently.

[00:32:59] You said you'd like to get a Subaru, but you adopted one of the pets, which is really awesome. Yeah. No, the Subaru Loves Pets. I could not endorse enough. Like Barracuda is her name. We're going to change it to Roo based off of Subaru. Yeah. But Roo in Hindi means soul. So, or Gujarati, my fault. But in Gujarati it means soul. I think it represents everything that not only Subaru is about, but Outlands in general is about.

[00:33:28] It's about finding purpose, finding community. It's beautiful here. Yeah. Like I could not compliment it enough. Oh, good. I'm glad. All right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's just like, other than the strong winds, it's like perfect conditions here today. No, a little dusty out here. Yeah. Thankfully it's not as bad as the space that we were in last year. It was even worse. What was it like last year? Oh, man. A little dusty-er? Yeah. Like worse. Way worse. I mean, everything was covered in dust. That's crazy.

[00:33:57] Yeah. Because like, I mean, this is bad enough, but it was like way worse. Yes. I know. Eye drops essential this year. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So it's exciting that y'all adopted a pet here. And I mean, Subaru does love pets. You know, they do. A lot of the events that Subaru participates in, they do bring out pets from like local shelters and try to get them adopted. So it's great that you came by and adopted one. Yeah. No. It's no problem at all. It's like, just giving back. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:34:26] So you said you would like to get a Subaru. So is there something that you have in mind that you would think you would like to get? In all honesty, no. It's just been a pleasure to walk around this event and see what people have and the idea of what I could have. Yeah. Um, you know, it's a process to get it to where I want to. I'd love to do off-roading. I'd love to do camping. But it's like, we do stock. We just buy it from the lot. And then it's a process from there. But...

[00:34:56] Yeah. Of course. Yeah. I'd love... I have an idea of where I'd want to get. I mean, what is this one right here? So this is the Forester Wilderness. No, it's a nice car. Yeah. Yeah. So, and all of the factory cars that we have here are the Wilderness Edition. So we've got the Forester, the new 2026 Outback, and then the Crosstrek over there. All Wilderness Editions. And they're all really nice. What does the Wilderness Edition bring to a car versus just a normal stock car? So it gives it all-terrain tires.

[00:35:24] It gives it a little bit more of a suspension lift and then just more of like an appearance package as well. And then also, it might give it some additional like just capabilities with the engine and stuff. Okay, nice. And so like the Forester and the Outback both have a turbo. The Crosstrek does not, but it's a 2.5. So it has a little bit more power than like what I have, which is a 2.0 or a lot of it's a 2. slow. But it's still fun.

[00:35:52] So you say your car's stock, right? Yeah. Well, no, it's not stock. It was a base model. Base model, yes. Yeah, yeah. But I do have some modifications with it. So where did you decide to get your modifications from coming from someone who has not modified a car? So I started connecting with people on Instagram and I started talking to people and I remember people saying like, oh, if you want to go off-road, especially there's a place in Texas

[00:36:20] and they said, and a lot of people were going there and they said, if you come here, at minimum you should have skid plates. And I'm like, oh, okay, that'd be cool to have skid plates. So I heard about it from just people in the community. And then a lot of people were doing 15-inch wheels and so that they would have more sidewall with their tires. So I'm like, oh, I guess I'll get 15-inch wheels. So I did that. And then I have a flat rooftop rack on my car where I replaced the OEM side rails and just went with a full rack. Nice.

[00:36:49] And that was from a brand. It's Spider No Drill Roof Rack. And people were getting those and highly recommended it. So a lot of my modifications came from seeing what other people were doing and then hearing what other people were recommending. That's awesome. Because I didn't really know and that's how I was finding out is just talking. That's where I'd be. I feel that. And so what's really cool about the Subaru community, especially like the off-road and overlanding community, is if you start connecting with people and you reach out to them and say,

[00:37:19] hey, I'm curious about this or that, you're going to have so many people that are going to be willing to help you out and give you information. Like people don't gatekeep. People don't say like, oh, I did this, but I'm not going to tell you how I did it. This community is so open with sharing information. So you've been to overland for two years. Yeah. You say the overland community. What is the overland community? Is it just like here at the events or is it? So overland community is just, I was speaking like Subaru specifically. Yeah, yeah.

