Since last year, Overland Journal and Expedition Portal Publisher and CEO Scott Brady has been on a monumental multi-part expedition of East and Southern Africa in the new 2024 Ineos Grenadier. You may have been following the journey on Instagram. Currently in Kenya and searching for a way to cross Ethiopia (a sore sport for…
Stephan Edwards Archive, Page 8
Overland Journal Podcast :: Jay Shapiro on Expedition Campers and Global Philanthropy
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 184 Scott Brady interviews Jay Shapiro, a technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has become a global citizen. Jay and his family have lived in Singapore, the USA, Canada, Mexico, India, and now Kenya on their overland journey of discovery. Jay and his wife Alice also operate numerous not-for-profit organizations providing support…
Harley-Davidson Pan America CVO Debuts for 2024
Harley-Davidson finds itself at yet another crossroads. Riding the first car on a perpetual financial roller coaster, H-D, through its own machinations as well as factors beyond its immediate control, always seems to be scrabbling for cash and grasping at an ever-diminishing market share. There’s no denying that in the abstract, the brand has staying…
Overland Journal Podcast :: Bruce Turner on Land Rovers and Overlanding Africa
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 183 Scott Brady interviews Bruce Turner of Overlanding with Bruce about his recommendations for hiring a Toyota Hilux to explore Southern Africa and his decades-long experiences traveling the African continent by Land Rover. In particular, Scott and Bruce discuss modern Land Rover Defenders and Bruce’s experience using these vehicles in remote…
Budapest-Bamako Rally Toils Toward Sierra Leone
Every two years, a new Budapest-Bamako Rally launches from organizer Andrew Szabo’s home city of Budapest, and the rally has grown by leaps and bounds since the inaugural event in 2005. The first stages of the 2024 Rally left Hungary’s capital on January 26, and theoretically, some percentage of the original 1,100 competitors will reach…
Tackle the Deserts with Driven to Extremes Sahara and Help Veterans with PTSD
The Land Rover Freelander is not exactly the first of the venerable British brand’s 4x4s that leap to mind if you’re planning a long overland journey or competing in a rally raid. However, Solihull’s first stab at a unibody SUV in the late 1990s was relatively advanced compared to its competition, despite lacking a low-range…
XOverland Africa Series Trailer Drops February 1
The release of a new XOverland film series is always a widely anticipated event in the overland world, and their latest adventure promises to be their most ambitious to date. Clay and Rachelle Croft, and the rest of the team dropped a handful of teaser trailers for the new series in the last couple of…
The Best Camp Stoves for Overlanding
People tend to fall into two—if you’ll pardon the expression—camps when it comes to cooking on backcountry adventures. There are those of us who see it as the penultimate drudgery, a distraction from what we really want to be doing on our overland expeditions, and a source of never-ending dishes that must be cleaned. Others…
RealTruck and Matchbox Team Up to Auction One-Off Gladiator for Charity
For those of us who grew up playing most days with die-cast cars and trucks, it’s not unusual to wonder what it would be like to have your own rig immortalized as a Matchbox. Now is your chance to find out—online automotive parts and accessories retailer RealTruck has teamed up with Mattel to build a…
Columbia Ready to Roam Collection :: Long-Term Review
Columbia’s Ready to Roam Collection is yet another signpost along overlanding’s winding road to the mainstream. The Portland, Oregon-based sportswear giant launched its adventure-travel-focused layers and outerwear last year, supported by a tire-tracked media campaign featuring lots of Jeeps and overland influencers from the depths of Instagram. The company even waded into the “What is…
Ford Maverick Tremor :: Review
Worlds are colliding. The ground is shaking. In the past, the spheres of all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive have been separate and very unequal. While capable enough in slippery conditions on regular roads, all-wheel drive has struggled for cred when the going gets really rough. Flimsy axles, part-time operation, and a conspicuous lack of both…
Cummins Will Pay $2 Billion for Cheating Diesel Emissions
From 2006 to 2015, VW sold over half a million diesel vehicles in the US that investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency later found were intentionally dodging federal emissions requirements. The scandal (known as “Dieselgate”) led to VW paying over $25 billion in fines and civil penalties and even sent a handful of VW of…
Rebelle Rally Registration Returns
The 2024 edition of the Rebelle Rally may be 10 months away, but Rebelle Rally registration for this year is open now. Don’t think you can dilly-dally, however, since slots are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you’re looking to round out that list of New Year’s resolutions, there’s no better time than the…
Dakar Rally 2024 Off to a Rough Start
The world’s most famous off-road rally raid—known simply as the Dakar—kicked off on Friday, January 5, with the usual fanfare and lineup of bikes, cars, trucks, and classics, featuring some of the most recognizable names in motorsport. However, the two-week endurance race across the Arabian peninsula is off to a rocky start after only three…
Overland All the Things! :: From the Showroom to the Trail
The Lamborghini Huracán is a 630 horsepower, 3.2-seconds-to-60-mph rocket sled of a carbon fiber origami kit that is, by all accounts, an absolute joy to drive. The sounds the 5.2-liter V10 bellows from its hexagonal tailpipes many find worth the price of admission alone (MSRP $335,000). There is also an off-road version. The Huracán Sterrato bumps…
XOverland Season Six Africa Teaser :: Video
Southern Africa is one of those true dream destinations for overlanders worldwide—I should know—I lived in Botswana for two years and traveled to a dozen different countries across the continent. No matter how much of Africa I saw, I was always inevitably drawn back again and again to the deserts and wildlife sanctuaries of Botswana…
Ford Super Duty Wins North American Truck of the Year
The Ford Super Duty has won North American Truck of the Year for 2024. Over 50 vehicles were eligible for the North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle Awards (NACTOY) this year, which were winnowed down to three finalists in each of the three categories. Five of the nine finalists for this year’s honors were…
New Year’s Resolutions for Overlanders
Yes, you read that right, another list of New Year’s resolutions. But wait! This is Expedition Portal. I promise—no tedious and oppressive regimes for “self-improvement,” no gym memberships (ugh), and no giving up chocolate (yeah, right). I think making new commitments for the new year should be gratifying and fun, tasks you should look forward…
Dave Harriton on the New Class of OEM Overland Vehicles :: Overland Journal Podcast
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 176 Earlier this year, we published an article that garnered a lot of attention both on Expedition Portal and in our social media feeds. Author Mac Kirkpatrick explained how he was legally able to increase the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of his Toyota Tacoma in the state of Pennsylvania. Of…
Arksen Labs Launches Apparel Line
UK-based Arksen has carved out a unique niche in the adventure travel world. Originally builders of aluminum-hulled ocean-going vessels for patrolling the very ends of the world’s seas, in 2023, they branched out into bespoke overland vehicles based on the original Land Rover Defender and Mercedes Unimog. This lineup even includes an EV version of…