Some of Our Favorite Van Items!

Hi again! So many of you know of our Defiance Tools brand from our online store. But did you know we also attend in person events to be up close and personal with our customers.

 

In 2023 we attended 22 events across the country traveling in our camper van and pulling an overlanding trailer to carry our product. This equated to being in our van 5 months last year. Living in a small space we have quickly learned to organize ourselves and utilize products that help make our life easier and more enjoyable. I thought I would make a series of blogs discussing our favorite items. Of course, some of our favorites are Defiance Tools branded but I wanted to start with a few that are not:

 

  1. Audecook Electric Hot Pot with Steamer:

The Audecook Hot Pot has revolutionized our van cooking experience. Its compact size and versatile functionality allow us to whip up hot and nutritious meals effortlessly. The added steamer function is a game-changer, ensuring that we can enjoy a variety of healthy dishes without compromising on taste, even in the confines of our van. We have prepared eggs and bacon, goulash, chili burgers and even prepared steaks with ease.

Cooking burgers on the Audecook Hot Pot

  1. SNOOZ Go:

Quality sleep is non-negotiable during our road trips, and the SNOOZ Go has become our go-to solution for a restful night. This portable white noise machine drowns out any disturbances, providing a serene environment for a good night’s sleep, no matter where our journey takes us. Its compact design is a perfect fit for our van’s limited space and charges easily with a USB.

Zoe With SNOOZ Go

I love our SNOOZ Go!

  1. The Original Hotpop Microwave Popcorn Popper:

Movie and tv nights in the van just got a whole lot better thanks to The Original Hotpop Microwave Popcorn Popper. This ingenious gadget lets us enjoy a classic movie snack without the mess and waste of traditional microwave popcorn bags. Its collapsible design saves space, and the silicone material is easy to clean – a movie lover’s dream come true. Our favorite way to eat it is with a little spray of olive oil and some seasoning (our current favorite is Florida Pure Butter Flavored Sea Salt).

Yummy popcorn in the Hotpop!

Yummy popcorn in the Hotpop!

Even yummier with the Butter Salt!

Even yummier with the Butter Salt!

 

I hope you enjoy this little peak into our van life. Here’s to more adventures and seeing you down the road!

 

*Affiliate Disclosure. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I do have affiliate links in this blog post. If you purchase something from my link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. I am suggesting items that I believe in and have purchased myself.

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Let’s get you up to date!

Hi – it’s Zoe’ back again after many years. Here is a quick recap. Rich and I started Defiance Tools in 2018 an online store and quickly realized we wanted to be more hands on with our customers and started doing in person events. We started small with pop-ups around Orlando and quickly realized that there was a whole world of events around the country we could attend and sell our products at.

 

The next challenge we had was getting our merchandise to all of these events. The first major expo we attended we rented a 15-passenger van, loaded it full of product and headed to the show. The show was a huge success and so we though we may be on to something. We realized with this scenario we also needed get a hotel room which added to our overall expense. Many vendors at the event stayed in their RV right on site. We thought this could be an amazing option for us.

 

We looked Airstreams at first and even though they are super cool if we purchased one, we would also need a large truck to pull it. We quickly turned our attention to vans. And the rest was history. We currently have a Storyteller Overland which is a Sprinter campervan. We travel the country attending overland expos, van events, rv shows and outdoor expos. In 2023 we attended 22 shows, crisscrossed the US a few times, visited 12 National Parks and even went to Baja. Stay tuned for new and exciting adventures!

In front of our Storyteller Overland

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Let’s start this blog up again!

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Check out our new post on C Larboard!

4 Awesome EDC's to Help You MacGyver Your way Into Summer

In the latest blog post on C Larboard we discuss 4 Awesome EDC’s to Help You MacGyver Your way Into Summer. Check it out HERE!

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The Newest Defiance Tools® to Navigate Life Are Here!

Rich and I are excited to have just debuted Defiance Tools at the Fall 2018 ACE Hardware Show in Chicago and then the Orgill Dealer Market in Las Vegas!

What Are Defiance Tools?

