Galactic ADventures

To Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Adventure

ISSUE 01 | JULY 4, 2024

STORY MENU

🚀 It’s here! The launch of Galactic Adventures — a place where stories are told, tips are shared and community comes closer together no matter where on the map you find yourself.

We invite you to journey along with us to see what’s happening in the wild as well as what’s going on at our Intergalactic Headquarters.

We have historically launched products on July 4th as a way to celebrate liberty and your pursuit of adventure. We hope this bi-weekly community-centric newsletter becomes a liberation of stories spanning across backgrounds, locations and owners.

Let's get into it!

🥘 Emily Pan PAN Fans in Vans (Say that 10x fast)

Written by Emma Walsmith, 2022 MODE LT Owner

If you are a member of the Storyteller Overland Insiders & MODElifers Facebook Group, you may have noticed the most recent phenomenon sweeping the STO universe– The Emily Pan Pan and its Pan Fans. In fact, this has developed into such a phenomenon that there is a new, fast-growing Facebook Group where Pan Fans are gathering to share pro-tips and recipes. This new Facebook Group is aptly named, Emily Pan PAN Fans in Vans.

All of this hype begs the question: what even is an Emily Pan Pan (EPP)?

The Emily Pan Pan is a portable, non-stick electric combination hot pot/skillet that was discovered on Amazon.com by 2022 Stealth MODE owner, Emily Pan. Emily moved full time into her Stealth MODE in July 2022, and immediately began exploring ways to create efficiencies and more space within her campervan. Having grown up in a restauranting family, a robustly capable but compact kitchen experience was a necessity. She tried the popular Magma brand pots and pans with the Furrion induction stove but found the setup to be too clunky for her vanlife travels.

On one fateful overlanding day, Emily was camping with fellow Storytellers at the Moonlanding Gathering in New Mexico, preparing a communal breakfast to share. Among these Storytellers was Jeremy Sanchez (@VanchezTravels) who offered to cook eggs for everyone at camp in the new hot pot that his mom, Trina Sanchez, had gifted him for Christmas. “It’s true, my mom gave us what I guess you would call the beta version of the EPP.“ Jeremy recalled, “In the early days of us having our Storyteller, my mom was excited to contribute to our adventures in some way. Being something of an Amazon ‘treasure hunter,’ she found us a small nonstick electric pot that turned out to be perfect for cooking small meals. Initially we mostly used it for cooking scrambled eggs in the morning, but that quickly expanded into cooking bacon, then ramen noodles, reheating leftovers, you name it. I’ve even cooked a small steak in it. It just makes the whole one pot cooking thing so easy.

Right away I started getting questions from people at every van meetup we’d attend. That would lead to the usual vanlifer refrain, “send me the link!” A few other people bought them to integrate into their van cooking arsenal and it kind of took on a life of its own.”

Having experienced the beta version of what would one day become famously known as “the EPP,” Emily was inspired. So she did what so many of us have done: she purchased numerous versions of effectively the same thing in order to determine which one was just perfect for vanlife. The magic number for Emily was seven. She purchased and tested seven different portable hot pots, evaluating their ease of use, portability, how well they stowed away in the Storyteller MODE galley and considered points for style. The result was the discovery of the EPP v1.0, a multifunctional electric 2 liter hot pot with accompanying steamer basket from the brand, Audecook. And while the EPP v1.0 initially took the STO universe by storm, the folks at Audecook must have been listening because they released the EPP v2.0, presenting much of what was loved in the EPP v1.0 but this time around, offering 2.5 liters and removing the somewhat cumbersome handle that took up extra storage space.

A Recipe for Success

The dish that made so many Storytellers into Emily Pan Pan Fans is a delicious sausage and cheese dip served with tortilla chips and best enjoyed around a campfire. Emily was kind enough to share with us the recipe:

We have loved watching the community of Emily Pan PAN Fans in Vans grow and look forward to seeing what great recipes you all continue to dream up and share.

(Psst. If you’re interested in adding to your vanlife patch collection, we have insider knowledge that there is a patch in the works for Emily Pan PAN Fans! Stay tuned to the Emily Pan PAN Fans in Vans Facebook Group for more info.)

