GOING SOLAR WITH ROLLING WITH THE WHITNEY’S

Mississippi family hits the road

How do you define adventure? For the Whitney family, it meant converting their Sprinter work truck to a work/camping/travel van (now christened Buzz Year 2) and hitting the road. That’s two adults, two kids and a miniature schnauzer — all in 48 square feet!

What’s it like to work and live on the road with two kids and a dog? Ask the Whitneys!

From Florida to Mexico and California to the Grand Canyon, the Whitneys live and work on the road for months at a time. Based out of Waveland, Mississippi, Chad and Amanda Whitney operate outsidesupply.com, a leading supplier of solar power solutions for RVs and campers, as a virtual business for a good part of the year. Marathon road-trippers and veteran boondockers, they use many of the solutions they sell and are always happy to share their expertise (and experiences) with their customers.

While dad Chad keeps Buzz Year 2 and the team rolling safely along, he also comes up with many of the hair-brained ideas that lead to some of the family’s greatest adventures. He not only drives but serves as the Team Whitney DJ, providing the in-flight entertainment as well.

Amanda does her best to keep the kids and the dog (and occasionally Chad) in line. She loves the beach, the road, coffee, champagne, sushi, pizza, and baseball — especially the Red Sox. She also loves the ongoing family exploits and says she’ll go anywhere as long as Chad’s behind the wheel.

Maggie, the oldest Whitney child, also likes spending time at the beach and shares her mother’s love of exotic foods. Together they’re always on the hunt for new restaurants. Maggie’s also into baseball and can hit a softball a mile — we expect she’s a Red Sox fan as well!

Jack, the youngest, is a budding film-maker and wannabe surfer. While Jack loves to read, he’s also happy to spend the day hanging out at the beach with his sister and their crazy dog Stella. Like Chad, he’s quite handy and loves to take things apart to see what makes them tick. He also shares his dad’s love of airplanes.

And then there’s Stella, the Whitney’s crazy miniature schnauzer who doesn’t know she’s a dog — she thinks she’s one of the kids! When Maggie and Jack are playing ball Stella joins right in (she’s a ball thief), and when the day is done, she follows the kids to bed. A typical schnauzer, Stella is loud, wild, and thinks nothing of taking your personal space.

Racking up all those days and miles is tough on their equipment, and the Whitneys have come to rely on Go Power! solar solutions to keep everything in Buzz Year 2 powered up and running smoothly. Outside Supply is a premier Go Power! dealer carrying a full range of RV and camper solar solutions, and Chad has first-hand experience with everything he sells and installs.

With a thriving business and a growing family, will the Whitneys continue to live life on the road? Absolutely, says Chad. “We have enjoyed every minute on the road working and writing. Life gets in the way of so many things, but we made the right choice on this one.”

You can visit catch up with the Whitneys’ adventures at rollingwiththewhitneys.com, or on Facebook at facebook.com/rollingwiththewhitneys<