Geography of Overlanding

[craig]

Geographers study how *place* affects things. Cultural geographers might notice how there were Plank Houses in the Western PNW where cedar trees are plentiful, igloos in the north where there is snow, and Adobe in the Southwest where clay/straw is plentiful.

People often ask/answer questions about gear and vehicle modifications w/o talking about the physical geography of the area where they will be on expedition. I thought it might be fun to share how our region affects how we setup our vehicles and camping gear.

For example, in the PNW our trails tend to be slippery and off camber so you don't see alot of guys carrying a lot of stuff on their roof. We have plenty of streams around so we carry water purifiers instead of jerry cans. We carry chainsaws because treefalls are common, and Gore-Tex raingear is practically a requirement.

How does your region affect the gear you carry?

 

[James86004]

We carry a lot of water, and really skimp on its use. The Dormobile carries 15 gallons in cans, plus whatever is in our water bottles. If we are gone more than a 3 days we will cram in another few gallons of water. We cook meals that only require dirtying one pot. Campfires are built with the idea that little water will be needed to put them out - or if it is really dry we skip the fire.

I have never seen the need to carry a chainsaw. There have been times when it would have been convenient, but not necessary.

A nice thing about Arizona is the temperature is usually nice somewhere, so we go out year-round and pick spots based on their elevation and the time-of-year.

I am biased a little more toward BFG ATs rather than MTs. I try to avoid mud.

A sunhat and at least two bottles of sunscreen.

Sometimes I bring the C5 telescope because the night skies are spectacular.

 

[jh504]

Here in NC we see very dense forest, rock, mud, and sand. There is a lot of granite in the hills and the peidmont. Getting closer to the coast there is a great deal of sand and swamp. Our outer banks has the largest dunes on the Eastcoast and you better be prepared for very deep sand on the beach.
I generally stay in the mountains and base my builds on dense forest and mud (not that I like mud but its there). ATs will work out there but MTs are best. Armor is very good not just for rocks but for bouncing off of trees when the trails get tight and slippery. I dont put anything on the roof because I have seen trees eat roof racks (just a personal preference). Preparing for being totally cut off from society isnt always necessary because you can usually hike back to civilization. Unfortunate, I wish things were as spread out as they are out west.

 

[KG6BWS]

i wheel mostly in the desert so i follow james's line of thinking. a lot of water, and then some. i plan for gullies, sand, washouts, sand, sharp rocks, sand. oh yeah and did i mention sand?!?! the only major thing i try to watch for is making my truck overly top heavy. my tire and hilift are on the roof, but the rack theyre mounted on is light weight.

 

[jh504]

i wheel mostly in the desert so i follow james's line of thinking. a lot of water, and then some. i plan for gullies, sand, washouts, sand, sharp rocks, sand. oh yeah and did i mention sand?!?! the only major thing i try to watch for is making my truck overly top heavy. my tire and hilift are on the roof, but the rack theyre mounted on is light weight.

How do you guys like the sand? I have had bad experiences with it in Florida and OBX here in NC and I try my hardest to steer away from it. It seems like it just can get really deep really quick and swallow you. How much does airing down help out in the DEEP stuff? What are the secrets to deep sand driving?

 

[Rexsname]

"Give those tires chubby cheeks" It wont matter how deep the sand is if you are on top. Just like swimming. I've heard it works with deep snow too.



REX

 

[Martinjmpr]

Very good point and one that is worth repeating: As in many other aspects of life, there's no "one size fits all" requirement for equipment. It all depends on where you're going and how long you'll be there.

Out here in CO the hardcore 'wheelers almost all have winches to get them up or around difficult obstacles. Snorkels are rare as most of our water crossings aren't that deep. Narrow shelf roads with extreme dropoffs (like, 1500' extreme!) discourages us from putting a lot of stuff on the roof. Tire chains are fairly common except in the middle of summer (and even then they often come in handy when 'busting' a trail that's been closed by a snowdrift - some of our higher trails stay snowed in until August.)