🚐 Meet the Beast MODE Winners from the Race Against Blindness Giveaway

Please join us in welcoming Alexandra and Jonathan Lister to the Storyteller Community!

Jonathan and Alexandra recently won a 2023 Beast MODE from A Race Against Blindness– having participated in a raffle giveaway that benefited the continued efforts of the nonprofit. We are truly honored to have had the opportunity to partner with A Race Against Blindness on this fundraiser that made Alexandra and Jonathan’s #vanlife dreams come true while raising funds and awareness for the nonprofit.

We caught up briefly with Alexandra as she, Jonathan and their new Beast MODE hit the road on their first #MODElife adventure.

On the topic of A Race Against Blindness, Alexandra shared, “Race Against Blindness is doing some amazing work. They are really on a mission this year to raise enough money for the life-changing clinical trial, and I love that they are giving back in such a big way to their supporters. I hope that others see that real people can really win, and even if you don’t, your money is going to an awesome cause!”

And as far as their new Beast MODE goes, Alexandra offered, “We’ve been renting vans for a couple years now, and we have only dreamed of being able to own one someday. Knowing that Storyteller puts out such a thoughtful and well planned product is the icing on the cake. We’re currently traveling from AZ back to TN by way of Utah & Colorado. We’ve been hitting National Parks and some off-the-grid spots. We plan to continue exploring as much as we can and utilize the van as a tool for my husband’s ultra-marathons. I’m honestly kind of obsessed with the Groove Lounge, I may just work remotely from the van in the backyard!”

Congratulations, Alexandra & Jonathan! We are happy to have you as a part of our Storyteller Overland Community.

While the 2024 Beast MODE may have been won, A Race Against Blindness continues to run some pretty epic giveaways to support their important work.

2024 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO + Backroads Overland Co Trailer + $60,000 cash

2024 GMC Sierra 2500 AT4xHD + CanAM Maverick + $50k cash

🐶 The Travels of Kody Keller

Written by Sara Keller, 2021 MODE 4x4 Owner

My golden retriever, Kody, is my constant travel companion and best friend – not to mention the most handsome boy. Although he goes just about everywhere with me there are times he needs to stay in the van without me.

Traveling with Kody in the summer takes careful planning to make sure he’s safe and comfortable, including switching up my schedule. Errands that during the winter I might do in the afternoon such as grocery shopping, laundry and showers get switched to the morning and if we are in a remote area this means some early wake up times to drive into a town.

I watch the weather report carefully and I often decide where to travel based on temperatures. If temps are 80 degrees or lower, I can typically manage how hot the van gets by using reflected and insulated window coverings from VanMade Gear and running my fan to push hot air out and bring cold air in. In really high temperatures, I use the house AC to keep the van cool for him if I must leave him. However, last year I had the AC stop working while I was grocery shopping, I returned to the van to find him overheating and stressed which was terrifying.

I now use a Waggle Pet Monitor which offers real-time alerts I can monitor via my phone so that I know he is safe. There are several different brands that do the same including MarCELL, Temp Stick and Govee. I also leave plenty of fresh water out for him and I make sure that I am never too far away (i.e. I do not go on a full day hiking trip without him or stray further than about a 15-minute walk away from the van.)

Kody and I are looking forward to lots of adventures in our Storyteller this summer and many summers to come!

🪩 Evolution Tour

We had the best time hanging with our owner community and meeting new friends at the Hood River Adventure Van Expo stop of the Evolution Tour! Thanks to the MODE LT Owner group for inviting a few of us to their owner meeting! We love hearing what our owners are experiencing out on the open road and enjoy being able to answer questions and share tips.

Join us at the Evergreen, Colorado Adventure Van Expo July 27th and 28th! We've got a fun activation in the works for this show that you don't want to miss!

📍Celebrating Christina Linton!

Here at our Intergalactic Headquarters, we are celebrating our own Chief People Officer and CEO of Flarespace, Christina Linton, for being recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal as a C-Suite Honoree. We are so grateful for Christina’s leadership and being the magic behind the movement here at Storyteller!