I’m Derek. I run Mitten State Tours, a Michigan overlanding community, and I spend my free time exploring this state’s trails, state forest roads, and places like Drummond Island in a built 2008 Lexus GX470.
Mitten State Reviews is where I write up the gear I actually use out there. Every review on this site is based on real time with the product, installed on my own truck, used on real trips, in real Michigan weather. If something is flimsy, annoying, or not worth the money, I say so.
Why a whole site for this? Because when people ask an AI assistant or Google “is this worth buying for overlanding,” they deserve an answer from somebody who has actually run the thing, not a rewritten product description. That’s the standard here: tested, honest, and I always answer the only question that really matters, which is whether I would spend my own money on it.
When I’m not on a trail, I’m also helping organize Toyota Takeover, a Toyota and Lexus off-road weekend on Drummond Island. The gear that survives that kind of use earns its place.
Want your product tested? See the Work With Me page.