In this episode of the Overland Journal Podcast, host Ashley Giordano interviews Monika and Gary Wescott, seasoned photojournalists with 50 years of travel experience. They share insights into the Turtle Expedition, detailing the custom build and features of their Turtle V vehicle. The Wescotts also reflect on the evolution of travel photography, communication on the…
Category Archives: 4WD
The White Desert: The Expeditions 7 Team Crosses Antarctica
Photography by Chris Collard and Scott Brady 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 Spring 2015 issue, this article is part of that celebration. Beyond the windscreen, I can barely make out the edge of…
OV Routes: Coronado Borderlands Arizona Traverse
The city of Nogales, Arizona, has long been our preferred border crossing as we make our way down, or up, from our base in central Mexico. Yes, the Baja route south is far more fun, but it is too easy to get stuck for a month, as you soon convince yourself that just one more…
Twenty-eight Days, 6,000 Miles, Five Land Rovers, and a Big Bag of Money
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 2007 issue, this article is part of that celebration. “Oh, by the way, you will also have to figure out how to get through the mine field…
The Exhibit Curator: Slow Travel in a Series One Land Rover
Illustration by Michele Dallorso 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 2021 issue, this article is part of that celebration. I stepped out of the airy hall of Durban’s King Shaka International Airport with…
OV Conservation: SOTA Convoys Mobile Desert Oases
Burundi is a small country in the heart of Africa. There is a lovely road that runs from the largest city, Bujumbura, into the hills. “These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and [with continued apologies to Alan Paton] they are lovely beyond any singing of it.” Burundi is also the second poorest country in the…
On the Jaguar Trail: The Cats of Arizona’s Borderlands
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 2008 issue, this article is part of that celebration. Photography by Roseann Hanson, Jonathan Hanson, Scott Brady, and Brian DeArmon August 31, 1996 – Baboquivari Mountains, southern…
Field Tested: Gnara x Livsn EcoTrek Overalls
The Gnara x Livsn EcoTrek Overalls are one of those rare pieces of outdoor clothing that feel genuinely designed for women who actually spend time outside. For a pair of technical, utilitarian overalls, they’re surprisingly comfortable, and I wear mine constantly, much to my husband’s disdain. He says I always look comfortable, but also like…
Overland News of the Week, October 9, 2026
Vintage Rides Iron Horse Nomad Trails Documentary Film Coming Soon Each year, Vintage Rides brings the vision of motorcycle travel to life by producing an original documentary film centered on heartfelt stories of adventure. In the latest edition (launching October 15), Vintage Rides tour leader Johann Rousselot arrives in Kyrgyzstan and sets off alone on…
Magic Girl of the Pamirs
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…
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,…