Mike In The Woods

08/19/2024

Shredding belts, losing wheels... Getting real tired of it. Time to course correct with a new DAILY maintenance checklist on my electric skateboard adventures!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXbxeR_9hZI

I'm tired of my electric skateboard constantly breaking down and having failures! So, I came up with a checklist of preventative maintenance for my e-skate w...

08/13/2024

After almost 5 years, I was invited to order my Foundation Series Tesla Cybertruck! However, no way in heck can I afford it! Time to discuss my BACKUP EV overlanding rig plan!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUPTjlnLRUw

Almost 5 years ago I reserved my Tesla Cybertruck on the night of the reveal, with plans to turn it into an EV overlanding rig. Sadly, things did not work ou...

08/12/2024

I revived my old gaming Youtube channel! If you like FPS games, it's dedicated solely to FPS multiplayer matches -- Halo, Overwatch 2, Call of Duty, The Finals, and more! Come check it out!
https://www.youtube.com//featured

This was my very first channel, and was abandoned for quite a long time. But I resuscitated it and gave it a fresh coat of paint! My oldest video on here is from 2006!

FPS multiplayer games. Just matches, no commentary. Est. 2006 Games: Halo Infinite, Halo: Master Chief Collection (Halo CE, Halo 2 & Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3 & Halo 3 ODST, Halo Reach, Halo 4), Overwatch 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II and Black Ops 6, XDefiant, and even some retro FPS games & s...

08/06/2024

I took my all terrain electric skateboard out on a stealth camping overnighter in the humid summer heat! Between my camp spot being bulldozed, gaming on my ROG Ally, and getting discovered early in the morning -- there was a lot going on for this trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WO8l9S3s34

On this electric skateboard stealth camping overnighter, I get to my stealth camp spot to find that it's been bulldozed! Still, I take my e-skate down the cl...

07/31/2024

From waking up to a skunk's butt in my face, to losing another wheel while riding 35 km/h... You don't want to miss out on this surprisingly hectic electric skateboard overnight camping trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEInNHsnyBw

What was supposed to be an easygoing overnight electric skateboard camping trip turned out to be quite hectic. From scrambling to find out where to charge my...

07/22/2024

No video this week! Feeling a bit burnt out and I wasn't feeling my video idea for this week.

Back at it with a vengeance next week!

07/16/2024

What's it actually like to road trip in my Tesla Model 3? Do I get stranded? Do I spend hours waiting for my car to charge? How hard is it to find charging stations? All those questions answered in the video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6jtDngavt8

This is what a Tesla Model 3 road trip is like, with my 2023 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range! It's the lowest spec Tesla you can get (RWD, LFP battery) but it g...

07/12/2024

Whoo, burnout's been a thing for the last couple of days. Cranked out my weekly video plus wrote a chapter of my novel last week, and did two videos this week. In addition to my full-time employment lol.

On top of that I was neglecting my sleep lately. Not a winning combination...

But a good night's sleep and being on the other side of my temporary increased workload has helped a lot. Can't keep my ass down for long!

07/11/2024

Road tripping in an EV needs some good emergency equipment - and tires are a big part of that! Auxito A301 portable tire inflator review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVbZPmYKe4c

Interesting in checking out the Auxito A301? Get 15% off with the link below:https://www.auxito.com/oksqfgmmFull review, specs, and testing of the Auxito A30...

07/09/2024

At half the cost per mile driven compared to my Model 3, this is just ONE of the things the Aptera will have going for it as a road tripping EV!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpA756LNa9Q

Reserving an Aptera? Get $30 off your reservation fee!https://lz953.isrefer.com/go/preorder/a102354The Aptera will be a pretty effective road tripping EV. I ...

07/06/2024

If you've ever wondered what type of music I listen to while writing my videos (and Novel for that matter)

🔥 Support:New Electric Wave:https://newelectricwaves.bandcamp.com/Retröxx:www.facebook.com/pg/retroxxwaveretroxxwave.bandcamp.comsoundcloud.com/retr-xxwww.i...

07/03/2024

What if I told you my Model 3's battery should last hundreds of thousands of kilometers? Well, I'd be lying, because my car's battery should last MUCH longer than that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w52v5bdER9c

People often wonder how long an EV battery will last. You probably hear people spouting 'Your EV battery will need a replacement in a couple years!' But that...

07/02/2024

For my NiMH build, I think instead of trying to wire up 36 D-cell batteries myself, I'm just going to get these pre-made 7.2v 6.2 ah modules (meant for RCs and airsoft) and wire six of them in series. Would result in a 267 wh battery which isn't bad. And simplifies the build

06/27/2024

Test drove a Big Sur Blue Fisker Ocean.

