October 10-17, 2026 / Island Park, Idaho
Yellowstone Expeditionary Squadron 2026
Seven nights at Iron Slide Lodge: Yellowstone days, a ridiculous Airbnb setup, early wildlife mornings, and enough room for the whole crew to stop pretending they are "checking the calendar."
Two professional photographers and filmmakers. Seven days of real use in Yellowstone and at our Island Park basecamp. One unusually effective lifestyle shoot for the brands that help make the expedition happen.
18
confirmed or pending guys
8
bedrooms at the lodge
24
beds listed at the Airbnb
18-20
expedition participants
2
film cuts planned
$20k
overall funding goal
October planning outlook What kind of cold are we talking? 56° / 29° avg
This is a climate-average planning guide, not the live 2026 forecast. Yellowstone reports an October average high of 55.7°F and low of 29.4°F; fall snow and fast temperature swings are normal. Bring layers, rain gear, and at least one jacket that admits Idaho is serious. NPS weather data
The trip board
Two sides of the week
Yellowstone is the exploration side: geysers, wildlife, big views, and stories that start with "from a safe distance." Island Park is the friendly competition side: lodge downtime, game room records, golf sim confidence, and enough amenities to make staying in feel like part of the plan.
Island Park side
Decathlon of Manliness
The lodge half of the trip: golf sim, game room, sauna, hot tub, and a deeply unserious chance to prove your manliness in events no respectable athletic commission would sanction.
Golf sim
Game room
Sauna
Hot tub
Theater
Yellowstone side
Big animals and bigger views
This is the exploration half: wolves in Lamar Valley if the park is feeling generous, bison doing bison things, moose country, Grand Prismatic color, canyon views, and the reminder that the best parts of the trip are not indoors.
Wolves
Bison
Moose
Grand Prismatic
Canyon views
Album roll
Checkout some photos I took while I was there last time.
Consider this a scouting report with better lighting and fewer group-text logistics.
Travel coordination
Let's make the airport runs painless.
If it is convenient, I want to help guys travel together. The dream is everybody landing at the same airport around the same time so we are not running a one-man shuttle company all day. That probably will not be perfect, but we can get close.
There are already a couple of likely travel groups, so text me before you book if you want help lining it up. Idaho Falls looks like the clean AI answer because it is about an hour and a half from the Airbnb. I personally like Bozeman a lot, and Jackson may be necessary for some routes. All three are on the table.
We will have a 15-person van plus my own vehicle, and we will make airport runs to pick everyone up. The goal is not perfection. The goal is fewer lonely airport coffees and less logistical nonsense.
IDA
Idaho Falls
About 1 hr 30 minLikely easiest for the Airbnb. The practical pick, which is annoying but useful.
BZNBozeman
About 2 hr 15 minPersonal favorite energy. Good airport, good town, more of a move if it lines up.
JACJackson
About 2 hr 30 minMay be necessary depending on flights, prices, and who wants to make travel spicy.
Featured stay
Iron Slide Lodge is gonna be Awesome!
The listing reads like it was built to end the group chat debate: golf and multisport simulator, private sauna, outdoor hot tub, theater room, ping pong, foosball, double-shot basketball, fire pit, lake access, and room to spread out. It is basically a lodge with side quests.
View the AirbnbGolf sim bragging rights
The most important athletic event of the week may happen indoors.
Sauna and hot tub reset
For recovery, conversation, and pretending we understand wellness.
Game room chaos
Ping pong, foosball, basketball, and several ways to lose with dignity.
Big crew logistics
8 bedrooms, 24 beds, 4.5 baths, and enough room to not become a group therapy experiment.
Optional homework
I made a national parks video.
Full disclosure: I made it with a slightly leftist, maybe-a-little-commie lean because apparently I cannot discuss public lands without briefly becoming a pamphlet. I also did not properly color correct or adjust my volumes, because apparently my post-production workflow was "vibes and consequences." The history is genuinely rich, though, and I wish the message had landed more libertarian-anarchist: protect the parks, distrust everyone in charge, and let the mountains remain aggressively unbothered.
Airbnb intel
Basecamp inventory
Golf + Multisport
TruGolf APOGEE package with arcade-style sports games listed by the host.
Sauna + Hot Tub
Private sauna, outdoor hot tub, and the correct post-park recovery plan.
Game Room
Ping pong, foosball, double-shot basketball, and a theater room for the week.
Big Crew Ready
16+ guests, 8 bedrooms, 24 beds, 4.5 baths, and an extra-large dining setup.
Roll call
Who's coming?
The board can get more official once the final headcount shakes out and the maybes stop living in the fog. Marcos and Mike are on the waitlist and are the first two names off the bench if the headcount shifts.
C Confirmed 7
P Pending 10
D Doubtful 3
V Virtual 1
W Waitlist 2
SkooterC
BobbyC
HenryC
JustinC
RobbeyC
SandroC
XanderC
AbadiaP
BraxtonP
CameronP
CallieP
JCamP
JaimeP
MarkP
MatthewP
StevenP
WyattP
AttilaD
DanD
SamD
PashaV
MarcosW
MikeW
Small print: our Airbnb backout date is September 1, so I will be getting in contact with everyone in July and August to confirm who is actually coming.
Sleeping plan
A bed for everybody. No bunkmate, if we can help it.
The goal is simple: nobody sleeps directly above or below somebody else. A guy using a bunk gets the whole bunk frame, sleeps on whichever level he wants, and uses the other level for bags and gear.
Two Kings and four Queens, each in a room without bunks.
