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We were supposed to be finished with files by now. For years, tech companies (well, certain tech companies) tooted their horns about a future in which files didnt matter. You dont even need a file manager of any sort, they told usand, in fact, we wont even let you see the file system on your devices at all. Just tap-a-tap-tap, dont worry, be happy. Right? Yeahnot so much. Here in the year o 2025, files absolutely still matter. Whether youre saving a PDF or document, wrangling an audio or video file, or trying to get that weird image format your iPhone-totin friend sent you into some reasonably standard state, files are an inevitable part of our digital lives. And dealing with em, suffice it to say, can be a real pain in the patootieespecially when it comes to the timeless act of converting something from one format to another. With the tool Ive found for you today, though, that tired tech task wont be a groan-worthy chore anymore. Get ready for the quality-of-life upgrade you never knew you needed. Unearth all sorts of little-known tech treasures with my free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. A spiffy new discovery in your inbox every Wednesday! File conversion, minus the headache Ordinarily, when I find myself facing a daunting file conversion taskbe it moving an image file from one format to another, converting some awkward audio file into a more standard MP3 setup, or even freeing a document someone sent me from its silly DOCX shacklesI end up searching for a free online conversion tool. And the site I stumble onto is inevitably slow, overloaded with ads, and at least slightly questionable when it comes to security. Oh, and it also usually has some sort of arbitrary-seeming limit on the size or number of files I can process before it starts trying to charge me some exorbitant fee. No more. My fellow frustrated file wrangler, allow me to introduce you to a nifty new site called Vert. Vert is a completely free and open-source online file conversion tool. It processes most files locally in your browser, almost shockingly fast and efficientlyand without any limits or any ads. Itll take you 20 seconds to start using: Just pull up the Vert site in any browser, on any device youre using. Click the big Drop or click to convert box to select a file from your deviceor drag and drop a file from the device into that area of the page, if youd rather. One click or a drag-and-drop is all it takes to get going with Vert. Vert will then show you a confirmation screen where you can see your file, select your end format, and consider a few other simple options. Select your desired file type, and Vert will handle the rest. And thats pretty much it: Just click or tap the Convert all button, and within a split secondyes, really that fast!youll see the downward-arrow download button turn into a solid color. Your converted file will be ready to download in a matter of seconds. Thats your indication that the file conversion is finished. And all thats left is to click or tap that button to download the final result. Told ya it was easy, right?! Vert runs entirely in your browserno downloads or installations whatsoever. Its completely free to use, with optional donations to aid the development. And the app performs almost all of its processing locally on your own device, without any data ever being seen by anyone else. The one exception is a video file, which does get uploaded to a server. But Vert promises that video files always are deleted after exactly one hour. (And since the entire tool is open source, anyone with the right know-how can see exactly what it isand isntdoing to confirm.) Ready for more productivity-boosting goodness? Check out my free Cool Tools newsletter for an instant introduction to an exceptional audio appand another off-the-beaten-path gem every Wednesday!
