Full-Time Family Adventures: Life on the Road in a Retired Firetruck

Our Grand Adventure: From the Chilly PNW to the Sunny Beaches of Baja California

Buckle up, friend. You're about to join our family on a journey like no other—one filled with breathtaking landscapes, wild adventures, and maybe a little chaos along the way. We’re thrilled to have you as an honorary member of our family for the duration of this trip. So get comfy, because you’re in for the ride of a lifetime.

Ever since we found out we were pregnant with our oldest son, we knew we wanted something different from the typical ‘American Dream.’ Beyond the selfish desire to travel the world, we’ve always felt a deep need to raise children who understand how big, diverse, and interconnected our world really is. We don’t just want them to see it—we want them to *feel* it. We hope that through exposure to different cultures and landscapes, they’ll discover the beauty of connection with people from all walks of life. Our dream of living this way has been years in the making, but our time to take this mission on the road full time is *now*. Perfect timing, right? The stars have aligned with a winter migration that’s already kicking off.

Preparing for the Adventure

If you’d had a conversation with us before we set out on this wild ride, you’d know we weren’t always this laid-back. I (Amanda) used to be *that* person—the one who had every detail mapped out to a T, stressing over every possible hiccup. But after years of trying to control every aspect of our travels, we realized that this approach often led to unrealistic expectations and disappointment when things didn’t go according to plan. It was a hard lesson, but one that ultimately led us to embrace a more laid-back way of traveling. We’ve learned that leaving room for spontaneity, embracing the unexpected, and focusing on the essentials—mainly safety—makes for the most fulfilling and authentic experiences.

Speaking of safety, that's where we direct the bulk of our attention when we’re planning. Traveling with kids means there’s no room for compromise when it comes to making sure we’re safe, no matter where we’re headed. Sure, people raised their eyebrows when we told them we were taking our family to Baja for a few months. “Drugs, robbery, gangs, shootings, bad water”—the usual concerns, right? It's no secret that many equate Baja with danger, but after talking to seasoned travelers who have done it safely, we felt confident that as long as we traveled smart, we’d be just fine. So what does ‘traveling smart’ look like? It’s about avoiding the common pitfalls: don’t travel at night, steer clear of cities like Tijuana that have a bad reputation, don’t seek out trouble, and avoid people with rifles on random dirt roads. Basic common sense stuff.

We also added a dash camera to our truck as a little extra peace of mind. Word on the street is that it helps deter corrupt officials from taking advantage of you—so it’s a small investment that’s definitely worth it. Thanks to the many fellow travelers who shared their safe and beautiful camping spots with us, we’ve got a solid list of places to land no matter what.

When it comes to gear, we like to keep things simple and efficient. We’ve always believed in using as little as possible, but what we do bring needs to withstand *a lot*. Let’s just say we’re professionals at breaking things (we should probably start a quality control business). But more on that later. We'll be breaking down the full Patrol build in another post, and trust us—it’s coming with a video that will hopefully be shot on the beach in Baja! Stay tuned for that one.

Our Patrol is a retired Japanese fire truck, so needless to say, it came with *zero* upgrades in the cab. No power locks, no power windows, no stereo, no speakers, no center console… you get the idea. We imported it as a fully functioning fire truck, complete with a working pump. Our friends at JDM Offroad helped us remove the firetruck components, clearing the back end for a canopy and tray.

With a lot of help from our amazing local shop, Randy’s Offroad, we welded the back end and got everything prepped for the new setup. We spent months in conversations with Summit Expedition Trucks, a company based in Northern Alberta, Canada. With the distance between us and them, everything had to be done remotely—lots of calls, emails, and FaceTime to nail down the perfect measurements. Patrick even drove the firetruck all the way up to Canada for them to install the tray and canopy. And, spoiler alert: it fit perfectly!

