By Matt Swartz and Scott Brady Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2022 Issue. Few vehicles offer the overland traveler versatility, utility, and flexibility like a pickup truck. But that doesn’t mean it’s the perfect platform. Pickup trucks are kind of like a blank canvas, offering loads of potential in the…
Category Archives: 4WD
Video of the Week :: Overland Site “Alaska Highway”
If Overland Site sounds familiar, that’s because we recently featured their epic 1998 Iveco TurboDaily 4×4 on Expedition Portal and were also fortunate to interview the Hungarian duo on the Overland Journal Podcast. Their website is a wonderful travel resource with detailed blogs, gear reviews, overlanding guides, and even a step-by-step course to getting sponsorship. Their…
Overland News of the Week, January 6th, 2023
Rigid Industries Announce 2022+ Tundra Kits Stock lighting is often adequate at best and can feel insufficient when navigating the backcountry in low light (avoid trail driving at night unless absolutely necessary). However, fear not, as a wide array of aftermarket auxiliary lights provide extraordinary output in a compact package. Rigid Industries has long been…
ARB Linx Accessory Interface Long-Term Review
ARB is, arguably, one of the most recognizable and respected brands operating in the overland and 4WD travel sector. For years we have coveted ARB products, and we were excited to find that our current overland vehicle came equipped with a host of ARB gear, namely a bull bar, front and rear lockers, rear airbags,…
Georgia, the Road Leads Back to You
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2022 Issue. Georgia—not the American state Ray Charles and Martin Luther King hailed from, but the little-known country located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe—is a mountainous place of wild and astonishing beauty. Monasteries, watchtowers, and fortresses dating to the Middle Ages stand…
Is the Practical Winnebago Sprinter Adventure Wagon Modular Camper Worth the Price Tag?
Overlanding’s cousin #vanlife has been growing in leaps and bounds over the last decade and threatens to become the lifestyle of choice for college dropouts and retirees. The good news is that the vans, which scoot relentlessly from the Walmart parking lot to National Forest and BLM land and back, can also drive down to…
Destinations :: Kyrgyzstan’s Karakol Region
Karakol is a convenient hub to explore the magical surroundings of its mountains and the immense Lake Issyk-Kul. It’s a great home base in Eastern Kyrgyzstan to stock up on food, water, and fuel; get your laundry done; take a rest (Riverside Guesthouse lets overlanders camp in the parking lot for a small fee); and…
Die Raat vir Elke Kwaal: A CJ-3B Jeep Sluks its Way Through Botswana
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2022 Issue. At a crossing in the wild country of the Limpopo River may be found Gatvanolfant, the elephants’ hole. Here is also Oerwoud Store with the Wiltshire, a pub established in past times by a British Army unit that once guarded the drift…
Favorite Overland Journal Podcast Episodes of 2022
Whether folks were driving, pumping iron at the gym, scrubbing stubborn bathroom tiles, or taking Fido for a walk, an estimated 120 million listeners tuned in to an endless supply of podcasts in 2021. This figure will undoubtedly rise by the end of 2022 as podcast popularity continues to grow and the holiday season wraps…
The Worst Off-Roader Ever Made, Anywhere
Back in the 1970s, during the dark, torrid days of Apartheid, South Africa fought a Cold War proxy conflict against a collective of international communists in Angola. Due to the oppressive, racist regime and the policy of “separate development,” international sanctions were imposed against the country, limiting the average consumer’s options for purchasing everything from…
Mercedes-Benz Concept EQT Marco Polo Revealed
As the motoring industry embraces EVs and straight-off-the-showroom-floor campers, Mercedes-Benz has combined both in a compact and attractive package. Scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2023, the EQT Marco Polo will offer buyers the reliability and driver experience expected from the brand with a practical and fully electric small van based on…
Overlanding in the Underserved Communities : Interview with Kirk Williams
Kirk Williams, a Coloradan, is an active outdoorsman, storyteller, and adventurer who courageously travels overland despite a physical mobility impairment. When Kirk was in his early twenties, he had an unfortunate mountain biking accident, broke his neck, and was relegated to a wheelchair. That, however, has not hindered his drive and zest for life. Kirk…
The Camp Trap
It is inevitable that after a few arduous weeks or months on the road, you will eventually roll into an overland camp with the intention of staying only a night or two just to shower and rest or perhaps repair a limping vehicle. Blink and three weeks have flown blissfully by, grass may have grown…
Is It a Bollinger, Is It a Defender? Yes and No. It Is the Munro MK1
You might be forgiven for thinking that the boxy Scottish Munro EV MK1 is a repurposed Bollinger EV SUV as the two vehicles are remarkably similar. The reason for this is quite simple: Ross Compton, the creative force behind Munro MK1 was, before the shelving of the Bollinger B1 and B2 SUVs, a member of…
Stranded in the Simpson
This is a story of preparedness, teamwork, resilience, and love. It is an insight into the power of the press, the positives and negatives of the digital world, and an intimate, raw, and self-effacing account of an overlanding disaster. In 2021, nearing the end of their 14-month Australian adventure, the Zavros family, also known as…
Video of the Week :: Blue Line Co. Goes Fishing for an Isuzu
Overlanding isn’t only a pursuit for itself. In fact, many of us fell into overlanding while chasing other passions. Backroads travel, mountain biking, climbing, fishing, or just regular old car camping can be the inspiration to build an overland rig all your own. A well-thought-out adventure vehicle will help get you to more isolated campsites,…
Overland News of the Week, December 9th, 2022
The Polydrop Trailer The Polydrop trailer is designed primarily with EVs in mind and is not strictly a camping trailer; it is a personal travel space you can take with you wherever you go. This distinction is important as you will notice that the trailer does not come equipped with the gear and accessories one…
Classifieds :: 1974 Pinzgauer 712 6×6 on auction
If you are looking for a vehicle with more character than a Tarantino flick, this Pinzgauer 6×6 featured on Bring A Trailer may be just the vehicle for you! This Pinzgauer 712 was manufactured by Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG in Austria, and the ambulance conversion was most likely executed by German coachbuilder Miesen. The rear box of…
Classifieds :: Royal Land Rover Series 1 on auction
Land Rovers are synonymous with the Royal family, who travel to informal events almost exclusively in Range Rovers and about their vast estates with Defenders and Series vehicles. When people comment that my Defender’s steering wheel is on the wrong side of the vehicle, I remind them that the Queen drove her Defender with the…
Featured Vehicle :: Rafiki on Tour Defender 110
The Land Rover Defender 110 is, in our humble opinion, the quintessential overland vehicle. They are so charming and quirky that they become more than just a simple conveyance as you travel and explore—a Defender becomes the center of your universe. No matter how many hours you spend driving (or repairing) them, at the end…