Cooking meals on the road is often defined by a “keep it simple” attitude. We gravitate toward dishes easily prepared on a camp stove like fajitas, tacos, brats, grilled meats, and vegetables, but sometimes we find ourselves craving more. That’s where the Omnia comes in. This lightweight stove-top oven has brought a variety of meals…
Why COBB Might Be The Best Overland Grill
Food is a universal language shared around the world. It’s a way to experience each other’s cultures, broaden one another’s horizons, and break down barriers between strangers, so it should come as no surprise that cooking and overlanding go together like chimichurri and steak. Of course, preparing that steak on a camp stove would be…
Reviewed: LifeSaver Jerrycan Water Purifier
Every so often, we find a product that wildly exceeds our expectations. This is the case with the LifeSaver 18.5 liter water purifying jerrycan, a robust and easy to use solution for removing 99.9% of protozoa, 99.99% of viruses, and 99.9999% of bacteria from water, while also improving turbidity from silted sources like glacial rivers…
Reviewed: Kinsmen Hardware 270 Awning
I must’ve used my traditional-style car awning only a handful of times over the year or so that I owned it, mostly because of the difficulty it took to set it up. Whenever I wanted to use my awning while I was by myself, it was almost always a quick “Nope” as I laughed at…
Reviewed: Nemo Roamer Sleeping Pad
It’s amazing just how much of overlanding revolves around sleep. People are willing to spend thousands of dollars on rooftop tents, install campers, and even convert the interiors of their vehicles for a good night’s rest, but who can blame them? When you’re fatigued your patience dwindles, enthusiasm burns low, and you wind up finding…
Field Tested: Sea To Summit Comfort Deluxe S.I. Sleeping Pad
It’s surprising how persistent our bad associations with air mattresses are. I can tell someone I’ve been living on the road for a year and a half, sleeping in my truck during rain and snow and they won’t even bat an eye. But add in that I’ve slept on an inflatable pad for most of…
Helinox Table Review
In the eternal march to find the gear that best fits our travel style and tastes, a table is a simultaneously easy and complicated piece of equipment. Size is one of the biggest limiting factors when deciding on how we will keep our plates, notebooks, stoves, and all other manner of gear from crashing to…
Made in the Shade – Overland Journal’s 270 Awning Head To Head Test
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2019. As I tightened the last bolt of the awning’s mounting bracket, I smiled, envisioning how the scene would unfold. Soon I would be sitting on some remote sandy beach, the waves lapping on the shore while I sipped a cold drink beneath the unfurled…
Outdoor Retailer Show Adopts Overlanding
Expedition Portal and Overland Journal first attended the Outdoor Retailer show in 2006, over 13 years ago. Initially, we were met with reserved curiosity, the outdoor industry unsure about its relationship with vehicle-based adventuring. However, in the subsequent years, we have received more and more attention and adoption from the community, and the outdoor industry…
Outpost :: Los Angeles
Among the sea of events that dot the adventure travel landscape, there are few that are truly unique and worthwhile attending. One of those events is the Outpost series, which is held in locations like the redwoods of Northern California, and now in downtown Los Angeles. This was the first year of the LA event,…
James Baroud Tents Now Come in 250 Colors
The stereotypical overlander is supposed to be utilitarian, never choosing form over function, and always prioritizing the adventure, but I’d be lying if I said looks didn’t matter. We’re automotive enthusiasts after all, and each of us wants to build a vehicle that not only performs well on the trail, but represents our personal style…
Yeti Hondo Base Camp Chair Review
Yeti is an impressive company, based on a simple ethos: “Build the cooler (i.e., product) you’d use every day if it existed.” They certainly made their name constructing extremely robust coolers that endure full-tilt adventure travel, but they have also extended their product line to include soft coolers, drinkware, bags, and now chairs. Pulling the…
Field Tested: DMOS Stealth Shovel
Jackson, Wyoming-based DMOS is a force to be reckoned with. Since their Kickstarter debut in the fall of 2015, this woman-owned company has taken the bull by its horns. DMOS exists to build tools that are purpose-built, portable, and engineered to outlast its customers. They make shovels. They make highly durable shovels. The Stealth is…
Organizational Alchemy
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2018. “Junk show” were the words used to describe one camper’s vehicle, the back seat and storage area a cascading pile of sagging Rubbermaid containers and crisscrossed bungee cords. While the words were harsh, the Internet, and community forums in particular, often show little…
The Modern Campaign Camp
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Fall 2017. In the ever-expanding lexicon of the backcountry traveler, a new word has emerged which, depending on your personal perspective, can register as a compliment or a pejorative. That term, glamping, is a clever portmanteau melding the word glamorous with camping. It is in…
Treeline Outdoors Tamarack Constellation
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. Camping is one of the most enjoyable aspects of overland travel—nothing beats pulling up to a remote lake with no other vehicles or buildings in sight. Certainly, sleeping in the wild can be a simple affair, using a bedroll unfurled beneath the stars….
Burning Rings of Fire
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. One of my earliest camping memories is of my dad instructing me to police the grounds as we packed up, collecting any trash left by us or anyone that came before. “We need to leave it better than we found it,” was his…
Field Tested: Nemo Stargaze Luxury Recliner
As ridiculous as it sounds, camp chairs are a hotly debated subject these days. Everyone has their preference, and whether it’s small lightweight options or the most expensive canvas and wood campaign chair you’ve ever seen, each has its merits. I’ve been on the hunt for my own favorite for some time now, and after…
Overlanding Skills: How to Pitch a Tent
Although every tent is slightly different, there are some common techniques for properly pitching a modern portable shelter. Do it poorly and you risk damaging the tent itself, or enduring a less than comfortable night’s sleep. I travel with people with extensive backcountry experience, yet see them making basic mistakes all too often. Most people would…
Field Tested: GSI Glacier Stainless Camper Set
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I tend to purchase expensive gear. It’s not because I want to appear fancy or anything, but rather because of the countless hard lessons I learned with cheap gear in my early days of camping. Ever had a pot of hot coffee and grounds fall on your lap…