Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2021 Issue. Bell-bottoms and platform shoes are en vogue. Bee Gees’ disco hits top the music charts while Grease is the must-see film of the summer. Stephen King publishes The Stand, Cold War tensions will continue for another 13 years, and the Berlin Wall…
DefenderX – The Last Great Overland Adventure?
In an age where it has all been done before, there remains one great overland challenge. A team of explorers has set out to drive two prepared Land Rover Defender 110’s from London to New York, without the aid of airlifts or boats. Currently the team has made it all the way to Tjita, Russia…
Nimbl Camper Factory Visit
Nimbl Campers was born out of the remnants of XP Campers which was sold at auction in August 2019. Jon Turner, Judd Newman, and investors saw an opportunity and invested in a business that they rightly believed had incredible potential. Currently, the company’s order book is full, and plans are afoot to expand production by…
Rebelle Rally Provides Testing Ground for EV Range Potential
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2021 Issue. Photography by Richard Giordano The electric vehicle revolution is here. From Long Way Up to the Extreme E Challenge, electric vehicles are gaining popularity and exhibiting great potential. With countless automotive manufacturers announcing plans to build all-electric pickup trucks, such as Tesla’s…
PCOR Launches Accessories for Toyota Tacoma in the USA
PCOR, an Australian company (and a division of Patriot campers) has just launched a range of accessories for the ever popular Toyota Tacoma, these products include bed trays and canopies complimented by a range of electronic accessories. The launch coincides with Expedition Overland’s new five part YouTube series ‘The Last Frontier‘, in preparation for the…
Feature Vehicle Interior :: Troopy Girl’s Land Cruiser VDJ78
Scrolling through Marlee Calabro’s @troopygirl Instagram account is like a soothing balm for the nervous system. Often parked on sugary sands with aquamarine waters in the background, her white Land Cruiser VDJ78 Troop Carrier’s interior is so clean, so minimalist, and so well-laid-out that it has inspired the interior design of a handful of Troopy…
Australian Off Road Campers Now Available For Purchase in the US
Las Vegas-based dealership XGrid Campers is now the exclusive importer and US retailer for Australian Off Road (AOR) campers, making their Sierra and Sierra ZR trailer models now available for purchase in the US. With proprietary independent trailing arm suspension, a 41-degree departure angle, and a Cruisemaster DO35 articulating hitch, the AOR Sierra was designed…
Lexus 2022 LX600 Overland Test
The New North American 300-Series Land Cruiser Wears a Lexus badge. The Land Cruiser remains one of the most exceptional and prolific overland platforms ever created, with every variant carrying the legacy of the original 1951 BJ through almost 80 years of global exploration. In North America, we have enjoyed nearly every series of the…
The 2022 Nevada Trophy Registration is Open
The Nevada Trophy 2022 will be the 26th year of the event which makes this GPS “rally raid” the oldest in North America, preceding geocaching. The event is is based on the Camel Trophy and the organizers have chosen to expand the event which will take place from the 16th to the 19th February 2022 in…
Live Work Wander to Present at Mule Outfitters
We are all familiar with Live Work Wander and the amazing work that they have done documenting their journey within the USA and abroad over the last decade. Not only are they gifted film-makers and writers, the couple have built some incredible overland vehicles, we have seen their newest Land Cruiser and it is exceptionally…
Nimbl Evolution Camper Review
The Donner Pass has a formidable reputation, and this festive winter found a South African family driving a marvelous vehicle over record depths of ice and snow—white-knuckled. Us Southern Hemisphere people know as much about snow as you might about sangomas and umqombothi, and to be perfectly honest, we avoid the white stuff as we travel…
Black Series HQ19 Trailer
Photography by Richard Giordano When I sent a membership request to the Black Series Camper US Facebook group, I felt like a bit of an infiltrator. Sure, I had spent over a month in the 2020 Black Series HQ19 and had my own opinions about the trailer, but I was also genuinely curious how the…
Overlanding Tibet to the Gyantse Horse Festival
I put my hand in the air and flagged down a taxi at the Chengdu International Airport in Sichuan, China. I lugged my large pack into the trunk and slid into the pleather seats. Thus began the same Chinese conversation I’d had hundreds of times before: Where are you from? How did you learn to…
OHV launches a Limited-Slip Differential for Mercedes Sprinter
Off Highway Van “OHV” based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has launched a bolt-in limited-slip differential for 2WD or 4WD Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans in both the NCV3 (2007-2018) and VS30 (2019+) chassis. The OHV limited-slip differential is designed for the build and upfit community as well as fleet services with the goal of improving off-road…
Humanity :: A Christmas Miracle in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Photography by Richard Giordano Perhaps one of the most luxurious gifts an overlander can receive is a (fully paid for!) apartment rental for the holidays. In December 2013, we parked our little 1990 Toyota Pickup on the curb, excitedly hauling our belongings up several sets of stairs to a cute apartment in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico….
Featured Vehicle Interior: Equipt Founder Paul May’s 200-Series Land Cruiser
Equipt Expedition Outfitters Founder and President Paul May has been involved in the overland industry for over two decades and was building overland vehicles in North America well before the term “overland” became a buzzword. May identifies himself not as a Toyota guy but a Land Cruiser guy at his core. He knows what he…
Auto Hotels: What Does Luxury “Love” Accommodation Have to Do with Overland Travel?
After a long day on our motorcycles, my riding partner, Dave, and I, were in Guanajuato, Mexico, looking for a place to stay. We found a hotel on the side of the road, just out of town. The place looked nice—possibly too expensive for our budget, but we decided to see how much a night…
The Rare GMC DUKW Truck
The DUKW (known as a Duck) is a six-wheel-drive modified amphibious truck used by the US military during World War II and D-Day beaches of Normandy. General Motors Corporation and Sparkman & Stephens designed this truck to transport troops and goods over land and water, but some enthusiasts have taken to restoring them and utilising…
Vehicle Feature :: Overland Under Budget’s DIY First Gen Tacoma Camper Build
Micah Weber’s custom 2001 Toyota Tacoma camper build began many years ago with the ultimate building blocks. For many, this might have meant the completion of a welding certificate or mechanic’s ticket or expertise in metalwork. But for Weber, the build began with childlike wonder, a love for anything motorized, a passion for creation and…
Video of the Week: Lea Rieck Rides Valley of the Gods, Moki Dugway
Some of us are sitting here in the dark days of winter dreaming of sunnier riding climates. Arizona and Utah rarely see a day without sun, and this video shot at Valley of the Gods and Moki Dugway from Got2Go is just what I needed on this rainy Pacific Northwest afternoon. Not only does the…