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Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:36 pm

I am writing a short article for our magazine (Overland Journal) about SyncroFest.

I was there again this year but I am curious to hear some other opinions/ideas to make sure I am not missing anything - what was your favorite part? What do you like the most about it?

thank you

Christian

Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:40 pm

THE BEST: Site, people and organization.

THE LEAST: All the rolled Syncro's. I don't want this wonderful event to turn into WRECKFEST!

Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:10 pm

I like these events for seeing old friends and meeting people in person for the first time.
What really made SyncroFest unique for me was the level of participation from the vendors and how generous they were with swag, kegs of beer and their time. It was a good reminder that they are fun-loving people just like the rest of us and just as passionate about these crazy vehicles!
My summary of the event:

Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:21 pm

In short. The people. The camaraderie.

I live in Texas and I'm a new vanagon owner as of last summer. the biggest vanagon meet i've been to here in Texas capped out at 12....

when I first heard about Syncrofest there were 70 or so registered. I asked here on the Samba if there was any tent camping available as I was considering flying to San Fran, renting a car and driving to Syncrofest just so I can hang out and learn about and see everyones setups.

I had a few members here on the forum whom i had never met before graciously offer to let me borrow their camping gear for the weekend so i wouldnt have to buy any. I was floored by the offers.... then someone mentioned I should just rent a Westfalia. Whoa... what?? You can rent a Westfalia? yea... so he gave me a place in San Fran to rent a westfalia from which was about $110 a day or so. Not bad... considering I wanted to fit in and not have to sleep in the backseat of a rented Ford Focus. lol.

My rental

I had such a good time at the event. Everyone I met was super nice and would talk shop about anything. A couple David/Diana offered to take us up to the top in their Subi powered Doka which was an amazing experience. The Gowesty guys made me change my shorts by insisting I go for a ride through the obstacle course in their trainer van. I had never seen a Syncro in texas let alone ever ridden in one. Wow. Was I surprised! Now I know what all of the buzz and hype is about... well deserved.

For me, not having a group or a club back home in texas to discuss these things with left me with having to do it online here on the forums. Thats not a bad thing at all but it was a welcomed treat to sit and discuss all things vanagon related in person... I can say after looking over everyones setups I came home with a to-do list a mile long! ha

I met a ton of great people and have made some new life long friends...

Next year, I will be there. This time I'll be driving my own 87 Westy from Houston for the event.

Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:31 pm

I like the fact that it is a short drive from home and it gives me a deadline to get things done on my van so it will make it there.
Last years show I had just done a Westy conversion to it and had it painted assembled. This year I had just done a Subaru Conversion , 3 weeks before the show.
Hanging out and telling lies and bench racing isn't a bad thing either. Plus I get no push back as my wife knows this is a yearly show and she knows I am going .

Stacy

Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:28 pm

All of the obvious that has been stated... along with the raffle, dinner, vendors, and the feeling that we all knew each other already.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:17 am

slo356 wrote: THE BEST: Site, people and organization.

THE LEAST: All the rolled Syncro's. I don't want this wonderful event to turn into WRECKFEST!

This was my first Syncrofest, and I agree with everything posted already. Lots of fun, but it was definitely a bummer to see the rolled vans. Having been to other vehicle-specific events (Cruise Moab, for anyone familiar) I think a lot of the problems could have been avoided by having some experienced spotters on the obstacle course. People familiar with exactly how these vans react to terrain with their very limited suspension articulation would have a better understanding of the line to take over something like that hip while making a hard-right turn.

In the same vein, I think some organized trail runs would be cool, and give an opportunity for teaching line choice, reading the trail, extraction, etc.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 11:31 am

This is the first syncrofest that I have missed and I also attended the other event for several years. These wrecks aren't the usual deal and this is by far the most that i have heard of. The lack if rain and the terrain out there made everything worse than it could have been out there.
The rollover on the obstacle course was driver induced not particularly a vehicle issue. They overshot the turn by having too much speed and not taking the time to slow down and getting a new line by backing up if needed that is a issue for any vehicle. This is so obvious that the girlfriend immediately saw what was going to happen and said so when viewing the footage. Look at the speed of all the more experienced drivers in the film.

djsixbillion wrote: In the same vein, I think some organized trail runs would be cool, and give an opportunity for teaching line choice, reading the trail, extraction, etc.
That is a whole different type of event that takes a lot of effort and many hours to set up and execute not to mention that they are more expensive. I have attended those type of events and they are informative but draining not fun.

The beauty of syncrofest is that you can do whatever you are comfortable with and everybody is willing to share their experience with you or take you on a trail ride with them. There is plenty of camaraderie and encouragement to go around for everybody. It isn't a no holds barred drunken yee-haa fest where you have to worry about your children getting injured.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:26 pm

SyncroChrick wrote: what was your favorite part?

