Public lands and trail systems are experiencing more traffic today than ever before. Roads that were once little-known secrets amongst locals and enthusiasts are now overrun with four-wheel drives, UTVs, and motorcycles, leaving many of us to wonder what the heck happened to our quiet escapes. The answer, of course, is simple: adventure became trendy…
Expedition Portal Classifieds: 2004 Tacoma & AT Habitat
Finding a tastefully built first-generation Tacoma these days is hard enough, but finding one in manual, with a factory locker, in good condition with low miles is basically impossible. Yet, here we are, writing up a classified ad on just that. Actually, it’s even better, because this Tacoma has also been paired to a handful…
UPDATE: Guy Flips Unimog in Big Bend, Forcing Trail Closure
Update: More details have been found on the incident, and added below. We all have bad days, but some are worse than others. Take this poor soul for example, who seems to have flopped his beautiful expedition truck on a mild trail in southern Texas. From what we can gather, the driver was tackling Old Ore…
¡Viva Baja! The Overlander’s Guide
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2011. Photography by Scott and Stephanie Brady, Cam Brensinger, Chris Collard, and Jeremy Edgar. The recoil forces me backward, the shaft releasing from the teak stock of the Riffe spear gun and driving home into the side of the triggerfish. I take a moment…
Video of the Week: CA BDR South
The Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) are a series of trails that cross some of the most stunning regions of our favorite states. Over the past few years, they have continued to expand their list of tracks to encompass states spanning from Oregon to Pennsylvania. Now, they have one more to add to their list; the…
Expo East 2018: The Field Report
North Carolina has a reputation for an almost unreal autumn beauty. Its rolling hills backed by rugged mountains come alive with the changing of the seasons, lighting up with the vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges that only a deciduous forest could provide. Yet the weather can be a bit mischievous this time of year, a…
Expo East 2018: Cool Trucks and New Gear
Overland Expo is about travel, education, friendship, and experiences, but if we’re honest, it’s also about the amazing trucks and gear. Enormous Unimogs, Earth Cruisers, Global Expedition Vehicles, Earthroamers and cascadia evolution that we would rarely spot elsewhere litter the event. There are vintage trucks from every corner of the globe, expertly built 4WDs of…
Long-Term Review: Cooper STT Pro
“Just stop up there,” I said, pointing to a wide spot in the sandy track. “I need to grab a photo real quick.” The Land Cruiser slowed to a halt, and I hopped out, shutting the door behind me. That’s when the sound of hissing air grabbed my attention—a flat, crap. The warning given to…
CFX65W – The 200-pound gorilla in the truck, or the perfect Thanksgiving accessory?
When we’ve traveled as a family, we’ve always used a cooler, simply because my wife is a minimalist, and her reply has always been “sure a fridge is nice, but we don’t really need one, and it’s one more piece of gear to store when we are not on the road.” My 1988 Range Rover…
Expo East 2018: The Campground Vehicles
With the 2018 Overland Expo East in the not so distant, but distinctly damp past, we can reflect on the truly incredible collection of vehicles that braved the rain, mud, and cold to commune on the fields of REEB Ranch, tucked in the North Carolina hills. While the exhibition motorcycles and 4-wheel drives represented the…
DIY Expedition Camper Kits In The USA
Images by Richard Giordano Building a truck camper can be a lengthy and arduous process. From determining how to outfit the living space to choosing which materials to construct the camper body from, there are many challenges to be faced. The most daunting of these challenges can be finding the time to construct the camper…
Home on the Range – The Overland Journal Trailer Test
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2018. Photography by Chris Cordes The trailer listed hard to the side, the 44-inch tire deep into the crevasse, the Hilux’s frame broken, and a tire peeled from the bead. The Expeditions 7 team had just crossed Greenland and was now fighting for every…
From Van Life to Overlanding
It was nearly 100°F. I sat on a metal chair with water soaking my shirt, a last-ditch effort against the stifling heat. Even in the shade, the temperature was nearly unbearable. Inside the open-air pavilion, Jessica and I sat enraptured, listening to the stories being told by Pablo Rey and Anna Callau, two travelers who’d…
SEMA 2018
October has passed, and with it one of the biggest automotive events of the year, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, or SEMA, show. As always, this year’s event was absolutely packed with insane builds of every shape, size, color, and type, with enough accessories to make your head spin. We spent several days running around…
Trying the Van Life in Northwest Oregon
Oregon was calling, and I knew it was time for us to go back. The summer heat had been getting the better of us for a few months, and the cool, crisp air of the Pacific Northwest seemed dreamy. As we started to plan our next trip, we wanted to incorporate what we learned from…
Expedition Portal Classifieds: 1992 Pop-Top Delica
#Vanlife is all the craze these days, and the VW Westfalia and Mercedes Sprinter are the undisputed kings of the movement. Their abundant living space and good looks, combined with a whole lot of hype on social media, has ensured their prices skyrocket to ludicrous proportions, especially when paired with the coveted four-wheel-drive option. But…
What’s the charm of traveling with a battered Land Cruiser?
On a chilly morning in January, Coen and I drove 430 miles to Germany. There in a driveway stood a dirty, dilapidated truck. It radiated pride as well as loneliness and coldness, like a house that has stood empty for too long. The Land Cruiser was covered in rust and the interior was damp, caused by…
Expedition Portal Classifieds: The Turtle III
Gary and Monika Wescott of The Turtle Expedition are some of overlanding’s greatest pioneers. They have been traveling the world since the mid-1970s, visiting every remote and beautiful destination they can find from Afghanistan to the Amazon and back again. Their stories have been published in over 15 countries and 10 languages, and their vehicles…
Field Tested: ARB Aluminum Awning 2500MM
Since our 1989 Mitsubishi Delica is turning into a campervan, we wanted a large awning that would provide ample water and UV resistance, be durable in harsh conditions, and be compatible with accessories like an awning room. Weighing in at 35 pounds, the hard-cased ARB 2500MM awning (part number 814102A) has an aluminum flip-top case, is…
Expedition Portal Classifieds: 2013 Kimberley Karavan
Kimberley Karavans are legendary in the Land Down Under. They have set the gold standard for off-road campers in Australia for over two decades, but earlier this summer some hard news came out of their home office: the company was shutting their doors for good. Several buyers have looked into the brand, but no deal…