Written in collaboration with Keri & Scott Lostetter. Edited by Hayley Helms
Overland Expo is excited to welcome the Lostetter family (a.k.a. @OverlandForGood) back from their incredible 18-month journey along the Pan-American Highway. The Lostetters are a family of four whose love for the outdoors originated with hobbies like hiking and backpacking before moving onto vehicle-based traveling in order to reach harder-to-reach destinations.
As you read this piece, it is likely that the family’s 2010 Toyota Tundra Double Cab with a Summit Expedition Trucks 90×80″ bed is on its way back to the U.S. in a shipping container; if all goes well, it will be on display in the Showcase & DIY Area at Overland Expo WEST. Attendees will be able to tour the Lostetter’s vehicle and also learn from them during their instructional sessions: “PanAm Bound: Family Vehicle Considerations for the Journey “ and “PanAm Guide: Real Costs, Routes, & Insights for Your PanAm Journey”.
In the meantime, before the fun of WEST officially kicks off, we would love for you to get to know more about husband and wife Scott and Keri and their children, Lillian and Case. Continue reading below for our Q&A with the @OverlandForGood family.
Tell us about your rig
Right now, we’re traveling in a 2010 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 5.7V8 4×4 with an ARB rear locker. We swapped out the factory bed for a Summit Expedition Trucks 90×80″ bed, with four storage boxes to keep everything organized and easy to grab. We also found a used, non-cabover Phoenix Camper, which we completely gutted and rebuilt to fit our family’s needs. One of the must-haves for us was a dinette to play games and a big kitchen area.
The setup has been cozy, functional, and tough enough to handle all kinds of weather, even with the pop-up feature. The pop-top adds two extra feet of space, giving us room for bunk beds and lots of airflow. Even in bad weather (we call it the Patagonia Protocol—Lillian on the floor, Case in bed with us), we can drop the top and still have full access to the camper for cooking and daily activities. And with a little prep, we can fit the whole rig into a high cube shipping container. It’s been a solid home for us these past few years!
All-time favorite campsite?
Oooooh, this is where we are divided! The kids would say Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. That was a little slice of heaven there. Swimming and jumping off the dock everyday, eating fresh pico and avocados, water taxis to surrounding cute towns, the women so beautifully dressed in their outfits, surrounded by culture and volcanos.
Keri’s Favorite: Then you get a little more wild and climb up into the majestic Cordillera Blanca in Peru. Off the AN106 there is a little gem up some insane dirt switchbacks that take you to 15,300 feet elevation. Park right there on the edge of a switchback and you’re surrounded by glacier-covered peaks with blue alpine lakes. Breathing at night takes some effort, but worth it is for those sunrises and sunsets.
Scott’s favorite: Now let’s have you cross over to Bolivia and travel out to the Salar de Uyuni. Top night of the trip. It is everything we dreamed it would be. Vast. Endless. The feeling is intense and one we’ll never forget.
READ MORE: 15 Items to Pack When Camping at Overland Expo West
What is your best silver-lining story?
Well, since we’re talking about Uyuni, what started as the highlight of our trip quickly turned into the toughest nights we have had. We were among the foolish ones who ventured too far south and broke through the thin salt crust — we ended up getting stuck up to our frame! We were stranded for four days, digging and trying everything to get out. After reaching out to our Instagram friends (George Puckhaber, Peter and Kathy Holcombe) they came to help… only to get stuck themselves!
In total, nine vehicles tried to rescue us, all of us buried deep in the salt. But here’s the silver lining: Despite the frustration, we gained incredible friendships, witnessed endless acts of kindness, and felt the love of the Bolivian people. Those tough days brought us closer to each other and we emerged from the experience with not just memories, but a newfound appreciation for the kindness that’s everywhere.
What is an area of overland travel that you think you have nailed?
We’re always learning something new! As for Scott, he’d say designing the layout of our camper.. After designing and building several campers for others, by the time we got to ours, he felt like he really nailed it, and it’s worked so well for our family.
For me (Keri), it’s route planning. Researching the places we’re going to visit has been such a fun challenge. I still struggle with FOMO (fear of missing out) sometimes, but I’ve learned that it’s just impossible to see it all. We’ve gotten really good at making the most of the time we have, being realistic about the distances and the time we can spend in each place.
What is an area of overland travel that you feel you could use some improvement in?
Scott and I get along surprisingly well for being together 24/7, but throw us into a city with narrow streets and low-hanging roofs, and our patience gets put to the test. Scott is focused on maneuvering the truck without hitting anything, while I’m frantically checking my side of the vehicle and trying to make sure my navigation doesn’t lead us down a one-way street. We’re working on staying calm, but let’s just say we could use more practice in the patience department. As for the kids, their job is simple — keep quiet and don’t say a word. They’ve absolutely mastered their role. Haha!
The other would be language skills. We have met so many incredible people along the way who have welcomed us into their homes. With our limited language skills and the trusty help of Google Translate, we’ve made some incredible friends, but we wish we could have asked more in-depth questions with them to get to know them more. It has been one of our biggest regrets. Make sure to plan more time in Colombia. Almost everyone we talked to invited us to their homes! They’re truly incredible and made us want to be better people.
What’s your go-to overlanding meal?
Mexican food is our go-to, and ground beef is easy to find, so tacos, burrito bowls, crunch wraps, and burgers are regular favorites. With beans, rice, fresh fruits, and veggies, we can whip up a variety of meals. I also love using the Instant Pot for quick soups and curries — perfect for when we need a fast one-pot meal.
What does your “division of labor” look like as a family while traveling?
Scott handles the driving, mechanical issues, and the toilet. He’s the one behind the wheel, taking us wherever we need to go, and when the truck or camper has a problem, he’s the one who steps up to fix it. He’s also the one who deals with the stress of finding a place to dump the toilet when it’s full, which, let’s face it, can get a little stressful.
I take care of cooking, budgeting, route planning, and social media. We all have fun shopping together at all the new stores in each country. It was once stressful for me trusting new brands or items I’ve never tried, but I’ve learned to love it.
The kids pitch in with cooking and cleaning, too. When it is time to pack up and hit the road, Lillian and I are the ones who handle organizing the camper and dropping the top while the guys are outside cleaning up camp, checking the truck, and locking everything down for departure.
To hear more about the Lostetter’s adventures and say hi in person, stop by one of their instructor sessions at Overland Expo West. To learn more and purchase tickets, click the button below!
