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…
Icon Leveling Lift Kit for Ford Bronco
Lifting the body of a vehicle is often achieved by installing a suspension upgrade, which is more often than not a costly exercise. The Icon Leveling Lift Kit for 2021 and newer Ford Broncos provides an easy to install, economical, and performance-enhancing method of gaining the necessary clearance to run larger tires. The kit consists…
Driving the 2021 Copperstate Overland Rally
Photography by Tom Leigh/Tommy Gun Images On a late October afternoon in Northeast Tucson, at one of America’s old-time ranches, “old-time” vehicles made their way through dark wooden gates, past the horse barns, and toward the main house of the Tanque Verde Ranch. The participants of the 2021 Copperstate Overland have gathered for a yearly…
EV Future
I honestly do not understand the resistance, sometimes passionate, to the electric vehicle revolution. For the last few months, I toured the USA in an old, under-powered V8 Range Rover and the dismal 10 mpg mileage combined with near-record gas prices ate up most of my travel budget. It would have been cheaper to rent…
Rebelle Rally Continues to Up the Ante as Proving Ground for EVs
When Rebelle Rally Founder Emily Miller states that the vehicle parked in your driveway is more capable than you think, she means it. From Porsche to Rolls Royce, Jeep, and Ford—old and new—this event proves that even the most unassuming grocery runner can transform into an off-pavement warrior fit for a long-distance rally. And this…
No Time to Burn
I’d never heard such thunder, and it was getting closer—I could feel each crash reverberate in my chest. It was like enemy mortar shells finding their range. Then there were the punches of lightning, so close they seemed only feet away from my rooftop tent. Maybe the tires on my ’99 4Runner would insulate me….
Mopar Announces ’22 Dodge Durango
Building upon more than 10 years of low-volume, factory-backed vehicle customization, Mopar this week announced a new limited-production vehicle featuring a special-edition package of unique quality-tested, factory-backed performance parts and accessories from the Mopar Custom Shop—the Mopar ’22 Dodge Durango. The new performance SUV, which was on display November 2-5 in the Mopar booth at…
Nissan Aims to Impress at SEMA with Overland Projects
Nissan is yet another auto manufacturer to realize the potential of the overland sector. For the 2021 SEMA Show, which is being held from November 2-5, Nissan will introduce a number of vehicles featuring significant upgrades to appeal to the off-road enthusiast. The Frontier and Pathfinder are sure to turn heads, but we have a…
8 Things We Learned from 4WD Master Trainer Nena Barlow
Photography by Richard Giordano If you flip to the masthead section of Overland Journal magazine, there lies a list of folks whose names you may never see grace the bylines, but their roles are incredibly important. A small but mighty team sees to the day-to-day operation of Expedition Portal and Overland Journal; individuals come from…
Toyota USA Unveils Three Concept Truck Builds at SEMA 2021
Toyota unveiled three truck-specific build concepts at the 2021 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. What we’ve seen of the Tacozilla Tacoma Camper and TRD Desert Chase Tundra so far has been via Toyota USA’s YouTube channel, so we’re pleased to finally put eyes on them (along with the Tacoma Overlanding Concept Vehicle) under the…
Chinook-Inspired Toyota ‘Tacozilla’ Camper to Debut at SEMA
Toyota will debut a Chinook-inspired camper converted TRD Sport Tacoma at this year’s SEMA show on November 2. Referred to as the Tacozilla, the project is a throwback to the classic Toyota Chinooks sold in the 1970s and early 1980s. “The idea of this vehicle is to be able to take a camper anywhere on…
Field Tested – Wagan Tech
I am not going to lie. Electricity and I are not amigos; we have not reached an understanding. In the past, I have regarded electricity as necessary but fickle, demanding and potentially dangerous, expensive and unreliable – like the ex-wife I have yet to marry. For years we have struggled with onboard power as we…