TEXT BY JOHN PANGILINAN | IMAGES BY AJ VAN DE WATER
“I remember coming up to a sandbar and it was probably 100 yards long, and you had to cross this to get on the trail to continue on. I was by myself and wishing I had 4WD. It sucked. I didn’t want to risk getting stuck, so I turned around and found another way. I told myself, my next car will be 4WD.” For photographer, AJ van de Water, the decision to purchase a 4WD vehicle came from necessity. He had grown frustrated with his ‘01 4Runner, which was costing him countless amounts of money for constant repairs and was only 2WD. Despite having a few modifications such as a 2-inch lift and 32-inch Toyo Tire RTs, the vehicle just wasn’t capable enough for what AJ wanted out of his SUV. The hunt for a replacement began, but the process proved to be disheartening.