Blog - Thortek Outdoors

Ryan Newburn Interview

Ryan Newburn (06/12/2020)

Ryan Newburn has been through a transformative journey that changed the trajectory of his life. From 300 lbs when he was in his 20’s to a fit world adventurer and man of big dreams, Ryan shows that anything is possible with a positive attitude in this inspiring interview.

How did you get started?

Well I actually used to be extremely obese. Most of my life up until my 20s was spent at over 300lbs. I lost most of my weight, about 130lbs, from long distance runs starting out just being able to run to my mail box. After becoming fit, I decided that I would embark on a journey to cross Japan on foot and haven’t looked back since then.

Will the Adventurer Interview

Will says: “One of the nicest sunsets I’ve been able to see in the mountains. This one was new Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada.”

Will the Adventurer (06/26/2020)

Thortek Outdoors quite literally met our friend Will on the side of a mountain preparing for his evening camp. It had been a hot day in the Swiss Alps and the burning glow of the sunset was making its final descent behind the mountains. Little did we know, our paths would cross again and we would become friends and fellow adventurers.

How did you get started?

I have been interested into hiking for a while, but never knew how to start until a friend of me invited me to do a trail named the Permi Loop in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA. I then realized that it was going to be a very steep be a multi-day hike. We eventually had to reduce our trip to an easier day hike, but still, since this first hike, I am constantly looking for opportunities to get on the trail.

Two Alps Girls Interview

Simona and Andrijana look on to the mountainous landscape ahead in their first social media post. The Alps Girls write: “It represents our beginning but also us two with an amazing view on the mountain lakes. It is important to us because we often hike to lakes in the mountains, and we want to raise awareness about these beautiful lakes, because there is always less water, each year due to climate change.”

Two Alps Girls (06/09/2020)

The Two Alps Girls (Simona and Andrijana) are fellow adventurers who we met last year and decided to invite to an interview because of the amazing photography which they continue to take of the Alps in Europe. Complete with camera and drone in hand, a visit to their Instagram page or website will surround you with their beautiful photography and passion for the outdoors.

Note: This interview was originally completed in the winter before the weather started to warm up. Follow them as they continue their journey in every season.

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Logan and Natalie Interview

Logan and Natalie will be cycling nearly 20,000 miles on a great adventure across the United States

Logan Mayberry and Natalie Suarez (01/12/2020)

Thortek Outdoors will be sponsoring these two as they cycle across through all 48 continuous US states. We’ve sent them some gear including Rhinowalk Panniers, some bicycle accessories, and dry bags. We’re really looking forward to seeing how the gear holds up in the rigors of their daily travel. Good luck Logan and Natalie!

How did you get started?

We got the idea to go on a cycling trip across all 48 states through YouTube. We watched videos of another couple on a similar adventure and thought it looked like a ton of fun! We did a bit of research and realized that many people cycle across the US, so we decided to kick it up a notch and cycle across all 48 continuous states! Our tour will cover about 20,000 miles!

Arie Hoogerbrugge Interview

Saguaro National Park - 2017 Tucson Arizona — Saguaro National Park – 2017 Tucson Arizona

Arie Hoogerbrugge (12/29/2019)

Thortek Outdoors is proud to sponsor Arie Hoogerbrugge as he begins his next great journey across Canada and through the Americas. This time he is going big with a 55,000 km journey through 24 countries. In this interview, Arie shares about his passion for cycling and his desire to help the environment.

How did you get started?

In 2011 I did a 6,500 km bike ride through northern and western Canada. It was the most amazing experience of my life. As with many people that go on a long bike tour I was hooked and the dream for a Canadian Arctic to the bottom of Argentina ride was born. Over the years biking across Canada was incorporated into the route.

The start date for this ride kept getting pushed back for personal reasons and then the window opened. It was now or never and that set me up for a Canadian crossing during the winter. So I went for it.

Keeping Your Feet Dry on the Road

By Thortek Outdoors

If you’ve either done cycle touring or long-distance hiking in the rain, then you’ve probably encountered the common issue of keeping your feet dry. No matter how waterproof your shoes are, water is still likely to enter somehow after enduring hours of slogging them through the rain. For the trekkers out there, keeping your shoes in good condition by repairing cracks in the soles and respraying protection periodically does help quite a bit. For cyclist wearing clip shoes, the solution is a little more complicated because clip shoes have small opening on the bottom. No matter what kind of cycling shoe cover you put on, some water could backsplash and leak through. On one of the longest cycling days of my life (305km), I continued along through the rain from the morning, then through the night, and well into the next day, becoming soaked after hours of rain. It wasn’t pretty – in fact, my feet were so gnarly from a combination of the rain and the wrong choice of socks (I’ll get to that in a moment), that I thought I was starting to get early stages of trench foot. While gross, this story does show the need to find a good rainy day solution, especially for the feet. What follows here are some good suggestions for the road and one solution that will only cost you $7.00 for a lightweight pair.

The Inspiration Behind Thortek Outdoors as Written by its Creator.

Thortek Outdoors Your Adventure Starts Here

By Thortek Outdoors

While I had always been interested in the outdoors, it wasn’t until around eight years ago that I really understood its positive, transformative power. At that time, I had been living in Japan as an English teacher when a friend of mine came to visit my home in a medium sized town called Beppu in the southern island of Kyushu. My friend Matt who was also a teacher, had found himself placed in Hokkaido, the northernmost part of the country a few years earlier and I remember sitting there in awe as he talked to me about his many adventures in the remote region where he lived. After arriving, he just got a bicycle and began to ride whenever he could for both the exercise and the freedom. What he told me next was even more amazing. After his final year, he geared up and rode his bicycle down from the very north of Japan down the west coast, around the southernmost tip of Kyushu and then up the east coast until finally he reached Osaka before flying home. As he told me about his 3000 Kilometer adventure by bicycle, I remember entertaining for the first time in my life that if I chose to do so, I could do the same. I said goodbye to my long-time friend after a few days visiting with him, and I must have had a grin on my face with all of the new ideas I had floating in my mind. Something had changed inside of me and I knew that I would never be the same again.