Bicycles have gotten pretty fancy lately, with electronic shifting, battery-powered pedal assist, and complex geometries all created in an effort to make the riding experience…better? But with electronic components and complex systems, there are ultimately more opportunities for component failures. This is where Sausalito, California, based bicycle company Hudski has bucked the trend and offered…
Salsa Releases Two New Shred-ready 29ers
Salsa is one of those bicycle manufacturers that garner lots of love from serious riders, even though they aren’t the biggest or most popular brand out there (the Marrakesh receives consistent praise for long-distance touring adventures). But in recent years, the company has been pushing further and further into the mountain biking segment with some…
Field Tested: Grayl Geopress OnePress Water Filter
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2020 Issue. When we travel remotely or in the developing world, it is critical to prepare for accidents, spoiled supplies, and survival scenarios. I started carrying a water filter in every vehicle after a leak in my primary supply tank emptied all of…
Yamaha’s First Full Suspension e-MTBs are Here
While Yamaha might not exactly be a household name in the bicycle world, it probably should be. Back in 1989, they were already prototyping e-bikes, and in 1993, they introduced the first commercially-produced power-assisted bicycle (PAS), which debuted in Japan. Often when new technology is introduced, it can take a while to catch on, and…
Sustainable Electric Transportation on Aotea with Motubikes
Aotea, also known as New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island, is a Southern Pacific adventurer’s paradise. If you’re planning a visit, you’ll quickly learn that Aotea is a destination of diverse environments, with remote beaches, windswept sand dunes, rugged hill country, old-growth forests, and wetlands. When exploring a pristine environment like this, it feels most…
We Test the New V2 Bivy Stick Blue
Communication is one of the cornerstones of backcountry travel, as the ability to advise family and friends of our progress, call for assistance, or make an SOS during an emergency all helps provide us with confidence to travel further afield. During my travels in Southern Africa, it was helpful to know that the Bivy was…
Expedition Portal Celebrates 15 Years of Adventure
June 25, 2020 :: Press Release In late June 2005, expeditionportal.com (known as ExPo) went live, serving initially as a community forum, and now as one of the world’s largest online overland resources for the vehicle-based adventure traveler. While the website has grown continually since 2005, growth has accelerated in recent years because of the…
Titus Adventure Vehicles Adds Mountain Biking Packages
Founded in 2019, Titus Adventure Company (TAC) is a one-stop adventure vehicle and gear rental company offering overland-ready rigs out of Denver, Colorado. As outdoor adventurers who care about preserving the natural resources that we all love, TAC offsets all of the carbon emissions from their fleet through regenerative agriculture via a partnership with the…
Choosing to Live (Bikepacking)
SYNOPSIS While mourning her late husband, Sarah Hornby craved an opportunity to connect with him through his biggest passion. Her goal was simple. She would attempt all 10 routes he created while researching his bikepacking in the Canadian Rockies guidebook in a single year. As she pedaled, her story transformed from sadness and loss to…
Overlanding Needs More E-Motion
Overlanding is about travel, experiences, culture, and yes, to a certain extent, the vehicles. But it’s also about having fun, and I think a lot of people forget that. If you’re so busy obsessing over building the perfect vehicle or doing everything by the book that you don’t enjoy the journey, then what’s the point?…
Tired of Carrying a Dozen Keys? Ditch the Extras With Bolt Locks
It was almost midnight, and the weather couldn’t have been worse. The temperature was just above freezing, rain was pouring down, and the wind was gusting so hard that I thought I might fall over. To make matters worse, the hill my Airstream was parked on had turned to mud, and the trailer was now…
The 2021 Yukon Has a Turbo-Diesel, Skid Plates, and a Lot of Off-Road Potential
What SUV has a 34-degree approach angle, an optional diesel motor, skid plates, and an air-suspension that raises up to 4 inches? If you read the title, you’ll know it’s not a new Land Rover, Ford, or even Toyota, but rather GMC’s 2021 Yukon. Trust us, we’re just as surprised as you. They dropped the…
Why The Land Cruiser 80 Series Is The Next Classic 4WD
#1 The 80-Series Land Cruiser can keep up with modern life. It’s 2020, and we’ve officially become coddled by the conveniences of modern life. While a Land Cruiser 40 may be the model that evokes the most emotion, it’ll also break your back on a long drive. The 60 Series has more room and is…
The Overlander’s 2019 Gift Guide: Outdoor & Camp Gear Over $200
If you’re feeling like someone in your life deserves something big this holiday season, and $200 just isn’t going to cut it, then this is the list for you. You can see all of our outdoor gear under $200 here, and check back for our four-wheel-drive parts and accessories list coming soon. Renogy 200-watt Solar Starter…
The Best of SEMA Overland 2019
SEMA was quite the surprise this year, with overlanding taking center stage in the South Hall, and the Overland Experience presentations often having standing room only. And it wasn’t just about roof tents, there were also some genuinely interesting and innovative products on display, and more than a few thoughtful and functional project vehicles. Here…
UBCO Announces Five New Products for 2020
Overland News We have been using 4th-generation UBCO electric adventure bikes in the field for several months, having fun (er, testing), using them for everything from commuting to backcountry scouting trips. What we originally thought would be a compliment to an overland trailer or expedition camper for scouting forays and trips to the market has…
XOverland Hits Amazon Prime Video
We have known the Crofts and the team at XOverland personally for nearly a decade, and have always found them to be honest, credible, and quality adventurers. In the world of Instagram “Fauxverlanding”, there are few media outlets that truly inspire us, but Expedition Overland is most certainly one. In an exciting development, their documentary…
TReK’s Triumphant Return
That’s right, after 16 long years, the TReK competition is back! In honor of the reintroduction of the Defender to Land Rover’s lineup, the brand has revived the legendary event which followed the Camel Trophy in 1996. Like the original TReK, the 2020 event will pit Land Rover retail staff and technicians across the US…
Building a Hilux to Travel From Norway to South Africa
Making the jump from two wheels to four was not a decision we entered upon lightly. We purchased a Toyota 4WD, guiding it through its transformation for our current expedition from Northern Norway to South Africa. I’m hoping all our efforts and choices will reap the rewards from Cape to Cape, and that the gear…
Feature Vehicle: RAM 1500 EcoDiesel
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2019. Regular readers may recall that I have spent a great deal of my flexible time as an amateur poisonous snake wrangler and own a Ford F250 that was purpose-built for this task. I know this will come as a shock to many, but I’m considering…