Category:
E-Commerce
While not everyone bought a camper van during the COVID-19 pandemic, we all probably know someone who did. As people with money suddenly found themselves with time on their hands and no particular place to be, sales of compact but full-featured Class B camper vans soared, increasing 91.5% from 2020 to 2021, according to the RV Industry Association (RVIA). Van life became a hashtag, a lifestyle, and an aspiration. While sales have settled back down to pre-pandemic levels, the market for high-end vehicles remains strong, with manufacturers tempting new and returning buyers with an array of new models that push the limits of performance, luxury, and price. And then there are all the new rugged details. Not content to stick to the pavement, the latest cohort of van owners wants to get off-road, tooor at least look like they do. You may have spotted an increasing number of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans bedecked with all manner of racks, ladders, spare tires, and fuel cans, traction boards, and outdoor gear. These are the overlanders. The overland category includes a variety of vehicle typesfrom 4x4s accessorized with trendy rooftop tents, to burly Class C camper trucks (see EarthRoamer.com), to all-terrain adventure vans that combine the comforts of much larger campers with the off-road performance of an expedition vehicle. The promise is appealing: get to wild places that others cant, and sleep comfortably (and maybe stream some Netflix) when you get there. With massive fuel reserves, freshwater tanks, and arrays of solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, todays top-of-the-line adventure rigs are designed to support days or weeks of self-sufficient off-grid exploration. [Photo: courtesy Overland Expo] This blend of comfort and adventure is exactly the draw for overlanders, who are largely an affluent, middle-aged bunch. According to the RV Industry Associations 2025 RV Owner Demographic Profile, 13% of current RV owners cite the ability to camp off-grid, or boondocking, as a primary motivator in their vehicle purchase. The biggest U.S. overlanding event, Overland Expowhere owners come to camp out and would-be owners come to check out vehicle builds, has grown from one event with 800 attendees in 2009 to five regional events in 2025. (The inaugural Southern California event this March had 19,000 attendees and 303 exhibitors. Subaru is the first-time lead corporate sponsor.) The 2024 event series attracted more than 80,000 attendees, up 35% from 2021. More than 12 million Americans are expected to overland in 2025, up from 8 million in 2024, according to the Overland Expos new 2025 Overland Industry Report. Here’s a look at that vanguard of compact RV innovation as we roll into the summer of 2025. [Photo: Storyteller Overland] An overlander from Alabama The brand that might best embody the luxury overland zeitgeist of 2025 is Birmingham, Alabama-based Storyteller Overland, which launched in 2018. Now in its second year of production, the hulking 2025 GXV Epic is the sort of thing you would choose to caravan across the Australian Outback while being pursued by zombies. The 30-foot-long turbo diesel 4×4 has an 1,800-mile range and comes equipped with a 200-gallon freshwater tank, an 18 kWh battery capacity (enough to power a small home for a whole day), and expansive solar panels for recharging. It can be yours for about $800,000. It takes 2,500 man hours to complete each Epic buildsince the vehicles launch in May 2024, the company has built roughly one per month. [Photo: Storyteller Overland] Storytellers GXV Hilt is another adventure truck that came to market last yeara deluxe camper capsule bolted to a Ram 5500 thats been upfitted with a liquid spring smart suspension system, a proprietary no torsion subframe system that allows the capsule to move independently from the chassis, and a heavy-duty spray-on coating to protect it from scratches. With a 52-gallon diesel-fuel capacity, 16.8 kW lithium-ion battery storage, solar panels, and 120-gallon freshwater hold, the Hilt is built for long hauls, but not for roughing it. Its got a full bath and kitchen, and two queen beds. Storyteller can build the $499,000 trucks at a rate of about one per week. [Photo: Storyteller Overland] But Storytellers bestsellers are its line of Mode camper vans. Built on the tall, boxy Sprinter chassis, the 2025 models cost between $185,000 and $250,000, depending on features. The premium Beast Mode XO boasts all-wheel drive, nubby off-road tires, and a heavy-duty suspension systemplus an expandable 90 W solar panel, onboard batteries, and a 21-gallon freshwater tank to live off-grid for days or weeks. The muscular exterior sports a front grille brush guard, a safari-style roof rack, side-mount ladder, rear cargo box, and high-intensity LED lighting. The cabin, insulated with sheeps wool, has air conditioning and diesel-fueled heating, a galley kitchen with refrigerator, sink, microwave, and induction cooktop, and a full bath with toilet and hot shower. [Photo: Storyteller Overland] Employing about 215 people at its Birmingham headquarters and at a production facility in Missouri, Storyteller has built more than 2,500 of its vans to date. Its sales are strongest in the Westwhere vast publicly owned