When Yakima first announced the release of their roof top tent last year, three attributes from the press release immediately caught my attention. The 95-pound weight for the smallest of two sizes made it one of the lightest roof top tents on the market, and because Yakima has spent several decades perfecting all manner of…
Ground Control to Major Tom: Sena 10U Helmet Communicator
For the sake of full disclosure, I am a bit late with this product review as the Sena 10U system has been available for the last year. I was so happy with my Sena 20S units that it took a new helmet to compel me to upgrade, but I’m glad I made the leap. The…
Cool Cutters
Anyone who knows me is aware that I’m the guy, or was, who’s always asking for a knife to borrow. I used to not like toting around a blade, and certainly wasn’t particular about the ones I did manage to carry. Then I started getting spoiled by having a knife on me at all times,…
Why You Should Skip the SUV and Buy a Pickup
Just a few years ago while poking around the Expedition Portal forums, I stumbled into a discussion about the pros and cons of the SUV versus the venerable pickup. There were some heated exchanges volleyed back and forth as each platform has ardent advocates. There was however, a noticeably disproportionate bent toward the SUV. It…
Field Tested: Big Agnes Foidel Canyon 2
Buried deep in the dark recesses of my gear closet reside a trio of tents I seldom use. Their stuff sacks are tattered and torn, the tents within equally haggard. Oddly enough they haven’t been on many outings. Whereas my backpacking and mountaineering tents look brand spanking new even after a decade of adventures, just…
Gear Scout: Roofnest Hard Shell Rooftop Tent
In 2010 I attended a local 24-hour mountain bike race, pulled into the sprawling campground, and set up my roof top tent. Judging by the pointing fingers and curious looks, you’d have thought a UFO landed on my truck. Fast forward to 2017, and the roof top tent is not just commonplace, it’s rapidly becoming…
Field Tested: Snow Peak Pack & Carry Fireplace, Small
Portable fire pits are all the rage these days and I”m thrilled with their newfound popularity. I loathe unsightly fire rings and wish more people subscribed to a lower impact style of camping. One of the challenges with portable fire pits is the stowed size and weight as most are larger than necessary, particularly for…
Field Tested: REV’IT! Sand Urban Jacket
In early summer of 2014, while testing motorcycle suits for an Overland Journal review, I put the REV’IT! Sand II jacket and pant combo to the ultimate test. With temperatures pushing well into triple digits, I rode into the sun-scorched deserts of Baja. Although no motorcycle suit is comfortable in those conditions, the Sand II…
The Minimalist’s Guide to Overlanding
Diet tips for the overlanding gear hog.
36 Hours of Adventure: Pines, Saguaros, and a Russian Motorcycle
I must have a thing for symmetry. As I wiggled and twisted down the road, the Ural beneath me seemed determined to thwart my best efforts to ride a straight line. I started to mentally catalog all the asymmetrical things in the world, most of them annoying to me. There’s the fiddler crab with his…
Field Tested: Terra Nova Solar Photon 2P tent
In 2014 while prepping for a bikepacking trip to Iceland I realized I needed to rethink my tent strategy given the island’s reputation for truly awful weather. A short search delivered me to the Terra Nova Laser Comp 1P, a tent and brand I didn’t know very well. It was a bit of a gamble to…
American Overlander: North Street Flanders Backpack
When company founder, Curtis Williams, started North Street Bags, his mission was simple enough. He wanted to make high-quality bicycle panniers and backpacks with homegrown materials, by hand, one-by-one. Only a few years in, he’s building a loyal following of people drawn to his clean designs and uncompromising attention to craftsmanship. The Flanders is his…
First Ride: REI Co-Op DRT 2.1 Mountain Bike
Although it had been around for ages, it was high time for REI to retire the Novara bicycle line. Discerning cyclists never really warmed to the label, quick to dismiss it as an entry-level house brand. To be fair, that is essentially what it was. For 2017, REI made the decision to give their bike department…
Field Tested: Mosko Moto Reckless 80 and Backcountry 40 Bags and Panniers
Most new entries into the motorcycle world seem to take years to gain momentum. Consumers are hard parted with their dollars and don’t make purchases without a great deal of research and vetting. When Mosko Moto started hitting trade shows and events to promote their new line of soft luggage, all of that went out…
Featured Vehicle: FozRoamer’s Subaru Forester
I’m sure it’s happened to all of us at some point in our backroad travels. You work your way down a rugged road pushing man and machine to the limits. Just when you’re about to pat yourself on the back for a job well done for conquering such a gnarly track, you see another vehicle…
4×4 Legends: Toyota Land Cruiser, From Series 20 to the 1980s
In 1955, only 22 years after the formation of their automotive division, the Toyota Motor Company released the second generation of their now-famed Land Cruiser, which was in many ways the same vehicle they produced for the next 3 decades. In those early years after WWII, Japan’s recovery was happening quickly and Toyota was keeping…
Company Profile: Good To-Go Dehydrated Meals
As much as I love to venture into to the woods and survive on trail mix and beef jerky, I also admit I’m an unabashed foodie. I have a tattered Michelin restaurant guidebook with plenty of dog-eared pages, and can snob around the food scene with the best of them. When I learned of Good…
Field Tested: Nemo Equipment Dark Timber
The venerable wall tent has been around for over a thousand years. The Vikings, Romans, and soldiers of the Civil War, just to name a few, all used them. Some were made of animal skins, others of heavy canvas. The operable word there is—heavy. Traditional wall tents have always provided a cavernous and comfortable interior,…
Road Tested: Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally
When Aprilia released their Caponord 1200 Travel Pack in the spring of 2014, they had the good sense to not lump it in with the expanding crowd of touring machines aimed at the off-road rider. Masters of tarmac, they stuck with what they know and created a platform with exceptional pavement performance, but fitted with…
Field Tested: REV’IT! Discovery OutDry Boots
I’m not sure why, but I love to hate motorcycle boots. I tend to alternate between too much, or too little, seldom landing on the elusive level of just right. Positioned somewhere between full blown adventure and lightweight touring, the Discovery represents a multi-year development project aimed at the modern adventure rider. Comfort was clearly…