[00:37:48] So, and like, you know, the difference between overland and off-road is like off-road is just like maybe you're going out for the day. On the trails. On the trails and stuff. Whereas like overlanding is more like, hey, we're going to go out for a couple of days, maybe a week, and we're going to pack like all this gear that we need that we're going to be self-sufficient getting out and not having to rely on like staying at a hotel or anything. So, but yeah, the, but like the off-road and overland community within like Subaru specifically,

[00:38:16] like people that you would connect with on Instagram or Facebook. So helpful. I love that. Yeah. That's amazing. No, it's funny enough. It's like, well, one, I want to give a shout out to you because I met you last night and you were very inviting. You were very lovely. And that's a big reason why I'm here. And it's like, I've spent most of my time, I think here today, just like hanging out and chilling. No, it's awesome. It's been very inviting. Like everyone I've met, everyone has just like come up to us and welcomed us.

[00:38:46] It's been a wonderful time. I love that they got live music, the Subaru camp. Yeah. They got the dog adoption. Yeah. You know, second shout out. And I mean, you know, that's again, that's the whole purpose of what Subaru wanted to do here. They wanted it to be a space. Yeah. Community. Exactly. Because like there is a huge Subaru community and we're all just like, we love owning Subarus. We love talking about it. We love going off road together and just like sharing our passion for Subaru and the modifications that we do.

[00:39:15] And then like extremely thankful to Subaru of America for putting this event on because like, it's just like, we're so thankful that they, that Subaru does so much for us, you know? And like, we just can't be thankful enough for that. And you were so, like, honestly, I see why Subaru represents you. Yeah. Because it's like, when I was talking to you, I didn't know how to approach you because I saw like, you know, you rep Subaru. Yeah. And my first question was so stupid.

[00:39:43] And I was like, Oh, well, the Subaru's first car. Yeah. And I couldn't even answer it because I couldn't remember at the time, but it's a Subaru 360, which is like a super funky looking little car. It's like, you explained the history of Subaru and like where it came from to where it is now. And you're like, Oh, do you own? And I was like, no, but like, it's welcoming. It's homey. Like, it was awesome to talk to you. That's why I'm here. That's why I adopted the dog here. Like, it's cool. Thank you, man. We appreciate you, man. I appreciate you, man. Thank you.

[00:40:11] I'm not a part of the community, but we appreciate what you've done. Well, thank you. Do you have an Instagram handle where I can like it? I don't have an IG. I ain't got a Twitter. I ain't got nothing. That's cool. I have more respect for that, man. That's awesome. I would totally respect that. But thanks to this guy, I'm opening up a podcast called Subaru and Quinn. Come drag me out. All right. Awesome. I'm just playing, but you're wonderful. Thank you, man. We appreciate you. I appreciate you, Quinn. Thank you so much. No problem.

[00:40:40] All right. So I'm here with Rian and Gelsamino at Overland Expo in Arizona, Overland Expo West. How's it going? Great. I just had a full crowd at my Rally 101. So I love sharing my knowledge of rally just like I have on your podcast before. So yeah, it was awesome to have a great crowd here wanting to know more about the sport that I love. And it's awesome to be here at another Overland Expo. This is now my third one. I did two last year and I'm getting to come to three, at least three this year. So I'm pretty excited.

[00:41:10] So which ones were you at last year? Because I know you were at P&W, but what was the other one you were at? The one in Arlington. Okay. Yeah. In Virginia. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So you weren't here last year. So what do you think of this one this year? Oh man, this is huge. I mean, I have to get a golf buggy to pick me up where my parking is. So yeah, I mean, this is amazing. And I've had a few sponsors come and say they're set up here too. So I'm going to have to go check it out today. Yesterday I arrived later because I'd flown in and then drove. So my talk yesterday was at four. Today it was at 10.

[00:41:40] So I've got more time to check it out. One of my sponsors in Australia is four wheel drive central. So I'm also interested to check this out for them and see if, hey, this is something that they should come over and look at from Australia as well. Could be. Yeah. It could be a good opportunity. Exactly. Especially since there's multiple events in multiple locations. And I mean, and they're so big, you know, it's an opportunity for so many people to get exposure with the brand. Exactly. I mean, the Subaru camp has a hundred campers.

[00:42:07] I mean, it's unbelievable to think that we've got all these outbacks and foresters, whatever car they have there, you know, decked out either with the tent or a tent on the roof or those different things over there. Last night when I was there and seeing a hundred campers there was just epic. So I think it's growing and I think it's really cool that Subaru comes to these events and we get to showcase like the different accessories they now have. Like Subaru sells a lot of accessories that people don't even know about.

