Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2022 Issue. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, credited with the oath that guides the ethics of modern physicians, expounded that walking is man’s best medicine. And Marilyn Monroe stated that if you give a girl the right shoes, she can conquer the world. Shoes have…
Celebrating the Iconic BMW GS Series’ 40th Anniversary
Pinnacle of the air-cooled BMW GS lineage, the 1994 R 100 GS with factory Paris–Dakar components goes wherever you want to go, and then some. Gina De Pasquale puts the project bike through initial testing across varied Central California terrain. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s 2021 Gear Issue. …
Into the Field: Terrain 365 Introduces New Terravantium Knives
Header Photo: Terrain 365 knives with Terravantium blades are heading out to the field for testing. Top to bottom: The new STS-AT framelock folder with black G-10 scale (framelock side is titanium); the new Mako Flipper-AT with titanium handles; and already in their collection, the Otter Slipjoint with Marine Gray G-10 scales. Terrain 365…
Peak Design Everyday Backpack (30L)
Essential Background From the outset, this must be crystal clear: the Peak Design Everyday 30-liter backpack is not a dedicated mountaineering or field rucksack. It is a sleek yet unassuming backpack designed for camera gear, laptops, tablets, and daily work/commuter essentials. For these specific reasons, the pack piqued my interest. The company also appeals, as…
Agile Offroad 3.5-ton Scissor Jack with Axle and Frame Adaptor
Various common jacking systems can work for changing tires off-highway. Hi-Lifts are manual, demand solid jack points on the vehicle (steel frame-mounted rock sliders and bumpers), can be very hazardous in unfamiliar hands, and if you do use it to swap a tire, you’ll also need a jack stand. Bottle jacks are simple and have…
Overland Skills :: Travel Planning and Safety
Even diehard overland travelers and expeditionary personnel will eventually need to stay at hotels, inns, or various private accommodations. You might need to overnight during the trip bookends, as you fly into a country and stage your gear, or prepare to depart back home. Arrangements can vary widely by country, continent, and culture. A concierge…
The Best Coffee Grinders for Camping
Using a manual coffee grinder as part of your morning java ritual not only gets the blood pumping, it also promotes conversation and fuels campsite camaraderie. Forget noisy electric grinders requiring an inverter, or lowering the bar completely and milling those beans at home before the trip. If you’re a discerning overland javascenti, interested in…
Arkonik: Defending the Defender
Prologue: Namibia “Yeah, it’s leaking oil pretty good.” I’m yelling from underneath a well-outfitted Land Rover Defender 110, trying to overcome the clattering of an idling 300Tdi motor. Early on as a professional archaeologist, I learned just to accept the vehicle you get when you get there and get working. We were somewhere in Namibia’s…
Straight to the Point
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2019. The archaeological record indicates that some humans were favoring stone blades—essentially any tool with two parallel edges longer than its width— by the Upper Palaeolithic period. Human culture evolved, as did blade and knife technology, and eventually transitioned in most instances from lithics to…
The Best Camp Axe :: Comparison Test
The best classic compact hatchets for overland and expedition use.
The Right Trousers
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2019. It’s important to have field pants that cover the middle ground. We’re not talking about waxed über-cotton kit, cutting-edge combat trousers, or dedicated snow and ice outerwear. Here, we examine some of the best everyday wear trousers that are not too tactical or technical. We…
Northwest Overland Rally: Family Style Exploration
Former Overland International staffer Ray Hyland has been organizing the Rally Series for nine years. Now in the seventh year at Plain, Washington, the Northwest Overland Rally (NWOR), which occurred from June 20-23, is one of the more intimate weekend gatherings for vehicle-based exploration and related equipment. This assembly of overland enthusiasts and gear vendors…
From The ExPo Vault: The Archaeologist’s Backpack
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2017. As the winter months continue, and we dream of camping inside a warm van, we decided to look back on one of our favorite builds ever. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! – Chris Cordes Unexpected snow flurries…
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…
Shovels 101
Our resident archaeologist digs into the best shovels for overland vehicles.