The recent 4WD segment of the recent SEMA show was dominated by Ford Broncos. Jeep was a close second, with the Toyota Tundra and Tacoma coming in third. We walked for days to find the best vehicles on show. Obviously “best” is a subjective word and for the sake of SEMA vehicles, best should refer…
Mopar Announces ’22 Dodge Durango
Building upon more than 10 years of low-volume, factory-backed vehicle customization, Mopar this week announced a new limited-production vehicle featuring a special-edition package of unique quality-tested, factory-backed performance parts and accessories from the Mopar Custom Shop—the Mopar ’22 Dodge Durango. The new performance SUV, which was on display November 2-5 in the Mopar booth at…
Nissan Aims to Impress at SEMA with Overland Projects
Nissan is yet another auto manufacturer to realize the potential of the overland sector. For the 2021 SEMA Show, which is being held from November 2-5, Nissan will introduce a number of vehicles featuring significant upgrades to appeal to the off-road enthusiast. The Frontier and Pathfinder are sure to turn heads, but we have a…
Field Tested – Quick Pitch North America Roof Top Tent, Weathershade 20 Second Awning, Quick-en-Suite Shower Cubicle, and Quick-Barbe
I was faced with a dilemma when planning a journey across the USA with a borrowed Range Rover Classic: accommodating three adults and a teenager in a compact SUV. We would be camping every day, and needed a sleeping solution for four people as well as space for those multi-day breaks from the road. We…
Honda Returns to SEMA with Rugged Overland Vehicles and Africa Twin Overland
Honda will demonstrate its diverse paths to fun and performance at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas 2021 with vehicles developed by the Honda Performance Development (HPD) division. Specific to the overland segment, Honda will be showcasing three vehicles, including a pair of rugged Honda light trucks custom-built for overlanding adventures. Fully equipped for…
Interview with Makoventure
Austin and Ashley are an Alaskan couple who, along with their dog, Ivy, have chosen to seize life by the horns. We caught up with them at the Overland Expo West and were immediately impressed by their can-do attitude, resourcefulness, and self-built camper. Over a campfire, we became friends, and I realized that this couple…
Mercedes Unveils Updated Military Spec G-Wagen W464 G350d
Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled the upgraded W464 G-Wagen for “Rescue and Special Operations”. The hope is that a civilian version of the military spec G-Wagen W464 will soon be made available as that would be an excellent base for an international overland vehicle, despite the anticipated price tag north of $200,000. The vehicle boasts a heavy-duty…
Mule Expedition Outfitters – MuleWagon Project
Australians know a thing or two about overland travel. Their country is enormous, and a traveler must be well prepared for every eventuality in the most remote areas. The Aussies have a love affair with their Utes (utility vehicles), and the flatbed configuration seems by far the most popular. But why? Well, there are a…
Field Tested – Wagan Tech
I am not going to lie. Electricity and I are not amigos; we have not reached an understanding. In the past, I have regarded electricity as necessary but fickle, demanding and potentially dangerous, expensive and unreliable – like the ex-wife I have yet to marry. For years we have struggled with onboard power as we…
Ballistol Oil
A few blissful years ago, I stood near Lake Bodensee, which borders Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, helping a meticulous German man called Olaf attach a folding bracket and stainless steel sand ladders to my Land Rover. He worked diligently and took pride in his work; the bracket and sand ladders had been designed and manufactured…
Is This the Golden Age of Overland Travel?
Some of us were born in the wrong decade, and some were born in the wrong century. If you had asked me years ago which period in history I would have liked to inhabit, my knee-jerk response would have been the Viking Age. But then I would have thought for a while and realized that…
Don’t Go There; You Will Die
Have you ever wondered why planning for and embarking on a modern, maiden, extended overland journey is so stressful? Well, prolific overland travelers (myself included) are partly to blame as we tend to focus more on the adventure than ease of travel, which creates a false impression. Let me explain. I, and many of the…
Humanity :: Pay It Forward
My family has been on the road for a long time now, almost a quarter of our adult lives and the majority of our children’s lives, through thick and thin. There has been an abundance of spectacular thick and inexplicably regular suffering of thin. You soon realize as you travel to foreign continents far, far…
The “True Tropics” of Africa
Africa, the Mother Continent, home to the largest variety of people, languages, wildlife, flora and fauna on our sublime planet. The African continent from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn is not one large, moist and humid jungle. Most of northern Africa is desert as is much of the south, but to…
The Pandemic and International Overland Travel
When the pandemic bore down, our family had recently completed a journey across West Africa. Our plan was to remain in South Africa for a few months, recover our finances, and prepare the Land Rover for a trip from Cape Town to Vladivostok. In March 2020, we left Cape Town as news of Covid-19 rang…
Nordic Excellence
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2020 Issue. The Nordic countries have been ranked among the most successful on the planet and for good reason. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark have arguably the happiest, most-satisfied, longest-living people, and a sublime natural world to escape to. And they escape to…
South Africa Overland
There are countries within continents which are quite unlike those surrounding them: Uruguay and Turkey are good examples. And South Africa is unique on the African continent. It is a land of extremes: wealth and poverty, desert and tropical coast, cities and wide-open spaces. Yes, it has its challenges, but the crime and political instability…
The Overlander’s Christmas Wish List Part 2 (2020)
Dear Santa, Well, I’m kinda annoyed. I reluctantly wrote a letter last year asking for wonderful things like time, beautiful weather, health, and a Cummins diesel. And what did you leave under the tree? A six-pack of Corona (we won’t mention the actual Corona) and a pair of flip-flops. Whoop dee doo! So here we…
Are you an Overlander or an iOverlander? Or both?
Photography by Graeme Bell, Luisa Bell, Keelan Bell. Designed to enable access to specific and relevant information, travel apps have become an integral part of the modern overland experience. But, is this an entirely positive development? Are these apps essential? And how have these apps changed the overland travel experience? It is 2010 and…
Gear Spotlight :: Spot, Halite, Sawyer, and RedArc
In preparation for our overland journey from Cape Town, South Africa to Vladivostok, Russia we have been accumulating gear that will be employed to make the journey easier, safer, and more secure. The following is a first impression look at four products which will be put to the ultimate test on the world’s longest possible…