Favorites:

The People!:-)
It is a tremendous resource to be able to talk to people about equipment options. I also thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to socialize.

The Food!
the BBQ is OUTSTANDING!

The Vans! Getting to see stuff first hand is awesome!

Giving and Getting rides, and the small group trail rides.

Watching the obstacle course event.

The kid friendly atmosphere.

Winning the raffle for a new pop top Tent! Thanks to all the vendors that donate prizes.

Things I disliked:
FOUR vans flopped over.
The dinner music was way too LOUD!

Suggestion:
Bring back SyncroUniversity to help teach beginners basic safety skills such as how to back down a hill in Reverse gear. The importance of airing down to prevent wheel spin. How to use lockers.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:27 pm

Jon_slider wrote:

Suggestion:
Bring back SyncroUniversity to help teach beginners basic safety skills such as how to back down a hill in Reverse gear. The importance of airing down to prevent wheel spin. How to use lockers.

DITTO

Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:07 pm

Personally, the camping location couldn't be better. But I think the biggest factor is that the Organizers are inclusive, allowing even us 2wd'ers to attend. That attitude seems to trickle down to all attendees. The result is a laid back 4 day celebration of all things Syncro, with an interesting mix of fanatics and their spouses, kids, dogs, and even the odd cat.

Of course the tri-tip is always delicious. Who doesn't like free nacho's, hot-dog's, and popcorn?:popcorn:

This is not a paid endorsement, but I do expect some more nacho's, and maybe a cotton candy machine

Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:10 pm

^^ FREE BEER

Thu Jun 12, 2014 12:05 am

My favorite part by a long shot is hanging out with old friends and making new ones. My eyes may wander to other vehicles now and then but vanagon folks are the best, hands down.

Ok I'll chime in here just to set the record strait on a few things. I'm in complete agreement on the rollovers. Way to many. Here's the rundown,
1st one was the infamous Buslab "land hopper" trail toy. Is anyone really surprised about this van tipping over?? Nuf said.
The next two were both the ones that I was really scratching my head about. Both of these vans tipped over backing down a relatively easy section of trail where it appears the drivers did not keep their vans in the center of the trail and veered off to the side and the van back up a embankment on the side of the road until it tipped over. Both of these vans had street tires on them and were not aired down at all to my knowledge. I was involved with both recoveries. All I can say is that several simple errors were made by the drivers in both instances.
The last one was the white van on the obstacle course. That one was due to excessive speed IMHO. We talked at the drivers meeting about going very slow throughout the course. Luckily that van sustained almost no damage.

I'm just glad we have not had any injuries. One thing I think everyone should do regardless of how little you may intend on wheel'in your van is to properly secure EVERYTHING in your van. I opened the door of one or the vans we were winching upright and a fairly heavy toolbox fell out on the ground. If that thing had hit someone in the head it could have really done some damage. I also think it's a bad habit to be out on the trail with your arms out the window. I've been in a van that rolled (and a unimog :wink: ). When they go over it happens pretty quickly.

I agree that it would be great to have someone do syncro university again. It was super cool that Tom and Adam were there this year. Perhaps they will help out with this next year. I don't know if that would have prevented the issues we had this year. I guess the take home would be that it's easier than you may think to get in trouble out there. One of the golden rules of off reading is this phrase- as slow as possible, as fast as necessary.

Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:45 pm

thank you guys for all these comments!

check the next Overland Journal for a short write-up on SyncroFest

Thu Jun 12, 2014 8:38 pm

Syncrozilla wrote:
1st one was the infamous Buslab "land hopper" trail toy. Is anyone really surprised about this van tipping over?? Nuf said.

With all that we have put it through, I'm surprised that it tipped where it did on a pretty mellow section of trail.

My favorite part of Syncrofest is when I'm driving the Land Hopper and everyone in the back gets really quiet and their eyes get real big for a second :shock: :lol:

My other favorite part is the people I get to meet and talk to about vans, adventures, and general shenanigans. Especially on Saturday night after more than a few beers.

Thu Jun 12, 2014 9:09 pm

Quote: My favorite part of Syncrofest is when I'm driving the Land Hopper and everyone in the back gets really quiet and their eyes get real big for a second Shocked Laughing

Raises hand... :D

Thu Jun 12, 2014 9:34 pm

Watching the videos :cry:
Some day I need to get out there and enjoy it firsthand.

There is no doubt in my mind the people are amazing...every year many offer me their extra van to use and camp in.
I promise not to roll it over.

Seeing that many Syncros in one place might send me into a fit of convulsions :lol:

I would love to take part in the Syncro University if it is brought back, sounds like fun.