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…
Category Archives: 4WD
Overland News of the Week, July 8th, 2022
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, June 23rd, 2022
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,…
Destination: Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador
Photography by Richard Giordano At 5,897 meters (19,347 feet), Cotopaxi is Ecuador’s second-highest peak and one of the highest active volcanoes on the planet. Located a mere 30 miles from the Ecuadorian capital city, Quito, the park is well-visited and offers enough to keep visitors entertained for several days, including camping, hiking, off-pavement driving, and…
Decked Introduces the CargoGlide Heavy Duty Sliding Platform
We have all been there – that one article of gear that you can’t leave home without will lie back there in the rear corner of the load area tauntingly when you need it. Be it a second tool box or a torque wrench, the spare parts box, or a spare tire, you know that…
Feature Vehicle Interior :: 4×4 Panda’s 1998 Puch 290 GD Mercedes G-Wagon
Many overlanders find that much of the fun begins once the shifter is secured in Park. For Austrians Birgit and Klemens (known online as 4×4 Panda), their 1998 Puch 290 GD Mercedes G-Wagon is the vessel that transports them to trailheads, crags, and ski hills, where they mountaineer, ski tour, and rock and ice climb….
Searching for Nothing
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2022 Issue. I was excited like a schoolboy in late June on the verge of a wild summer. It was a feeling I’ve had so many times, on so many big adventures, but oddly, different. For most of my adult life, my outdoor aspirations have…
Check Out These Truck Campers from Overland Expo West 2022
Overland Expo West provides prospective customers with the opportunity to get up close and personal with mythical big-ticket items they’ve only seen online. There’s no alternative to quality time spent examining the construction of a rooftop tent, recovery kit, or the latest overland accessories in person. Truck campers are no exception, and this year’s Expo…
2008 Toyota Tundra TRD Off-Road Staff Project Vehicle Introduction
Editor’s note: To learn more about preparing the first, second, and third generation Tundra for overland travel, please enjoy the Overland Journal Podcast Episode 94: Principles of Overlanding :: The Toyota Tundra for Overlanding. I just spent the last six weeks and 3,000 kilometers exploring the Baja California Peninsula with Ashley (my wonderful wife and…
Necessity Fuels Innovative Creations at 2022 Overland Expo West
There were nearly 400 exhibitors at this year’s Overland Expo West held in Flagstaff, Arizona. Amid high-dollar overland vehicles and numerous impressive motorcycle displays, it was the work of homegrown entrepreneurs that stole the show. These ingenious products take on the challenge of overlanding travails and provide useful, productive, and practical solutions to make life…