During a recent tour of Central America, we dragged ourselves away from Antigua, Guatemala, to visit blissful Lake Atitlán. The access road to the lake is a steep suicide pass with 17 hairpin turns, the acrid smell of burnt brakes, and clutches lingering in the green jungle air. Relieved, hot, and bothered, we reached the…
Category Archives: 4WD
Bearmach Land Rover Parts Placed Under Administration
Land Rover owners and mechanics, particularly those who own and work on older vehicles, were shocked to discover last week that the well-respected and popular aftermarket retailer, Bearmach, has thrown in the towel. The company was incorporated on 24 April 1958, originally trading as Bearings and Machinery before the name was changed to Bearmach in…
Feature Vehicle :: 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 V8
Once a year, I fall happily down the Top Gear rabbit hole and binge the “Specials,” where the chaps generally buy old vehicles within a genre and start the episode off by putting the vehicles under extreme pressure to expose the vehicles’ weaknesses, thereby making them unreliable. They will then modify the vehicles to be…
Nomadix Puffer Blanket: An Ultra-versatile Blanket For Minimalist Overlanders and Travelers
“Own Less. Do More” is more a manifesto than just a tagline for Nomadix. They call their first and most popular product The Only Towel You Need. In short, it’s designed to work for everything you could possibly use a towel for. Nomadix’s original towel is lightweight, super-absorbent, odor and sand-resistant, and dries quickly. And…
Expo Gear You Will Want to Explore: Savvy Creations for Outdoor Comfort
Amid massive builds with habitat boxes, larger-than-life bumpers, rooftop tents, and overlanding gear at this year’s Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado, the displays of homegrown and sustainable-minded companies punctuated the landscape. These are the companies and products that always garner my attention for their creative ability to meet industry demands and emerging markets….
Video of the Week :: End of the World Rig
Gordon Clement from Gordofromearth might just be a genius and will be one of the few survivors of a Zombie Apocalypse. His 2003 International BlueBird school bus conversion into an overland rig is astounding. The rig is enormous (36.5-feet long) yet completely functional and, yes, cool. He has managed to master every element on his…
The AEONrv is an All-American All-Rounder
The AEONrv is based on the Ford Transit EcoBoost 350 AWD platform and is being marketed as the first true all-season, electric cabin, off-road capable, new and modern (AEON, get it?), four-person recreational vehicle, retailing at $199,500 (plus fees and taxes). The fifth of a million dollar question is will this vehicle be worth the…
Classifieds :: 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 with Nimbl Camper
I may be biased about this rig, as we’re currently driving around Central America with a Nimbl camper on a stock Dodge Ram 2500, but in all honesty, I am loving it. We are and have always been Land Rover people. We would argue with the Cruiser fanatics and would not waiver in our dedication…
The Caracat Floating Camper Trailer – The Sky is the Limit!
Many long-distance, long-term overlanders eventually become sailors, or cruisers as they are known, who choose to explore the planet by water once they have had their fill of exploring by land. Why? Well, living on the water has distinct advantages (and obvious disadvantages); you can fish for protein, do not have to pay for camping…
Feature Vehicle :: Overland Site’s 1998 Iveco TurboDaily 4×4
Photography by Richard Giordano Ferenc Elekes received email alerts from mobile.de for two years before a 1998 Iveco TurboDaily 4×4 classified ad showed up in his inbox. The vehicle was 1,000 kilometers away from Ferenc’s home base in Hungary, but he and partner Evelin Veisz decided to commit to it sight unseen. Sure, the owner…
Fly-and-Drive Kit: Universal Equipment That Works Anywhere in the World
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2022 Issue. Over the years, I have found myself stepping into rented or borrowed vehicles for a myriad of trips. These adventures include flying into a destination, borrowing a vehicle, and dry camping for multiple days. Last year I chased the Baja 1000 and needed…
Scosche Powerup 600 Torch Portable Emergency Car Jumpstarter: For The Time When Your Vehicle Needs A Jump
Headquartered in Ventura County, California, Scosche is a family-owned company of outdoor enthusiasts that creates consumer technology for adventurers. They make vehicle accessories, car audio products, and other electronics, testing them in real-world scenarios to see how they’ll fare. I’ve been testing the Scosche Powerup 600 Torch portable emergency jumpstarter for the past month. I…
Making it Out Alive: Learn to save your own life or the one you love
Fieldcraft Survival and TacMed Solutions, companies providing industry-leading medical, simulation, and protection solutions for combat military personnel and first responders, collaborated on this comprehensive trauma kit, the MTK (Mobility Trauma Kit), with everyday mobility, off-roading, and overlanding in mind. The kit includes everything you could need in a life-threatening emergency: a tourniquet, modular bandages, combat…
Go Fast Campers Introduces Maverick XL Hybrid Platform Camper
Overland vehicles are becoming increasingly intricate and expensive but, truth be told, overland travel is not so much about the vehicle as it is about the journey, and every dollar spent on the vehicle is a dollar less that can be invested in actual travel. What if we told you that you could have a…
Feature Vehicle :: Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2022 Issue When selecting a vehicle platform to explore Australia’s wild and remote corners, the list of iconic badges is staggering. Over the years, the Aussie market has been blessed with virtually every platform and model of serious 4×4 ever produced. After years of dreaming,…
BioLite BaseCharge 1500 Rechargeable Power Station and SolarPanel 100: The User-Friendly Battery Bank and Solar Panel For Everything, Anywhere
BioLite’s mission is to empower people and do good for the planet by providing access to renewable energy in the developing world, especially in East Africa. Until now, BioLite has mainly done this by creating products for sustainable cooking, home lighting, and low-power devices. BioLite has historically sold energy-efficient smokeless fire pits, wood stoves for…
Bulbag USA: The best little bag on the planet
UkoalaBag has undoubtedly grown in popularity since its inception in 2013. The multi-pocketed pouch bag has become a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts because of its ability to carry a wide variety of essentials while being effortlessly strapped to the hip of its wearer. And now, with the release of Bulbag USA, the Georgia-based company is…
Yolo Family Vanlife :: How This Canadian Family Left the Nine-to-Five to Overland Europe
When Juve, Margie, and their children Zara and Max left their driveway in Vancouver, BC, their travel schedule was all planned out. A spreadsheet was filled with countries, areas to visit, and activities they would do during their overland trip from Canada to Europe. “[In the beginning], we over-planned and overpacked,” Margie says. Half an…
Life Giving Warmth Kodiak Battery Powered Heating Blanket: The Warmth Of A Heating Blanket Without Being Tethered To A Power Cord
Life Giving Warmth was started by Paul and Carolynne LaRue to keep their daughter, Brianna, warm while out on adventures. Brianna has Cerebral Palsy and needs to stay warm because of the poor circulation her disease causes. So out of necessity, Life Giving Warmth was born with the creation of the Cozee, the world’s first-ever…
Skyway to Highway, Overlanding notes from a bush pilot
It seems Ramona Cox was born for adventure. She won’t share the locations of her favorite fishing holes, but she’s quick to share her survival stories with other adventurers, whether they travel by land, air, or sea. The Hollywood, California, native has adventured through 50 countries, pushing the limits of her comfort zones and navigating…