Blog

“Go find the Mountain Man.”  That term was used to describe Casey Cotter, our lead engineer, and master behind so many of Torklift’s innovations.

He’s the real deal, and can be found on weekends out in nature thinking up brilliant ideas to make camping easy and possible for people like me.

Where he could “MacGuyver” an instant wiring fix to keep the batteries charged all night, I need a plug in harness and hopefully a switch labeled boldly off and on.

Where I think it would be genius to use duct tape for an easy fix.  He can engineer real lab tested performance solutions to everyday camping needs and problems.

Where he could survive on the land for days, I panic if all the fixin’s for s’mores aren’t in the cooler.

Where he could have made Eagle Scout, I quit the Brownie troop when I learned it wasn’t all about the chocolatey treat.

Where he could tell you if your GAWR is in line with your GVWR and your GCVWR is within your GTWR and GVWR, and your TW better not be over 10% of your GTW and you’re gonna need WD.  I would say,  “That’s a big RV.”

Casey can directly answer the, “call of the wild,” where my call needs operator assistance and sometimes goes to voice mail.

I can learn a lot from Casey Cotter.

Oh no, he is wearing his camouflage hat again, I think he sees me coming for some more advice.

Casey’s Torklift invention of choice: StableLoads suspension upgrade

This term has been used as far back as the ancient Greeks and Romans for the hottest days of the year.

It has an astronomical link to the rising of the star Sirius which is called the “dog star. “ This happens with the time of the year that usually coincides with the warmest days.

It is also used to describe those lazy days that also occur when the weather outside is so hot that we don’t feel like doing anything.

As it happens, I recently shared the dog days of summer with a dog.

I was lucky enough to get to take a good dog friend on a camping trip and that provided some additional meaning to these long hot days.

As a cat owner, I’ll admit that I was in a dog daze.


There were things that I just couldn’t understand, like how they hate when you try to cool them off with a fan or use the blow dryer after a bath.  Yet, they want to stick their head out the window going 60 MPH, no problem.

Or, how the doggie area at the highway rest stop seemed to be the highlight of the trip.  All the smells and activity, the dog was possessed.

We tried to stay hydrated with lots of bottled water, but on hikes he was much more interested in natural streams and ponds.  I am sure that there were little critters in the water that would have made me sick for a week, but I heard no complaints of doggie indigestion.

However, being locked together in tight quarters for the night, especially after rich camping grub, the aroma that evening could have been from anyone.

I was also surprised at how friendly and happy the dog remained, no matter what.  I couldn’t tell if he was panting because of the heat or the excitement, but his tail was wagging constantly.

Do dogs not hold grudges?

When my kitty sees the camping equipment coming out she runs and hides.  She hasn’t forgiven me for the one time we tried to go camping.

Of course it takes a lot of extra planning and mutual understandings to provide a safe and fun trip for all.  We had a blast riding out the last of the dog days of summer together.

http://www.torklift.com/products/safestep.php