To honor the 20-year anniversary of Overland Journal, we are revisiting special heritage content in the upcoming 100th issue of the magazine. Originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2012 issue, this article is part of that celebration. It is the unsung hero of expedition travel, an essential piece of kit that any mindful backcountry regular…
Category Archives: Gear
Classic Kit: The Pith Helmet
To honor the 20-year anniversary of Overland Journal, we are revisiting special heritage content in the upcoming 100th issue of the magazine. Originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2010 issue, this article is part of that celebration. Home, they say, is where you hang your hat. If that hat happened to be the legendary pith…
Field Tested: Pelican ATX and Aegis Carry-On Luggage
Airline travel without checking bags is a cheat code that is well worth striving for. Free yourself from the worry of theft, damage, and lost luggage (and the wasted time associated) with either of these two premium carry-on options from Pelican. Both offer organized space for up to a week of travel between laundry cycles…
Field Tested: The Campspotter App
Michiel Pruijssers thought he had planned the perfect camping trip. The weather forecast looked good, the campspot ideal. But when a powerful storm rolled in and ruined the experience, Michiel, a longtime outdoorsperson and SAR volunteer, felt unprepared. Thus, he built Campspotter, an app with a simple mission: to make finding and planning your next…
Field Tested :: Alu-Cab ModCap Canopy Base
For years, I ran an RSI SmartCap on my Ford Ranger. It’s a canopy that’s hard to fault—stylish, sleek, and built with clean lines that give any vehicle a polished, factory-fresh look. I loved how refined it made my rig look; it had presence, and it turned heads. But as my trips became longer and…
Fix Manufacturing Tools :: Field Tested
Long after my poor father gave up on trying to teach me anything mechanical, he did at least instill one important bit of wisdom: the whole “right tool for the job” thing is real. I spent $39 on a tool whose sole job is to hold my drivetrain in place so I can spin the…
The Bug Wall :: Field Tested
The Bug Wall makes UV-resistant rear and side-door van screens for the Promaster, Mercedes Sprinter, and Ford Transit platforms (among others). I had considered screens like these made-in-the-USA liners for my Ram ProMaster van, but figured them unnecessary, what with the five windows with their own screens I’d installed and the vent fan pulling hot…
Summertime Essentials to Help Beat the Heat
Last summer was a true test of man, machine, and miniature dog. We left our base in Mexico in the spring, pointed the Land Rover north, and spent six months exploring the US and Northern Mexico. It was an odyssey of sweat and perseverance, lived entirely from our trusty Land Rover, with no air-conditioning in…
We Tested the Best 12-volt Fridge/Freezers. Here’s What We Found.
East Africa is known for many things, and nearly all of them are the stuff of overlanding dreams. But a few could be classified as nightmares, principally the endless dance with roadblocks, police checkpoints, and military convoys. At times, that includes determined efforts to separate the traveler from their cash. As a result, I would…
Optima OrangeTop QH6 Lithium Battery :: Field Tested
The best thing you can say about a starter battery is that you never have to say anything about it at all; it should simply work every time you turn the key. An even better one doubles as an auxiliary power source. At just 21 pounds, the OrangeTop QH6 LiFePO₄ dual-purpose power unit punches above its…
First Drive :: BFG Trail-Terrain+ Tire Review
While the BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain+ all-terrain tire is a great original equipment (OE) tire replacement for many vehicles used for overland travel, it’s not a replacement for a KO3, KM3, or other more aggressive, and most importantly, more cut-resistant sidewall, off-road focused tire. With that said, a majority of overland travel happens on pavement, dirt roads,…
Snow Peak’s Bomb-proof Camping Gear
In the 30 years I’ve been buying camping gear, from the expensive wool socks I took on my first backpacking trip in Big Bend National Park, I’ve never come across a brand that so marries style and functionality as the Japanese company Snow Peak. I’ve owned a tiny powerhouse of a stove from the brand…
Jeep Beach 2026 | Inside America’s Largest Jeep Gathering
There is no place in the USA like Daytona, Florida, during Jeep Beach. With a total attendance of 250,000 people and 40,000 Jeeps over 10 days, no other event in the Jeep community has such a significant impact on a locality. Daytona welcomes and embraces participants, as made clear during the Sunday Parade on Daytona…
Top Gear :: Overland Expo West 2026
Someone I know who has been in the adventure travel industry for many years told me that we are currently in a “creativity crisis.” He thinks we’re stuck in a rut and that very few truly new ideas have been filtering into the overland world lately. I had this claim front and center in my…
LifeStraw Escape Water Purifier :: Field Tested
The LifeStraw Escape is a hard-wearing, 20-liter water-purification solution designed to pressurize via a built-in hand pump—no electricity required. This system stores raw water in a thick-walled, barrel-shaped tank (18 x 13.75 inches) with a spigot, providing a self-contained water supply setup for contexts where water safety is paramount. At its core is a three-stage…
2026 Overland Expo Southern California Recap
Overland Expo Southern California 2026: Event Highlights and Gear Trends This was my first time at the Southern California Overland Expo, and wow! The crowd was huge, but it was the curiosity and enthusiasm of the attendees that stood out most. A much more youthful crowd (not necessarily in age), and many had kids in…
The Golden Age of Overland SUVs Has Arrived
As vehicle-based travelers, we have entered a renaissance for overland vehicles, with capability, capacity (towing in particular), and comfort reaching new heights. The best overland vehicles are constantly morphing with consumer interests and regulatory pressures, but there has never been a better time to choose your next adventure machine. With the growing popularity of overlanding,…
Easy on the Eyes: The Best Lighting for Every Campsite
The human eye has over 120 million specialized cells dedicated to processing light waves. Called photoreceptors, these cells are commonly known as “rods and cones,” and the shapes determine both how we process color and how we see in dim or bright light. Translating the physical phenomena of light into electrical and chemical signals in…
Jetboil Flash 1.0L Fast Boil System :: Field Tested
As a full-time overlander, I love to cook outside. But when preparing coffee in the morning or an afternoon cup of tea, I don’t always want to set up the propane stove just to boil water. Instead of a kettle, I’ve been using the newly updated Jetboil Flash. The Flash boils water fast (approximately two…
Sea To Summit’s Detour Collection :: Field Tested
Two years ago, I was on the hunt for a cookset that would work well in our Overland Explorer Vehicles pop-up camper. Finding something lightweight, not too bulky, and compatible with induction cooktops was a non-starter. In 2022, I could only find pots and pans designed for home use. Fast forward to today, and we…