Knowing Where You Can Legally Overland is Half the Battle There are times that even 36 hours of adventure seems impossible to schedule, the realities of daily life, family, and work responsibilities compounding. Sometimes just a few hours is all we have, or as a side trip during a work obligation. While it will be…
The Roofnest Falcon is Ultra-Thin and Uber Cool
I bought my first rooftop tent 10 years ago, a used Howling Moon with a tan cover, weather-worn canvas walls, and a folding floor made of wood. At the time, overlanding had just begun to emerge in the United States, so to me, and most everyone who saw it, this soft-shell tent was the pinnacle…
Solar BugOut Kit for the Overland Camp
One of the cornerstones of overland travel is self-reliance, a trait inspired by the remote locations we visit and the unpredictability of vehicle-based backcountry exploration. We may be parked for days on a secluded beach in Baja, needing to keep both the fresh fish and the Coronas cold. Or we might have accidentally left the…
Reviewed: Roofnest Sparrow Eye Roof Tent
From a not too distant past, the definition of “home” was as concrete as its foundation. It was a solidly built place with four walls, a roof, and was permanently placed onto a chosen piece of land. Fast forward to more recent times, and that definition has completely changed, taking on a much more metaphysical…
National Luna Releases Their Best Fridge Yet
It is often joked that the first thing a new overlander should by is a Land Cruiser 80 Series, and the next thing should be a fridge. In reality, there are few camp accessories that transform an overland trip more than a fridge, the ability to cool drinks, keep meat for weeks, or even make…
ARB Announces Their Complete Overland Package for the Wrangler
As the overland market continues to grow, the benchmark companies are finding new ways to best serve their customers. ARB is one of those premium brands with a reputation for quality and a broad range of products. This is all coming together with their most recent announcement, a total vehicle package for the Jeep Wrangler…
Did AEV Just Launch the Ultimate Recovery Kit?
Anyone who explores the backcountry has or will get stuck. It is just part of the unpredictable nature of venturing off the beaten path, which can include sudden storms (mud), deep sand, or that snow-filled mountain pass. Being properly prepared as an overlander includes bringing along a comprehensive self-recovery, or vehicle-to-vehicle recovery kit, and AEV…
The Desert Ops Patriot X1-N :: Overland News
When the best* Australian trailer gets better. . . and more affordable. Australian backcountry roads are brutal, and they manage to rip apart nearly any trailer sent down their corrugations. Because of that, Aussie designs and engineering focuses on durability- serious durability. And that was when I first encountered a Patriot Camper, watching one survive…
Reviewed: Kinsmen Hardware 270 Awning
I must’ve used my traditional-style car awning only a handful of times over the year or so that I owned it, mostly because of the difficulty it took to set it up. Whenever I wanted to use my awning while I was by myself, it was almost always a quick “Nope” as I laughed at…
Factor 55 Releases New Recovery Straps and Soft Shackles
Overland News :: Factor 55 Press Release (unedited as supplied by the manufacturer) Soft Shackles- The Factor 55 10 inch Standard Duty Soft Shackles are Made in the USA under the uncompromising Factor 55 quality standards. Like all Factor 55 rigging products, these shackles have been lab and field tested to assure consistent repeatable minimum…
Field Tested: Rancho RS9000XL Shocks
Rancho is a well-known entity in the off-road shock absorber world. Established in 1950, the company initially focused on the Jeep 4WD market. In 1990, it was purchased by Tenneco, which enabled Rancho to expand its product offerings via increased manufacturing capabilities. With Tenneco’s backing, Rancho designed the first multi-damping adjustable shock to allow drivers…
The Off-Road Wedge Camper Shootout
We put five of the market’s most popular shell campers in a head-to-head test to determine which one might be best for you.
Made in the Shade – Overland Journal’s 270 Awning Head To Head Test
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2019. As I tightened the last bolt of the awning’s mounting bracket, I smiled, envisioning how the scene would unfold. Soon I would be sitting on some remote sandy beach, the waves lapping on the shore while I sipped a cold drink beneath the unfurled…
Overland News :: Warn Synthetic Rope and Soft Shackles
Over the past decade, significant improvements in winching component safety has become available to the overland traveler, mostly as a result of synthetic ropes and soft shackles. The primary advantage of these products is to reduce the total mass of the winching components under load, a soft shackle weighing a fraction of a steel screw…
Overland News :: AutohomeUSA and OK4WD form Strategic Partnership
Autohome tents have been a stalwart of the overlanding community for over 60 years, and are often credit as one of the first roof tent companies to offer backcountry-suitable models. With the explosion of the popularity of roof tents in North America, Autohome needed to expand their dealer network and service to include the east…
Outdoor Retailer Show Adopts Overlanding
Expedition Portal and Overland Journal first attended the Outdoor Retailer show in 2006, over 13 years ago. Initially, we were met with reserved curiosity, the outdoor industry unsure about its relationship with vehicle-based adventuring. However, in the subsequent years, we have received more and more attention and adoption from the community, and the outdoor industry…
Field Tested: RedArc Manager30
The scenario is all too familiar, the anticipation of a long weekend of camping interrupted by the click, click, click of the starter and a truck filled with dead batteries because that one light was left on. Or the remote camp on the beach and days of sunshine and fun followed by a dead house…
The Coolest Products You Missed At Overland Expo West 2019
We’re being told that this year’s Overland Expo West was the biggest ever in terms of attendance, but I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that it was the largest in terms of square footage as well. Food trucks filled the square, off-road test courses dotted the Arizona landscape, and over 360 exhibitors filled in…
Garmin’s Overlander GPS Can Replace All of Your Off-Road Apps
These days it seems like there’s nothing a smart phone can’t do. From listening to music and taking pictures, to answering emails and browsing the internet, they’ve become integrated into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. It’s no wonder why most of us have ditched the old GPS units for an array of navigation…
Field Tested: AMP Research PowerStep
The overland community certainly has its debates: Toyota versus Land Rover, wide tires versus tall skinny tires, roof tent versus ground tent and so much more, but there’s one thing that almost all of us can agree on, and that’s the removal of factory running boards. That’s because they significantly reduce the breakover angle and…