lands provide ample off-grid camping opportunitiesbut are growing through the South, Midwest, and Northeast, as well. The company took a significant investment from private equity group L Catterton last year to accelerate product development, invest in manufacturing, and grow its dealer network, it said. Storyteller doesnt have a monopoly on adventure campers. Its success seems to have inspired old-school RV players such as Winnebago and Thor Industries to up their overland game. Adding to its existing line of Class B campers, last year Thor launched the Palladium and Talavera, built on the Ford Transit Trail chassis with all-wheel drive and off-road capabilities, starting at $110,000. This year, Winnebago launched its Revel Sport, a lighter, lower-priced version ($210,570 base price) of its popular Sprinter-based Revel 44E adventure van (base price, $245,463). If none of the off-the-shelf options fit the bill, conversion specialists including Campo, Ridgeline Van, Cascade Van, Papago, Tommy Camper Vans, and Sequoia + Salt offer custom builds featuring designer finishes, artisanal woodwork, advanced electronics, and morefor a van-included price of about $150,000 to $300,000. Changing demographics, endless upgrades Storyteller says that its customers include preppers, early retirees, and younger families, with the typical buyers being men over 50. Thats a decade or so younger than the consumer base for giant Class A RVs, and reflects a broader shift in RV ownership. According to the latest RVIA surveywhich covers owners of all types of campers and trailersthe median age of RV owners has declined from 53 in 2021 to 49 in 2025. (To get a sense of “overlanding” spectrum, check out van-focused We’re the Russos, started by traveling couple Joe and Kait Russo in 2018, and truck-focused TrailRecon, created by U.S. Navy veteran Brad Kowitz.) The new overlanders often come into van ownership via outdoor recreation, and use their vehicles as home base for other active pursuits. According to the RVIA, the leading hobbies while RVing are fishing (47%) and hiking (44%). The most popular recreational equipment hauled along on RV trips are bikes and kayaks, but the list for a well-prepared overlander could also include skis, surfboards, and more. Not surprisingly, accessories for carrying gearbike carriers, surfboard hooks, Alpine boxes, and safari-style roof racksare popular add-ons. But thats just the start. Even buyers who start with fully loaded adventure van soon find themselves wanting more. The 2025 Overland Industry Report found that nearly 80% of overlanders plan to make upgrades in the next yearwith a focus on durability, lighting, and storage. The aftermarket accessories industry has been surging: the number of eBay Motors overlanding listings for things like rooftop tents, swingout tire carriers, and winch kits increased was up more than 3,500% in 2023 compared to 2019. Online sellers that focus on the upscale adventure van setincluding Owl Vans, Main Line Overland, and Flatline Vansell everything from racks, ladders, bumpers, and awnings to lighting, lift kits, skid plates, and wheels. DIYers can even build out a full camper van interior with modular componentsbeds, tables, cabinets, and kitchen unitsfrom companies such as Portland, Oregon-based Adventure Wagons, or flat-pack style conversion kits made of natural plywood from Simi, California-based VanLab or Timber Van Kits, in Boulder, Colorado. For the current wave of adventure campers, being off-grid doesnt mean being offline. In the 2025 RVIA survey of van owners, 54% of those who work remotely do work from their RV. Companies such as Brooklyn Campervans have seen increasing demand for vans as remote offices, complete with Starlink antennas, solar panels, advanced energy storage systems (see Battleborn, Renogy, and Volta), and USB ports for devices. Starlinks ROAM program explicitly targets RVers and van lifers and its marketing leans in to the overlanding zeitgeist (if you can ignore the Cybertruck). To be sure, taking a Zoom meeting from the middle of a desert or a remote beach site is a particular kind of flex. [Photo: Peacevans] The future of van life is electric, and increasingly female Fully loaded camper vans canweigh as much as 5 tons, and theyre gas guzzlers. In optimal conditions, a diesel Sprinter-based model might get 25 mpg or so. In addition to being hard to parallel park, theyre not ideal for running errands around town. While Trammel at Storyteller says that interest and sales in its vehicles are still good, the broader category has continued cooling even after the pandemic spell wore off. According to the RV Industry Association, sales of so-called Class B camper vans last year were 30% below 2023, and were slightly down year over in March 2025. [Photo: Peacevans] There are people who want to spend $200,000 on a really high-quality camper van, and [companies] satisfying that need, says Harley Sitner, a former senior product manager at Microsoft and now owner and manager of Peace Vans in Seattle. Is it starting to wane a little bit? Yes, absolutely. His shop focuses on a different segment of the market, specializing in dual-purpose small vans suited to daily driving and the kind of modest adventuring that most people are actually up to. You don’t want a dedicated