Küat, a premium vehicle rack systems designer, has revealed its new IBEX family of truck bed racks, aimed explicitly at the overlanding market and featuring a unique open hoop design that enables complete side bed access and is finished in an eye-catching automotive finish. The versatile IBEX is built for performance and backed by Küat’s…
Category Archives: Four Wheel Drive
2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss :: Vegas to Reno 500
Photography by Sinuhe Xavier Humans make upward of 35,000 remotely conscious decisions a day. Around 225 of those are related to food, and with only 122 of them being well-informed choices, that leaves an ocean of bad choices swirling around people’s brains. What to eat, what to watch, what to wear, what to buy—we are…
Field Tested :: Truck Claws
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Or… they may strap on a pair of Truck Claws. Last winter, our hometown in North Dakota was bogged down with “the blizzard of the century.” In the hospital where I work as an emergency physician, staff were getting rides to and from work by volunteers…
Featured Vehicle :: 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel With Utilitarian Four Wheel Camper
Log on to your favorite social media site, and you will no doubt scroll past endless displays of immaculately prepared and outfitted overland vehicles, from Toyotas on steroids sporting 37-inch tires and every outdoor gadget known to man to rebuilt Mercedes 4WD vans with wood-clad interiors, potted plants, granite tops, young bikini bodies, and a…
Toyota Previews Upcoming Tacoma Trailhunter for Adventurous Overlanders
Toyota has given a glimpse into their vision future of manufacturer-equipped, adventure-seeking vehicles with the Tacoma Trailhunter, designed to cater to the off-road and overlanding community. The company plans to build on its well-established reputation for rugged off-road capability by introducing the Trailhunter grade of outfitted trucks, first unveiled as a concept at the 2022…
Gaia GPS Teams Up with Backcountry Discovery Routes
For the last decade, Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) has been introducing brass ring-level overland expeditions across North America. These multi-day DIY routes traverse large swaths of the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, as well as every Western state save Montana. Aimed primarily at the dual-sport and adventure moto set, these off-pavement routes come with free…
Ineos Automotive Unveils Plans for a New Electric 4WD in 2026
In February 2023, we reported that Ineos Automotive was rumored to be working on releasing a smaller, electric version of the Grenadier based on a skateboard-style platform. This rumor has been confirmed by The Ineos announcement of a collaboration with leading automotive supplier Magna to develop and launch a new electric 4WD vehicle, slated for production in…
The Unstoppable Charline Ribotta :: Her Love for Africa and Moving Past Fear after Multiple Assaults on the Road
Charline Ribotta departed from her home country of France in a Toyota Hilux, equipped with a Front Runner rooftop tent and modifications of her design. She has been overlanding solo for more than a year now, with hopes of continuing full-time travel indefinitely. Her original itinerary was to traverse the Middle East and cross to…
Overland News of the Week, April 14th, 2023
America’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023 (AORA) Senators Joe Manchin (D – WV) and John Barrasso (R – WY) have reintroduced this bi-partisan bill in Congress. SEMA and the Sierra Club, among other organizations, support it. It is a wide-ranging bill and includes provisions for modernizing and updating campgrounds and other recreation sites across public…
Yakima Introduces RibCage, a Heavy-Duty Track System for Jeep Wrangler Hardtop Models
Jeep hardtop roof panels are designed from SMC (Sheet Molding Compound), essentially a compressed fiberglass base that will safely support a dynamic weight of up to 150 pounds (70kg). That is half the weight of the average rooftop tent. To safely increase the roof carrying capacity of your Jeep Wrangler hardtop Yakima has announced the…
Can Your Overland Videos Send You to Jail?
Last spring, I woke early to start a long day’s hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on the south rim’s Bright Angel trail. Just a few switchbacks down from the historic Kolb brothers’ studio (famous in their own right as filmmakers), my eye caught subtle but deliberate movement in the pre-dawn light. A…
AEV Silverado HD :: The Ultimate Chevrolet Overlander?
GM is moving everyone’s cheese, announcing product after product that becomes a best-in-class for overland travelers. This started with the Bison Colorado, and followed with the GMC AT4x Sierra AEV (now available with the exceptional 3.0L diesel). And now, GM is going after HD trucks for overlanders with their Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 Bison AEV…
First Drive :: 20th Anniversary Jeep Wrangler 4xe, 392, and AEV
We’ve known about the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 20th Anniversary edition for a while now. You’ve likely already read an article or two about it. But did you know that it almost never came to be? The Jeep engineers working on the Wrangler in the early 2000s were true enthusiasts, in-touch members of the off-road…
Aether Rides Again – 6th Annual Rally May 5-7
Aether is back in Town–Pioneertown, that is–for their 6th annual rally. Within spitting distance of Joshua Tree National Park, the venue offers both motel and camping accommodations in the wide-open spaces. You may have seen last year’s rally on Expedition Portal. Ticket prices include all food, beverages, group rides, sponsor activations, campfires, and other amenities…
GMC’s Refined 3.0L Duramax Diesel Engine Pegged for the 2024 Sierra 1500 AT4X
GMC recently announced that it would allocate the second-generation 3.0-liter inline-six Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine as standard for the “extreme” off-road Sierra 1500 AT4X trim. The updated 3.0-liter Duramax engine comes standard with a 10-speed automatic transmission and delivers maximum power of 305 horsepower and maximum torque of 495 pound-feet. These figures represent a 10% increase…
New 2024 Jeep Wrangler Range to be the Most Capable Ever
The latest iteration of one of the world’s most iconic and off-road capable SUVs, the Jeep Wrangler, promises greater capability, advanced safety features, and new technology while staying true to the Wrangler formula. Jeep claims that the 2024 model delivers the freedom to “go anywhere and do anything” and is taking the Wrangler’s capabilities to…
Top Gear Declares the Jeep Avenger Electric Car of the Year
The Jeep Avenger has been named “Electric Car of the Year” and “Best Electric City Car” in the TopGear.com Electric Awards 2023, adding to the brand’s growing list of international accolades. The awards recognize the best electric vehicles in the industry, from hypercars to hatchbacks. Jeep’s first-ever battery-electric vehicle was recognized for its innovative design…
Mercedes Benz Updates GLS SUV Range
A Mercedes Benz GLS may not be our first choice for overland travel. Still, the entry model would be on the high roller’s list, given the brand’s reputation for reliability, build quality, comfort, and innovation. And, while you will be hard-pressed to spot a GLS out on the trail, the vehicle is equipped with all-wheel…
The Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Enters the Chat
Those of us in the Subaruverse could see this one coming from a long way off. With the runaway sales success of the Outback Wilderness and Forester Wilderness models, it was only a matter of time before Subaru’s smallest adventure-mobile got the Wilderness treatment. The formula remains the same (why change it?)—beefier lifted suspension, gnarlier…
Feature Vehicle :: This 1990 Toyota Hilux is Business Up Front and a Party in the Back
Italian overlanders Valeria Pixner and Lukas Unterholzner were near Moab, Utah, traveling in a rental van when they decided a four-wheel-drive vehicle was essential for their next trip. Amid a 10-month tour of Patagonia, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, it was near Canyonlands that the couple spotted “cool overlanders” exploring canyons and driving along…