You know when you meet a group of people and there's instant connection? Values align and there's admiration for each other's creative brilliances'. Your gut tells you this is the beginning of lifelong friendships.
That's what happened last fall when we met some of the folks from Storyteller Overland at Adventure Van Expo.
Storyteller Overland's latest van: BeastMODE
Fast forward a couple months when they connected with us again to see if we'd be interested in collaborating with them. {Heck yes!} In December we had the honor of traveling to Birmingham to see Storyteller Overland's beautiful facility and meet their team.
The Storyteller Overland brand was birthed through its strong foundation and mission statement where cutting corners and compromising integrity as a company (or its employees) is not an option. If you aren't familiar with Storyteller Overland, you can get up to speed on their greatness over here -> Storyteller Overland
Jeffrey forewarned us his team was awesome; seeing firsthand the love each team member put into each van at each station spoke volumes about their focus. In a society that has become accustomed to cheap and fast, hearing a team member say she completes her work like she'd want it done if she was building the van for herself resonated deeply with us. Add team members serenading each other.... priceless!
After our tour, conversation transitioned to creative brainstorm talks of how Overland Gear Guy could assist them in creating additional storage solutions to enhance their already rockin' conversion van layout.
Here's a snippet of the design process.
After taking lots of measures, pictures, and videos we had our work cut out for us. Here are the prototypes we created.
Seatback storage creates otherwise wasted space. Seatback organizer can be accessed from within or outside the van.
Overhead bin storage cubes makes pre-packing easier.
Insulated Maxxfan cover helps stabilize the van internal temperature and decreases road noise when driving.
Adventure rope for another win! Brilliant way to stow the insulated window covers when not in use.
Kitchen utensil pouch makes for effortless preparing van life meals.
Garage wall organizers to keep things off the ground and in their place.
After the gear is put to use for a couple weeks, we'll incorporate the feedback with adjustments we noted during our manufacturing process to improve the next product run.
We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Storyteller Overland. They pampered us with true southern hospitality and introduced us to delicious cheesy buffins. They are prime examples of what it's like to live free, explore endlessly, and telling better stories. We are blessed to call Storyteller Overland our friends first and extra blessed for the collaboration that followed later.
Thank you to Jeffrey, Brent, and the rest of the Storyteller Overland gang (and Mrs. Marz). If you're in the market for a high quality converted van, give yourself a gift of putting Storyteller Overland on your list. We've seen their product from start and finish and would rank them at the top for design, innovation, and execution. Getting to call yourself part of the Storyteller Overland community.... priceless.
For ultimate storage and organizational gear, visit our website. For storage solutions customized for your space, contact us. Be sure to follow Overland Gear Guy on Instagram and Facebook for the latest and greatest events and new products. While you're there go give Storyteller Overland some love, too.
Until then..... Keep Exploring!
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The automotive designers and engineers at Storyteller Overland have once again set out to inspire and equip their growing community of outdoor lifestyle adventurers and vanlifers everywhere by unleashing their rugged new "Beast MODE" adventure van concept into the wild in time for display at the Manufacturers RV Show in Pleasanton, CA, January 11-20.
