Running an outdoor gear company sound great, but it turns into spending a lot more time behind a computer than you'd ever plan for.
Dustin and Nick started Wazoo because they love the outdoors — genuinely, not as a brand positioning exercise. But between business duties, logistics, and the endless inbox, the outdoors can quietly become something you're always about to get back to.
This is not uncommon amongst the outdoor industry. And somewhere along the way, Wazoo connected us with an incredible network of like-minded humans scattered across the country — people who care about the same things, know things we don't, and are genuinely great to spend time with in the woods (even when you’re all covered in chigger bites).
It’s friends like these that hold you accountable. And it’s friends like these that will travel hundreds of miles to get to spend time around the campfire with one another. An outing was long overdue, and this year was dubbed the Texpediton!
And this is how it was going to end up:
(Or so we thought...)
The Crew
Dustin Hogard and Nick Blackman (of course…)
Bob Hansler — Eye of the Water Survival School | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook Host, property owner, and the kind of guy who has a dozen Dutch ovens on hand just in case. Deep local knowledge, no-nonsense energy, and a generosity that set the tone for the whole trip.
Eve Hilton — Otter Raft Bushcraft | YouTube | TikTok Drove up from Austin with Kelso in tow. Flamboyant, field-capable, and ready for anything you call adventure.
Garrett Tremblay — Bear Forest Knives | BearForestKnives.com Flew in from California with prototype Bowie knives and a mission to catch a dinosaur.
Jason Salyer — On Three | GoOn3.com Made the trek from Georgia on a dual-sport motorcyle. Calm under pressure, always chipper, and gets his jollies from seeing other people suffer.
Jason Marsteiner — The Survival University | YouTube | TheSurvivalUniversity.com Flew in from Colorado — voluntarily trading altitude for humidity. His years of experience teaching skills hands-on is hard to beat. But was he ready for the TX chiggers?
Joseph Ellen — Father Nomad | FatherNomad.com A creative outdoorsman with a 3-D printer, inventing pocket-sized gadgets, gizmos for the outdoors.
Jorge Vasquez — South Texas Bushcraft STX Practically local — about two hours away — and brought the kind of deep South Texas terrain knowledge you simply can't fake.
Chris McIver — Instagram Just like the real MacGyver, this one knows more than he lets on — which is a great kind of person to have in camp.
Kelso Moore — Bushcraft Kelso | YouTube | BushcraftKelso.com A hard guy to explain. Just check out his Instagram. He’s one of the craftiest guys I know — He forgot his haversack for the trip so he stopped at the hobby store, bought materials, and crafted his own.
Merriwether — Foraging Texas | YouTube | ForagingTexas.com | Substack PHD Chemist and authority on foraging in Texas (and most of North America for that matter) — After a few hours with Merriwether, anyone can leave knowing considerably more than they did before.
A few people we'd hoped to have along couldn't make it this time — you know who you are. Door's open for next year.
The Land
We decided on Texas as the meeting point this year and coordinated with Bob Hansler of the Eye of the Water Survival School — He has about 100 acres somewhere between San Antonio and Corpus Christi along the San Antonio River. Ravines, sandstone, a mile of creek, and a few hundred yards of river access. Kayaks and aluminum boats, camp kitchen setup, fire pits, wildlife, and pretty much anything we could possibly want to pursue.
Bob's right-hand man Wade kept things running smoothly throughout — the kind of steady presence you don't fully appreciate until you realize how much would've quietly fallen apart without him. From guiding kayaks up the river to harvest clams to hanging out with the fishermen holding a loaded .22 rifle ready to dispatch any water monsters that may get hooked into.
The terrain is a good reminder that Mother Nature isn’t there to coddle you. She just does her thing, and you do your best to adapt. Muddy banks from recent flooding, poison ivy, fire ants, rattlesnakes, gnats, and chiggers. The kind of land that reminds you that you’d better understand how to use your equipment before you get out in the field.
The Warmup
Before the main event, Dustin, Nick, Jason S., and Garrett detoured to Dustin's family property North of Houston for a day. His dad set them loose on the ponds to catch a pile of bass and catfish for a Texas-sized fish fry that night. A testament to country Texan hospitality.
Merriwether (typically known for his knowledge of wild plants) even collected the eggs from the catfish and improvised a sort of catfish-egg bannock of sorts as a side - proving he’s got skills to make the most of whatever is available.
What We Got Into
Once on Bob's land, we did some introductions, saw most of the guys already rocking some Wazoo Viking Whetstones, and Garrett unloaded a box of prototype Bowie knives for testing (you’ll have to follow him for more on that). Things found their own rhythm as groups gathered for cooking tasks or set off on whatever adventures felt right.
Fishing lines were nearly constantly tended from sunrise till late into the night. A couple small catfish were pulled in but the target was dinosaurs - Alligator Gar! A few hit the lines but refused to be landed. The first one Garrett hooked into looked like he was snagged on a log but the log was moving upstream. He couldn’t do anything to budge it and he’s no small guy, in fact, he used to play college football. The monster fish didn’t even slow down. It just kept pulling drag. In hopes of not letting it get wrapped round logs upstream, Garrett continued tightening the drag, but just resulted in snapping the line - and the fish seemed entirely unbothered by the whole situation. It had to be HUGE.
Gnats were our constant companions. Wild turkeys made an appearance (but were out of season) and as the heat of the day picked up, a few people went swimming in the muddy river and lived to tell about it. A few others set off upstream in kayaks, guided by Wade, to gather some freshwater clams. The mulberry trees were loaded with fresh fruit for the picking, and the meadows were filled with wildflowers that made for a gorgeous edible plant walkabout with Merriwether.
The dutch oven spreads ranged from home-made dehydrated taco meat, to a slow-cooked water buffalo roast. We were spoiled with fresh eggs from Bob’s chickens and a range of seasnoings courtesy of 2 Gringos Chupacabra — Not a “survival” scenario by the usual means, but good food, and good times with friends led to some much needed mental recharge.
Why We Do This
The short answer is we need to sleep at night. We make gear that can save lives and we need to know that you can rely on it when it actually matters.
The only way to know if that's true is to put it in the hands of people who will push it hard and tell us the truth. Not testers doing unboxings and giving initial thoughts — trusted experts with real skills, real opinions, and zero reason to be polite about a product that isn't working.
But here's what we've learned: it's not just about breaking things. It's about watching people actually use the gear the way it's meant to be used. Not displayed. Not stored. Used. That's where you learn what a product really is, what it’s capable of, and whether it deserves a place in someone's kit.
That's what Texpedition was. A way we all stay honest about what we make. And selfishly, it's also a really good excuse for us to get together to play in the woods.
See You Out There
We love sharing stories like this one. But honestly, what we love even more is hearing yours.
When you take Wazoo gear into the field — on a hunt, a river float, a backpacking trip, a quick everyday repair — and you share that experience, it’s hugely impactful. It fuels us as designers, inspires us as business owners, and it reinforces why we do what we do. That's the whole reason we make this stuff. Not to sit on a shelf. Not to look good in a product photo. To go outside and do things with you.
So if you’re into the outoors and you spend any time online, get away from the doomscrolling dopamine hits and follow some quality content from the crew above. Spend some time learning and practicing skills. Check out #Texpedition2026 on Instagram to see more upcoming photos from the trip and next time you use your Wazoo — tag us on your favorite platform. We're watching, and we genuinely want to see it.
This One's For You
As a thank-you for taking the time to share in this adventure with us, and in hopes of inspiring you to get out and use your gear, use code TEXPEDITION2026 at checkout for free US shipping through May 22nd. Now go have some fun!