Eighteen bunk mattresses, ideally used by nine guys.
One person per standalone bed or entire bunk frame.
Bedroom 1 1 King
Bedroom 2 3 bunk frames
Bedroom 3 1 King
Bedroom 4 6 bunk frames
Bedrooms 5-8 1 Queen each
Full listed capacity is 24 mattress surfaces, but the preferred setup treats each bunk frame as one person's bed-and-gear station.
Cost plan
The cabin math
The goal is to keep the shared cost lighter than the actual bill. I am putting $6k toward the Airbnb, leaving about $5k of the house to split. Groceries, the van, and other shared expenses can be split normally from there.
$754
For the week
Bunk-room baseline
The Airbnb portion starts at $500 for a bunk-room setup.
My contribution
My chunk goes toward the Airbnb so the house does not land like a piano.
Sleeping setup
Bunk room keeps the baseline lower. Solo space is for guys who want to pay more.
Unpublished test block
Squadron Soundtrack
Drop a song for the public trip playlist. Your song might get deleted or skipped when we get down to business, but for now all song ideas are accepted.
Preview mode: Spotify is still being tuned before this goes back in front of the crew.
Campfire braintrust
Useful men, unnamed skill trees.
Nobody gets a job-title name tag. Part of the game is figuring out who knows wildlife, engines, scripture, immigration law, fitness, recovery, construction, business, and all the other oddly useful stuff hiding in the group chat. There are multiple entrepreneurs in the mix, plus we might even have a former zoo keeper coming to try his hand at taming Yellowstone, which is almost certainly not how park regulations describe the opportunity.
I will be taking photos, and I am happy to help anybody shoot better trip photos or put together a video after the week. Peer-to-peer help, not a TED Talk with worse lighting.
Pick a role, pick a guy, and commit to the bit.
Morale department
Bad Idea Machine
Certified useful for killing time, dodging responsibility, and making the wrong person laugh. Copy the best one you see and send it to me.
Your Momma
Knock Knock
Movie Quotes
Literary Quotes
Weather
Dad Jokes
Your Momma
Pick a heat level and summon a bad decision.
Guess the source
Sponsorship overview
A week-long lifestyle shoot disguised as a great trip.
From October 10-17, the Yellowstone Expeditionary Squadron will bring 18-20 men to Island Park, Idaho for daily sunrise expeditions, cabin life, mountain exploration, and cinematic production around Yellowstone National Park.
Two professional photographers and filmmakers will be there to capture products in genuine use across roads, trails, wildlife mornings, shared meals, and lodge downtime. The result is a broad, credible lifestyle library: edited photography, vertical reels, select footage, product scenes, and a public sponsor-friendly film.
Offset the full Island Park lodging cost.
A premium field kit for each participant.
Fund the expedition and deliver a stronger production.
Sponsor tiers
Choose how deep your brand enters the story.
Presenting Sponsor
$20k+- Expedition naming rights presented by your brand
- Prominent placement across materials and public film
- Dedicated segment, mid-film mention, and category exclusivity
- 20-30 edited photos, select clips, vertical reel, and recap video
- Paid advertising usage rights and optional deep integration
House Sponsor
$11k- Covers the complete Island Park Airbnb
- Cabin arrival and welcome-basket visibility
- 10-20 edited photos, one vertical reel, and select clips
- Category exclusivity tied to expedition basecamp
Road / Vehicle Sponsor
$8-12k- Owns road, arrival, convoy, and vehicle beauty-shot visuals
- Vehicle logo or magnet integration
- Cash, vehicle support, or multiple loaned rentals considered
- One vertical reel, 8-15 photos, and select clips
- Category exclusivity with deeper add-ons available
Expedition Partner
$3-5k as low as $1.5k with the right gifts- Category exclusivity and welcome-basket inclusion
- Guaranteed product scene in a natural expedition setting
- One vertical reel, 8-12 photos, and select clips
- Paid-use rights available as an add-on
Field Kit Sponsor
$500-1.5k cash or product- One signature item in participant welcome kits
- Basket-opening scene placement
- 2-5 edited photos and organic placement where natural
- Dedicated reels and paid usage available as upgrades
Basket Sponsor
$100-500 product value- Consumable or small welcome-basket item
- Product shown during the basket-opening scene
- 1-2 photos when practical
- Recognition on the sponsorship page
Identity and apparel
A sponsor wall people will actually wear.
Early apparel concepts place the expedition mark up front and reserve the back for the partners helping put the week together.
Production and usage
Assets built for actual marketing teams.
Two Editions
A public sponsor-friendly YouTube film and a private extended group cut.
Edited Stills
Outdoor, product, cabin, road, and lifestyle images based on sponsor level.
Vertical Reels
Dedicated short-form edits for qualifying sponsor tiers.
Usage That Scales
Organic reposting through broad paid-ad usage, matched to sponsor level.
An optional Inner Circle add-on expands mid-film mentions, candid integration, story presence, and the asset package.
Timing and structure
The dates that keep everything printable and filmable.
Reach out by this date for guaranteed placement discussions.
Logos due for shirts, patches, coins, and printed materials.
Commitments and physical items must arrive for kits and filming.
Production week in Island Park and Yellowstone.
Sponsors receive their organized Dropbox folder of finished assets.
8-10 target sponsors
1 + 1 + 1 Presenting, House, and Road core slots
5-7 Expedition and Field Kit partners
Contact and next steps
Build something useful in a place worth filming.
We are looking for brands aligned with premium outdoor life, practical gear, road travel, cabin culture, and the kind of products people genuinely use.