As I’m writing this I’m jammed into a seat between a bloke who should be a prop-forward for the Wallabies and a guy who bowed out in the first episode of last year’s The Biggest Loser (I’ve officially lost feeling in my legs) on a flight over to Perth for the 4WD & Adventure Show.
For the full story, CLICK HERE
In years gone by I’ve never really enjoyed being on stands at 4WD shows. I’m usually running around in the heat like a headless chook and barely get a chance to speak to anyone or check anything out for myself, plus they require a lot of heavy lifting – something I’ve spent most of my life trying to avoid.
This year has changed my mind on them though.
You know why? Because I got to hang out with a whole heap of you guys.
Deadset, over the Sydney and Adelaide shows we must’ve met more Unsealed 4X4 fans than I thought was possible. What blew my mind however was the overwhelming amount of positive feedback we kept getting. Folks kept telling us how much they were enjoying the mag – even people from fishing, boating, dirt-biking and kayaking backgrounds were telling us how much they were digging it. It was both humbling and gratifying to say the least.
So with that in mind I have a bit of a challenge for our WA readers. I’ll be at the Perth show in a couple of hours (which’ll actually be this weekend – the 6th-8th November. by the time this makes it up online) and I want to meet as many of you as I can. So if you see me walking around, don’t be shy – come up and say ‘hi’ and tell me what you think of the mag. Even if you’re not a fan, it’s always great to get feedback, good or bad. I’ll even hook you up with an Unsealed 4X4 sticker for your trouble.
On another note, I wanted to make mention of a trend that I’ve seen emerging in our lifestyle. Over the last couple of years I’ve been noticing that there have been more and more females getting into the four wheel driving and camping lifestyle, which I think we can all agree is an absolutely great thing. Taking a walk around the shows over the past few weeks there has been no shortage of women who are there on their own or with friends, not just tagging along with their boyfriends or husbands, and buying products for their own vehicles and camping setups. And it’s not a generational thing either; young, middle-aged and retirement-aged women are all seizing the opportunity to get out and experience our country. It’s truly fantastic to see.
We’ve already got a fair few female contributors here at the mag, and over the next few months you’ll see more popping up –
bringing us some great tips and travel stories. I guess I just wanted to send out a general vibe of encouragement to any female who is already involved with our lifestyle or any who are thinking of pulling the trigger on their own 4X4. Yes, there are until a few window-lickers around who think that women don’t belong on the tracks; but trust me, they don’t represent the majority of four wheel drivers who are truly stoked to see more of you guys getting involved. Don’t let the naysayers get you down, we couldn’t be happier to see you on board; so make sure you get in touch and let us know about your own off-road adventures.
