A lot of us are probably familiar with the Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) by now and know that these amazing trails run border to border across some of our country’s most beautiful states. What you may not know, is that the entire BDR business is a non-profit organization, and right now they need our help….
Category Archives: Four Wheel Drive
Old Dogs, New Tricks: Testing Cummins R2.8 Turbo Diesel Crate Engine
I settle into the driver’s seat of a clean 1996 Toyota FZJ80 and ask Stephen Sanders, program leader for the Cummins Repower Crate Engine Program if I should keep the RPMs below a certain mark, stick to predetermined highway speeds, or mind some shift points on the hills. A heavy black data wire exits from…
A New Overland Vehicle From Kia?
It’s abundantly clear that adventure sells these days. Advertisements featuring foreign landscapes and hip traveling couples are the new norm, and the number of vintage four-wheel drives and motorcycles appearing in imagery is downright staggering. With everyone jumping on this bandwagon, it’s easy to understand why auto-manufacturers are engaging with the overland market at an…
A Look at Outworld and Their Toyotas
A while back, I was browsing through Instagram when a 2000 4Runner popped up in front of me. I had seen this awesome Toyota several times now, and I felt like I need to learn a little more. As I dug deeper, I learned that it was one of three builds for a company called…
Chevy’s New ZR2 Bison Just Changed the Game
Just over a year ago Chevrolet unveiled the ZR2, a high-clearance, high-performance, off-road version of their already capable Colorado. (You can read about it here.) With an optional diesel motor, sliders, skid plates, a lift, and front and rear lockers as standard, it was by the far the best equipped mid-size truck available at the…
Expedition Portal Classifieds: 2006 4Runner
The fourth generation 4Runner is one of my favorite used four-wheel drives. They’re rock-solid vehicles with bulletproof drivetrains, look great when properly built, and the slightly older body style doesn’t attract the wrong kind of attention while traveling. The biggest challenge these days is finding a clean one that hasn’t been driven into the ground,…
The Cradle of Adventure
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2017. Kenya stretched out before us. We moved slowly and deliberately along a rogue track through the rugged and sparsely vegetated area near Sogwass Mountain in Northern Uganda. We were not convinced that this rarely used smugglers’ route was even passable, let alone legal…
Expedition Portal Classifieds: 2017 Tacoma and Four-Wheel Camper
If you’ve been wanting a new Tacoma built for overlanding, then I have good news, your hunt is over. Up for sale today is a practically new Toyota Tacoma with what might be the ultimate combination of parts, and a build list that is almost staggering. Although the price tag might be a bit out…
Win a Dometic Fridge! UPDATE
The dates of this contest have been extended due to the unfortunate fire season. The contest will now run until October 31st, and the winner will be selected at their SEMA booth! Big news floated down the pipeline from Dometic and Tread Lightly earlier this month. It turns out that the two organizations have teamed…
Dust and Diesel: A journey to the Rio Grande.
My cheap radio crackled to life, and an almost inaudible voice came over the speaker. “Are they from our group?” Two lifted trucks were parked at the fuel station, one sporting an aftermarket bumper and winch, and the other with a light bar on the roof. “I honestly can’t tell, but they could be.” In…
ExPo Classifieds: 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser Trakka
We’ve all had the dream: buy a cool 70 Series or Defender, ship it to some exotic destination, and explore the world. Many of us spend hours, hell even days, browsing the depths of classified sections hoping to stumble upon that perfect truck here in the states. Unfortunately, when we do find it, the fairy…
“Today is a Good Day to Die”
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2007. After crossing the Rio Pico Mayo we entered the Chaco, the vast semi-desert area of northern Argentina. During the rainy season, the Chaco floods, and the clay soil makes travel nearly impossible. In the hot, dry season, the scrub forest sheds its leaves…
The Modern Explorer: Land Rover LR4 – Part III
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2014. I will be the first to admit that the introduction of a Land Rover Discovery with an independent suspension system sounded like the death knell to a brand I have come to love. Over the past few decades, each new model seemed to become increasingly…
Jaguar Land Rover Classic Moves to USA
Some time ago we wrote an article on a special portion of Land Rover and Jaguar called the Classic division. This marvelous feat of passion and design builds new versions of the cars and suv’s from the brand’s legendary heritage, including two-door Range Rovers, Series trucks, and even Jaguar D-Types. Of course, they fetch a…
The Arctic Challenge
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2016. Photography by Sinuhe Xavier The wind is always blowing on Alaska’s North Slope and on this particular day it was in rare form, buffeting the Tacoma and reducing visibility to a few meters. It was the middle of winter, the temperatures were well…
Field Tested: Batwing Awning
Expletives flowed freely as another gust of wind throttled the canvas, throwing a support leg into the back of my head while I tried to wrestle the awning’s unwieldy form into submission. The now bird’s nest of guylines, stakes, and metal poles of death had me surrounded, and the prospects of surviving the ordeal looked…
Eezi-Awn Drop-down Fridge Buddy
Our Engel MT 45 fridge is built like a battleship. Like most good portable fridges, it weighs as much as one too, especially when loaded. Hoisting it atop the Decked drawer system in the bed of our Tacoma GS overlanding rig can be inconvenient, and in some cases, impossible; especially in light of the overhead…
Off-Road Escalade vs Off-Road S500
Today we bring you something a little different, a battle between frankenride heavyweights, the GAZ Mercedes, and an insane Escalade. Both have been carefully assembled by their owners in their garages, and shockingly came out really well—if not a little odd. After seeing them each floating around online, we were curious which people would like…
Overlanding as a Digital Nomad: Combining Travel with Online Work
How can you combine your travels with online work? What kinds of jobs work, how do you organize it, what equipment do you need, and what challenges do you face? Ten overlanders share their experiences.
Expedition Portal Classifieds: Cummins HZJ79
In everyone’s life, there are a few perfect vehicles that come up for sale. You know the ones I mean, that one-owner cherry Porsche your neighbor owned but you passed up, that low-mile Range Rover Classic that popped up on eBay and you just couldn’t justify, or the 60 Series with every maintenance record since…