To honor the 20-year anniversary of Overland Journal, we are revisiting special heritage content in the upcoming 100th issue of the magazine. Originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2019 issue, this article is part of that celebration. It was another spectacular warm and sunny day in the mountains of Tajikistan, as warm as it gets…
Category Archives: 4WD
Luminous Flux: Swim, Sink, or Shine; We Test Nine LED Driving Lights to Their Limits
To honor the 20-year anniversary of Overland Journal, we are revisiting special heritage content in the upcoming 100th issue of the magazine. Originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2013 issue, this article is part of that celebration. I distinctly remember the moment I became aware of auxiliary lights. I was 15 years of age and…
Shopping With Purpose: Practical Tips for Finding Meaningful Travel Mementos
Photos by Richard Giordano All I wanted was a pack of Japanese sheet masks. A seemingly simple task, but as I entered Don Quijote’s brightly lit shopfront, welcomed by the store’s familiar jingle, I was met by the crush of people akin to the nearby Shibuya Scramble Crossing. Shoulder to shoulder with my fellow shoppers,…
EP325 | Principles of Overlanding: App Navigation with Chris Cordes
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady discusses the core principles of overlanding navigation with Chris Cordes, highlighting primary, secondary, contingency, and emergency backups. They compare three main app categories: turn-by-turn tools like Google Maps, reference/layer apps like iOverlander and Tracks4Africa, and hybrid discipline-specific platforms such as onX and Gaia. While Google excels at everyday routing…
Gear Callout: Laundry at Camp
I haven’t owned a washing machine since 2018, when we sold our first house on wheels, a 40-foot diesel motorhome. Through the intervening years, as my family’s movable homes have shrunk in size, my appreciation for modern appliances has deepened. Some days at camp, when I’m playing catch-up, I relate to Mary Lois Walker Morris,…
Deep Breaths at 10,000 Feet
There’s a corner of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that, until recently, I had only known in winter, except for a few summer trips to ski glaciers and couloirs when the snow had gone soft and gray, and little rivers of meltwater ran beneath your skis. I had passed through Cooke City plenty of times, but…
Classic Kit: The Hi-Lift Jack
To honor the 20-year anniversary of Overland Journal, we are revisiting special heritage content in the upcoming 100th issue of the magazine. Originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2012 issue, this article is part of that celebration. It is the unsung hero of expedition travel, an essential piece of kit that any mindful backcountry regular…
Autonomous Overlanding?
For almost 130 years, the automobile has been built around the fundamental assumption there would be a human inside controlling the machine. In every vehicle ever made, that human sits behind a steering wheel, presses an accelerator to go faster, and pushes a brake pedal to slow down. They have buttons, switches, and levers to…
Defender Wolf Series II Debuts as Reports Point to a US-built Defender Pickup
I recently spent a weekend surrounded by—and driving—the “new” Defender. While I appreciate the luster and luxury of these vehicles, I’m most drawn to their form and function. My own old Defender is beaten and bruised, carrying the scars of countless adventures while continuing to support my dreams. Wouldn’t a basic, rough-and-ready Defender be exactly…
EP324 | Get Out Go: Bridging Cultures Through Overland Adventures
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady speaks with Christoff and Vanessa Ailert of Get Out Go! about overlanding across Southern Africa and the US. They compare community culture, gear needs, and why items like rooftop tents or extra fuel are less essential in North America. Sharing insights from full-time vehicle travel, they emphasize weight management,…
Jeep Invasion 2026: Hankook Dynapro in Pigeon Forge
Upside-down buildings, Titanic replicas, wax museums, Dollywood, and over 20,000 Jeeps scattered in between. Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion is back in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for its 14th annual event! Just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, over 50,000 Jeep enthusiasts flocked to the LeConte Center for a three-day event packed with community meetups, vendor booths,…
The UK Isn’t Coming to Defender Trophy. That Has Precedent.
The Defender Trophy is getting closer, with two-person teams selected from around the world to compete in Africa this October on a three-week adventure that hasn’t been paralleled since 2006’s G4 Challenge. Over 70 countries were invited to participate, from the USA and Canada to Brunei to Northern Cyprus. The one glaring exception: the United…
Classic Kit: The Pith Helmet
To honor the 20-year anniversary of Overland Journal, we are revisiting special heritage content in the upcoming 100th issue of the magazine. Originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2010 issue, this article is part of that celebration. Home, they say, is where you hang your hat. If that hat happened to be the legendary pith…
EP323 | Rugged Destinations: A Family’s Journey
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady chats with Amanda and Patrick from Rugged Destinations. They share highlights from pre-running the Back 400 and skills course at XOverland Ranch in their newly built Mitsubishi Canter JDM firetruck, their passion for JDM imports, and what inspired their outdoor travel. The couple discusses transitioning from traditional careers—Patrick as…
10 Things to Know About Overlanding Mongolia
Photography by Richard Giordano Summer is an exciting time in Mongolia. City dwellers flock to the countryside to enjoy the annual Naadam Festival, a celebration centered around wrestling, horse racing, and archery competitions. Nomads move to their summer gers (yurts), where green grass and warmer temperatures are enjoyed by multi-generational families and their meandering livestock….
Inside Bronco Stampede 2026 in Pigeon Forge
Bronco Stampede 2026: Pigeon Forge Goes All-in on the Bronco You know pretty quickly when the Bronco Stampede arrives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Broncos fill hotel parking lots, stack up along the Parkway, and keep cruising through town long after the show closes. The fourth annual Smoky Mountain Bronco Stampede returned to the LeConte Center…
Hyundai Confirms New Body-on-Frame Pickup
Hyundai recently announced its plan to go after the heart of the North American adventure truck market. At its 2026 CEO Investor Day, the company confirmed that a new body-on-frame mid-size pickup is part of its product plan, with the truck expected to arrive in North America before 2030. Hyundai says it will be designed…
Field Tested: Pelican ATX and Aegis Carry-On Luggage
Airline travel without checking bags is a cheat code that is well worth striving for. Free yourself from the worry of theft, damage, and lost luggage (and the wasted time associated) with either of these two premium carry-on options from Pelican. Both offer organized space for up to a week of travel between laundry cycles…
Field Tested: The Campspotter App
Michiel Pruijssers thought he had planned the perfect camping trip. The weather forecast looked good, the campspot ideal. But when a powerful storm rolled in and ruined the experience, Michiel, a longtime outdoorsperson and SAR volunteer, felt unprepared. Thus, he built Campspotter, an app with a simple mission: to make finding and planning your next…
Mitsubishi Launches Fifth-Generation Pajero
The fifth-generation Mitsubishi Pajero was just unveiled in Tokyo, marking the return of the highly respected nameplate that disappeared from the global market in 2021. After five years away, the Pajero is back as Mitsubishi’s flagship SUV, and this time the company is taking direct aim at vehicles like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Defender….