I first crossed paths with action-sports photographer Brett Wilhelm in Driggs, Idaho, back in 2018. I was en route to Victor, Idaho, to run an event, and Brett was making his way south for a photo assignment. We chatted photography over a cup of coffee before going our separate ways. I connected with Brett…
Category Archives: Featured Vehicles
Tom Sheppard Reviews the Suzuki Jimny
This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2020 issue. If you find the absurdity of black leather seats scaldingly hot or sticky in summer and dark-slippery-cold in winter; if the advantage of flush, pop-out door handles escapes you; if a line of 10 tiny touchscreen icons has you taking off your gloves, reaching…
The Vagabund Lada Niva :: Drool
The Lada Niva is timeless, pulling the heartstrings of overlanders around the globe. I have seen them in the most remote regions of Russia, Iceland, and even Kyrgyzstan. Essentially, they are the Jeep Eagle of Russia, and they are as cool as hell. Vagabund Moto clearly sees them as legit as well, having recently completed…
Classifieds :: Survivor 1972 Range Rover Classic
Editor’s Note: There are moments in time when something truly special crosses our path. This moment is an all original 1972 survivor Range Rover Classic, available from the second owner. This is the first Range Rover registered in Austria. The age would allow easy import into North America, although European delivery would be a perfect…
Classifieds :: 2008 Ram 2500 Cummins with Fourwheel Camper
For Sale: 2008 Ram 2500 4×4 SLT Regular Cab, 6.7 Cummins Diesel with 2015 FWC Hawk Flatbed Camper Mario from Adventure Trailers is selling his well-built and proven Ram truck for $50,000 firm. It has been in our family since 2015. We built it originally to showcase the FWC Flatbed product for shows. It has…
Feature Vehicle: EarthCruiser Mercedes Benz G-Pro Escape
There is no way around it, the EarthCruiser Mercedes Benz G-Pro Escape is an object of desire. This tightly integrated pop-up camper mated to a Mercedes Benz G Professional chassis has serious off-road capability combined with a refined and compact living space. EarthCruiser Australia Builds A Beast With offices in Bend, Oregon, and New South…
Ford Ranger Built for the Fifty Classic Ski Descents
The FIFTY involves a lot of driving and a lot of camping. The vehicle that gets Cody around North America is a 2019 Ford Ranger equipped out with a GFC Camper and a bevy of unique and custom built storage, organization and car camping tools. In this episode, a tour of the truck is given…
2020 Defender Overland Test Drive
Overland Journal Podcast | From Johannesburg, Scott Brady and Matt Scott discuss the new Land Rover Defender after driving it on a legitimate 650–700 km backcountry expedition in northwestern Namibia, including Van Zyl’s Pass, the Hoanib River, and the Skeleton Coast region. They contrast it with a Toyota HZJ79 and evaluate the Defender’s technical terrain…
An Overland Chevy Avalanche?
The 2000s were a weird time all around, but they seemed a little weirder over at GM. It was like their engineers hunkered down for the Y2K apocalypse, and in their planning, designed bugout vehicles that could be constructed from existing car parts and recycled plastic. When the world didn’t end as they expected, they…
The 20,000 Mile Jeep Gladiator Review
Winding in-and-out of cirio trees and cardón cacti along the remote Baja peninsula trail which leads to Misión San Francisco de Borja, I realized how how versatile the Gladiator really was. I was driving a fully-equipped, four-season expedition camper at a rate of speed that would be unheard of in the overlanding world just ten—maybe…
Retracing the Butterfield Route Across Oklahoma
If I could travel through time, I’d go back 160 years to Indian Territory in days antebellum. There, concrete and steel would dissolve into wagon ruts and stone, hewn logs and flowing springs, a landscape familiar in its essence but alien in its rawness. Though I lack a time machine in the H.G. Wells sense,…
Feature Vehicle: TAV Toyota Tacoma
Every vehicle has a story, some born from necessity, some from vanity, and some even from tragedy. For Walt Wagner, owner of Tactical Application Vehicles (TAV) in New Mexico, it was the loss of his cousin, Vincent, in 2013 that inspired this project. When Vincent passed away, Walt offered to purchase his much-loved 2009 Tacoma…
The Brabus 800 Adventure XLP is Sleek, Capable, Powerful, and Painfully Unnecessary
Even if you’re not a Mercedes-Benz aficionado, the name Brabus probably rings a bell. This premier aftermarket upfitter has been taking Merc sedans and SUVs to the next level for decades now, but occasionally they do something excessively awesome, even for them. Enter the Brabus 800 Adventure XLP, a super toy for, well, the super-rich….
Overlanding Needs More E-Motion
Overlanding is about travel, experiences, culture, and yes, to a certain extent, the vehicles. But it’s also about having fun, and I think a lot of people forget that. If you’re so busy obsessing over building the perfect vehicle or doing everything by the book that you don’t enjoy the journey, then what’s the point?…
Hummer Is Back With 1,000 Horsepower, 11,500 lb-ft of Torque, and an Electric Drivetrain
At one point in time, the name Hummer was synonymous with off-road capability, but in the 2000’s it came to represent something totally different for millions of Americans, vehicular excess and waste. Instead of being perceived as a pinnacle producer of four-wheel drives, they were associated with massive chrome wheels, rubber-band tires, and large fuel…
Overland Nomad’s Awesome and Affordable Toyota Pickup Camper
Sometimes the truck of your dreams is the one right in front of you
Overland Truck of the Year :: The Best Midsized Pickups
Until a few years ago, there were only two suitable choices for a midsize overland pickup: the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. That dearth of options resulted in limited innovation and notable apathy among both the OEMs and aftermarket. However, that all changed when Chevrolet, Ford, and finally, Jeep all released trucks into the market….
Podcast #7: Building a Jeep Gladiator for Overlanding
Matt Scott and Scott Brady share details and insights in this podcast about selecting the best Jeep Gladiator model to purchase and how to modify it for backcountry travel, including suspension, tires and wheels, bumpers, and overland campers. Show Notes: What Makes the Jeep Gladiator So Special? 1. Jeep Capability 2. Proper payload, easily greater…
Gramp Camp: Jon Burtt’s 7.3L Overland Truck Camper
There has always been something about old trucks with bed campers that captures my imagination. Maybe it’s the Texan in me or my childhood readings of Travels with Charley, but every time I see one, I long to leave the world behind in pursuit of an endless horizon. How could I not, though? A pickup…
A Turnkey 7.3L Diesel Camper for Just $33,000
Seriously, the fact that no one has snatched this truck up blows my mind. What we have here is a high-payload vehicle, freshly tuned and painted, with one of the most reliable powertrains ever produced, and a nearly ideal collection of upgrades and overland modifications. This thing is ready to drive around the world tomorrow,…