Momi F.

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Tell us a little about yourself and why you own a TAXA?

I've always loved road trips because half the fun is the discovery while going from point A to point B and sometimes deciding take route F to get there! When my dog Norbert joined my family, I decided I wanted to take him along on my travels. It was difficult, and sometimes extremely expensive, to find places to stay with with a larger dog so I decided to explore campers as an option. I wanted something light that I could pull with my Subaru Outback, but also something that felt secure. After looking at several different options, I found the TAXA Cricket. It was a perfect match for what I wanted and the more I learned about the company and Garrett Finney's vision, the more I knew this was the type of company I'd want to support.

Where is your favorite place to take your TAXA? 

Anywhere with my dogs! I love going to nearby campgrounds with friends, going and staying in parking lots at events where my dogs go DockDiving for the weekend, and taking long road trips to the mountains. It's hard to select just one place, but if I had to choose one, it would be somewhere in the Rockies where you wake to sounds of nature, brisk morning mountain temps and a bright sun warming your day ahead.

Who do you explore with?

Norbert and Bugg, Team Hapa Howlie!!! And, my friends/family group that tries to meet up during camping season once a month at various campgrounds.

What are your favorite outdoor activities?

Stand Up Paddleboarding, skijoring, hiking, and trail running are top on the list right now, but I'm always up for a new adventure!

Do you have any hacks or mods that you've done to your habitat to enhance your travels?

I've only made some minor mods as I've found the original setup fits my needs quite well.
I created a temporary vent for a portable A/C that I use during the hotest days of summer that goes through my driver side window. I may end up putting a more permanent vent through the base of the side at some point though.
One of the best simple add-ons I made was purchasing a small stainless steel plate that I attach to the roof via heavy duty 3M velcro tabs when I'm at a campsite. I use that to hold my magnetic antenna that connects a Wilson (formerly WeBoost) cell phone booster.
I've also made a small platform that I added Engel fridge feet for when I pull my fridge out or move it under the front counter. I was tripping over the base quite a bit and creating a simple platform that provides a nice space to place items or move my toilet onto when at a campsite made for better use of that space.
Other add-ons are stretchy mesh nets across the ceiling and a pockected mesh net along the wall to hold various items. I also have an elastic clothesline that I put up to dry and air out items inside the camper. And, of course, lots and lots of carabiners!

Tell us your favorite unique habitat story.

At the last moment after work on a Friday this past summer, I decided to throw a bag together, put my dogs in the car, connect The Doghouse, and start driving the 605 miles toward Graham, North Carolina for a DockDiving event in hopes of getting my second dog, Bugg, an invitation to the Worlds competition. I drove until nearly midnight that Friday and made it to Bentley, West Virginia where I stopped and boondocked at Tamarack Place which I discovered a few years earlier allowed overnight stays.
The next morning I arrived at the event where they allowed me to park my TAXA Cricket in a hidden lot behind the venue to boondock for the rest of the weekend and assured me there would be security in the area all night.
I jumped Bugg who didn't do too well, but still enjoyed the event (there was a food and arts festival happening at the same time) and decided to look for some local craft beer. As I tried to follow Google maps on my phone to the nearby brewery, my directions started bouncing around as I maneuvered between the downtown buildings. I ended up walking in a big circle only to find that I had set up camp just 25 feet from it! A few new DockDiving friends from the event joined me at this fabulous little brewery, Forgotten Road Ales, where we chatted about waiting and hoping for World invitations. My other dog, Norbert, had already received an invite, but Bugg hadn't yet made the cut and his jumps so far that weekend weren't very good. Bugg loved to jump at my trainer's facility but generally had stage fright when we went to events. As we sat in the brewery, we noticed that invites from events a few weeks before had gone out. I looked through my email and found that Bugg received his long-awaited invitation from an event in Ohio a couple weeks prior. I was beside myself with joy! Even though it was unnecessary to have made the long trip to NC that weekend, I couldn't have been happier that I did. That little town, the wonderful people I met there, and the phenomenal brewery next to my "campsite", will always hold a special place in my heart!

What's one place you'd love to explore?

Banff area in Canada.

I can't leave home without my...

Pups. I mean, that's why I bought The Doghouse in the first place! Oh, and an empty stainless steel growler to fill at craft and microbreweries I find during my travels.