Autohome tents have been a stalwart of the overlanding community for over 60 years, and are often credit as one of the first roof tent companies to offer backcountry-suitable models. With the explosion of the popularity of roof tents in North America, Autohome needed to expand their dealer network and service to include the east…
Outdoor Retailer Show Adopts Overlanding
Expedition Portal and Overland Journal first attended the Outdoor Retailer show in 2006, over 13 years ago. Initially, we were met with reserved curiosity, the outdoor industry unsure about its relationship with vehicle-based adventuring. However, in the subsequent years, we have received more and more attention and adoption from the community, and the outdoor industry…
Featured Vehicle: Overlanding Brute
There are fundamental elements of a good overland vehicle: the combination of serviceability (or ultimate reliability), capacity (payload and cargo volume), capability for when the terrain gets technical, and enough comfort to keep driver fatigue at bay. For the last 15 years, American Expedition Vehicles has been trying to pull the Jeep Wrangler into the…
Field Tested: RedArc Manager30
The scenario is all too familiar, the anticipation of a long weekend of camping interrupted by the click, click, click of the starter and a truck filled with dead batteries because that one light was left on. Or the remote camp on the beach and days of sunshine and fun followed by a dead house…
Outpost :: Los Angeles
Among the sea of events that dot the adventure travel landscape, there are few that are truly unique and worthwhile attending. One of those events is the Outpost series, which is held in locations like the redwoods of Northern California, and now in downtown Los Angeles. This was the first year of the LA event,…
The True Cost of Knockoffs
As an overlander, I am always surprised to see knockoff products bolted to the side of a vehicle that is destined for the backcountry. That small amount of money the purchaser saved might ultimately leave them stranded and cost the industry they love dearly. Per the 2018 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and…
Overland News :: Dream Job in Colorado
Big Bucks for Working in a Western Paradise News Posting: Grand Junction, CO, April 22, 2019-incredible opening in Grand Junction, Colorado for the Executive Position of City Parks and Recreation Director. It does not get much better at $125,000-$140,000 a year for a low stress, time and holiday packed time off executive position with your…
The 2020 Range Rover Evoque
The 2020 Range Rover Evoque – To Call Forth A crossover SUV was never meant to be a truck; they have been designed to be a far more capable and usable car, and in some cases like the Evoque, a great car with the backroad performance that exceeds some traditional SUVs. This is not an…
Easter Jeep Safari :: In Photos
Each year, thousands of Jeep enthusiasts descend on Moab, Utah to share ideas, explore the backcountry, and test their limits on slickrock. While our passion is certainly remote vehicle travel, we also love a day on the trail, keeping our driving skills sharp and evaluating new equipment. This year was no exception, and this was…
The Jeep Gladiator :: Wayout
Each year, the design team from Jeep reveals a series of concept vehicles that either spark the consumer’s imagination for current models, or tease possible future offerings. The 2019 Easter Jeep Safari was no exception, and Mark Allen (Chief Designer, Jeep) pulled out all of the stops with a fleet of Gladiators. Of particular interest…
The Nissan Titan Surfcamp
I accelerated hard out of the curve, pushing tight against the apex and to the limits of adhesion from the Nitto Grapplers. The Cummins diesel pulled strong and sent me into the next bend with more momentum than an 8,000-pound truck should, and with a bigger smile on my face than I expected a full-size…
Yeti Hondo Base Camp Chair Review
Yeti is an impressive company, based on a simple ethos: “Build the cooler (i.e., product) you’d use every day if it existed.” They certainly made their name constructing extremely robust coolers that endure full-tilt adventure travel, but they have also extended their product line to include soft coolers, drinkware, bags, and now chairs. Pulling the…
Where the Wild Places Are
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. Photography by Joe Fleming and Scott Brady TRAVEL CHANGES US IF WE LET IT. There is something different about Peru. On my third trip to this variegated country in as many years, it became clear. It is easy to say that the difference…
2018 Triumph Tiger 800 XCA
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2018. Photography by Jason Spafford Triumph launched the Tiger in 1937 with a 4-speed transmission and 20 horsepower; the model was produced until the night of November 14, 1940, when German bombers leveled much of the city of Coventry, England. Triumph’s off-pavement legacy continued…
Organizational Alchemy
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2018. “Junk show” were the words used to describe one camper’s vehicle, the back seat and storage area a cascading pile of sagging Rubbermaid containers and crisscrossed bungee cords. While the words were harsh, the Internet, and community forums in particular, often show little…
Locked and Loaded
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2018. I still remember my very first overland trip, a 4-day journey across El Camino Del Diablo, the infamous border road with Mexico that crosses the most remote region of the Sonoran Desert. The track has been in use for over 1,000 years, including…
Treeline Outdoors Tamarack Constellation
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. Camping is one of the most enjoyable aspects of overland travel—nothing beats pulling up to a remote lake with no other vehicles or buildings in sight. Certainly, sleeping in the wild can be a simple affair, using a bedroll unfurled beneath the stars….
Burning Rings of Fire
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. One of my earliest camping memories is of my dad instructing me to police the grounds as we packed up, collecting any trash left by us or anyone that came before. “We need to leave it better than we found it,” was his…
MaxTrax Extreme :: First Field Test
“Expedition Portal gets a first look at the newest, and most durable MaxTrax yet.” I remember the first time we really, really, really needed Maxtrax. The Expeditions 7 team was deep into the Canning Stock Route in Australia and encountered a half-mile long, water-logged track. We had already been stuck many times that day, but…
First Test: The iKamper X-Cover Roof Top Tent
Innovation is a rarity, and quality is even more elusive, but this new roof top tent (RTT) from iKamper has them both in spades. At Expedition Portal, we were given the first access to this new tent and took the opportunity to use it in the field, digging into every feature and fabric looking for…