You ever get that sick feeling when a semi passes you and the whole rig starts to sway? Yeah, I made the swap to a hitch carrier about two years ago for the same reason, and the mpg bump is REAL. For the dust issue, I picked up a cheap hitch cargo bag with a zipper instead of a hard box, and I just give it a quick rinse with a hose at the trailhead before I open it up. Also, wrapping your gear in a tarp inside the bag cuts down on 90% of the grit, seriously, it's a game changer for keeping your boots from getting caked. The only thing I miss is the convenience of not having to crawl under the bumper to reach stuff, but I'll take that over fighting the wind any day. My tip is to get a hitch lock too, because people will mess with your stuff if you park at a crowded lot near the mountain.

I spent like 6 weeks shooting my stuff flat on a white tile and wondering why nobody cared. Then a buddy told me to just tilt the camera a little and honestly my thumb ended up in half the shots before I figured it out.

Traded $400 for a nap, then fixed it with a free 4am video.

Take it easy, man. Yeah, people mix up eras all the time, but I don't think it's some big shop problem. Golden Age is that pre-1950 pulp stuff, Silver Age is the 60s Marvel and DC boom, and most casual buyers just use "Golden" to mean "old and good." It's lazy, sure, but it's not worth getting hot over. If a new collector buys a 1968 reprint for 80 bucks, that's on them for not checking the label, not on the guy at the counter who didn't correct a stranger's slang. I'd rather save my annoyance for people who call anything from the 90s "vintage" and price it like it's a key issue.

That loan officer in Norfolk told you to wait, that's wild.