 

[KG6BWS]

How do you guys like the sand? I have had bad experiences with it in Florida and OBX here in NC and I try my hardest to steer away from it. It seems like it just can get really deep really quick and swallow you. How much does airing down help out in the DEEP stuff? What are the secrets to deep sand driving?

i dont much mind sand driving anymore. over the years ive kinda figured out how to drive in it.

imo, the best thing you can do to prevent getting stuck is air down, WAY down. ive got as low as 5lbs. ive talked to others who have gone to 3lbs. going that low may not be strictly necessary but it gives you a little more in the way of options when you want to stop. you also want to try to anticipate when its getting bad, so you can air down ahead of time.

keeping your speed up is also important. the lower you air down, the lower your cruising speed will need to be, but you want to keep your momentum nonetheless.

the third thing is to try NEVER to hit your brakes. when driving in sand there is a small "wave" of sand that rolls in front of your tires. if you hit the brakes too hard, your tires will want to plow into the sand, and build up a huge pile that youre going to have to now climb to keep going. if you absolutely must stop, its much better to try to let the resistance of the sand slow you down, keeping your brake usage to a minimum. in the event that you DO plow in, un/intentionally, back up before you try to go forward again. when you back up a few feet, youre giving room to get up momentum and go over the piles in front of your tires.

it can be kind of a pain to use at times cuz the site has a lot of problems, but check this site out. they have some good info on here.
http://www.difflock.com/offroad/drivingoffroad.shtml

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

What a fantastic topic :victory:

Being in Colorado, and having a multipurpose rig (a bit of mild rockcrawling with a bit of expedition style trips) here's my outfitting plan

33" MT's - I'd prefer AT's since I drive the street a LOT, but I need the MT's for the crawling and occasional mud. For me the 33" size is a comprimise between the size I want for wheeling and the size I need for DD's and expedition runs.

Winch - For getting over the larger rocks that my overlanding sized 33" tires won't allow me to (35's are pretty std for crawling in Colorado).

Bridging ladders - Same as sand ladders, but I would use them to bridge gaps that my 33's can't make or to help prevent any uneccessary body damage.

4.56 gears - From what I've read 4.56's are overkill for 33's, but with the mountain passes, and towing my pop-up over the passes, I feel that this gearing will suit me and my terrain well.

Layers of clothes - It can be 90* in Denver and 60* on the trail. Such swings in temps require multiple layers or at least backup clothes.

That's all I can think of for now.

 

[roscoFJ73]

I live in western australia which is mainly sand and more sand with the interior being an amalgam of 3-4 deserts.
We tend to have finer treaded tyres so as to not disturb the surface.
We nearly always have long handled shovels for digging and some type of sand ladder for when you get bogged.
Winches are not really necessary except in the more hilly coastal ares where you may find a tree to winch off.
Storing food water and equipment so it can be got easily is always a top priority.
Built in water and long range fuel tanks are mandatory if you are traverlling inland where some trails are a 1000 klms long with no fuel stops.
Carrying 2 spares tyres is the minimum but many take more.
Our suspension systems are not always built for lots of flex,more for load carrying.
Many inland travellers have HF tranceivers which can reach across the oz and you can deal direct with police and flying doctor.
The newer types of HF radio can also do fax and data printouts as well as send and receive radio telephone(at extra cost).
A sand flag and 40 channel UHF is necessary to warn approaching vehicles in the dunes.
There is always lots of debate about towing trailers through the desert . Some reckon you should travel without a trailer as they tend to destroy the fragile ground and increase the chance of overheating or rollovers.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Sand is not always the same everywhere, snow is not the same everywhere, and mud is not the same everywhere.

It pays to talk to the locals and pick versatile modifications.

