On this “episode” of 67 Designs Customer Spotlights, where we share the stories of some of our customers, we get to know Matt Eames. Eames, from Billings, Montana, does commercial real estate architectural photography and videography. When he isn’t overlanding, you can spot him and his brother fly fishing all over Montana.
Proud owner of a: Mojito Green hardtop 2019 Jeep JLU Rubicon.
Featured upgrades: Matt’s Jeep is decked out with…
- Interior
- 67 Designs Universal Holder & GoPro Mount
- Exterior
- DV8 FS-15 Hammer Forged bumper
- Smittybilt XRC Gen II 9500 winch
- Metalcloak 2.5” Game-Changer Suspension
- Falken Wildpeak MT01 Radial Tire - 35x12
- ICON Alloys 17” rims (Alpha Wheels)
- Rhino Rack with the Pioneer Platform
- Metal Cloak front and rear Differential Skids
Customer of 67 Designs since: March 2020.
Inspiration for buying Jeep: Matt used to work at a Jeep dealership when he was younger, so he always had a liking for the builds. When he and his wife moved to North Dakota a few years back, Matt’s company provided him with a truck. With no need for two trucks, Matt took this as an opportunity to sell his current one and get the vehicle of his dreams.
First adventure with vehicle: August 2019. Matt and his wife took the Jeep from North Dakota to Glacier National Park, where they got married! After the wedding, they honeymooned in Banff National Park, seeing Lake Moraine and Lake Louise.
Most recent adventure/COVID-19 adventures: Matt and his wife just had their first baby (woo!) so they have had their hands full. Matt, though, was able to take a trip in July to the Goose Lake Jeep trails in Cooke City, MT with his brother.
Most memorable adventure: Matt’s most memorable adventure was the honeymoon adventure through Glacier National Park. They went down Going-to-the-Sun Road with the top and doors off. Matt could not stop talking about “how beautiful it is.”
Upcoming trips: Matt is planning on taking a grand tour of Montana to see sights he has yet to see. He wants to hit places such as Goose Lake and Blue Lake in Beartooth Mountain and the Morrison Jeep trail.
Dream trip: Matt’s dream trip, more like dream goal, is to hit every overlanding site possible in Montana. He explained that there is so much to do that you could spend 5 years and do a different trail every weekend and not see everything. He loves how secluded Montana is as well, unlike places like Moab. Of course, he would like most of these trips to lead him to a good fly fishing spot for his family.
Advice for those who are just beginning overlanding: “Start somehow, even if it’s cheap;” “You don't need the top of the line Jeep or 35, 37, 40” tires;” “Pick a spot that's an easy trail to go to and you’ll figure it out;” and “it takes a while to figure out what your supply list needs to be like.”
#1 place he has camped: In the Beartooth Mountains. You can camp anywhere from 3,500 to 10,000 ft. He has a particular spot where a little creek goes across the site and into a larger river. You can put an ENO over the water and relax to the sound of running water.
Fun fact about Matt: He played baseball in college! (Go hawks!).
Jeep club memberships: He is a founding member of E3 Overland Association with TrailRecon.
Notes from the writer: Matt loves to explore locally—he sees the beauty in what is around him and does not feel the need to head across the country for good overlanding. A big part of overlanding for him, besides fly fishing, are the photo ops. He is very big into landscape photography, which Montana is perfect for. If you ever meet up with Matt, you’ll meet up with his Pomeranian, Ellie, as well.
Check out his work here:
© 67 Designs, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Spotlight by Kate Della Pietra.