Lead photo courtesy of Weird Wild West SOUTHWEST USA Adventure Van Expo When: April 13-24, 2024 Where: Scottsdale, Arizona The Adventure Van Expo series returns for 2024 with a packed schedule of events, including the first of the season in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lively music, food trucks, vendors, and camping converge in this all-ages celebration of…
Kelty Camping Gear :: Field Tested
Dick Kelty designed and hand-built external aluminum-framed backpacks along with his wife, Nena, who sold them out of their garage in 1952. In 1966, Dick Kelty’s backpacks were used on the National Geographic Antarctica Expedition. Since then, Kelty has grown into a well-loved and respected legacy outdoor brand. Kelty designers and employees are gear experts…
Overland News of the Week
All-New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado To Land In Australia Mid-2024 As it is marketed in Australia, the all-new Land Cruiser Prado range is set to enhance its appeal with a five-variant lineup that includes 48-volt technology across the board. The range features the GX, GXL, VX, Kakadu grades, and the new Altitude variant, each offering…
NEMO Equipment Camping Gear :: Field Tested
They say new ideas come from past experiences, and that’s how NEMO was born. Founder Cam Brensinger’s trip to New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in 2002 left him with the idea to create better gear for adventurers. Cam founded NEMO, short for “New England Mountain Equipment,” three days after he graduated from the Rhode Island School…
The Overlanding Couples’ Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
Husband and wife team Graeme and Luisa Bell have put their heads together to come up with a few Valentine’s gifts for all you lovers out there. As a couple who have been together for close to a squillion years, we do not celebrate Valentine’s Day with roses, expensive meals, and lacy underpants. Instead, as…
Yakima EXO System :: Field Tested
When I first laid eyes (digitally) on Yakima’s new EXO system, I was a skeptic. The modular setup certainly seemed groundbreaking, a dual-platform design that could carry all sorts of gear configurations, hauling bicycles, a camp kitchen, and a storage box on two levels mounted to a hitch rack. The company has, of course, run…
Overland News of the Week
Overland Home Launches Overland International’s co-owner and designer Stephanie Brady has launched a new business called Overland Home. Overland Home aims to provide beautiful, unique, and well-designed products from artisans around the globe with a focus on natural materials and time-honored techniques. All artisans sourced from are paid fair wages, which means when you purchase…
25 Holiday Gifts for the Overlander in Your Life
Presented by Küat Racks Have you heard a Mariah Carey song blasting over the speakers at your local grocery store yet? If so, it’s probably time to start thinking about the quickly-approaching holiday gift giving season. From ADV riders to bikepackers, vehicle aficionados, and tent campers, there’s something for everyone in this Expedition Portal gift…
Gear of the Year
What a year 2023 has turned out to be! My wife, Luisa, and I kicked it off by camping on a secluded beach in Baja, then traveling to the Arctic Ocean in winter before collecting our Land Rover Defender from the port in Canada, driving down through the US to central Mexico during a heat…
Field Tested :: Giant Loop Adventure Gear
Giant Loop has been creating innovative motorcycle luggage since 2008 when they hit the trail with their original horseshoe-shaped bag. Beginning with the Great Basin model, GL has used Rugged Bomb Shell vinyl-coated polyester with great success. The 8-liter Fandango tank bag and Pannier Pockets reviewed here are both constructed from it. As you’ll see,…
25 Black Friday Gifts for the Overlander in Your Life
Presented by Nitto Tire Now that Halloween ghosts have been replaced by twinkling reds, greens, and golds, it’s time to start thinking about the fast-approaching holiday season. Luckily, the Expedition Portal team has been busy amalgamating our favorite gear picks just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While Associate Editor Steve Edwards has…
Top SEMA Products According to One of Our Bosses
Brian McVickers is the Overland International CBDO (Chief Business Development Officer), partner, contributor, highly experienced overlander, and one of the most genuine guys you will ever meet (brownie points, please, boss!). Brian took to the fields of hard carpet at the SEMA event held in Las Vegas last week and returned with sore feet and…
Top Overland Products at SEMA 2023
SEMA has in the past focused primarily on high-performance vehicles with jaw-dropping customizations; however, with the upward trend in overlanding, the Overland Experience at the SEMA show continues to grow year on year with innovative gear, accessories and impressive overlanding builds. In this article, we showcase new products introduced into the overlanding scene for seasoned…
Overland News of the Week
Wrangler Introduces All Terrain Gear In Overland News of the Week, we’re excited to introduce a new line from Wrangler. Dipping their well-known toes into the overland market, the Wrangler brand recently unveiled an extension of its outdoor clothing range, namely All Terrain Gear (ATG) by Wrangler, a selection of state-of-the-art outdoor garments. Featuring everyday…
SEMA Best New Products Awards Round-Up
The world-famous annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) showcases all things auto-related. SEMA has revealed the winners of its prestigious Best New Products Awards during the 2023 SEMA Show. These awards celebrate the most innovative and forward-thinking automotive aftermarket products that will become available in 2023. These products are evaluated across 18 award categories, with…
Touratech Gear for BMW R 1300 GS
Touratech plans to leave no BMW GS undressed. As any GS owner will tell you, the German accessory company has something for everyone. And they just announced 23 accessories for the 2024 R 1300 GS. Some are brand new for this bike or re-configured, some are existing universal items. R 1300 GS Only When BMW…
Stōd Gear Company Woodgaiter :: Field Tested
At Overland Journal, we have a soft spot for small businesses and appreciate the opportunity to review and feature products from aspiring entrepreneurs. Enter Stōd Gear and their budding line of storage solutions for overlanders. Over the past year, I have been using their Woodgaiter, a simple and robust firewood hauler that doubles as a…
Decked Unveils the Latest Generation of Pickup Truck Drawer Systems
If we were asked to pick only two products to transform an everyday pickup into an overland-ready vehicle, those two products would, undoubtedly, be a rooftop tent and a drawer system. No other off-the-shelf products are as convenient or fundamentally essential. Decked manufactures storage and organization systems for mid- to full-sized pickup trucks and has…
Editor’s Choice Video—Overland Hard Case Testing
Overland Journal‘s Summer 2023 issue featured a Hard Storage Boxes Main Gear Review by Chris Cordes. This video features the semi-destructive testing used to draw some of the conclusions referred to in the test. Excerpt: Some people have an innate ability to learn their lessons from the wise words and experiences of others. As I…
9 Best Hard Storage Cases for Overlanding
Some people have an innate ability to learn their lessons from the wise words and experiences of others. As I gazed at the half-empty plastic storage case on my roof with a bewildered stare, I couldn’t help but wish I was one of those people. How long had it been open? For 10 miles, 30,…