 

[KG6BWS]

I live in western australia which is mainly sand and more sand with the interior being an amalgam of 3-4 deserts.
We tend to have finer treaded tyres so as to not disturb the surface.
We nearly always have long handled shovels for digging and some type of sand ladder for when you get bogged.
Winches are not really necessary except in the more hilly coastal ares where you may find a tree to winch off.
Storing food water and equipment so it can be got easily is always a top priority.
Built in water and long range fuel tanks are mandatory if you are traverlling inland where some trails are a 1000 klms long with no fuel stops.
Carrying 2 spares tyres is the minimum but many take more.
Our suspension systems are not always built for lots of flex,more for load carrying.
Many inland travellers have HF tranceivers which can reach across the oz and you can deal direct with police and flying doctor.
The newer types of HF radio can also do fax and data printouts as well as send and receive radio telephone(at extra cost).
A sand flag and 40 channel UHF is necessary to warn approaching vehicles in the dunes.
There is always lots of debate about towing trailers through the desert . Some reckon you should travel without a trailer as they tend to destroy the fragile ground and increase the chance of overheating or rollovers.

while theyre all excellent points, these are the ones i tend to follow myself. especially in the desert. my mileage gets cut in half when im dealing with deep sand. we dont tend to have to much in the way of powdery sand, but down in a dry wash it can get REALLY soft. i try to always have some food with me, and i always have water in the truck. usually 5 gallons, which i can filter and boil, if the need arises. although i run a more aggressive tire, if you have to deal with a LOT of sand, such as oz, a milder tire that wont displace the sand is a better idea. i dont carry sand ladders, or even mats, but (knock on wood) i havent gotten in a situation, yet, where airing down and/or my winch and shovel couldnt get me out.

 

[Zorro]

This is a really interesting thread ... allow me to comment on driving in eastern Canada.

All forest. Sandy and slightly muddy for the most part, few rocks here and there. Lots of swamps and lakes.

A small truck is better. Often times you will find ATV trails ... a full size pickup will not fit. A small pickup just fits if you don't mind pinstriping. Most distance is made on logging roads, powerlines and snowmobile trails (in summer).

Water isn't much of a concern, as there are lakes everywhere. Same for food or wood ... nature's plentiful if you really need it.

Bugs can be a PITA, depending on the season. Enough that you may have to consider staying in the truck.

Swampy terrain, a winch is very helpful, especially since you can be very very far from the nearest village. Water holes can get deeper than expected if several big trucks have gone through. Snorkel is not a bad idea for those "oh crap" moments.

I prefer MTs, but ATs will do for 95% of the stuff.

I try to avoid sticking things on the roof because of tight trails and fallen trees.

Extra gas can be a plus in remote places.

Keep in mind this is all summer talk.



Winter ... fuggedaboutit.

Too much snow to really get out of the main roads, too cold to enjoy camping.

Any moving part will get jammed. Something as simple as windows in a car ... yeah, they don't really move during the colder days.

Even snowmobiles can have a hard time. Couple years back, me and abuddy headed to his cabin close to the Verendrye Park. There were at least 4ft of powder fluffy snow, and the temperatures went below -40C. I think I saw -47C, and thinking "what? that's ridiculous". I'm still not convinced it can get that cold today.
Cranking up an 800cc (2 cylinders of 400cc each ... started by hand like you would start a lawnmower ... picture this you desert guys!) frozen solid engine in the morning wasn't really fun. Especially when you were smart enough to bring a propane torch ... that doesn't light up because the can is so cold.
Mind you, it was an epic weekend, especially since I dislocated my shoulder back in the woods, 4h from the nearest hospital ... but that's another story.
Gratuitious pic from that day ... february 8 2002!


So ... to sum up.
Summer : small truck to fit everywhere
Winter : comfy slippers

A couple pics to illustrate

Conditions in april ...



Reasonably tight trail (I've been through much tighter)


Your average trail, a bit of sand, a bit of mud, a bit of forest.

 

[DaveM]

Geographers study how *place* affects things...

People often ask/answer questions about gear and vehicle modifications w/o talking about the physical geography of the area where they will be on expedition. I thought it might be fun to share how our region affects how we setup our vehicles and camping gear...

How does your region affect the gear you carry?

Sorry, not much to contribute personally (I don't get out as often or as far as most of these guys do), but as a geographer/cartographer I have to say I really like your thread topic!

Seems like most of the people doing expedition style travel have some natural history exploration component to what they are doing. I've always felt like geography as discipline was a big factor in this type of travel.

 

[craig]

I'm loving the replies. Thanks everyone. Keep em coming as you think about them.

I'm curious... how well does isobutane and/or propane work in Colorado (altitude) in winter? Do you guys use it, or do you use white gas exclusively?

C