LOVING LIFE ON THE ROAD
As a Paramotor Pilot, I have the unique privilege of experiencing the world from above, and now, being an RVer, I can experience everything that makes up the world in between. But, there’s nothing like being able to strap a fan to your back, inflate a nylon glider and run into the sky can change your perspective on life. And for me, one of the biggest changes has been my perspective on travel.
I’ve always been fascinated with flight, but it wasn’t until I started working at a skydiving business in high school that I got really into paramotoring. When I turned 18, I attended my first paramotor training at Aviator PPG in Florida and the rest is history.
After flying for a few years in and around my home state of New Jersey, I wanted to try something new—I wanted to expand and fly in different parts of the country. So, I saved up some money and purchased a 2006 Sprinter van to embark on my own cross-country van life quest. Leaving New Jersey, I headed down to the Florida Keys and then made my way out to the West Coast.
As someone who has always enjoyed traveling, I quickly and easily fell in love with life on the road. The memories I made and experiences I had were priceless. And best of all, I saw how this type of travel was elevating my paramotoring. But I knew that if I wanted to keep doing this, I needed to find a vehicle that could give me more and allow me to stay out longer. And so began my search for the perfect RV.
DETAILED LIST OF RVER REQUIREMENTS
When I first started looking at buying an RV, I had a pretty detailed list of requirements. First and foremost, I wanted something reliable. I needed an RV that could come with me to remote places and tackle the terrain that came with it. More living and storage space was also important, yet I still wanted it to be relatively small and easy to maneuver. And just like the old Sprinter, I wanted to be able to boondock and not be totally dependent on hookups. This meant a large, fresh water tank and an on-board generator.
As it turned out, meeting all of these requirements led me to a select group of toy haulers. Ultimately, the Cruiser RV Stryker, paired with a 250 diesel truck, was everything I wanted and more. The Stryker is compact 27-feet long but still houses 100 gallons of fresh water and a powerful generator. Plus, I can store multiple paramotors, parachutes and at least one motorcycle in the back, and all without compromising additional space.
LINDY’S FIRST FLIGHT
My very first trip with the Stryker was back down to where it all began—Aviator PPG in Florida. The plan was to boondock for a few weeks, familiarize myself with the RV and gain as many insights as possible to eventually go on a longer, bigger trip.
With Florida sunshine on my mind and the Stryker rolling behind me, I left New Jersey on a cold January day. Along the way, I stopped to visit my sister Lindy. Lindy has only ever seen me fly a few times and has never had the chance to go up into the sky with me. But because I had so much more space in my Stryker, I was able to bring my tandem trike paramotor (affectionately named “Big Bertha” due to her size). Despite being slightly afraid of heights, Lindy agreed to go on a tandem flight with me. We ended up going on a wonderful 45-minute flight in perfectly smooth air. And Lindy loved it! That experience alone made getting the toy hauler absolutely worth it.
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
Once I made it to Florida, my real boondocking experience began. Aviator PPG is based at an airport and they allowed me to park my Stryker just a few hundred feet away from the runway. This meant I could, quite literally, step out of the RV and take flight. In addition to flying as much as possible, I also got to enjoy some additional, unexpected comforts.
For example, every morning I was able to take a hot shower and enjoy some delicious espresso. As a self-proclaimed coffee enthusiast, being able to power my entire home espresso machine inside the RV was mind blowing. Thanks to the generator and WiFi, I was also able to do some work and edit my YouTube videos right inside the back of the toy hauler. And when it was too windy to fly, I simply pulled out my motorcycle and explored the local area.
RVING TO NEW HEIGHTS
That first trip taught me more than I could’ve imagined. Not only did I learn how much fresh water and propane I needed, how to dump my tanks at a dump station, and how to successfully hitch and unhitch, I also learned how much the toy hauler adds to my overall paramotoring experience. I feel more comfortable and ready to take on each flight, I don’t feel limited by my gear or what I can bring with me, and my travel opportunities now seem endless. Needless to say, I cannot wait to explore more places—both by land and by air—with the Stryker right behind me.
Original article featured by Thor Industries and written by Tucker Gott. Tucker spends most of his time flying paramotors and exploring the world from above. He loves to capture both his flying and RVing adventures, sharing them all on his Youtube channel. In addition to paramotoring, Tucker also enjoys base jumping and riding motorcycles.
