2026 OVERLANDING SHOWCASE SPOTLIGHT: Nicholas Lutz and his 2004 Subaru Forester XS

The story of Gump starts with a daily driver 2004 Forester XS bought in 2017 at 140,000 miles. You can’t spell Forester without Forest, and the call of the outdoors began shortly after. What started as a few day trips into the woods quickly grew into a full-blown passion for overlanding, stewardship, and exploration for Nick and Gump. Passing 200,000 miles on the odometer and a decade later, the pair have traveled across the United States on trips stretching from Vermont to Arizona. They have visited a wide range of places such as Engineer Pass, Gemini Bridges, Big Bend, Shenandoah, Cathedral Valley, and Tail of the Dragon, to name a few.

Gump boasts a full suite of Primitive Racing skid plates, a Rhino-Rack roof system with a Thule Tepui rooftop tent, RalliTEK suspension upgrades, Nilight lighting, and Yokohama Geolandar A/T tires on Method wheels. And yes, the STI decals actually do mean there are some performance goodies tucked in as well!

Nick and his “Four-Wheeled Brother” have set out to prove just how capable older generation Subarus can be while having a blast creating memories along the way. Nick will be the first to tell you, though, “Gump is the star of the show, I just get him there.”