It has been a long, hot, and trying day. The rig has been behaving badly, the last of 20 checkpoints involved a locked and loaded Kalashnikov, your convoy partner has been very hard work, and there is a difficult multi-day remote mountain pass ahead. It is at times like these that all an overlander needs…
The Basic Overland Gear Everyone Should Have
The Overland Journal Podcast #20 Principles of Overlanding: The Basic Overland Gear Everyone Should Have Summary: For this Principles of Overlanding, Matt and Scott review the top 10 pieces of kit that help support local and international overland travel. Topics include navigation, communications, recovery equipment, medical kits, training, tools, and more. This list is all…
Is the Eezi-Awn Cube the Ultimate Shower Enclosure?
I was recently in South Africa, overlanding through Mapungubwe in the north, which is settled along the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe. The Limpopo River flows through there, and the region is packed with mega-fauna. The goal of the trip was to test the new Hilux and also evaluate the cadre of new equipment from…
Sea to Summit Nails Comfort With Their New Deluxe SI Mat
A year ago, the thought of an air mattress was enough to make me cringe with memories of a sore back and uncomfortable nights on the ground. Their poor designs and habits of deflating had ruined my image of inflatable beds forever, or so I thought, but thanks to the Comfort Deluxe mat and Aeros…
Podcast #16 :: Rooftop Tent or Ground Tent or Wedge Camper for Overlanding?
The Overland Journal Podcast #16 Principles of Overlanding :: RTT vs. Ground Tent vs. Swag vs. Habitat vs. Sleeping in the vehicle Summary: For this Principles of Overlanding podcast, Matt and Scott discuss the best sleeping solutions for an overland camp. They review the options of a Rooftop Tent (RTT) vs. a Ground Tent vs….
National Overland Influencer Award Winner Announced
With 2019 behind us, the Overland Board of Influencing Association (OBASS) has announced their coveted Overland Influencer of the Year Award. #Hotly contested, this award considers everything from the chosen campsite to the #gear and #patches used to represent the #ultimate #overland #lifestyle. To everyone’s surprise, Azuki the Hedgehog won for an unprecedented 13th year…
The Trailblazer Fire Pit Grill is 3 Pounds and Cools in 90 Seconds
According to the National Park Service, 85 percent of wild-land fires are started by humans, and with each passing year they battle more illegal fire rings and burn scars in the natural places we love. Yet, I’ll be the first to admit that camping just doesn’t feel like camping without a fire, so how do…
Nomad Kitchen Module :: Overland News
(Editor’s Note: Unedited Press Release) Berkeley, CA (February 27, 2020) – Nomad Kitchen Co. is excited to announce the upcoming launch of their first mobile camping kitchen. The small startup, based out of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, hopes to cater to weekend warriors and hardcore adventurers alike with their compact slide-out kitchen…
The Best Coffee Grinders for Camping
Using a manual coffee grinder as part of your morning java ritual not only gets the blood pumping, it also promotes conversation and fuels campsite camaraderie. Forget noisy electric grinders requiring an inverter, or lowering the bar completely and milling those beans at home before the trip. If you’re a discerning overland javascenti, interested in…
The Products We Loved At Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2020
Each year the Outdoor Retailer show brings together some of the largest arrays of outdoor products and enthusiasts in the world. You’re undoubtedly familiar with the Summer market show, which we have covered in previous years, but for 2020 we decided to drop into their winter “snow show”, and we’re very glad we did. That’s…
Outdoor Retailer Show Goes Overland
The Outdoor Retailer Show continues to reinforce overlanding as a rapidly growing segment. The Winter Market show in Denver this week included an Overland Experience area, and even broader OEM representation. For our “Day One” coverage of the industry-only event, we will feature the products, innovations, and vehicles showcased at the venue. Our day two coverage…
Gazelle T4 Hub Tent
By Ryan Keegan The Gazelle T4 Hub tent is a direct descendent of the Eskimo ice fishing shelter as well as the Barronett hunting blinds, both made by Ardisam. They have been producing seasonal outdoor products since 1960 and have upped their game with the Gazelle line of camping tents and shade awnings. The Gazelle…
Field Tested: GSI Outdoors Selkirk 460
I can still remember purchasing my first GSI Outdoors kitchen kit. It replaced the hodgepodge of pots, pans, plates, and cups that had been consuming cargo space in a giant box with one sleek set of nesting cookware. The space savings was spectacular, but so was the reasonable price. Ever since then, I have had…
Overland News :: Four New Fridges Hit the Market
For 2020, there are several new fridges to hit the market from respected manufacturers, from the classic and reliable Engel, to the efficient and industrial-grade National Luna. For this news update, we cover the best new units to hit the market for the new year. The first 12-volt fridge I ever owned was an Engel,…
Is the Exped Megamat Duo Still the King of Comfort?
There are a lot of ultra-comfortable sleeping pads on the market these days, but ask someone in the overland world what they think is the plushest pad in all the land, and there’s a good chance they’ll say the Exped Megamat. It’s no surprise. Exped was one of the pioneers of car camping pads, and…
The iKamper Skycamp Mini – Because Lighter
As the roof tent market continues to evolve, there has developed a clear differentiation between the companies that innovate, and those that seem to just copy other designs. iKamper is one of the innovators, creating unique, quality roof tents for the overland and camping customer like their new Skycamp Mini. We have several years of…
Yakima Acquires Road Shower
As further evidence of the rapidly growing overland market, we are seeing larger (quality) camping and automotive brands acquire products that were niche just a few years ago. What better to pair with your roof tent and roof rack then a solar shower system? I have used the Road Showers in the field and they…
The Tailgater Tire Table is the Wheel Deal
One of the fun things about reviewing outdoor gear is that you never know when a product is going to surprise you. Something that seems like a good idea may actually wind up falling short in testing, while a product you weren’t sure you’d like becomes one of your favorite pieces of kit; the Tailgater…
ARB’s Zero Fridge Line Has Dual Zones, Can Hold Up To 144 Cans, and Pulls 2.9 Amps
SEMA is here, and with it, a slew of new product releases from brands big and small. We’ve seen several awesome unveilings thus far, but one that caught our eye right away was a new line of fridges from ARB they’re calling the Zero. Besides a tough color-scheme and design, these new fridges boast two…
Sunflare Solar Panels for Your Tent, Car, or Camper
Between powering refrigerators, running lights at night, and charging phones, tablets, and cameras, we burn a lot of power as overlanders. Solar panels have become the go-to solution for keeping up with these draws, but understanding what components you’ll need, and then choosing high-quality ones among the sea of options these days is no small…