I like to keep my car packed with whatever I’d need for my favorite outdoor pursuits. On any given day, my car is full of camping gear, bike gear, a camp cook setup, and probably more. But since I also use my vehicle for hauling people, groceries, and other less adventurous things, a lot of…
Join onX OffRoad For a 101 Live Tutorial: Master the App
On Aug 4, 2022 06:00 PM in Mountain Time (US and Canada) onX OffRoad crew members will walk clients through how to use each of the onX OffRoad app’s features and offer tips to optimize your planning for off-road season. Instruction will cover how to find trails, save offline maps, share waypoints and make a…
Is 4WD Essential for International Overland Travel?
Traveler friends Thomas and Sabine from Bavaria, Germany, recently sent me a typically entertaining message. “Next week, I’ll have a talk to around 100 interested people on Explorer-Ostsee-Camp concerning the question 4WD in Travel Reality—How much 4WD do you really need? My personal thoughts about that are only some of all possible. I’d love to add…
Land Rover To Gift Custom Defender 130s to Five Charities
The Land Rover Defender has a long history of doing important things and being a vehicle capable of saving and changing lives. This noble tradition continues, and Land Rover announced on Monday, the launch of its second annual ‘Defender Service Awards’ (presented by Chase, the consumer banking company) to celebrate and support U.S. non-profit and…
Gaia Maps Introduces Gaia Overland
GPS mapping has changed the way we travel and explore. With the convenience of data at our fingertips, we are able to spend more time exploring and enjoying those beautiful routes and destinations and less time planning routes, and worrying about how far the next gas station or campsite will be. Having all the necessary…
Living the Good Life
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2022 Issue. “Boys, seriously! Knock it off!” I really couldn’t blame them—we were on day 15 of our month-long trip, exploring Montana and filming our family for the first time for our new Solo Series on Expedition Overland. We were all piled into our…
High Fives Foundation and Return to Dirt Provide Off-Road Access to Individuals with Disabilities
Photography by Chris Bartkowski/Generikal When Tim Burr broke his neck backcountry skiing at age 19, he received valuable advice from High Fives Founder and CEO Roy Tuscany: “It will never be the same, but it can still be awesome.” Burr went on to found Colorado-based Return to Dirt, a non-profit organization providing complimentary adaptive equipment…
Overland Embassy Guides Darién Gap Crossing for Travelers
Photo credits: Alejandro Huerta Franco The Darién Gap crossing between Panama and Colombia is many overlanders’ first exposure to the red tape of transcontinental vehicle shipping. Some travelers are so overwhelmed by the paperwork and costs involved they turn around and return the way they came. Others take a deep breath and plunge in, embracing…
Overland News of the Week
REI Co-op Trailgate Vehicle Sleeping Platform Two pieces of gear caught my attention at the Northwest Overland Rally, and REI Co-op’s Trailgate Vehicle Sleeping Platform was one of them. Car camping is arguably the most accessible form of vehicle-based travel for most, and I can see how a tiny interior could be made functional by…
The Overlander Film Festival is Back in Spring 2023
Exploring the planet by vehicle is no easy feat; avoiding danger, navigating perilous roads, and dealing with dangerous animals and potentially hostile areas while motivating yourself and your companions through heat, sleet, and occasional suffering. Try doing all of that while filming the adventure – taking the time to maintain your precious equipment, plan content,…
The BAM Electric UTV IS Getting Ready for Blast Off
The styling of the BAM E103 Freestyle UTV (utility terrain vehicle) reminds one of a sporty, compact Alfa Romeo, but the similarity ends there. Fully electric and designed to offer premium styling matched with blistering on and off-road performance, the BAM UTV is bound to bring a new level of excitement to a market segment…
Pon Steyn 4X4 – Where Classic Land Rovers are Reborn
If you are a Land Rover Defender Classic fan, you will have noticed that over the last few years, more and more of these vehicles are being restored and sold internationally, some changing hands for ludicrous amounts of money. As someone who has traveled the planet and lived in a Defender for more than a decade, I…
The Kammok Crosswing is Killing it on Kickstarter
I have an awning on my Defender; it is very well made but relatively poorly designed. To set it up, I need to motivate the assistance of a teenager or my ever-busy wife, and over the next five minutes of unzipping, unrolling, pole deployment, and leveling, a relationship may very well suffer. Yes, I could…
Land Cruisers of the Drug War
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Spring 2022 Issue. First synthesized in the late 1850s, Sigmund Freud was an early advocate of cocaine in addition to being an addict, prescribing it for depression and other conditions. In the late 1800s, coca leaves found themselves on the ingredient list for Coca-cola, and in…
Overland News of the Week
Purtrek 2-in-1 Trekking Poles Purtrek have developed an ingenious water solution for while out hiking. The innovative, “why didn’t I think of that” 2-in-1 trekking pole provides you with clean and safe water on hand, on-demand, and frees up space in your backpack. The trekking pole has an integrated water filtration system that you submerge,…
EarthCruiser Launches Overland Tours Division: EarthCruiser Adventure
Picture yourself with dust on your skin, a campfire blazing, partaking in an excellent conversation with a like-minded adventurer in a location so far from the beaten track that you had to earn the cold drink in your hand. The only distant light to be seen is galactic. This is an experience that many of…
There’s Something for Everyone at This Year’s Northwest Overland Rally
Photography by Richard Giordano Nestled in the Beaver Valley and surrounded by the pine trees of the Wenatchee National Forest and the Cascade Mountains lies a field that, once a year, fills with trucks, vans, and cars, old and new, tents of all shapes and sizes, and overland fanatics, young and old(er). The brainchild of…
Sierra Trek Celebrates 55th Anniversary
The morning sun streamed through tall stands of fir and pine, taking the edge off the alpine chill and illuminating a dusty two-track that disappeared into the forest. Ed Dunkley poured a cuppa joe and glanced down the row of Jeeps, Broncos, and Scouts before him. They were lined up for a new trail ride…
Full-size Revolution: Overland Full-size Truck of the Year
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2022 Issue. Times change. What was old is new, what was smaller is now bigger, and the lines blur within every automotive category. Travelers are finding the benefits of a slightly larger vehicle that is designed to carry heavy loads day in and day out….
Outdoor Adventure X Launching at Snowbasin Resort in 2023
Outdoor expo enthusiasts can look forward to a new experience-based consumer festival scheduled for June 16 to 18, 2023, at the Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville, Utah. The three-day Outdoor Adventure X event will offer hands-on outdoor product experiences catering to campers, climbers, cyclists, hikers, overlanders, and more, along with education, advocacy programs, live music, films,…