The Defender Trophy is getting closer, with two-person teams selected from around the world to compete in Africa this October on a three-week adventure that hasn’t been paralleled since 2006’s G4 Challenge. Over 70 countries were invited to participate, from the USA and Canada to Brunei to Northern Cyprus. The one glaring exception: the United…
Category Archives: Adventure
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…
Fall is Colorado’s Best Season
The last twinkling mustard-colored leaves from a small grove of Aspen trees clung to the bone bark at a campsite perched high above Brush Creek, a few miles from Crested Butte, Colorado. It’s a treat to take a hammock nap in a grove like this, because we don’t have many aspens in Oregon, where I’m…
EP322 | Ant Austin: From Japan to AI
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady interviews Ant Austin of We Will Roam in Montana about balancing a tech career with long-term overland travel using remote work and contracting. They explore storytelling as the connection between tech, AI, and adventure, highlighting practical AI applications for creative organization while noting concerns over disclosure, scams, and Overland Collective’s…
10 Things to Know About Overlanding Mongolia
Photography by Richard Giordano Summer is an exciting time in Mongolia. City dwellers flock to the countryside to enjoy the annual Naadam Festival, a celebration centered around wrestling, horse racing, and archery competitions. Nomads move to their summer gers (yurts), where green grass and warmer temperatures are enjoyed by multi-generational families and their meandering livestock….
Inside Bronco Stampede 2026 in Pigeon Forge
Bronco Stampede 2026: Pigeon Forge Goes All-in on the Bronco You know pretty quickly when the Bronco Stampede arrives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Broncos fill hotel parking lots, stack up along the Parkway, and keep cruising through town long after the show closes. The fourth annual Smoky Mountain Bronco Stampede returned to the LeConte Center…
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…
36 Hours Exploring Montana’s Gravelly Range
This article is presented by Montana. If there’s one sound in the off-road world that guarantees fun times ahead, it’s the hiss of tires dropping air pressure. This comforting realization hit me as I admired the rugged peaks surrounding us and listened to my all-terrain tires drop from 36 PSI to 20. My three friends…
EP321 | Jack Mac: Wanderlust by Any Wheels Necessary
Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady talks with team member Jack Mac about minimalism and life on the road. Jack shares insights from over five years managing Expedition Portal’s classifieds and global travel by bicycle, backpacking, and vehicles like a 70-Series Land Cruiser Troopy. They discuss how a travel mindset lowers consumer spending, why high-end…
EP319 | Global Traces on the Realities of Full-time Expedition Truck Travel
Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano interviews Jess and Dave of Global Traces from Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, about five years of overlanding in their MAN HX60 expedition truck with their dog Otis and five-and-a-half-year-old daughter Isla. They explain why they chose a truck for long-term autonomy and comfort, how they bought an ex-British military HX60…
Tight Loops | Two in the North driven by Mobil 1 | Season Finale LIVE
For months, Aimee and Chase Bartee have been steadily working their way north. What began on Vancouver Island has carried them through British Columbia, the Yukon, and deep into Alaska, following wild fish, unfamiliar roads, and a long-held curiosity about what they might find at the far edge of the map. In the fifth and…
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…
Overland Events and Rallies You Don’t Want to Miss This Fall 2026
AMERICAN NORTHWEST KTM Adventure Rider Rally When September 17–19, 2026 | Where Kellogg, Idaho The KTM Adventure Rider Rally heads to the Silver Mountain Resort for its 21st Anniversary edition this September. The event kicks off with the Ready to Race experience, where adventurers begin with a rally and, from there, shift into ride days….
Rachael Elseman and the Overland Expo Foundation
Overland Journal Podcast Host Scott Brady interviews Rachael Elseman, executive director of the Overland Expo Foundation and Overland Collective event coordinator. Rachael discusses living off-grid in a self-converted school bus in Baja, managing solar power and water. She also details bicycle touring from Vancouver to Tijuana after working in Alaska, sharing lessons on minimalism and…
Doug Patteson: Spycraft Travel
In this Overland Journal Podcast episode, Scott Brady interviews Doug Patteson about his journey from Texas ranching roots to a covert CIA career. Patteson details the intense recruitment process, deployments in Southeast Asia, and the vital intelligence lessons now informing his global travels: flexible planning, rapid decision-making, and the “rule of the stupids.” He highlights…
36-Hour Adventures: EP1 | Sedona | Presented by General Tire
The best trips don’t always begin with months of planning or a passport stamp—sometimes they start on a Friday afternoon with a packed rig, a downloaded route, and just enough daylight to reach dirt before dark. Expedition Portal’s 36-Hour Adventures (36HRS) presented by General Tire is a video series about making the most of whatever…
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…
Expedition Portal Presents : Tight Loops | Two in the North driven by Mobil 1
Tight Loops | Two in the North driven by Mobil 1 follows filmmakers and naturalists Aimee and Chase Bartee as they point their Tundra north for a summer-long journey through Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska. Along the way, they chase wild fish, nemesis birds, remote landscapes, and the unexpected moments that make…
Celebrating 300 Episodes: A Q&A with Scott Brady
Recorded live at Overland Expo Flagstaff, host Scott Brady and Overland Collective Marketing Director Jake Perucca discuss the Overland Journal Podcast’s origins, emphasizing travel storytelling, editorial integrity, and audience engagement. They address shipping vehicles like the Grenadier to Australia and Africa, highlighting strict quarantine protocols, customs brokers, and essential import checks. The discussion includes route…
The Vashon Ranger Goes Way Overland
Just a few miles from my home in western Montana lies the sprawling Frank Church-River of No Return and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness complex. At 3.6 million acres (approximately 14,500 km²) in size and spanning multiple US Forest Service districts across Idaho and Montana, this is far and away the largest swath of protected wilderness in the…