Mike Upchurch

Join us as we embark with 8 Metalcloak equipped rigs on a thrilling three-day adventure through the breathtaking landscapes of Death Valley. 

In 1966 a group of explorers began a quest to find the long lost mining town known as Summit City... on August 8, that city will be Resurrected with all it granduer in California's Sierra's

Whether a cross country trip, a RockLanding adventure, or a simple trip to the local swimming hole, gas mileage matters. Going from a TJ to a JL was an interesting experience for this Rocklander. 

Overland Sin Fronteras is an overland expo that takes place down in Tijuana each year. We attended and set up a booth last year, had a good time and decided to attend again this year as well, but we had the opportunity to take more rigs, so we put together

I built my rig for longer trips that involved lots of road miles and wheeling destinations.  My prior Jeep TJ was a great offroad vehicle, but lacked much in the way of long-mileage road trips.  I've had the desire to get out farther and do more events

Accidents on the trails can happen. Accidents in remote locations can happen…

As an adventure enthusiast and former trauma nurse, I can attest to the importance of being prepared with both supplies and the know-how of what to do in emergency situations.

Last weekend we headed up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains for some much-needed mountain air and camping. Destination: Loon Lake, which also happens to be the start of the Rubicon Trail. We weren't planning on doing any wheeling, but opted to bring the

An essential part of ANY overnight camping trip, is a good strong cup of coffee in the morning. Pour-overs, French press, percolator, Aero-press, instant and even electric machines are all viable options, but if you want a hearty cup, you opt for the

Do you know how to read a map?

In today's world, GPS and satellite navigation are reliable as all get-out, but even the most advanced GPS devices use base maps as the viewable interface. But what do you do if you GPS stops working?

I personally prefer

Camping and campfires go hand in hand. It's something that many of us have been accustomed to since we were kids. Nowadays, with droughts and heat waves, open fires are becoming more and more frowned upon and illegal on a variety of public lands, especially

Last weekend, a crew of us here at ARS and MetalCloak headed into the high country for an overnight Rocklanding trip. Saturday was amazing, with good weather all day, up until about 7pm when the clouds started rolling in and things began to change. By