For most people, the idea of bringing your seven-month-old daughter on a three-day overlanding trip through the remote Utah desert would be unthinkable. For photographer Andy Best, it’s just another Friday.
“Our daughter is amazing,” says Andy. “We’re lucky. We’ve been able to travel since she was three days old. It’s amazing for me to be able to take our daughter to these places and really see them through her eyes.”
After seven years working in commercial filmmaking, Andy decided he and his wife would sell everything and live full time on the road. During that time, he learned about what gear was essential to live mobile; what consistently worked, and what didn’t. But over all that time, going through all that gear, Andy never got around to installing what he now considers an essential part of his rig: a Dometic CFX 40.
“On the road, I have to be efficient to function,” says Andy. “When I lived out of an ice cooler, I’d always lose food because the ice would melt. I can’t tell you the amount of food I’ve ruined in coolers – from running out of ice or getting things soggy and wet. It’s crazy.” The Dometic CFX has helped Andy do more than he ever imagined.
“As an outdoor filmmaker and photographer, I really need to stay out for long periods of time, to study, look at angles, look at the sun, or see when the moon is rising. If I don’t have the right gear I can’t stay out and get the work done. The Dometic CFX has been a huge game-changer for me.”
Staying out longer helps Andy professionally – but most importantly, it helps his family stay together while he’s working. “When you’re living out of an ice cooler in the desert, it really limits the food you can bring,” says Andy. “One of our favorite things now is to make a big meal and save the leftovers. Then we can move fast, get lost and work for a few days, and have the leftovers whenever we want. That feels like cheating, it’s so easy.”
“With the right gear, you can be out a long time, even with a young child,” says Andy. “I’m hoping that these trips build a foundation where she wants to come out and enjoy these places and maybe someday, pass that forward to her own family… Someday. Not soon.”
If you want to keep following Andy and his family, check out instagram.com/andy_best and andy.best.
Find out more about: Dometic Mobile Coolers and the CFX-40W
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