Smartop Truck Bed Covers Smartop Platform (originally from South Africa) secured the runner-up award for the Best New Van/Pickup/SUV product as a first-time attendee and newcomer to the US market. This truck bed cover is made from aluminum with built-in anchoring T-slots that can hold up to 550 pounds. You can secure jerry cans and…
Category Archives: Camper and Trailer
Stream2Sea Sunscreen And Bodycare Products: Sunscreen, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion, and Lip Balm That Won’t Harm Waterways
Stream2Sea creates sunscreen and other hair and body care products that are safe for waterways. Many companies claim to make environmentally safe sunscreens, natural shampoos, and more. Stream2Sea also makes this claim but backs up its assertions with testing. Stream2Sea has the only products proven safe for simple nematodes (C. elegans), freshwater fish, saltwater fish,…
The Redtail Skyloft is the Perfect Wedge Tent for a Specific User
$20,000. That is the elephant in the room, so we might as well throw a mouse at it first. That’s a lot of greenbacks; I bought my entire Defender in excellent working condition for less than half of that 13 years ago. Twenty thousand dollars (the unconfirmed price for the Skyloft) is the equivalent of…
Overland News of the Week, October 28th, 2022
Special Edition Beast28 Helium Ultralight Frame Pack I remember backpacking with my first frame pack 30 years ago. It weighed almost more than the sum of its contents, was extremely cumbersome, and I would almost topple over when hoisting it onto my back. Granted, I may have packed too much stuff, but the Beast28 Helium…
The Bushwakka Kamelback Is Ready to Take on the World
With the exorbitant cost of overland vehicles these days, it may be tempting to consider a DIY project. In reality, building a camper is an expensive, technically challenging, and time-consuming project; we know this first-hand. Whatever the initial budget for the build of your camper, that amount will need to be doubled, then likely increased…
Welcome to the Jungle – Preparation is Everything
The jungle has evolved with one purpose alone—consumption and renewal. Of all the terrain on earth, it is the tropical jungle that is most determined to devour you as it devours every living thing in the pursuit of its survival and prosperity. It helps to think of the jungle as an enormous, beautiful predator, an…
iKamper to Host Second Annual Sky Kamp Gathering
iKamper’s Second Annual Sky Camp will take place from October 21 to 23, 2022 at SongDog Ranch, just north of Santa Barbara, California. It’s an opportunity for the iKamper community to get together and enjoy the company of like-minded people. “Nestled in SoCal’s Ballinger Canyon, the event offers 80 miles of off-road trails, live music,…
Essential Tools for Overland Travel
An Argentine beauty once sold me a fan bearing which I was forced to change under the hot Bolivian sun at 12,000 feet. I almost did not achieve the repair because I lacked two tools: the other half of the two-part fan unique tool and a No. 12 Allen key. Now, I know you want…
Ford Teases New 2023 Ford Transit Trail for the USA
The Ford Transit is, by far, the best-selling commercial van in the USA. Sales have been close to double that of the closest competitor, the Chevrolet Express. Our observation has been that the Dodge Ram ProMaster 3500 is one of the most popular vans for overland travel, but this isn’t easy to quantify, and Ford…
Makita Launches Cordless Outdoor Adventure Range
The Makita Outdoor Adventure range launches with 16 battery-powered products, including a chain saw, inflator, wet-dry vacuum, lighting, fans, audio equipment, a coffee maker, and more. Duality of use is a huge draw for us, and products that can be used daily on the job site and around the home and can then be repurposed…
Dometic GO Soft Storage With PAC Insulated Insert: Stay Organized with 10- and 20-Liter Storage Cubes That Convert to Coolers.
Dometic was once a small operation that specialized in making refrigerators for RVs and hotels. Fast forward 20 years, and they have expanded into every aspect of mobile living. With the Dometic GO collection, Dometic is making moves to make car camping more comfortable and easy. I’ve been using the Dometic GO 10- and 20-liter…
Field Tested: Rugged Road Ultralight Coolers
I like to think that I’m pretty strong. After all, as a 5.13+ rock climber and competitive ultramarathoner, I’ve worked pretty hard to get that way. I’ve gotten used to the fact that my muscles are usually the first thing people comment on when we meet. Strength is an essential part of my personality, my…
iKamper Introduces A New Wedge Style RTT and a 270- Degree Awning
We here at Expedition Portal have a comprehensive “Field Tested” review of the new iKamper Blue Dot Voyager wedge-style rooftop tent and the ExoShell 270 Awning heading your way within the next two weeks. That does not mean we can’t spoil you with a preview of two new iKamper products launched on 5 October 2022….
Down For Adventure Blankets
We received two blankets to assess while visiting a group of overlanders in Florida. Yes, Florida the state in least need of blankets. We have since used the blankets—one down and the other synthetic—for almost a year as we traveled entirely by vehicle to Maine in fall, across to the Pacific Northwest in the middle…
Niche EV Adventure 1 ORV Teams Up With Egoe
My son has grown up traveling the world in purpose-built campers. He has had the opportunity to experience every shape and size of overland vehicle in a real-world, global travel environment. He has been planning his own adventure vehicle since he was 12 (he is now 23) and has spent thousands of hours staring out…
Over-The-Counter :: Medicine for Travelers
As travelers prepare to return to international travel, many will likely forget to pack their over-the-counter and prescription medicines. Many more will forget to check the international rules and regulations for common medicines easily obtained in their home countries—but possibly not allowed overseas. Trip-takers consistently list “forgetting to pack prescription and over-the-counter medicine” as one…
Weekends with the Family :: How to successfully plan small vacations
I really have no quarrel with the way I live. I am a day-job dreamer and a weekender, meaning I define my relationship to travel and the outdoors by breaks in a five-day workweek and amid limited vacation time. I live for the weekend, you might say. It’s time spent with my wife in middle…
Brat Class 2 E-bike Coming from Volcon
Volcon ePowersports, the first company to make all-electric off-road powersports machines, announces a new Class 2 electric bicycle they call the Brat. The single-syllable moniker follows the lead of their Stag UTV, and the fat-tired, two-wheeled, go-most-anywhere Volcon Grunt, reviewed by Scott Brady. Volcon states the Brat is built “for any adventure, on or off…
Colfax Design Works Project TOAD 65 Liter Drybag: A Fully Waterproof Duffel That Doubles as a Backpack
Colfax Design Works is a soft goods designer that creates durable products for diverse environments. All their products are made in the USA to lessen the carbon footprint. They make products for adventure travel, and their primary offering is the Project TOAD (tactical operations amphibious drybags) 65-liter drybag. I’ve been testing the TOAD drybag for…
Is the New GFC Platform Topper the Strongest Ever Made?
GFC (Go Fast Campers) today released the all-new Platform Topper and to test this new product they decided to do something Mythbusters radical, they lowered an old Ford F250 onto it! My jaw dropped when they opened the rear door of the topper, how is that even possible? The company had to reinforce the bed…