[00:42:34] Like they still think that they have to go to somewhere else to get their accessories. But the great thing is Subaru sells them too. Yeah. And having the accessories display this year is really big for them because that's a lot more exposure for the accessories brand and well for the accessories group. And then I know that like, and these are accessories that you can find at the dealership. So as you're buying your car, you can get these dealerships and get these accessories and get your car outfitted with them. So you mentioned, you know, all the campers over at Camp Subaru. So what was your impression of Camp Subaru? Oh man.

[00:43:04] I mean, I went to two last year and they had nothing on this. I know. This is incredible. We had live music. We had DJ. We had someone on the violin. I got to talk to the people there as well, which was pretty epic. We had an incredible meal. I got to check out some of the camps. I'm going to head over there a bit earlier today so I can see them in the daylight. Hey, we've got puppies here. You can come and foster as well. They're obviously excited right now. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, what a great experience for people to come out to.

[00:43:31] So, you know, in future, if people didn't get to come to this one, go check out these overland expos. I just think that for Subaru people, the enthusiasts, that Subaru has a great setup at all of these. You can come and ask questions. You can be part of the crowd. You can immerse yourself in the camp and everything like that. And I just think it's incredible. And especially with Subaru going into the wilderness editions, you know, the last several years, it just makes sense for them to be here because it's such a great space for them.

[00:43:58] And it gives Subaru a really good exposure in the market. And to show people like, hey, these vehicles are very capable. Like you can do a lot of things with these vehicles. And, of course, we always hear people saying that, you know, they discover that it does more than they thought it would ever do. For sure. I mean, I have an Outback Wilderness. I live out on 40 acres in the Idaho mountains. I have a two-mile gravel road that's like a rally stage up to my house. And the Outback Wilderness has been the perfect car for me. We used to have the WRX that like our rally car.

[00:44:27] And I'm going to change to the latest Outback Wilderness soon. Oh, nice. So that's going to be pretty cool. I can't wait to get it. I've heard many great things about it. And, obviously, it's got a new facelift and looks a little bit different. So I'm pretty keen and excited to get in that. And, you know, put on my social media and tell people what I think about it. Exactly. Yeah, that would be a good exposure for the new Outback. Because I know there's a lot of mixed feelings with it, with the way that it looks and saying like, oh, it's not a wagon anymore. But I hear more and more people saying, now that I've seen it in person and got to look

[00:44:55] at it and touch it and everything, it's really growing on me. And I think that's going to continue to do that. And, I mean, the inside is just so nice. Yeah. It's like, they did a really, I mean, like, that's probably one of the best setups I've seen so far. I love the inside as well. And the seats are so soft and comfortable. Like, so I can't wait to get mine. I'm pretty pumped and excited. And, yeah. And also, I'm going to hopefully drive it out to some events if they're nice and close for me. So the Oregon event, I always drive out to it.

[00:45:25] So I get to go to it as well this year. I get to go to the Colorado event this year too. Oh, nice. Yeah. Being in Idaho, some of those are ones that I might be able to drive to as well. So come out in my outback and enjoy the cruise. Yeah. That'd be cool. Well, thank you so much for hopping on the mic with me for a little bit. It's always great talking to you. Great to see you. Yeah. You too. Thanks. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. I think that would be cool. Yeah. Yeah. That's a cool outback background. Yeah. I'm like, I'm just doing video more. I think it's clever to get video because then people see me too and they're like, oh, what is this?

[00:45:54] Thank you for tuning in to another bonus episode of the Sue B&U podcast coming at you from Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona, 2026. I hope you enjoyed the conversations I had with the people that I had on. I'm going to try to get some more audio conversations in P&W, but being that I was changing things up a little bit for Overland Expo West, I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do it, but again, trying to record more video content than audio content.

[00:46:22] But of course, I wanted to put out some kind of bonus audio episode and that is what this was. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We will see you on Monday for the Sue B Scoop. Who knows what I'm going to talk about? I'm sure I'll find something to talk about, but we'll see you there. Hopefully I'll see you in Overland Expo P&W and got another episode coming up again soon. Much Sue B love. Raph.

[00:46:47] The Sue B&U podcast is hosted by Raphael in a closet in Houston, produced by Raphael in a room next to the closet in Houston, and edited by Raphael on a computer in the room next to the closet in Houston, with music by Luke Ruiz in another room in Houston. You can find the Sue B&U podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and many more. To support the podcast, please head over to patreon.com slash Sue B&U podcast.

[00:47:14] Once you join, you will have access to the Discord channel and Discord chats with other patrons. If you'd like to get in contact with the show, you can find them on Instagram at SueB&U podcast, online at SueB&U podcast.com, or by email SueB&U podcast at gmail.com. That's all for this week.