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TrailRecon spotted last Saturday outside of Silverton, CO

D60

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Never been a YouTube fan boy, nor would I spend my time watching other dudes drive around in their Jeep. After checking this thread out, I looked into this channel, I do like the fact that the Trailrecon dude is a veteran, but the commercials, product placement and on going blabbing really gets old fast.
You just described 99.9% of YT

There's a few who just make vids and get right to the point, but most love the sound of their voices way too much, and unfortunately for us YT encourages longer vids by paying posters more for more view time.

As AvE pointed out, the most valuable thing today is OUR attention. Even this new forum does this by telling you there's been a reply to a subbed thread, but forcing you to click thru to the forum to view the reply.

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Dkretden

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Shocked to see that Matt's Offroad Recovery hasn't been mentioned yet. I resisted clicking for a while because I knew he'd make me regret selling my XJs, but I'm glad I did. I hope he can resist the typical YouTube arc.
I watch this occasionally and I do like it.
 

melman8r

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Shocked to see that Matt's Offroad Recovery hasn't been mentioned yet. I resisted clicking for a while because I knew he'd make me regret selling my XJs, but I'm glad I did. I hope he can resist the typical YouTube arc.
Oops! I watch Matt's too, Ed is the BEST!!!
 

GerJL

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Shocked to see that Matt's Offroad Recovery hasn't been mentioned yet. I resisted clicking for a while because I knew he'd make me regret selling my XJs, but I'm glad I did. I hope he can resist the typical YouTube arc.
I was going to add him but left him out. I do like him but he is almost starting down that path. I just watched the recovery of a new 4 runner.
 

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Agent47

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Surprised to see this sort of reaction to TrailRecon.

Brad talks a lot, sure, but he thoroughly reviews a ton of gear (which he does use) so that makes sense. I don't get the feeling that he talks just to talk; I get good info from his channel. You don't have to buy the gear he uses but if you are looking for a good review of gear, his channel gives you that.

It's refreshing to see a YouTuber that doesn't just scrape over every single obstacle. Solid camerawork and he goes to scenic trails, some of which I would consider doing. No interest here to do any crazy trails or watch content that involves crashing into boulders or rolling the Jeep; I don't find that impressive or interesting but everyone has different tastes.
 
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Casey250

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Yep. They're pretty cool. I just started watching the dude with the white EcoDiesel
Thanks for watching! We have some bangers coming up on our channels. Couple huge trips planned. There are a few build videos coming up that ive scheduled while im traveling for the next couple weeks but then its roadtrip and offroad vlogs which are my favorite. This year has been a challenge with all our travel plans getting cancelled and we limited to exploring BC mostly but it is an awesome place!
 

clayps

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I think Venture4wd is my favorite channel on Youtube. It used to be my Saturday morning ritual to wake up, make a coffee and watch his newest episode. Now I'm finding he uploads later in the day so it's now beer + Venture4wd. There's something so calming about the way he films and edits his episodes. The fact he only releases one episode per week also keeps the hunger for content as a viewer there. TR is good too. I think most of the complaints you're seeing with him are a result of Covid. He had trips/content planned for the entire summer and that was washed away with the pandemic. He had to pivot and I can respect that. With that said, the first episode of his new series on the Rim Rocker trail is pretty great!

I also need to drop a shout out for AutoEdits. He's a great personality and while most of his content is sponsored parts, he's basically a professional when it comes to filming, working on his vehicles and showcasing his work as he used to work with some of the MotorTrend guys, I believe.
 

Casey250

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You don't have to be shy, the 'dude' with the white EcoDiesel is active on this site. Say hello to @Casey250. Yes, there's a very different attitude from Canadian content producers, especially since the border is closed this year...
We are just up here doing our thing haha.
 
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Dkretden

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You just described 99.9% of YT

There's a few who just make vids and get right to the point, but most love the sound of their voices way too much, and unfortunately for us YT encourages longer vids by paying posters more for more view time.

As AvE pointed out, the most valuable thing today is OUR attention. Even this new forum does this by telling you there's been a reply to a subbed thread, but forcing you to click thru to the forum to view the reply.

LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! NO -- LOOK AT ME!!
You tube wants videos that are over 10 minutes. That’s why there are a lot of 10min and 3 second videos out there. I don’t know if they “pay more” or whatever but, supposedly, that is the deal.

I think that it is VERY hard to fill 10 minutes of content multiple times a week. There really are only 3 ways to fill Off-road content: 1) talk about something, 2) bolt something on, 3)videos on trail.

personally, while I am amazed at the truly “pro-level” videography of many of these channels, how many minutes of a Jeep rolling by the camera can I stand? so that leaves 1 and 2. If the host spends a lot of time bolting stuff on, he becomes a “gear head” to many. That leaves #1. But, if the host spends too much time talking, he is “blathering” to many.

I assume that its really hard to find the right balance ..... really hard. To do it once might not be too hard but over and over and over with fresh content, cannot be easy. I am amazed at the quality and content of many of these amateur video productions. To me, many of them rival pro productions but without directors, producers, scriptwriters, lighting folks, sound folks, video folks, pre-shoot scouts, etc. etc.

there are channels that I watch (they all have faults as does pro-level production) and there channels that I can’t stand. For me, it boils down to the ‘demeanor and vibe“ of the host, I think.
 

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Rocket_Matt

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I couldn't agree with this more....
One of the first videos I saw from them was them drifting down the switchbacks on Black Bear pass. I haven't watched another since.

As far as Trail Recon, I like a lot of Brad's earlier stuff, I'm even a member on the TR FB page, lot's of good information there. His video on installing the mopar steel bumper was a huge help in me putting that bumper on my Jeep.