Loved it. I want it! Honestly really cool and unique. If I can whittle the price down, I'm gonna do it. Trading in the Leaf for it

06/26/2024

Test driving a Fisker Ocean tomorrow...

06/25/2024

I went on a stealth camping overnighter with my electric skateboard, and wound up smack dab in the middle of a severe thunderstorm with torrential rain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65oYF_ZUCdQ

Overnight stealth camping in a thunderstorm and torrential rain, using my all-terrain electric skateboard! I knew I was in for crazy weather on this adventur...

06/24/2024

GT Land Racer build has begun

06/23/2024

Some pics from my little stealth camping adventure. The rain was absolutely torrential and the lightning was striking a little too close for my comfort.

Video drops this week

06/22/2024

Stealth camping through a thunderstorm with my electric skateboard -- let's see how this goes...

06/20/2024

I finally listed the custom 12x 32140 battery cell jig I used for my sodium ion eskate project!

If you want to build a custom battery with 32140 cells (generally Sodium Ion or LFP that use this form factor), this jig holds 12 cells.

A 12 cell battery tray/jig for 32140/33140 cells. For building custom battery packs, generally Sodium Ion (Na-Ion) or LFP (LiFePO4) in this format. For 12S1P, 6S2P, 4S3P, 3S4P, 2S6P, or 1S12P configurations

06/20/2024

I found the ebike I want to get... I can think of the funny video titles already.

06/19/2024

Going over my crazy DIY projects, ongoing partnerships, and upcoming adventures for the rest of the year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zrPXgPsEMA

Mid-year update video going over all my DIY electric rideable projects - GT snow racer land conversion, world's longest range electric skateboard, world's fa...

06/18/2024

With Fisker filing for Chapter 11 and the prices of Oceans tanking, I'm really thinking about picking one up...

06/11/2024

This is EVERYTHING I take with me--from the electric skateboard itself, to all of my backpacking gear--on my electric skateboard backpacking trips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wp0OIh4wCU

With a recent focus on electric skateboard backpacking and adventuring, I thought I'd do an updated 2024 full gear list of everything I take with me on these...

06/06/2024

As of today, it's been a year and a half that we've owned our Model 3! I still can't believe I own one

06/05/2024

I returned to push further on the TCT where I left off; but my electric skateboard suffered yet another severe belt drive failure at the end of the first day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7o1ELgCCqM

Me & my all terrain electric skateboard had some unfinished backpacking business in Tiny on the Trans Canada Trail! With my AT eskate in tow, I return to whe...

06/03/2024

As part of my agreement with Veymax, I've published a blog with additional thoughts about the Veymax Cejour!
https://mike-in-the-woods.blogspot.com/2024/06/veymax-cejour-additional-thoughts.html

I've been wanting to add a blog to my site for a while now, and the Veymax review agreement gave me the excuse I needed to kick one off.

Check out my expanded thoughts on the Veymax Cejour, in addition to my future plans with this board!

Going forward, this 'Thoughts & Ramblings' Mike in the Woods corner will be home to:
- Extended thoughts on stuff that didn't make it into the video
- Ideas, future plans, ongoing projects, and behind the scenes stuff
- More general backpacking & camping talk

A link was added on the main site to get there too!

Veymax was kind enough to send me out the Veymax Cejour for review, which you can watch here . So, while I obviously have bias because they...

06/02/2024

As one would cleverly predict, yet another trip will be cut short. Bailing out in the morning.

Just before Barrie, the TCT took me through some gnarly steep hiking trails; with a lot of sand and branches. Had to haul my eskate up that steep nastiness, and in the process I shredded both my belts. One snapped clean off, the other held by a thread. I hiked my 35 lb eskate and 30 lbs of backpacking gear the rest of the way up and out of the hiking area to the trailhead.

Could NOT get the nut loose to remove the wheel for a belt swap, until by sheer coincidence someone happened across me at the trailhead who had a proper wrench.

Replaced the broken belt, and the damaged one held on while I limped the last 8 km into Barrie. Currently at a motel which was the plan; but heading home in the morning.

I could buy the tool needed to replace the second belt (which absolutely needs to be replaced ASAP), but that would leave me with no more extra belts. Not wise when I still have close to 200 km to cover between Barrie & Waterloo with no bailout points. At least in Barrie I can bug out back home on a bus and reassess my current setup.

Shredding two belts at once really shook my confidence in this board. Need to stock up on extra belts and get a proper tool for the trucks before I reattempt.

Pooey.

06/01/2024

Second charging stop in Phelpston! Trail was a bit soft & silty, so might've burned through more battery than expected over the last 20 km leg. This might be a 2.5 to 3h charging stop, so I can crush the final 24 km stretch to Barrie this evening with full batteries