As we’ve mentioned before, when you hear the brand Defiance Tools, we want you to envision the local tool store or lumber yard, the small-town diner or the neighborhood bar. These are the places that made America unlike anyplace else in the world and have always been a deep and trusted part of our roots. America may be known for big box retailers both offline and online, but the small hometown business is our bedrock!

Before founding Defiance Tools, Rich and I developed and supplied products to and worked for the “big guys” under some famous brand names. So, bringing all of that knowledge to the present time – our mission is to bring that quality of product to the independent retailer. Whether it be hardware stores, gift shops or general stores – we want Defiance Tools to provide Tools to Navigate Life to retail customers and their families.

What Isn’t to Love About ACE Hardware?

When you visit the ACE Hardware website and read their about us section, you find out more about their philosophy:

“We are your local hardware store and we are a part of your community. Ace Hardware has over 5,000 stores around the world with the majority of those stores independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs. These hard-working men and women are part of the fabric of your community. They are small business owners who are local and loyal…just like it ought to be. While others have become large and impersonal, at Ace, we’ve remained small and very personal. That’s why we say a visit to Ace, is like a visit to your neighbor.”

Who is Orgill and What are Orgill Dealer Markets?

Orgill, Inc. is the world’s largest independent hardlines distributor. They are a  privately-owned company who was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Orgill serves more than 6,000 retail hardware stores, home centers, pro lumber dealers, and farm stores throughout the United States and Canada, and over 50 countries around the world.

So where exactly were we headed? Orgill Dealer Markets give retailers the opportunity to meet more than 1,000 different exhibitors (us), get new ideas from their model stores, stay on top of industry trends, and to scope out the industry’s best product deals.

Defiance Tools Pairs Well with ACE and Orgill!

Once you read ACE’s philosophy and understand what Orgill does for independent retailers, you can see why Rich and I knew Defiance Tools would be a great fit and a great addition to their product lines. That is why we have partnered with Drop Ship Solutions for these ACE and Orgill debuts.

Drop Ship Solutions focuses on the Independent Retailer and offers a one-stop destination for a variety of products via drop ship from a central distribution point. They pride themselves in offering the Independent Retailer the ability to order smaller minimums at competitive prices.

The Defiance Tools Lineup

Once we decided to attend the shows, we knew we needed a great assortment of products. We immediately started mapping our course with some of our existing, as well as some new, vendors. We knew these items had to be perfect for the independent retailer but also for our C Larboard community of customers.

Drum Roll Please…

We are proud to introduce our 8 new products:

  • Skull Design 8 in 1 Tool

Skull Design 8 in 1 Tool

  • 10 Pc Precision Screwdriver Set

10 Pc Precision Screwdriver Set

 

  • Screwdriver Handle Bottle Opener

Screwdriver Handle Bottle Opener

  • 3 Way LED Emergency Auto Safety Tool

3 Way LED Emergency Auto Safety Tool

  • Sportsmen’s Knife & CAMO Multi-Tool Combo

Sportsmen’s Knife & CAMO Multi-Tool Combo

  • Magnetic Clip LED Pocket Light

Magnetic Clip LED Pocket Light

  • Scissors Multi-Tool & Pliers Keychain Combo

Scissors Multi-Tool & Pliers Keychain Combo

  • 16’/5M Compact Measuring Tape

16'/5M Compact Measuring Tape

 

P.S. We will tell you more specifics about these wonderful new products in future blog posts so stay tuned!

Rich and I had such a wonderful time creating these wonderful new tools! They are perfect for a wide range of people and occasions! Shop NOW at CLarboard.com to see these amazing new additions to the Defiance Brand of Tools!

~Zoe’ Coulcher, Co-Founder of C Larboard

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C Larboard and Defiance Tools!

As some of you may or may not know Rich and I launched our website C Larboard about 2 years ago.  Our tag line is Gifts, Gadgets, General Store …to your Door. We sell innovative items, unique gifts, EDC gadgets and tools that we source from around the world. We also have been developing our registered brand Defiance Tools!

We have more exciting news that I will be sharing soon – so stay tuned!

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Biltmore!

Enjoying this beautiful property while visiting North Carolina!

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Can’t beat the view…

North Carolina Mountains.

 

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My Happy Place!

Had a couple days to visit Strathmere between busy shows for Defiance Tools!

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Happy 4th!

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