His more recent content is geared to get you to join E3 Overland where there is exclusive items to purchase. I'm just not into that. Luckily, there's plenty of YouTube content on trail riding out there.
 

UtahRubi

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My favorite channel is Venture4WD. I think Chris does a great job of getting to the essence of overlanding. That being said I enjoy TrailRecon as well. However, the more I get out the more I realize I don't need to rely on a ton of gear to enjoy myself or get to extremely remote places. I like Dan Grec's attitude of minimalism, practicality, and focusing on the experience. I lived in Moab in the mid-90's and worked for a tour company that had some amazing support vehicles. Back then, I drove an XJ with stock axles, 31" BFG All Terrains, no lockers, manual transmission, and a mild lift. Unheard of in Moab!!! I went everywhere I wanted to with just good driving. I was on the trails EVERY DAY whether it was for work or to enjoy my free time. I moved to Moab because I was a climber and every climber should make the pilgrimage at least once in their life.... bear with me there is a point here.. : ) I got into big wall/aid climbing as it was a skill I needed to learn to do some of the bigger routes on my bucket list. That's when it happened... my beloved sport started to become more about the gear, gear management, hauling, and expense rather than the purity of getting out in the hills. Same thing when I started to ice climb. I was so afraid of not having what I needed that I often hiked in to a climb with a bunch of crap I never used. In contrast, I now take almost nothing or things that can serve multiple purposes and rely on experience and skill. I hated juggling the gear around everyday and found it was consuming A LOT of the little time I had to be outside. That being said, I LOVE cool gear!! I now take this minimalistic approach when it comes to what I put on and in my JLU Rubi (space and weight are always a concern as my 74lb 2 1/2 yellow lab occupies a lot of interior real estate).

I also lived in Durango, CO for a number of years and the San Juans are holy ground for me. I love seeing vids online and it makes me long for the years when I would go out and see no one for days. Hopefully, you can still find great spots to get relief from the masses.

Lastly, I would love to hear from members regarding how they feel about the impact of social media, YouTube, and the internet revealing destinations that once had to be explored to find and now you can look up the GPS coordinates on YouTube and head out. I know growth is inevitable but I could not believe the impact on the environment the last time I went to Moab last year. I guess I'm old school and still believe that to get to remote places you should be willing to hang it out there a bit. Perhaps this should be it's own thread?
 

m3lover1

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Thanks for watching! We have some bangers coming up on our channels. Couple huge trips planned. There are a few build videos coming up that ive scheduled while im traveling for the next couple weeks but then its roadtrip and offroad vlogs which are my favorite. This year has been a challenge with all our travel plans getting cancelled and we limited to exploring BC mostly but it is an awesome place!
Right on! Keep up the good work and it's awesome that you're on here as well. The views I see in your videos and your buddies are so amazing. Just inspiring and I hope one day I will be able to drive up from Cali to where you guys are to check out the outdoors and views there!
 

clayps

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My favorite channel is Venture4WD. I think Chris does a great job of getting to the essence of overlanding. That being said I enjoy TrailRecon as well. However, the more I get out the more I realize I don't need to rely on a ton of gear to enjoy myself or get to extremely remote places. I like Dan Grec's attitude of minimalism, practicality, and focusing on the experience. I lived in Moab in the mid-90's and worked for a tour company that had some amazing support vehicles. Back then, I drove an XJ with stock axles, 31" BFG All Terrains, no lockers, manual transmission, and a mild lift. Unheard of in Moab!!! I went everywhere I wanted to with just good driving. I was on the trails EVERY DAY whether it was for work or to enjoy my free time. I moved to Moab because I was a climber and every climber should make the pilgrimage at least once in their life.... bear with me there is a point here.. : ) I got into big wall/aid climbing as it was a skill I needed to learn to do some of the bigger routes on my bucket list. That's when it happened... my beloved sport started to become more about the gear, gear management, hauling, and expense rather than the purity of getting out in the hills. Same thing when I started to ice climb. I was so afraid of not having what I needed that I often hiked in to a climb with a bunch of crap I never used. In contrast, I now take almost nothing or things that can serve multiple purposes and rely on experience and skill. I hated juggling the gear around everyday and found it was consuming A LOT of the little time I had to be outside. That being said, I LOVE cool gear!! I now take this minimalistic approach when it comes to what I put on and in my JLU Rubi (space and weight are always a concern as my 74lb 2 1/2 yellow lab occupies a lot of interior real estate).

I also lived in Durango, CO for a number of years and the San Juans are holy ground for me. I love seeing vids online and it makes me long for the years when I would go out and see no one for days. Hopefully, you can still find great spots to get relief from the masses.

Lastly, I would love to hear from members regarding how they feel about the impact of social media, YouTube, and the internet revealing destinations that once had to be explored to find and now you can look up the GPS coordinates on YouTube and head out. I know growth is inevitable but I could not believe the impact on the environment the last time I went to Moab last year. I guess I'm old school and still believe that to get to remote places you should be willing to hang it out there a bit. Perhaps this should be it's own thread?
Good point about social media. I would say it's definitely helped me explore. It's a tough balance. For example, I'm from Ontario Canada. Without seeing some of the locations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming etc on Social Media/YouTube, I never would have made the leap to travel that far to experience them myself. It's one thing if you only live a few hours away and go to those places to explore, but to travel 1/2 way across the continent without any sort of introduction or ideas in mind, it's a heck of a risk in my opinion. As for specifics, any place we camped or explored was more based on research vs content I viewed on social media/youtube (except for a few examples perhaps). So it was the social media/youtube that influenced me to do it, but the hours of extra research put in to get me to the specific camp spots that made the trip come together.
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