During a recent tour of Central America, we dragged ourselves away from Antigua, Guatemala, to visit blissful Lake Atitlán. The access road to the lake is a steep suicide pass with 17 hairpin turns, the acrid smell of burnt brakes, and clutches lingering in the green jungle air. Relieved, hot, and bothered, we reached the…
Destinations :: Paradise on the Gulf of Mexico
The sand along the sea coast stretching from San Destin to Rosemary Beach, Florida, glistens like crystallized powdered sugar. Beyond these beaches lie the crystal clear and intoxicating Aegean-colored waves of the Gulf of Mexico. There is no other sand like this wind-weathered quartz which originated in the Appalachian Mountains hundreds of miles away. Over…
Nomadix Puffer Blanket: An Ultra-versatile Blanket For Minimalist Overlanders and Travelers
“Own Less. Do More” is more a manifesto than just a tagline for Nomadix. They call their first and most popular product The Only Towel You Need. In short, it’s designed to work for everything you could possibly use a towel for. Nomadix’s original towel is lightweight, super-absorbent, odor and sand-resistant, and dries quickly. And…
Expo Gear You Will Want to Explore: Savvy Creations for Outdoor Comfort
Amid massive builds with habitat boxes, larger-than-life bumpers, rooftop tents, and overlanding gear at this year’s Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado, the displays of homegrown and sustainable-minded companies punctuated the landscape. These are the companies and products that always garner my attention for their creative ability to meet industry demands and emerging markets….
The AEONrv is an All-American All-Rounder
The AEONrv is based on the Ford Transit EcoBoost 350 AWD platform and is being marketed as the first true all-season, electric cabin, off-road capable, new and modern (AEON, get it?), four-person recreational vehicle, retailing at $199,500 (plus fees and taxes). The fifth of a million dollar question is will this vehicle be worth the…
The Caracat Floating Camper Trailer – The Sky is the Limit!
Many long-distance, long-term overlanders eventually become sailors, or cruisers as they are known, who choose to explore the planet by water once they have had their fill of exploring by land. Why? Well, living on the water has distinct advantages (and obvious disadvantages); you can fish for protein, do not have to pay for camping…
Scosche Powerup 600 Torch Portable Emergency Car Jumpstarter: For The Time When Your Vehicle Needs A Jump
Headquartered in Ventura County, California, Scosche is a family-owned company of outdoor enthusiasts that creates consumer technology for adventurers. They make vehicle accessories, car audio products, and other electronics, testing them in real-world scenarios to see how they’ll fare. I’ve been testing the Scosche Powerup 600 Torch portable emergency jumpstarter for the past month. I…
Making it Out Alive: Learn to save your own life or the one you love
Fieldcraft Survival and TacMed Solutions, companies providing industry-leading medical, simulation, and protection solutions for combat military personnel and first responders, collaborated on this comprehensive trauma kit, the MTK (Mobility Trauma Kit), with everyday mobility, off-roading, and overlanding in mind. The kit includes everything you could need in a life-threatening emergency: a tourniquet, modular bandages, combat…
Stopping the Bleed: Yes, it Can Happen to You
Kevin Henson has been answering calls to horrific accident scenes for at least 34 years. The trained paramedic and retired fire chief still grimaces a little when thinking about the worst accidents he’s attended. Many of them involved motorcycles. But there’s one item he never reached for in a trauma event: a first-aid kit. When…
Starlink and T-Mobile Team Up to Launch “Coverage Above and Beyond”
Due to the absence of a significant cellular tower network in rural and low-population areas in the USA, mobile connectivity is a challenge when traveling off the beaten track, but, eventually, we will look back on the good old days when you could pack the rig and leave the world, and the internet, behind while…
BioLite BaseCharge 1500 Rechargeable Power Station and SolarPanel 100: The User-Friendly Battery Bank and Solar Panel For Everything, Anywhere
BioLite’s mission is to empower people and do good for the planet by providing access to renewable energy in the developing world, especially in East Africa. Until now, BioLite has mainly done this by creating products for sustainable cooking, home lighting, and low-power devices. BioLite has historically sold energy-efficient smokeless fire pits, wood stoves for…
Bulbag USA: The best little bag on the planet
UkoalaBag has undoubtedly grown in popularity since its inception in 2013. The multi-pocketed pouch bag has become a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts because of its ability to carry a wide variety of essentials while being effortlessly strapped to the hip of its wearer. And now, with the release of Bulbag USA, the Georgia-based company is…
The Mars Campers Space X Air Trailer
No, Elon Musk is not dipping his toe in the overland world. Mars Campers is an Australian company that, for whatever reason, decided to brand their camper range “Space X.” (Please note that it is currently unclear whether a camper trailer from Australia may legally be imported to the USA, or Europe, etc. We advise…
Dometic Go Compact Camp Chair Long Term Review
I am large, not as large as I used to be, but still larger than I wish to be – think rugby player two decades past his prime. There are fewer advantages to being large than one who is not large might imagine. Yes, we do get more automatic respect than most, we can reach…
Overland News of the Week
Volcon Off-Road UTVs to be Powered by General Motors’ Electric Propulsion System Off-road powersports company Volcon Inc. has announced it will power all of its off-road utility terrain vehicles with General Motors’ electric propulsion system, including its all-electric UTV, the Volcon Stag, which will come to market in 2023. The GM system will provide instant…
Children of the Road, a Life of Unconditional Norms
Heidi and Jens, full-time overlanders for 15 years, are the real deal. They’ve crossed rivers in Mongolia, the Canning Stock in Australia, and the salt flats of Bolivia. Jens boasts a Unimog tattoo from a parlor in Shanghai; Heidi cooks Kashmiri curry and speaks five languages. We met in Oaxaca, Mexico, in one of those…
Airstream Heritage Center Museum Open to the Public
Today we learned that the astronauts of the original Apollo mission to the moon were quarantined upon return as it was feared that moon-based pathogens may have traveled back to Earth with the spacemen. They were quarantined in an Airstream travel trailer. And, did you know that a caravan of silver caravans made the arduous…
Skyway to Highway, Overlanding notes from a bush pilot
It seems Ramona Cox was born for adventure. She won’t share the locations of her favorite fishing holes, but she’s quick to share her survival stories with other adventurers, whether they travel by land, air, or sea. The Hollywood, California, native has adventured through 50 countries, pushing the limits of her comfort zones and navigating…
Hardkorr 1.2 Meter Tri-Colour Ezy-Fit Flexible LED Strip Light Review: Led Light Strip With Multiple Color Options For Camp
A good lighting setup can be the difference between a warm and inviting campsite and one that’s, well, dark. Lighting can just be a headlamp and lantern, but overhead lighting is best to see what you’re doing and be seen by your friends and family at camp. Some overhead lighting systems are elaborate and are…
Feature Vehicle :: Dirt Sunrise’s 1990 HDJ80 Land Cruiser with Maltec Conversion
Choosing an overland vehicle can be like an episode of Indian Matchmaking: you want a unicorn, but your matchmaker insists that meeting 60 to 70 percent of your criteria is more realistic. You want butterflies fluttering in your stomach, to develop a trusting relationship, and have the coolest winch, lights, and bumper. But sometimes, the…