2024 OVERLANDING SHOWCASE SPOTLIGHT: Ronald Snyder and his 2019 Subaru Forester Sport

Ronald is now totally retired and divides his time between babysitting his grandchildren and off-roading / overlanding in his 2019 Forester that he has named Stormy. Previously, in semi-retirement, he worked for an outdoor gear company. His greatest enjoyment working there was helping and educating others to get the gear they needed to get out and enjoy the outdoors. He has developed an Introduction to Overlanding program that he presents to help others see what they need to get into Overlanding and that they don’t need a lot of expensive and specialized gear to get started.

He has modified “Stormy” to help him in his travels. Some of the mods include a modular roof rack in place of the stock roof rails. He has attached his traction boards and two cases to the rack, which carry a variety of gear. Along with being fully armored underneath, he replaced the front bumper with a steel winch bumper carrying a 5500 lb winch. He has also outfitted his car with an abundance of auxiliary lights. He truly has the ability to turn night into day.

Ronald is a firm believer in Murphy’s law and carries a variety of tools and recovery gear in his travels to assist him and those he travels with, just in case. When it comes to camping, he has three options at his disposal. He has a backpacking tent from his hiking days, a 4 person popup tent in the event he will be in one place for a few days, or he can set up his car to sleep in. He has come to really enjoy sleeping in his car as it is comfortable and easy to set up or break down. He has a 35 liter refrigerator he carries in the car, which is powered by a portable power supply.

Ronald truly enjoys his lifestyle and traveling around the Country, and seeing sights that others might never get to see. But the best part is the many friends around the Country he has made that he would never have had the opportunity to otherwise. He looks forward to wherever the next trip will take him and the people he’ll meet that will become part of his overlanding family.

Ronald says the best thing about his vehicle, Stormy, is the many new friends he has made and the places he has been able to travel to and is excited for the opportunities yet to come.