I love flags.

Plenty of Americans are obsessed with the American Flag. They fly Old Glory day and night. I just love flags in general. Yes, I fly the stars and stripes quite a bit but I love flying different kinds of flags on my van. Flying flags is just a fun thing to do.

Living at a dropzone makes flying flags not only aesthetically pleasing, but also serves a practical purpose of giving skydivers one more point of reference for wind direction.

You can never have too many flags! 🚩

Flags are an essential element to life on the road, in my opinion. My home is always moving so putting up flags are a way of announcing “I’m here!” They also serve as a way to help friends know how to find you: “My van is parked right over there… see the flags?” Flags are one way I bring my own flair, style, and quirkiness to my living space. Since I travel so much, the my flags are a constant and makes me feel at home wherever I park my home.

For a long time I used a “foot anchor” that came with the flagpole I purchased on Amazon. It’s basically a flat piece of metal that you drive over and provides a hole for the flagpole to sit in. This foot was a pain to set up and take down because of positioning and driving the van on top of the flagpole holder. The foot anchor was good enough for a while. But I found myself using it less and less—even when I was staying at the same place for more than a few days. I needed something easier.

So to make setup and teardown more palatable, I bought a hitch mount for my flagpole and I’m really happy with it. The mount just slides right into the hitch receiver and you put the flagpole into the holder and tighten the screw down. No more messing with the foot under the tire! A secondary benefit of the new hitch mount is that it raises the flags another six inches off the ground!

Want your own flagpole?

This one is sturdy, has lasted two trips to Burning Man, and still works like a charm.

Here are some of my favorite flags that I fly (with a windsock thrown in for good measure!):

How do you show your unique style when living on the road? Tweet me or tag me in your Instagram post @markrickert showing your flags or travel style!