Escape From Bigfoot Country

Here's the second installment from Trevor Gordon's surf journey to the heart of Bigfoot Country in his custom camper. Filmed and edited by Jeremy Koreski, Erin Feinblatt and Ian Durkin.

Surf Wagon: Almond Surfboards' Sixty-Five Falcon

Our friends at Almond Surfboards have one of the coolest Surf Wagons we've seen. A classic California car, Chad's 1965(?) Ford Falcon station wagon is as cool as they come, especially when the back end is loaded with logs! Click here to check out some of the different sticks they have for sale.

The Adventures of Woody and the Blue Ox

After building a camper in the bed of his Jeep Comanche, Trevor Gordon embarked on a mission to find surf in the heart of Cascadia. Filmed and edited by Jeremy Koreski, Erin Feinblatt and Ian Durkin.

Surf Wagon: Doc's Rusty Rabbit

I'm sure you've seen it; that light blue pickup truck with two or three boards strapped to a homemade wooden rack. Maybe he's passed you on your way out to the ocean, or you've seen it sitting, board bags unzipped, in some undisclosed surf spot. Or perhaps you haven't. Whatever the case, I snapped this photo of Doc's rusty Volkswagen Rabbit truck a few weeks ago, and thought I'd share what has become one of my favorite Surf Wagons with all ya'll (Archie's Grand Torino wagon still takes the cake).

The Vixen

Last Sunday, shortly after we'd stopped surfing and were eagerly awaiting an empty outdoor shower stall, a rather interesting automobile, er, make that motorhome, pulled in and parked across from where we were camped. It was long and low and looked uniquely European. I swore I'd seen one before - in a parking lot in Port Angeles - but after Karissa and Angel did some investigating, we discovered this was not an ordinary RV (and certainly not the one I'd seen). This was a vintage Vixen 21 TD!

Damn Van

Jay Nelson, a San Francisco based artist known for constructing abstract abodes on the back of automobiles, recently redid the inside of Rob Machado's surf wagon. As seen on the Surfer's Journal.

Surf Wagon: Captain Coffey's Econoline

My old man has three vans. THREE. Two of them are four-wheel drive cargo vans, and the other one is a full blown camper conversion. He has a 1977 E-250(?) Pathfinder with a hard sided pop-top roof, a fold down bed in the back and a small kitchenette. He also has a four-wheel drive 1979 E-350 cargo van, what I believe to be a Quadravan conversion. The third van is what you're looking at here - an extended length 1996 E-250 with a Quigley 4x4 conversion.

It is powered by a 351 cubic inch V8 and has barn doors on both the back and the side. It's empty, like a cargo van, but has a headliner. Now, you're probably wondering why the fuck he owns all three. Well, like anything exciting, all it took was the one. The aforementioned Econoline with the hard sided pop-top. It was cheap and exactly what he wanted; a van he could camp in, carry surfcraft and fix himself if he had to. But it wasn't bad ass enough. It wasn't a 4x4.

How To Van Camp

A short bit of film featuring my friend Foster, who shares his thoughts on #vanlife after having spent more than a year living in his Syncro Vanagon. Essential items include: avocados, an iPhone, tinted windows and the ability to pee in an orthostatic position. Video comes courtesy of Korduroy.TV

Build-A-Bed

After a couple of uncomfortable nights spent on the floor of Fargo the cargo van, Karissa and I decided we should build a bed before heading south to surf this weekend. Piece of cake, right? Right. With a general idea of what we wanted - tall enough for a few sticks to lay flat, long enough for two tubs to sit nut-to-butt and wide enough that we wouldn't have sleep sideways - we headed to Home Depot with some printed plans and plenty of enthusiasm.

After sorting through tons of timber and finding the right size wood screws, we headed to my grandparent's to put things into place. First came the frame; a two part structure consisting of four 20" tall boxes connected by two 66" long pieces of lumber. Once the frame was fitted, we cut ten 72" long 2x4s and set them two inches apart across the top. Then we secured everything using 3.5" wood screws. The end result: a 22" tall, 72" wide and 66" long sleeping platform perfect for two people!

Fargo & The Foggy Waves

A loud knock woke me up Sunday morning. Joe, peering through Fargo's front window, was eager to see what the swell looked like. I climbed out from the comfort of our cargo van and wandered toward the water. A heavy fog was waiting... and waves! Small, glassy little bastards. I managed to slip into my Matuse and sneak out to sea without waking my wife. Joe, Charlie and I surfed waist high waves for maybe four hours. We called it quits when the wind picked up. Came ashore to find Karissa getting ready to go out. We kicked around camp for awhile before the three of them paddled back out. I stayed on shore to document the occasion. Follow the link for a few photos.