As for the interior, we stuck with our ‘simple’ theme, but added a few key upgrades to make it functional. A Tuffy center console (bought during a great deal at an off-road show) gives us storage, cup holders, and even locks for valuables.

Ram Mounts came through for us, providing some awesome mounts for our tech. We also found a used Land Cruiser bumper at Evergreen Offroad, but it was about 2 inches too narrow for the Patrol. Luckily, our friends at S3 Offgrid saved the day by helping us modify it so it fit like a glove and added some much-needed tow points.

We built a simple rack in the back using aluminum extrusion from Amazon (yep, the first version broke), but after a little more tweaking, we got it sturdy enough to hold our packed bins. And then there were the wheels. The Patrol started with split rim wheels and tires, which are pretty uncommon. Our friends at Thret Offroad helped us find a solution, ultimately using a wheel spacer to let us run a standard size wheel. We kept the original paint and decals on the truck, though, and opted for gold/bronze wheels because—well, looks matter, right?

Another major addition was our power system. We drove down to Bend, Oregon, where the team at Zamp Solar installed a 400ah lithium battery system, along with a Dometic fridge and drawer combo. Seriously, if you love tools and gadgets, their shop will make you feel like a kid in a candy store.

We also added a Midland radio and antenna for communication. The boys have their own colorful handheld radios, and we’ve got a handheld and a hard-mounted one in the truck. Radios are a must when you’re traveling in remote areas—trust us, we’ll be talking more about this in a future post.

And then there’s the tent situation. While the boys have been using a Front Runner ground tent, the reality of traveling in Mexico made me a little nervous. My mama anxiety kicked in thinking about them sleeping so far from us. So, we reached out to iKamper, and they generously let us borrow a 4-person rooftop tent for the trip. Not exactly a palace of personal space, but it was definitely the right call, especially for peace of mind.

iKamper also hooked us up with their cook set, which—let’s just say—I’m excited to use. Many don’t know this, but I’m super passionate about cooking, especially when I can share meals with others. I’ll be posting more of my recipes here, so check out the Recipes category if you want to join us in the kitchen!

Finally, we added the Hitchfire BBQ to our setup, which mounts on the hitch, saving precious space in the canopy. I’m really looking forward to cooking some amazing meals with it while we’re on the road, and I can’t wait to share those experiences with you!

A necessary (though admittedly pricey) addition was Starlink. The internet access will allow us to work remotely from almost anywhere in the world. We went with the newer Starlink Mini, which is smaller and can charge via DC instead of AC. It still stings a little, but we know it’s a worthwhile investment for staying connected. Plus, we’ve also got a Weboost cell booster to extend our reach to even the most remote beaches of Baja. With our cell plan covering the US, Mexico, and Canada, we’re pretty well set for staying in touch.

The Journey Begins

As I write this, we’re driving down I-5 through Oregon, just a few days into our journey. And let me tell you, we’ve made a point to take it slow. Our friends Josh and Vanessa (@destinedforwild) warned us that it’s easy to rush at the beginning of a long trip like this, so we decided to ease into it by staying just three hours from home for the first few nights. We ended up at a cozy A-frame cabin near Mount Rainier National Park (we highly recommend staying here if you have a chance), soaking in the reality that we’ve officially left our old lives behind. From there, we took another short drive to Portland, where our friends Carl and Katrina hosted us for a night filled with great food, inspiring conversation, and a whole lot of philosophical debate (we *might* have solved a few world problems too).

As we head into the next leg of the trip, we have an exciting opportunity to stay somewhere unlike anything we’ve experienced before. I can’t give too many details just yet, but trust me, you won’t want to miss it.

Thank you for taking the time—your most valuable asset—to join us on this journey. We’re so happy to have you along for the ride, and we can’t wait to share our adventures with you. We’ll bring you beautiful visuals, insight into remote international travel, and, of course, plenty of delicious meals along the way. Your support means the world to us. Let us know if there’s anything you’d like us to highlight or discuss in future posts. We’re all in this together!