We first got in touch with Forrest Mankins because of our love for classic Toyota Land Cruisers -- in fact, Forrest's 1984 Land Cruiser served as his home base over the course of six months, as he departed from his home in Oklahoma to traverse the legendary Alaska Highway for a documentary project titled A Life Alive, which ONA sponsored earlier this year. Since the beginning of his trip, Forrest has driven some 15,000 miles across North America -- read on to take a peek into his life on the road.
Forrest carries the Leather Brixton in antique cognac.
Forrest Mankins: I left my home in Oklahoma last December to see how long I could live on the road. It was something that I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember, and finally my fear of not trying surpassed my fear of trying and failing. I called my good friend Garrett Danz and asked him if wanted to come travel for a while, and pretty quickly it turned into a documentary called A Life Alive.
A Life Alive is all about taking the steps today to pursue and realize your dreams, rather than waiting until everything is perfect and then realizing the chance has gone.
While making our way towards the end destination of Alaska, we drove new roads, hiked new trails, and accomplished things we never thought we could. In the span of 6 months we drove 15,000 miles, and realized that the joy is in the journey.
Editor's Note: Don't forget to check out this short film that Forrest and Garrett created from the A Life Alive footage, showcasing how they used our Leather Brixton messenger over the course of their trip. (Oh, and stay tuned for the documentary's release in 2016.)
CONNECT WITH FORREST
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | A LIFE ALIVE
Photos of Forrest kindly taken by Sam Elkins and Young Kim.