Surf Wagon: Volkswagen T3 Vanagon DOKA Syncro

Spotted this uber rare 1987(?) Volkswagen T3 Vanagon DOKA (Doppelkabine) Syncro truck on Sunday. Don't know the details, but it's safe to say this is one of the wildest Surf Wagons I've ever seen!

Click here to learn more about the Type 2 Transporter.

Surf Wagon: A Short Sprinter

Spotted this Sprinter outside of Morris' Fireside Restaurant in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Complete camper with dual sliding doors, all-terrain tires and three big boards on a tall top. That's one helluva van!

Surf Wagon: The Silver Swede

Surf wagons should have soul. They take you to the sea. Surfboards and suits, camping crap and a cooler. An essential. Especially for all us city dwellers turned surfers. Coffee on the way to the coast. Breakfast behind the wheel. Lunch looking out at the ocean. A beer or two on the back bumper. If you're lucky you can camp out inside. A welcome reprieve from winter weather. A safe place to sleep in the summer.

About a year ago, while waiting in line for the ferry, the waterpump in my Jeep took a shit. Our friends at O'Reilley's were kind enough to deliver some coolant and a couple of radiator hoses, but the damn thing wouldn't stop overheating. Our day was done? I think not! Couple of calls, friends and family, and we were back in line for the ferry, this time at the wheel of the 'Silver Swede,' a 1989 Volvo 240 wagon.

Surf Wagon: Sexy Chinook

The first time I saw this old Dodge it was parked on the side of the highway somewhere along the strait. It looked a little rough, as most Chinooks built in the 1970's (?) should. Fast forward a few months and it's sitting outside of Todd Fischer's studio near Squamish Harbor, ready to be repainted. Turns out it belongs to a gentleman named Jeff, who commissioned Todd to do something amazing with an otherwise ugly automobile. Fast forward a few more months and Jeff's Chinook is now sporting a fresh livery, with waves and wild colors. Now that's one sexy Chinook! Follow the link for a few more photos.

Surf Wagon: Extra Long Econoline

Spotted this extra long Econoline on Sunday. Pretty sure it's a Quigley conversion. Four-wheel drive, pop-top, canvas awning, big ass bumpers and barn doors. Don't know the details. Didn't have time. Damn thing must drink diesel, though. Let's just hope it's not petrol powered! Either way, I want one.

What's In Your Wagon?

I took this photo just before I paddled out a few weeks ago. Shit all over the Subaru. Blankets, towels, flip-flops, a sleeping bag. Jesus, what sort of strange, misguided transient type drives this pile of shit?! And what the hell is that, a six-foot long piece of driftwood? Whatever. I know it looks like a mess, but there's a method to all this madness. I promise. So with that being said I'm curious, what's in your wagon?

Minivans Make Sense

I've had a lot of cars. Thirty one to be exact. Everything from Alfa Romeos and MG roadsters to big ass Jeeps and BMWs. I guess I have a short attention span. I'm usually bored before I transfer the title. But now, since selling my Grand Cherokee, I'm without an automobile. Well, I have the Subaru, but this is the first time since I was sixteen that I don't have a second car. Some piece of shit that runs when it wants to. Something fun to drive, but forever in need. So now we're in search of a new surf wagon. Something we can sleep in. Something that can carry us to the ocean and Karissa to her office in Everett.

Kook Stack

We're getting ready to surf on Saturday. Mike Beads, my father and my cousin are planning to tag along. We have enough space in the Subaru, just one too many surfboards. Especially considering my old man just bought a 12' Mickey Munoz Super Glide. What a big ass board. Hopefully it'll float him. Also, Derek is dragging his new Bing pig out for it's maiden voyage. We're all rather excited to see how she surfs. Just not sure how to get all those boards to the beach. Might have to build a kook stack ;)

Surf Wagon: Foster's Syncro Vanagon

This is a 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro, which is piloted by my new found friend, Foster Huntington. The author of numerous blogs, to include #vanlife and The Burning House, Foster drove down from Portland to brave the blown out waves along the Oregon coast this Sunday. We struggled more than we surfed. Still had fun. Foster has been living in this van for four months, by the way. He has been travelling about the country photographing the shit people would pull from their homes assuming it were on fire. His collection of photos will soon be available to purchase.

In the interim, Foster and I will find something to surf.

Grey Whale Sessions

Garrett Dutton, Keith Malloy, Tyler Warren and Chris Christenson driving an old Volvo down the Baja peninsula in search of surf?! Shit, I was day dreaming about a road trip to Baja when Karissa and I had our old Volvo wagon. We were a little worried that Swedish auto parts may have been hard to come by, but were willing to take the chance. Looks like we'll just have to head south in the Subaru.

Click here to purchase a copy of Grey Whale Sessions.