Sonya and Necota Staples

Finding and Sharing Love in the Outdoors

If you ever doubt the transformative power of love, look to Sonya & Necota Staples. Their shared passion for outdoor adventure has strengthened their relationship and helped introduce hundreds of People of Color to the joys of camping and overlanding.

Sonya and Necota met while attending North Carolina A&T State University and were married in 2003. Several years later, the pair found themselves drifting apart and fearing for their marriage. When a couples’ counselor suggested they look for ways to say “yes” to each other, Necota finally agreed to Sonya’s long-standing request to go camping.

That “yes” changed Sonya and Necota’s life. In short order, they began camping every month, and the process of mastering this new activity helped reignite and deepen their love for each other. 

Shortly after they started camping, Necota decided to buy a truck to carry them on their adventures. That Toyota Landcruiser took the intrepid couple on numerous camping trips and straight into their next adventure — overlanding. Overlanders love driving specially equipped vehicles to remote locations via primitive roads or natural pathways, such as logging roads or desert trails. This pastime is all about planning, prep and self-reliance.

This new outdoor passion took the Staples deep into overlanding culture and rural America, where the Atlanta residents noticed something.

“As we researched [overlanding] techniques online and visited destinations, we never saw anyone who looked like us,” says Necota. “Rural areas often have small minority populations and can be uncomfortable for People of Color because of the history [of exclusion and violence] in our country.”

Many of their friends and family members were among those who couldn’t understand the appeal of spending time in the woods or bouncing down a rocky road toward parts unknown.

So, Sonya and Necota decided to explain it — to everybody.

The couple launched Stapes InTents to share their adventures and detail the whys and hows of outdoor adventure with People of Color. The effort began as a YouTube channel and grew into a non-profit organization with a mission to “increase diversity in the outdoors by educating and inspiring others to become more comfortable, confident, and curious about outdoor adventure.”

In 2022, the Staples brought their message into the real world by organizing and hosting two outdoor events to foster learning and community. The Gathering, a weekend event created a safe and welcoming environment where 140 People of Color explored their curiosity about outdoor adventure and developed the confidence to engage in those pursuits. A second overlanding Gathering took place in Colorado and drew 80 participants.

A 2023 Gathering is set for October 19-23 in the mountains of western North Carolina. Learning sessions on topics ranging from outdoor ethics to camp cooking to off-road vehicle recovery will be punctuated with bonfires, happy hours and time for attendees to make new friends and explore the area’s hiking and biking trails. The Staples encourage people with all levels of outdoor experience — from the merely curious to the deeply skilled — to attend their joyous camp-outs. 

Meanwhile, Necota and Sonya continue their own remarkable journey. The couple, both of whom enjoyed successful careers in engineering, have left their jobs to focus full-time on their outdoor adventures and evangelism. They plan to spend six months a year in Atlanta and the rest of the year exploring. They recently visited Africa.

Sonya and Necota have ready answers for People of Color who want to start their own adventure but may feel scared or overwhelmed.

“Our advice to the curious is to identify the barrier holding you back and address it,” says Necota. “Small steps are the key. Are you worried about not knowing how to pitch a tent?  Borrow or buy an inexpensive tent and set it up at home; camp in your backyard. Or make a day trip to a local state park and walk around the campground to see what it’s all about.”

The couple also recommends seeking out local groups and events that offer People of Color the opportunity to learn and adventure with members of their community.

And, says Sonya, never forget that the outdoors is for everyone.

“The first thing to know about outdoor adventure is that you belong.”