camper van that sits idle in your driveway a hundred nights a year and your neighbors laugh at you, says Sitner. Until recently, his shopwhich employs 27 people, including contractorsspecialized in custom conversions of the Mercedes Metris van, a smaller-platform vehicle than the Sprinter, which was discontinued at the end of 2023. We did over a thousand of those, and we could have done another thousand if they kept making them, says Sitner. Starting this year, they began doing custom buildouts of Volkswagens new EV van, the ID Buzz (as well as converting older VW camper vans to EVs). [Photo: Peacevans] Long-term, all vehicles are moving to electric, although its not yet practical for real overlanding. The Mercedes eSprinter, for example, introduced in 2023, has a top range of just over 200 miles, a lower payload capacity than the diesel version, and no all-wheel drive option. But, the current ID Buzz, with a range of about 230 miles, is just right for Sitners customers, who want to go on two- to three-night camping trips, or have a comfortable place to chill between surfing sets. We’re not going to compete with Storyteller or Winnebago or all these custom builders, says Sitner. Were going to focus on the small niche and get most of it. Its not a $100 million market, but it’s a pretty big market. [Photo: Peacevans] For a full camper conversion, Peace Vans pulls out both rows of rear seats, replacing them with a foldout bed, and adding a kitchen unit with a sink, stove, and refrigerator. A small van, Sitner says, is like a boat. Every inch counts. Youve got to be really, really thoughtful about it. Peace Vans can also add a rear kitchen box, leaving more space inside for people and gear. And this fall, it will offer a new pop-top tent optiona beloved feature of vintage VW camper vans. The nostalgia factor is not to be discounted, says Sitner. Almost every one of our customers had a VW van in the day. Theres this innate organic demand. The customer demographic skews more female than the Big Van market; Sitner estimates that some 40% of his customers are single women over age 55. The ID Buzz is very yin. You’re not going to go stomp nature. You’re going to go hang out with nature. Sitner expects to work on 400 to 500 vehicles this yearat prices, vehicle included, ranging from about $80,000 to $120,000. The impact of Trump tariffs are a wildcard. He thinks that Volkswagen would absorb a percentage of increased costs, but he says that because of tariffs, we’re not going to scale as quickly, and its a bummer. The good news for us is our customers are not price sensitive.
Category:
E-Commerce
Thinking about your own death is not something most people enjoy doing. However, if you plan to pass on savings or assets, like a home, having a will is important in ensuring those items end up in the right hands. Still, according to a new survey, most Americans don’t have a will. The data, which comes from a Western & Southern Financial Group survey of 1,007 U.S. adults, showed that only one in four Americans has a will. Understandably, the likelihood of having a will differs widely between generations. Baby boomers were the most prepared with nearly half (47%) having a will, while only 23% of millennials did and 20% of Gen Zers. But astonishingly, nearly a third (30%) of respondents have never even discussed end-of-life plans with their family at all. And, according to the research, that’s highly problematic, because often, the death of a loved one can cause more than grief. It can cause financial distress. Over half of respondents (51%) said they struggled financially after a death of a loved one and 14% described those challenges as being significant. The number one reason most said they’ve never discussed financial plans is due to discomfort (54%). But that discomfort can lead to a lot of confusion. The data showed 38% of people were not confident in their understanding of their parents’ finances. That was especially true when it came to financial arrangements between siblings. Fifty-five percent of Americans felt uninformed about how finances would be distributed with millennials and Gen Zers most in the dark (57% each). A staggering number of those surveyed38% overallhad not done any preparation either for their own passing or the passing of a loved one. However, nearly half of Gen Zers said the same was true (49%). It makes sense that Gen Z may be the least financially prepared for death (given they’re the youngest working generation), however, it could also be due to the broad fears, spanning the generations, that there won’t be much leftover to pass on. A previous Western & Southern survey found that nearly half of Americans (49%) were not confident in their ability to retireever. Gen X was the most concerned (52%), followed by millennials (50%) then boomers (47%). But the youngest generation of workers, who have the most working years left, were not confident about retirement either: 41% of the group said they worry they may never retire. While there are many reasons why writing a will can be intimidating, there are plenty of online resources that can help. Writing a will does not require an attorney and online will writing services can cost between $0 and $300.
Category:
E-Commerce
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